Rose Classic International Basketball camp at Bird’s Isle
It’s the time of the year for the Rose Classic International Basketball camp. The camp has been taking place for five years at Easter time when the students are away from the classrooms and looking for ways to occupy their time and minds. Since it started, the numbers have been growing and this morning News Five’s Andrea Polanco met an eager group of young basketball players at Bird’s Isle.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Over two hundred and seventy children and youth from across the city will be taking part in the fifth year of the Rose Classic International, a two week basketball camp that will keep the participants focused during the Easter Holidays:
Cleon Hyde
Cleon Hyde, Founder & Organizer-Rose Classic International
“Well, what you’re seeing out here today is the fifth anniversary of Rose Classic International. It’s a basketball program geared at kids between the ages of nine to eighteen and what it does it gives them an opportunity between the Easter break when most kids are just at home not doing anything, it gives them an opportunity to come out and show their basketball skills. For the little younger ones that you can see on the court right now, it’s a development process; you know you have coaches teaching them how to play.”
While the objective is to improve their basketball skills, Hyde said that the camp will also help to contribute to overall personal growth and development:
Cleon Hyde
“Everyday what I do is that I have little games that they play and they win prizes, they win t-shirts and hats and so. Also if you’ve noticed them, they have a little drawstring backpack and I have given each of them a little backpack and a notepad because after each event everyday they’re gonna meet with the Anti-Crime Unit, Mr. McKenzie, they’re gonna be coming out everyday and gonna be talking to them so they’re gonna be taking notes and everyday who excels in the classroom will receive an award. What I’ve also done is that I’ve broken up the teams into different kids from different neighborhoods, so it expands their mindsets because they don’t just have to play with people they are familiar with from their neighborhoods. So it might have a kid that lives on the North side, another one that might live in Belama and stuff like that and another kid who’s from Port Loyola. It’s diverse you know when it comes to the kids and the neighbourhoods. What the plan is is to build friendship beyond basketball.”
Although the camp started out small, it has grown into a successful and anticipated event year after year.
Cleon Hyde
“Yes, it has been very successful, umm, like I said when we started out in the year which 2007 we started out and only eighty kids showed up for the first year and after that it grown and as you can see now the stands are full with kids and the courts are full. It has gotten so large that I had to move it from just a high school event and all the way down to kids that are nine years old. I even have a five year old out there but I couldn’t turn him away. He might not score in the game but he’s having fun.”
Kelvin Gongora
And today the children were surely having fun but also learning to improve their game.
Kelvin Gongora, Participant: Rose Classic International
“I nuh know how fi play ball good but I learn how fi play ball and we just lose wah game but we wah get up back we only lose by one point but we could get up back.”
Andrea Polanco
“So what you expect fi learn outta dis game? This entire camp?”
Myra Orosco
Myra Orosco, Participant: Rose Classic International
“To stop travel, cause I like travel.”
Andrea Polanco
“Suh I know unu play wah game dis morning, how you perform eena dah game?”
Glen Gonzales
Glen Gonzales, Participant: Rose Classic International
“Well I perform excellent and that’s it.”
Andrea Polanco
“So how many points you scored?”
Glen Gonzales
“Seven points.”
Tyler Smith
Andrea Polanco
“So you expect fi mek your team win the title ah dis camp?”
Tyler Smith, Participant: Rose Classic International
“I wah win it bad miss, bad, bad, bad.”
Supporting the Rose Classic International, this morning the City Council handed over a four thousand dollars cheque to Cleon Hyde, a contribution that Deputy Mayor Samuels says will go a long way to help the children:
Dean Samuels
Dean Samuels, Deputy Mayor
“It’s a pleasure for us because when it comes to kids we can never give so much. There is always so much more that you can do especially in these times that we are living. Kids coming together from all over the city, they learn sportsmanship I think again what that teaches, I believe it is the building block really with young people to get them from early so that they can learn these skills.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
A born Belizean now living in the U.S.A, Hyde is a basketball aficionado. There is limited space available in the camp so if you’re interested in registering your child you can contact Cleon Hyde everyday at the Bird’s Isle between the hours of eight and twelve a.m.
