The Orillia Lakers youth basketball club is offering a new skills-development program as well as tryouts this summer.
The club is introducing the Prep for Rep camp, which is open to those in grades 3 to 12. It will include six skills-development, conditioning and enhancement sessions, and two tryouts for a rep team.
The camp begins the week of Sept. 6 and will take place at the Orillia Recreation Centre. The cost is $100 for those who register between Aug. 2 and 28. Registration after Aug. 28 costs $150.
There are two programs available for those in grades 3 to 5. A house-league program is being offered for anyone born between 2012 and 2014. This recreational program is for developing basic fundamentals of the sport. At the end of the program, some participants will have the opportunity to register for a U10 development team and continue playing for the rest of the season. The club encourages most players in grades 3 and 4 to sign up for house league.
As part of the rep program, the club is offering the Prep for Rep camp and tryout. The youngest team for this is U12, meaning those born in 2011 or earlier can try out for the team. The U12 team is usually made up mostly of Grade 6 players and some from Grade 5. Younger players have the chance of making the team, depending on their skill level, but they would be playing with and against older kids for the most part.
House-league programs are for those wanting to learn the fundamental skills and principles of basketball in a recreational environment.
The fall program is for those in grades 3, 4 and 5, while the winter/spring offering is for players in grades 6, 7 and 8. Junior house league is for grades 1 and 2.
Registration for grades 6, 7 and 8, as well as junior house league, will open later this year.
The fall program for grades 3, 4 and 5 has a tentative start date of Sept. 15, from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., at the Orillia Recreation Centre. They will include separate sessions for boys and girls. The cost is $175 per player. There is a limit of 30 players per group. A wait list will be created.
The fall house-league session will include 10 weeks of separate female and male, skill-focused and recreational instruction, with the main focuses being teamwork, sportsmanship, fair play, and an introduction to competition. Players will take part each week in progressive skills-development opportunities individually as well as with their teams. Certified basketball coaches and experienced high-school players will coach and supervise.
For the house-league programs, players should wear comfortable athletic clothing and indoor running or basketball shoes, and bring a full water bottle. They will receive team T-shirts and will be asked to wear them each week. They will be asked to bring their own basketballs, too.
Registration is available at orillialakers.com.
Anyone with questions can email [email protected].
