We will be back.
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From junior domestic players through to Braves seniors, that's the key message from the Bendigo Basketball Association to all of its dedicated athletes.
After stage three restrictions came back into effect earlier this week BBA was left with no other decision but to cancel its junior winter domestic tournament, in addition to all other physical basketball activities.
"It was an easy and necessary decision to make because it's a safety-first approach and by no means would we want to put any children, families or the broader Bendigo community at risk," BBA president Ben McCauley said.
"It's a decision we didn't want to make, but we had to."
The BBA's junior winter domestic tournament had only started a few weeks ago but was called off earlier this week and was seeing high levels of participation, much to the delight of McCauley and the entire team.
"We're happy that the kids were able to get active and get back on the court to play the game they love," McCauley said.
However, all is not lost.
During the first lockdown earlier this year the BBA went digital with online training sessions, which they have already launched again and will continue for the coming weeks.
The online video sessions focus on fundamental ball handling skills which can be performed by all athletes regardless of available facilities and equipment.
"Our online training sessions are back up and running and part of our initial broader planning was to go straight back online if restrictions came back into effect," McCauley said.
"They were received really well the first time around and numbers were up within the domestic tournament more than we had expected in comparison to last year.
"It made the world of difference by keeping players engaged online with some fun silly stuff in addition to the training sessions."
Moving forward McCauley hopes players stay connected and in positive spirits.
"Stay connected with your mates, jump online with them for a chat or for a training session," he said.
"We will be back. This is a tough time for everybody so we need to stay positive."
- Training times
Tuesdays from August 11 to September 8: Under-10s and 12s (3:45pm to 4:30pm),Under-14s (4:30pm to 5:15pm)
Thursdays from August 6 to September 3: Under-16s and 18s (3:45pm to 4:30pm)
Visit https://www.facebook.com/bendigobasketball/for more details.
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