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10 July 2018 Photo Supplied
USSA hockey – lots to play for
Shindré-Lee Simmons, one of the veterans in the Kovsie women’s hockey team for this year’s national student championship.


The Kovsie men’s and women’s hockey teams have positive expectations for the University Sport South Africa (USSA) national student tournament.

The USSA championships were hosted by the University of the Free State (UFS) from 2 to 6 July 2018. This year’s championships will have 45 competing teams and will thus be the biggest ever USSA hockey tournament.

For the female squad to qualify for the 2019 Varsity Sports tournament, they have to secure a spot among the top-seven teams. In order to get back into the A section, the Kovsie men’s team must win their tournament. 

The matches are scheduled to take place on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus astro fields.

The UFS women’s team, captained by Antonet Louw, is set to play on Monday at 15:35 against Nelson Mandela University (NMU); on Tuesday at 17:00 against the University of Johannesburg (UJ); and on Wednesday at 18:25 against North-West University (NWU). The play-off matches will take place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

The men’s team, with Cheslyn Neethling as captain, will play on Monday at 17:00 against the Central University of Technology; on Tuesday at 15:35 against the Tswane University of Technology; on Wednesday at 17:00 against the Vaal University of Technology; on Thursday at 18:25 against the University of KwaZulu-Natal; and on Friday at 15:35 against Rhodes University.

News Archive

Student represents UFS and SA in world orchestra
2015-11-27



The A-list violist, Maja van Dyk 

Among the 100 musicians from 74 countries who performed at the Carnegie Hall in New York as part of the International Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (YPHIL) tour was Maja van Dyk. The viola player was one of two South Africans, and the only University of the Free State (UFS) representative, in the main performance of the tour on 27 September 2015.

“The highlight of the tour was definitely the concert in Carnegie Hall,” said Maja.

The fourth-year BMus student at the UFS Odeion School of Music (OSM) was one of 900 musicians between 18 and 26 years of age who auditioned for the world orchestra.  She reached a major milestone in her music career when she was selected as both our country and our university’s ambassador.

The YPHIL project is a hub for the most powerful young performers from all over the world who spotlight social issues affecting the global collective through music. This objective behind creating one symphonic voice is to unite and empower in an unconventional manner.

Over the years, Maja has gathered a wealth of experience by playing for the MIAGI Youth Orchestra, the South African National Youth Orchestra, the Free State Youth Orchestra, the OSM Camerata, and the Free State Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Bloemfontein and Stellenbosch City Orchestras.

As a member of the National Youth Orchestra, she was invited to tour the country with the world-class Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the Zürcher Kammerorchester in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Her recent international exposure cannot be separated from past stints on the world stage. “I participated in tours of The World Orchestra to Spain and Lebanon, prior to the YPhil tour to New York City this past September,” she said.

The award-winning Maja is currently playing as an ad hoc member for the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. She moved to the Western Cape after she played in her last exam last week.

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