Photo Cred: Quanita Bobbs Supplied

The South African Olympic Hockey player wants young students and athletes to remember that “time is very precious” and their dreams matter!

 

Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa (11 August 2021) – Field hockey player and alumna of Stellenbosch University (SU), Quanita Bobbs describes the passion for the sport that took her to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, where she played for the South African national women’s hockey team.

“I started playing hockey at the age of 10 and I really loved the sport. I developed a great passion for it because it came to me so naturally. By the time I reached high school, I realised that I wanted to play for the South African team one day.”

“When you make the national youth teams, your dream of making the adult national team becomes more real,” adds Bobbs.

Growing up in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, Bobbs was raised in a family that was involved in sport – her mother was a netball player, and her father was always very involved with hockey. Seeing her brother, a professional football player, excel in national teams motivated her to seriously pursue her chosen sport, which was hockey.

Quanita Bobbs
Photo Cred: Quanita Bobbs Instagram

She enrolled for a BCom Management Sciences degree at SU in 2012 and majored in Marketing and Industrial Psychology because she wanted to broaden her horizons to also include a professional career outside sport. In addition, Bobbs recognised that SU would provide her with opportunities to improve her hockey skills, and she was selected to join Maties’ first team in 2012.

“Maties gave me the platform to be a student athlete and train while getting an education. SU is so understanding of student athletes wanting to represent South Africa,” says Bobbs.

When she made the national women’s team during her first year of her studies, the balancing act became more challenging because of all the team’s travelling. During this time, she often completed her coursework while being on tour.

Bobbs did not really have time to socialise and indulge in student culture as an SU undergraduate student because her sporting commitments and coursework did not allow her much time for other activities. Weekends were spent with her family, and this was her break from her other commitments.

At 27 years old, Bobbs has already had many professional achievements. She played for the SA u21 team at the Junior World Cup in 2013 and 2014 and at the Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. After completing her degree at SU, she played for Holcombe Hockey Club in Kent, England, for one season and went to Germany to play for a hockey club in Bremen in 2019.

Apart from her professional hockey endeavours, Bobbs works in the digital marketing space for small marketing agencies in South Africa. She says that her employers have always supported her sport and have allowed her to pursue her professional hockey career. This, she counts as one of her biggest blessings.

Bobbs advises young students and athletes in pursuit of their dreams to remember that “time is very precious”.

“Make the most of your time and do not waste time doing things that do not contribute to your growth as a person.”

​She said she was really excited to step on the hockey field and play even though she had been in the national team for nine years.

“I was very excited to be part of this process and to wear the green and gold.”


Sources: Stellenbosch University Supplied 
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google
Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here
Click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes that there’s good news all around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:
Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *