Text: Vanessa Haywood. Article from the January 2012 issue of Sports Illustrated Magazine.
Wives and girlfriends (WAGs) are often the subject of tabloid gossip columns and cameramen’s focus tests. Sports Illustrated asked them to give us a bit more information on the sportsmen in their lives.
“Never date a professional sportsman,” said those girlfriends who’d been down that road before. But I did – and now find myself living with professional trail runner Ryan Sandes.
Not all sportsmen are the bad boys who garner the tabloid media’s headlines. Some, however, can be pretty grumpy. Not long after Ryan and myself started dating, he “warned” me that he’d be going into “race mode” soon, as he was preparing for The Last Desert run in Antarctica and felt huge pressure to win it. Race mode included being extremely withdrawn, a grumpy bastard at times and reaching levels of exhaustion that most of us will never experience due to his hectic training schedule.
Patience helped me get through this difficult time – it also made me realise that it can be pretty tough to be the partner of a sportsperson, especially as they gain more fame.
So in an attempt to prove that not all pro sportsmen are bad boys – and to give credit to the women behind them – I asked partners of pros about life in the limelight and life on the road.
Lyndall Jarvis
Girlfriend of surfer Jordy Smith
On dating one of the world’s top surfers… When we are at home, its pretty normal so I don’t really think about it. When we go to surf contests it’s a different story. It gets a bit crazy with surf groupies and photographers everywhere but he’s really good with it all and takes it in his stride. He makes sure I never feel uncomfortable or out of place.
The age difference…
Every now and then I will say something like, “Do you remember that TV show from back in the day?” and he will look at me like I’m crazy and say, “Um, no babe. A bit before my time!” If it works it works and with us it does. I highly recommend younger men. I’ve been called a cougar and we joke that he’s my toy boy but we have a laugh about it.
On travelling the world with Jordy… Its boring as sin on the flights because he has the ability to fall asleep anywhere and he will pass out the second we get on the plane, conveniently waking up for breakfast just before we land. Other than that we travel really well together. In 2011 we went to Australia, the Maldives, Durban, Jeffrey’s Bay, Tahiti, Los Angeles, France and Hawaii.
Seeing Jordy get hurt… Watching the person you love being hurt and not knowing if they are dead or alive is something I can’t explain. My body went cold when Jordy was injured last year and I just froze on the spot. When he eventually surfaced he was screaming in pain and the jet ski had to pull him out but he was alive. I never want to go through that again. It’s moments like that that make me sometimes wish he were a professional ping-pong player!
Time off… Being at home is his sacred ‘down time’ so you will hardly ever see us out at nightclubs or partying. We go to the beach most days so he can surf or go for a walk; go to gym together; and in the evenings we either go out for dinner or we cook dinner at home and watch movies. Right now he’s focusing on decorating his new house that he’s bought. It’s his pride and joy!
Jaws… Jordy is obviously scared of sharks! He flat refuses to surf certain areas that are known to be ‘sharky’. He says it’s not worth it. He’s seen quite a few shark attacks before so it’s definitely on his mind.
Things people don’t know… He loves to sing. Absolutely loves it! He sings out loud all day long. He also hates cold water and sand… go figure.
Kerry McKenzie
Wife of cricketer Neil McKenzie
Where it all began… We met in August 2001 in Joburg at a signing session for the Sports Illustrated Swimwear edition. I was there with Neil’s sister Megan, and Neil arrived with some of the Proteas and stood in the queue to get a magazine signed. We bumped into each other again at the launch party for the magazine and things pretty much sparked. The rest, as they say, is history!
Living abroad… It’s not easy at all! Our eldest, Luke will be four in February so is becoming very aware of what’s going on. We go to England for six months a year, which means we have to pack up and essentially move our whole lives. My support structure pretty much dissipates so it isn’t easy over there but we make it work.
On tour… Neil still does spend an enormous amount of time away from home on tour. The travel commitments aren’t as intense as with the Proteas but we still miss him just as much. Being apart is hard and after 10 years is something I’m still not used to. We speak on the phone at least twice a day so communication is key when you’re travelling, especially when there are kiddies involved. Before we were married, it was the same. There is so much trust involved when you’re away from each other for such long periods.
Superstitions vs OCD… My hubby is mildly cooked in the head. I do think that when we met he did have some form of OCD. It went a bit further than superstitions but he no longer does 80% of what he used to. He’s cleared his head of all of that thank heavens! Too much time spent trying to control the uncontrollable is not good for you!
My career… I took a break from work when I had Luke and Riley. I wanted to be around and, in all fairness, I needed time to get my body back into shape. That on its own is full-time work! I am back at work now and have been for a while. I’m really enjoying being able to do something for me. My sister, Tracy and I are also working on a handbag range called Clutch that is in its early stages of development but hopefully it’ll be out and about sometime this year!
One thing no-one knows… He can sing along, word for word, to “Ice Ice Baby” (while I do the running man next to him).
Sonia Booth
Wife of soccer player Matthew Booth
Where it all began… We met through his former teammate at Sundowns FC, Alain Amougou. I offered to baby-sit Alain’s daughter over a weekend when they went to Cameroon to play a tournament. When he came back to pick her up, he arrived with Matt. That was 11 years ago!
Being a soccer fan… I come from a football-mad family! Each family member supported a different team, so you can imagine the tension on match days. Mike ‘Nanana’ Ntombela (former Sundowns FC player) lived on the same street as us. Everyone in that neighbourhood supported Sundowns FC because Mike was big on assisting families that battled financially.
Our quality time… We have a weekly planner that enables us to plan how and when we spend time together alone, and when we spend time with the children, with events and appearances slotted in between. Weekends are strictly for family outings (the zoo, theme parks etc)
The disadvantages… Being called a WAG is such a big yawn [sorry – Ed.]. I don’t like it when people approach us for an autograph or photo during a romantic dinner or when we are out with our boys. Sometimes, we just want to be. Moreover, the perception that we lead glamorous lives is far-fetched. SA sport stars are not as highly paid as their European/American counterparts to afford them that type of lifestyle.
The advantages… Getting the best tables in restaurants; being offered front-row seats at fashion shows; travelling the world; sitting in the Presidential Suite on some match days – like when we were invited by FIFA to the World Cup semifinal at Moses Mabhida stadium; Matt being chosen as one of the presenters along with David Beckham, Haile Gebrselassie, John Smit etc. for the FIFA final draw was a highlight. We were treated like royalty!
Mother Russia… Russia was an eye opener! Samara (where Matthew and Sonia lived during his time playing for Krylia Sovetov) used to be a closed city and seeing someone as dark as me was fascinating for them. I learnt to speak a bit of Russian and I’m still taking lessons because we plan to somehow partake in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. We have great connections there.
Bad patches and poor games… He goes into ‘reserved mode’ for a short while, then after eating my pap, boerewors and chakalaka he’s OK again.
The Booth Education and Sports Trust… We organise book clubs in primary schools in Soweto and also Masiphumelele township in Cape Town, as well as spelling bee tournaments, football coaching clinics and mentoring initiatives and programmes.
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