Kalavango return from retreat

The 2016 Mascom Volleyball League runners up and 2017 BMW Capital Motors cup reigning champions Kalavango Volleyball Club recently returned from a three day retreat in Durban, South Africa. The trip was meant to boost team spirit, networking and benchmarking. In an interview this week, Kalavango’s newly elected Chairman Chopdat Gaetshajwe said all their targets have been met.

“We have accomplished all we intended to achieve, the players have learnt a lot and they have developed a lot of confidence from the trip. We have since put the team together and we are certain that their understanding at both the squad and personal level is sky rocketing.” Furthermore, Gaetshajwe said their task as management was to benchmark on how the teams in South Africa manage their day to day running.

“We have seen their level of professionalism and we are set to instil them in our team,” he said. Although Kalavango themselves had put together a team featuring a mix of young and experienced players, it was astonishing to see young players beat the first team with ease in South Africa.

“They invest a lot in the youth and we ought to invest in the youth too from today.” Moreover, the team played friendly games against University of Kwazulu Natal and former South African National Champions Liberte Volleyball Club. The men’s team lost both games 3-0 and 3-1 respectively while the ladies team played a single game and won the game 3-2. The Kalavango club officials have have since established lasting relations with the two teams. “The clubs want to visit us in Botswana and hold a tournament.”

Nevertheless, the tournament has to be played soon as the National Volleyball league is currently inactive. This means players have been rusty and will need to keep active until the women’s team compete in the Zone Six Championships slated for Zimbabwe Harare in December. Gaetshajwe further applauded Vincent Mongati of Vincent Excellent Travel and Tours for his constant support for the team. “The retreat was sponsored by Vincent Excellent Travel and Tours they have been supporting the club for several years and we are overwhelmed by the support.”