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SHOSHOLOZA ADVENTURES
Welcome to the family
Posted Tue, 01 Feb 2005

Welcome T-Systems! Welcome aboard Team Shosholoza!

In my last column I said this was going to be an exciting year. Little did I know how exciting it could start out to be, and we are only just finishing January!

On the 18th January we announced to the world that T-Systems, an international business that is part of telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekoms, had joined the Shosholoza family.

What a major boost to our campaign this is to secure an international sponsor!

In the current sporting environment, it is all too easy to be a stand alone sponsor, who pays an amount of money to have their name attached to a sporting team or event. In South Africa, all too often a sponsor is seen only as the name emblazoned across a football player or rugby player's jersey. Sometimes the connection between sponsor's product and the sport they are endorsing is rather tenuous — rugby and a petroleum company? Well I suppose the rugby players use Vaseline a lot to avoid chafe, but that is the only link!

With T-Systems we are very fortunate to be getting a sponsor who, at the highest levels in their own business, regard the America's Cup, the sailing and the team as we see it. They have understood how high-tech this level of sailing is, and that through the application of appropriate technology and systems we will be able to improve the performance of our boat. They also know that the race is won at the end of the day by the best team, and they have committed themselves to becoming part of our team right from the beginning.

It is also rather flattering to know that T-Systems chose Team Shosholoza ahead of their local German challenge. This had a large amount to do with the sterling performances of Shosholoza on the water, and the tremendous spirit the team portrayed to the media at all the European events in 2004.

It is not all about the money here, but more about the people and energy that T-Systems bring with them. In the short time I have been involved with them they have already shown how passionate they are towards our team's goal of the 2007 America's Cup. This is all before the infectious Shosholoza spirit even had a chance to affect them.

T-Systems have not only committed funds to help our campaign, but they will be managing the IT infrastructure that has become so crucial in a successful Americas Cup campaign. Team Shosholoza will get a state of the art IT infrastructure and servers to support the design and sailing team. This support can not be underestimated, and helps to lift the level of our team closer to that of the leading teams, and will make it easier for us to do our best.

Welcome to the family! May the adventure of our team over the next two years be an inspiration to everyone who touches her, not only just to our sponsors, but to anyone who supports us!

Till next time, from Team Shosholoza.