The MaP Eagles Care…

Passion!
Servant Hood!
Is there a better fulfilling way to live than to strike a balance between the two?

In this incessantly busy world of ours we are prone to getting entangled in our own lives and shunting the less fortunate. This may have seemed tangential to basketball until hitherto (13 February 2010). It is the philanthropic act of the Maru-a-Pula Basketball Team (The Eagles) to premier a basketball programme for orphans. We christened this infant project of ours The MaP Eagles Care which is analogous to NBA Cares-A philanthropic organization that does charity work world wide. . The eminent Eagles have been National Champions for 16 years running. We found it necessary to impart the basketball acumen that we have amassed over these 16years and the spirit of winning to the orphans at the SOS Children’s Village in Tlokweng. What exactly do we do? Well, every other Saturday we travel to the orphanage and teach children between the ages of 7 and 16 the basic basketball drills of passing, shooting, dribbling etc. This is the initial steps of our programme though we are hoping to be able to build a proper court and provide basket balls for the orphanage in the future. This is how we give back to our community emulating our late legendary coach Silas Mabonga. We hope to see this service grow and become bigger and better over the years as we put our passion (Basketball) and service together. What other way to be basketball champions than striking a balance between the two, passion and service

By Reagan K Tsimakoko

Shibobo League 2010

This year the Shibobo league started like a house on fire. Twelve teams were in contention (including a staff team) for the coveted price. After three weeks of non stop action, the finals were graced by Pinkitah and the Barbie Bandits on the females’ side, while Konvicts took All stars in the men’s final. Both ties entertained the crowds with exciting ball skills and goals, and in the end, the Barbie Bandits and All Stars won in their respective ties. Special awards were scooped by Waseem Tajbhay and Rachael Kirby for top goal scorer and player of the tournament respectively.

This was not all, intiatives like the new map sports site, the SAC and an active Shibobo committee, where in full support for its success. Some of the small but distinguishing features of this league were the referees cards, lines-man, soccer nets and that it was the first to be played on grass! To top it all off, an after party was held for the Champions, courtesy of the SAC.

In General, the league was well organized and fun, credit to all the stakeholders who were involved. Thank you very much and we are looking forward to the next Shibobo league.

Shibobo

Who are the fittest athletes?

Fitness is a term that refers to five traits: cardiovascular efficiency, muscle to fat ratio, strength, agility and flexibility. The preferred unit of measurement when comparing different athletes’ fitness is ‘VO2 max-the maximum volume of oxygen that one can consume while exercising. Of all sporting codes, cycling boasts the fittest. Lance Armstrong’s VO2 max is 83.8. He also boasts a resting heart rate of 32 beats per minute -compared with 60-70 for the average man-which rises to 201 at full exertion. According to his biographer Dan Coyle, these attributes make him ‘the world’s greatest human power plant’.
As Coyle put it:

“the tour is the hardest event on the planet, nothing comes close. Studies have shown that tour riders spend more daily energy than Everest climbers. During those three weeks they spend energy at a rate that exceeds the capabilities of all but four animal species. Imagine running a marathon a day for 20 days. The food alone is ridiculous: on big days, they eat an equivalent of 28 cheeseburgers.”