Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Local youths will have fresh nets to play with after the Edmonton Stingers Basketball Club replaced the nets at Lion鈥檚 Park on May 18.
The basketball team, which had come to Jasper for their spring training camp, replaced the nets at the outdoor court as part of its Fresh Nets Initiative.
鈥淭his program was started by our president and CEO Reed Clarke, and we have a host of Fresh Programs,鈥� said Ashley Prasad, community operations manager with the Edmonton Stingers.
鈥淭here鈥檚 Fresh Nets, Fresh Hoops, Fresh Kicks. This year, you鈥檙e experiencing a Fresh Net Initiative. We are anywhere and everywhere you see a court, a hoop, a rim that needs nets. We鈥檙e there to replace it.鈥�
The Stingers have ordered about 500 nets and will be replacing nets in communities throughout the summer. The team has been to several towns already.
鈥淚t鈥檚 actually a year-long initiative,鈥� Prasad said.
"Right now, it鈥檚 the summer because our players are here, and we want to get them out and engaged in the community more, but all of our programs are year-long. That鈥檚 part of who we are and what we do is community initiatives outside of the season.
鈥淪o, yeah, this has been going on summer, winter, spring, fall, anywhere. Anytime that we see a rim or a net that needs replacing, that鈥檚 where we want to be.鈥�
The Stingers are part of the Canadian Elite Basketball League and brought around 16 athletes plus coaches and trainers to Jasper for three days of training and team building.
The team also practiced at the Junior/Senior High School Gymnasium and ran clinics on May 18 with the school basketball teams.
鈥淲e have an extremely talented and versatile group coming into training camp,鈥� said Stingers head coach Jordan Baker in a press release.
鈥淭he challenge will be to have everyone working in the same direction as we open up the season with two very important games against Calgary.鈥�
