New car up for grabs
Driving the lane could take on a whole new meaning this weekend at the Rochdale Invitational Tournament.
When the junior tournament draws to a close Saturday night, one fan might be going home with the keys to a brand-new car.
A 2013 Chevy Spark, courtesy Regina Motor Products, is up for grabs as the grand prize at the three-day draw, which tipped off Thursday afternoon inside the gymnasiums at Riffel High School and neighbouring Winston Knoll Collegiate.
“We know that basketball is strong in Regina and we expect to have Regina teams in the final, but this is one more way we can get people to take an interest in our tournament,” explained tournament organizer Jolene Sentes.
The path one must take to have a chance to win the car is a challenging one.
During halftime of each tournament contest, fans will have the opportunity to play the bean-bag toss game. The fan whose bean bag lands closest to centre court will be declared the winner and have his/her name entered in the final draw.
“WE WANT TO MAKE THE ATMOSPHERE INSIDE THE GYM AS ELECTRIC AS POSSIBLE.”
JOLENE SENTES
During halftime of the boys’ final on Saturday evening, tournament organizers will draw one name out of the 30 that will be entered. That contestant will have one chance from three-quarters court to sink a basket. If the ball goes through the net, you’ll have a winner.
“We want to create a frenzy inside our gym, the same way you would at an NBA game or at an NCAA game or CIS game,” Sentes explained. “We want to make the atmosphere inside the gym as electric as possible.
“For the kids who play in this tournament, some of them may not go on to play at the senior level, so this will be the biggest basketball experience for them. We want want to make them feel like stars.”
It is believed that the RIT is the only tournament in the country that gives fans the opportunity to win a car. Sentes hoped the potential car giveaway would create a buzz locally, but also among the out-of-town teams — three clubs are visiting from Alberta and Manitoba, in addition to Saskatoon’s Bishop Mahoney and Weyburn Composite.
“We’re not LIT (Luther Invitational Tournament) or the Balfour Classic, but we think we offer something unique to fans that other tournaments don’t have,” Sentes said. “Our tournament has been growing and getting better every year, and a lot of that work has been by the students at both schools.”
Riffel alum and former University of Regina Cougars women’s basketball star Cymone Bernauer (Bouchard) will be the guest speaker at the tournament breakfast on Saturday morning.
The tournament continues today and through Saturday. The girls’ final is slated for 7:15 p.m., with the boys’ final to go at 9 p.m. Both games will be played at Winston Knoll.