The spirited drive and commitment towards developing talented rugby players and instilling a sense of self-pride and discipline continues to prevail at Marvin Park Primary School in Macassar, where pre-season training has already begun to end off the school year on a high.
A new group of 20 Grade 3 and 4 learners, who will be playing u-10 and u-11 rugby next year, were invited to join a skills session with the rugby coaching team at Paul Roos Gymnasium in November in a bid to boost technical aspects of the game, but also to motivate and encourage the youngsters and help guide their future.
Part-time sports coach at the school, Courtneigh Hearne, believes the passionate display of commitment towards growth and development at the school transcends well into rugby as well, and securing quality skills sessions with the learners will only have a maximum benefit. “Our goal is ultimately to provide opportunities for the learners and help them reach their full potential,” he said. “We’ve always been blessed with hard-working learners who are backed by committed and dedicated teachers and staff, and who all strive towards improving the future of learners.
“The aim is to foster discipline and through sport that will address challenges of bad elements and socio-economic problems in the community, and also show the learners that there’s more than just the boundaries of Macassar.
“We put in a lot of planning and coaching methods for them to compete against bigger schools in the region and provincially.”
While showing gratitude and appreciation towards Paul Roos for their partnership, Hearne further elaborated that the Marvin Park primary school rugby teams are annual contenders at various rugby festivals, such as the Wynberg Rugby Festival, George 10s and Summie’s 10s among the many others. “Since 2017 eight of our players obtained WP colours as well as one referee, and we believe this is because of our values and intense coaching, because even our netball teams are doing well. Our motto is progress and despite the challenges in our community we maintain a positive mindset and we don’t shy away from addressing our challenges head-on. I must give credit again to the entire staff component at the school and all our supporters in the community because it is not an individual effort but rather the collective effort of our school and community.”
Hearne extended this message to the learners and the community as a whole: “You have to work hard to get what you want You’re never too old to learn and your drive in life should be consistently bettering yourself so that you can expand your horizons. We’re incredibly proud of this school and what we have so far achieved together, and we look forward to making bigger strides and touching more lives in the coming new year.”
