Chi-Hi Girls Basketball Youth Camp a Huge Success

Image by Walter Rhein

Thursday marked the conclusion of the Chi-Hi Girls Basketball Youth Camp. The camp was a wonderful opportunity for girls in grades 2 through 8 to practice their basketball skills, meet new friends, and interact with the area coaches.

The girls met for three days at the front gym of the local high school. A light breakfast was available for children if they wished to eat something before they began to play. The last few days have been unseasonably hot in Chippewa Falls, so it was nice to simply enter the air conditioned gym for a few hours.

It’s easy to overlook how much instruction is necessary in order to field a competitive basketball team in later grades. Youth camps allow children to make massive strides in their skill set. It’s important that children learn concepts as basic as understanding spacial awareness on a field of play so they don’t get hit by a ball or run into other players.

The first day of the camp was spent on basic dribbling and other fundamental concepts of basketball. By the third day, the participants were receiving instruction on proper form for layups and competing in 5 on 5, full court games.

Many of the girls were disappointed to have the camp end.

It’s sad that it’s over. I enjoyed playing with friends, meeting new people and getting to know the coach and the other players—Ariel Jonjak, Chippewa Falls 3rd grader

The camp gave many kids their first experience playing on a court and watching time tick down on a scoreboard. Some of the drills included dividing the kids up into teams of 3-5 players and seeing how many baskets they could make in a set time period. As the clock ticked down through the final minute, you could feel the energy and excitement rise in the gym.

It was fun because we got to learn new skills. I liked playing the game where you tried to put the ball in the hoop before the other person. If they did it first, you got eliminated—Ariel Jonjak, Chippewa Falls 3rd grader

Some things can only be learned through experience. Children who participated in the youth camp now have a better idea of what it means to participate in team sports. This new understanding will make it easier to get them to practice, and encourages them to pay better attention to their coaches down the road.

I would recommend this camp for anyone interested in basketball—Ariel Jonjak, Chippewa Falls 3rd grader

The camp was also a good start for encouraging parents to spend more time with their kids. The coaches made sure to emphasize that it was important to continue to practice throughout the summer.

They encouraged the kids to try to take 5,000 or 10,000 shots before October.

Some kids have basketball hoops at their home, but other kids will need a ride to the local park. It’s fun when children are self-motivated to improve at anything that is school related.

The Chi-Hi Girls Basketball Youth Camp was a wonderful opportunity that helps set the foundation for future competitive high school basketball teams.

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