The BC Ballers recently returned from the trip of a lifetime! They were fortunate enough to attend the Spalding World Youth Basketball Tournament in Kona Hawaii. Made up of girls from Vanier (Kendra Lee, Annalina Timke, Jade Heavener, Jenna Huxham and Laurissa Cebryk) and Mark Isfeld (Emily Rowlandson, Julia Eilerts, Vikki Smith and Casey Watamaniuk), the Ballers are a club team coached by Kevin Lee and Sherri Houlden. In the past 2 years they have been fundraising and recruiting players to make this trip possible.
All their hard work came together as they joined 6 other teams (from Vancouver, Alaska and Hawaii) for a fun tournament in an ideal location. In addition to playing lots of basketball, winning 2 of their games (despite the rules being different!) and experiencing some close losses, the girls and their coaches also had some time to enjoy the location. Paddleboarding and snorkeling with the tropical fish were two of the highlights plus some local flavour with a hula contest and entertainment. The coaches participated in a two on two competition and there was a shooting competition which allowed the girls to meet the players from the other teams.
They all came home exhausted and suntanned with their surfboard trophies (they finished a very respectable 4th place). The girls would like to thank their coaches for making this trip happen. Special thanks to the Backstreet Pub, the Comox Kiwanis Club, the parents and all other supporters of the team. Go BC Ballers!
– BC Ballers