Carter Spends Time with Kids
Related Images
By Adly Santiago
July 21, 2010
ORLANDO – During the offseason many basketball players go on vacation to rest from a grueling regular season. Others spend time working with their charities, while a select few are able to juggle that responsibility along with conducting basketball camps. One of those players is Vince Carter, an eight-time All-Star, Olympic Gold Medalist and NBA Slam Dunk Champion.
Since his earlier years as an NBA player in Toronto, Carter has run his basketball academy during the summer to help kids in the community learn how to play basketball and improve their skills. As an Orlando Magic player, Carter now has the opportunity to bring his academy to his hometown of Daytona Beach, where he's now spending some time with kids in the city that saw him grow as an athlete and become one of the top players in the NBA.
As a member of the Magic, he has been able to participate in the organization's summer camps and help participants develop their skills during a week-long training session with staff and coaches from the National Basketball Academy.
This week I had the opportunity to talk with Carter during one of his summer camps in his hometown of Daytona Beach and watch him practice and train with campers. While there, I had the chance to talk with some of the kids participating in the camp who came not only from as close as Daytona and Orlando, but also from as far as West Virginia and Brazil.
Several international basketball academies bring their students to participate in these camps, giving them the opportunity to learn and practice skills with an All-Star caliber player such as Carter and a group of professional coaches. During the camp, kids work on different basketball drills, such as ball handling and defensive moves. They also practice life skills, including teamwork, leadership and activities that focus on school subjects. They also get the rare chance to learn about different cultures while spending time with international students.
For Carter, summer camps were a great influence in his development as an All-Star and therefore he wants to give that opportunity to the next generation of basketball players.
In addition to developing basketball skills and sharing experiences with children from different parts of the United States and other countries, kids have the opportunity to train and spend time with Carter and that's perhaps what they cherish the most.
“It’s an example, you see him on the TV, you see him play, but when you get here, you see that he’s real. You can play hard, you can practice a lot and you can actually get there,” shared Caroline, a first-year camper who is visiting from Brazil.
“It’s an amazing experience. He (Vince) trains with us, he’s here all day. We learn a lot of basketball skills, but we also learn about life lessons while we’re here,” said Abby, who has been traveling from West Virginia for 10 years to participate in the camp.
For Carter it is a great opportunity to be able to spend time with local kids and those traveling from other countries.
“It’s been great, there’s really no boundaries here because the basketball game is universal in the language that we speak and I think is a great experience also to learn English because we sit here and we talk and we all interact and have fun,” Carter said. “We like the relaxed setting where everyone can have fun and learn basketball.”
“It’s something that I believe in, I’m not really the type that comes for five or ten minutes or an hour and leaves; I feel guilty. My coaching staff knows that’s how I go about it," Carter continued. "I do it because I enjoy it, not because I have to.”
July 21, 2010
ORLANDO – During the offseason many basketball players go on vacation to rest from a grueling regular season. Others spend time working with their charities, while a select few are able to juggle that responsibility along with conducting basketball camps. One of those players is Vince Carter, an eight-time All-Star, Olympic Gold Medalist and NBA Slam Dunk Champion.
Since his earlier years as an NBA player in Toronto, Carter has run his basketball academy during the summer to help kids in the community learn how to play basketball and improve their skills. As an Orlando Magic player, Carter now has the opportunity to bring his academy to his hometown of Daytona Beach, where he's now spending some time with kids in the city that saw him grow as an athlete and become one of the top players in the NBA.
As a member of the Magic, he has been able to participate in the organization's summer camps and help participants develop their skills during a week-long training session with staff and coaches from the National Basketball Academy.
This week I had the opportunity to talk with Carter during one of his summer camps in his hometown of Daytona Beach and watch him practice and train with campers. While there, I had the chance to talk with some of the kids participating in the camp who came not only from as close as Daytona and Orlando, but also from as far as West Virginia and Brazil.
Several international basketball academies bring their students to participate in these camps, giving them the opportunity to learn and practice skills with an All-Star caliber player such as Carter and a group of professional coaches. During the camp, kids work on different basketball drills, such as ball handling and defensive moves. They also practice life skills, including teamwork, leadership and activities that focus on school subjects. They also get the rare chance to learn about different cultures while spending time with international students.
For Carter, summer camps were a great influence in his development as an All-Star and therefore he wants to give that opportunity to the next generation of basketball players.
In addition to developing basketball skills and sharing experiences with children from different parts of the United States and other countries, kids have the opportunity to train and spend time with Carter and that's perhaps what they cherish the most.
“It’s an example, you see him on the TV, you see him play, but when you get here, you see that he’s real. You can play hard, you can practice a lot and you can actually get there,” shared Caroline, a first-year camper who is visiting from Brazil.
“It’s an amazing experience. He (Vince) trains with us, he’s here all day. We learn a lot of basketball skills, but we also learn about life lessons while we’re here,” said Abby, who has been traveling from West Virginia for 10 years to participate in the camp.
For Carter it is a great opportunity to be able to spend time with local kids and those traveling from other countries.
“It’s been great, there’s really no boundaries here because the basketball game is universal in the language that we speak and I think is a great experience also to learn English because we sit here and we talk and we all interact and have fun,” Carter said. “We like the relaxed setting where everyone can have fun and learn basketball.”
“It’s something that I believe in, I’m not really the type that comes for five or ten minutes or an hour and leaves; I feel guilty. My coaching staff knows that’s how I go about it," Carter continued. "I do it because I enjoy it, not because I have to.”
