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Four universities to walk 200 000 km in ten weeks

12 April 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish

“May the best team win the 2019 BestMed Pedometer Challenge!” said LJ van Zyl, Pedometer Challenge ambassador.

Participants in the 2019 BestMed Pedometer Challenge will start improving their health step by step after the University of the Free State (UFS) challenged the Stellenbosch University, Central University of Technology, and North-West University (NWU) to an eight-week walking competition.

South African 400-metre hurdles record-holder and the Pedometer Challenge ambassador, LJ van Zyl, embraced the initiative as an alternative method to achieve fitness. “I am so tired of running and this is great way to stay fit,” he said during the official launch on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus on 5 April 2019.

Inter-institutional fight for fitness

Last year, the UFS Division for Organisational Development and Employment Wellness in the Department of Human Resources led a UFS-only challenge that saw 60 teams of staff members log a total of 54 606 km in eight weeks. The division then challenged the NWU.

Together, the NWU and UFS walked 132 000 km. This year, the UFS is taking it one step further by challenging two more institutions.

Leading the way

“We aim to get South Africa active – starting with the UFS – by embracing fitness and health ourselves,” said Arina Engelbrecht, UFS Employee Wellness Specialist.

Participants on all fitness and activity levels will gun for a 200 000 km target over 10 weeks.

The challenge kicked off on the Bloemfontein Campus with a 3-km walk at the launch, leaving 199 997 km between the four universities for the rest of the eight-week challenge.

News Archive

Kovsies successfully host USSA Football Club Championships

2016-04-13

Kovsies and Tshwane University of Technology in action at the University Sport South Africa Football Club Championships.
Photo: Charl Devenish

All 30 teams fought fiercely for their positions at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Football Club Championships 2015 Tournament, held at the University of the Free State. The tournament was meant to be hosted here in Bloemfontein last year, but was re-scheduled for 21-25 March 2016. The University of Pretoria became champions in the men’s section, while the women’s trophy found a home at the University of the Western Cape.

Of the15 institutions taking part in the men’s section, Kovsies emerged at number 11. Our women’s team took the number seven spot among the 14 contenders.

KovsieSoccer coach, Godfrey Tenoff, was impressed with the women’s team. “Our girls outperformed themselves, given that we had only 15 players when we started the tournament, and ended up with 10 who were intact. They were absolutely phenomenal. We never lost in the group matches. The strength of the group enabled us to qualify for the Varsity Football competition.”

On the other hand, the performance of the men’s team was less impressive. “It’s disappointing that we did not produce the kind of performance needed for big competitions, although we had the best team. We are number one in the SAB League, yet some players are lacking the big match temperament,” he said.

However, there is still hope for better scores. The forthcoming Vodacom Cup and the USSA Championships taking place later this year are an opportunity to improve.

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