Player #3 - Charles Ponce - Next Year Senior!

Well first of all, my name is Charles Ponce. I live in the safe town of Benque Viejo Del Carmen, Belize. I am currently attending 3rd form at Mount Carmel High School. I chose this school because I knew it would bring me closer to God and it would make my faith stronger. I am very grateful to be able to attend this school.

When I was young, my favorite sport was soccer. Then my parents told me to try something new and that's when basketball came into my mind. For my last 3 years of Primary School (Middle School), I tried basketball and fell in love with the game. From that time, I have never stopped playing basketball and never will. Basketball is my life because that's what I do for living and I love playing every moment I can. I can't imagine myself without basketball; it's more than a sport to me.

During the Christmas holidays, I played on a basketball team from town in the town tournaments. It is the same group of guys that are trying to go to the States. Our team made the semifinals of the Christmas Competition which is a great achievement for all of us because compared to the other teams, we are undersized and much younger. With our high school basketball team and the same group of boys, we took 2nd place in the Regionals tournament. Even though we are undersized, we are like family and we never gave up and never will. We have been blessed to have a team like the one we have and for this, I couldn’t be more thankful.

The trip to the US would impact not only me but also my teammates. It would mean a lot to us and we're trying our best to accomplish it. From the things and skills that we may learn from those basketball camps, we would be able to open our own camps for others here in Belize and host tournaments and games. I pray and hope that everything goes well and that it may be a success. Thank you for listening to my story and may God bless you all.

(From Me)

Charles is our team captain and one of the best leaders I have ever seen. He has only been playing basketball for about 5 years and has quickly become one of the best in Belize. Even though we live in a small town and our team is small, he was asked to try out for the Belize National Selection Team. He made the Belize Team who went to a Lebron James Camp in Ohio, however, he was not able to play because of an injury. His dream is to play college ball at any level and you can see his determination and dedication every day because he’s always at the court in town playing with older guys and showing younger guys how to play. They all look up to him, even the older ones. The way he builds up his teammates every day is so inspiring and I have never seen such a natural leader. He is my class president and everyone looks up to him not only on the court but in the classroom. This boy will do great things one day.