The longest, consecutively running basketball tournament in Canada tips off today here in Orillia as teams from right across the province take part in the 67th annual Blackball tournament.
This edition of the tourney will feature 32 teams — 16 in both junior and senior boys’ action.
Teams from all four local Orillia high schools competing in each division.
Twin Lakes Secondary School teacher Sara Hagman is one of the co organizers and says some of the power house teams to watch in this tournament hail from Timmins, Peterborough, Ottawa, North Bay, Barrie and Midland.
She says in her view in the Senior action, Timmins will be the team to beat and in the Junior devision, St Teresa’s from Midland could very well take that title.
Hagman says all four Orillia teams, although not ranked one or two, will be very competative in this tournament.
Action begins today at all four local schools.
Twin Lakes and Park Street will host junior draw while the Senior action will be at both Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School and Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute.
Hagman says Orillia has always been a strong basketball community and that is one of the reasons for the success of the Blackball tournament.
Not only is the tournament good for sport in the community, a recent study for Orillia City Council shows that tournaments like this have a big impact on the local economy.
The study shows that each team that travels to Orillia for a weekend tournament spends more than 7,700 dollars in the area, which in turn generates almost 25 thosuand dollars in additional economic activity.
Multiply that by 16 different basketball teams, then that is a huge boost to the local economy.
