The Mocke family from Fish Hoek in the Western Cape is renowned for sporting excellence in water and the next generation is already making the family name a regular on the podium at the DHL LSA National Club Championships at Gqeberha Kings Beach.
Also read: Super Singe is Fish Hoek’s golden girl at Livesaving Champs
Samuel Mocke won the u14 Boys Run/Swim/Run and the prestigious Iron race in the Nippers Division.
Summerstrand’s Gous sisters were victorious as the Nippers took to Kings Beach’s surf on the penultimate day of the National Championships.
Sienna, u13 Girls and Morgan, u11 Girls, won golds, as did Lisa de Villiers of Summerstrand for u14 Girls. The local trio also excelled in the National Club Pool Championships, which were held at Newton Park.
De Villiers was exceptional in winning the u14 Girls Nippers Run/Swim/Run, Beach Run and Iron.
The Gous family for the past two decades have been synonymous with lifesaving at Summerstrand and the name, either among father, mother or children is always a regular among the winners.
The sport’s competitive future, the Nippers, swapped the pool for the surf on Monday, but not before local club Summerstrand made the biggest splash in the Pool Championship.
The juniors and seniors are at Newton Park’s pool in the early part of this week, with the Nippers completing the Surf Championships at Kings Beach on Wednesday, 5th April.
So far, the Championship has produced the most thrilling of rivalries, with Clifton and Fish Hoek going toe-to-toe over three days in the Junior and Senior Surf Championship, with just four points separating the clubs at the end. Clifton totalled 589 points and Fish Hoek 585.
Kwazulu-Natal’s Umhlanga was very strong in the Surf and for two of those three days stayed in touch with the Cape-based coastal clubs.
In the Pool, among the Nippers, it was very different, as it was with the Masters, where Summerstand reigned supreme.
Summerstrand’s Nippers were the best in the age groups, seven to nine years old, and 12 to 13 years old and were second to Western Province’s Big Bay in the 10 to 11 years old category.
Summerstrand were emphatic overall club winners in the Pool, scoring 579 points to second-placed Harties’s 401. Big Bay was third with 329 points and Fish Hoek (192), Kings Beach (158) and Clifton (110) completed the top six.
The individual winners, for most points, included Summerstrand’s Yam Loni winning the Girls’ eight-year-old division. Lami scored 20 points, as did Big Bay’s Bianca van der Westhuizen, but was awarded the title based on winning one gold and a silver compared to Van der Westhuizen’s two silvers and a bronze.
Big Bay’s Nolan Froneman won the eight-year-old Boys with 23 points and the nine-year-old winners were Fish Hoek’s Emilie Conradie (24 points) and Fish Hoek’s Vidar Bendixen (22 points).
Summerstrand’s duo of Emma de Villiers and Morgan Gous took the honours for 10 and 11 year old Girls respectively and among the 10 year old Boys, the victor was Big Bay’s Jaydon Allott, with Boksburg’s FC Rosslee winning the Boys 11 year old title.
Summerstrand’s (Sienna) Gous took the honours for 12 year old Girls and Clifton’s Troy Steer won the Boys’ 12 year old title. Both scored a Championship high of 38 points.
Summerstrand also dominated the podium for 13 year old Girls in Jesse-Leah Laderach, who finished with 37 points while the 13 year-old Boys Division was among the most competitive with Boksburg’s Xander Swanepoel’s 36 points earning first place.
Summerstand’s Nicholas Pretorius (35 points) and Daniel Pappas (34 points) had to settle for second and third respectively, despite outstanding all-round performances.
*For all the results visit https://liveheats.com
For more information visit www.lifesaving.co.za or follow Lifesaving South Africa on social media @LifesavingSouthAfrica
DHL Lifesaving SA weekly programme:
3 April – 5 April: Nipper Surf Competition (Kings Beach)
3 April – 5 April: Juniors and Seniors Pool Competition (Newton Park Pool)
Also read:
Clifton the kings and queens of surf at Lifesaving National Club Champs
Picture: Ant Grote/LSA