A Successful Year Ends

So we come to the end of another year of our development program in Vosloorus.

We were able to maintain the number of children who attend at various times during the week with Saturday mornings proving to be very popular. The advent of the Play and Stay section has bolstered the program even though some of our children had moved away from the township to other areas and sadly, a couple had decided not to continue with the program.

The fact that Gauteng East did not host the usual one day events that we were accustomed to, these were replaced by us taking the kids to events at the Arthur Ashe stadium in Soweto. Even though there were more children there and the tennis not as good, at least we were able to give the kids some experience of tournament play.

The main success has been two-fold. Firstly, the five who were selected to attend the squad training at Gauteng East have improved beyond our expectations. The advantage of being coached by better qualified personnel and playing with stronger people in the squad has been most beneficial and to see them now playing is very rewarding. I must say that the improvement with the two girls Thando and Angel has been really rewarding for the time spent on their training.

Tshepang has been the star. In a previous article I have told you of his success not only being voted the Most Improved Player in the under 19 squad, but also the award at the Balderstone Sports Institute which we assist with his funding.

Hopefully, the progress shown by all who take part will continue into 2025 and I again express my thanks to Nomsa the chairperson of the club and particularly Michael the coach for their commitment and enthusiasm to ensure that the kids get the best training possible.