WHILE many Gauteng juniors are planning to enjoy a couple of weeks holiday, the junior paddlers will be doing some serious training as they approach the South African Interschool Sprint competition which takes place in De Rust, on the Stompdrift Dam in the Eastern Cape in May.
Among the junior paddlers in the training program in Gauteng, who will be participating at the interprovincial event, will be the top sprinters from the Johannesburg Canoe Club’s young paddlers sprint program, coached by top Sprinter Martin van der Bergh. Both Alex Masina (Forest Town high school) and Peter Chissano (Turffontein school) achievers are expected to do well, with Masina likely to win a Victor Ladorum podium position.
The Gauteng school league has arranged a number of practice/training sprint races including 200m, 500m, 1 000m, and the long distance of 2 000m and 5 000m (age appropriate) during the past months into April as preparation for the interprovincial events, where Gauteng canoe achievers can gain points towards receiving their Junior Gauteng colours.
