By PAT COLL

The swish of a jump shot through the net. The squeal of new sneakers on a varnished floor.

If anyone who wants to hasn’t yet registered for the Vashon Island Junior Basketball (VIJB) season, now is the time. Go on-line at www.vashonparkdistrict.org or stop by the Vashon Park District offices at Ober Park to pick up a registration form.

All interested are invited to register and come to the mini-camp, which will be Saturday morning, Nov. 17, at the Chautauqua Elementary School gymnasium.

Mini-camp is an extremely important early event in the VIJB program, so all interested are urged to participate. Boys and girls grades first through sixth show their skills at stations (dribbling, shooting, passing and lay-ups), allowing coaches to observe skill levels and thus get competitive balance among the teams in each league.

The schedule for mini-camp is:

Grades 1-2: 9-10:15 a.m.

Grades 3–4: 10:30-11:45 a.m.

Girls Grades 5–6: noon-1:15 p.m.

Boys Skills Challenge Grades 5–6: 1:15-2:30 p.m.

VIJB practices start the week of Dec. 3. League play begins Jan. 5 and Hoopfest/picture day this season will be Jan. 26.

VIJB is always looking for coaches to volunteer and bring new energy and skills to the program.

Contact registration chair Pat Call at 567-4011 or pat.call@cengage.com for more information or to volunteer.

— Pat Coll is a VIJB organizer