Recently, athletes from basketballscotland’s National Academy and Wheelchair National Academy embarked on educational trips to Spain as part of the Turing Scheme. These trips aimed to enhance their understanding of the game on an international level, provide cultural experiences, and promote personal development.
Wheelchair team
Athletes from the wheelchair basketball National Academy embarked on an educational trip to Barcelona as part of the Turing Scheme. The trip provided a first-hand opportunity for the athletes to experience the international coaching methods of FC Barcelona and Portugal senior men’s Head Coach, Oscar Trigo Diez. The group participated in daily technical & tactical skills sessions alongside Spanish and Portuguese national squad players, forging new friendships.
Participation in the Catalan 3×3 Basketball Festival was a highlight of the trip and a great opportunity for the players to apply their newly gained knowledge, which certainly paid off as the two Scottish squads went undefeated against the Spanish and Portuguese sides to meet each other in the final.
Personal development and education were key focal points of the trip, and all athletes gained a Basketball Skills Coach Qualification. Life skills and cultural experience were also fundamental to the trip, and for a couple of the players this was their first time flying independently away from their families, as well as sampling Catalonia culture through visits to Casa Batllo for the amazing architecture of Antonio Gaudi
Player-Coach Ben Leitch, who has been playing professionally in Barcelona, commented: “As one of the staff on the trip, I just want to say how proud everyone should be of themselves, for facing new adventures and challenging themselves along the way”
Running team
Female and male athletes from basketballscotland’s National Academy, ranging from U15 to U18, who embodied basketballscotland’s values both on and off the court, were selected to travel to Spain with four coaches.
Some of the goals for the players were to…
- Gain a better understanding of how the game is played worldwide.
- Experience living abroad and the challenges that being a professional athlete in another country might pose.
- Create positive experiences.
During the trip, players successfully met all these goals.
The trip started with our players participating in a 3×3 Catalan basketball festival, which gave them a good understanding of the basketball ability of Spanish players. The first week in Girona focused on exposing our players to the full Spanish culture. We did this by mixing them with local Spanish players during training sessions. Additionally, all players had the opportunity to work with two great Spanish coaches, who taught them different skills and concepts of the 3×3 game. Our week in Girona ended with the boys and girls playing against two local teams in Girona on their professional team’s court. Coach Jeni Alexander commented: “One of my highlights was training with professional coaches in Girona and playing on the main show court”
After an intense week in Girona, our players headed to Barcelona. After visiting La Sagrada Familia and a swim in the sea, we settled into our new home for the next week. In Barcelona, the players continued to develop their knowledge of the 3×3 game by competing in another 3×3 competition and then receiving coaching from one of Catalonia’s head coaches, who pushed them and held them to a high standard throughout the week. “It was a great learning experience and helped me develop as a player. It especially helped me improve my 3×3 knowledge” commented player, Gavin Mitchell. The trip concluded with our players playing one last game where four local boys and girls joined our team. This challenged all the players to work on their communication skills and ability to quickly learn to work as a team with new players and overcome language barriers.
Throughout the two weeks, players were held to a high standard and pushed to become the best versions of themselves both on and off the court. They gained Skills Coach Qualifications, created lasting relationships with their team, and had great positive experiences, fully embracing the sun and Spanish culture.
