ON MY SOAPBOX
This column represents the thoughts and opinions of Jason Hennington. This is not the opinion of the Taylor Press.
After everything has settled from the Trump assassination and now, President Joe Biden dropping out of the election, I can finally say thank you to everyone for making the 11th annual Taylor Press 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament a success.
When I was promoted to area editor for the Taylor Press, Elgin Courier, East Wilco Insider and the Hutto News, my schedule became a bit more hectic. I had to prioritize being a dad, a husband, an area editor, a tournament director and find time to take care of my mental health.
I always feel like I never have the time to do things to make the tournament a success. I have to contact people for donations. I promote to get teams registered.
I have to order prizes, and many times go buy prizes.
I have to make sure we have refs. I have to make sure we have the gym and the insurance to cover us. I have to find time to sleep, which is not often.
On the last day of the tournament I take a photo saying the tournament is in the books and it was a success.
This year was no different.
We had 30 teams across four divisions including the Shining Stars. Every year I say the level of competition gets better, and I will say it again this year.
On Sunday, the games were intense and exciting. With the help of a few new people in the “front office” I was available to help during some of the more competitive games.
Dennis Levitin, who is the assistant director, said the tournament is like a family reunion because you get to see people from previous years or people you haven’t seen in a long time. I’ve made a few friends through the tournament. I keep in touch with a lot of the players throughout the year and it’s always nice to see them at the event. The tournament is also a time to promote local businesses as well as the Taylor community. The majority of our sponsors are Taylorbased. We have sponsors and donors like Lids and the WNBA, but they don’t overshadow our local sponsors.
Typically, we have at least 30 sponsors. When we lose one, I panic because every single sponsor matters. A monetary donation makes sure we can buy prizes, t-shirts or makes sure a team of young players can participate.
I always say basketball is the avenue, but the goal of the tournament is to bring people together for a good cause. But, it’s not just one good cause, it’s several. We raise money for scholarships and a donation to a local non-profit. We bring people to Taylor, while promoting being active and good healthy competition.
Every year I think, “I’m so far behind and I’m not going to be able to pull this off.” But every year, the people who support the tournament prove me wrong.
In other words, thank you. Because of your support — players, volunteers, donors, sponsors and people who just love watching good basketball — I can say, “11 years in the books!”
I’m going to get off my soapbox now and ice my shoulder. No it’s not from playing or being old, but I think picking up my wife and kids when they fall asleep on the couch is starting to catch up to me. .
“ To have a tournament right where you live is very cool.”
— Jimmy Walker
