“Gus Macker is the best thing that has ever happened to Norwich,” contends 16-year old Norwich resident Tyler Saroka. To say in the last 16 years that something else has been better than the annual three-on-three basketball tournament would make for a good argument. The only certainty after 11 consecutive years in Norwich is that every second weekend in July, for great reason, the people always come back to fill the streets.
“One of the main reasons Gus Macker is a great event is because of the tradition is has created,” said 10-time participant Jeffrey Mirabito, a former Norwich resident who has played with the same team since the first Norwich Macker. “It brings a lot of people to Norwich, and you get to see people that you haven’t seen – it’s a reunion of sorts.”
Basketball is a simple game. To be played at the highest level one needs a strong understanding of the game’s strategy, exceptional skill, outstanding athletic ability, a great attitude and an even better agent. But basketball can be much less than that, which makes it essentially much more. To be done at all, by anyone – and to have fun while doing it – all one really needs is a ball, a hoop, and willingness to shoot. Physically impossible with football, soccer, and baseball, Gus Macker transforms an entire city into a stadium, seating thousands of fans who watch hundreds of homegrown stars.
“It’s awesome and a lot of fun,” said 14-year old Norwich resident and six time participant Casey Edwards. “We get together and play basketball with all our friends.”
Macker is an event that allows the City of Norwich to engage its citizens on a scale that cannot be achieved every day, and the tournament’s mix of fun, competition, and tradition provides a welcome home atmosphere for many of those who have been away.
“It’s fun to come home and still be competitive,” said Ashley Mirabito, a former athlete at Norwich High School who is now a sophomore at Springfield College. “And you get to see a lot of friends.”
“It’s great to see everyone again,” said Syracuse resident Bill Parker, a 10-time teammate of Jeffrey Mirabito’s who graduated from Norwich. “The competition is great.”
Overall, whether it’s reuniting with friends, an opportunity to be competitive, or a chance to have some fun watching basketball, the Gus Macker three-on-three basketball tournament means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
Meeghan Shultz, a 2006 Norwich graduate who will be playing basketball at Alfred University next season, decided that even though she didn’t get a team together, she still wanted to contribute as a Gus Buster.
“You get to have fun, be competitive, and enjoy yourself and enjoy the weekend,” Shultz said. “I didn’t have a team together and I still wanted to be a part of it, because it is such a great event.”
For the very first time, Friday at 6:30 p.m. there was a women’s 3-point shot competition at center court sponsored by Caputo Bros. Painting. “We were just looking to do something for the girls because they didn’t have anything,” said sponsor Ed Caputo. “We’ll see what kind of shooters they bring in, it should be pretty cool.” The event is open to all age groups and prize money will be awarded to the top finishers.
Registration for that event will from noon to 5 p.m. Team registration for Macker also starts Friday at 4 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. Saturday registration will go from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., with opening ceremonies at 8 a.m., and the first games beginning at 8:30 a.m. Throughout the day Saturday there will be several events, including the Manpower Inc. 3-point Shoot-Out and the Preferred Mutual Foul Shout Competition, and at 6:30 p.m. the always popular Mirabito Fuel Group and Mang Insurance SlamDunk contest will take place at the center court. Both the foul shout and 3-point competition will reconvene to crown a winner on Sunday. There will also be concessions all weekend and theNorwich City Band will perform in the East Park on Friday evening.