It’s Macker weekend in Norwich!
NORWICH – It’s Macker-mania in the City of Norwich as the 22nd annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament has once again taken to East Main Street this Saturday and Sunday, July 8 and 9, for a slam-dunk of a weekend.
For the last 22 years, the local Gus Macker tournament – sponsored by the Norwich Family YMCA – has been a staple in the greater-Norwich community, drawing thousands of basketball fans from up and down to east coast to an organized weekend of 3-on-3 basketball and family fun.
“This all started with an idea [22 years ago] of how we could bring people into our community,” said Norwich Family YMCA Executive Director Jamey Mullen. “We want people to come to our stores, eat at our restaurants, and use our hotels. We want people to know who and where we are, and I think we’ve done that. People get caught up in the competition, but the promotion of our community is the number one prize.”
Fast-forward 22 years later, and the Norwich Gus Macker tournament has been a constant within the 3-on-3 tournament’s annual ‘World Tour,’ drawing upwards of 7,000 out-of-town spectators and competitors every year to nearly double the city’s population during what locals have dubbed, “Macker weekend.”
Since the Macker tour’s inception in 1987, the tour has grown incrementally and to date, there have been over 1,000 Gus Macker tournaments held in communities across the country.
Participants in the tournament range from the the novice to the skilled, the short to the tall, and the young to the old. A computer system reportedly matches teams into one of three categories: junior, adult, or top. The age, height, and experience of all four players are also considered in the tournament’s match-making process.
Teams in Gus Macker are guaranteed three scheduled games over the course of the weekend. While the tournament is double-elimination, another distinguishing factor of the Macker tournaments is the “Toilet Bowl” sub-tourney in each division: Teams that lose its first two games in each division will move on to compete among one another in another tournament called the “Toilet Bowl.”
On top of the economic and social impacts the tournament affects, the Gus Macker tournament also plays a role in raising money for charities. The local organizing committee – in this case, the Norwich Family YMCA – donates proceeds to a local charity.
It’s reported that approximately $15,000,000 has been raised for local charities at Gus Macker communities across the U.S. over the years.
“We’re thankful that the community continues to support the event,” said Mullen. “But we need to find ways to cultivate a new group of people to participate and to volunteer for the tournament to continue to be a success.”
The Norwich Gus Macker tournament is always seeking volunteers to help the event run more swimmingly––and it’s not too late: To get involved, contact Tom Revoir at the Norwich Family YMCA at (607) 336-9622.
For the last 22 years, the local Gus Macker tournament – sponsored by the Norwich Family YMCA – has been a staple in the greater-Norwich community, drawing thousands of basketball fans from up and down to east coast to an organized weekend of 3-on-3 basketball and family fun.
“This all started with an idea [22 years ago] of how we could bring people into our community,” said Norwich Family YMCA Executive Director Jamey Mullen. “We want people to come to our stores, eat at our restaurants, and use our hotels. We want people to know who and where we are, and I think we’ve done that. People get caught up in the competition, but the promotion of our community is the number one prize.”
Fast-forward 22 years later, and the Norwich Gus Macker tournament has been a constant within the 3-on-3 tournament’s annual ‘World Tour,’ drawing upwards of 7,000 out-of-town spectators and competitors every year to nearly double the city’s population during what locals have dubbed, “Macker weekend.”
Since the Macker tour’s inception in 1987, the tour has grown incrementally and to date, there have been over 1,000 Gus Macker tournaments held in communities across the country.
Participants in the tournament range from the the novice to the skilled, the short to the tall, and the young to the old. A computer system reportedly matches teams into one of three categories: junior, adult, or top. The age, height, and experience of all four players are also considered in the tournament’s match-making process.
Teams in Gus Macker are guaranteed three scheduled games over the course of the weekend. While the tournament is double-elimination, another distinguishing factor of the Macker tournaments is the “Toilet Bowl” sub-tourney in each division: Teams that lose its first two games in each division will move on to compete among one another in another tournament called the “Toilet Bowl.”
On top of the economic and social impacts the tournament affects, the Gus Macker tournament also plays a role in raising money for charities. The local organizing committee – in this case, the Norwich Family YMCA – donates proceeds to a local charity.
It’s reported that approximately $15,000,000 has been raised for local charities at Gus Macker communities across the U.S. over the years.
“We’re thankful that the community continues to support the event,” said Mullen. “But we need to find ways to cultivate a new group of people to participate and to volunteer for the tournament to continue to be a success.”
The Norwich Gus Macker tournament is always seeking volunteers to help the event run more swimmingly––and it’s not too late: To get involved, contact Tom Revoir at the Norwich Family YMCA at (607) 336-9622.
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