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18 July 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer
Gauta Mokati
The men’s football team from the University of the Free State will be captained by Gauta Mokati. He led the South African Student team at last year’s CUCSA (Confederation of University and College Sports Association) Games.

The coach of the men’s football team is hoping that their ability to adapt to a new game plan, if required, will stand them in good stead during the upcoming Varsity Football tournament.

The Kovsies are back in Varsity Football after five years, thanks to their performance at last year’s USSA championship where they finished sixth.

They will feature in the opening match on 25 July 2019, a fixture played at Shimla Park that will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

“In the Free State Motsepe Cup, we were one of the youngest teams. Now we intend to use the experience we have gained to benefit us in the Varsity Football competition. We can play a physical game and a technical game, as well as a combination of both,” said coach Godfrey Tenoff.

“We had a lot of high-pressure matches in the past two years to prepare us. Although the team is young, they have actually been exposed through various competitions.”

The UFS team received a favourable draw, playing four of their seven matches at home. Two of those opponents, the Tshwane University of Technology (22 August) and the University of Johannesburg (29 August), made last year’s semi-final. The UFS have a score to settle with UJ, who knocked them out in the semi-final in 2014.

“We need to give the crowd something to believe in. Once the crowd see the intent and passion, they can rally behind us. The most important thing is to play with confidence for each other, for the team, and for the badge. The crowd will appreciate that.”

News Archive

Kovsie student on his way to the record books
2011-10-12

 

Hermann van Heerden
Photo: Gerhard Louw

Ten hours. That’s how long Kovsie student Hermann van Heerden held a stationary wheelie in his wheelchair by lifting the front wheels of his wheelchair. The second-year disabled student now stands to get his name in the Guinness World Record Book for the longest stationary wheelie in a wheelchair.

Starting at 03:15 and holding on until 13:15 on Tuesday, 11 October 2011, Hermann achieved what he set out to do. Now he is waiting for the Guinness World Record office to verify his world-record attempt.

The minimum time set for Hermann to achieve a Guinness World Record was four hours, but the B.Ed. student went six hours over this time, wheeling non-stop for ten hours. During this time the Kovsie student had no food or water over his lips, nor was he allowed to go to the bathroom.

Hermann’s Guinness World Record attempt forms part of the ten-year celebrations of the Unit for Students with Disabilities (USD) at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Accomplishing his record attempt, a tired Hermann said the first thing he wanted to do was to eat. Hermann, who was born with spina bifida, a developmental congenital disorder, said he did not have a lot of preparation for his world-record attempt, as he had always been in a wheelchair.

According to the Guinness World Records press office, the closest record to the one Hermann set out to achieve, is for the longest continuous wheelie in a wheelchair. This was achieved by Michael Miller from the USA who covered a distance of 16, 12 km on the rear wheels of his wheelchair.

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