Blackburn sisters going to Kansas City - August 2015

Blackburn sisters, Roimata and Leila (both WHS students), going to Kansas City to follow basketball dream.

Leila Blackburn at 17 years and sister Roimata at 18, are heading off to Wichita, Kansas City, USA to attend Life Preparatory Academy, where they will compete against some of the best basketball players in the state and hopefully be picked up by one of the scouts to go on to University on a full basketball scholarship.

They have been given a partial basketball scholarship to attend the Academy but need to raise enough funds to cover travel, tuition fees and boarding expenses. As the new semester starts in September, the sisters will be leaving Wanganui before the end of August. As Roimata is currently in Year 13 at Wanganui High School, her time at the academy will go to May 2016, whereas Leila will have another year after that.

One of their older sisters played basketball and the two of them have loved the sport since they were only five years old. They are also good at netball but their mother suggested that there were more opportunities in basketball. Roimata has played for the senior girls High School team since Year Nine and Leila since Year 10.

Both attended a high performance TXB Basketball Academy in Palmerston North in April, where a USA based scout had a one of one session with each player. He said they had the potential and suggested some schools in the USA and the one in Wichita responded positively.

Life at the Academy will not be all basketball. The sisters will be studying hard to achieve a high score in the American SAT exam system to enable them to attend a top university.

Both sisters have previously been to Australia with the NZ Development Team and twice to Las Vegas with New Zealand Basketball Academy teams in 2012 and 2013, with Roimata’s team winning the 2013 tournament.

Roimata’s commitment is such that she has turned down an invitation to attend a camp in October for the Touch Blacks, intended to prepare players for possible inclusion in the touch rugby team to play in the world championships in Malaysia in 2019.

If you would like to support Leila and Roimata going to the USA, you can go to givealittle.co.nz and type in Blackburn sisters.