Moka Rangers Sports Club: Staying active despite lockdown!

Moka Smart City’s multisport club, Moka Rangers has developed a comprehensive programme to enable its 500 members to continue working on their sport throughout lockdown. With more than four specific workout videos posted weekly on Facebook, the coaches have made every effort to help members keep up with the programme and expend their energy at home since lockdown started!

• Fencing

Since 11 May 2020, online Zoom sessions have been organised every Monday and Thursday. Children aged 9 to 12 years old can train from 5pm to 5:55pm and there is a session for adults from 6pm to 7pm. The aim is to consolidate the fundamentals while improving the learners’ reflexes. This period is a real opportunity for improvement, says Caroline Mamet, who is in charge of fencing at the club. “As the saying goes, practice makes perfect! After working hard, the learners will definitely see the difference in their first bouts once the club resumes normal operation. These fundamentals must turn into reflexes in order to become a lively, fast and efficient fencer on the piste. We are therefore making the most of this time!”

 

• Karate

Virtual classes will start on Zoom in early June in order to carry out dan grade tests from late July! A WhatsApp group allows coordination between members and teachers; practice and warm-up are also planned to fit everyone’s space. Classes are offered by belt colour to give special attention to all levels and allow them to improve their karate skills.

 

• Football

A WhatsApp group has been created for each category to facilitate interaction between coaches and the young players. While waiting to get back on a football pitch, the latter receive video training instructions from the various coaches in order to continue practising their skills until play resumes! “It’s not necessarily easy to organise Zoom sessions; that’s why we prefer to send videos to our young players twice a week. Then, they are free to train at the most suitable time with their parents, brothers or sisters!” says the head of the academy, Christopher Honglin.

 

• Handball & badminton

These disciplines too require a playing field, but it doesn’t mean that training should stop! The coaches, Stephano Lagarde for handball and Christopher Paul for badminton, have created different WhatsApp groups for each category in order to offer personalised training to their players. They regularly send videos to show the best at-home training practices. With rigorous training, the athletes will certainly be strong competitors when they get back into action!

 

• Swimming

Swimming is certainly one sport that has suffered from lockdown! Although it’s hard to suggest exercises to be done at home, enthusiasts find some consolation in the various WhatsApp groups that allow them to engage in regular interaction on swimming and share their daily life while looking forward to getting back to the pool!

 

• Cycling

Although no training is offered, this discipline remains important for the club! Rangers who have a Smart Home Trainer occasionally gathered on the Zwift application for virtual group outings. That’s how Aurélie Halbwachs came up with the idea to cycle for a good cause! The Moka Rangers Charity Ride took place on 23 May 2020 in partnership with ENL Foundation. The event was organised via Zwift and brought together 40 cyclists from all backgrounds. “My main objective was to make Mauritian cyclists aware of the difficulties faced by some of our fellow citizens during lockdown: we are lucky enough to be able to engage in physical activity from home, while others struggle daily to have enough food to eat. That’s why this Charity Ride was aimed at raising funds to provide food aid to needy families in the Moka region,” says Aurélie. Rs 10,700 have been raised to support ENL Foundation in this worthy cause.