FROM PAGE A1
A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
in a league, and they have a
game from that league in the
morning, then are scheduled
continued from Page A1 to play in Hermiston later in
Gammell said. “I just enjoy the day. Gammell has to ac-
it. It’s fun. The kids like it. commodate those teams into
The teams like it. It’s good the larger tournament struc-
for the community. I’ve WXUH VR WKH\ FDQ IXO¿OO ERWK
lived in Hermiston almost commitments.
This weekend, a three-
all my life. My kids were
raised here. It’s good for lo- team group from Moscow,
Idaho made the trip, and they
cal business.”
The planning for a mas- had some requests. They
sive youth sports tourna- wanted the ability to watch
ment that uses eight sites each team play. They didn’t
— Hermiston High School, want any of their games
Umatilla High School, Stan- overlapping with each other.
¿HOG 6HFRQGDU\ 6FKRRO$U- It gave Gammell a bit of a
mand Larive Middle School, scheduling headache, but it’s
Sandstone, Desert View Ele- IXO¿OOLQJ UHTXHVWV WKDW KDV
mentary, West Park Elemen- made the Hermiston Youth
tary and the Columbia Court Basketball tournaments pop-
Club — starts weeks in ad- ular.
“We actually got it done
vance.
First, Hermiston Youth (Saturday),” Gammell said.
%DVNHWEDOO $VVRFLDWLRQ WKH “(Sunday) when it goes to
organization that puts on bracket play all bets are off
four of these tourneys a year, because you just play wher-
PXVW ¿OO RXW LWV ¿HOG 6LQFH ever your record (dictates).”
Other tournaments orga-
2006, these tournaments
have grown. Headlined by nizations from around the
Best of the West, these tour- region have noticed, and
naments garner interest from call and ask what Hermis-
all over the region. Teams ton Youth Basketball does
from Boise, Yakima, the to keep growing. Gammell
Tri-Cities and more come to had to turn down two doz-
en teams for the Best of the
Hermiston.
“(It’s) pretty tricky when West.
“I think that’s one reason
\RX¶UHWU\LQJWR¿WWKHH[DFW
QXPEHURIJDPHVLQWRWKHH[- our tournaments are so suc-
act number of empty spots,” cessful. We try to do things
Gammell said of scheduling. like that to bring teams
“It’s just like a huge jigsaw here,” Gammell said. “We
do our best. We try to look
puzzle.”
Sometimes teams from DWLWDVDQH[SHULHQFHIRUWKH
Yakima or the Tri-Cities are people. We try to do different
AAU:
+LJKZD\ $ RQH
EORFN DUHD RI -HQQLH $Y-
enue was blocked off
continued from Page A1 during the work Tuesday
morning.
County is known for.
The $3.7 million high-
Crews from the city of
Hermiston followed the way improvement project
drilling team, vacuuming VWUHWFKHV GRZQ VL[ PLOHV
GLUW DQG GHEULV WR H[SRVH of the highway, between
Southeast Fourth Street
utilities.
Work on the Jennie and Highway 730.
)RU WKH QH[W ZHHN WKH
$YHQXH LQWHUVHFWLRQ LV
H[SHFWHG WR FRQWLQXH DOO project will have two sep-
week but cause only mi- arate crews working —
nor delays to traffic on one overnight, working
HIGHWAY:
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016
E
C
N
A
L
G
A N T umb A er of teams:
girls)
0 boys, 33
(5
3
8
—
)
(Feb. 13-14
, 44 girls)
f the Game -24) — 104 (60 boys 9 boys, 27 girls)
o
e
v
o
L
e
. 23
6 (5
For th
West (Jan
. 5-6) — 8
34 girls)
Best of the Holiday Classic (Dec -15) — 83 (49 boys,
Hermiston koff Classic (Nov. 14
ic
Autumn K
STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE
Tracy Gammell (right) gives an explanation to parents
6aturday during the )or the /ove of the Game $$8 EasketEall
tournament at West Park Elementary.
things, like we do our all-star
game now.”
That all-star game is a fun
ZULQNOH$IWHUWKHFRQFOXVLRQ
of the tournament, the best
players from the most suc-
cessful teams are selected to
play a game on the main court
with painted keys and the
mid-court logo. The starters
are introduced by Joe Thomp-
son like a varsity game. In ad-
dition, coaches get gifts and
there is as much merchandise
as one can stand. It’s much
more than simply a basketball
tournament.
“We get a lot of teams now
from out of town who stay in
the hotels,” Gammell said,
“so it gives those teams that
have nothing to do in the eve-
ning something to come back
(for).”
If they don’t want to go
back to the gym, however,
they go spend their money in
the area. Perhaps they go have
dinner, or order a pizza, or see
a movie. The numerous out-
of-towners provide a boon for
the local economy, something
the Chamber of Commerce is
YHU\H[FLWHGDERXW
“I’m telling you what,
its a great opportunity for
the business owners here
LQ WRZQ´ FKDPEHU ([HFX-
tive Director Debbie Pedro
said. “These tournaments
bring throughout the year
hundreds of thousands of
people to this communi-
ty who might not come to
Hermiston before. Those
that do might have their fa-
vorite spots to come back
and eat at or shop in.”
So are players, too. Sat-
urday afternoon, freshman
She said the chamber Jordan Thomas was sitting
doesn’t have any economic up in the mezzanine on the
¿JXUHVIURPWKHIRXUWRXUQD- north side, running the score-
ment weekends to provide board for the court below
businesses, but she said it’s a her. Kylee Smith was doing
good idea and will pitch it to the same on the south court,
and Sydney Stefani was
the chamber.
Once the tournament is there, too.
“These kids are playing
underway, there is no time to
UHOD[,QDWZRKRXUVSDQRQ basketball, and I was once
6DWXUGD\ *DPPHOO ¿QLVKHG DWWKLVOHYHOSOD\LQJ$$8´
up the results for the morn- the freshman Thomas said.
ing games, posted it online, “So it’s always good to vol-
ran to her house a half mile unteer and do clocks for
away, grabbed sandwiches, them so they can come play
ran them to West Park Ele- basketball.”
mentary, spent 15 minutes
Smith said the visibility
there answering questions RIWKHJLUOVSURJUDPEHQH¿WV
from parents and patrons, both ways.
and hustled back to the high
“You can tell with some
school where the process of the girls teams, they look
started over again.
up to us,” Smith, a junior,
It just never stops.
said.”They think that’s pretty
Gammell isn’t the only cool. So it’s fun seeing how
volunteer. Though more help some of the girls react when
is always welcome, a no- they see some of us. They ask
WLFHDEOHJURXSDWORFDO$$8 us questions about basketball.
tournaments is the girl’s It’s fun to tell stories about our
basketball program. Head SDVW H[SHULHQFHV ² $$8
coach Steve Hoffert and as- high school, all of that.”
sistant coach Juan Rodriguez
“I think it shows a good
DUH YLVLEOH ¿JXUHV ERXQF- H[DPSOH WKURXJK DOO WKH
ing around, talking to folks, JLUOV WKDW SOD\ $88 IRU
laughing.
Hermiston,” Stefani said.
RQ WKH $'$ VLGHZDONV
ramps, and one during
the day, moving the traf-
ILF VLJQDOV DW -HQQLH $Y-
enue. Later phases of the
project will focus on in-
stalling medians to block
turns at the Elm Street in-
tersection, updating traf-
fic signals, and repaving
WKHHQWLUHVL[PLOHV
The repaving work is
H[SHFWHGWREHJLQLQ0D\
and all work should be
completed by July.
STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON
Crews from the city of Hermiston and the Oregon Department of Transportation work Tuesday
morning to Yacuum cOear the dig site for the reOocation of the trafÀc signaO at -ennie $Yenue
and Highway 395.
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