GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - After months of effort, the 2018 Let's Play Physical Education Challenge - the biggest school sports initiative of its kind in South Africa - spearheaded by SuperSport, reached its sharp end with the final being contested on Tuesday afternoon, 11 December.
In an amazing achievement, finishing top of the leaderboard was Kroonvale Primary from Graaff-Reinet.
The Let's Play Physical Education Challenge, launched in 2015, challenges primary schools throughout the country to prove their fitness.
The primary objective of this annual Challenge is to reinforce the instruction of curriculum-oriented Physical Education and to promote physical activity in all primary schools.
The Challenge, a nationwide event targeted at Grade 4 and 6 learners, consists of an obstacle course made up of exercises found in any current physical education lesson.
The objective of the challenge is to see how many learners can go through the obstacle course in the allocated Physical Education time frame of 30 minutes.
This year, Kroonvale Primary walked away with the title earning the 'bragging rights' as the fittest school in South Africa, ahead of the 386 other schools nationally that competed in the Challenge.
"The success did not come easy and has been a long journey," said Winston Hector, principal at Kroonvale Primary School.
He praised the hard work put in by the school's sports coaches and the children themselves, who put a great deal of effort throughout the year into training for the provincial and national finals.
So, what does this mean for the school?
By outperforming all the other competing schools in the country, Kroonvale Primary walks away with the competition's grand prize - a R1.3 million multi-purpose sports court to be built at the school.
"It's been an extraordinary experience," said Hector.
"The enthusiasm and energy from the kids and the teachers proves that there is a great appetite for physical activity. What's more, the competitive spirit among the learners was extremely encouraging."
Determination personified as Nazneen Hossain, a learner at Kroonvale Primary, tries to make her way to the finish of the course.
The image reflects a previous installation of the competition's grand prize - a R1.3 million multi-purpose sports court. This indicates what the school can expect on completion of the project.
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