Basketball Plus Newsletter Issue 6 1st February 2009 In this Issue: - A Wheel Lot of Fun - VicHealth Cup Tournament 2010 - Basketball Victoria Donates APYG Balls - Special School Clinics for 2010 - Basketball Tip of the Month - Astroboy - Basketball Coach Wanted! - Player Profile - Gliders Go To Japan - Good Practices for Coaching Participants with a Disabilitiy - Basketball Victoria Dead News - School Clinics - We Need Your Imput! - Contact Details A WHEEL LOT OF FUN! All people should have the opportunity to participate in the sport of basketball, regardless of their age, gender or ability. Wheelchair basketball is a fast growing sport that is in high demand and is continuing to expand across the state. Just recently Basketball Victoria was granted a generous funding opportunity from Moreland Council. In conjunction with Sports Stadiums Victoria and Moreland City Council we are excited to announce the upcoming wheelchair basketball program “A Wheel Lot of Fun.” A Wheel Lot of Fun aims to identify people with a mobility restriction within the Moreland community to participate in wheelchair basketball. Not only will the project be aimed at wheelchair basketball participants, it will also develop coaches and referees and educate the wider community in understanding the social, economic and physical barriers faced by people with a disability. The program will commence in 2010 and will be run at Coburg Basketball Stadium. Keep your eyes peeled for more to come!!! VICHEALTH CUP TOURNAMENT 2010 Basketball Victoria is currently planning this year’s VicHealth Cup Basketball Tournament. Due to the encouraging amount of positive feedback and enthusiasm from last years Tournament, Basketball Victoria would like to expand the tournament to make it a State wide event. In 2010 there will be four regions; two metropolitan and two country. Within each region teams will play each other and battle off to finish in a top position. The top teams from each region will be invited to compete in the State Championships at the end of the year. The two country regions are yet to be decided, and will depend on the areas in the country with the highest participation levels and where the most expression of interest comes from. So speak up and let us know if you’re interested in being part of the fun! Within the Metropolitan area there will be both a Northern and Southern region. There will also be a separate day set aside for Special Development Schools. Basketball Victoria is open to any suggestions or ideas to make this years tournament bigger and better! Contact Alice Hammond in the Basketball Victoria office 9927 6622. Keep your eyes open for more VicHealth Cup News! BASKETBALL VICTORIA DONATES APYG BALLS Basketball Victoria recently presented five basketballs to the Geelong Wheelchair Basketball Crew and also the newly formed group at Werribee. Gliders player Leanne Del Toso made the presentation at the recent Basketball Victoria Wheelchair Basketball Camp, held in Geelong. The balls were used as part of the Australian Paralympic Youth Games that were held in Melbourne in late 2009. The donation of the balls will continue the legacy that the APYG provided and will allow the competitions and programs in these areas to continue to flourish. Both programs have experienced tremendous growth over the past 12 months. SPECIAL SCHOOL CLINICS FOR 2010! Basketball Victoria is dedicated to providing opportunities for people with disabilities. In 2009 Basketball Victoria visited over 50 Special Schools and over 1700 kids in Victoria, running clinics and sharing a positive and fun experience. This year we aim to reach the same amount of schools. If your school would like to have Basketball Victoria come out and run a skills and games clinic and hasn't received a form in the mail to fill out, please contact the office and we will do our best to fit you in! BASKETBALL TIP OF THE MONTH Stride Stop, Jump Stop and Pivoting A stride stop occurs when a player comes to a stop one foot at a time. The foot the lands first becomes the pivot foot. When performing a jump stop both feet must land simultaneously. Players must ensure knees are bent, stance is wide, and head is up to remain balanced. By performing a jump stop either foot can become the pivot foot. Pivoting is used as an option to protect the ball, create better passing, shooting or dribbling options. Whilst pivoting, one foot must remain on the floor and is used as the pivot, rotating on the ball of the foot. ASTROBOY A video / music clip has been produced on the wheelchair basketball component of the APYG. It’s called Astroboy – Life on Wheels by Bakin’. The clip is awesome and has been put together extremely well. It can be viewed on You Tube. BASKETBALL COACH WANTED! The Special Olympics’ Melbourne Southern Region is currently looking for both a Basketball Coach and a State Basketball Manager. Players train fortnightly on a Sunday from 9.30am-12.30pm at Mordialloc Community Centre. If you are interested in one, or both, of these roles please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin O’Byrne on 0407326954 or alternatively email kevino@specialolympicsvic.org.au PLAYER PROFILE Name: James Leonard Age: 19 Teams: Victorian Dandenong Rangers, Victorian Junior Team Classification: 3.0 Favourite Food: Spaghetti Bolognaise Favourite Movie: Coach Carter Favourite Music: Linkin Park Favourite Basketball teams: Phoenix Suns Most Admired person in your day to day life: My Grandfather Most Admired Sports Person: James Hird, for his courage throughout his playing career Biggest Achievement: Winning the Most Improved Junior Player Award for 2009 Your Dream: Playing for the Australian Rollers If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be? Jessica Alba GLIDERS GO TO JAPAN! Basketball Australia is pleased to announce the athletes selected to represent Australia’s Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team, the Gliders, at the 2010 Osaka Cup in Japan. The Gliders will be defending the title they won in 2009 against Beijing Gold Medallist USA, Canada (5th in Beijing), and host nation Japan (5th in Beijing). The Gliders will depart Australia on February 15 ahead of the first game in Osaka on February 18. The tournament is an important part of the Gliders’ preparation for the 2010 IWBF World Championship in Birmingham, England from July 7-17. The team was selected following a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport from January 15-18. Head Coach John Triscari will lead the 12-strong team which includes 10 athletes from the Bronze medal-winning team from the Paralympic Games in Beijing. Two-time Paralympian Tina McKenzie will captain the team that features a wealth of experience with five-time Paralympian Liesl Tesch and three-time Paralympian Amanda Carter. Congratulations to the following Victorian women who were selected for the tour: Cobi Crispin, Bridie Keen, Amanda Carter, Shelley Chaplin, Kathleen O’Kelly-Kennedy, Leanne Del Toso. GOOD PRACTICES FOR COACHING PARTICIPANTS WITH A DISABILITY The society we live in is constantly changing at a rapid rate. Our population is getting older and coming from a wider and more diverse background. In 2003, the Australian Bureau of Statistics completed a study where it found 20% of the Australian population (almost 4 million people) had a reported disability. In Victoria almost 500,000 or 12% of the population had a disability. The community expects that all bodies (especially sporting groups) have a moral, and ethical responsibility to plan for the inclusion of a wider range of participants. When coaching participants with a disability, the TREE principle should be followed. TREE relates to the Teaching or coaching style used, Rules, Environment and Equipment. TREE can be used as a practical tool to help adapt and modify game and training situations to become more inclusive for participants with a disability. The principle is about observing participants to identify the problems they are having, then thinking about how the rules and the environment can be adapted or vary to address the problems. On a passing and catching drill, the observing and questioning can include: Is the game too fast? What can be done to slow it down? What is the best position for people to stand? The adaption, could be something as simple as an additional pass, or reducing the distance between players. It could also include using a smaller or larger ball, or even a basketball with a bell inside it, depending on the needs of the participants. The most effective coaches are those with specific basketball knowledge. For more information on coaching courses, please call Basketball Victoria on (03) 9927 6666 or visit www.basketballvictoria.com.au In the next edition of Basketball Plus, we will look at coaching participants from Indigenous Communities. BASKETBALL VICTORIA DEAF NEWS - SCHOOL CLINICS Does your school have a deaf facility? Children who are deaf or hard of hearing? Deaf Basketball Victoria with support from Basketball Victoria and VicHealth can offer your school the opportunity to host a basketball clinic. Many Schools across Victoria have already taken the opportunity to host a clinic and all participants have enjoyed themselves at different levels. For more information please contact Renee Kahle, Deaf Basketball Inclusion Officer at renee.kahle@basketballvictoria.com.au WE NEED YOUR INPUT! Please submit any news, success stories or anything you might find relevant to alice.hammond@basketballvictoria.com.au Basketball Victoria Disability Inclusion Officer CONTACT US! Basketball Victoria Box 3 MSAC Aughtie Drive Albert Park, Vic 3206 E-mail: alice.hammond@basketballvictoria.com.au Phone: 99276666 Fax: 99276677 We’re on the web! www.basketballvictoria.com.au