- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,212,927
- Reaction score
- 59
Jun. 28—Despite the unusually cold, late-June morning, gaggles of middle -school girls dressed in pink, purple and teal jerseys broke a sweat on Riverside Avenue. The colorful young women provided a contrast from the gray city streets as they stood out from other brackets.
"Cold ... the weather's been cold, abnormally cold, but it's been good. It's been fun," said Chris Ormsby, the coach of the four-girl team Surge out of Kitsap County.
Streets throughout downtown were closed off and turned into 450 courts for the world's largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament again Sunday, the last day of the 36th annual Spokane Hoopfest.
For the morning itinerary at the Charles Schwab I court, 12- and 13-year-old girls played in the 108-bracket competition on Riverside Avenue and Lincoln Street. Girls across Washington and Idaho gathered in downtown Spokane with similar missions: to win it all and improve their game.
Team Surge has taken the streets of Spokane for three years and watched the tournament grow increasingly competitive as they've gotten older. Even though the competition was tougher, the girls had one uniting goal: "To go all the way and win," teammate Rita Frohman said.
The team built their bond by working together to create their pink and white tie-dye jerseys with fun nicknames on the back. Frohman's jersey said, "Wreck It Rita," a nod to the Disney movie "Wreck-It Ralph."
Sah'Mya Tucker, a player on SANE from Western Washington, said their outfits came from the team's philosophy, which is a call-and-response tactic the players have with her father, who is also their coach. He yells, "Hard work," and the girls respond with "Dedication."
As the girls ran past each other on the court and hollered to pass the ball, they caught glimpses of the team's motto of "Hard Work" and "Dedication" on their jerseys.
"It's just a reminder that you can't really do anything without having hard work and dedication," Sah'Mya said.
While the team hoped these attributes would take them to the championship, their primary goal was simply to have fun.
"It's just been really great to play basketball, and be able to be with my girls, and not worry about making mistakes and just play our best," she said.
SANE's hard work and dedication led the team to victory over the Princesses.
The Hamilton, Washington, girls left the court with smiles and satisfaction despite the loss.
"When you're about to lose, you have to keep your head up," 12-year-old Princesses player Sloane Weston said. "Don't give up at the end if you're losing, and keep trying till the end."
Sloane's dad, Brad, has coached the girls for the past four Hoopfests. Win or lose, being both a dad and a coach on the court is an honor. He enjoyed watching the players of the 108th bracket representing the talent of women in sports.
"I think girls basketball, in general nationwide, has taken a hit," he said. "I just love seeing girls out here competing and trying to get better."
Cimarron Waldo's reporting is part of the Teen Journalism Institute, funded by Bank of America with support from the Innovia Foundation.
Continue reading...
"Cold ... the weather's been cold, abnormally cold, but it's been good. It's been fun," said Chris Ormsby, the coach of the four-girl team Surge out of Kitsap County.
Streets throughout downtown were closed off and turned into 450 courts for the world's largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament again Sunday, the last day of the 36th annual Spokane Hoopfest.
For the morning itinerary at the Charles Schwab I court, 12- and 13-year-old girls played in the 108-bracket competition on Riverside Avenue and Lincoln Street. Girls across Washington and Idaho gathered in downtown Spokane with similar missions: to win it all and improve their game.
Team Surge has taken the streets of Spokane for three years and watched the tournament grow increasingly competitive as they've gotten older. Even though the competition was tougher, the girls had one uniting goal: "To go all the way and win," teammate Rita Frohman said.
The team built their bond by working together to create their pink and white tie-dye jerseys with fun nicknames on the back. Frohman's jersey said, "Wreck It Rita," a nod to the Disney movie "Wreck-It Ralph."
Sah'Mya Tucker, a player on SANE from Western Washington, said their outfits came from the team's philosophy, which is a call-and-response tactic the players have with her father, who is also their coach. He yells, "Hard work," and the girls respond with "Dedication."
As the girls ran past each other on the court and hollered to pass the ball, they caught glimpses of the team's motto of "Hard Work" and "Dedication" on their jerseys.
"It's just a reminder that you can't really do anything without having hard work and dedication," Sah'Mya said.
While the team hoped these attributes would take them to the championship, their primary goal was simply to have fun.
"It's just been really great to play basketball, and be able to be with my girls, and not worry about making mistakes and just play our best," she said.
SANE's hard work and dedication led the team to victory over the Princesses.
The Hamilton, Washington, girls left the court with smiles and satisfaction despite the loss.
"When you're about to lose, you have to keep your head up," 12-year-old Princesses player Sloane Weston said. "Don't give up at the end if you're losing, and keep trying till the end."
Sloane's dad, Brad, has coached the girls for the past four Hoopfests. Win or lose, being both a dad and a coach on the court is an honor. He enjoyed watching the players of the 108th bracket representing the talent of women in sports.
"I think girls basketball, in general nationwide, has taken a hit," he said. "I just love seeing girls out here competing and trying to get better."
Cimarron Waldo's reporting is part of the Teen Journalism Institute, funded by Bank of America with support from the Innovia Foundation.
Continue reading...
