“When I was your age, there was no basketball program for little girls,” said coach Amber Paulsen.
An audible, collective gasp arose from the group.
The passionate, aggressive young team of fourth to sixth grade Junior Vikings had just finished out their winter season with an eight-team basketball tourney and were enjoying a pizza-and-brownie awards dinner.
“I love to see you out there sweating and fighting and growling!” Paulsen said. “It lets me know that you’re becoming a group of strong, empowered women.”
From what fans saw on the courts this past weekend, the girls seem fairly free from those antiquated constraints, showing a scrappy resolve that could easily turn them into serious contenders over the next few years. Facilitator Carol Rost and coach Tim Hance started the Junior Vikings program last year to fill a gap in recreation offerings between October and April.
“There was a huge void in extracurricular activities,” Hance said. “Kids are kind of twiddling their thumbs for six months. So we thought, let’s develop a great basketball program … give them skills they can use into the future that will help them in middle school, high school and in life.”
Hance said the coaches focused mainly on skills development like ball handling, layups and jump shots, with only a minor emphasis on game strategy.
The Junior Vikings team is made up of almost 30 girls and divvied up into four skills-based teams. The eight-game tournament hosted Sedro Woolley and the competitive Friday Harbor SWISH Tigers, with an 11-1 record. Sedro Woolley took home first place in the gold division, and a Friday Harbor team won first in the silver division. Steve Diepenbrock, Mike Lawson, and Kelly Toombs were the other volunteer coaches.
“We try to keep it appropriately challenged for everyone so they get the most out of the program,” Hance said.
He said every player got some court time. A goal of the program is to give the girls a solid basketball background before they hit the high school level.
“It takes more than just a couple years to become proficient at a sport,” Hance said. “It takes years to develop skills, court awareness, and an understanding of the game.”
Even more important, said Hance, is the joy of the game.
“We’re providing a passion for basketball and a passion for doing the best that they can do,” he said. “It’s providing a really meaningful experience for them. They’re all super passionate about being there; they just love basketball. Despite physical limitations, they want to be out there they want to play; they’re living and dreaming basketball.”
Hance said the girls have improved by leaps and bounds since last year, and over this season as well.
“It bodes well for island basketball in the future,” he said.
The teammates enthusiastically cheered for one another at the awards ceremony, with a special round of applause for Bethany Meenach-Griffin, who could hardly be kept out of the games, even with a broken arm. Kara Veldman and Joie Zier were honored for their speedy footwork at practices – Veldman for wind sprints and Zier for running lines.
Hance told the girls, “You guys are all winners. Your progress this year is amazing. My definition of a winner is someone who is passionate, plays their hardest, and leaves the gym with their head held high.”
