AmaDonsaDonsa

This is the last AmaDonsaDonsa diary. The  team as it has been for the past 3 years is disbanding and a new team has been  formed. Some of the highlights of this issue are:

• Sports Awards
• Overseas athletes
• Ardeche Marathon-in a K7!
• The new Team AmaDonsa
• Resignation
• What’s next?

Sports Awards

Master, Cyprian and I  attended a glitzy KZN Premier’s Sports Awards evening in Durban a few weeks  ago. It was a wonderful evening and was topped off with Artwell winning the  “Administrator of the Year” award. Artwell was the Canoeing Manager at the  Olympics. Master also attended the “SA Sportsman of the Year” dinner in  Bloemfontein on Friday as he was one of the 5 finalists in the “newcomer”  category but unfortunately he didn’t win it.

Overseas athletes

This summer is going to  be a bumper edition for European athletes coming to train over here to get  away from the cold winter. We will be hosting over 100 athletes from 14  countries from this week right the way through to April. With continuous good  water on the Ash river with excellent facilities at high altitude it makes an  ideal place to train. Added to this is warm summer weather and an inexpensive  lifestyle. The farm house has been completed and sleeps up to 19 people in  self-catering accommodation. It’s the perfect place to get away for a weekend  of adventure and fun.

Ardeche Marathon in a  K7!

The day after I arrived the marathon was cancelled due  to a flooding river! It was such a disappointment not to race but never the  less we did paddle down the river and it was amazing to be in such a strange  craft. We did the 35km in just over an hour! It was the 1st time I paddled  down the world famous Ardeche Gorge and I was blown away by the immensity of  it.

The new Team  AmaDonsa

After days of discussion in Ardeche we have  decided to come up with a new look team. We are a group of passionate  world-class athletes who share a common vision to develop slalom. Jerome is  the head coach and the team is made up of a core group of athletes and then a  number of other people join in for various training camps. The core team is  Benjamin Boukpeti (TOGO) Benoit Peschier (GREECE) Maria Ferediki (GREECE)  Master Cele (SOUTH AFRICA) Cyp Ngidi (SOUTH AFRICA) Nico Peschier (FRANCE)  Rafael Raveche (FRANCE) Muh Bahmann (GERMANY) and Alain Schirmann  (SWITZERLAND)
It will be know as Team AmaDonsa and has 4 main areas  of focus namely training camps, races, development initiatives and athlete  services. Everyone in the team has something special they bring to it that  makes the group able to push the boundaries of the sport. For London 2012 we  are aiming for a number of medals, making the team more successful than any  nation.

Resignation

I had the  privilege and honour of being involved in the South African canoeing scene for  20 years. Taking part at the Olympics was the cherry on the top of the cake  however I have decided to resign completely from all my involvement in  paddling as the Board of CSA and I do not share a common vision. Perhaps one  day it will all be revived and a dedicated High Performance Centre for  “Olympic Paddle Sports” will be built but for now there is no place for me. I  wish CSA all the very best for all their endeavours and the continual growth  of paddling in South Africa. I have a massive new challenge of specialising  further in my medical career that will take most of my time and energy.

What’s next?

A new website  is going up and the current one is closing down. Go to http://www.team-amadonsa.org for more  info. Overseas athletes are already pouring into South Africa.

Thank  you for all your support over the years.

The  end

Cameron

Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing  great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour  and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently  overwhelming might of the enemy
(Winston Churchill, Harrow School, 1941)