Just For The Fun Of It

Attention all parents and players. This your final reminder that the 8 week window for a player to get a piercing that can safely be removed for the start practices is today – July 27th.
The rules of basketball state that no player may participate while wearing jewellery of any kind.

Published directives state that new piercings must be left in place for 6 to 8 weeks before they can be removed. With organized practices set to begin September 22, that means the 8 week deadline for getting piercings that must be removed before practices is today, July 27th and the 6 week deadline is August 10th.

That means that if you are planning on getting any new piercings you need to get them done today, or in the next 14 days, or delay having them done until after the season ends in March 2026.

A reminder, this is a basketball rule, and not a Pete Petersen Basketball League rule. The risk is real and I personally know of injuries where an earring was caught by a hand or uniform and the ear ripped. The no jewellery ban also applies to rings and bracelets as well as piercings other than in the ears. These other piercings also must be removed before a player can participate, and this rule will be enforced.

As officials we are often asked if the earring can be taped over and the answer is simple. No.

There is still time in Piercing Season but don’t be caught missing the deadline and having to explain to your player they can’t play until the piercing can safely come out and the chain, ring or bracelet can come off. The only exception to this is Medic Alert Identification and there are methods to allow that identification to still be available if needed.

This morning at 8 am in Germany (2 am in Kingston) Miles competed in the FISU World University Games Half Marathon and finished 32nd out of 50 runners with a season best time of 1:08:32 as the top Canadian runner in the field. The winner from Japan had a time of 1:02.29 in a very fast race over the 21.1 km course in sunny and warm conditions.

Congratulations Miles in representing Kingston and Canada proudly! We are lucky to have you as part of the basketball league family!

Last night at the Italo-Canadian Club, the Government of Ontario presented the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards to recipients in the Kingston Area. During the event more than 800 years of volunteer service in our area was recognized, and the nine recipients from the Pete Petersen Basketball League represented 105 years of that total. Kingston and the Islands MPP Ted Tsu was on hand to present the awards.

Congratulations to Mark Potter, Doug Jeffries, Madison Young, Taylor Emmons, Savannah Medley, Katie Duttle, AJ Carscallen, Zach Vincent Roy, and Andie Boles for your commitment to our program and your belief in what we do for the children in our community. You ARE difference makers.

Yesterday Doug Jeffries made a comment about the Canadian Little League Intermediate Baseball Tournament held over the last week at the Cricket Field. He said the overall event organization, and the Kingston Colts Bronze Medal victory yesterday, made him proud to be a Kingstonian. Having spent the last week watching those volunteers from the KBA put on an amazing tournament,I could not agree more. The OVSA recognition event last night for me was the cherry on top of that pride in being a Kingstonian.

My thanks to all of the volunteers in our organization. You are the reason why we will be able to begin our 71st season of operation in September.

With only 63 Sleeps before Registration Day 2025 – Saturday September 6, 2025– we thought it would be appropriate to publish our answers to frequently asked questions about registration. Please contact us if there are questions you have that may not be answered here. Please note that all ages referenced are the age that the child will be on April 1, 2026.

1) What are the game nights for the upcoming season? Answer: Monday Nights – Biddy Division (boys 11-12) at St. Francis of Assisi; Graduate Division (boys 13-15) at Ecole Cathedrale; Tuesday Nights- Little Guys Division (boys 8-10) at St. Francis of Assisi; Wednesday Nights – Girls Division (Girls 11-14) at St. Francis of Assisi; Thursday Nights- Little Gals Division (girls 8-10) at St. Francis of Assisi. Graduate games start at 6:00 pm (3 games a night in one hour time slots), and all other divisions start at 6:00 pm with four games in 45 minute time slots.

2) I am going to be out of town on Registration Day and you have no on line registration. How do I get my child registered?
Answer: If you are going to be away on Registration Day you can get someone else to start the registration process for you. They will need the name, date of birth, contact phone numbers, address and e mail address (if applicable) for your player, along with the $10 registration fee. They will be given a copy of the registration form that you will need to sign and bring with you to the player evaluation night. We must have a signed registration form before your child can participate in league activities. PLEASE DO NOT ASK MEMBERS OF OUR LEAGUE EXECUTIVE TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD FOR YOU. We are very busy on registration day looking after other details of the process.

2 a) Why don’t you have on line registration like other leagues? Answer: Having in person, first come, first served registration equalizes the opportunity for everyone in the community. We allow someone else to register your child as long as you make those arrangements, as a concession to those that may need to be unavailable at registration time due to work or other commitments.

3) Can we request to be on the same team as another player?
Answer: Due to the large number of requests we receive each year, and our growing number of registrations, we can no longer assure you that player pairing requests will be granted, with the exception of siblings in the same age group, and where a DEFINITE need to ride together has been established and communicated. It has been overwhelming for our volunteers to accommodate these large number of requests while trying to build fair and balanced teams. We believe that this approach keeps us in line with the practice of most other youth organizations. We see our program as a great opportunity for family members and players to meet new friends and neighbours from across our community, establishing friendships that may last for years to come.

4) Can we request to be on a specific coach’s team?
Answer: No, you may not request a coach.

5) What happens if I miss the player evaluation night? Will my child be “cut” from the program?
Answer: While we hope that all players come out for evaluation night, no one that is registered will be “cut”. All will be placed on a team, and you will be notified what team, and the team practice time in the days following our September 17 coaches meeting.

6) What do I do if I find out that my child has a conflict with another activity or decides they don’t want to play this season?
Answer: Please notify us as soon as possible by e mail (roland.billings@sympatico.ca), by phone (613 548-8790), or message through the web site or Facebook page. We will likely have a waiting list in each division of players that want to play, and an early decision on your part will get one of them into the league.

7) How often will there be practices and what time of day will they be held?
Answer: In each division there will be one evaluation night practice in the week after registration following the schedule distributed at registration and that will be published here after registration day. In the week after the coaches meeting (September 22-25) there will be one practice with your team on the same game nights and time slots outlined in question one above. Once games begin there are no more practices.

8) What player medical condition details do you need for my player?
Answer: We need as much detail as possible on the registration form to help us make sure convenors and coaches are aware of potential issues. All allergies, as well as any medical diagnosis and / or behaviours that could impact their participation need to be disclosed to us. While all are welcome in the league, we are only looking to better understand the needs of our players, and create a more successful time for each player to help ensure a positive experience for all participants and volunteers involved.

On this day eleven years ago we said goodbye to the founder of our program Don “Pete” Petersen. He was a friend, a mentor, confident, visionary and a leader in every sense of the word. He had the vision as a 17 year old caretaker at St. Patrick’s School on Patrick Street to open up the back door of the school and invite the children in his neighbourhood in to play some basketball. From that selfless gesture the league that now has his name was born. A league that started with four teams now has 38 teams, 474 players and 100+ volunteers making it all happen.

His smile, his laugh, and his resounding “Hey brother” greeting still resonate in our memories of this man. He taught all of us his values of inclusion, and to be in the league for one reason only – to be there “for the kids”. We were all so lucky to have the man that started it all around to listen, to observe and to give guidance to us whenever he thought we needed it.

In the later years of his life he would take his place in the North east corner of the St. Pats gym and from there he would greet a steady stream of parents as well as current and former players coming over to visit with him, and just be near him.

Those of us that learned from him, and those that are learning from us, remain committed to keeping the vision he had when he opened the back door of the school alive- to continue to provide a safe and affordable place for the children in our community to learn the game we love, and to experience the true joy of being part of a team can be. So if you are a player, remember why there is a “Pete” patch on your uniform, and then play the game with passion and have fun doing it. Pete’s still guiding us! Roland

Yesterday we received an unsolicited E Transfer with the following note attached:

“ John Sutton and Colleen Earle had birthdays and asked that people donate to the Pete Petersen b ball league…these are the donations to be directed to the basketball league.”

The result of this request was a significant donation to our program. Our sincere thanks to John and Colleen for their selfless act of support for what we do, and to the donors that granted them their birthday wish by donating to make a difference in the lives of our players and their families. Our thanks too, to Wendy Earle for arranging the e transfer to us.

We are truly blessed to have such great support in the community. Roland

Don Petersen’s family has asked that we give you this reminder about applications for the Don “Pete” Petersen Spirit Memorial Award. Details of the award, and how to apply are below.

Please remember that this is an award sponsored by Don Petersen’s family and not the league.

https://www.facebook.com/share/198mNPurZW/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Last month we reported to you that former league player and longtime volunteer Miles Brackenbury has qualified to represent Canada at the FISU World University Games in Germany in July. He will be competing in the half marathon event.

The World University Games are second only to the Olympics in terms of scope and number of athletes participating, and Miles is looking forward to representing Canada and fulfilling his dream of wearing the red and white colours in international competition.

The team is totally self funded so Miles must raise $5000 to cover his expenses. To do that, he has set up a GoFundMe page that I have included a link to below. Here is part of what Miles said, a reason for our league family to get behind his fund raising efforts.

“Additionally, as a thank you to the sports organization that shaped me into the Athlete I am today, I will be donating 50% of funds raised to the Pete Petersen Basketball League which provides access to sport for all and promotes an atmosphere where players come together “Just for the fun of it”. As a former player and volunteer with this league, I have seen the power of community and it has made me a better competitor and better person. Thanks to this league, youth who otherwise may miss opportunities in organized sport build skills, community, and memories that they take with them the rest of their lives.”

“For the Pete Petersen Basketball league, it is an investment into the next generation of athletes who will hopefully be in my shoes in the coming decades so I too can support them on this journey.”
I hope you can find it in your hearts to help this young man fulfill his dreams. It is typical of Miles character to want to help us out too, as he has done since he was 13 and started volunteering. Thank you Miles for believing in what we do , and for wanting to make a difference in our player’s lives.

Here is a link to the GoFundMe page.

https://gofund.me/dd00160c