WS Chronicle

Calvary Day School will offer a free basketball clinic for girls this Saturday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The clinic is for girls in 5th through 9th grades at the Calvary Day School main gym, 134 S. Peace Haven Road.

Calvary Day School ladies’ basketball coach, Barbara Robinson, coordinated the clinic. She has wanted to have a camp since taking over as Lady Cougar head coach last year, but due to the pandemic, this is the first opportunity she has had to make it happen. 

“Last year, we were going to do it, but the pandemic pushed everything back,” said Robinson. “This year, I just wanted to kind of reach that age group, because it kind of ties in with the nonprofit that I run, What’s Beneath the Uniform, and that is mainly the age we are geared toward.

“With everything that has been going on politically and even in the community, I thought it was kind of important to give an opportunity for kids to just be kids and come out and have a free clinic. I just want them to learn a little bit about basketball and get back to the basics.”

Robinson said she believes in giving back to the community first, so that’s why she chose to make the clinic free. Because of the pandemic, she did not get an opportunity to even form a relationship with many kids in the school, so this is a great chance for her to not only know more kids from the school, but also kids from the neighborhood as well.

During the clinic, Robinson will take the girls through some drills and fundamentals to give them an idea of what it’s like to play for the Cougars. “We will definitely focus on defense, because that is definitely a priority for me as a coach,” said Robinson. “We will also focus on basic shooting drills, passing and mainly the fundamentals of the game on Saturday.”

Calvary Day has a middle school team, along with a high school team. Robinson feels this clinic will allow her to connect with the younger players that she usually wouldn’t interact with much because she is the varsity coach.  

“I wanted to take a step back and really focus on that age group,” she said. “The pandemic has made it to where camps are almost nonexistent for over a year and I just wanted to have them come out and have fun for the day.”

Robinson feels her team is headed in the right direction after her first season. She is eager to grow the team and the program. She says they are laying the foundation for the program and camps like this will hopefully help.

There is no sign-up for the camp. Anyone who is interested in the clinic can just show up. She is hoping to have at least 25 girls to show up, but says she will welcome more than that.