The Guam Basketball Confederation’s hard work has paid off. The Guam Federation will be participating in the World Congress meeting in Turkey. Because of this the Turkish Basketball Federation has invited Guam to send a female and male youth basketball player as well as a youth basketball coach. More than 100 countries will be participating in the Children of the World event in Istanbul, Turkey. The trip has been sponsored by the Turkish Basketball Federation. During this event, the participants will be trained by the best coaches from around the world, get the chance to meet the best basketball players of the world, have the opportunity to watch the best World Championship Games live on court, and discover the wonderful city of Istanbul.

The Guam Basketball Confederation selected Alina Bonto (Youth Female), Kurtis Silva (Youth Male), and Jine Han (Youth Coach) to the Children of the World 2010 event. Bonto, Silva, and Han traveled with all expenses paid by the Turkish Basketball Federation to Istanbul, Turkey. From August 24 – 31, 2010, these three will have met people from over 100 countries, the best coaches and players from the world, and sightseeing in Istanbul.

Below are questions that the Alina and Kurtis were asked after returning from Turkey:

Q: What does Basketball Mean to you and what has it done for you as a person and a player?

Bonto: “Basketball means the world to me. It is second nature. As a person, it has made me have a better attitude on and off the court. It turned me into a leader. It made me more confident about myself. As a player, I learned sportsmanship. Basketball has helped me develop my skills.

Silva: “basketball means everything to me. I play it all the time and I will never get tired of playing no matter how old I get. As a person, basketball made me become a better person with great responsibility and leadership. As a player I learned respect to all people and good sportsmanship.

Q: Meeting and greeting the most popular coaches and players must have been a highlight in your trip. Any favorites or funny moments you’d like to share? What was your most memorable moment in Istanbul, Turkey?

Bonto: My favorite moment in Turkey would have to be that time when we watched the USA-Brazil game. It was a super tight game, and the US won. Go USA! And I have this friend, her name is Sepo. She came from Zambia, and she was really loud. And that was really funny because everyone around us, they all left, because you know, she was loud.  It was really fun!

Silva: My favorite moment was the game against Brazil and USA a game that came down to the wire and I was lucky to experience it. The funniest time I had was when the Coach from Zambia was singing and dancing to us – he made everyone laugh and at some point – I couldn’t breath, it was too funny.

Q: What have you brought back with you that you can share with your peers or anyone who plays basketball?

Bonto: I brought back memories, and I gained valuable experiences that I could use to help others. At camp, they emphasize the triple threat stance, which I did not really focus on until now. I learned that there are more competitions outside of Guam. So you don’t have to work harder if you want to be the best and that there is a lot of team work involved in basketball.

Silva: I learned and brought back the triple threat. I never really used it before but now since they emphasized it I use it every time I catch the ball. I learned all the basics and I have not mastered everything but with all the basics I learned there I can try my best to be a great player.

To see pictures of their trip, visit www.fibaoceania.com and select Guam under countries and go to our gallery.