dyton mupawaenda
Veronica Gwaze
Sports Reporter
NATTIE Junior School turned on impressive performances at the South Africa Under-13 Basketball Tournament in Mafikeng recently.
The tournament had 10 girls teams and an equal number for the boys teams battling it out for silverware.
Although they failed to achieve a podium finish, Nattie were crowned the Most Disciplined Team and the Most Spirited Team of the tournament.
The school also made a mark by fielding the youngest teams in the contest.
Head of Sport at the school, Joel Chiduku, paid tribute to his players for putting up a competitive show at their first international outing.
“I am very happy with the way they performed, I am still short of words because they performed way beyond my expectations,” he said.
“Not taking anything away from my team but considering where we are coming from, even our sporting landscape, I personally expected less than what they finally did.
“For me, this was a familiarisation tour, we wanted to go and get the feel of it and learn as much as we can.
“Also, it was meant to motivate our kids and they gave us a pleasant treat with their performance.”
The team got outstanding performances from Tinotenda Machingauta, Tafara Miradzi, Elvina Mwahave, Nokutenda Mulangizo and Luthando Ndiweni.
“Participation at that level is huge in terms of refining ourselves both as a team and as a school,” said Chiduku.
“Playing in a different environment, in a different country, obviously comes with a new perspective in terms of how you view the game and rate your team.
“Most importantly, the level of competition was high so children were tested in many ways, patience, determination and discipline.
“We were able to note what we need to do as a team and how to properly invest as a school so, in a big way, this was a huge eye opener for us.”
Online Reporter