News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Hundreds of kids played multiple games in tourney.
"What's with all the people in town?" queried a patron at Sisters Movie House as he walked into a lobby teeming with boisterous boys and girls waiting for "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."
The answer was a simple one: Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) was hosting its most successful basketball tournament in years.
The tournament roster included 47 teams, 15 more than expected by tournament directors. They came from the local area and from as far away as Coos Bay in the west and Burns in the east.
With players, coaches and family members, tournament directors estimated approximately 1,000 visitors, some 600 of whom were overnighters. Many of those stayed an extra night after the tournament to take advantage of the long holiday weekend.
The visitors provided a welcome economic shot in the arm to midwinter Sisters, turning on the No Vacancy signs in local lodging establishments, shopping downtown and packing local restaurants.
"We have 15 boys here, and parents and brothers and sisters," said Burns middle school basketball coach Kevin Feist. "We stayed at Sisters Inn & Suites and ate at the Mexican restaurant. It's been a lot of fun. It's good for our kids to play good competition who they wouldn't get a chance to play in school ball."
The success of the tournament, which utilized all five gyms in Sisters over the weekend, hearkens back to earlier days when the district was known for staging well-run tournaments that were a boon to the town.
Having fallen on hard times, SPRD is refocusing on core competencies and planning for a future that would duplicate the success of the basketball program with other sports.
"This tournament and the partnership is the model for what's going to happen in the future with other clubs - lacrosse, softball," said SPRD board member Mike Morgan.
The partnership Morgan referred to is with Champion Sports Camps, which fundraises for Sisters youth basketball programs.
Champion Sports Camps tournament director Randy Burdick said the program funds uniforms, scholarships for kids who can't afford to play and sponsors road trips to basketball camps.
Burdick said the Sisters School District's support is key to success. The district only charges SPRD/Champion Sports Camps for custodial time and supplies and charges no rent for facilities.
"Ever since these started, the school district has been behind us 100 percent," Burdick said.
Champion Sports Camps and SPRD split proceeds after expenses.
Aside from the community benefits of the tournament, the program was a success on its own terms, as a sporting event.
"This is the best tournament I've done with SPRD," said SPRD tournament director Shalee Hanks.
One key to success is a new relationship with the High Desert Umpires Association, which provides OSAAcertified officials. Qualified, accountable referees make for a smooth tournament, although one coach joked that it is impossible to find a coach who won't complain at least a little about the officiating - it's in their nature.
Burdick noted that all Sisters players serve as timekeepers and scorekeepers during the tournament, and there are 15-20 Sisters families who pitch in in various volunteer roles.
Hanks noted that one of the aspects that sets SPRD's tournaments apart is the bracketing system that matches teams up well and guarantees multiple games for traveling teams, even if they lose a couple of games right out of the gate.
Hanks said her primary goal is to see that players, coaches and families have a good tournament experience and a good impression of the Sisters community.
"We want every family, every team, to leave here with a real positive feeling," she said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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