The Boys in
the Yellow Caps
of RBHS
An Unfinished Story…
The Boys in the Yellow Caps are five passionate and committed schoolboy rowers who
recently won Gold at the SA Schools Rowing
Championships and who’ve been selected to
participate in the 2017 South African Schools
Rowing Union Development Tour to the UK,
from Rondebosch Boys High School Cape
Town.
The signature yellow caps make these boys
visually distinctive as they stand out from
other rowers on the water. More and more,
the commentators speak of “the boys in the
yellow caps” as a crew, and something to
watch.
Clev Gilliam
Christian Bezuidenhout
Ben Akin Brown
George du Plooy
Kyle Henry
The group started humbly, with no notable achievements to cement
their combined efforts. Their start as a team was peppered with
disappointments, near wins, missing the buoys, ploughing into sand
banks. Dejected, they bemoaned the fate of being the age-group
that had achieved no medals of significance in their first season of
rowing. As under fifteens, they decided to do great things, only to
miss gold in every race. The answer: train harder.
Two years later, this dedicated group of boys took to the water, a
well polished, connected and formidable team. They won in every
event and finally got gold in SA’s top schools competition, the
South Africa Schools Rowing Championships 2017. They were pitted against the most prestigious school programmes countrywide,
schools with abundant resources and a long history of rowing. This
was a considerable achievement. The boys in the yellow caps had
done it!
The win at SA Champs earned them the opportunity to join the
SASRU development tour to England, where they will row in the
Bedford Amateur Regatta and the Wallingford Regatta, which take
place in Buckinghamshire near Eton next to the River Thames. It
attracts crews from schools, clubs and universities from around the
United Kingdom. The Bedford Regatta was founded in 1853 and
brings competitive rowing to the River Great Ouse. It’s one of the
largest single-day river regattas in the country.
A Story of
Unmatched Success
The Boy’s Story
Name: Kyle Henry
Nickname: “Sassy the
Sasquatch”
Position in the boat: Stroke –
Sets the pace and stroke rate
Known for: Going to gym often
Quote: “I was only five minutes
late.”
Interesting fact: During regattas
he can be found in the gazebo,
sleeping. During camps and
tours, he can be found in his
bed, sleeping. Sometimes 10
minutes before a session starts
you will find him at home,
sleeping.
Name: Ben Akin Brown
Nickname: “Kaptein”
Position in the boat: No 2 –
Captain of the boat and part of
the “Power House”
Known for: Singing the
pan-whistle solo from
Jurassic Park
Quote: “We’re back together
really”
Interesting fact: The only
member of the quad who has a
girlfriend. Known as the “Local
medic” because of all the plasters and tape he has ready for
his hands for when they blister
on tour or rowing camps.
Name: George du Plooy
Nickname: “Vrystaat”
Position in the boat: No 3 – Part
of the “Power House”
Known for: At the age of six he
wanted to become an “army
man”
Quote: “Vrystaat!”
Interesting fact: Vrystaat has
been George’s call from the beginning, being said in training
sessions and the first race of
the season (which was won).
Being the Vrystaat man George
loves to put in the power
during a steady state training
session.
Name: Christian Bezuidenhout
Nickname: George calls him
“The Brakpan Batman” (it’s
only funny to him)
Position in the boat: Bow
Known for: Being able to control his backsplash to wet Clev
whenever he wants.
Quote: “We can’t get cocky.”
Interesting fact: Apparently, he
is meant to keep us humble.
Specifically, the middle pair.
Just like the rest of the quad
he didn’t start in order to be
the best but that is more the
reason why he has kept on
rowing.
In 2016/2017 the “yellow caps” won
every regatta that they entered:
1 Knysna Regatta
(coxed quad)
2 Misverstand Heads Race
(eight)
3 Spring Regatta
(coxed quad)
4 Elgin Regatta
(coxed quad)
5 Harvest Regatta
(coxed quad)
6 Buffalo Regatta
(coxed quad)
7 Selborne Sprints
(coxed quad)
8 Western Cape Champs
(coxed quad)
9 SA Champs
(coxed quad)
Name: Clev Gilliam
Nickname: “Bones”
Position in the boat: Coxswain
Known for: Using the rudder in
a 1000-meter race
Quote: “Sir, is my course fine?”
Interesting fact: He wrote
the race plan all over his legs
before this year’s final at SA
champs.
The Coach’s Story
The journey for these five young boys has been a long and impressive one. The first time I had the privilege of coaching them was in
my first year as a coach in 2015. At that point, the boys were not
much to look at, let alone fear. They were small, unfit and filled
with sugar, but what they did have was determination like I have
never seen before. That determination has them addicted to success
and hungry for more every time they get to a training session. The
presence these boys carry with them is remarkable. They are strong,
fast and fearless yet they have remained so humble and respectful
to those around them.
The crew members consist of:
Kyle Henry at stroke seat. He leads the rate and speed of the boat.
He is strong and very technically proficient. His composure at the
front keeps the boat calm and focused. Kyle sets the rhythm in the
boat which is vital in its speed. He sets the example in the boat for
the rest of the guys to follow.
George Du Plooy at 3 seat. George is Kyle’s backbone. He motivates
Kyle and allows him to focus on his duties in the boat. George also
has an incredible hunger for high quality rowing and adds his part
with his impressive leg drive that sets the boat. George loves his bubbles (air that gets trapped under the boat when it’s going very quickly) and will always motivate the crew so he can hear his bubbles.
Akin Brown at 2 seat. Akin is the boat’s captain. He is the one
that keeps everyone in check. He has a very ambitious outlook on
rowing. He has always looked for ways to improve and get faster.
He is constantly helping his crew members achieve their goals as he
works hard to achieve his. Akin has always been the one that looks
out for his fellow rowers. He is an outstanding sportsman and has a
very successful career ahead of him.
Christian Bezuidenhout at bow. Christian is at the tail of the boat.
His job is to take what the guys have put into the boat and make
sure that the boat sits properly in the water. He is also very technically proficient and adds a huge amount of power to the boat.
Christian also adds a great deal of discipline to the boat. He is very
reserved and prefers to stay true to himself. He may be quieter than
the rest but he has more motivation than you can believe.
Clev as cox. Clev is the crew’s driver. He makes the calls as well as
making sure the boat stays straight. He is definitely the kind of guy
that you hear before you see him. Clev may not look it but he is just
as strong as the rowers that he coxes.
I am very proud to have coached these boys thus far and I love
being a part of their success. They have taught me just as much if
not more than what I have taught and coached into them. This crew
will be unstoppable in a few years and I am honoured to have even
got them this far in their journey.
This Story is worth Following
and Supporting
You can help these boys complete their story
by making a generous donation
The cost of the tour is R235 000 (that’s R47 000 per boy)
Please use these account details for your donations:
Account name: Rondebosch School Education Trust
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: Rondebosch
Branch code: 025009
Account no: 071466991
Reference to be used: Rowing
Please send proof of payment to [email protected]
For further information please contact Andre on 083 564 1286