St Stithians College arranged a fun virtual sports challenge in lieu of its annual Easter Sports Festival this year.
The festival would have attracted more than 2 400 participants from around the country for two weekends of sporting action.
Instead, the Saints SportFest Virtual Challenge aimed to create hope in sport in the midst of a pandemic.
The event, sponsored by Standard Bank, consisted of three challenges – a walk/hike, a run or a cycle.
For this virtual event, each participant decided on the distance that they would complete, as long as it was logged between 6am and 6pm on the day.
This fun event was aimed at learners, families and the broader school community but anyone could participate anywhere.
Some did so from as far as Sun City, Durban, Hekpoort, Stellenbosch and New Jersey in the USA.
All funds raised from the entry fees raised were donated to St Stithians College’s Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy, a 100 per cent donor-funded, nation-building educational upliftment programme established by the college in 2005.
Learners and their families were encouraged to wear their Saints supporters stripes or Saints team uniforms while participating, to show support for Saints #StrongerOneAndAll and to take photos of themselves and their family members taking part.
This received an overwhelming response and was shared on social media platforms.
The college was abuzz on the day, with people walking along the path and discovering the stories about the 11 chosen sites by scanning the QR codes located on the solar posts.
“I thoroughly enjoyed circumnavigating the amazing Saints campus to keep the spirit of our beautiful sports festival alive,” said the head of sport for the boys’ college, Adrian Carter, who completed a full marathon.
“As much as I greatly enjoyed the challenge, I look forward to hosting our Saints community and festival friends again next year.”
