Just For The Fun Of It

The Pete Petersen Basketball League has entered a submission in the McDougall Insurance Community Contest and we need your help to have a chance to win one of the prizes being awarded this year.

The top three video vote getters will receive a $5000 prize for the highest number of votes, $3000 for second place and $2000 for third place.

Voting starts at 12:00 am Eastern Time May 23rd and goes until 11:59pm Eastern Time on May 31st. The winners will be announced on Monday June 2nd.

Our Video in the submissions is titled McDougall Insurance by Roland B. A copy of the video submitted is below.

Please share this post on your own networks if you believe in supporting this initiative to give us the broadest exposure we can to generate votes.

Here are the voting rules:

1) In order to vote you need to use Google Chrome or Fire Fox. Internet Explorer and Safari are not compatible with the platform.

2) During the public voting round, there will be a limit of one vote per person, per day. Evidence of fraudulent voting will result in the immediate elimination of the community group in the final round.

3) The monetary prizes will be awarded to the top 3 community projects at the conclusion of the public voting round in the form of a cheque.

Here is the link that you will need to use to cast votes and remember – votes can only be cast using Google Chrome or Firefox.

so remember, after midnight tonight, to vote you would visit the contest website https://platform.votigo.com/…/McDougallCommunityContest…

. Click View Entries

. Select the video you would like to vote for

. The website will ask for either a Facebook login or an email

. Each person is limited to one vote per day

Thanks

Roland

Yesterday we received a very significant, unsolicited, donation from Colleen Earle and John Sutton in support of what we do. Both Colleen and John, as well as their family, have been members of the league family for many years as players and coaches, helping our players learn the joy of being on a team and learning the game we love. In their message with the donation they said “Thanks to you and all the volunteers that make this league run!.” Our heartfelt thanks to them for believing in what we do for the children in the community. You are difference makers and you should be proud of that!

We also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you that have made in memoriam donations, and that have reached out with condolence messages to both Charlie Mignault and the Mignault family, as well as to me and my family on the losses of Charlie’s mother Morrie Anne and my brother George. It means a lot to know you care. You too are all difference makers.

One of my favourite quotes is from the legendary coach of UCLA, John Wooden. He said “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” Our thanks to Colleen and John, and everyone from the league family that have reached out. You live that quote.

With two consecutive sunny days no doubt our golfing members of the league family are getting ready to go. Save the date of June 27th for another exciting day of golf food and friendship at the annual Don “Pete” Petersen Memorial Golf Tournament to be held again this year at the Amherstview Golf and Country Club. Details of the event and how to enter are below.

Today kicks off National Volunteer Week, a week to celebrate the volunteers in our community that do so much to keep organizations like ours alive. We are so blessed to have the strong group of committed people that believe in the dream that Don Petersen had 70 years ago to give the children in his community a safe and affordable place to learn the game we have grown to love. Whether you volunteer with us, now or in the past, or if you commit time to volunteer elsewhere, thank you for what you do to make a difference in the lives of those around you.
This week we will celebrate our army of volunteers by sharing some photos on Facebook of the many hundreds of volunteers that have coached, been referees, scored, timed, set up, cleaned up, served at the banquet, crewed the canteen, sold shirts and tickets for us in the last seven decades. Our thanks to you all!

In March I was honoured to speak to Jean Cote’s third year Kinesiology Class on Coaching and Leadership as part of a guest speaker series. Along with hopefully a better understanding of our league history, our philosophy, and the impact we can have on families in the Kingston community, it was a chance to interact with the students and professor Cote.

One of the things I touched on was our spare shoes that we have on hand in case someone forgets their’s on game nights. After the class I was approached by three members of the Queen’s Women’s Basketball Team asking if we could use some gently used basketball shoes from their team for our players. A short time later I was contacted by Assistant Coach Bridget Mulholland, a former player with us, letting me know she had shoes to drop off, and yesterday she and the team donated 11 pairs of shoes for us.

As an appreciation for speaking to the class, an honorarium was also given that was used to purchase 7 new basketballs for the Little Guys and Little Gals Divisions.
I want to thank Jean Cote for giving me the chance to tell our story to his class, to the three players for looking for an opportunity to make a difference, and to coach Mulholland for making it happen. All of you have made a difference in the lives of our players and their families, and you should be very proud of that.

Our spare shoe supply can also use some small sizes (3-5) if you are interested in donating. Roland

The Pete Petersen Basketball League family joins the Kingston Basketball Community in congratulating Sarah Besselink on her appointment as the new head coach of the University of Calgary Dinos. We wish her success as she continues her basketball career that started here in Kingston. We know the joy she has had in playing the sport she loves over the years she will transfer to the young women she will now be leading in Calgary.

We know that Sarah’s entire family must be very proud of the leader she has become. R

I am sad to be telling you about the passing of a member of the league family after a lengthy illness. George Billings was our Coach of the Year in 1988, and both of his children, Adam and Mandy played in the league before the family moved to Florida. He was very proud of his Kingston roots, and his affiliation with the league. He was an avid sportsman and a multi-sport athlete growing up here, first in Fort Henry Heights and then at LCVI, and someone that I admired growing up, but then, he was my brother.

The condolences of the Pete Petersen Basketball League family go out to George’s wife Linda, to his children Adam and Mandy, their families and his Kingston family and friends from his work here and his days at LCVI. George’s family has asked that in memoriam donations be made to the league. I thank them for their continued belief in what we do for the children in our community.
George’s obituary is below.

George “Pop” Billings
February 22, 1949 – March 12, 2025
George passed away peacefully on March 12 surrounded by the love of his family at the Advent Hospital Hospice Unit in Orlando Florida. He is survived by his dear, devoted and loving wife Linda, who never left his side throughout the last part of his life journey, his children Adam (Hayley), Mandy (Jeremy) , his beloved grandchildren Jake and Gray and his brother Roland (Susan). Also grieving his loss are his sister in law Sheila, nephews Barry (Kate), Michael (Julie), and nieces Alison (Jefferson), Kristine (Ted), Cathy (James), and Karen. George was predeceased by his parents Harry and Edna Billings, his brother Bob and sister Ellen Ryan.
An avid sportsman throughout his life, George excelled at baseball as a hard hitting outfielder at Kingston’s Cricket Field, on the football field as a two way player at LCVI, and a Touch Football Champion in 1976 with Pools by Carsten. George played basketball, and rugby as well as field events at LCVI, and took up golf as a long off the tee player in Kingston and Florida. His love of sports carried over to the sidelines where he coached his son Adam in his minor basketball career in Kingston.
George was a proud member of IATSE since 1971. In Kingston, he worked as a Projectionist at the Odeon and Capital Theatres. He enjoyed stagehand events at the Grand Theatre and Memorial Centre. After moving to Orlando in 1991 he became a member of IATSE Local 631 working numerous events before taking a position at Vanco/PRG, a theatrical lighting company, where he worked from 1992 until his retirement in 2018.
George loved being Pop to his grandchildren Jake and Gray, whom he taught to play chess and question authority. He was generous and kind and will be missed by all who knew him.
The family would like donations in George’s memory be made to the Pete Petersen Basketball League. George loved his years coaching in the league, and his children have fond memories of their involvement. Donations can be made by e-transfer to roland.billings @sympatico.ca or by cheque to Pete Petersen Basketball League, 31 Ellerbeck Street, Kingston, K7L 4H5

This week we received a significant donation from Doreen and Jeff Hoekstra in support of what we do. Both Jeff and Doreen were long time volunteers and members of our executive, and both of their sons played with us as well. We want to thank you, Jeff and Doreen, for continuing to believe in what we do , and for wanting to make a difference in the lives of our players and their families. THANK YOU!

We continue to be blessed with outstanding support from the community. In the last two weeks we have received significant donations from Frances Hollywood and her family, from the Ladies Auxiliary of Branch 631 of the Royal Canadian Legion, and from a former coach and his partner that want the donation to remain anonymous.
Our thanks to all of you for your generosity and kindness. Please know that you, and the organization you represent have made a difference in the lives of our players and their families. You should be very proud of that. THANK YOU!!

Registration for the 2025 Summer basketball camp at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario will open in April. The camp is called the Surge Summer Basketball Camp.

What to expect

Campers will learn skills, conditioning, and techniques from varsity athletes and coaches

Campers will participate in drills and scrimmages

There will be two weeks of camp, with one week for grades 3–7 (July 14-18) and one week for grades 8–12 (July 21-25)

How to register

Registration for the 2025 Summer basketball camp will open in April

You can register for the camp by visiting parttime.stlawrencecollege.ca

Cost for the camp is $250