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FAST FIVE WITH CONRAD SMIT
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Monthly interviews with sports personalities
Brent Russell
CSBrent - I see you hail from the Eastern Cape . The
whole Southern Spears debacle has highlighted
the eternal plight of Eastern Province rugby - bad
management. Was this a factor in deciding where
to play your rugby after school?
BRDefinitely not. Infact rugby wasn’t even a deciding
factor when exploring other avenues of higher
learning. I was accepted into UCT and that was
that.
CSYou made your mark as a Sevens player before
you got selected for the 15 man code. What was
the highlight of that phase of your career?
BRI only began playing rugby from Std 6 and so it
was the 15 man game that I had always enjoyed.
When I got selected for the 7’s it was like an eye
opener. The game is so fast and explosive that it
took me a while to catch the hang of it. I have
always enjoyed the pace at which it’s played. I’ve
never been so fit like I was during my short 7’s
career. One of my fondest memories was playing
against the “little magician” Waisele Serevi.
CSYou are a regular in the Bok side, which means a
lot of travelling. Does this mean sacrificing certain
things - such as time with loved ones, or possibly
a girlfriend?
BRPlaying professional rugby is not at all glamorous
as it may look. It is a very demanding career if
you wanting to make it the whole way. The rugby
public hardly ever see the hard work put in by the
players and the coaching staff. Last year I was
away from home for a total of 6 months. If that
doesn’t somehow have an effect on your average
home life, then I don’t know what will. Yes, I’d say
it does affect families, especially those players
who have children.
South African Down Syndrome Swimming
Team scoop Gold Awards
September 2 to 9, 2006
The South African Down Syndrome Swimming Team
recently participated in the 2006 International Down
Syndrome Swimming Championships which took
place in Limerick (Ireland) from September 2 to 9.
Nineteen of the country’s finest swimmers, (7 female
and 12 male), were selected by the South African
Sports Association for the Intellectually Impaired
(SASA-II), and underwent intensive training to prepare
for the event, in which 15 countries participated. The
swimming competition was run according to the
normal FINA rules.
Issue 4
CSYou are one of the fastest and elusive rugby
players in the country. At what age was this talent
recognised by your rugby coach, and how did it
affect your rugby career?
BRI grew up alongside a sporting field watching my
folks play sport. I guess I got my sporting genes
from the folks who have always been actively
involved in various sports. I began playing football
and have always been quick off the mark. No one
really identified my strong points in my game until
I was in my early 20’s.
CSYou have been used as a utility backline player
by most of your teams. Which position would be
your first choice?
BRFullback is my first choice, followed by flyhalf.
The SA swimmers were successful in defending their
team title for the third time since 2002 when the
first International Down Syndrome Swimming
Championships was organized by England. The SA
team not only achieved the most gold awards and
world records, but also impressed the other
participating countries with their discipline, clothing
and joyfulness.
Jennifer Higgins (KZN) achieved 8 gold medals and
3 bronze, and finished as the top female swimmer,
with Tyrone Rademeyer (Gauteng) achieving 2 Silver
medals and 3 Bronze as the top male swimmer.
In 2004 South Africa hosted the second Down
Syndrome International Swimming Championships
in Durban. The communities in KZN and KZN
Aquatics were very supportive. Sixty-four swimmers
from eight countries competed. South Africa was
once again, crowned “the country with the most
points”. In addition, Jennifer Higgins was the top
overall swimmer of the championships Tyrone
Rademeyer finished third and Peter Lundy placed
fifth.
Snail Mail salutes all the organizers and athletes
that made this event a success story for SASA-II,
the SA team and KZN. Well done, and good luck
further.
A victorious
athlete breaks
the tape at the
recent
Addington
Primary
School Sports
Day held at
King's Park
Athletic
Stadium