Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 10, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba Slin Ivay Magazine focus Phi do is 2001 do All kids get Chance to learn skills local league makes hoop dreams happen Sharon Chisvin picture this dozens of boys and girls of All Ages jumping and laughing dozens of basketballs of various sizes and colours bouncing off the floor and the Wall dozens of parents and coaches blowing Whis cheering and shouting and you can maybe imagine the scene recently at the University of Winnipeg Duckworth Centre during hoop fest hoop fest is an annual interactive basketball skills Competition organized by the Winnipeg minor basketball or the Amba is the local organization that has introduced hundreds of Winnipeg children to the Joy of basketball and that in the begun altering the face of the game throughout the thanks to the and the opportunities it offers children As Young As the calibre of the game in Winnipeg is changing with so Many kids starting to play basketball at such a Young and with so Many dedicated coaches and referees teaching and encouraging these there now exists in Winnipeg an Ever increasingly Large Pool of talented and disciplined players who will ultimately fill the rosters of All the local High school and University the Story of the Umbas founding has already become local sports leg Back in former Winnipeg Ger Mike returning with his family to his Home town and wanting a basketball team for his daughter to play approached basketball Mani Toba with the idea of creating a City wide youth league to be run out of the Community club the Amba was that first 40 teams based out of a dozen Community centres hit the two years 131 some just for some just for girls and some participated in league figuring an average of 10 players per that is a lot of Winnipeg kids reaping the benefits of the Umbas sportsmanship through weekly practices and the children who whether they Are seven or 17 years improve their individual skills and stamina and learn the value of team work and the Umbas philosophy to encourage equal participation and Strong values of such As teamwork and fair play reinforced by every referee and club con Vener associated with the the game of basketball has always been a great All that is required to play is a pair of a hoop found in most schoolyards and playgrounds and a Ball just one Ball for a whole Bunch of there is no expensive equip ment no court fees to be paid and no court time to be this the Amba organized a basketball assist through which players were invited to donate to the league running shoes that no longer fit them so that they could be distributed to players who might need in the As it should kids from the cites Core compete on equal footing with kids from the every game is anybody and every player leaves the court a in addition to scheduling 16 league games per season for each Dou ble knockout division and a Spring league that is currently under the Amba offers its participants other Perks As each win Ter a couple of the teams Are invited to play during halftime at Winnipeg University and provincial High school playoff several times during the teams Are invited to participate in the Winnipeg cyclones shirts off their backs program that gives the kids the thrilling Opportunity to be introduced with the Cyclone team stand with them during the pregame singing of the National and then be handed their Warmup shirts right off their backs sweat and All last the together with the Winnipeg free sponsored a weekend tournament that promises to become an annual and of there is the much anticipated hoop fest at the end of the Winter with its Carni Val like hoop fest is a totally fun and remarkable organizational feat that brings together same Jeff de body Winnipeg free press hoop sters have fun at free press Community aged Amba players from teams across the City and pits them against each other in eight individual compe including free throw Long Range shooting and a dribble drive obstacle like a citywide team participation in hoop fest is free to All registered Amba players up to the age of the Only criteria for participation is that each team also sends along a Parent or other team supporter to Volunteer at the at individual achieve ment is recognized and As players from teams who rarely won games during the course of the regular season and there Are a few of them can still come out winners at the Amba likes to make kids feel like so at hoop fest they give out a lot of medals and the top three finishers in each age division in each of the eight events Are awarded the top five finishers Overall in each division Are called up to shake Mike Rutas hand and receive recognition and prizes that Range from Amba t shirts and water bottles to real leather As a by the end of the Day there Are a lot of children going Home dangling medals from around their proud of their achievements and those of their glad for the Opportunity to have shot hoops at the Duckworth and dream ing of the Day they will return there to letters to the editor the free press welcomes letters from they must include the authors address and Telephone letters May be letters to the 1355 Mountain r2x fax email Good riddance to Eaton store my introduction to Eaton Winnipeg was made about give or take one or two i am 74 years old and have lived in Winnipeg All my my Mother would take us my brother and i to the roof of the building where Many interesting play things were available under supervision so parents could shop in this was All at no As an Eaton was where i shopped and after marriage my wife and i furnished our second floor apart ment in a three Storey our first our second House and finally our third House shopping at Eaton buying policies were tailor made for struggling Young families Way Back now it is gone due to the Eaton family shortsightedness and Winnipeg is left in my Opin a very ugly monster of a building originally built for utilitarian purpose while it has served its lets tear it Down and Good Irene and Jim Cullen Winnipeg nip no longer fights for Equality it is with Surprise and dismay that i learn that our provincial governments recently announced legislation extend ing benefits and rights to same sex couples will not include provisions for the full adoption of i have one question in this Why both the governments of Ontario and British Columbia have included these provisions in their equal benefits Why would my provincial a government at least in the for its willingness to address issues of inequality within our choose to exclude this vitally important component of equal rights legislation for Gay and lesbian couples living in Manitoba could it be that the nip is no longer a party that fights for fairness and equity but has become yet another political party that compromises its principles whenever it fears that the adherence to those principles might interfere with Rory Grewar Winnipeg is pm afraid to talk to people i attended the ant free Trade of the americas agreement protest at the Winnipeg convention Centre on May am sick of the apathy and complacency of our three time elected gov As a i would like a government that represents the by accepting the our govern ment has instead chosen to support those who need it the least Large corporations and the very it reveals Canadas utter Lack of compassion and respect for our environment and peo this is not the Way i want to be it is obvious who our prime minister caters to when he comes to Winnipeg and delivers a speech Only to those who can afford the Jean Are you too afraid to talk to the people Thomas Wilson Winnipeg Taa protesters did care i am extremely disappointed with the article protesters snarl rus hour traffic june the article covered the protest against the Taa at the Winnipeg convention a protest which i was actively involved reporter Kim Guttormson stated the demonstrators said they didst care that prime minister Jean Chretien was there for a Liberal fundraising dinner and we rent trying to Send him a message but were Happy to take advantage of the Media that he the protesters did we were trying to convince the dinner goers thai they were wasting their Money to go listen to Chretien is Guttormson mentioned the Bro Ken a dinner goer also attacked a As police roughed up protesters and stole an aboriginal sign because it had a stick attached to therefore it was a danger to the Ken i Ouetti Winnipeg free press police officer gets into a tug of War Over a bicycle rack with Taa protesters outside Winnipeg convention the demonstrators were not the Media Taga Longs that is Guttormson portrayed them to nor were we out to get the people stuck in the police did let people through the barricades and so did the Demontra no intersection was blocked off for very our aim was not to make people but to make them see the lies Chretien is telling our people about the benefits of free Trade and globalization for what they it is time for us to take notice of our governments instead of letting it control our future because it is increasingly obvious it is no longer working for the but following its own Erin Buckels Grade 12 student Winnipeg Layoff family matters Terence Moore says in his column a time for wringing of hands Junel that the republicans think this matter of Jenna Bush and the underage drink ing is totally different than the Moni Ca Lewinski episode because this time the private shame involves a Republican Moores direct comparison Between the two news items either rep resents a Strong Bias in favor of for Mer president Bill Clinton and the democrats or he has missed some very obvious we will give him the Benefit of to his Clinton chose to do what he president Bush did not choose what Jenna this is not a Democrat Republican when the democrats or the republicans ask that Media Lay off family matters or family members not in Public it is a legitimate objective and thinking journalists should be Able to see the difference and honour that Lee Martin ear most cypriots seek to join Eure Cyprus threatens eur stability by Harry Sterling june i read very carefully the article in your newspaper and i would like to Point out the follow ing the headline bears no relation to the Content of the according to what Sterling actually the headline should Turkey threat ens eur with one government rep resenting the entire is an inter nationally recognized Independent Republic that is a member of the United the the Council of Europe and other International the islands application to join the european Union was accepted by the which congratulated Cyprus for the steady Progress it has achieved in accession Neotia turkish cypriots Are not taking part in eur accession despite a standing invitation to do so from the government that has been described As generous by the eur because they Are forbidden to do so by Ankara and Rauf Denktash occupation according to turkish cypriot press the overwhelm ing majority of turkish cypriots want to joint european Union along with their greek cypriot regarding sterlings remark that the eur should consider the views of Turkey and other third countries As far As Cyprus accession is i wonder if he truly believes that the interests and views of whichever third country could actually stand in the Way of a fully democratic accession process by Block Cyprus or any other country from becoming a member of an International Costis Hadjicostas press counsellor consulate general of the Republic of Cyprus Toronto Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 vol 129 n0180 2000 Winnipeg free a division of newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Manitoba r2x pm 6977000 a member of the Manitoba Council Rudy email Nicholas Patrick Flynn Deputy editor ;