BACK ON TRACK AFTER A BREAK

Cristine Struweg

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Athletics is one of the annual sports that the residences and Student Academic Chapters (SAC) participate in. 

The day was an opportunity for all the old athletes to dust off their spikes and get back on track. For some, it had been just over a year since they last participated and for others, it had been a little too long ago. 

The program was a shortened version of a real program, with just enough items to test the strength, speed and endurance of the university students. 

The highlight of the day was the relays – but this is the case at most athletic events. This was the one time where all eyes were on the track and the residences cheered on their fellow residents. It was also a time for each sleep to compete together in the 4x100m mixed relay. 

The only downside for the day was the event standards. The Potchefstroom Campus (PC) received standards for the field items to which the athletes had to comply with in order to qualify for points. The standards were unrealistic given that most students did this for fun and did not train beforehand. The top nine received points, but in the case of field items, there were some cases where only four athletes received points due to the qualification standards. 

All and all, the day was a massive success. It started and ended on time. The spirit was there, and everyone was beaming with smiles. In every item, there were the serious bunch and people who deserved a gold star for participating. Some athletes even provided us with entertainment, especially in the hurdles. 

The winners of the day were Vergeet-My-Nie ladies’ residence and Veritas men’s residence.

A Wapad journalist participating in the event and three other athletes (Source: Cristine Struweg)

Edited by Kyle Bauermeister