- Zac Sampson will swim 7km from Robben Island to Big Bay to raise funds for the Anna Foundation.
- Despite the cold water, Zac is motivated by his own lifelong training.
- The Anna Foundation focuses on providing educational resources, sports activities and life skills development.
It’s good that 13-year-old Zac Sampson is warm-hearted because he’s about to embark on an icy journey.
“A lot of times, people do these things for themselves, but when you’re doing it for a cause, it means so much more. It makes you work so much harder because you know you are helping an organisation,” Zac’s father, Oliver Sampson, told News24.
Zac will be treading water for over 7km in the coming as he swims from Robben Island to Big Bay for charity.
He’s raising funds for the Anna Foundation – an after-school programme in the Western Cape.
The non-profit organisation runs centres for the children of farm labourers in rural schools. It focuses on education, sport and life skills development, and also provide meals for those in need.
I’ve been training for this my whole life
His ADHD diagnosis underpins Zac’s support for the organisation.
“I really think people should give to the Anna Foundation because it will help kids with learning challenges.”
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The crossing will see Zac enter the biting waters of the Atlantic Ocean, at 13 degrees Celsius, but he isn’t scared.
Every day in the week for the past two years, he’s up at 05:00, to train for the big event.
He spends up to two hours in the pool in the morning and another two in the afternoon.
“I mostly struggle with my shoulders. Sometimes, there’s days when my arms are sore, and I don’t feel like doing it at all, I do it anyway. I just tell myself, ‘You already this far. Why stop now?'”
He will face choppy waters, and sea creatures will test his willpower.
At three years old, Zac first got into the pool and took to it like a fish.
“I think I’ve been training for this [the Robben Island crossing] my whole life.”
Chanelle van Wyk, Zac’s coach of four years, and the head coach at Cybersmart Aquatics, said Zac was a fast learner.
He started as a junior, but has advanced to the senior team, where he swims alongside Olympic swimmers, like Chad le Clos.
Head coach at Cybersmart Aquatics, Chanelle van Wyk, has been coaching Zac Sampson for 4 years. (Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)
Van Wyk said Zac’s grit and determination were his best attributes.
“Magic happens when everybody else is sleeping and you put in those hard hours in the pool.”
Swimming for a cause
Zac is hoping his hard work will raise a minimum of R8 000 – he’s raised R2 500 so far.
Once the temperatures in Cape Town increase and weather conditions become less temperamental, he will face the challenge.
“Despite the challenge ahead, I’m ready to raise funds for kids and get the swim under my belt!”
