Sunday, 8 December 2024

Avonique takes Best Newcomer Award.

Avonique van Rooyen playfully shows off the sponsor of the Protea Team - NWU.

In 1987 Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) started its Best Newcomer Award. 

Since 1987, MSSA has made the award every year. Many of the recipients have grown with MSSA over the years to become not only top of the line mind sports athletes but have become well rounded people who are successful in every aspect of their lives. One only has to think of previous winners like Andre Tonkin, Simphiwe Maphumulo, Robert Botha and Lyrene Kűhn and others to see the quality of athlete that has won this award.

Avonique van Rooyen has joined the list of Best Newcomers who have distinguished themselves in their first year of registration, and, no-one is surprised!

At only 16 years of age, Avonique impressed everybody at all levels being; provincial, national, and international championships.

It was at IESF's African Championships (AEC24) and IESF's World Championships (WEC24) that all who witnessed Avonique play commented on Avonique's enthusiasm, strength of character, and skill of play.

It was therefore, without hesitation, that MSSA's Annual General Meeting unanimously awarded Avonique the Best Newcomer of the Year Award.

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2024 Management Board Awards

Jess Greef (ZAG Academy) has been awarded the Mind Sports Person of the Year, as well as Esports Gamer of the Year.

Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) Management Board Awards are the oldest awards for the disciplines under its control having started in 2009. In fact many other awards in the esports arena only came into being in the early 2010's proving that once again MSSA is an undisputed leader in its field.

The process for the MSSA Management Board awards is that any Registered Player or Member Club may make the nomination to the Board. The Board then decides upon the final choice and it is at MSSA's Annual General Meeting that the choice is ratified.

All were agreed upon unanimously!

Without doubt all agreed that Jessica Greef thoroughly deserved the awards for both Mind Sports Person of the Year and Esports Gamer of the Year. Her skill, perseverance, determination and leadership ensured that her Protea Counter Strike 2 Esports Team won IESF's African Esports Championships (AEC24) in Casablanca this year, and then lead the team to IESF's World Esports Championships (WEC24) in Riyadh in November of this year where the team had a resounding victory over Norway.

The Iranian coach for the female Protea Counter Strike 2 Esports Team, Amirali Zahedi, was awarded Coach of the Year for his efforts in ensuring the team was properly, and suitably, readied for both the AEC24 and WEC24.

Needless to say, all the athletes of the female Protea Counter Strike 2 Esports Team that played in both the AEC24 and WEC24 were honoured by winning Team of the Year.

The Management Board awards for 2024 are as follows:

Mind Sports Person of the Year:

Jessica Greef

ATK Esports

Board Gamer of the Year:

No award


Esports Gamer of the Year:

Jessica Greef

ATK Esports

Wargamer of the Year:

Terry Allwright

Old Edwardian Mind Sports Club

Team of the Year

Female CSGO Team Jessica Eleez Greeff, Avonique van Rooyen, Megan van der Westhuizen, Kayhla Rose Calder, Christin Brazier, Chrissie Webster

Protea Esports Team

Volunteer of the Year:

Johan van Breda

ZAG Academy

Umpire of the Year

Armand van der Colf

TuksEsports

Coach of the Year

Amirali Zahedi


Educator of the Year

Tiaan Lotter

Crawford College Lonehill

Mind Sports Writer of the Year:

Alicia Pillay

GSport

Social Media Person of the Year

Colin Webster


Best Sponsor of the Year:

North West University

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Friday, 6 December 2024

Almost half the awards are awarded to female gamers.

Jenny Pejana, captain of Dawnview High School's Mobile Legends Bang Bang Esports Team, has a bright future in esports.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) has held, ever since it was first constituted, that the long term development and growth of all its disciplines (boardgames, card games, esports, and wargames) is utterly dependent upon the growth of the disciplines at school level.

Thus it is very exciting for Board Members and MSSA as a whole that out of the forty seven athletes who have qualified for Provincial High School Colours, twenty of the awards were awarded to female athletes.

All the female recipients performed well and represented their schools with pride.

Special mention must be made of Jenny Pejana who captained the Dawnview High School Mobile Legends Bang Bang Esports team to make her the only female to captain a mixed gender team in MSSA history. Under Jenny's leadership, the team won championship after championship.

Certainly Jenny is a player to watch in the future!

The full list of athletes who have High School Provincial Colours in 2024 are:

High School
Name of playerClubTitleProvince
Abigail AdonisFRoedean CollegeValorantGauteng
Akhona SibayaMNorthcliff High SchoolFIFA24Gauteng
Anneke GreylingFMiddiesMobile Legends Bang BangMpumalanga
Antoenetha HattinghFMiddiesMobile Legends Bang BangMpumalanga
Arav HarrielalMCrawford College LonehillDotA 2Gauteng
Aryan PillayMCrawford College LonehillDotA 2Gauteng
Beverly MakhafolaFNorthcliff High SchoolMobile Legends Bang BangGauteng
Breydon SeimaFMiddiesMobile Legends Bang BangMpumalanga
Caroline Shen YaFRoedean CollegeValorantGauteng
Diya ParthalFRoedean CollegeValorantGauteng
Eden RagovanMHoërskool KlerksdorpClash RoyaleNorth West
Emily BlakeFNorthcliff High SchoolMobile Legends Bang BangGauteng
Gerald KhumaloMDawnview High SchoolMobile Legends Bang BangGauteng
Howie Chen (c)MCrawford College LonehillDotA 2Gauteng
Janco PienaarMMiddiesRocket LeagueMpumalanga
Jared VisagieMMiddiesValorantMpumalanga
Jenny Pejana (captain)FDawnview High SchoolMobile Legends Bang BangGauteng
Jiya ChaganFRoedean CollegeValorantGauteng
Johan CoetzeeMMiddiesClash RoyaleMpumalanga
Karli Roodt (C)FMiddiesRocket LeagueMpumalanga
Kenn du PlessisMMiddiesValorantMpumalanga
Kennedy Cassells (captain)FNorthcliff High SchoolMobile Legends Bang BangGauteng
Kyle VorsterMZAG AcademyClash RoyaleGauteng
Lu-Zelle Kruger ©FMiddiesMobile Legends Bang BangMpumalanga
Marco de BeerFMiddiesRocket LeagueMpumalanga
Marnus van der MerweMHoërskool KlerksdorpStreetFighterNorth West
MichaelaFMiddiesRocket LeagueMpumalanga
Mikara NokrajFDawnview High SchooleFootballGauteng
Nathan StrangeMHoërskool KlerksdorpRocket LeagueNorth West
Onye OkekeMDawnview High SchooleFootball/MLBBGauteng
Pieter RossouwMMiddiesClash of ClansMpumalanga
Raquel SantanaFRoedean CollegeValorantGauteng
Reinhardt vd WaltMMiddiesValorantMpumalanga
Relebogile NkadimengMDawnview High SchooleFootball/MLBBGauteng
Reneilwe MaphasaMBenoni High SchoolTekken, StreetFighterGauteng
Robyn WadsworthFNorthcliff High SchoolMobile Legends Bang BangGauteng
Rochelle BronkhorstFMiddiesMobile Legends Bang BangMpumalanga
Ryan CaoMCrawford College LonehillDotA 2Gauteng
Shoib HassanMDawnview High SchooleFootballGauteng
Sipho NdzumoMNorthcliff High SchoolRocket LeagueGauteng
Srivar PremjeethMCrawford College LonehillDotA 2Gauteng
Tai Kafwimbi (captain)MNorthcliff High SchoolRocket LeagueGauteng
Thabiso SeabelaMDawnview High SchoolMobile Legends Bang BangGauteng
Thamsanqa KubhekaMNorthcliff High SchoolRocket LeagueGauteng
Tristan ReidMMiddiesValorantMpumalanga
Tylon Law HughesFNorthcliff High SchoolMobile Legends Bang BangGauteng
Xavier de Beer (C)MMiddiesValorantMpumalanga

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