‘One-buck’ rule gets indefinite extension

Applications open for hoops tourney

Team applications are being accepted for the fourth annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the Renaissance Pointe YMCA, in honor of former Homestead player Rodney Thompson.

The event is to raise awareness of the dangers of texting and driving distracted, which led to the automobile crash that killed Thompson in 2008.

Four-player teams of players 13 and older may participate in the tournament, which begins at 11 a.m. June 23. Entry fee is $45 per team, and teams must register by June 10. In addition to prizes and T-shirts for participants, the tournament also is as a fundraiser for college scholarships. Spectator tickets are $5.

For additional information, call 676-4683, or at facebook.com/standd626. Teams may also register online at www.standd.org.

Return of the Macker

Return of the Macker

Published 9:46am Monday, April 23, 2012

Hot wings, beer and entertainment. Is there any other way to throw a party? If so, don’t tell the people who gathered to celebrate the start of the annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament, which begins May 19.

The annual party, held at Buffalo Wild Wings, has become an event all in its own.

“This is just a great atmosphere,” Jason VanSloten, tournament operator, said.

While taking advantage of the free drinks and food, the crowd watched numerous children participate in a free-throw contest in the parking lot.

“These events bring a lot of people together this time of the year,” Tony Wilson, EMT, said.

While the party was well represented, people realized that it was merely the prelude to the main event.

“People live and die (Gus) Macker,” VanSloten said.

Last year, the three-on-three tournament featured more than 200 teams. Approximately 10,000 people showed up just to watch the event.

“It is a big fundraiser,” VanSloten said. “Other than that, it brings people out. We shut down a street to have the tournament.”

Wilson believes that this tournament is one of the biggest events for Lawrence County.

“It’s in the top three of the year,” Wilson said. “It brings a lot of revenue to the city.”

Online registration deadline is April 30 and cost $124 per team.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 8 a.m. on May 19.

ValleyFest 2012 is canceled

ValleyFest, an Arkansas River Valley annual tradition for 22 years, has been canceled for 2012, but some of the events associated with the festival will continue on their own.

“We will be hosting an event at the Boys and Girls Club to recognize our sponsors,” Boys and Girls Club of the Arkansas River Valley executive director Cathy Andrasik said about having an event this year. “We have also spoken with representatives of Pope County Fair Grounds with positive reception.”

Laurie Driver, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District spokesperson, said Andrasik was notified before last year’s event that Old Post Park would not be an option for this year.

“The Corps felt ValleyFest had outgrown the infrastructure of Old Post Park,” Driver said. “We (Corps) were under the impression that the event would continue to grow and that the park could not accommodate an event of that size.”

Driver said the Corps told Andrasik it would work with the Boys and Girls Club to host portions of the event at the park, and as of Friday had not received notification from the club requesting use of the facility this year.

“They did meet with us and we gave them an operational procedure, and they told us we wouldn’t be able to have the event there the following year,” Andrasik said. “At that point we thought if we work well with them, we would still be able to have it.”

Andrasik said the Corps of Engineers suggested she fill out a different form requesting use of the facility to host a fundraiser for a nonprofit. She did, but said a representative of the Corps told them during last year’s wrap up meeting the event would need to relocate.

“We plan to continue events that were previously held during ValleyFest — such as our 5K run/walk, pickleball tournament, tennis tournament, disc golf tournament, Tour De Valley [in memory of Sam Avery] and 3 on 3 basketball tournament,” Andrasik said. “We won’t begin planning until June. We did meet with the chairman of each event, and everyone is on board to run those events.”

Last year event organizers added more carnival rides, a disc golf tournament and brought in a temporary stage for country singer Travis Tritt.

Usual events at the festival included a 3-on-3 basketball, softball, “River Valley Idol” competition, tennis, basketball, a 5K run, a fishing derby, Tour De Valley bicycle race, pickle ball, a car show, beach volleyball, horseshoes, a slam-dunk contest and concessions.

ValleyFest is the biggest fundraiser for the Boys and Girl’s Club and was hosted at Old Post Park all of its past 22 years.

Skyline Club Hosts basketball tourney March 24

The Skyline Club at Sul Ross State University will host the Skyline Hooptacular 3-on-3 basketball tournament on March 24. The tournament will be held at the Graves-Pierce Recreation Center on the Sul Ross campus.

The cost is $25 per team with a maximum of five players per team.

The tournament is a fundraiser to help students attend the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) competition later this month.

The Skyline Hooptacular is open to anyone who wants to play. There will be a women’s division if enough female teams sign up. Teams are encouraged to register as soon as possible to be seated in the tournament.

This will be the first time the Skyline Club has hosted the event, but members said they hope to make this a yearly event, right before TIPA.

At the press association conference, students participate in live competitions in their area of journalism against other Texas colleges and universities. Students also attend workshops to help improve their skills and gain new information about the journalism field. Sul Ross and other member universities also send awards from publications from the previous year to be judged. Sul Ross has been attending TIPA for many years and has won numerous awards.

For more information, contact Jason Hennington at 512-269-9735 or email skyline@sulross.edu.

Annual 3-on-3 hoops tournament planned

The fourth annual Pacific Rim 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament will be held March 17 at Marshfield High School.

The event is a fundraiser for the Friends of South Coast Kids Foundation.

The tournament is open to all students and adults from Mapleton to Brookings.

Male and female divisions will include sixth- through eighth-grade; high school; 18-29 years old; 30-and-over; and Special Olympics.

Registration is $40 per individual and the sign-up deadline is March 9. All players receive a T-shirt and first-place finishers in each division receive a trophy, while runners-up receive medals.

Spectator admission is $2, with children 10 and under getting in for free.

Preliminary rounds will begin at 10 a.m.

Registration forms can be picked up a school district offices and middle school and high school offices.

The event is sponsored by the Southwestern Oregon Labor Council.

For more information, call Susan Anderson at 541-756-5835.

Dollars For Scholars Phone-A-Thon Raises $7K

(Aurora, Ind.) – Sixty South Dearborn High School students spent part of their Sunday dialing local residents in order to raise money for scholarships.

When the annual South Dearborn Dollars For Scholars Phone-A-Thon had ended, the students had gathered $7,415 in pledges, said SDDFS Co-President Debbie Busching. The fundraising total could grow as donors send back their donations to the organization.

The donations will help fund scholarships for South Dearborn High School students. Since 1991, Dollars for Scholars has awarded more than $370,000 to 530 South Dearborn graduates pursuing a post-secondary education.

SDDFS’ next fundraiser is the 21^st Annual Run-and-Gun 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament on March 17 and 18 at South Dearborn High School.

3-on-3 basketball tourney, fundraiser planned

GARRETT — The Judy A. Morrill (JAM) Recreation Center in Garrett is hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 4, with games starting at 8 a.m.

The tournament includes brackets for middle school, high school and adults. Team can be co-ed.

The cost for middle and high school players is $10 per person, while adults will be charged $20 per person.

The tournament is a double-elimination format with games played to 16 points.

All participants will receive a T-shirt after the tournament. The winners will receive a trophy and their team named on the JAM Wall of Fame.

A shooting contest will also be held for free throws, three-point and half-court shots. The cost for each contest is $2 per person.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the shooting contests, even if not playing in the tournament.

The shooting contests will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The proceeds from the fundraiser will help support the not-for-profit mission of the JAM Recreation Center, specifically supplies for the gym and for future league activities.

Interested players can register at the center from now until 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30.

Phone the center at 357-1917 with any questions. The center is located at 1200 E. Houston St., Garrett.

Teams sought for fundraiser for 2-year-old Elkhart girl

ELKHART — Teams can enter a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that will benefit the family of an Elkhart police officer whose 2-year-old daughter has cancer.

Taylor, the daughter of Jesus Contreras, a six-year veteran of the Elkhart Police Department, and his wife Sarah, needs eight months of chemotherapy and radiation at Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, for the treatment of rhabdomysarcoma, a cancer of the muscle that connects to bone.

Doctors are hopeful the treatment can save Taylor’s right eye, according to Patrolman Bob Smith of the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department, who is helping to organize the “Buckets 4 Taylor” tournament.

Taylor earlier had part of a malignant tumor removed from behind the eye. She is the youngest of four children.

In order to start the radiation therapy, the Contreras family must come up with $10,000 before February, Smith said.

The event will be played beginning at 1 p.m. Jan. 8 at Concord High School. The Elkhart FOP has set up an account and all profits from the tournament, as well as donations, will go directly to the Contreras family, Smith said.

The cost for a team is $100 in advance or $120 on the day of the tournament.

Registration and donations are being accepted at www.buckets4taylor.com, or can be mailed to FOP 52, Buckets4Taylor, P.O. Box 386, Elkhart, IN 46515.

For more information, call 574-849-8763, or e-mail hoops@buckets4taylor.com.

Officers from the Elkhart Police Department and Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department are organizing the tourney.

JD boosters close to saving some sports teams

DEWITT-NY, (WSYR-TV) – DEWITT, NY (WSYR-TV) – Moving up to the Varsity team is a goal for Jamesville-Dewitt 7th grader Lucas Binder.

“If I wanted to try out for the LaCrosse team later, I need those skills in 7th and 8th grade to be able to make it,” said Binder.

Space on the modified teams, for 7th and 8th graders, has been limited. Normally, each sport has two teams to accommodate more players. This year, the budget only supported one team in each section and many middle school students were turned away in the Fall.

Eric Antosh was thrilled to learn he’d be able to play basketball, but he’s disappointed many of his friends didn’t make it.

“Its important because I want my friends to be on the team…make them feel good,” said Antosh. “It will also be important to keep playing on the team, so then you could get up to the higher level one day.”

Parents and students are trying to restore the athletics program, including cuts on the high school level that affected the size of those rosters.

They’ll have to raise $48,000 dollars by the end of the year to convince the school board to keep all modified sports in the Spring.

“It hurts. It’s tough to not be able to hang out with my friends as much because I have to do my sports,” said Kyle Cappelletti. “When they’re not on, it cuts me away from them a little bit.”

A group called Save JD Sports hosted a Midnight Madness fundraiser at the high school Saturday night to bring in more cash.

They were still about $1,500 short of their goal at the end of the night. While members are confident they’ll save the athletic program this year, finding a long-term solution will be a bigger challenge.

“We’re trying to figure that out as we go. It’s tough right now with the financial climate,” said Athletic Director John Goodson. “As those (budget figures) become more concrete, obviously school budgets become more concrete.”

Surviving another season is half of the battle. With so many other schools in the same boat, kids at Jamesville-Dewitt are hoping they’ll have enough modified teams to play against next year.  You can find out more about Save JD Sports on their website: www.savejdsports.com

Rolling Meadows High School Boosters 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament

The Rolling Meadows Athletic Booster Club will once again be sponsoring its 18th Annual Mustang Shootout. Traditionally, this fundraiser has taken place in April but due to the success of last year’s event we will continue to hold it over winter break.

On Wednesday, December 21, girls(grades 3rd – 12th), college women and adult men and women will compete. On Thursday, December 22nd, boys (grades 3rd – 12th), and college men will compete. All games will be played at Rolling Meadows High School (2901 Central Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008) and will take place in the afternoon and/or evening.

The cost is $100 (if paid by December 15th). Registration forms are online at (http://mustangbooster.wordpress.com/). Proceeds from this event go toward TPC’s Post Prom Committee and the RMHS Athletic Boosters. Should you have any questions, please call Jetty Kramp (773-842-0352) or Joe Schurtz (630-772-9901).