ZOE COETZEE

AFTER MANY WEEKS of hard work, the SMS swimmers were disappointed to hear that, due to Covid-19, the annual Midmar Mile would not be swum in the Midmar Dam near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal this year. Instead, it was turned into a virtual event. After being postponed from the original date, the weekend of 13 and 14 February, it was changed into an event of four days over two weeks namely 6, 7, 13, and 14 March 2021.

Thanks to the quick thinking of Ms. Jo-Nelke Swanepoel, the school pool was prepared, with lane ropes installed, to ensure a spectacular swim for all. The staff started off strong when they dived headfirst into the icy water of the school pool. The girls’ hard work paid off when they all finished in short succession of one another.

The virtual Midmar had none of the normal flair: the staggered starts, the race into the water, the boats, the atmosphere, or even the trip to Durban. And there was no initiation, so there was no one walking around Ushaka Marine World with costumes over clothes or swimming caps and goggles adorning heads like crowns.

All in all, it was a different beast to tame but it was well worth it when the participants saw the times they had set. So, until next Midmar, they’ll just keep swimming.