In the early 2000’s, a group of avid canoeists from the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club in Emmarentia, Johannesburg, were adamant and driven to get young development paddlers from the nearby townships into the challenging and incredibly rewarding sport of canoeing.
As a result, the Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club (SCARC) was born. It was founded on the banks of the Power Park Dam in Soweto by Brad Fisher, the chairman of Adreach, and the project became part of the Adreach Adapt A Project Foundation.
The young canoeists come predominantly from the informal settlement behind Baragwanath Hospital, and are between the ages of six and 18.
“Permission was obtained for us to use the Power Park Dam and SCARC was formed in 2003. The club is now a full fledged First Rand Youth Development Initiative,” said co-founder of Adreach Steve Jourdan.
Just last month, all the SCARC canoeists who started the Dusi Canoe Marathon (Dusi), successfully completed the challenging three-day course through the Valley of a Thousand Hills and achieved their personal goals. The Dusi is considered the toughest, most demanding three-day canoe race on earth, covering 120km of river, rapids, and intense portaging between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
SCARC secured the Top Team Award, presented to the club with the first two boats home, through strong performances from Benjamin Mntontshi and Siseko Ntondini, who finished 5th overall, and Nhlamulo Mahwayi and Sibusiso Tyiki in 29th position. Every SCARC canoeist who started the race successfully completed the challenging three-day course and achieved their personal goals.
In the ladies’ race, SCARC’s Lesedi Bobo C, partnering with Nosipho Mthembo from KZN, delivered another strong result, finishing 9th overall.
SCARC’s junior athlete Alulutho Tyenge also delivered a memorable performance after his K2 partner was forced to withdraw due to injury. However Tyenge finished the race on his own – a sure sign of determination and perseverance that inspired everyone at the Dusi.
Nkosi Mzolo, SCARC’s head coach, was over the moon with the team’s achievement. “Winning the Team Award is a tremendous accomplishment for SCARC and a proud moment for all involved. This, combined with our impressive medal haul of two Golds, six Silvers, and four Bronze medals, highlights the depth of our development programme,” said Mzolo.
“Over the years, SCARC has taught over 2 000 children how to swim and has a membership base of 80 members, with 30% of the members being young ladies. We have had to hold membership at 80 due to logistical reasons such as transport, coaching, training and safety,” added Jourdan.
The SCARC Leaning Centre at the Power Park Community Centre is where the members receive tuition and supervision to do their homework after training before going home to dedicate their time to their family. SCARC is now the largest development canoeing club in the country and for the past five years has become an intricate part of the Laureus International Sport For Good Foundation.
