Chronicle Editor
Rodrick Fayayo
Cyprianos Obituary
I AM a relatively new parent in swimming, my boys started swimming in 2017. The few years that I got to know Edmore Cyprianos, affectionately known as Mr. C. were worth far more than the actual time.
I benefitted immensely from his vast experiences in swimming and especially his world view of life in general. Patiently he took me through the nitty gritties of what is expected from a swimming parent.
In all our conversations, his emphasis was always on forward planning and commitment. “The seeds we plant today will be fruits and shades tomorrow,” he always encouraged.
I also learnt a lot about the importance of always placing your family first from Mr C. He was indeed a passionate father.
My first encounter with this side of his passion was when I watched the CANA 2017 swimming competitions held in Zimbabwe at the City Pool in Bulawayo.
He was cheering his boys Brenden and Denny.
His trademark screams, iconic whistle and celebration were phenomenal. I later learnt that the whistle, the passionate scream and the fist celebration were not only reserved for his sons. All the kids were supported with the same passion he showed Brenden and Denny.
I always believed that Mr. C had a special gift. All that he touched turned into gold.
How else would we explain his ability to turn around even a below average swimmer into a champion? How else would we explain that from the recently held short course gala in Bulawayo, where 30 national records were broken, 25 of those records were broken by swimmers under the tutelage of Mr C?
How do we explain the love that our kids had for him? In the pool they were all comfortable around Mr C. In his presence all the kids felt motivated and thrived to do their best.
They clearly got into the water to do what would impress him and received all their efforts with all the love a father could give. How else would we explain that in the Stingrays Junior Team, almost all 10 -year-olds and above had already made times for the senior Matabeleland team?
By any standard these are results any swimming coach would aspire to achieve. But Mr C would still fight for more. How would we explain that after a swimming event all the kids would run past their parents, straight to Mr C.
To celebrate their new PBs or to cry when they didn’t meet their own goals. For the kids it was always Mr C’s word that mattered the most. His ability to keep them motivated to do better next time was a gift that not too many possess.
The coach knew the right things to say and the appropriate times to say them. He knew how to build their confidence, how to make them believe in themselves. Andy, Brandon and Denny lost a dad. But they had also agreed that he was not theirs alone. They shared him with our kids.
The celebrations at KFC and Nandos always gave the kids time to create even stronger bonds with their father coach.
They always looked forward to those socials and he was always willing to deep into his own pockets just to celebrate with our kids.
This relationship explains the reaction of most Stingrays parents to the devastating news. We were all gutted.
But more hurting was the idea of relaying the news to our children. How do you tell them that their father, their coach and their motivator is no more?
How do you tell them that that whistle they are so used to hearing every time they are in the water, that passion, the iconic NO GUNNING MANYALA statement, those screams will never be seen or heard again?
I struggled to tell Sbue. But I had to. I don’t remember ever seeing the pain I saw in my son’s eyes. The sight of my son crying for his coach remains etched and is indelible. Vuyo just hung up his phone.
That’s the impact that Mr C had on all of us. What makes it worse is that the kids had not seen Mr C for almost a week. As a club we had taken a decision to take a break as we observe the rabid coronavirus cases rise.
Ironically, we had taken a break to save lives.
The devastating news was confirmed to me by my brother Mr Siqokoqela. I drove to his house to understand what had happened. My brother was in pain and I could see the anguish on his face.
He had every reason to be distraught. The two had become very close. But more importantly the man that he had just carried from the police vehicle to the mortuary had worked his magic on his kids.
From being nobodies in the world of swimming, Mr C had transformed them into swimming beasts.
Mr C’s vision went beyond his family. Even beyond his Stingrays Club.
He was a voice and a friend to the subalterns. He derived much of his satisfaction from seeing individuals from previously marginalized groups getting into the water and competing at the highest level with established swimmers.
His philosophy was that swimming was going to open a lot of avenues for the black child. And he worked towards ensuring that.
None of us understand his death. But maybe just like he was misunderstood in life he will also be misunderstood in death. And as we prepare to lay his body to rest, his status still reads, “Giving up is not an option”. Till we meet again Coach.
Rodrick Fayayo is a parent at Stingrays Swimming Academy, a club that was founded by Mr. and Mrs Cyprianos.
NB: Edmore Cyprianos was found hanging from a tree in a bush in Lucydale in the Matopos area on Tuesday last week.
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