Just For The Fun Of It

Saturday was our celebration event to kick off our 70th year of operation, and it was a big success! Below are a few photos from the day that included perfect weather and of course the support from the many volunteers that stepped up to make it all happen. Our thanks to Kelly’s Chip Truck, LionHearts Inc., the band Whiskey Smoke for providing entertainment, Mary O’Neill and McDonald’s Family Restaurants for the coffee, Coffee Way for the Donuts, Mio Gelato for the delicious Mio Gelato treats, Chris Payne and Bridget Walker Payne for the games area, Pam Hollywood and Jackie Patterson for the temporary tattoo station, Korra and Jessie for crewing the snow cone machine, Corey and Hayden Hollywood for their work making balloon animals, Susan Billings and Monique DaCosta for crewing the chips and water distribution, Luis and Liam DeMatos, and Heather Hollywood for crewing the registration booth, Gloria DeMatos and Walter DaCosta for guiding visitors through our walk down memory lane, and to Amber, Liz, Rick, Rob and Julie along with all the other volunteers that helped out throughout the day. Our thanks too to Chris Whyman, Kingston’s own Town Crier, Mayor Bryan Paterson, MPP Ted Hsu and Director of Education for the ALCDSB for giving up their Saturday to attend the event, and to MP Mark Gerretsen for sending his congratulations.

Neil from LionHearts sent this message to us this morning “Really appreciate you having us at the event. The donations will be used towards our student food box that goes out every other week to families that have been identified as food insecure, so we are very grateful for the contribution! Great meeting you as well! It was neat learning more about the league. It’s awesome what you guys are doing”

The event was a concept proposed by Shawn Hollywood, and nurtured over the last several months to what we had Saturday. Shawn did a great job bringing the day together, contacting all of our special guests, paying attention to details, supporting the volunteers and being master of ceremonies for the kick off to what we hope will be a very special season.

This week three members of the OUA Champion Queen’s Men’s Basketball team were selected in the Canadian Elite Basketball League Draft. Luka Syllas was drafted by the Niagara River Lions 11th overall, Cole Syllas was selected by the Brampton Honey Badgers 19th overall, and Michael Kelvin II was selected by the Ottawa BlackJacks with the 27th pick.
We wish all three of these young men success in the next phase of their basketball careers. They have demonstrated their love of the game throughout their basketball careers to this point and we all hope they continue to have that joy of playing in the years to come.

Registration for the SLC Summer Basketball Camps is now open! I know they fill up quickly. Search SLC Basketball Camp Grades 3-7, or SLC Basketball Camp Grades 8-12 to register.

Good luck, and our thanks to the college for organizing these outstanding camps again this year.

We will be placing an order for special golf shirts in black with our 70th Anniversary logo shown below on the left chest. They are 100% preshrunk cotton shirts, available in men’s and women’s sizes up to 2 XL. WE WILL BE PLACING AN ORDER ON WEDNESDAY MAY 1st, AND WE WILL NOT BE ORDERING AGAIN UNTIL LATER IN THE SUMMER. Cost is $25.00 per shirt. If you are interested please contact me through Facebook messenger or by the email on this page with your name, contact information and shirt size you are interested in. We will require pre-payment for the orders please, either by cheque, cash or e transfer. We should have the shirts by June 1st. Thanks! Roland

Yesterday we received a very substantial donation to our program from Zoe Yanovsky, owner of Chez Piggy Restaurant and the Pan Pan Chancho Bakery & Café. Zoe has been a coach in our league for many years, so she has seen first hand the importance of what we do. Thank you Zoe for believing in what we do! You are truly a difference maker in the lives of our players and their families through your commitment as a volunteer and as a supporter of what we do!

We want to join with the rest of the Kingston basketball community in congratulating Kingston’s Aaliyah Edwards on her joining the WNBA with the Washington Mystics with the 6th pick overall in the draft last night. My first view of Aaliyah on a basketball court was at St. Lawrence College a few years ago, not playing a game, but just joining a gaggle of other young players on the court at halftime of an SLC game. I watched as others fired up shots from all over the place while she took a ball, dribbled a bit and then for a few minutes worked on her game around the basket. I was struck by the work ethic she displayed to take advantage of even a brief opportunity to work on her game. All of us involved in our program wish her well as she starts on this new chapter of her basketball life. I personally hope that playing the game she so obviously loves brings her joy in the years ahead.
For the Kingston basketball community, we need to be ready for the next group of players that are inspired by Aaliyah and the other great players that they have seen in the NCAA and CIS games this spring when they show up on our gyms. We have an obligation to give them a chance to experience how much fun being on a court with teammates can be, to encourage them to be their best, and to support them regardless of the game’s outcome. It is a game we love and hopefully one that we can help others grow to love too RB.

Yesterday we received the cheque for the money raised at St. Larry’s Pub through our fund raising event there in conjunction with the college hosting us for a basketball double header. With a top up from the Student Association, $500 has been donated to the league. Our thanks to Chris Moreland for organizing this event again this season, to the serving staff on duty that day, to the Student Association, Kevin Biggs and his staff as well as Glenn Vollebregt and the college administration. Thank you for believing in what we do! We look forward to continuing our partnership again next season.

If you have memories or reflections on your experience playing in the St. John’s Parish Basketball League, the Knights of Columbus Basketball League or the Pete Petersen Basketball League, or your experiences as a volunteer, please share them with us through messenger or to my email [email protected]. We would love to hear from you so we can use them for the anniversary celebration day and through the season. Thanks! Roland Billings