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Balancing the various important aspects of modern education is key to a successful school career for most young people, so that a widely beneficial experience can help turn out well-rounded graduates.
For 16-year-old Ruvimbo Sibanda of Harare, athletics is a passion and a driving force in her life, but she is careful to ensure that the academic aspect of her school career does not suffer, recognising the need to expend her energies in all the necessary directions.
Ruvimbo is a student at Harare’s Dominican Covent School whose interest in athletics was sparked when she was only six years old.
“It was a real eye-opener for the young me, bringing an enhanced meaning to my life and bringing about my love for the sport,” she said.
“I started off in athletics and then included tennis and, later, hockey into my sporting life. At the start, I was not interested in basketball, but when I was in grade five a coach more or less ‘dragged’ me to practice, and since that time it has been my favourite sport.”
Ruvimbo made it into the Zimbabwean national under-16 basketball team and she helped represent the country in the Region 5 Youth Games in Malawi. She also travelled to South Africa to compete in regional athletics championships, winning a gold medal in the high jump, silver medals in the 100m and 200m races, and a bronze medal in the long jump.
In hockey, she was named most valuable player at the 2022 Golden Girls event, and in March this year, she went on a basketball tour in South Africa, where she won an All-Star Player award at the ISSA tournament.
“I think I perform well in the sports I compete in because of my height and my speed, which give me a great advantage,” she said.
Balancing the sporting and academic aspects of her school life is not easy but it is something at which she has become adept, recognising the need to remain successful in academic pursuits and in sporting ones.
She has some advice for other young people: always be strong and determined and never give up.
“Being a successful athlete comes at a cost and that is hard work. When it comes to criticism, take good advice but ignore negative thinking, because it’s your life and your achievements and you must not harm your life and ambitions by other people’s negativity,” she said.
Ruvimbo feels that if she were to be given a superpower it would be super speed, “just so I can outrun everyone.”
Her favourite sporting personality is Joyce Muchenu, because she is the only international basketball referee in Zimbabwe and the first female FIBA Zone 6 referee.
Ruvimbo said: “Like me, basketball is her favourite thing in the world and has become her passion. Even with criticism, she has never given up, and she is very brave and strong. She inspires girls not just in Africa but on other continents, too. She is a humble and down-to-earth person who gives back to the community. Her achievements just prove that Zimbabwean girls can make it in the sporting field.
“She has been awarded prizes for being the best technical official and she sometimes referees school games and gives talks to players about how they can get to the stage she is at now. She also gives life advice to us and it inspires me to see how she’s been able to go so far as a Zimbabwean woman. One day I wish to be at such a level.”
Ruvimbo would like to soon win a sporting scholarship to a prestigious university and go far with her chosen sports, possibly participating in the Olympic games. She also plans to continue her studies in physical education, even at the university level.
“For my community, I want to encourage more girls and women to take part in different sporting activities of their choice. More clubs should be opened that fund women as well as men,” she said.
Ruvimbo is a keen fan of DStv programming, watching sports on the SuperSport platforms, but also viewing favourite entertainment channels like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.
To ensure she does not miss any of her favourite programs, she downloaded the DStv App which enables her to stream live sports and catch up on any shows she might have missed.
“I believe in always being positive, even when you think things won’t go your way. There is always light, even in the darkest times. Just stay strong and focused and continue praying because, through God, anything is possible,” she said.
