March 29, 2010

 Keyano Huskies women’s basketball held an elite training camp March 26-27, 2010 with the main goal to solidify the team representing Keyano College in its first year in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) and to have them begin the team building process. For some of the athletes this was their first visit to Fort McMurray and The Syncrude Sport & Wellness (SSWC) facilities.

The goal was met and exceeded. The positive energy and enthusiasm shown by the incoming athletes was clear and seen by everyone involved. They possess high-skill and will be able to play the kind of basketball the coaching staff wants to implement.

A total of 15 local high school athletes, mostly Grade 10’s and Grade 11’s, were also invited to participate in the camp as well, but only four were able to attend. We see this as an opportunity for the Huskies women’s basketball program to get out into the schools and try to connect with the up-and-coming female basketball players.

The players were put through testing, station work and scrimmages. The pace was high and the athletes were very tired at the end of Friday’s session.

Saturday’s session consisted of two parts: the morning session, being an overview of the workout program athletes are expected to complete as well as shooting drills; the afternoon session was reserved for the top 11 attending the camp. The afternoon session focused on shooting drills and game play.

Another positive from the weekend was the amount of people that stopped to watch the sessions. As the camp took place at the SSWC, we had many people taking a break from their workouts as well as passers by watching the action. We had many positive comments on the high skill level shown by the participating athletes and their efforts.

The coaching staff was very pleased with this weekend’s results and we are very excited for what is to come from this group of young women.

We look forward to having many people from the community come out, watch and support Huskies basketball as we start our inaugural season in the ACAC.

The Huskies women’s basketball program is excited for this year’s MAC Basketball season. The program is for ages 7-17. The first session for 7-12 year olds is set for April 10th and the first session for U13, U15, and U17 will be April 17th.

Also look for the Huskies women’s training centre coming this fall for ages 13-18. These sessions focus on fundamentals, offensive skills and team play. The program will consist of approximately 20- hours of instruction led by the Huskies coaching staff and players. Be sure to contact Clayton Nielsen for more information on this exciting new basketball opportunity in Fort McMurray at 780-791-4813.