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KNYSNA SPORT NEWS - A long and winding road for Knysna's canoe polo juniors seems to have finally come to a fitting conclusion as a group of 10 boys and girls and their coach are on the dawn of leaving for international championships in Ireland.
While canoe polo might bare a far greater significance on a global scale, on South African waters and Knysna in particular, it's still a relatively young sport that is slowly garnering more and more support.
Whereas canoe polo has in its modern form been played since the early 1970s, it only made its way to Knysna about 12 years ago when Knysna Canoe Club (KCC) began to play the sport in the waters by the Knysna Yacht Club.
It would take a while before gaining popularity as it only really took off in Knysna six years later, and since then, KCC has been a prime catalyst in championing the South African canoe polo cause. They've also proven to be quite a formidable force on a national scale, as they were core members of the masters team that won bronze at the World Games two years ago, while Knysna's U16 boys' team even managed to claim gold at the South African national championships last year.
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The club's latest and possibly proudest achievement is the large contingent of Knysna canoe polo players travelling to Belfast, Ireland on 27 July to take part in the 2019 Junior International Championships from 31 July to 4 August. KCC will be boasting an incredible 10 canoe polo players at the championships, which will be taking place at the Belfast Kayak Academy.
According to KCC's youth director and coach of the SA U18 girls' team heading to Ireland, Nelson das Fontes, the reward of heading to an international championship is the result of years of hard work. "It's been a long road, this has been an almost five-year plan to get our juniors ready to compete internationally," he said.
"It has been hard work and commitment from all the juniors going, training three times a week for the last eight months and that's besides their school sports."
He admitted that while they might feel ready, they don't quite know what to expect in Ireland, with over 18 countries taking part in the championships. "We leave on 27 July not really knowing how we will compete in the junior level internationally."
The local stars heading to Ireland are as follows: Thomas das Fontes (representing SA U15 boys in the international team), Jack Ligeti (SA U18 boys), Aiden Carr (SA U18 boys), Joshua Smith (SA U18 boys), Andrea Collins (SA U15), Carla Collins (SA U18 girls), Tineke Cooper (SA U18 girls), Jade das Fontes (SA U18 girls), Kayla Hanton (SA U18 girls) and Taya Hanton (SA U18 girls).
Chris de Bree, coach of the SA U18 boys team, switches direction in an attempt to pass the ball past a defender during a recent fundraising tournament. Photos: Blake Linder
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