Besides little recognition, the Botswana Dance Sport Association has had many achievements this year both in the administration and in the field of play.
BODANSA Administrative Secretary, Karabo Kemoabe, told The Sunday Standard that for the first time they have managed to establish a dance sport national team and also managed to send two teams to Lesotho and Swaziland.
He went on to say they have managed to host a number of competitions this year as well as conduct a set of coaching clinics outside Gaborone.
“The association managed to host four competitions this year and we also managed to conduct three coaching clinics outside Gaborone in places like, Tonota, Jwaneng and Selibe Phikwe,” Kemoabe said.
He added that this year’s medals and trophies were appealing to the competitors.
“We also managed to put up two leadership forums for our affiliates,” he said.
Furthermore, BODANSA hosted the SADSF 2009 AGM for the 1st time. “At that very same meeting, it was agreed that the first regional Championships be hosted by Botswana in November 2010,” he asserted, adding that their main challenge is finances since they do not have any sponsorship deals and rely on the yearly grant from Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) and the Department of Arts and Culture.
He explained that it is difficult to function without cash as competitions, Coaching Clinics, workshops and meetings all need money to take place.
“BODANSA does not have any sponsorship deals. Since the association is an affiliate member of BNSC, it has a yearly grant which caters for its Administration, Development, Equipment and International Competitions. The association also has a yearly grant of P50, 000 from the Department Of Arts & Culture and they also managed to sponsor a single competition, which was held in Orapa, with P30, 000,” he said.
The association is also faced with a shortage of competition venues and equipment as well as qualified personnel in areas of Dance teachers, adjudicators and scrutinizers.
He explained that to deal with their finance challenges their affiliates pay annual subscription fees and registration fees at competitions and the money is recycled within, to host events.
“As for competition venues we take our competitions to other areas in the country where there are suitable halls although we also encounter logistical problems and we source adjudicators from South Africa which usually comes at very high costs,” he said.
Kemoabe further said they are hoping for a much more productive year in 2010 and since they will be hosting the regional championships, they hope to secure some sponsorship deals.
“We hope to have qualified at least 10 DanceSport teachers, 5 qualified scrutineers and having 8 professionals by end of 2010,” he added, noting that they will maintain the number of competitions and increase the coaching clinics throughout the country.
