GSP Türkiye Representative and Basketball Expert, Bryan Spears, has jumped into basketball camps for the past three summers. For the summer of 2023, Spears partnered with Çosa, a youth sports club for a summer camp with a multifaceted focus. Çosa operated a sport-focused day camp for 90 children that engaged their minds and bodies in three different three-week terms. The holistic camps were a great success and addition to Spears’ coaching experience.
Spears participated as a native English speaker engaging kids in creative ways, including basketball. There were 7-10 other coaches doing various sports activities that engaged the body and mind of the students. Spears’ primary responsibility was to help students grow in English proficiency.
"To coach someone is to support them, encourage them, and give them tools not just to succeed in sport, but to succeed in life. Teaching English in this type of sports day camp environment has given me a different perspective of how I can support my players to grow and improve, even in their language, which will hopefully give them more opportunities in life." – Bryan Spears
The students showed increasing excitement and confidence in their spoken English. Throughout the three-week terms, more students would approach Spears during the break time to practice their English and engage in longer conversations. Some of the children were very hesitant to practice English at the beginning of the term but continued to listen well and showed progress by the end.
One of the popular games that Spears used involved four students. The students were asked a question, then raced to grab an American football which gave the one with the football the opportunity to provide a correct answer in English. Each time students played, they were more engaged in the game and the quieter students showed progress in confidence to win the race and answer the questions.
Spears plans to continue incorporating English into his sport programs to help players build more for their future as they share a love for and dedication to basketball.