Her World Her Rules: Learning basketball and more

The combo photos show the participants and facilitators of the Her World Her Rules program posing for a group photo, left, and getting ready to do drills at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium last week. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)

Six-year-old Emma Lee was hit by the ball a couple of times, but got back up and joined a host of young girls in having fun and learning drills during the Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation’s edition of Her World Her Rules program.

This kind of attitude and other learning experiences are the outputs that Her World Her Rules wants to see from its activities. The program, one of FIBA’s most recognized initiatives in women’s basketball and a unique project aimed at promoting women’s and girls’ basketball across the globe, helps develop positive character, discover new friendships, and encourage skills improvement. The NMIBF hosted a series of Her World Her Rules activities last week, drawing more than 30 young girls to the program.

“For the first session (last Sept. 27), the team and I conducted some basketball games and icebreakers for the girls to get better acquainted with each other and us, the coaches,” said NMIBF board member Marlene Lumabi, who led the activities and was assisted by members of the NMI Senior National Program and NMIBF vice president David John Apatang.

Students from different schools showed up in the first session and started doing drills together with individuals that they either never met before or had limited interaction with.

“They were very energetic and interested in learning, especially when we’re having team drills,” Lumabi said. “They interacted with students and the coaches and asked many questions.”

For the succeeding sessions, participants were taught of the fundamentals of the sport, such as dribbling, passing, and shooting, while facilitators also demonstrated to them basic ways of playing defense.

Lee, one of the youngest participants in the program, said having many people around to teach and encourage her how to do and complete the drills helped her to keep going no matter how many times she fumbled the ball.

As for older participants, especially students that have started taking up the sport, Lumabi said they are thankful to get a chance to learn new techniques.

“Majority of our participants play for their middle school girls basketball team and many of them expressed their excitement to take what they have learned from the program to play better and help their squad,” Lumabi said.

Meanwhile, the NMIBF will conclude the Her World Her Rules activities with a banquet and recognition ceremony this Saturday, Oct. 8, starting at 9am at the Koblerville Gymnasium.

The NMIBF would like to thank FIBA Oceania, the volunteer coaches and players, and the Tan Siu Lin Foundation for supporting its activities for the Her World Her Rules program. (PR)