Players pose after a boisterous game
The following story is by PeacePlayers International supporter and Sixth Woman, Laura Light.
On Thursday March 14th, the 5th grade boys and girls in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY competed in a charity basketball tournament to raise money for their new favorite cause – PeacePlayers International. Prior to the event, the kids researched and brainstormed the best way to give back to the world through basketball, a beloved sport in this small rivertown community. They decided that supporting PeacePlayers (in its effort to use basketball to inspire, educate, and resolve conflict) would do just that!
The kids (all of whom play in either the rec or CYO leagues in Hastings) displayed great sportsmanship and had lots of fun from beginning to end. The game was reffed by a local celebrity, Steve Tuber, the head of the rec league in town. To even out the score, it was decided that each boy’s basket would count as 1 point and each girl’s basket as 2 points. The boys – clearly NOT-the-crowd-favorites despite their amazing skills and new white t-shirts designed just for the event – took an early lead, and after the first half, were winning by 6 points. But after a hard-fought second half (and a lot of wildly enthusiastic cheering from the crowd and the bench), the girls came back and won by 1 point (22-21), when a last-second attempt didn’t fall for the boys team. In between each quarter in keeping with the light-hearted, community-minded spirit of the event, the kids participated in various entertaining games including a free-throw shooting contest, a relay race, and a behind-the-back shot. And after the game, the players all celebrated together with pizza.
Without a doubt, this will become an annual event in the Hastings-on-Hudson community, and we look forward to supporting PeacePlayers for years to come!
If you are interested in becoming a PeacePlayers Sixth Man or Woman, visit the “Get Involved” page of our website.
