PREVENTING TRAGEDY

Basketballer Tim Duggan vows to do his part to stop youth suicide

WHEN sportsman John "Boy" AhMat took his own life, basketballer Tim Duggan vowed to do his part to prevent such tragedy happening again.

AhMat was a close friend of Duggan, who was just beginning his NBL career in Cairns in 1999 when news of AhMat's death reached him.

Duggan said the loss of his friend at such an early stage of life cut him deeply.

"John Boy was like a brother to me," he said. "I credit him with helping me with my NBL and basketball career. He was a(sic) such a tough nut and he was always into me and ribbing me, telling me how good I could be, pushing me to the next level."

That is high praise indeed from Duggan, who went on to play 30 NBL matches with the Gold Coast and Cairns, as well as 257 ABA games.

Duggan was troubled by the premature passing of AhMat, as well as other friends and family, because often the causes were lifestyle-related.

The loss of AhMat became the inspiration for "Hoops 4 Health", a program that uses basketball to deliver healthy lifestyle messages.

"I used him and his life, who he was and the unfortunate events of what happened, for motivation for the program," he said.

"I wanted to ensure other young people made healthy decisions for their lives, particularly people who might not be on the right track."

Basketball helped steer Duggan away from the scourges that often plague young people, such as smoking and drugs.

Duggan said sport also encouraged him to set and pursue goals, which is a key to warding off depression, a common factor in suicide.

"At my house, we had a backyard where my friends would come around and we would play basketball 24 hours a day," he said.

"Looking back on that, it sounds kind of corny but it helped me establish goals.

"I'm not saying I'm perfect but it kept me clear of doing bad things to harm my body."

Duggan works as a project officer with the NT AIDS and Hepatitis Council, dealing mainly with the indigenous gay and lesbian community.

But he first started working in Aboriginal health while in Cairns and Hoops 4 Health was simply an extension of that line of work.

Hoops 4 Health has several objectives - to build enthusiasm for basketball, encouraging physical activity and and(sic) promoting good health.

Duggan also sees the program as a way for him to put something back into basketball, a sport that has given him so many opportunities.

"It's about using my basketball profile to incorporate healthy messages," he said. "As a young person growing up, I played football and basketball. They were activities that led me and my friends to lead a healthy lifestyle."

Hoops 4 Health seeks to promote health in other areas of life apart from simply physical health.

"The program incorporates not only health issues but lifestyle skills like setting goals and having a good attitude," he said. "It's getting people to think about not only the next day but where they are going to be in five years."

Healthy role models are a key part of Hoops 4 Health and getting Duggan's message across.

To this end, boxer Anthony Mundine and motivational speaker "Trendy" Trevor Tim are guests during the two day program.

Both will be in Darwin later this year when the first Darwin annual Hoops 4 Health is staged.

"They have done extensive humanitarian work before and I guarantee 100 per cent people who listen to them will be inspired," Duggan said. "Even by getting an autograph or saying hello to them, you can see they are good people and that they themselves live healthy lives. Trendy Trev and Anthony don't drink and don't smoke.

The program tries to instill health messages in young people at an early age, when they had a chance of sinking in.

The first Darwin Hoops 4 Health program will be staged in(sic) later this year around late April.


Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Sunday, 29 January 2006
Source: Sunday Territorian (Australia)
Author: Chris Leitch
Email: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://www.ntnews.com.au