Durbanville Majorettes triumph at provincial championships

Durbanville Junior Majorettes were crowned the overall winners in both the Large and Small Drill categories at the The Federation of Dance Drill, Cheerleading & Majorette Sport SA (FDDCMSA) provincial championships, held at the Somerset West Primary School on Saturday May 31 and at Lavender Hill Sports Facility on Saturday June 7.

Durbanville Majorettes Club, founded in 2019, is based at Aristea Primary School in Kraaifontein, supports over 50 athletes in the northern suburbs from Grade R to tertiary level students.

The club aims to provide opportunities for pupils to participate in the sport of majorettes. 

Both junior and senior teams at the club earned their respective spots at the national competition that will happen later this year.

The junior majorettes team, which has 36 athletes from Grades 1 to 7, also won first place in the categories of Pom Duo/ Trio, Mace Solo and Mace Duo/Trio.

The senior team took first place in the Baton flag solo and both teams had numerous second and third-place wins across other divisions.

“The sport of majorettes fosters vital life skills such as teamwork, commitment, poise, time management, and determination — all of which were clearly on display as Durbanville Majorettes Club delivered a stellar performance at the provincial level,” said Yvonne Viljoen, the chairwoman of the Durbanville Majorettes Club.

The club has since started a back-a-buddy campaign with a goal to reach R50 000 to fund their own costs of affiliation fee, transport, accommodation, meals and clothing items needed for national competition.

Janien Ryke, the campaign’s organiser, said the team had a "sisterhood" bond and have built lifelong friendships. 

“Their differences allow them to try and understand each other more. The more experienced athletes help the beginners, or athletes who are struggling motivate and encourage each other, which is absolutely phenomenal,” she said.

The national competition of FDDCMSA will take place from Friday July 11 to Thursday July 17 in Klerksdorp, North West,  where the junior team will be defending their National Champion title for Small and Large Military Drill.