Paarl Gym 150th year & Ruaan Smith

[PaarlBok]

Today is DDay for the kids. Its prymary school rugby starting at 12h30 with the U7s and ending at 21h00 with the U13s. Boishaai the favourates having a backline full of WP Craven Week players. My kiddie is playing two matches and as energetic and eager this morning. A typical interschools rainy day however. :

 

[PaarlBok]

Kids A team won 19-7 & B team draw 5 all. :thumb Rain like hell at the moment but the spirits are high!

They had Balie Swart as main speaker at the big brag and this guy is a really special Gimmie. He pull of his jackets and wear his own and give the kiddies a nice talk and the parents also. :huxley

 

[PaarlBok]

Anyway I was so busy with the interschools events and did not have much time to post. I had three wishes at the start of the year, the Bokke to win on Newlands. Gim to win interschools in their 150th year and a Protea series win in Aus.

Well two so far when Gimmies destroyed the Galpille on saturday 35-8. Not only did they win . they did it in the biggest ever interschools score and totally dominate the match. In fact the game was win before halftime when they scored three quick tries to lead 19-3 at halftime.

Was amazing to see a fullhouse Faure Stadium and 1000s of supporters not getting in for this historical match. A crowd of 30000.

Gims girls also dominate the hockey 6-0 & netball 30-10 against the Girls High Springkane. The Boys hockey a exciting one in a 3 all draw.

My kids had a perfect interschools and the girls hockey game 1 all draw and my son's U14A hockey team that he coach winning 1-0.

Fantastic week and proud as hell to be a Gimmie supporter!

Also amazing to see Jontahan Kaplan reffing this one and Gimmies had a 80+ year old as head dirigent on the day.

 

[PaarlBok]

Put this one on the Reds thread but here is Gimmies first team before kick off

The Gim supporters entering the rugby field after the victory

A shot from the hockey and athletics field of Paarl Gym High school building on the back ground

 

[PaarlBok]

Also great news for us that they will build a hockey astro turf starting in october at Gim. We have 5 SA Schools hockey players in U16 and U18 age groups and only a mericle if you take into account they learn and play their hockey on grass.

 

[PaarlBok]

So our season ended last weekend for the high school and surely one of the best in Paarl Gym's history. Not only are the nr 1 ranked but they also stay unbeaten all through season. Ruaan Smit played a important role in our team , notch up 11 tries in 8 games, scoring 3 in the last match. This are his record for the year:
No. Date Fixture Tries Conv. Pen. DG. Total
1 16-Aug-2008 Paarl Gimnasium vs Tygerberg High School 3
2 19-Jul-2008 Wynberg Boys High vs Paarl Gimnasium 1
3 21-Jun-2008 De Kuilen vs Paarl Gimnasium 2
4 7-Jun-2008 Paarl Gimnasium vs Drostdy 1
5 31-May-2008 Paarl Gimnasium vs Outeniqua 1
6 19-Apr-2008 Rondebosch vs Paarl Gimnasium 1
7 24-Mar-2008 St Albans College vs Paarl Gimnasium 1
8 15-Mar-2008 Paarl Gimnasium vs Tygerberg Rugby Club 1
Total 11

not bad for a 126kg fatty.

Paarl Gyms scores for the year:
Paarl Gimnasium's results, starting with the most recent:
vs Tygerberg HS 34-8
vs Boishaai 35-8
vs Bishops, 21-10
vs Wynberg, 35-30
vs De Kuilen, 89-0
vs SACS, 57-5
vs Drostdy, 81-22
vs Outeniqua, 37-21
vs Boland Landbou, 17-0
vs Paul Roos, 17-14
vs Oakdale Landbou, 33-22
vs Affies, 21-3
vs Rondebosch, 35-12
vs St. Alban?s College won 52-5
vs Pretoria Boys? High won 32-3
vs Noord-Kaap, 26-0
vs Tygerberg Rugby Club 78-0

A great year and it will be big boots to fill next year!

 

[PaarlBok]

Ruaan will play in the main curtain raisor at 12h30 in Durban for SA Schools vs SA Academy. It will be live on SA TV. Dont know if will be show in Aus?

 

[Lee Grant]

PB

They don't even show Oz Schools games on TV, though, curiously, during a bye week of club rugby in 2004 they showed a game, Joeys v Riverwiew. It was the first vision of Kurtley Beale, then 15 years old, playing for the Joeys 1st XV.

 

[PaarlBok]

Thanks Lee. Hope they show you the test then at least. Have to be pretty frustating for the Aus rugby supporters. In SA we are fortunate via MNet when it comes to rugby on TV.

 

[Lee Grant]

PB

We are a 3rd World rugby country and there is no great demand here to have rugby on TV. The S14 is reasonably popular, though you have to have cable TV to see it. Winter Wallabies matches are on free to air TV but not other games like the 3N match in Capetown last week between the Boks and the Blacks. They are only on cable TV.

Last year we started up our version of the Currie Cup and it lasted only one year because it was losing money. One of the reasons was that there was no TV revenue. Believe it or not, the ARU had to pay the broadcaster to broadcast 2 games per week.

This may seem foreign to you living in a rugby country but it's what we have to live with here.

By contrast, the TV demand for Aussie Rules and Rugby League matches is huge as it is for overseas club Football (Soccer) matches.

 

[PaarlBok]

Photo of Ruaan in the interschools

 

[PaarlBok]

Want to share with you the biggest rugby supporter I knows, Andretjie. This guy is very special , a handicapped person and wont every opponent playing this shores sure as hell know him. Shouting like hell on the side of the field but once the matches is finished he'll pick up every single tin or paper in the pavillions or on the side of our sportsground. Myself and my Mrs do working a lot of saturdays in the Kiosks at the grounds and he'll always come around and have a talk to me. My mrs will make sure he'll get his cup of coffee and a rusk, sandwich or pie. The princple of Paarl Gym made him s special windbreaker with his name and Gimmies biggest supporter printed on. This saturday he came along and watch my small one playing his hockey match and I ask my oldest one to take a picture of us. Here you have it the two ultimate Paarl Gimmie supporters you'll get.

Pretty sure the two of us scared the kak of any opposition supporter. :nta:

 

[PaarlBok]

Those of you Saffers wanting to wact the interschools. The main game will be broadcast on monday, 1 September from 19h00 on SS1 & CSN. Surely not one to be missed.

 

[PaarlBok]

Latest update on Ruaan is that he made his debut for WP U19s over the weekend playing from the bench and beating the Brutes 31-0 on friday. He is still U18 and in school and the only one from a very strong Paarl Gym lot being picked for the U19s. By accident he played against another Paarl Gym fattie, Rossouw de Klerk in the Brute nr3 jersey. WeePee U19s now top the CC U19 log and surely some talent in that team.

 

[PaarlBok]

WP team to face cheetahs at home in the semis of the U19 CC

15.Martin Du Toit, 14.Thythan Adams, 13.Nicholaas Hanekom, 12.Johann Sadie, 11.JJ Engelbrecht, 10.Jurgen Visser, 9.Liam Slatem, 8.Tertius Daniller (C) 7.Wimpie Van Der Walt, 6.Reuben Johannes, 5.Yaya Hartzenberg, 4.Rynhardt Elstadt, 3.Ruan Smith, 2.Sydney Tobias, 1.Alistair Vermaak. Reserves: 16.Madoda Yako 17.Nezaam Bewee, 18.Stephan Greeff, 19.Jacobus Rossouw, 20.Willem Louw, 21.Nathanael Pekeur, 22.Jean Du Plessis

Ruaan & Tytan Adams WP Craven Week players getting their first start and Ruaan at TH. Luckily its at home and enough for Ruaan to get to the Matrix Farewell at Paarl Gym.

 

[PaarlBok]

Forgive me but with Jean de Villiers achievement as SA Rugby Player of the year end off a very special year for us Paarl Gimmies. Congrats to him and here he is in his schoolboy days in his Gimmie jersey

Some facts about him,
1. The old timers at Paarl Gim will tell you he look like Bok material from 7 year old.
2. Jean is a REAL Gimmie, from grade 1 to 12.
3. Jeans dad played a long time for WeePee and bigger then him, Andre de Villiers.
4. You'll see him playing touchies with the old toppies on sundays on the Chevvie velde when he visit his parents.
5. He'll make time to visit his alma mater and to give some motivation speeches.
6. One hell of a hero to our Klein Gimmies to look to as a hero and sure is a legend around town.
7. Jean follow in the footsteps of two our Gimmie midfielders De Wet Barry & Marius Joubert.
8. The most important tip he ever recieved, from another WeePee legend and Bok , John Gainsford, "Dont kick, run with the pill"

 

[PaarlBok]

Took the kids and dog for a walk this afternoon and took this one of Paarl Gym's hockey astro in process. a R3 Million project and sure a lot of effort from parents and supporters. Like a dream come true and a first in this area.

Tear laiden and will be finish start of Feb 2009

 

[PaarlBok]

Congrats to Ruaan making the SA U20 squad as a U19 next year. 4 Paarl Gimmies in total making the squad , two fatties, Ruaan and the Brute one Rossouw de Klerk and two midfielders Nicolas Hanekom, Stokkies x Matie & WeePee son & Johann Sadie. A Malmesbury kid getting provincial colours for Boland in 5 different sports.

One Paarl Boishaaier, Zahier Hartzenberg.

 

[PaarlBok]

Giniel de Villiers winning the Dakar and yet again another Paarl Gimmie we are really proud on. Giniels parents livivng in the same street as myself. Great stuff.

 

[PaarlBok]

Our hockey astro now nearing completion. Still two weeks to go. This astro will be the dry one specially made for schools. Plays a bit slower then the wet ones but it dont produce water accounts of R3000 per month. The first game schedule for it will be Boland Women vs Argentina.

Here it is with the school building in the background

Also took this one from the astro and viewing to the main rugby field and tennis courts

PBs boytie playing his practise match on saturday.
Batting (Nearly the same height as the wickets

and bowling