This week marked the first week of the six-week programme that will see girls at Sancta Maria College get the chance to get involved in basketball, learn skills, and be trained by veterans of the game.
It is anticipated that by 2020, basketball will be the most played sport across New Zealand schools. The Auckland Dream Basketball Organization have a desire to keep developing the sport and inspiring young women along the way.
The organization which also has a team that competes in the Women’s Basketball Championship, runs a development programme that includes a ‘Girls Got Game’ coaching clinic. The programme introduces girls to the game and encourages them to stay active while creating a pathway to the many opportunities that basketball provides.
This week, Tania Hunter, Basketball Development Officer for Counties Manukau, and Casyn Buchman, a member of the Dream Team and a former college player, ran the first session with over 30 girls in the school Gym.
The girls got stuck into some fun warm-up games, learnt some basic skills and practised different movements and footwork that are essential in basketball.
With the first clinic underway, there is the hope that more girls will come along to the upcoming sessions. No matter how much experience you’ve had or if you’ve never played basketball before, ‘Girls Got Game’ is a tremendous initiative that offers a friendly and safe envrionment for all girls to enjoy the game of basketball.
It shows how far basketball in this country has come. But it also leaves a place for it to continue to flourish.
For more information and to register, you can see Mr Crummer or Mrs King.
Shontelle Matano
