The Port Washington Youth Activities (PYA) held its second Hoopfest event on Sunday, March 17. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and consisted of two different tournaments, one being the Competitive League and the other being the Fun League for more casual players. The PYA also hosted a Free Throw Competition for the participants.
To get things started they held a welcoming ceremony for all the teams and a PYA athlete Ryan Messinger sang the national anthem. The PYA cheerleaders put on a short performance during the welcoming ceremony.
In each league, the teams played two pool league games to determine seeding for the brackets. The games are 15 minutes long with five-minute breaks in between. They are three-on-three games where teams can have up to five players to a team.
The Fun League included four teams and despite being the more relaxed setup, it found its way of getting competitive towards the end of the games. The team “Half Court Heroes” took home the Fun League Championship, outlasting the three other teams.
The Competitive League had 12 teams, making it the more popular choice among parents. These games gave the parents a real workout which the kids enjoyed, getting the rare opportunity to reverse roles with their parents and cheer them on. The team that won the Competitive League Championship was named “Built for Full Court.” They won all five games and went undefeated.
The Free Throw Contest was won by Matt Perceval who made 18 out of 20 free throws.
The PYA thought of this idea due to their success with the Spring Softball Bash. The Bash is their largest fundraising effort and is a great community event. The PYA didn’t want to limit families who enjoy playing other sports so they thought it would be a good idea to start a basketball event. It’s a great way to have a fun experience for the kids and parents but also raise money for facility updates the PYA may need or scholarships the organization can give out to children involved with the PYA. Sponsors and entry fees are how the organization gains money and they put it towards enhancing the programs that they have and are hoping to get turf fields for all of their fields.
The next events for the PYA include the 32nd Annual Gala where they honor select volunteers of the past year during a cocktail party as well as induct past PYA athletes. Amy Nash who was pivotal in growing the travel baseball program with the PYA, Jennifer Langton, and Tim Langton will also be inducted. Jennifer Langton and Tim Langton both played varsity lacrosse for Port Washington. This will be held at the North Hempstead Country Club on April 12 at 7:30 p.m.
The Spring Softball Bash will be held on May 11 from 12:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Lions Field. They will have games for parents and skills challenges along with a premium BBQ.
