Sutton scouts enjoy workout with college basketballers

The 4th Sutton Coldfield East Scouts are set to be basketball superstars after completing training sessions at Sutton Coldfield College. Scouts aged between 10 and 13 received coaching from the college’s men’s and women’s team players.

The scouts’ efforts will contribute to their Scouts Association Skills Challenge Award which encourages them to regularly take part in physical activities over a period of four to six weeks.

Department Manager at the college, Dave Slayter said: “The sessions gave our basketball players the chance to step up from being trained to becoming the trainers; something many of them will go on to do professionally.

“Basketball isn’t something children and teenagers get to experience too often. When the scouts approached us about delivering some fitness-based activities, we thought this was the perfect chance to show them basketball warm-up exercises and techniques that they could also do in their own time, either on their own or with others. And of course, we also gave them the chance to play the game on court.”

He continued: “The feedback after the sessions was excellent so our students will happily work with the scouts again in future.”
As part of their skills challenge award, the scouts have also been completing sessions based around a healthy diet, the benefits of exercise and getting enough sleep. Their progress is being measured through individual and team sport activities, as well as knowledge-based questionnaires.

Ruth Wallis, Assistant Scout Leader said: “The scouts really enjoyed learning the different basketball drills, including dribbling and shooting. They found the students easy to talk to and very encouraging. It’s definitely given them a new way to think about how to stay fit and take part in a different social activity.”

ENDS