KWAZI SOKHELA AND LORINDA MARRIAN
On 8 March, TuksSport hosted its annual Stripe UP event. This is the third time that the event has been hosted. The aim of the event is to celebrate and welcome back the 2015/2016 Stripe Generation, which is the name used to represent the diverse athletes that represent UP, while introducing first years into the TuksSport community. The event was centred on the “elevate your greatness” hashtag, which promotes excellence and success at TuksSport. The event was attended by an abundance of TuksSport staff, sporting clubs and teams such as AmaTuks, the UP Varsity Cup team, and the Tuks Women’s Rugby 7s team.
The main speakers at the event were UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Cheryl De la Rey, and Acting Director of TuksSport, Toby Sutcliffe. They both highlighted the achievements of the previous year, which included the 46 athletes and support staff who attended the Rio Olympics last year, and the three medals won by TuksSport athletes.
Prof. De la Rey, who competed in the Bestmed Tuks race last month, said that she liked the energy of the event, and that she was pleased to see first years and res students attending. Concerning the event she said, “I hope that it will get bigger, better and we need to get more students involved in sport; it’s not just for the champions. If I can be there, everyone can”.
Sutcliffe said that the most important part of the event was to welcome home the Stripe Generation, although he was disappointed with the first-year attendance. He also said that the event was part of a ten-part series, and the next big part will be to identify ten students who have incredible stories, such as cricketer Lugni Ngidi who is now the breadwinner in his family, and Lawrence Brittain who won a silver medal at the Olympics after overcoming cancer. Regarding TuksSport he said, “You know opportunities are there. It’s whether you want to take the opportunity, and that is what we are trying to say [to] everybody”.
The event also featured performances from singer-songwriter and rapper Una Rams, Tuks Idols winner Siyabonga, and TuksDance.
Image provided.
