Alternative Education is a programme set up throughout New Zealand to cater for the needs and rights of students aged 13 to 15 years who have become alienated from 'mainstream' schooling. Students find themselves in this programme for a number of reasons including those who are habitual truants and those who have behaviorally challenges and are consequently excluded from school. Alternative Education aims to provide a constructive alternative delivery of education for these students.

The Auckland north programme consists of 5 providers spread from Glenfield to Warkworth.

Throughout July, August and September these students have been invited to take part in a new initiative with the BDT community coaches. Every week over 30 students from the different   centers make their way to the Breakers training facility for an hour of basket and fitness training.

The programme has been in place for 2 weeks no and we have had a great response from the students and teachers so far. Teachers have commented on their students new found interest in basketball,

“They are taking every opportunity they can during the week to practice the skills they have learnt here. The students have marked out lines in the classroom to practice the games Hayden has taught us”.

Breakers community coaches have teamed up with the TYLA (Turn Your Life Around) programme to offer a basketball development programme to at risk youth in Lynfield.

TYLA was created in 1996 to identify a better means of reducing the number of young offenders in New Zealand and providing support and choices to the young people 'at risk ' of offending. They work within local communities to deliver tailor-made programmes that help inspire ‘at risk' youth to turn their lives around.

They are currently running programmes in Otara and Auckland Central West. Each year the programme continues to advance its mission to empower young people through different mediums. Working  tirelessly with the Lynfield Recreation Centre and the New Zealand Police, TYLA’s partnership with the Breakers in the creation of this programme is a strongly supported by the Breakers own core values. The Breakers mission to use team, integrity and courage to create champions is a perfect fit for the aims of this project.

Every week during Term 2 our coaches will be taking up to 30 kids through a series of fun drills and games to teach them the skills of the game and help them develop their own talents. Our coaches Hayden Allen and Lawrence Lianda both have interesting stories to tell as to how they have made it to where they are today and are the ideal candidates to lead the on court side of this programme.  

If you would like more information on what TYLA check out their website http://www.tyla.co.nz/  

The end of the 2009-2010 Burger King NZ Breakers season has arrived. It’s time to look back and reflect on all the events that have transpired over the last seven months on and off the court.

The NZ Breakers work in partnership with the Basketball Development Trust to run coaching and player appearance programmes to help support and grow basketball in our community. Here is a summary of the Breakers commitment to these community based programmes:

15 Breakerballs: Team visiting local schools to play a ‘Harlem Globe Trotter’ style exhibition game against the students.

15 Breaker Experiences: School groups are invited into the Breakers training facility to experience what it like to be a Breaker, including watching a training session, stadium tour and on court coaching session with the players.

Totaling over 450 hours of community coaching by the Breakers players

Over 13,000 children have had the opportunity to meet the team and collect high fives and signatures from their favorite players.

Over 50 hours of additional player appearances including: School galas, prize giving’s, open days, hospital visits and many, many more.

Over 9,000 skills booklets delivered to schools and junior basketball teams.

And over 50 donations to different schools and charity groups to help raise money for their causes.

The New Zealand Breakers are proud to support the community that supports them and look forward to continuing this support into the 2010-11 season.

Week of February 8^th

Finnegan Buick is a positive and dynamic eight year old boy, who loves sport and especially his sporting icon Kirk Penney. At five years old Finn was diagnosed with leukaemia and has been courageously fighting this life threatening illness for the last three years.  In this time he has undergone numerous operations and has emerged as a confident, chatty young man. Finnegan wrote a letter to the Make-a-Wish foundation last year to grant his wish of getting a new laptop. He also happened to mention in his letter that he is a big Breakers fan and especially admires Kirk Penney who “always gets up after he has been knocked down”. On Thursday the 4^th of February, Finn’s wish was granted but much larger than he had ever expected.   

Finnegan and his family were invited to attend their very own meet and greet with the Breakers team at their game day shoot around session last week. He took the opportunity with both hands to make the most out of his time with the team, collecting signatures and photos with all of the players as well as taking to the court and shooting a few hoops with his hero.

Kirk Penney and Rick Rickert then took Finn out for lunch where he received his brand new laptop computer, printer and a selection of games. But his wish didn’t stop there, Finn and his family where back again that night to watch the Breakers as they took on the Wollongong Hawks. Finn was seated right next to his favourite player on the team bench to watch first hand as Kirk and the team beat the Hawks in their must win quest for the play offs. This was an unforgettable night for Finn who hopes to be in remission by the end of the month.

The Breakers are proud to work with the Make-a-Wish Foundation to grant opportunities like this to children with life threatening illness. The foundation has a dedicated group of volunteers all over the country that help to bring the wishes to life. They rely on corporate sponsorship, charitable trusts and donations from the public to facilitate the granting of wishes.  If you wish to make a donation or find out more about Make-a-Wish please click here to visit their website.  

Week of February 1^st

Monday was a special day for children and families from the Home school Auckland Sports and Culture Association (HASCA).  Over 80 children from around Auckland made their way out to the Breakers training facility to have their very own Burger King Breakers Experience.

Children and parents arrived at the Breakers training facility for two hours of entertainment as they found out what it is like to be part of the Breakers team. Families sat on the courtside stands to watch the teams first training session of the week and get a glimpse into the work that goes into playing in the Austrlian Nation Basketball League. Throughout practice small groups of families were taken on a guided tour of the stadium by Breakers team manager Chris Millbank. Each group having the chance to investigate the players’ lounge, locker rooms and weights room as Chris imparted his stories and experinces with the the team in each room.  After practice, the children took to the court for an hour of coaching from Breakers players and coaching staff. The children worked on their skills through a series of drills before finishing off with some fun games of Golden Child.

HASCA is an incorporated society that was originally created in 2001 to allow their secondary school basketball teams to compete in the Auckland secondary schools competition.  The society was set up by North Shore home educating parents to promote and unite home educating families in sport and cultural events. Since 2001 they have undertaken many different sports, educational and cultural events including an annual family sports and outdoor pursuit days, a midyear family ball, art festivals featuring their own choir and dance groups, and various music, singing, dance and drama activities.

Week of January 25th

The NZ Breakers and Nike teamed up last week to introduce students from the  SENZ training institute to their first ever live basketball game.

Students were a part of the Prime Ministers programme, which has been set up to reward youth who have overcome adversity and made a substantial attempt to make positive changes in their lives. This is a week long programme is run every year in late January. Students spend the week developing and challenging themselves in a range of different environments. They are also given the opportunity to meet  with high achieving New Zealanders in the sporting arena to learn from them and see what challenges they have had to overcome in thier lives to achieve thier sporting success. This year included the Vodafone NZ Warriors and Warriors development, the Mad Butcher and selected V8 drivers from Pukekoe. 

The Breakers were proud to be a part of this programme. Twebty five interested students arrived early at the Breakers game last Thursday night to exeperince the Breakers atmosphere. They were introduced to the Breakers General Manager, Richard Clarke who gave the students the inside scope on the basketball club and some of the benefits and challenges of pursuing a professional basketball career. At half time they were taken for an exclusive tour through the Breakers changing rooms to find out how the team prepares for their games, the training they undergo week to week and some of the benefits that come from the job. After the game they had the opportunity to meet all of their favorite players and collect all of their signatures.

Nike is a strong supporter of all of the SENZ training programmes, based in South and West Auckland since 1999. SENZ programmes are run to help train and develop youth to prepare them for the work force.

Other Community activities this week included:

MOTAT. Cheeky made his final apperance to MOTAT to help promote the Future Sport Holiday Experience.

Week of January 18th

The Breakers new import Kevin Braswell got a taste of the clubs community work as he matched up against fans in a local holiday programme. This week the team made a special appearance at the Hibiscus Coast Leisure Centre to show the kids a little bit of basketball magic.

Oscar Forman started the show taking the kids through a series of warm games to get the blood flowing. It wasn’t long until the young athletes were ready to take it to the court and match up against their favorite players.

It didn’t take long until the professionals began showing off their range of talents. CJ Bruton led the way demonstrating his incredible ball handling skills, dribbling around and through seven defenders. Oscar Forman and Alex Pledger showed off their long range jumpers as Corey Webster demonstrated a few ball handling tricks of his own. Dillon Boucher stole the show a few times as he threw down one big dunk after another bringing everyone on the sideline to their feet.

The younger players had a few tricks of their own, and in one incident Corey Webster fell victim to a crafty seven on one defensive plays that saw the young Hibiscus Coasters steal the ball and make their way down the court.

The local under 11’s representative side also spent some quality time with the Breakers during their visit. The team imparted valuable knowledge onto their younger counterparts speaking of how to stay positive and focused on the court and the importance of having fun the U11's also learnt a few drills to help them progress in their upcoming competition.

Other community activates this week included:

MOTAT: Cheeky the Kea made an appearance at the Future Sport Holiday Experience holiday programme.

Mega Clinic with the Breakers

Over 120 kids turned up to the NZ Breakers training facility this week to take part in the Breakers basketball mega clinic. This is a unique opportunity for children to come and train on the Breakers courts , meet the players, and experience what it’s like to be a Breaker. For five days campers are put through their paces, every morning starts with a serious of warm up drills to get the campers ready for the day and thinking with a basketball mind. Then they move into skill development workshops, progressing through work stations run by each of the camp coaches and the afternoons have been filled with games, 4 on 4 and 5 on 5.

Campers also got the opportunity to see the Breakers players in action during the team training sessions. Trainings were louder than ever this week as campers crowded into the grand stand to cheer on their team. Campers crowded around the team after training for a chance to meet their favorite player and collect signatures from their favorite players.

 The clinic also boosted a very impressive coaching line up to help mold the basketball minds of the young campers. There were nine full time coaches on court including: Ex-Tall Black Daryl Cartright, current Tall Blacks point guard Mike Fitchett, Harbour Heat swingman Daniel Ryan, Breakers Academy Player Brad Anderson, Rangitoto College girls coach Lana Kershaw, ex  Junior Tall Fern Haley Purcell, Harbour Heat Reserve Ben Fraser and Breakers Community Coaches Hayden Allen and Lawrence Lianda.

This clinic is run every year in the January holidays and is run free on behalf of the Basketball Development Trust. It is through the help of funding gained from the Trillian Trust that this camp is possible. All campers also walked away with a free basketball as well as special ticketing and merchandise offers from the NZ Breakers.

Other Community activities this week included:

Cheeky the Kea at MOTAT. The Breakers team mascot paid a special visit on Wednesday to help promote the Future Sport Holiday Experience.

Week of December 14th

Junior Basketball in Auckland is on the raise and the Burger King New Zealand Breakers are giving players the opportunity to show their skills on game day. Every week that the Breakers are set to play the court is warmed up by two primary or intermediate basketball teams from the greater Auckland region. This season the NZ Breakers have hosted 14 school teams who for fifteen minutes get to play in the footsteps of their taller counterparts.

“The kids love it, they haven’t stopped talking about playing  on the same court as the Breakers all weeks and I know I’m going to hear even more after the game tonight. Thank you for the opportunity” commented one of the parents from the Sport Gulf Harbour team.

On December 10^th, 17^th and January 21st the curtain raiser teams take on a whole new look. It is on these dates that the NZ Breakers are proud to host the six Northern Special Olympics basketball teams. From Papakura in the south of Auckland to Whangarei in the north. These athletes bring a new level of energy and excitement to the basketball court as the put their bodies on the line to show the NZ Breakers home crowd what they can do.

“The Special Olympic teams are my favorite teams to watch every year” commented NZ Breakers curtain raiser referee Mitchell Rolleston.

Christmas time is a busy time of the year for the Burger King Breakers. Here are some of the other community activities the team has taken part in this week:

Dominion Road Primary Y6 Graduation. Corey Webster was a special guest speaker at the graduation ceremony. He spoke of how he has grown up and the lessons he learnt and experiences he has had in his ten years since leaving Primary school.

Royal New Zealand Air Force Village Green Day. Rick Rickert, Tom Abercrombie and Rick Rickert were guest judges at the Annual Air Force Parade day. They observed the humorous floats and performances put on by the Air Force personal, before testing their skills on the cricket nets and the other games available.

Curtain Raiser Game between North Harbour Special Olympics and Auckland Special Olympics teams. 

Week of December 7th

On Wednesday the 9^th of December the Starship Children’s Hospital held their annual children’s Christmas party with a host of special guests. The crowd was looked after by their MC and popular New Zealand television host Jordan Vandermere, as children from all works of life crowded into the hospitals indoor playground area to meet all their favorite New Zealand celebrities. Oscar Forman and Rick Rickert immersed themselves amongst the crowds of kids, signing and giving out team posters to help spread some of the Christmas cheer.

Celebrities tested their vocal cords as they sung all their favorite Christmas corols. Captain Starship and Santa were there to meet all the children, hand out lollies, give high fives and sign their autographs.

After the floor show had completed all the children made their way back to their rooms for some early Christmas surprises. Starship hospital with the aid of some very generous donations from the community had organized presents for all their children. Celebrities entered room after room meeting all the children in the hospital to deliver the special gifts.

The greatest gift of all however was received by the Breakers players. Each room they entered brought huge smiles and looks of amazement as the children meet their sporting icons and comprehended the height of the 6’10’’ and 6’11’’ athletes.

It was a fantastic day and the huge number of generous donations received by the hospital throughout the year will ensure that all Starship kids get treated to a very special Christmas right throughout the month of December.

To help support Starship Children’s hospital visit their website for more information.

Other community activities this week included:

Breaker Experience with Point England Primary, Waimokoi School and Browns Bay Primary

Breaker Ball with Mairangi Bay Primary on the North Shore

Game Day Experience with Auckland Grammar and students from the Home School Association

Curtain Raiser Game between Waitakere Special Olympics and Howick / Pakuranga Special Olympics teams. 

Week of November 30th

The NZ Breaker's Game Day Experience is a new programme created to give senior students involved in high school basketball the opportunity to learn what it is like to be a professional basketball player on game day. This week students from Henderson High School in Waitakere and Kingsway School in Orewa came along to the NZ Breakers shoot around to meet their basketball role models. Twenty players and coaches listened in as Breakers coaches and players broke down thier game as they found out it takes to be a basketball player off the court. They then witnessed the team warm up and run through position specific drills to get the players bodies and minds ready for the game that night.

After training had finished Rick Rickert and Jeremiah Trueman introduced themselves to the players and gave their own personal accounts of game day preparation habits. The High schoolers were also interetsed to find out what it was like for Rick and Jeremiah to play in College and NBA Basketball in America, how they stayed foucsed on thier training, and their tips for the future.

“It was great to hear Rick and Jeremiah talk about the importance of getting an education, my team have defiantly benefitted from this programme.” Commented the Henderson High School Coach Dion Hettig.

Other communtiy activities this week included:

Breaker Ball with St Pauls School in Massey.

BreakerBall with Sir Edmond Hillary Collegate in Otara.

Week of November 2nd

The NZ Breakers took on two schools last week in a “Harlem globetrotter” style exhibition games. The Home School Association and Kristin school students hosted the Breakers on their own school courts and put their skills to the test against their role models. The Schools weren’t short of support either with hundreds of their peers coming along to encourage their team and to meet the Breakers Players. They weren’t disappointed either with players pulling out all their tricks from sneaky behind the back passes, half court shoots and aerobatic ally oops and dunks.

The Breakers School programme has been designed to provide encouragement and opportunity to children in the community who may not get the chance to make it along to a Breakers Game. Kids who have never seen a game before see how exciting it is and will hopefully want to join one of their local teams

Sandra Dawson form the Home School association enthusiastically thanked the Breakers for running this programme “Not all of our children get the chance to come along to a game; this is a great opportunity to see the team perform. The kids will be talking about this for months to come”.

Other Community activities this week included:

Breaker Experience with Henderson Intermediate in Waitakere

Breaker Experince with Taupaki Primary in Waitakere

Kia Kaha: Kirk Penney was the guest speaker at a Navy Mentoring Workshop hosted by New Zealand Police. Kirk spoke to over 50 new recruits about his experiences in basketball with coming from the New Zealand basketball scene to College in America, the NBA and playing for the Breakers. Kirk was warmly welcomed by the Navy with related his experiences to lessons learnt around accountability, success, judgment and comradeship.