Basketball campBasketball lovers between 11 and 19 years old can improve their skills this summer at the 18th annual International Basketball Camp in Würzburg, Germany.Two five-day sessions run July 29 to Aug. 2 and Aug. 2-6. A nine-day session runs July 29 to Aug. 8. All sessions include overnight stays at the camp. The program includes the equivalent of nine games at each session, with conditioning, station drills and scrimmages. Facilities include seven inside full-court and two half-court areas, two full outdoor courts, a track, and weight and conditioning rooms. The coaching staff includes players and coaches from the U.S., Hungary and Germany.Costs are 250 euros for each five-day session and 475 euros for the nine-day session. It includes instruction, supervised accommodation (separate quarters for males and females), full board, medical supervision, T-shirt, training handbook and personal evaluation. Organizers say about 25 percent of those who attend each year are from Department of Defense Dependents Schools.Contact Scherer Tours in Munich at (+49) (0)931-4090-46 or by e-mail at scherer_tours@t-online.de.
Pack and donateThe Pack with a Purpose charity encourages people traveling to exotic sites to set aside room in their luggage to take items to needy communities near their destinations. Its website, www.packforapurpose.com, estimates that it takes only five pounds of luggage allowance to provide room for 400 pencils, or a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff with 500 Band-Aids, or five deflated soccer balls with an inflation device.Click on your country of destination to find what’s needed and drop-off points.
Easy London bikingThe Barclays Cycle Hire program in London no longer requires cyclists to register as members to rent a bike docked at one of its 352 stations throughout the city center. Those who want to peddle to a destination and park the bike at another site can use a Visa or MasterCard credit/debit card or Visa Electron at the starting station. Costs include a 1-pound (about $1.60) access fee for 24 hours or 5 pounds for seven days. Bike rental is free for 30 minutes, then charges range from 1 pound for one hour to 6 pounds for up to two hours, 15 pounds for up to three hours and 50 pounds for up to 24 hours. Bike stands operate around the clock.See details at www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/11598.aspx.
