A year of sporting excellence
Otjiwarongo Secondary School participated in multiple sports tournaments, including rugby, netball, tennis, soccer and volleyball, demonstrating their commitment to sports education.
Kicking off with the Otjiwarongo Secondary School’s (OSS) interhouse competition, followed by the Moria sports tournament and Educate Prestige, this year's OSS sports calendar has been very busy.OSS came in strong, competing fiercely and made a name for itself. OSS learners showcased their remarkable sportsmanship throughout the year’s sporting events.
Annual school fun run:
On Friday, 19 January, the school hosted a successful fun run. Learners, divided into the red, green and yellow teams, demonstrated great dedication, making their teams proud and having a blast along the way.
After the energetic fun run, the school organised exciting post-run activities such as obstacle courses, games and music. The event was a huge success, with all teams actively participating and enjoying the day's festivities.
Namibian Youth Games:
On 13 September, selected learners from Otjiwarongo Secondary School had the honour of being selected to compete in the Namibian Youth Games. These talented learners showcased their skills in tennis, volleyball, soccer and netball. Two OSS tennis players, Eric Shitumbe and Enoch Salatiel, achieved remarkable success, securing silver positions in the doubles category.
Soccer:
The U/15 boys started off the year with their SKW tournament hosted in Windhoek. They played the quarter-finals, achieving fourth place. The U/19 soccer boys continued this success by playing in the Hopsol Youth League, where 12 teams from OSS participated and eight teams qualified.
Lastly, they also played the Otjiwarongo Soccer Academy tournament. Every learner brought their best efforts and proudly represented the Otjozondjupa Region in the competition. They made it to the quarter-finals but were defeated 3-1.
Netball:
On 28 July, the OSS netball U/17 and U/19 girls who played in Outjo at the Moria Sports Tournament exhibited excellence. Furthermore, the teams also played great games at the FNB Classic Clashes on 9 August. In a captivating clash of speed and endurance, OSS won 28-23 against Etosha Secondary School, and gracefully dashed their way across the court to victory.
Rugby:
This year's rugby journey began with an exciting tour in March to Stellenbosch, where the team participated in the Paul Roos Rugby Festival and trained under some of the best university rugby coaches at Stellenbosch University.
After months of hard work and determination, they secured third place in the Standard Bank Namibia Rugby School League, placing them, along with Moria Privaatskool, among the top three rugby school teams in Namibia.
The tournaments began with a match against Elnatan Private School, which they unfortunately lost. Forward player Ian Speelman said: "The loss sparked a passion to keep on fighting and striving towards our goal, which was to be mobile and agile."
The team then secured victories against WAP, Pro-Ed and Tsumeb Gymnasium, but suffered defeats against WHS, Windhoek Gymnasium and Walvis Bay Private School.
These three losses cost OSS the opportunity to play in the finals. They had to battle for third place against Pro-Ed. In a tight match, they managed to win the battle, and placed third. This is the highest OSS has placed in 33 years.
OSS believes that sports are just as important as academics, with physical activity building self-esteem, confidence and the courage to go for gold.