Magazine 2017

Our new striped running vests have been launched this season and made quite an impression at the league events. We eagerly look forward to next quarter when the top 20 athletes from each age group are to be selected for Western Province trials. HOCKEY Hockey at Parklands continues to grow from strength to strength with the first team now referred to as the “Parklands Pythons”. Both the junior and senior teams have managed to play preseason tournaments that assisted the players in their preparation for the 2017 season. The aim of participating in the various tournaments was to develop the teams and the brand of hockey we aim to play at Parklands College. So far this year the Parklands hockey players have played the bulk of their matches on Astro, to which the players adapted well. We hope that in the future Parklands College will compete at higher levels. This will, however, require the continuous efforts of the coaching staff, players and parents. We thank the coaching staff, parents, and players for their support throughout the season. NETBALL The U/14A netball team had a very good start to their season and remain unbeaten in their league so far this season. This will be the third year in arow if they continue like this. We would like to express our pride as both Anika van der Walt and Jade Turnbull were chosen for the Western Province U/14 outdoor netball team. This is a fantastic achievement as players are selected from schools all around Cape Town. Although both our U/16B and U/14B teams had a tough start to their season with a lot of challenges thrown their way, they are working very hard as a team to build each other up. They are extremely dedicated and their perseverance is admirable. The U/16A netball team has had a tough start to the season, having lost their three matches played thus far. The girls are still in high spirits and will continue to work hard at improving their performance on the netball court. The team is full of energy and practices are always a lot of fun, even when having to work hard. The U/19B netball team had a great start to the season. The girls bonded very well and performed well throguhout the season. The U/19A netball team, the Pumas, started their season off with great excitement and new beginnings. Not only did they have a new coach, but they finally got the netball dress they’ve always wanted. It is stylish and fits them perfectly. They have really grown as a team and gave their all to commit and create a great atmosphere within the team. They participated in two festivals and performed very well. They walked out unbeaten at the West Coast Festival and finished second in Parklands’ own U/19A festival. During all all their league matches fighting spirit were admirable. RUGBY Rugby preparations started towards the end of 2016 with an intense preseason training programme. The preseason rugby programme focussed on perfecting and improving the skills, fitness, speed, strength, techniques, space awareness and vision of our U12/13 rugby players. The Parklands Rugby programme offers endless opportunities and room for growth as the season runs over an extended period of over two and a half months consisting of weekly league rugby matches as well as Saturday Festival rugby and traditional schools' rugby which allows our rugby boys to participate in two rugby fixtures a week. Our teams’ playing structures during matches illustrated controlled freedom to express their skills, decision making and teamwork abilities. The main focus remains on enjoyment and after all just playing the game without added pressures. Our U/12/U/13 age group consisted of 20 boys who regularly attended practice sessions and actively participated in match days. Our boys worked extremely hard towards achieving their end of season goal and targets. The dedication, discipline and efforts certainly contributed towards the successes achieved by the team. The Parklands U/12/13 rugby side won 95% of their matches while displaying great teamwork abilities as well as camaraderie. 114 Parklands College, Twentieth Edition, 2017