Basketball Camp coming in July
Vera Jo Bustos will be running a summer basketball camp for youth as well as speaking to coaches and parents about leadership and improving performance.
Soda Springs Recreation Department has already started into summer activities with a number of events currently taking sign-ups and underway. New director Nikki Hansen is very excited to bring a youth basketball camp to town, led by decorated athlete and premiere motivational speaker Vera Jo Bustos, who will be hosting a parent/adult/coach session for interested members of the public in addition to the camp.
The camp itself is available for boys and girls from twelve to eighteen, and will run for two days, July 1 and 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on both days. Registration cost for the camp is $40, which can be paid online at https://sodaspringsid.com/recreation/recreational_sports/index.php or by following the included QR Code. The session for adults is free, and is sponsored by Gate City Real Estate—Rikki Wood, and the Cobblestone Inn and Suites. Both the camp and the adult session will be held at Tigert Middle School.
Vera Jo Bustos received her BA in Exercise Science (2011), BA in Sports Psychology (2011), and MA in Human Performance (2014) from Adams State University, where she was also had an impressive athletic career on the school’s basketball team, being named a College All American three times, a conference Player of the Year, and leading her team to its first ever sweet sixteen berth, among other accolades. She became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,859, and the all-time leader in minutes played (3,805) and games started (105). She averaged 17.5 ppg over her college careers. She still owns records at West Las Vegas High School, where she was a student!
She went on to serve as an assistant coach at Western Colorado University, and then the University of New Mexico, and played in the professional Euro-League in Greece, accomplishing a great deal before she had even turned 30.
She has applied her research and study of sports psychology on athletes from the high school to the professional levels, as well as other high-skill professionals outside of athletics, including surgeons, business professionals, and veterans. She is an in-demand public speaker, noted for bringing a high-level of focus to the area of the mental game involved in successful competitive situations.
In 2019, Bustos founded Mentality Solutions, LLC, a sport and performance psychology company “focused on achieving optimal performance through mental skills training.” In 2020, Bustos authored her first book, “A Mindful Journey: An Adventure of Discovery and Transformation,” discussing her career in high-level sports. More information about Ver Jo can be found at her website, verajobustos.com.
According to Nikki Hansen, “the entire camp is dedicated to building confidence in the youth and then helping the adults understand how to continue to support that confidence outside of sport for the youth. Vera Jo is a dynamic speaker that speaks across the country, but also does incredible work with athletes. We are extremely fortunate to be able to bring her in Soda Springs for this two day event.”
Registration for the event is due to be completed by June 28 as space is somewhat limited, and everyone is encouraged to sign up to start the summer off with a bang!
