Teaching youth sports skills

The youth of Grahamstown were given a fantastic opportunity to get involved in different sports, when the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) hosted a sports extravaganza on Youth Day. The event, hosted with the Department of Education, took place at various venues. Indigenous Games, hockey, touch rugby and getting into rugby – foundation phase, took place at Mickey Yili Stadium. Netball and basketball were held at the New Indoor Sports Centre, while soccer took place at JD Dlepu Stadi- um. Warren Loubscher, assistant director for school sport at DSRAC, said the day's activities were more about mass participation than about keeping score.

“We are reviving youth sport in primary schools,” said Loubscher.

Of the 15 Grade one to seven schools invited, 12 schools participated in the various events. According to Loubscher, another aim of the Youth Day programme was to "introduce physical literacy to kids", including ball catching, passing and other sports skills. The event also doubled as a coaching clinic to intro- duce sports to schools and its pupils.

Instead of the usual prizes for the top teams, the event saw prizes handed out to schools with the most learners and schools involved in the most codes.

Monwabisi Ngcuke, sports coordinator at Ntaba Maria, thanked DSRAC for organising the event, which he said helped to keep the children busy during the public holiday. “Today is about enjoyment, not about winning”.

DSRAC intends to make the event an annual one which they hope will grow to involve more schools.

Photo: Stephen Penney Primary School pupils were given the chance to learn new sports skills during the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Educations Department Youth Day sports day last week.