September 13 in Gijon - The South Africa Story

I’m ashamed to say it, but I didn’t know the South Africa story. I’ve been going to Worlds for a lot of years, and have known some of the South African speed skaters a long time – but I never knew their story, until now. It has made me wonder just how many of the skaters at the World Championships don’t know their story either.

Ubakeng Boykanio, Brian Baloyi (Senior Men) and Tshepo Modiwake

The morning after the marathon (and dinner, and party), Brooke Lochland came into our room as we were packing – trying to decide what to keep and what to leave at the hotel as we wrestled with getting our gear home. Old clothes making way for new ones, worn wheels making way for new wheels. She said, “If there’s anything you’re not keeping, take it to the South Africans, they’ll love it”. Apparently they have a hard time buying wheels there, so I gathered some wheels to take upstairs to them. But wheels are just part of the story.

Brian Baloyi and Marlon Avontuur (in the Senior Men's Track Relay)

These kids faces lit up when they saw the used wheels, and shoes we were leaving behind, t-shirts, shorts, drink bottles, Gatorade powder - absolutely anything. Two of the boys came from a town so rough that if they arrived home wearing some of the clothes we gave them, they would be stolen off their backs. The kids were quickly trying on and exchanging the clothes, right there in the hallway, I couldn’t believe how happy they were.

I spoke with Wendy and Desiree, Team Manager and Coach of the South African team, about the cultural differences between these kids, and between the South Africans and the rest of the World, the eleven different official languages in their country, and the conditions they work with their skaters under. I could hardly believe it.

Tumelo Moteme, Senior Ladies

The smiling faces and 110 percent efforts of the South African skaters at the World Championships are nothing short of amazing. Few skaters have their own skates, and the small stock of skates that Desiree stores in a library for use in her city’s speed skating program don’t equip every skater that comes. They have no shortage of skaters, but a shortage of equipment - such a shortage that skaters have to either take shifts with the gear (30 minutes of skating in the size 6 skates before giving them to someone else), or attend training and do offskate exercises and stretching until the next session when they might get a turn to actually use skates. They skate from the library to a clinic up the road, where they can skate laps around the clinic buildings - 350 meters per lap. Hours later when Desiree is exhausted (and the skaters are anything but), she winds things up, the kids go home and the skates are ferried back to the library by car.

These kids should provide enough motivation for anyone, in any club, anywhere in the World. Training for speed skating without skates. Wearing speed wheels down to the hub. Skating in shared skates sometimes multiple sizes too small, training with their toes curled. So keen that when it is pouring with rain and Desiree thinks she may get a break, her phone lights up with SMS messages from the kids ,”Please come out, we know its raining”, they want to train, to practice, to do offskate... anything. These kids love skating, and will go through just about anything to do it. Compare that to the circumstances of the young skater who arrives at practice with a parent to carry their bag, open it, and take out the latest skates and an array of wheels for all conditions - a skater who maybe can, or maybe can’t be bothered going to practice.

Ubakeng Boykanio (Junior Boys) in his Track 300m TT

I don’t want to tell the whole South Africa story. The South Africans are wonderful people who skaters should get to know for themselves - their stories are remarkable, rewarding, and motivational.

Right now, while many clubs worldwide work to recruit and to keep skaters, South Africa has more skaters than skates. They need equipment, and boots more than anything - so the next time you’re about to throw away your used boots, wheels, frames, skate bags... anything, consider sponsoring an athlete by sending them to South Africa. Being able to help kids like these to do what they do is truly an amazing feeling.

Contact Desiree Nel (neld@aforbes.co.za) in Port Elizabeth to see your skates go to a loving and passionate home, they just might be flying around the banked track at the next World Championships.