Some potential future Bulldogs got a chance to play in the big gym at Belmont secondary recently, during the Sooke School District’s Elementary Schools Basketball Jamboree.
Lorraine Van Dyk, president of the district’s elementary sports council and a teacher at Savory school, said the three-day event featured 18 girls and 18 boys teams and saw roughly 400 players hit the courts.
“We try to have fun and we’re trying to teach them,” she said. “So sometimes if we see something that’s going on we try to make it a teachable moment, as opposed to calling a foul or making a call that the kid’s going to find negative.”
The no-cut policy in the district means everyone gets a chance to try the sport, she added. “If a kid wants to play, they play. So we want all the kids to play and not get discouraged and maybe take it further.”
Westshore Basketball’s Brad Lidstone, who is also head coach of Belmont’s senior girls team, co-ordinated and was a part of the officiating crew for the annual event. The organization has helped hundreds of young players’ development in the sport over the years and promotes getting kids active by fundraising during the jamboree.
This time around, Westshore Basketball raised $850 for Kidsport Victoria, which helps families register children in sports when they might not have otherwise been able to afford it.
Find more photos from this event here.
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