Schools gear up for hoop championship
This weekend, Orange Walk will be invaded by hundreds of players, teachers, parents, fans, and education officials; all there to witness the battle for the national championship in primary school basketball. The People’s Stadium will host a male and female team from each district, and this morning the Most Valuable Players from those teams showed up in Belize City to get the media hyped about the event.
They are the nation’s top primary school basketball players, each determined to bring glory to their respective schools.
Janelle Chanona
“Now guys, there is a huge height difference here, how you guys work this out on the court?”
Orlando Burns, 13, Orange Walk District
“Basically this is the centre, he just helps me get the ball and we go up and just go strong and make points.”
Janelle Chanona
“So you are the sharp shooter?”
Orlando Burns
“I’m the point guard and this my centre.”
Janelle Chanona
“So you are the one running things on the court. How do you make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be when game time comes?”
Orlando Burns
“Cause we just work as a team like we’re supposed to and we just come out with victories sometimes. Sometimes you win some, you lose some.”
Joel Cabanas, 14 years old, 6’1″, Orange Walk
“Sometimes it’s not fair because the other players come and play me rough and then when I play them rough, I just kind of touch them and they call a foul on me and then when they touch me, they do not call a foul on them.”
Janelle Chanona
“So how you get around that?”
Joel Cabanas
“I just like, if it’s someone his size I avoid them, I put somebody else on them and I go and defend the rim.”
Support for the sport has not come easily but this morning, Belize Telecommunications Limited handed over a check for five thousand dollars to the National Sport Council to help with this year’s championship tournament.
But during the rest of the season, individual schools, like St. Alphonsus in Seine Bight Village have to get creative about fundraising.
Christy Brooks, Stann Creek District
“Whenever we go out to play any sports, we have to go out in our community and solicit funds, money for us to get bus to go to where we want to play our game.”
Hugh Staine, Financial Officer, Natl. Sports Council
“It is the vision of the National Sports Council to take the level of sports to another level, especially in primary school and in the secondary school. The vision of the Sports Council is to participate in all disciplines including volleyball, softball, track and field, basketball.”
Danika Ferguson, Orange Walk District
“I hope we have a lot of fun, we meet new players, we talk. It’s about enjoying yourself.”
The tournament starts at one on Friday afternoon and ends with an award ceremony on Saturday. Organisers of the event are the National Sports Council and District Sports Committees with assistance from principals, teachers, and the Belize Basketball Federation.
