Ignite Her Game Academy

Former basketball player, Angela Lewis, is branching out her remarkable Virtual Basketball Academy with, Ignite Her Game Academy (IHG). Angela, the CEO of this brand new Academy, has coached every level of basketball involving young women. Angela understands the hardships of being a female basketball player, having played basketball herself. The challenges that she endured inspired her to create the Virtual Basketball Academy for young women, so they can run where she once walked.
“Ignite Her Game Academy” is a program that supports a “holistic” approach to basketball. “Holistic” means treating and focusing on one’s mental and physical health. Embarking in April 2021, Ignite Her Game Academy has been teaching high school girls the life skills they need to be leaders on and off the court. Through the program, coaches and former collegiate athletes lead these girls into healthy, confident, and courageous lives that they can be proud of. The IHG Academy’s courses and sessions include quick activities, readings, and informative videos that coaches share with their teams on and off the court. Each skill will eventually help the girls prepare for the ever-changing world.
With the initial Virtual Basketball Academy, Angela was able to take what she learned from her in-person basketball academy in St. Louis and bring it all to a virtual space. Angela has gracefully been able to remain on top of things during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made the Virtual Basketball Academy a huge success. “The pandemic forced everyone to slow down and think about life differently. We couldn’t have imagined things would be what they were. I am grateful to still be here, working to ensure girls have opportunities regardless of the circumstances,” Angela reflected. Not only was she able to transfer her Virtual Basketball Academy from in-person to virtual, but she also made the Academy available to those all around the country. These girls from different parts of the country meet monthly via Zoom to learn tips about specific topics related to life and athletics. They receive recordings and a workbook that lists all of the scheduled activities.
Through the Virtual Basketball Academy, Angela has always been clear about helping girls gain knowledge of themselves. A part of knowing yourself requires that you have an idea of what’s right and wrong for your health. During these trying times where many things have been uncertain, both mental and physical health should be prioritized. The girls who participated in the Virtual Basketball Academy received a substantial amount of resources, which included expert interviews, training videos, and mentoring. Through the special drills in Ignite Her Game Academy, they are taught to execute the game while receiving advice from the top experts in women’s basketball.
Angela understands that most players won’t play college basketball, but she also hopes that every girl learns how to communicate more effectively, think critically and efficiently–while also understanding financial literacy and making strategic plans for their lives. Through these lessons of life and basketball, she feels like the Academy is definitely serving its purpose. So far, the summer sessions are going well, and that’s coming from the athletes-in-training themselves: “One girl said that learning how to create positive self-talk has really helped her when she had a difficult time on the court.” Lewis believes that under IHG, she has gathered a community of girls who give each other much-needed feedback. “This makes the program really special and gives them an objective voice to hear outside of their teams, families, and coaches. With IHG, it doesn’t matter where the girls are from or how good they are at the sport. We are really focused on who they are as a person and how they want to live,” Lewis said about the impact Ignite Her Game Academy has on its participants. In May, they discussed Mental Health and Holistic well-being, and the girls learned how to create self-care plans and reflect on what makes them feel balanced (on and off the court). She believes that this skill of reflection and self-care will carry these young women throughout their lives.
Ignite Her Academy’s sessions all have a theme. For April, the theme was “Self Awareness and Confidence.” In May, it was “Mental Health and Holistic Wellbeing.” June’s theme was “Listening and Communication.” Ignite Her Game Academy’s future monthly skills sessions will include: “Strength, Conditioning, & Recovery” (July 25th from 4-5 PM/6-7 PM CST), and “Time Management & Organization” (August 15th from 4-5 PM/6-7 PM). Girls ages 13-17 (High School students) will be able to participate, https://www.angelarlewis.com/ignite-her-game.
What’s next on the Ignite Her Game Academy’s agenda? Angela wants to start “Ignite Her Game for Coaches” during the Fall. IHG for Coaches will be an extension of the original summer Ignite Her Game Academy program. An added feature of the coaches program will be that any coach who works with young female basketball players will have access to monthly “Life Skills” activities to implement with their teams. Under this program, they will offer life skills topics, along with video interviews (with professionals), readings, and more resources for their players. Angela’s reasoning for opening this new opportunity was commendable: “We recognized that after 2020, coaches want to do so much more for their players as they navigate the challenges of life. The IHG coaches platform will give them the information to do that in an organized way.” With new events on the horizon, Angela Lewis and her Academies have a bright future ahead.