On behalf of Hilton College Sport we wish all our families and friends our very best wishes for 2019! We hope that this year is filled with happy sporting memories and, come the end of the year, we will be able to look back on our achievements with pride.
The common aphorism, “You’re only as good as your last match” is a rather interesting phrase used in sport. What it is saying is that history doesn’t count for much when it comes to competition, something that, I surmise, is motivation for successful teams to try to stay ahead and for underdogs to believe they can defeat the better team.
I, however, am not particularly fond of anything that does not look at the bigger picture. We know that as much as success in sport cannot be defined by one single moment or match, defeat or failure is, in fact, an inevitability that does not define your success. As an example, Roger Federer’s loss to Kevin Anderson at the 2018 Wimbledon Championship does not make him an unsuccessful tennis player nor does it mean that Kevin is actually a better player than Roger (Sorry Kevin!). Roger’s success, like any great team, is defined by his achievements over time. The more consistently well a team performs the more successful they actually are. At Hilton College we are looking to achieve sustainable, long-term success.
I believe that such success is determined by 3 critical elements:
- Teams must have a long-term goal and purpose. At Hilton we have a sport vision we have coined #2022andbeyond. In this we are working toward the common goal of our sesquicentennial celebration to establish our sport programme as one of the best in the world. This includes many varied elements that define our purpose.
- Teams must have a culture of honour based on immovable values. This is not something that is merely stated but something which is actively and consistently promoted and defended.
- Teams must develop true grit. Endurance and resilience is something that can be trained. After all, nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without hard work!
Something that can derail all of this is a narrow focus – like believing that you are only as good as your last match. As the broader Hilton College team of players, coaches, and supporters if we are to be truly successful then we should look to the long-term, subscribing to the famous words in Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” by meeting with TRIUMPH AND DISASTER AND TREATING THOSE TWO imposters JUST THE SAME…
GRADE 7 SPORTS CAMP
Although the majority of the boys only came back today, the sports faculty has already been hard at work since the 4th of January running the second edition of the Hilton College Grade 7 Sports Camp. The focus of the 3-day camp is to provide exceptional coaching for top junior sportsmen and to showcase our extraordinary staff and facilities. The camp included boys from diverse walks of life and from all corners of the country. Each one made a dramatic improvement during their stay. It is safe to say that every boy was blown away by our school and it is wonderful to think that Hilton College has left an indelible mark on their sporting careers regardless of where their future might take them. I thank the staff who gave of their time during the holidays to run such a superb event.
NEW BOYS
It was wonderful to welcome our 2019 new boys to our school. They have already started their first practises in the afternoon and, by all accounts, they seem like a very happy and talented group. We look forward to seeing how they fair come the weekend.
STAFF NEWS
We have some exciting developments on the staff front with the employment of the following specialist coaches.
Canoeing – Kyle Friedenstein, a past semi-professional Surf Ski paddler and a current canoe kayak competitor, will provide excellent technical expertise for our boys. A key benefit will be his expertise during river trips and at races.
Soccer – Delron Buckley will be joining us as a Director of Soccer Coaching. Delron is a former Bafana-Bafana player, who also played for many years as a professional in the Bundasliga in Germany. He will be working with the coaches and players in all of the age-groups starting in term 2.
Tennis – Alex Kocheleff has joined us as our new professional coach. Born in Belgium, Alex has years of experience playing at the highest levels in Europe.
Water Polo – Cameron Wiid will be re-joining us this year as our goal-keeper specialist coach and 1st team assistant coach.
CRICKET
There were many noteworthy achievements by Hilton College cricketers over the December/January period.
Nick Hatton, Colby Dyer, Michael Booth and James Ritchie all had excellent performances at their respective weeks and won Man of the Match caps; an incredible achievement by those individuals. In addition, Michael Booth was named all-rounder of the Tournament at the CSA U17 week.
After their performances at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola U19 Cricket Week, James Ritchie and Gareth Schreuder were selected to represent the SA Colts cricket team. James Ritchie captained the team in a fixture against the SA Schools Team, leading them to victory by 6 wickets.
James Ritchie, Gareth Schreuder, Colby Dyer and Mike Booth were selected for the KZN Dolphins U19 team at the recent Cubs Week. Their team finished the tournament as the team of the tournament.
The first team continued to impress at the recent Independent Schools Cricket Tournament held at Bishops. After losing their opening fixture to Rondebosch they went on to beat Bishops, St Johns Harare and Falcon College. Congratulations must go to Nick Hatton for his back to back 100’s in the final 2 matches.
SWIMMING
Congratulations to Christo Van Loggerenberg on his performances at the Border Swimming Championships, where he achieved the following:
– Gold medal 100m Freestyle
– Gold medal 50m Freestyle
– Gold medal 200m Individual Medley
Congratulations to Ben Mason for representing KZN Schools Swimming at the SA Schools Championships held in Johannesburg during December. He achieved a top place in his main event, the 100m backstroke.
WATER POLO
Numerous Hilton College players performed admirably in the Inter-Provincial Water Polo Championships in East London in December 2018.
Special mention must be made of the following players:
– Murray Schnell who received a gold medal whilst competing for KZN U19A
– Tanner Bailey, Oliver Lello, Ryan Sooku and Christo Van Loggerenberg who received a bronze medal whilst competing for KZN U14A.
Further congratulations must go to Christo von Loggerenberg who has subsequently been selected for the SA U15 team and Ryan Sooku who has been selected as a non-travelling reserve for the SA U15 team.