A crowd of people flooded the Eurohoops Dome’s state-of-the-art facilities (Evrota 24, Kifissia) on Saturday, September 15, for the Opening Ceremony of the Eurohoops Academy for the 2018/19 season.
Children and their parents heard the Academy’s directors, Theodoros Papaloukas and Dimitris Diamantidis, with enthusiasm as they revealed the impressive upgrades to the facilities of the Eurohoops Dome and spoke about the Academy’s philosophy and its priority: to make children happy so they can have a good time and stay healthy.
Then, the Academy’s head coach and technical director, Konstantinos Stamatis, took over and presented the new technological upgrades and the PlaySight platform, which, like he said, “will take the quality of training to the next level.”
The “smart” cameras that were installed in the three courts of the Eurohoops Dome offer direct image and video from the court, with enhanced capabilities through the PlaySight platform. Coaches will be able to show athletes what they did wrong in a drill directly through two special screens that have been installed in the dome. Slow motion video analysis, replay from different angles, and on-screen notes are just a few of the possibilities offered.
The surprises, however, did not end there. Theodoros Papaloukas spoke about the overall upgrade of the Eurohoops Dome experience for the athletes but also the visitors, with the new modern locker rooms on the mezzanine floor, the mounting of stands in order to watch games and the new boutique featuring GSA sportswear. Furthermore, there was a presentation the new Academy website,https://www.eurohoopsacademy.net, that will provide all the information regarding athletes’ activities as well as rich audiovisual material.
The director of the Eurohoops Academy didn’t forget to give warm thanks to the sponsors that support the great effort that is being made. Specifically, the company Volterra, for the supply of electricity;LG, for the technological equipment and screens; Spalding, for the provision of balls and the new special baskets for younger children; GSA, for the athletes’ sportswear; and Praxis Ygeias, who, among other things, care for the health and safety of the athletes with the presence of experienced staff in every training session and game.
Then, as the crowd cheered on, there was a presentation of the Academy’s new coaches, who will strengthen the existing workforce with their knowledge and quality.
The attendees followed the presentation with great interest, while they enjoyed healthy snacks and cool beverages offered by the refurbished café of the Eurohoops Dome.
After the presentation, a very interesting speech was made by the medical staff of Praxis Ygeias, which referred to the importance of a valid pre-participation physical examination and the proper warm up/warm down for every athlete before and after each training session and game.
Children and their parents left with a smile on their face and full of enthusiasm for the facilities of the Eurohoops Dome, with an appetite and eagerness for the exciting new season that is about to begin!