‘Definitely a basketball city’: Calgary Surge host free youth camp at Chinook Mall

Members of the Calgary Surge hosted a free youth basketball camp at Chinook Centre Saturday.

Surrounded by stores and people with shopping bags, dozens of young basketball players are learning the fundamentals.

With a mini court installed right in the middle of Chinook Centre, the Calgary Surge hosted a free kids camp on Saturday.

Spots for children were all spoken for within 12 hours of it opening up. For the Surge, Calgary’s professional basketball team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), it’s important to hold camps for younger kids.

“When it comes to sports and youth sports, everyone goes one tier up and they think about the elite and the next level. But it all starts at the grassroots,” said Dylan Howe, senior vice-president of the Surge.

“At this age, it doesn’t matter your skill level, it’s about being active. And for us basketball is one of the top growing sports in the country,” Howe said.

The camps offer a chance for children between the ages of seven and 14 to be put through the paces in dribbling, shooting and passing drills.

The Surge are also holding free youth basketball camps every Tuesday and Saturday until October. Kids can sign up for the camps, which happen at the Century Gardens Basketball Courts, online.

Now in season three in Calgary, the Surge have seen success both on and off the court. The team recently secured a CEBL playoff spot and attendance has averaged about 3,000 per home game at WinSport.

“Calgary is definitely a basketball city. I, myself, am from Ontario. I wasn’t too sure of the landscape here, but being entrenched in it now since launch in October 2022, Calgary is definitely a basketball city,” said Howe.

“You see it here today, you see it at our games and you see it with the basketball scene across the across the city, but also ultimately the province, too.” he said.

The Surge have three more home games left before playoffs start, including the regular season finale at the Saddledome on Aug. 10.