BASKETBALL FOR all
By Joe Novella Photos Yanni
A
s a community, we spend a lot of time following and celebrating sports heroes, the players and athletes that give us joy through their exploits. We admire their courage and determination to make it to the top, looking up to them and aspiring to be like them. But there are other types of sports heroes: ones that rarely get recognised or lauded, ones that recognise sport is not just about becoming a champion. It can also be about the act of championing.
“There were programs available in the city,” said Cheryll Peters, “but nothing for Peninsula kids and young adults, and the city was too far away. So we started the program at the Somerville Recreation and Community Centre because we could see there was a need.”
In 2005, Wendy Munn, Jan Matea, Cheryll Peters and Kaye Davey got together to create a basketball program for Peninsula people of all abilities; a program that was desperately needed so people with special needs had a chance to participate in sport and enjoy the benefits of doing so. They did it with little fanfare and the program is still running today.
Today the program is co-managed by the Western Port Basketball Association (WPBA). “We just got to a point where we needed a helping hand,” said Cheryll. “We went from a few participants to 50 to 60 who turned up every week. None of us are getting any younger either, so the extra hands and back office support from the WPBA is very welcome.” continued next page...
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20 | PENINSULA
June 2021
From 2005, the all-abilities basketball program went from strength to strength mainly due to the selfless determination of Cheryll and Kaye to keep it going. Not even a catastrophic fire in 2016 could stop it. The program continued at the nearby Somerville Secondary College for two years until the recreation centre was rebuilt.