Welcome to the second article in a series that we’d like to share with you, exploring the wonderful colour, character and commitment of the people who are POWER ASSIST. As a voluntary organisation that’s provided a weekly basketball competition on Friday nights for 37 years, it’s the people who give their time and love to help us succeed that are of paramount importance. Our community embraces so many roles, some of them not as obvious as others.
Erin Betley is a 38 year old who’s been involved with our Friday night basketball for 21 years (that’s 42 seasons, or over 840 Friday nights). Erin started playing when she was a student at Rossbourne School at the age of 17. Erin has played for both female only teams and mixed teams including Grass Killers, Hoovers, Angels, Lightning, Northern Magic, Pythons, Astronauts and Ravens.
Having stepped back from the sometimes physical competition of Division 3, Erin has joined the Ravens team in Division 4 where she is one of the more experienced players. Erin “gets” what division 4 is all about – we describe Division 4 as our participation level, and Erin understands that some players (on either team) may need a bit of assistance / support / encouragement – and Erin is always the first to help another player ensuring they get the best experience possible.
Erin has also always played in the Women’s competition. Now that we have transitioned this to a weekly skills training session, Erin is one of the key attendees. Erin’s shooting skills have improved significantly over the past 2 years – she was always a keen shooter but now her routine provides a higher level of accuracy.
Erin turns up to basketball every week with a huge smile, a happy hello and emanating the joy of being at basketball. Erin is very polite and she is always quick to offer assistance if needed and has helped with ideas for several important Power Assist projects including our 5 years celebratory player gifts (hoodies, beanies etc), our major Anniversary celebrations and our End of Year party format.
Erin’s advice to other players is to be patient, and focus on your game and your team. And always remember that it’s just a game – whether you win or lose. The best part about basketball is that you are part of a team and you make good friends. Erin is proud to know that she always brings a great sporting approach to Friday night and will always be supportive of other players. So why does Erin come every week? (for over 20 years) – because she loves playing with her friends. And this is one of the most wonderful things about Power Assist and Friday night basketball – no matter what your role is you will always be amongst a most wonderful group of friends.
