Basketball clinic bridges cultures and talents

U.S. Vice Consul trying to drive to the basket as Saravana, an MCC student from the Tamil Nadu team towers over him, ultimately swatting the shot away as Acting Public Affairs Officer Mr. Robert Kerr looks on in awe.

Mutual admiration and camaraderie was everywhere as the four-day basket ball clinic led by American coaches J. D. Walsh, Robert Baker and Craig Esherick came to a close at the Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai on Saturday, April 10, 2010.  Nearly 100 players, coaches and gym teachers from different high school and college sports programs in Tamil Nadu attended the clinics.  Supported by a US Department of State’s Sports Initiative grant that promotes two way exchanges of American and India coaches, the clinic brought some of the best sporting talents of the U.S. and Tamil Nadu together and deepened the participants’ understanding of each others’ cultures while exploring new basketball training techniques.  The U.S. Consulate’s Acting Public Affairs Officer Mr. Robert Kerr and Vice Consul Mr. Mathew Petit honored the participants at the concluding ceremony.