Positions on the Basketball Court

In his professional life, Dr. Minto Jain serves as an independent agent with Rex Real Estate Brokerage in Toronto, Ontario. An avid basketball fan in his free time, Dr. Minto Jain follows the Toronto Raptors and has attended several of the team's games.

In a basketball game, each team sends five players onto the court. A team usually assigns its tallest player to the position of center, who plays closest to the basket and must be able to effectively accept passes, block defenders, and make scoring attempts under or near the basket. This multi-skilled player needs to demonstrate competency in a variety of shooting styles, including hook and jump shots, as well as in blocking shotmaking attempts from the opposing team.

The next tallest player typically takes the position of power forward. Expected to be one of the fastest and strongest players on the team, he or she oversees the lane and thus must be effective in rebounding and inside shooting. The small forward is typically shorter but demonstrates high levels of skill in distance shooting, as this position requires the player keep back from the net to be ready for defensive play.

The shooting guard is often the shortest athlete overall but is a strong shooter and has a fast dribble. He or she must be able to effectively move the ball down the court and consistently make shots beyond the three-point line. 

The point guard, meanwhile, is primarily responsible for setting his or her teammates up to shoot. Skilled in coordination and strategy, he or she can dismantle a defense and execute offensive tactics on the spur-of-the-moment. Like his or her four colleagues, the point guard draws on the strengths of his or her teammates to drive a team's success.

Beginner Tips for Half Marathon Training

Minto Jain, a former assistant professor of surgery at Queen’s University, has worked as a real estate broker in Mississauga, Ontario, for more than two years. An avid runner, Minto Jain has completed three half marathons.

A step up from a 10K run, a half marathon covers approximately 21 kilometers. Before training for a half marathon, runners should build a base of running 15 to 20 miles per week and be able to run at least five miles in a single session. To train for a half marathon, runners should:

- Choose a training length. Many half-marathon training programs last 10 to 16 weeks. Even experienced runners would be well-advised to choose a program that lasts at least 12 weeks, which allows for delays due to sickness, injury, or other issues. The number of weeks in the training program will dictate how many miles a runner must train for each day.

- Get enough rest. Especially important for runners who are not half-marathon veterans, resting allows muscles and joints time to relax and recover. As most half-marathon training plans are divided into four days of short runs and one day of a long run, training programs should schedule one day off after a long run and one day off after three short runs.

- Remember to train mentally. Running a half marathon is challenging physically and mentally. On long run days and during the half marathon itself, use mental tricks to keep the run manageable. For instance, make the mental journey less daunting by thinking of the 21 kilometers as roughly two different 10K runs. Staying mentally focused helps runners reach their goal and cross the finish line.

Banff’s Superlative Ski Resorts in the Canadian Rockies

 



An experienced Ontario entrepreneur, Minto Jain has a longstanding interest in fitness and maintains a vegetarian diet with his family. In his free time, he enjoys running and has competed in the Mississauga Half Marathon on three occasions. Minto Jain also cycles regularly and enjoys winter skiing trips to premier destinations such as Aspen, Whistler, Vail, and Banff.

Situated within Alberta’s scenic Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff offers three distinct choices for ski enthusiasts, including Mount Norquay, which is only a few minutes from town. Known as the oldest ski resort in Canada, the slopes opened in 1926 and offer some outstanding mogul runs within a compact area. The area also features the only night skiing in Banff.

Lake Louise is a much larger resort that encompasses in excess of 130 trails and is widely considered to be in the same caliber as Whistler. Advanced skiers access some of the most scenic vistas in the park across glacier-carved Bow Valley. Beginning skiers can also ride on these lifts and simply enjoy the view from the top.

A third major option is Sunshine Village, which is situated relatively remotely and offers many of the park’s highest altitude trails. This storied resort has a history extending to the 1920s, when Canadian Pacific Railways built cabins in the area in support of train operations.

AIM for SEVA - Creating of Free Students Homes Across India

Dr. Minto Jain is a respected Ontario professional who has overseen a prominent chain of imaging clinics and also has served as assistant professor of surgery at Queens University in Kingston. Dr. Minto Jain maintains an active community presence and engages in fundraising activities for AIM for SEVA, a Canadian nonprofit committed to enabling access to quality education for children spanning the globe. 

A particular focus of AIM for SEVA is the empowerment of youth in underprivileged rural areas of India, where child labor is common and abject poverty a fact of life. One of the major success stories of AIM for SEVA has been the creation of 100 hostels, known as Free Students Homes (FSH), in India that provide lodging to more than 3,500 children. The program offers a pathway toward a full education and productive career for youth who have been orphaned or suffer from marginal existences with minimal family support. 

The FSH program is part of an AIM for SEVA “All India Movement,” which has been likened to a banyan tree that spreads its branches across the country. The ultimate aim is to have at least one hostel in each of India’s 640 districts, with a total capacity that meets the needs of 320,000 young learners.