This weekend, athletes nationwide will descend upon Cicero-North Syracuse High School for the sixth annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.
The tournament, which moved to the high school this year from Drivers Village, will take place from Friday, Aug. 7, to Sunday, Aug. 9.
Former Cicero Parks and Recreation Department employee Julie Raddell brought the tournament to town in 2010 as a way to help raise money for the CanTeen. The tournament has proven to be the biggest fundraiser for the teen center, which offers a safe place for C-NS students to go after school. The center offers food, activities and more to kids who might not have another place to go.
Friday, Aug. 7
-4 to 7 p.m. Registration
-4 p.m. until sold out: Chicken barbecue from Cicero Fire Department
-5 p.m. Corporate tourney at Dream Court
-5 p.m. School district tourney at Top Men’s Court
Saturday, Aug. 8
-7 a.m. to noon Registration
-8 a.m. Opening Ceremonies at Top Men’s Court, including:
-Opening Prayer by Warren Darby
-National Anthem by Jared Nesci
-Do or Die Shot by Cicero Town Supervisor Jessica Zambrano
-10 a.m. Dream Court games begin
-11:30 a.m. Performance by Macker Girls from CMC Dance at Dream Court
-11:45 a.m. Performance by Karate Johns at Dream Court
-Noon Mascot Game at Dream Court
-12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Emergency services tournament at Dream Court
Sunday, Aug. 9
-9 a.m. Dream Court games begin
Also throughout the weekend, be on the lookout for a Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ Wings Challenge, as well as dance contests hosted by the Macker Girls from CMC Dance.
Funds raised from this one event surpass all other fundraising endeavors combined for the [Friends of the CanTeen],” said CanTeen Executive Director Toni Brauchle. “It allows our volunteers to focus all of their efforts on one solid, family friendly, community event as opposed to a bunch of little, work-intensive smaller events that netted much less.”
It’s more than a great fundraising opportunity; Macker is a tradition for many across the country. The first Gus Macker tournament was played by Scott McNeal (known to friends as Gus Macker) on his parents’ driveway basketball court in Lowell, Michigan in 1974, and it only grew from there. By 1987, it had become a statewide phenomenon. The first year, more than 10,400 players participated in five cities. Since then, the Macker tournaments have expanded, holding both indoor and outdoor games in more than 75 cities, with more than 200,000 players taking part each year.
Now, Gus Macker has become a summer tradition in Cicero, drawing close to 800 players to town each year.
“Our event is much more than just a basketball tournament. We actually call it a basketball festival,” Raddell said. “People come from around the state and the country for the competition on the courts.”
For more information, visit macker.com/macker-tournament/2014-gus-macker-tour/273-syracuse-cicero-ny.html or find them on Facebook. Read on for a full schedule of the weekend’s events.
