Wednesday, August 10, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
19
Adding names...
English basketball squad enjoys stay
By Jim cornelius
News Editor
Basketball may have
brought them here, but for
Head Coach Steve Pearl of
the Southend Swifts from
Essex, England, it’s really not
about the game at all.
“It’s nothing to do with
basketball,” Coach Pearl
insisted in an interview with
The Nugget. “It’s nothing to
do with basketball at all. We
have played some games, but
that’s not why we’re here.”
For Pearl, visiting the U.S.
for basketball camps with his
all-star girls is about broaden-
ing the experience and knowl-
edge of his players — and of
those they meet. It’s about the
conversations that go on over
lunch or after a game.
“We want them to talk to
each other,” he said.
Perl noted that the team
also hiked Tam McArthur
Rim to get a taste of the maj-
esty of Sisters Country.
Basketball may not be the
true focus of the Southend
Swifts’ visit — but plenty
of action takes place on the
hardwood. The team hosted
skills clinics for young play-
ers, and played against Sisters
High School girls and against
Crook County and Mountain
View.
The Southend Swifts are
an exceptional club. They’ve
had an outstanding season,
with no less than four of their
teams making the English
national playoffs with their
three girls teams at the under-
14, 16, and 18 age level mak-
ing the Final Fours. No less
than 15 players from those
finals are making the trip,
including six who were on the
title-winning under-16 squad.
It’s no easy task building
a basketball program in the
United Kingdom.
“When you list the top 25
sports in the UK, one through
20 would be soccer,” Pearl
said. And he wasn’t really
joking.
Still, basketball has made
inroads.
“It’s more popular than
people realize — but we’ve
got a huge problem with
facilities,” Pearl said.
There’s not much in the
way of outdoor courts, and
indoor facilities are expen-
sive. That means the club has
to make the most out of its
training time, and focus on
the fundamentals. And Pearl
and his coaches are all about
teaching and encouraging.
“We have a warm and safe
atmosphere for young peo-
ple,” Pearl said. “(Winning)
matters less to me than the
kid who shouldn’t be playing
who ends up playing and gets
on a championship team.”
That, obviously, has been
a successful formula.
photo by Gary miller
Ed Beacham adds names of recently deceased sisters veterans
to the memorial stone at the Village green Park. the adding of
departed veterans’ names is an annual tradition administered by
Lance trowbridge and sisters veterans organizations.
• Eyelash Extensions
photo by Jerry baldoCk
• Airbrush Tanning
English basketball players hosted a clinic through sPrD.
• Manicures
Pearl coached Sisters
Park & Recreation District
Executive Director Liam
Hughes when Hughes was 14
and an up-and-coming bas-
ketball prospect.
“We tried to sort his feet
out,” Pearl said with a smile.
The connection between
coach and player has lasted
for years, and enabled Pearl
to bring his squad to Oregon
twice for an unforgettable
experience.
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And for Pearl, the experi-
ence is what it’s all about.
“It keeps me sane,” he
said. “It’s given me a huge
amount of joy.”
• Gel Nails
• Nikibiki Apparel
Sarah Rybka, Owner/Technician
473 W. Hood Ave., Ste. 101
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