Elementary Hoops Tournament In Warsaw Is A Special Thing
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Roger Grossman-
Over the course of 28 years of broadcasting in Warsaw, I have had the chance to do so many cool things. It would be bragging or name dropping to run through the list of things I have been blessed to be able to do and people I have had the pleasure of meeting along the improbable journey of this stuttering slobber box.
Monday, I was reminded of why living in Warsaw is such a different experience than living just about any other place.
The elementary schools in Warsaw, which include private schools Sacred Heart and Warsaw Christian, compete in sports in every season of the year. It’s like their own little conference. They keep score, of course. They turn those scores into Dan Graney at Harrison Elementary, who keeps track of them and uses them to create standings. He’s like a sports information director.
Lots of kids, playing in lots of sports – it’s a really good thing. And while all of the sports are important and all of the kids who play them are important, this is Warsaw and basketball is still the reigning champ.
That’s why about 1,000 people showed up to watch the boys and girls city championship games in the Tiger Den Monday night.
A once-beaten Jefferson girls team won their first city title in more than 15 years by beating Harrison for the second time this season by a score of 31-11 (the Huskies lost only twice, and both were to Jefferson).
The Spartan boys made it a sweep with a thrilling 29-23 come-from-behind win over Claypool to win their second city title in three years. The Knights lost only two games all season – both to the champs.
We at the radio station did our part by broadcasting it live just like we would any Warsaw Tiger varsity boys or girls game. It was a lot of fun, and it was really loud.
Warsaw boys coach Doug Ogle was there to hand out the boys runner-up and championship trophies, while Lady Tiger coach Lenny Krebs was on hand to help present the hardware after the girls game.
In between games, when fans of the girls game were still there and fans of the boys teams were settling into their seats, I took a look around and thought “what a crazy thing this is!”
A thousand people in a varsity gym on a Monday night in February to watch fourth, fifth and sixth graders play basketball. Where else does this happen? What town in Indiana, or any other state for that matter, is this organized?
Truth: there isn’t one.
I am part of Facebook group made up of sports broadcasters around the country. I posted a picture of the Tiger Den filled with elementary basketball fans and the jealousy was thick. One announcer from Texas said he would barely see that many fans for an entire boys varsity basketball season.
At the top of the list of people to praise for this should be the high school’s athletic department staff that organizes and manages the events on the city elementary sports schedule. They have plenty to do anyway, but they work really hard to make sure kids get a chance to participate. Hats off to all of them for their effort.
You also have a lot of coaches who volunteer their time. I would say, in my time covering the city tournaments, most of the coaches have clearly had the best interest of the kids as their motivation. It’s the job of elementary coaches to teach the kids the fundamentals of the game and how to play it correctly so they can enjoy it more. Winning is the byproduct of that.
When it was over, there were tears all around: tears of joy for some of the winners (and their parents) … and tears of sadness for some on the runner-up team (and for their parents).
For some, the sadness came from the thought that this thing called “a team” that they had been a part of and involved in was no longer. Their situations away from school are such that being on their team gave them a sense of belonging, a safe place. Even kids who don’t play on the A team or who don’t ever score are still part of the team.
Reality is, those kids need that team to give them a sense of purpose. When the buzzer sounded Monday night, a void was opened up wide in the hearts and lives of kids who now must find a way to fill it.
But for this one night, youth was served, and two great tournaments ended in a great town in front of a huge crowd of supporters who showed good sportsmanship at every turn.
I hope we all appreciate how special this place we call home is.
