#RoedeanSchool: Swimming in the middle of winter
With six years of coaching swimming at Roedean School, water polo coach, Gary Prout said he enjoyed the experience because the school always aimed at bettering the country's ability to swim.
Learners, teachers and parents who were brave enough to shun the cold and put on their costumes, took part in the Polar Bear swim at Roedean School. The swim was aimed at helping children from Johannesburg Girls Preparatory School (JGPS) to be water-aware and learn a lifelong skill.
“This is a fundraiser in order to raise money to buy them all the equipment they need, such as kicking boards and floating devices. We start our programme with them in September,” Kate Lowings, fundraising manager at Roedean School said.
She said they had participated in a ‘polar bear’ swim where the girls all got into the water in the middle of winter. Thereafter they would get hot chocolate and marshmallows and all the money raised would be used to buy equipment for the teaching programme at JGPS.
Head of water polo Anita Trninic said, “This was a different idea and everybody loves it because it’s different and outside the comfort zone as well as challenging and the more you challenge the more you change positively.” She added that she looked forward to starting to help JGPS with swimming lessons and being water aware.
With six years of coaching swimming at Roedean School, water polo coach, Gary Prout said he enjoyed the experience because the school always aimed at bettering the country’s ability to swim. “Not a lot of kids in the country can swim so the school always tries to get involved in ‘learn-to-swim programmes such as this one as cold as it is because it’s for a good cause.”
One of the learners who took part in the swimming activity, Ziyanda Zamaswasi said, “My school has done very good things for charity and I am glad that I was a part of it.”
Details: Roedean school www.roedeanschool.co.za
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