BY PEPPER FISHER
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Youth Basketball Tournaments will reach a historic milestone this weekend as the annual MLK Tournament hosts a record 83 teams, making it the largest tournament in program history and a major boost to winter tourism and the local economy.
The MLK Tournament is one of six youth basketball tournaments hosted annually in Port Angeles. Of the 83 teams competing, 22 teams hail from the Olympic Peninsula communities of Port Angeles, Sequim, and Forks, while 61 teams are traveling from more than 50 miles away. Nearly 40 teams are coming from over 100 miles.
Tournament Director Danny Gedelman tells us how the tournament has earned statewide recognition for its organization and competitive experience.
“A lot of it is, we’re an isolated area, and you really need to find the time to reach out to programs that don’t know about you. We do great with returning customers. A lot of great messages from coaches, after tournaments, happy about our tournament, happy about the reffing. And that’s not a common thing you hear. Right? So, we can get the returning customer, but without reaching out to people that have never been here, they don’t know how to find you.”
One of the big benefits of this huge tournament happening in Port Angeles is the effect it has on the local economy.
“Oh, absolutely. You know, as important as it is for us to have these kids doing these events and, you know, giving them that experience, but then we have the massive benefit of…our hotels are pretty dead this time of year. And one to two weekends a month, we can load those up. Our restaurants, we pack them out. You got big, you know, hour/two-hour waiting times, trying to get into these places. So, to infuse all that money into our local economy in the slow time, it’s just, you know, it’s not tourist season. We gotta have something. And our basketball tournament just packs out the town. It’s great.”
Anyone interested in catching any of the 169 games this weekend can check the schedule at tourneymachine.com to see times and locations. The games this weekend will be on eight courts at four locations: Port Angeles High School, Roosevelt Elementary School, Stevens Middle School and the Vern Burton Community Center Gym. Admission is required and concessions are available.
Teams that win their bracket are qualified to compete in March in the Washington State Middle School Basketball Championships held annually in Spokane.
See www.statebasketballchampionship.com/washington for more information
PHOTO – The Port Angeles 5th Grade Boys team celebrates a tournament win in November, automatically qualifying them for the Washington State Championships in March.