Shake True Blog

Keepin it cool with Shake and a book in the shade.

Well, summer camp at Shake True Hoops has been over for a while now, but believe me the learning continues…

If there is one thing that I really need to say about STH summer camp ‘08, it’s that I learned just as much, if not more, than the campers did.  Going through the drills with the campers over and over has honestly done wonders for my game (just ask Joe about the “YES!  YOU HAVE VALUE!” incident for a good gauge of how far I have come).  That said, my learning and development went far beyond the painted lines and rules of the game.  I got to watch the positive development of so many young people, and I take great comfort and pride in knowing that I had a hand in it.  So, I would like to thank all the campers for sharing pieces of their personalities and lives with me!

That said, there are several people specifically that I would like to talk about, but it’s going to take a while.  I’ll start here with a few…

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This summer has been an interesting one for me. As I moved to new a city and began down the path towards my teaching career, I spent a lot of time thinking of the things that I can do to prepare to become the best teacher I can be. Looking back I can say unequivocally that experiences with Shake True Hoops have not only made me a better basketball player and coach, but have been important in shaping the approaches I take with students within my classroom. The opportunity to work with such a diverse group of kids was certainly an enjoyable experience for me.

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Natalie returned from Argentina where the CanadianJunior Women’s team posted a second place finish at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women. Check the results here.

Here’s what Natalie has to say about the impact Shake True Hoops has had on her basketball career:

Well then,

What a week.  Hard work in balmy weather!  Hydration and sunscreen were definitely the major themes of camp this week.  That said, there was a lot of basketball that went on too!

In the kind of heat we faced this week, it is extremely difficult to stay focused and maintain work ethic.  Indeed this week seemed to ooze lethargy.  I too found myself sluggish at times.  But its at times like these that I noticed the individuals that are truly dedicated to executing what they have been instructed to do.  In particular, I was very impressed with the efforts of Tien.  She maintained energy in all her drills, and was very vocal on the court…and this from the smallest, and probably youngest, on the court.

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Eight more to go.

The first week of camp was an undisputed success. Everyone had a lot of fun playing and learning basketball, listening to Jay entertain us with his masterful guitar playing and taking in Coach Brian’s delivery of The Naughty Boy by Hans Christian Andersen.

The daily nutrition was refreshing, capped off by Subway courtesy of the MacDonell on Friday.

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My friends Leigh and Justin are also going to be working on the coaching staff, so along with myself, Shaker and whoever else Shake gets to coach, the kids are going to get the benefit of a few viewpoints and voices. One of the great things about basketball is that there are many ways to play and no one way is absolutely the correct way. The benefit of different types of coaches with different playing and teaching skill and experience levels is immeasurable.

Along with the outdoor camp, the High Intensity Camp at SJK is a ton of fun too. The main difference between the two camps is that the kids at SJK get a serious work out and they end up playing a lot more against tougher competition. The benefit for me is that I get some indoor runs at the nicest gym around, so I’m pretty pleased with that.

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