Bridgetown Firetails tryouts welcome players to represent the town in regional and country championships

Tryouts for the Bridgetown Firetails’ regional and country championship teams begin at the end of this month for kids wanting to take their skills to another level. The first session will take place on July 22 at the Bridgetown Leisure Centre to assess individual skills, before a second session on July 29 will focus on teamwork. Bridgetown Basketball Association Craig Goulder said the teams are welcoming new and returning players for an opportunity to represent their town. “We’re looking for teams all the way from under 12 through to under 18 in boys and girls,” he said. “Representing the Firetails is a chance to set their sights on improving their own skills and their own game.” Mr Goulder said the Association and coaches endeavour to “instill a sense of pride” in players about representing both Bridgetown and the club. “We make it clear to the kids that if they don’t make it, it’s an opportunity to go away and work hard and come back next year,” he said. “If they walk away thinking they’ve done their best, that’s all we can ask of them.” For players who do join the team, regular training sessions will help prepare them before they compete in tournaments. Mr Goulder said parents often “underestimate” the importance of the training sessions and focus on the tournament. “The trainings are where 90-95 percent of improvement of the game comes in, because players spend more time with the ball during sessions,” he said. Mr Goulder said the training sessions are a good environment for children to learn and have more time with the ball before the “pressure” of the tournaments. “(During training) they’ll have the ball in their hands almost the entire time, so it’s more important for skills development than games,” he said. The program has been running for four years, with the aim to set players up with a range of sporting skills. Mr Goulder said players from the team have ventured off to college in the United States to play basketball or play for the South West Slammers in the NBL1 West competition. “The sky’s the limit,” he said.