Swan Mayor Mick Wainwright and Professor Cheryl Kickett-Tucker with Kaat Koort n Hoops participants and helpers.  |
Camera IconSwan Mayor Mick Wainwright and Professor Cheryl Kickett-Tucker with Kaat Koort n Hoops participants and helpers. | Credit: Supplied/David Baylis        www.communitypix.com.au d459453

Swan leaders hold court with junior basketballers

Sally McGlewMidland Kalamunda Reporter

The two leaders shot hoops with young trainees in the Kaat Koort n Hoops group, a holistic wellbeing program on fun, fitness and friendship.

The group’s philosophy is “sport creates a bridge to wellbeing”.

Dr Cheryl Kickett-Tucker is the mastermind behind the program, which she set up in May to attract students aged from 13 to 18.

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Dr Kickett-Tucker said the program, which runs for one year, was underpinned by an interactive evaluation strategy with monitoring at key stages so the program could be flexible and adapt to feedback from children, carers and their family.

She said a quantitative approach would be used to measure the children’s fitness.

“We work with the head, heart and basketball of students, and try to encourage good health and wellbeing through basketball,” she said.

It works on six main areas of focus for those in the program.

“They are advocacy, basketball skill and development, training and employment, physical fitness and wellbeing, self-esteem and confidence enhancement, and robust research and evaluation,” she said.

Dr Kickett-Tucker is a former National Women’s Basketball League player and a former coach and captain with a Masters of Science in sport psychology and a PhD in sport science.

Dr Kickett-Tucker has support from project co-ordinator Darlene Davis and project assistant Tannielle McHugh.

She said other people had become involved in a voluntary capacity and as ambassadors to the program.