BELIZE CITY, Wed. July 1, 2020– With the lifting of the State of Emergency at the end of June, activity has immediately picked up in the sporting community, although the major competitive sports like football and basketball will take some time to get their new competitions under way. One area of activity that has quickly surged forward is the traditional “summer camps” for boys and girls during their school holidays, which have been much longer than usual this year, most schools having been closed from late March on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bursting out of the “summer camp” starting gate this week was the Light & Peace Basketball Foundation Summer Camp 2020, which tipped off its annual summer camp for boys and girls on Monday, June 29, at the Mexico Center basketball court at the Marion Jones Sports Complex.
The 6-week long youth summer camp, catering to boys and girls from 6 to 17 years of age, will run until August 8, and will cover the basic fundamentals of basketball according to age group. Coordinators/coaches are Roscoe Rhys and Rupert Brown, who are both internationally certified coaches by: USA Basketball; Ganon Baker Basketball; FIFA; and Australian Sports Commission.
The camp runs from Monday to Friday of each week with the following schedule: 1:00 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. – 6 to 9 years (Introduction to Basketball); 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. – 10 to 13 years (Intermediate); 3:45 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. – 14 to 17 years (Advanced Skills).
This afternoon, registration official Melanie Niabingi Price informed us that the 6 week (30-day) course costs $150.00 per student ($5.00 per day), with payment of $75.00 at registration and $75.00 on July 17; but, since some parents are having difficulties at this time of Covid-19, the Foundation sought and received sponsorship from some Belizean American friends for some of the attendees.
Some 50 youths have registered for the camp so far (they had planned for 75), and this year’s seven camp sponsors include four Belizean Americans. The 2020 camp sponsors are: Aaron Anderson of Anderson Marketing Consultants, Minnesota; Chris Reynolds of TBZ Enterprise, Florida; Bowen & Bowen Crystal Water; Jason Jones of Structured Office Incorporated, New York; Kashief Thomas of South City Gears, Atlanta, Georgia; Smart Belize; and National Sports Council, Ian Jones, Director.
According to coaches Roscoe Rhys and Rupert Brown, the Light & Peace Basketball Foundation has been active in the Belizean community for over 15 years. For more information, they can be contacted by email at [email protected] or [email protected]; or by cell phone # 605-5703 or 623-5578.