FALSE BAY RUGBY CLUB

Outgoing False Bay RFC Head Coach, Kevin Musikanth has shared some of his intimate thoughts with us.

 

Even the most enthralling books come to an end. The key to savouring it is reading it piece by piece, little by little. It is not about how quickly one can read the story. It is rather about ingesting every word, every nuance, looking forward to the next chapter but at the same time lingering on what you have read and floating away on the clouds of thought created by the story. You may read only a few pages at a time, on other occasions you voraciously take in a few chapters all the while thinking that you exercise the control over the read but the converse is true. The book controls you. This is the fairy tale of life.

 

Sadly all books, even epics, have an end. We place them on the bookshelf, a part of a collection, a collection which reflects our life story, beliefs, influences and moods. The content never changes, but our appreciation and interpretation of the story invariably does. In its place on the shelf, all we see is the title and the name of the author, basic information in identifying the book. Yet, when we as the reader cast our eyes across the shelf, they fall on the title and our mind immediately drifts to the storyline, the characters and the plot. We may tell our friends, our loved ones about it. We may share the gist of the story, utter quotes or describe parts that touched us, more often than not insisting that the listener take the time to read it too. We are simply trying to share a wonderful experience, like recommending a good restaurant, play or movie. It is this sharing which makes books everlasting.

 

Rugby is much the same. Like a good book, the False Bay tale for me has come to an end. Now on my bookshelf will sit a book with many co-authors called False Bay 2008-2013. For me it has been a journey, a book of many chapters, which I will revisit for the rest of my life. Of one thing I’m certain. No matter what anyone says or feels, nothing can change the storyline. The memories and events experienced by all role players are indellible and make up this fantastic story.

Every fairy tale has heroes and villains. No story can be credible without them. They are inexorably linked. One relies on the presence of the other. It is a reflection of life. It is as much the villain that makes the fairy tale as the hero. The reader’s frame of reference is the judge of character in the story. Sport only brings us moments in time. After the game, life goes on. Memories remain, but time moves on. The traveller, who was once the journey, becomes something else, changing character from the lead to that of a supporting role, with only the “remember when’s” to cling to.

 

It is amazing how much time, heart, passion and soul can go into 6 years of life into one place. How many journeys, lessons and how much love can exist between those 4 white lines. No story has a perfect story line. Reflecting on the depths of this journey there are tremendous times: laughter; trophies; celebrations; television programs; newspaper and magazine articles; but there is also life, loss, death and sacrifice and most important of all, time and dedication. Time spent that can never gotten back.

 

It is true that the greatest gift you can ever give to anyone is your time. It is something that should never be taken for granted. We have a finite amount of time on this planet and when we give it to others, it is a gift. A sweet metaphor would possibly be that time is such a gift that we can only physically spend it in the now, which is why we call the now the present.

 

Destiny’s route included landmarks such as a number of unexpected victories, two league titles, numerous other trophies for a deserving team and club, which made the destination sweeter. But the greatness and magnitude of the journey and its timeless memories are due to the people. People bring life, love and belief. Belief brings courage and drive. Courage and drive wins matches. If you manage to stay courageous and driven you’ll win leagues. This can only be done with people.

 

The problem with people is their baggage. This gets thrown in the pot and in a game that requires so much emotion, on the flipside shows no emotion. Rugby cannot care whether you are having a good or a bad day, the game must be played. The most courageous and driven teams win the most important matches. Ultimately we play this game to win. Victory is what we all strive for. I am glad to have been involved in a team and club that has won and won.

The book of False Bay now sits firmly in my heart. There it is safely enshrined and no one can take it away. I cannot identify the need to express myself in this piece but again, it is probably moments in time and the fact that sometimes the book drives us not the converse.

 

The story called “False Bay 2008-2013” has been special and fantastic, almost fantastical. Perhaps a fairytale. As much as it has to be done, it is impossible to let go of.