Home|Sports|International teams assisted with ‘Summer of Thunder’ CampSports
The Nassau GuardianSend an emailAugust 16, 2022 133 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
The game of basketball can positively redirect the path of a young boy or girl, unlocking countless opportunities while building camaraderie and strengthening physical fitness. The COVID-19 pandemic forced families inside, prevented social interaction and caused major reductions in consistent exercise for young adults who happily opted for hours of mindless computer games and YouTube surfing.
Coming to the rescue, the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) and Ballin’ By Da Beach Camps offered a free camp during the annual ‘Summer of Thunder’ Showcase. The event featured several top Bahamian, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and foreign national teams. Children from ages 5-18 attended the 2022 ‘Summer of Thunder’ Basketball Camp at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium. The youngsters were able to learn basketball fundamentals from top tier local and international coaches.
BBF Secretary General and Ballin’ By Da Beach Camps President Jurelle Nairn-Mullings was excited about the opportunity for the youngsters.
“We were so excited to see the ‘Summer of Thunder’ Basketball Camp leverage the expertise of our high level international coaches at the NCAA Division I and semi-pro levels. Their willingness to give back and provide training to the future basketball players of The Bahamas is commendable. The federation and Ballin’ By Da Beach Camps are committed to national development and training of our young people, and what better way to do this than through sports,” expressed Nairn-Mullings.
Bahamian born Robyn Swaby, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of She Hoops Elite, along with business partner Kiara Slaton, formed the Bahamian owned business She Hoops Elite which inspires, impacts, and motivates athletes to pursue their dreams of playing basketball at a high level.
“We have a network of over 400 female athletes in South Florida whose backgrounds range from professional basketball players to trainers to coaches. We decided to partner with the Bahamas Basketball Federation to facilitate the ‘Summer of Thunder’ Basketball Camp because this is one of our most valued platforms that we utilize to give back to our community,” said Swaby.
Nairn-Mullings and Swaby, both former Team Bahamas Junior Girls National Basketball Team players, are giving back as they too can appreciate the work of the Bahamas Basketball Federation helping them as athletes.
“I can appreciate the work of the BBF because as a national team player, we were able to develop better techniques, strengthen our skills and travel due to the sacrifices of coaches and the federation. As a result, paying it forward is something we both understand is a necessary thing to do,” expressed Nairn-Mullings.
Eastern Kentucky University Women’s Basketball Team, from Richmond, Kentucky, also assisted at the camp.