THE ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused everyone to think outside the square to find new ways to continue enjoying their hobbies.
With the doors locked at the Bern Bruning Basketball Stadium, Mount Gambier’s Kyle Tipene has come up with an idea to keep youngsters shooting hoops.
The primary school teacher and basketball player combined his expertise to post three videos on the Mount Gambier Basketball Facebook page, which include fitness, skills and challenges.
Tipene said the idea took off from Mount Gambier Pioneers women’s coach Matt Sutton in a bid to keep the community active.
“Initially it sparked up through Matt and he asked if I wanted to do something like a home training program for the basketball community,” Tipene said.
“Then I looked at some videos and some stuff I did over the years and tried to simplify it.
“It is a bit odd for myself because I am normally at the basketball stadium, but it is not available, so I had to try and work out what I can do with what I have like a lot of other people.”
One of the challenges included completing 10 crossovers while throwing and catching an egg from each hand at the same time.
Tipene said he used inspiration from coaches such as Richard Hill and tried to get creative to connect with people of all ages.
“I just tried to think outside the box and do some things that all kids can be involved in using the bare minimum, because not everyone has everything,” he said.
“Richard did a few training sessions with a tennis ball when I was at the Pioneers and it kind of helped me with my skills, so I thought if I could get kids involved, it might help them.
“To make it fun, I thought instead of using a tennis ball, you had to use an egg.
“Obviously if you drop the egg it will crack, so the challenge is to try and not let it fall.
“Some of them are pretty difficult, but I have also tried to put in some beginner options for kids.”
The videos, targeted for players 10 years or above, have certainly helped people get off the couch and into the backyard.
Tipene said his work received plenty of positive feedback from the community.
“I think there has been a pretty good response from it,” he said.
“Matt showed me videos of some kids doing it and I had a couple of parents thank me for putting it up.
“A couple of kids sent me some videos of them doing the egg challenge and they did pretty well, while some also dropped and cracked it, but that is part of the fun.”
Looking forward, Tipene said he is not sure what lies ahead, but hopes it can help as many kids stay active during these difficult times.
“For me it was just something to help Matt and the junior basketballers, but moving forward I would be happy to try and help out in any other way,” he said.
“Hopefully it might kick-start something for kids to engage in.
“If it gets them out of the house for 20 or 30 minutes and keeps them engaged in basketball, that is the goal.”
