Learners represent Gauteng in Canoe Polo champs
Trinityhouse Little Falls learners participate in canoe polo championships.
Three learners from Trinityhouse Little Falls participated in the 2024 South African Canoe Polo Championships, showcasing their skills and athleticism.
Alexis Kuruc, Connor Duncan and Ethan Duncan gained valuable experience while they were representing Gauteng on May 4 and 5 at Baynesfield Estate, Richmond, KZN.
The competition comprised 90 athletes in 16 teams – five seniors and 11 juniors representing Gauteng, the Western Cape, and KZN – all competing for the national title.
Alexis and five others who train at the Dubulamanzi Canoe Club in Emmerentia formed part of the Gauteng Development Team, while Connor and Ethan were part of the Gauteng Boys Development Team, which was represented by a variety of schools around West Rand, East Rand and Central Johannesburg.
According to Jennie Dallas, Florida Lake Canoe Club’s media liaison, the children formed part of the development, and it was more of a learning curve for them than a competition.
But the Gauteng men’s team ultimately claimed victory in the senior men’s title, and they fought hard to retain their first place in 2023 against a greatly improved Western Cape side, while the women’s Gauteng team also managed to fight back from two goals down with a series of excellent goals to win by two in the last minutes of their match.
“Canoe polo is known as a fun and exciting sport that mixes physicality, skill, and fitness. It is described as a mixture of rugby, water polo, canoeing, and basketball, and players paddle in specialised boats that allow them to pop up if they fall over while tackling for the ball with paddles, shooting goals into the netball-type net, or blocking with their paddles and racing up and down the course,” Jennie said.
