HARARE - The year 2016 will go do down as a one to remember for the junior ladies national Under-21 hockey team as well as newly crowned Castle Lager Premiership champions CAPS United.
Both sides endured a 11-year wait to accomplish their recent triumphs after last tasting glory in 2005.
The U21 ladies hockey side broke the ice nine months ago when they stunned hosts Namibia 2-1 during the African regional qualifiers semis to book a place at the 2016 Hockey World Cup in Santiago Chile.
Ironically their last World Cup appearance was in the same city and country back in 2005 and it was a huge achievement for the former ‘Golden Girl’ Trish Davies-coached side.
“For the girls, it was absolutely unbelievable (beating Namibia in the semi-finals) even I ran onto the field and that’s said something after I played so long ago. It was beautiful honestly, they (the girls) were so pleased it was such an achievement to make this World Cup,” Davies told this publication of the World Cup achievement.
Hockey Association of Zimbabwe secretary-general Sarah Bennett, a former U21 goalkeeper, who was between the posts when the team last participated at this level in 2005, chronicled the troubles the team went through owing to lack of finance.
“I think it was a very difficult task in the sense that our progression, our preparations could have been better and under the circumstances- financially to be able to qualify- we have done an amazing achievement,” Bennett said.
Team captain and centre back Stephanie Campbell, who scored the all-important goal to secure a World Cup berth, paid tribute to the spirit of togetherness within the girls.
“...the team together had such a heart which made it so amazing to lead. The fact that we qualified showed how we didn’t once give up and we fought to the end- it’s so amazing to have been able to lead such a lovely group of girls,” Campbell said.
The junior girls however, struggled to make an impression after they were pooled in a Pool A together with defending champions Netherlands, world number four United States of America and Korea.
Zimbabwe lost to USA 10-0 in their World Cup opener, went on to lose 6-0 to Korea before winding up their campaign with another heavy 13-0 defeat to Netherlands.
Meanwhile, CAPS United where crowned champions for the first time in 11 years and a lot of history was rewritten during the just ended season.
The long wait for league glory was made more painful by the fact their city rivals went on to win the title on five occasions during that period.
however, there was no denying Makepekepe in 2016 as the club defied an acute cash crisis that saw their players at times go on strike or boycott taking to the field.
The one who delivered the coveted crown was none other than their own son Lloyd Chitembwe, who was also a player when Makepekepe last won the league consecutively in 2004 and 2005.
Chitembwe was also the last coach to win against former champions Dynamos before he left the club and also achieved the same feat on his return.
Next year CAPS return to the African Safari and will represent the country in the African Champions League hoping to emulate neighbours Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, who are the reigning continental champions.
“Credit to the boys, they deserve this title. Despite all the challenges, they remained determined to do well on the pitch. They worked hard for this moment. Even the club leadership played their part in motivating the boys. It is not about me only but the whole team,” a jubilant Chitembwe said of his team’s crowning moment.
CAPS also embarked on a board restructuring exercise dissolving the whole body that delivered the championship and introducing new blood to boost the club’s efforts of reaching the highest level of professionalism.
Lewis Uriri, who sits on the CAPS board of directors, said the win by Sundowns meant the balance of power was shifting towards the Cosafa region.
“We are always in touch with Sundowns and must admit that we have learnt quite a lot from them over the past years and still to continue to do so. The fact that they won the continental crown means that the dominance of African football is now moving towards the Cosafa region,” Uriri said.
“We are competing in the African Champions League next year, not to make up numbers but with the mind set to emulate what our neighbours did recently, it can be done, as CAPS we have that firm belief and will give it our best shot when the games begin.”
As the new year approaches, we are ready for it. I'm ready for A New Beginning. New found hope and joy. I'm ready for new memories and laughter. I'm ready for to let this year go and start anew. I have been through alot in 2007. I am ready for 2008. Ready for a new me. A new life without my Dad. I miss him, but with a new year it's time to let go and move on. I will think of him often and I have my wonderful memories.I love you Dad, and because I do, I'm moving on. We shall always remember you. I am excited to begin a New Year.
Me too! In some part it is sad leaving 2007 - a year which had my Dad in it to a year with no Dad. But my motto (so corny my kids tell me!) is: 2008 is going to be great! We have just gone past midnight here in Australia, so I wish all you gorgeous people on DS a blessed and better year in 2008. Big warm hugs to everyone. Tahnee X
I, too, am looking forward to 2008. It seems this past year has been spent in a fog. But I hear John telling me to pick myself up and get going. I feel him pushing me forward. So let's join hands and jump forward into 2008! Yahoo!
I have similar feelings to Tahnee. Many of the &quot;firsts&quot; (first birthday, Christmas, etc. without Mom) - once they're past it seems as though Mom will be more in the past, and that hurts.
(1) not to cry at midnight - that whatever you do then is and indication of what you'll be doing the coming year. (Last year, I sat watching the TV while sitting next to a sleeping Mom's hospital bed. In 2007, I slept next to it while she passed.)
(2) and that with all the reveling and celebration, we don't know what we're ushering in (good or bad?)...and so it goes that last year many of us ushered in the last year of our loved ones.
Can't say &quot;happy&quot; but wishing you all, my dear friends, a healthy and better year ahead with friends to lean on when the going gets rough.
My marriage is falling apart. we bought a beautiful new home last feb - I can't afford to keep the home on my own. I want a divorce. I can't live with a man that does not love me, but possibly another women. what do I do? The housing market is so bad, we can not sell at this time He left once for a month than came back out of guilt and fear of making a mistake...however can't say he loves me or ever did?? I am devasted inside, but holding it together for my two teenagers
A couple in Sweetwater , Texas , had a lot of potted plants. During a recent cold spell, the wife was bringing a lot of them indoors to protect them from a possible freeze. It turned out that a little green garden grass snake was hidden in one of the plants. When it had warmed up, it slithered out and the wife saw it go under the sofa. She let out a very loud scream.
The husband (who was taking a shower) ran out into the living room naked to see what the problem was. She told him there was a snake under the sofa. He got down on the floor on his hands and knees to look for it.
About that time the family dog came and cold-nosed him on the behind. He thought the snake had bitten him, so he screamed and fell over on the floor. His wife thought he had had a heart attack, so she covered him up, told him to lie still and called an ambulance.
The attendants rushed in, would not listen to his protests , loaded him on the stretcher, and started carrying him out. About that time, the snake came out from under the sofa and the Emergency Medical Technician saw it and dropped his end of the stretcher. That's when the man broke his leg and why he is still in the hospital.
The wife still had the problem of the snake in the house, so she called on a neighbor who volunteered to capture the snake. He armed himself with a rolled-up newspaper and began poking under the couch. Soon he decided it was gone and told the woman, who sat down on the sofa in relief.
But while relaxing, her hand dangled in between the cushions, where she felt the snake wriggling around. She screamed and fainted, the snake rushed back under the sofa. The neighbor man, seeing her lying there passed out, tried to use CPR to revive her.
The noise woke the woman from her dead faint and she saw her neighbor lying on the floor with his wife bending over him, so she assumed that the snake had bitten him. She went to the kitchen and got a small bottle of whiskey, and began pouring it down the man's throat. By now, the police had arrived.
They saw the unconscious man, smelled the whiskey, and assumed that a drunken fight had occurred. They were about to arrest them all, when the women tried to explain how it all happened over a little green snake.
Meanwhile, neighbors saw the burning drapes and called in the fire department. The firemen had s tarted raising the fire ladder when they were halfway down the street. The rising ladder tore out the overhead wires, put out the power, and disconnected the telephones in a ten-square city block area (but they did get the house fire out).
My surgery is scheduled for Monday the 28th of Jan. Today I met with the doctor and signed all the papers, etc, had my pre-testing (which was all ok) and met with the dietician. She gave me some advice that I thought would be very helpful and wanted to pass it on to some of the pre-ops out there.
She suggested that BEFORE I go in for surgery that I cook up some things like chicken in a crockpot, or fish, and then puree it with cream of anything soup or broth or whatever you think will taste good, put it in ice cube trays and freeze it. Once frozen, remove it and put it in freezer bags and label them. Do the same with veggies. Then once you are home and able to eat the pureed food it is all ready. Just defrost the protein and veggies and nuke it and you have a meal. I thought it was a great idea. I will be cooking chicken and cream of chicken/mushroom soup in the crockpot tomorrow; then I will puree veggies and be all set.
As for Baby Foods, I also thought that was a good idea and stocked up, after the first 2 weeks I thought I would get sick looking at it, so I have left over in my cabinet after we started pureeing my own in the food processor which taste so much better. The creamed soups works wonders to make the meats taste good after surgery
I don't know koolkooky59, I've tried babyfoods off and on over the years while feeding my granddaughters and personally, I thought they all tasted NASTY! I'd rather take the time to puree my own food.
That is a great idea..Good Luck on your surfery! Mine is on Wed, 1/30...My nutritionist told me not to use baby food because it didn't have enough protein in it(just responding to a couple of the ladies) but I will definitely do it..I already started making my beans...I was wondering how I was wondering how I would store it.
you are right on the baby food! I checked the protein content and said no way am I choking that down! I made to with other things - mostly non meat.
Anyone read Before &amp; After by Susan Maria Leach? Good book and some yummy recipes in the back! The Shrimp Salad pureed is SOOOO good!
Before my surgery I thought the baby food idea was great too. I really stocked up! I couldn't stomach even a bite of it .. it was so nasty! No wonder my kids would spit it out. I still have a whole cupboard of it.
THANKS for the heads up and good luck on Monday. I will be praying for you. Monday i meet with the surgen to fine out when i will have mines. Godbless, Lisa
Baby food has worked wonderfully for me, I don't really like to cook and seemed like a lot of work to prepare, cook, puree a chicken breast... and have to clean the kitchen, for 2 Tbspns! lol. No sugar in the food and lots of different kinds to try. Nutritionist said I may need to salt for adult pallete but so far so good. I like the turkey and hate the carrots. :)