Jr.NBA and Jr.WNBA presented by Alaska search for best basketball players continues in Cebu

[Media Release]

         

          The Jr.NBA and Jr.WNBA Presented by Alaska continues its search for the best basketball players in the country when it holds its second Regional Selection Camp at Don Bosco Technical School in Cebu City on March 5 and 6.

           Boys and girls may join the search for the ten best boy and five best girl basketball players who will become members of the Jr.NBA and Jr.WNBA All-Star team. There is also a search for the boys and girls coaches who will handle the two teams.

The All-Star Team will travel overseas for their NBA experience trip together with fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. The 2015 Jr. NBA All-Stars traveled to China to watch the NBA Global Games in Shenzhen featuring the Charlotte Hornets and the L.A. Clippers.

The Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA Presented by Alaska is free and open to boys and girls ages 10 to 14 years old (born 2002 to 2006). Interested parties may register at the venue in Ateneo de Davao University or online through www.jrnba.asia/philippines.

          The Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA Presented by Alaska is one of Alaska Milk’s programs that shape, train, challenge and inspire children to achieve their dreams and aspirations in life.

“These holistic programs train children to be confident, disciplined and hardworking because Alaska Milk Corporation aims to prepare them to be winners in life in the future. This year’s program includes new locations such as Batangas, Catanduanes, and Cavite to reach more children and coaches and discover the best basketball players across the country,” said Blen Fernando, Marketing Director. 

The 2011 National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) revealed that three out of ten children aged 5-10 years were underweight while eight out of one hundred children of the same age were overweight, making malnutrition and obesity two of the most pressing nutritional problems in the Philippines today. 

The Jr.NBA and Jr.WNBA presented by Alaska is under Alaska Milk’s Nutrition.Action.Champion program. It helps address the issue of overweight and undernourished Filipino children with the promotion of proper nutrition and active lifestyle through sports and outdoor play.

This year’s program started with the tip-off at Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati last Jan. 23. School clinics, that teach the fundamentals of basketball, will run until April with stops in Bukidnon, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Dagupan, Davao, Iloilo, Metro Manila and Puerto Princesa. New locations include Batangas, Catanduanes, and Cavite. 

Other than Cebu there will also be Regional Selection Camps in Manila on (April 9-10).  The top 50 boys and 24 girls from the Regional Selection Camps will advance to the final selection stage in the National Training Camp in Manila on April 22-24.

NBA and WNBA players or legends will attend the National Training Camp to help train and inspire the finalists. The program will culminate with the selection of ten Jr. NBA and five Jr. WNBA All-Stars.

More than 36,000 players and 2,700 coaches have participated in the program since it started in the Philippines in 2007. During the 2015-16 season, the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA program will reach more than 6.5 million youth in 32 countries.

The Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA is the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls which teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. 

For general information about Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA Philippines presented by Alaska please visit www.jrnba.asia/philippines, www.alaskamilk.com, and   www.alaskapowercamp.com/basketball.  For live updates log on to www.playph.com follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @playph #jrnba #jrwnba.

Alaska ties up with FCBESCOLA Football Camp

Alaska reaffirms its commitment in providing a sustainable program for youth sports and development in the country.  With football's growing popularity in the local sports scene, Alaska sponsored five Futkalero children to a world class sports workshop - the FCBEscola Philippines Barcelona Soccer Camp.

Please read on as Alaska shares how it is to train under the guidance of the world renowned FCBarcelona. 

PRESS RELEASE

ALASKA TIES UP WITH FCBESCOLA FOOTBALL CAMP, SPONSORS FUTKALERO CHILDREN FROM TONDO

Alaska Milk Corporation brings FCBEscola, the world’s No. 1 ranked football club here in the Philippines to help develop children through sports programs such as the FCBEscola Barcelona Camp. The FCBEscola Barcelona Camp has already begun training kids last April 17 and will continue until April 21 at the Ayala Alabang Country Club.

What is better than playing against one of the best football clubs in the world? Being trained by them.

Never in a million years did they thought that they will be able to see the world’s #1 ranked football club, FCBarcelona, in action, much less interact with them. But these promising young football talents from Tondo did just that and more. Thanks to the sponsorship of Alaska Milk Corporation, the five Futkaleros— Champ Cyrus Wico, Jonas Lorens Lavarias, John David Espiritu, Maria Rochel Mendaňo, and Roger Batiugas— were able to train under the FCBarcelona coaches Jordi Blanco and Jose Moratalla during the FCBEscola Philippines Barcelona Soccer Camp for the youth, a sports workshop that did not only aim to teach Filipino kids the rudiments and techniques in the game but also share with them the FCBarcelona values of teamwork and hard work. 

“Alaska has been there from the very start, even at that time when football was not very popular. It has been supporting the grassroots development of the sport and in training players. The annual Alaska Cup, is in fact, the biggest cup in the country, with thousands of players in a single day. So we were not surprised that Alaska lent their support to this project,” says Michael Reyes, organizer of the camp and Team Socceroo’s captain.

Training under World’s Best

Excitement lit up the eyes of the five Futkaleros as they showed their moves to the coaches. They believe that the camp is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve their game, learn some new skills and incorporate a new strategy into their play. According to Reyes, the style of the Futkaleros is more freestyle. “I have seen them play and their commitment to the game is impressive. I know that they practice every day. They’re fast. They’re agile. Participating in the camp will help them develop their play more.”

What kids will take away from the five-day camp is not just technique but the values: that football is not about winning but in playing your best and playing with your team. Steven Chua, Operations Director for FCBEscola Asia Pacific, relates, “I remembered a FCBarcelona camp in Singapore that we organized. After the camp, I asked one of the kids what he learned. He told me he learned the reasons why he has to move here, why he has to make a pass. Before, he just does it because he has to without even knowing why. He also learned that football is not about winning but playing the game.”

More than a hundred kids, 6 to 14 years old, signed up for the camp held recently at the Alabang Country Club. They did not even mind the extra-ordinarily hot day, showing off their skills on the field, all of them eager to train under the very best in the world. World famous players Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi were all products of FCBEscola

Built not as important as technique

According to the organizers, the Futkaleros have the typical Filipino built, which unlike basketball, is suited to football. Filipinos are not as tall as other kids but they compensate with their incredible speed and agility. FCBarcerlona has members who have similar built but are still able to excel. In football, built is not as important as technique.

“The style of football of FCBarcelona is the ‘most fit’ and ‘most matched’ [style] with Filipinos. They do not rely on size. In other sports, if you are big, you’d be a better player. In football, we rely more on technique, the passing, how the team plays. FCBarcelona’s style of football is not very individualistic. It emphasizes team play,” says Nicholas Reyes, FCBEscola camp organizer.

Wanted: Healthy body, good attitude and passion

There is also no age requirement, just a healthy body, good attitude and passion for the sport. Reyes emphasized good nutrition at an early age “as this will give children an edge in the sport.” Both exercise and proper diet are essential, especially to the significant number of Filipino kids, who have been found to suffer from undernutrition and overweight problems (National Nutrition Survey of FNRI-DOST, 2008). It is recommended that they eat a balanced set of meals and do more physical activity, which Alaska Milk Corporation has been advocating through their sports programs.

For more information, log on to http://www.fcbescolaphilippines.com and www.alaskamilk.com.ph