Whilst this is essentially a blog featuring the comings, goings and achievements of South African pageants and pageant participants, there are a number of achievements by South African sportsmen and women that definitely qualify for an honourable mention in the "South African Beauts" category.
To be honest, pageants place a very distant third on my list of interests after track and field, and swimming. I would exchange an all-expenses paid vacation to the Miss Universe pageant in a flash for a ticket to the Olympic Games, or World Athletics or Swimming Championships.
What draws me to sport is the fact that it's all about scoring the most points, running or swimming the fastest, jumping or throwing the furthest and highest. It's all objective when achieved within the rules and regulations that apply. Pageants, on the other hand, are very subjective. Winning depends on the preferences and bias of the judges, politics and political correctness, and money passing hands and personal favours.
Watching a gaggle of girls rushing around in bikinis in bimbo mode (note I said bimbo mode, and not bimbo's) does not come close to witnessing history in human athletic achievement being made. Call me an MCP if you like, but I expect nothing more than for pageant contestants to look good and smile. But that's another post altogether.
My "South African Beauts" for this week are:
FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
* Cameron van der Burgh: 50m breaststroke gold medal and world record, and 100m breaststroke bronze medal and SA record;
* Chad Ho: 5km open water swim bronze medal;
* Lyndon Ferns: 100m freestyle finalist and SA record;
* Jean Basson: 200m freestyle finalist and SA record;
* Wendy Trott: 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle finalist and SA records;
* Gerhard Zandburg: 50m backstroke finalist and SA record;
* George du Rand: 200m backstroke finalist and SA record;
* The relay teams that made the finals and set SA records;
* All the swimmers that set SA records, but did not qualify for the finals
TRACK AND FIELD
* Caster Semenya: A brilliant, brilliant new SA record in the 800m at the African Junior Championships that is also the leading time in the world this year;
* Ruben Ramolefi: A stunning new SA record in the 3000m steeplechase;
* LJ van Zyl: World leading time in the 400m hurdles;
* Khotso Mokoena: Consistently beating the leading long-jumpers in the world;
* A number of other athletes that continue to be competitive despite having to compete under trying conditions and financial constraints because the sporting powers that be continue to ply so much money into a third-rate national soccer team whilst they (the athletes) have to beg for tuppence.
RUGBY
* Morne Steyn and the Springboks: Eat dirt All Blacks! Eat dirt!
To all our other sportsmen and women that have made their mark on the world sporting stage, a big, fantabulous well done!
To be honest, pageants place a very distant third on my list of interests after track and field, and swimming. I would exchange an all-expenses paid vacation to the Miss Universe pageant in a flash for a ticket to the Olympic Games, or World Athletics or Swimming Championships.
What draws me to sport is the fact that it's all about scoring the most points, running or swimming the fastest, jumping or throwing the furthest and highest. It's all objective when achieved within the rules and regulations that apply. Pageants, on the other hand, are very subjective. Winning depends on the preferences and bias of the judges, politics and political correctness, and money passing hands and personal favours.
Watching a gaggle of girls rushing around in bikinis in bimbo mode (note I said bimbo mode, and not bimbo's) does not come close to witnessing history in human athletic achievement being made. Call me an MCP if you like, but I expect nothing more than for pageant contestants to look good and smile. But that's another post altogether.
My "South African Beauts" for this week are:
FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
* Cameron van der Burgh: 50m breaststroke gold medal and world record, and 100m breaststroke bronze medal and SA record;
* Chad Ho: 5km open water swim bronze medal;
* Lyndon Ferns: 100m freestyle finalist and SA record;
* Jean Basson: 200m freestyle finalist and SA record;
* Wendy Trott: 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle finalist and SA records;
* Gerhard Zandburg: 50m backstroke finalist and SA record;
* George du Rand: 200m backstroke finalist and SA record;
* The relay teams that made the finals and set SA records;
* All the swimmers that set SA records, but did not qualify for the finals
TRACK AND FIELD
* Caster Semenya: A brilliant, brilliant new SA record in the 800m at the African Junior Championships that is also the leading time in the world this year;
* Ruben Ramolefi: A stunning new SA record in the 3000m steeplechase;
* LJ van Zyl: World leading time in the 400m hurdles;
* Khotso Mokoena: Consistently beating the leading long-jumpers in the world;
* A number of other athletes that continue to be competitive despite having to compete under trying conditions and financial constraints because the sporting powers that be continue to ply so much money into a third-rate national soccer team whilst they (the athletes) have to beg for tuppence.
RUGBY
* Morne Steyn and the Springboks: Eat dirt All Blacks! Eat dirt!
To all our other sportsmen and women that have made their mark on the world sporting stage, a big, fantabulous well done!