YEARS

A WORD FROM OUR FOUNDERS
25 years

First 25 years in the books!

We went through kindergarten, elementary and middle school. Graduated high school and got into college. Still studying, year after year, we’ll try and graduate soon, enroll in master studies… So here we are, 25 years young. Celebrating our wonderful jubilee.

When we held our first International Basketball Camp KASTA back in 1998, no one even thought about this. Back then, same as now, we had to work very hard. That was the case for the last 25 years. The honor of hosting around 28000 satisfied campers (the population of an average Serbian town), more than 850 clubs, and around 1200 trainers has to be earned! We earned it by showing respect – to the field itself, to the selection of each individual trainer, to every second spent in the camp, to meticulous preparations of the next camp shift as soon as the previous has ended. We have done that 25 consecutive times. So that our campers come back. Even those who ended up having huge careers come back as promoters, with great pride, full-heartedly, no questions asked. Those who used to come as kids many years ago, now tell their kids about it. One day they might come to our 30th KASTA club, tell their kids, and so on… All the while KASTA lasts, becoming better and more wonderful.

And a lot of water will flow through the rivers but KASTA will continue to grow and strengthen. It will be older and more experienced, with more qualities and even better known. And the fact that from the very beginning we operate with the quality marks of the Basketball Federation of Serbia and that the Ministry of Youth and Sports recognized and approved our project “WITH BASKETBALL TO STARDOME” under special programs in the field of sport aimed at the realization of the objectives set out by the Strategy for development of sports in the Republic of Serbia, represents a great deal and a status mark and only confirms the extremely good organizational and professional work in the previous years. And confirms its value.

KASTA became a system. Not only part of the system of basketball camps in Serbia but a system that represents a benchmark. We have the luck that we are not alone. We are not an isolated island. Yet many do the same work KASTA does, dealing with children and organizing camps. We respect all and appreciate everybody’s work, wishing them to last. But we also show how to last and what has to be done so that one lasts. And matters. Duration and tradition are measures of values. We will not get tired along the way. We work so that KASTA camp hosts as many campers as the population of a larger city in Serbia, and as many clubs and coaches as the greatest basketball power. To come, to experience the camp, and to come back again. And it is a measure of value. If only we counted how many campers have returned, how many coaches worked more than one shift and for many years, the number would be quite impressive!

It has been a long since KASTA surpassed the Serbian borders… With its qualities and values that it promotes. The qualities of KASTA International Basketball Camp have been recognized by 27958 campers from 43 countries so far. We make the KASTA Atlas of the world. The farthest destination where our campers came from, the largest number of campers from one country, the longest stay… World adventurers would envy us. We have been to so many countries and the children of all those countries had also come to us. It is our diplomacy. To promote competent work and hospitality not only KASTA basketball camp but also to our country, basketball profession, culture, customs… To acquaint the world with us and us with the world. High-quality sites not only for training but also for the health of campers, hotel accommodation and friendly service, nutrition, sports complex, indoor swimming pool, permanent and professional medical supervision, and wonderful equipment… represent our long-term recognizable values. Our slogan ‘’WITH BASKETBALL TO STARDOM’’ is translated into many languages and on all continents. On the map of basketball camps in the world KASTA camp has its own badge. Now begilded for the twentieth time.

This page is too small for writing about everything KASTA represents now. We will have to make an effort to write the book. About KASTA camp formally, but actually about people, coaches, promoters, campers, camp friends… It is too early for memoirs, we want to last more. We shall see in another 20 years.

 

See you at the 27th KASTA International Basketball Camp.

WELCOME!