GTA girls celebrate International Women’s Day with basketball camp with Raptors and Olympian Kia Nurse

Over 100 girls had the opportunity to learn from the best at a basketball skills camp, in celebration of International Women’s Day.

WNBA player and two-time Canadian Olympian Kia Nurse led the workshop alongside an all-women coaching staff to bring together these girls aged eight to 16 with the goal to nurture self-confidence, teamwork and leadership.

The girls were from grassroots basketball programs in the GTA including the Hijabi Ballers, Lady Ballers Camp and The Boys & Girls Club at Jane and Finch.

“It’s a nice feeling … just to hang out with my friends and play basketball with them,” said one participant.

From free-throw exercises to working on their basketball-handling skills, the girls got to experience and adventure-filled day.

“There are so many life skills that you can learn from sport like confidence, leadership, friendship working with people you know or don’t know and i think that and I think that is what they are going to take from this,” said Nurse.

The day was also sponsored by the Toronto Raptors and Tangerine.

“We work with deserving communities and groups across the city to bring in young girls to support them and give them leadership skills and we are pretty excited about this one because it’s the first time it has been at this site,” said Gillian Riley, President and CEO of Tangerine.

The young athletes ran up and down the Raptors practice facility honing their craft, hanging out with the raptors dance pack and got to meet The Raptor.

“It’s still really wild sometimes to think that I am a role model but I am so grateful to be in a partnership with Tangerine and this is the best part of the partnership is to be able to go into the community and do these clinics and touch points,” shared Nurse.

Nurse will be part of another basketball first later this year. It was just announced that the WNBA will host another pre-season game in Canada.

This year, the game will be in Edmonton when Nurse’s Los Angeles Sparks will take on her former team, the Seattle Storm, something Nurse had only dreamed of.

“I am excited to bring more basketball to Canada and especially the WNBA, you don’t get to see live and in person,” said Nurse.

Tickets for the WNBA pre-season game in Edmonton on May 5 go on sale on March 20.