We are excited to reintroduce our Student Voice Series of articles at Nadeen School. These articles aim to enable our students to express an opinion, celebrate their learning and most of all enjoy a holistic education as a part of Our Philosophy. We hope that you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoy seeing our students write these articles.
Student Voice Series: My basketball journey by Mahmood in Year 8
Getting involved in sports and activities outside of the classroom is a great way to expand your skills and knowledge in other ways. For me, I found basketball and really enjoy the challenge of this sport.
I have been playing basketball since the age of eight, but before that I started taking swimming lessons when I was 5 years old. I spent three years practising swimming and I learnt various types of techniques as well as how to be punctual. However, over time the swimming lessons became harder, consumed a lot of time and required continuous commitment, so in 2019 after the summer break I decided to change to a different sport that became my passion.
This came when I realised that I enjoyed playing basketball with my uncles and cousins whether digitally through computer games or in real life. I really found myself getting excited about this game, so I decided to shift my interests to basketball. At the beginning of my basketball career I played in an academy in Riffa. As I continued playing I improved a lot and started to notice a big difference in my game techniques.
Nonetheless, the academy closed down, but a few months later a camp was opened in the same area instead. It was a big camp as they brought lots of good and well-trained coaches to help us improve our play. My brother and I, along with my two other cousins, joined the camp to regain and improve our skills in basketball. Unfortunately, the camp ended and at that time my cousins and I decided to join a different club.
Thereafter, I joined a qualified club in Manama which is known for its quality and high standards. At first I was nervous and anxious because I thought it would be just like my old club but after a few weeks I noticed that the club was perfect as it had great players and coaches, good instructors, medics and workers. It contains two great practice areas with lots of hoops to shoot with and a world class trophy cabinet. So here I am now at this club playing for under 12 and that is my basketball journey so far.
Moreover, I have interests watching basketball games and reading about basketball as well. I watch both local and international games such as the 2023 World Cup that was just won by Germany and the most famous league, the NBA. I watch some NBA games on my phone or TV with my cousins and learn different techniques through watching. My favourite team is the OKC, and I also support the Lakers. My favourite player is Kobe Bryant because I like his style of play and his moves.
If you aren’t sure how you can get started with a club, Nadeen offers so many different types of extra curricular activities for students to get involved in. Maybe it is an activity that you like to do, or maybe it might be trying something new, there are so many on offer that now is the time to jump in and get involved!
I found my passion in basketball and you could also find your passion by joining one of Nadeen’s ECAs or squads. Who knows, maybe we could be reading your article next.
