Kuyper headed for hoops in Germany

Time Photo Submitted.

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Feb. 24, Irena Kuyper appeared as a delegation before Taber town council with a request for financial support for a basketball trip. The NBC International Girls Basketball Tour will be travelling to Germany in the summer of 2025 and as a recruit, Kuyper looks forward to going.

 Kuyper presented the case for her “once in a lifetime opportunity” to go to Europe to play basketball with NBC camps. NBC camps, an acronym for Nothing Beats Commitment, is an organization “that not only develops sports skills, but also life skills and allows every athlete a chance to learn and grow in finding success,” Kuyper told council.

 “I have been going to this camp up in Olds for a few years now, which is where I was recruited to play for this Europe team,” she explained. “I’ve been working very hard to fundraise and train for this trip in a bunch of different ways, and I’m super excited to be on the team. There will be girls from all over Canada and the U.S. to play.”

  She expressed excitement at the chance to meet new people, create lasting friendships, and enjoy new experiences in different cultures.

 “I’m excited to gain independence and change my mindset, to impact my worldview on how I can help my community,” she said. “Of course, I also am excited to play basketball and enjoy the sport. I have a deep passion for it. One reason you can support me is because I’m excited to represent my community of Taber over the world. Because when I’m in Germany and I go to Seattle to train, I will say I’m from Taber, and I can represent my community (by) how I act, what I say, and how I play.”

 Kuyper focused on the benefits she can bring back to Taber through community involvement and a fresh perspective. She said she’s already involved in coaching local youth sports and looks forward to doing even more.

 “It’s not about the financial support necessarily, but all about your encouragement and that you can hear about my opportunity, because it’s pretty special to me and I’m very honoured to be able to go. Thank you very much,” she said.

 In Dec. 2023, council moved to support another student athlete who was playing for an NBC travel basketball team. That year, Naamiya Hoekstra was granted $1,000 to assist with expenses for playing basketball in Europe.

 Coun. Bekkering told Kuyper that he’d done some research on NBC and asked her what the ‘nothing beats commitment’ motto meant to her.

 “It’s not just about sports,” Kuyper replied, “It’s about everything you do in life. To me, it’s how you give everything your all, and you stay committed, and you continue to work towards a goal until you achieve it.”

 She said that the camps are not only about playing basketball and being an athlete, but also personal growth, goal-setting and achievement, and remaining committed.

 Council was impressed by her presentation and thanked her for appearing. Coun. Brewin said, “What a fantastic presentation you made. And your passion. You can feel that you want to do this and really enjoy doing it. I suggest you run for council. You speak very well. It takes a lot of guts to get up and speak before this group. So I really support what you’re doing. I’m excited for you. And previously, I made a motion for another young lady to go.”

 “I’m willing to put that same motion forward for you: that council approves the financial request from Irena Kuyper of the amount of $1,000 to assist with the expenses of participating in the NBC international girls tour,” Brewin said.

 The vote was briefly stalled when Bekkering, referring to the support Taber gave to the other local athlete, said, “I think we probably set a precedent, which, in my view, now should not have been set.” He suggested a friendly amendment to the motion which would make the amount $500.

 Brewin didn’t budge. “I appreciate what you’re saying, Mr. Bekkering, but I’m gonna let my motion stand,” he said. He did so and council passed the motion to support Kuyper with $1,000 from the council discretionary fund. Prior to the meeting time, the discretionary fund stood at $24,264.