The weekend of August 10-11 promises to be an exciting one inside the Lambton College Athletics & Fitness Complex.
Over the two days, the National Basketball Youth Mentorship Program (NBYMP) will be conducting their eighth and final youth basketball workshop of the summer. After making seven previous stops across Ontario, the summer journey comes to a close with one last workshop at Lambton College.
What makes the program unique is the holistic approach that the coaches and volunteers provide to the kids. In addition to on-court drills and exercises, the NBYMP will be providing mentorship in three key areas of growth off the court. Seminars pertaining to Sport Psychology (e.g. building confidence, dealing with anxiety, etc.), Nutrition, and Financial Literacy will be conducted by industry professionals.
The NBYMP has their own Mental Performance Consultant, Youth Financial Advisior, and professional in Nutrition and Kinesiology conducting the seminars, all of whom are former basketball student-athletes at either the U Sports or NCAA level.
On Saturday and Sunday, there will be a hometown connection for the city of Sarnia at the event. Sarnia resident Caroline Hummell is the Head of Coach Development for the NBYMP and will be in attendance at the weekend's event. Hummell played four seasons with the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers in the Northeast Conference in the NCAA, and is currently a Graduate Student at Queen's University.
In total, the NBYMP will have 7-8 coaches in attendance this weekend, with the possibility of more coaches and volunteers being in attendance. The list of coaches currently scheduled to attend along with Hummell, is quite extensive:
- Aycha Hamaoui - Two-time National Champion at Humber College, and current Assistant Coach for the Humber College women's basketball team
- Dani Elgadi - Current professional basketball player from Waterloo, Ont. - Brock University Graduate
- Daniel Gordon - Current professional basketball player from Ajax Ont. - Memorial University Graduate
- Nathaniel Gardner - Five-year starter at Brock University - NBYMP's Chief Financial Officer
- Vauntee Crawford - Former student-athlete at Loyalist College - Member of the NBYMP's Board of Directors
- Naomi Zitt-James - Former starting forward at Bishop's University - NBYMP's Mental Performance Consultant
The Workshops, which are open to kids between the ages of 7 and 16, will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. The cost of the program is $150+tax, but financial assistance is available through the NBYMP for those who qualify.
There are still a few spots available for the Workshop. To sign up, visit the Workshops Page on the NBYMP website for more information.