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Vikings 24Hr Marathon: 10 Years on!

By on September 20, 2010 in News

In what is probably the ONLY running club in the whole of South Africa, Montana Vikings had their 24Hour Marathon at the Belhar Sports center on Friday 17th of September for the 10th year

running. The event started at 17h00 and went on to finish at 17h00 the next day.

Players, Parents, coaches and supporters came prepared for the action armed with sleeping bags, food, music, camera equipment and off course the ball under the arm.

In what looked like a family affair, you had an exhibition of talent from the juniors all the way to the seniors with everyone playing a part. There was a common theme as you approached the Indoor Court with balls bouncing non stop and games taking place one after the other.

The fact that this club has survived for 10years without any real support or recognition from the federation is testament to the ethos of its mentor/coach/fatherfigure/etc.. Craig Daniels who empitomizes the spirit of the club. Chatting to Craig you quickly realise how much this means to him and how close it is to his heart. When asked if he would take part in the marathon, he said: “I will wait until 03h00am when half the people are half asleep to get on the court to play, just in case my players come and ask me if I have played”.

If you want to see development in motion then look no further than the juniors that are being produced. There were boys and girls of amazing potential and talent and you could see the passion of the coaches on the sidelines. They have developed coaches, table officials, statisticians and all of this within the club and it seems to be creating a culture and an amazing following in the Western Cape.

The evening was capped with an exhibition game between the 1st team and the 2nd team of the club which was entertaining for the fans in attendance. Of course it was like a family gathering with the 2nd team trying to show the big boys a thing or two. In the end it was a one sided affair with the 1st team taking the spoils.

Also as part of the entertainment, there was music, running commentary all night, Food and overall everyone was having fun and looking forward to the challenge.

Congratulations to the club for their perseverance in the face of the challenges that we face in South Africa and especially in Basketball.

Article by Victor Shakineza

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