Sulaimani, Iraq – June 10, 2012 – The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS), in collaboration with Sisters in Hoops, will offer a free, one-week basketball camp this summer for girls between the ages of 14 and 18. The camp, titled The Clinic of Champions, is the inaugural event for Sisters In Hoops, a non-profit organization created by a group of students at AUIS that aims to increase access to athletics and leadership opportunities for young women in Iraq.

Session one will take place June 17-21, and the second session will take place June 24-28. The objectives of the clinic are to introduce the fundamentals of basketball to young Iraqi women, strengthen the community of young women in Sulaimani and the surrounding region, and provide training and education in areas such as teamwork, leadership, and health and nutrition. Further, the group hopes to transfer skills to the current generation of AUIS women’s basketball players to ensure the sustainability of the clinic and other Sisters in Hoops programs.

Each day, of the Clinic of Champions will be split up into two sessions, 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM. Participants will be divided into groups based on age and ability level. Members of the AUIS women’s basketball team and other college-age Iraqi young women will act as camp counselors. Women's Basketball Coach Pat Cline, Assistant Coach Christine Van den Toorn, and former Women's Basketball Coach Ryan Bubalo will oversee the administration of the camp and assist in training and guiding the camp counselors.

The daily camp schedule will include sessions on basic aerobics, basketball fundamentals and games, and breakout sessions for life skills and leadership activities and discussions. The camp counselors will lead all of these sessions with the American coaches offering guidance and support. 

For more information about the clinic or to register, call 0770 461 5555.