Calgary Basketball Academy reopens doors to a few happy hoopsters

Basketball camp restarts, distantly A Calgary basketball camp restarted Thursday, with a new look. Glenn Campbell reports.

Calgary — The Calgary Basketball Academy is back, and while it isn't quite what it was pre-pandemic, Sarah Whyte couldn't be happier.

She's a 15-year-old Calgarian who's one of six players attending the academy, and she's just thankful to be back on the court again, playing the game she loves, something she couldn't do during the last few months of COVID-19 inspired isolation.

"It's really nice to be seeing everyone else, and not being with your immediate family all the time, 24-7," White said, in an interview with CTV News. "It gets a little crazy (at home). It's really nice to see everyone."

Whyte and five other players are thrilled that the Calgary Basketball Academy Camp received permission from the Alberta governent and health officials to open camps starting June 1, albeit with some pretty severe guidelines.

"First and foremost, we follow Alberta Health Services protocol," said academy president Kerry Blaskin. "They allow 10 people in a gymnasium and right now, we only have seven, when you include the coach."

Additionally, players have their own individual hand sanitization stations. They bring their own basketball, which they wipe down before using.

Groups are only allowed in the gym for a one hour session. Each player has their own basket. And if a player loses control of their ball, another player kicks it back to them - no hands.

Parents have also agreed to take their kids' temperature before they head to the gym.

"Right now we only have five players in the gym," said Blaskin, "because one of our players, the mom texted us and said she's not feeling in great condition. She wasn't concerned that she had COVID, but she said you know what? I'm following the protocols, so she stayed at home and we'll find another session for her to replace (this one)."

Another participant, 15-year-old Jill Barkey, said it hasn't been any trouble following all the new guidelines.

"It's been pretty good," she said. "It's pretty cool how they set everything up to make sure we can get back in the gym."

Getting back in the gym and being around friends has been as good for their mental health as it has for some of their jump shots.

"It was really hard," said Tori Day, another participant. "I really didn't have any motivation, and (now) getting back in here has given me more motivation."

What's not clear is how  to have a viable business model in a pandemic: Blaskin said before COVID-19, there would have been 40 players, not six, out on the court for a single training session.