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18 June 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo BackpagePix
Lefébre Rademan
Lefébre Rademan, wing attack and goal attack, received seven Player of the Match awards in her last 17 matches for the Free State and the University of the Free State.

While she had an outstanding Telkom Netball League and was recognised as one of the best players, Lefébre Rademan is keen to take her game to the next level.

The 22-year-old BEd honours student at the University of the Free State captained the Free State Crinums to the third position in the league, and was named as the best shooter. Her 201 goals from 235 attempts (86% goal average) was the second highest by any shooter with more than 100 attempts.

Rademan’s four Player of the Match awards was the joint most. This followed last year’s Varsity Netball tournament where she also finished with the joint most awards for the best player in a fixture.

“Yes, I would say this has been the best form of my career. But I believe I can take it a step further. Reaching this form is something that comes over time with hard work.” 

Rotating between positions

What impressed about the South African A (2018) and SA U21 (2016 and 2017) player, was how she adapted when she was rotated between wing attack and goal attack during matches.

Although the majority of her career was as a defender (school) and wing attack (post school), goal attack was a position she always thought she would like. 

“In my first year, I used to nag our coach (Burta de Kock) to give me some playing time there. It is funny how it worked out, as I’m now playing mostly goal attack.”

She still hopes to win a couple of trophies with the Kovsie and Free State teams and said she will give her ‘absolute all’ to make the Protea team.

According to De Kock, Rademan is a hard worker with a never-give-up approach. “I can play her anywhere and she won’t let anyone down. Lefébre never takes praise for herself. She sets the example on and off court.”

News Archive

Giraffe research broadcast on National Geographic channel
2016-03-09

Description: Giraffe research  Tags: Giraffe research

A documentary focusing on the latest and most interesting research about giraffes was recently broadcasted on National Geographic. Dr Francois Deacon from the UFS Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences and the team of researchers working with him, were first in the world to equip giraffes with GPS collars, and to conduct research on them.

Research by Dr Francois Deacon, from the UFS Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, involving the equipping of giraffes with GPS collars, was broadcast this week as part of a documentary (4 March 2016 and subsequent weeks) on National Geographic (Channel 182). The documentary is the first of two on his team's research.

Dr Deacon and the team of researchers working with him were the first in the world to equip giraffes with GPS collars, and to conduct research on this initiative. The group of researchers can now follow the animals night and day by means of the GPS collars, while monitoring their movements from a distance on a computer screen and seeing the world from a giraffe's perspective.

“The documentary focuses on the latest and interesting information about our research in different countries,” Dr Deacon said. Besides their local research on giraffes, he and his team also assist in other projects and research in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda.

“There is much to learn from the documentary,” Dr Deacon said. Interesting facts from their research include herd interactions by individuals towards each other, bulls versus bulls, and cows versus calves. In the documentary, the viewer can also learn how giraffes use thermoregulation, their tongues, and roaming areas and distances; peculiar behaviour such as feeding on bones and soil; bulls fighting; how and when giraffes drink water; and the conservation and management of giraffes.
 
Focus is also placed on the manner in which the latest research plays a role in the better understanding of the animals.
 
According to Dr Deacon, this is the first documentary to focus on giraffe research on such a large scale. Marco Polo Films from Terra Mater are contracted by National Geographic to produce nature films – this was the hundredth nature film produced by them.
 
“There has never before been such a production about giraffes. It also attracted huge interest and reaction overseas, which will provide great exposure for our research and for the UFS.
 
“We believe that the media involvement will provide much more exposure to giraffes, which is a good thing, since they are facing extinction in Africa. The exposure can, in itself, lead to new research and has already started attracting international students to the UFS,” Dr Deacon said.
 
The second documentary will follow later this year. Iniosante, a film team from Texas, USA, is producing this film, which focuses on the extinction of giraffes. It is the same team responsible for the production Last of the Longnecks.



Additional resources:


-    Last of the Longnecks (trailer)
-    Giraffe – Up high and personal (National Geographic video)
-    Giraffe: African Giant (National Geographic video)
-    Giraffe – Up high and personal (article)

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