The Inaugural Strongheart Boys Invitational, open to kids in grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th, is set for Saturday, March 9 in Peshawbestown. Joe Symons, the event organizer and a teacher at Suttons Bay Public School, said he anticipates there will be around 70 plus students in the first Strongheart Center tournament.
In the Suttons Bay league, Symons said this season has been the best turnout they’ve had for a basketball league since the COVID-19 pandemic. With 30 kids participating, including a couple eager-tolearn second graders, the high interest was evident, leading to the organization of the tournament.
“One of my goals — especially since we have the facilities, and we have coaches and we have all these nice things — is to keep the players busy,” Symons said. “I want them to have something to do after school and have something to do on the weekend. This is another way to keep our students engaged, connected to school, and it’s a healthy activity.”
There will be teams visiting from other schools in the area like Lake Leelanau St. Mary, Northport, Buckley, and as far as Mount Pleasant and Onekama. A tournament winner for each grade will get a medal at the end of the event.
“I used our elementary basketball league to kind of find teams which was really helpful, so the teams were basically already put together,” he said. “I didn’t expect teams from that far away to want to participate… I’m glad that this is coming back and this is something our kids can be doing.”
Talks of a future invitational for girls are also in the works, and Symons said he hopes to again reach out to other schools that might be interested in participating.
“May is a really good time, especially in elementary sports, there isn’t a lot going on, but something for young basketball players like a girls 3-on-3 (basketball league) tournament would be awesome,” he said.
The March 9 Strongheart tournament is from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., and Raphael Foods will be on site serving up food to those that want to watch from the bleachers.
