Slow progress for senior program

WALKING Basketball is the latest program to make its way to Bendigo Basketball, with a focus on improving the physical activity of older and less active residents.

Sessions involve a warm-up, with skill-based drills including passing, dribbling and shooting, with a low-impact game to finish.

Basketball manager at Bendigo Basketball Sam Cartwright said they were approached by Basketball Victoria to engage a different segment of the community.

“Basketball in the traditional sense is a high impact, fast-paced game, so much like we do with our all-abilities classes and junior development program, it’s modified,” he said.

The game involves no running, with a one-metre-tall ring to aid shoulder mobility.

“It’s just another outlet for people to stay active. Myself and the community here, we obviously love basketball and there’s people that still love basketball that can’t quite fully engage in that high impact way,” Mr Cartwright said.

Mr Cartwright said so far the response to the program has been slow and consistent participation has been limited due to lockdowns.

“We’re hoping to further engage with the Bendigo community, the council networks and U3A specifically,” he said. “I can definitely say there’s a community for the program, but it’s been tough to really grab them of yet.

“We’ll continue to push the program with the support of Basketball Victoria and the resources they provide us. They’re obviously seeing the need and we’ll try deliver it as best we can.”

Mr Cartwright said Bendigo Basketball offers programs to every section of the community, with an all-abilities program, wheelchair basketball, junior programs, and competitions on five out of seven days.