Aurora basketball team trains like the Raptors

June 21, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

An Aurora basketball team won the chance of a lifetime last weekend after being chosen as leaders in their community.
Elliott’s Avengers, a Bantam-level team coached by Dave Elliott, spent a day at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto learning how to train, eat, and condition like the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, thanks to the Ford Skills and Drills competition.
“The entire Elliott’s Avengers team is excited to spend a day training like their basketball heroes,” said Coach Dave Elliot before the big day. “The kids have done so much work in giving back to our local community and it’s nice to see they’re being rewarded with such a great experience offered by Ford of Canada and the Toronto Raptors.”
One of sixteen teams from across Southern Ontario to earn the grand prize, Ford and the Raptors worked together to single out minor basketball teams that showed “dedication to their communities through charitable contributions.”
Elliott’s Avengers have dedicated many hours to volunteering at the Newmarket Food Pantry, sorting food, stocking shelves, and cleaning.
Working with coaches, trainers, and nutritionists from the Raptors organization, the team was given lessons in Skill Development, “Train Like a Raptor”, and “Eat Like a Raptor.”
Each athlete was also given a Raptors-branded jersey to bring home.