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15 September 2021 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Charl Devenish
The University of the Free State (UFS) netball team was honoured by UFS management at a special celebration. The side won a fourth Varsity Netball title and the UFS has now been champion in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021.

Set goals for yourself, commit to it, and give everything to achieve them.

According to Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), this is what the UFS netball team did and why it is an example for the Kovsie community.

He celebrated the team’s achievement of winning Varsity Netball for a record fourth time and extending the run of the UFS as the most successful team in the tournament.

The Kovsies convincingly beat Maties 55-39 in the final to be crowned champions. It was the biggest victory margin in a final, and they did it after losing to Maties (46-54) in the first round.

Prof Petersen and his management group honoured Burta de Kock, the UFS Head Coach, and her team during a special celebration on 13 September 2021.

Working as an outfit

He said the side’s determination is a lesson to others.

“Once you have decided that these are my objectives and you commit yourself to achieving them, that is all you focus on.”

“It will always be possible if you put everything in and you showed it. Thank you for doing this.”

He praised the team for building the UFS brand. 

“You really work as an outfit. What I saw of the players was a right attitude when they play the game.”

Everything made easy

Sikholiwe (Sne) Mdletshe, the UFS captain, thanked her team’s management, the UFS, and its lecturers.

“We really want to thank the university for putting so much into us. It gives us a lot of resources.

“Some tests had to be written while we were in the bubble and our lecturers made that easy for us.”

She said the players never take the effort for granted. “The UFS makes everything easy to go out there and play netball – the sport we have been playing since we were little kids.”

DB Prinsloo, Director of KovsieSport, is immensely proud of the team.

“We even lost one of our best players in the first match, Chanel Vrey, due to injury. We have to take off our hats to the Kovsie netball team.”


News Archive

KovsieFit caters for all
2016-05-30


KovsieFit offers a new service to students and staff for keeping fit. Photo: Charl Devenish

Students on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) can now work in a gym session between classes, and staff can do the same before or after work.

This is due to KovsieFit, a commercial gymnasium, which will be taking in its first members on 30 May 2016. The gym is located in the Callie Human Centre and is a project which has been a long-time dream for the UFS.

UFS boasts three gymnasiums

For the last couple of months, a lot of hard work went on behind the scenes. Kobus Calldo, conditioning coach at KovsieSport, says everybody involved with the process is happy that KovsieFit is a reality. According to him KovsieFit “is looking good and everybody involved is very satisfied” with the final product.

KovsieFit will be open Mondays to Fridays from 05:30 to 19:30, and on Saturdays from 07:00 to 11:00. Prospective members will have to undergo health screenings before they may join. KovsieFit also has lockers available. The gym will be managed by a committee.

The High Performance Centre of the UFS, where athletes and sports teams are training, is located next to KovsieFit. At the beginning of the year, KovsieSport’s offices also moved to the Callie Human Centre. A third gymnasium, the Sports Science Centre – the former Biokinetics gymnasium – is located next to the Mabaleng Building. This will mainly be used as a rehabilitation centre.

Service to university community

According to Calldo KovsieFit caters for all and offers the same service to its members as any other commercial gymnasium. The target mark is primarily students and staff, and then the rest of the city.

“It is cheaper and conveniently close to the residences for students on campus. Staff members can have a gym session during lunch or before or after work.”

Wide variety of exercises

“We offer spinning, pilates, aerobic, zumba, and all those type of classes too. We will start with four classes a day until business picks up,” Calldo says.

KovsieFit also offers aerobic apparatus such as treadmills, rowers, and electric bicycles. A gymnasium circuit, two Olympic platforms, and different types of weights and machines are also available.

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