Pietermaritzburg’s AquaPark development at St Charles College has moved from concept to physical reality, with construction now at a critical phase and the Olympic-standard Myrtha pool set to arrive later this year.

The multi-million rand, world-class aquatics centre was unveiled at the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business (PMCB) annual gala dinner last year.

AquaPark chief executive Theo Verster said the bold new vision for swimming, water polo and para-sport was becoming a reality.

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“This is about creating access and opportunity for all South Africans. From grassroots to high-performance, AquaPark will be a place where champions are made, where para-athletes and school teams train side-by-side, and where swimming becomes a part of every child’s journey,” said Verster.

He said the project, formerly known as the South African Aquatics Park (SAAP), has undergone a strategic rebrand to AquaPark — a simpler, more inclusive identity designed to reflect the facility’s purpose and impact.

Verster said at the heart of the development was the Myrtha competition pool, which is manufactured in Italy and used in 14 Olympic and World Championship venues around the world.

“Unlike traditional concrete pools, the Myrtha system uses modular stainless-steel panels laminated with PVC, offering fast installation, exceptional durability, and reduced maintenance.

The 52,5m pool features a movable bulkhead, allowing it to quickly shift from a single Olympic-length format to two 25m pools — a game-changer for training, water polo matches, and multi-event competitions

The shipping of the pool components will begin in July, with installation commencing on September 25. Verster said the facility will be ready for filling and testing by November, with full handover of the pool system expected by December 10, 2025.

“The pool is just one piece of the five-phase development plan, which also includes learn-to-swim pools, a gymnasium, hospitality areas, and warm-up facilities. Construction is moving rapidly through phase 2.

“The base slab is complete, plant rooms are in place, and the roof structure is scheduled for completion by September. The project remains on track to be operational by the end of 2025, with pilot events and training blocks planned for early 2026,” he said.

He said with construction progressing, the AquaPark team was actively seeking corporate sponsors, philanthropic donors, and aligned NGOs to support final development phases.

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“Opportunities include naming rights, event partnerships, funding for learn-to-swim initiatives, and support for para-sport programmes. This isn’t just about bricks and mortar.

“It’s about changing the landscape of aquatics in this country. And we’re inviting South Africa to help us finish strong,” said Verster.

St Charles College contributed initial funding of R18 million from its capital expenditure budget and has made land available for the project. College principal Allen van Blerk said the school has invested years into making the vision a reality.

“This is no longer a concept on paper — it’s becoming a physical landmark, and it will transform how South Africans access, train, and compete in aquatics.

The facility also anchors the larger Xhawula Precinct, a long-term development vision for the region that includes wellness, sport, education, and infrastructure upliftment

“For families, it means access to safe, high-quality swimming education. For athletes, it’s a high-performance base on par with international training centres,” said Van Blerk.

Logan Trickey and Chetan Harvey knew for quite some time that they were in line for the top two academic spots come graduation.

That was before the start of the school year – both were all but certain by January.

The two will lead the Ripon High Class of 2025 at Friday’s 7 p.m. commencement ceremony at Wes Stouffer Field.

Trickey earned the No. 1 spot as class valedictorian based on his 4.45 grade point average. Harvey, who has a 4.4 GPA, is the salutatorian.

Logan Trickey is the son of Kristopher and Cynthia Trickey. He’ll be attending UCLA in the fall to study Aerospace Engineering – the program is ranked among the top 10 in the U.S., according the U.S. News & World Report.

“I’ve always had a fascination with problem solving and with space,” he said.

Trickey, who was also involved in track & field, cross country, and soccer for the Indians, credits his teachers and parents for their support.

“My teachers always pushed me to do extra work while my family was there to provide positive feedback,” he said.

Chetan Harvey is the son of Jack and Anupa Harvey.

His father is Manteca podiatrist Jack Andrew Harvey DPW.

Chetan, like his father, is also leaning towards the medical profession, possibly as a G.I. doctor specializing in the digestive system and its related organs.

But those plans are on hold as he awaits his upcoming two-year mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I’m still deciding (on colleges) between UCLA and BYU,” said Harvey, who was water polo, swimming, and choir at RHS. For the latter, he was named to the San Joaquin County Office of Education’s High School Honor Choir.

Harvey was part of the Ripon boys water polo team that made a historic run back in November to capture the CIF NorCal Division III title.

He’s thankful for his religious faith – first and foremost – and his family for his successes thus far.

“My parents pushed me to do my best,” said Harvey.

The role supports the Beach and Indoor Performance Programmes – including national teams – at both Senior and age group levels in line with Volleyball England’s strategy, The Game Plan.   

Working within a wider Talent team, the successful candidate will coordinate annual programme registrations and selection processes for the programmes, lead on the planning and delivery of logistics for camps and competitions, support meeting the entry requirements for national and international events and maintain up-to-date athlete, camp and competition records.  

They will also collaborate with the Digital and Communications team to produce content where required and project manage and execute the administrative tasks aligned to national funding grants (such as SportsAid and Backing the Best), among other tasks.

For a full role description, including key responsibilities, person specification and contractual details, please click here.

To apply please follow this link to complete the application (you will need to upload your CV and covering letter). If you have any queries, please email jobs@volleyballengland.org. 

Please complete our Diversity and Inclusion Questionnaire link. 

The application deadline is Wednesday 4th June 2025 with interviews planned for 10th June 2025. 

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Kyle Ashworth was named second-team All-Conference. Ashworth was the leading Long Beach State hitter this season. The graduate student hit .330 and had a team-high 11-game hitting streak. Ashworth was the club leader in runs scored (43), hits (64), doubles (12), triples (2 with three others), total bases (86), and on-base percentage (.456). Ashworth recorded 20 multiple-hit games in 2025 and nine multiple-RBI games. He did not commit an error in 117 chances (111 PO-6A). In Big West only play, Ashworth led the league in on-base percentage (.507). He was fourth in hitting (.393), fourth in walks (22), tied with two others for fourth in hits (46), tied for sixth with three others in doubles (10), and 12th in stolen bases (60). A 2024 honorable mention All-Conference selection, Ashworth moved to fourth in school history in career walks, completing his career with 99. Former MLB All-Star Jason Giambi holds the school mark with 116. Ashworth led the team in walks in 2025 with 37 and was second in the Big West in the category.

Albert Roblez earned second-team All-Conference honors. Roblez led the team in ERA (2.78), saves (4), strikeouts (79), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.19). His strikeouts per nine innings tally is the fifth-best in school history. At 4-3, he was third on the team in victories. Opponents hit 168 (the sixth best in school history) against him in 2025. In league-only play, Roblez was the Big West leader in earned run average (1.97), opposing batting average (.146), fewest hits allowed (23), fewest runs allowed (12), and fewest earned runs allowed (10). He was fourth in strikeouts (61) and tied for fifth with five others for fifth in saves (5). In the May 19 NCAA Division I statistical report, Roblez was fourth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.25), 22nd in strikeouts per nine innings, 36th in ERA, 47th in WHIP (1.06), 93rd in strikeouts, and 149th in saves.

 

Kellan Montgomery was chosen as an honorable mention All-Conference. Montgomery finished the season with a team-high nine wins (9-4) and a team-high 76 innings pitched. He was second on the club in strikeouts with 60. He was named Big West Pitcher of the Week on April 14. Montgomery retired the final 19 Cal State Bakersfield batters he faced as he tossed a complete game four-hitter as Long Beach State defeated the Roadrunners 3-2 on April 13. Montgomery threw the first Long Beach State complete game since May 12, 2023, when Nico Zeglin blanked UC Santa Barbara 1-0. He struck out eight and walked two. He got 15 ground ball outs to go along with the strikeouts. Montgomery threw 122 pitches, 82 of which were for strikes. In conference-only statistics, Montgomery was third in wins (6) and fifth in innings pitched (58.1). Entering the May 19 NCAA Division I statistical report, Montgomery is 12th in victories, 11th in starts (14), and 56th in complete games.

 

 

~#LongBeachBuilt~

A methodical approach to mental training may help, but it’s ultimately up to the individual to determine what works best. 

That process takes time, and 18-year-old Barbara Coppelli of Chile admits that she hasn’t quite figured it out.

“I have really bad concentration problems,” Coppelli says. “In training, I get yelled at ALL the time. Sometimes I’m listening to the coach, but I’m actually just seeing her, not paying attention to her.”

Coppelli, who does double-duty on the junior and senior national teams, says, “Right now, I’m just understanding when I am getting distracted. It’s like, ‘Okay, you’re dissociating. Pay attention now.’ Sometimes I do understand but I don’t do anything about it.”

Unfortunately, resources are limited. “Being a tiny country,” she says, “we don’t have the financial stuff. You see all the big countries bringing physiotherapists, massage people, photographers, psychologists [to a competition like the World Cup in Canada]. It’s, like, we were fighting to get both of our coaches here. It’s very challenging. That’s kind of stopping us a bit from moving forward in our sport.”

Japan’s Tomoka Sato, 23, says that her mental fortitude comes from “repeated practice.”

“I do image training. I close my eyes and imagine the underwater scenery,” says the 2023 world champion in mixed technical duet. When the competition grows near, “I imagine judges and spectators at the match venue, too. I add that.”

Then, just before the performance, she will incorporate music and envision a supportive atmosphere.

“I swim thinking everyone is watching, including judges, coaches and the audience is on my side. This helps me relax,” she says.

Then, in the water, “even when I think, ‘It’s no good, it’s no good,’ I have to push myself. I will swim with faith in the accumulated practice I have gained,” Sato says. “If I’m nervous, I believe in my practice and keep swimming.” 

Still, Sato admits, there have been moments when pressure has reduced her to tears. When that happens, she says, “I write in my diary.” And, she says, “I call my younger brother, Yotaro, who understands me the most.”  (Yotaro is also her mixed-duet partner.)

After switching nationalities from Mexico to the US, Ana Martinez, 23, says the mental game is harder than ever.

Due to a three-year waiting period to represent her new nation, Martinez says, “Last time I competed, the sport was called synchro, had different rules, and no base marks, so I have been preparing a lot. I’ve been visualizing what I need to do. When you’re eight people in the water, you have to think in patterns.  Maybe it’s a line. Maybe it’s two lines.

“You also have to be tighter on the counts. We count one through eight. Sometimes we move on every count, or maybe we move on one count, then hold it for another two counts. It depends on the choreography. But the judges are very strict. If we’re not on count, you can get a ‘minor’ [error which carries a 0.1 penalty], an ‘obvious’ [error which costs 0.5 points], or a ‘major’ if it’s too off,” which yields a 3.0-point deduction.

As a result, she says the team works on visualization every time it swims through the entire routine. And when they do, Martinez says,  “Some people visualize themselves – like how do I want to look in the water?” so they imagine how high they want to be, how a limb should look, or maybe their facial expressions.  In contrast, she says, “Some people visualize what they’re looking at when they’re swimming.”

Many athletes choose one point-of-view or the other, but Martinez – whose role as a “pusher” means she’s at the bottom of every team structure – does both.

“If it’s a new routine,” she explains, “I like to look what I’m looking at [in the water]. But if it’s a very worked [out] routine, I like to look at myself.”        

In addition, the US team has studied and established breathing exercises.

“When you exhale fast, it makes you ready to perform,” Martinez says, “versus if you inhale fast and exhale slow, then it relaxes you. I don’t know if you’ve seen this – but that’s why, when swimmers are about to go on, they go, “HA!”

American flyer Elle Santana, 19, says it helps to be able “to feel your team – even on land,” so she appreciates when the US does its group breathing together “to calm ourselves and stay in our little bubble. It doesn’t matter what other teams are doing in the pool; as soon as we walk into the competition, we’re very honed in.”

Sometimes, switching the brain off can also be effective. The key to staying mentally sharp “for me,” says Canada’s Halle Pratt, 25, “is downtime, making sure you’re well-rested. I try to sleep 8½ hours every night, and a little more towards competition. But I’m not afraid to take a nap in the middle of the day. I think that’s super-helpful.”

Mental training, however, is not universal.

Mexico’s mixed duet specialist Diego Carrillo Villalobos, 20, is an ex-diver who went from complete beginner to world championship silver medallist in just three years.  “I don’t have any special mental training,” he says. “I visualise a little bit, but I think it stresses me. I just trust in my work, and that relaxes me.”

Ultimately – whatever the method (or non-method) of mental training – most artistic swimmers agree on a few universal truths.

Martinez, the Mexican-American says, “I think confidence is key. The first step is to believe you can do it, right? Then, you look at the details.  And, of course, trusting your preparation and all the training you have.”

After spending eight hours in the pool six days of the week, and about 80 run-throughs of a routine, it becomes second nature.