Frozen Chozen has another successful year

HURLEY-It was the 22nd annual Frozen Chozen elementary basketball tournament this past weekend at the Hurley K-12 School.

Local elementary basketball teams comprised of third, fourth, and fifth graders were invited to play in the tournament. Of the boys and girls teams invited, a total of 26 teams competed over the two-day tournament.

The tournament has been hosted by the Hurley High School boys and girls basketball teams and the Midget Booster Club for the past 22 years. It is a great fundraiser for the teams and all the players work the tournament, including keeping the books, concessions and refereeing.

The tournament has changed throughout the years, sometimes involving a wider range of teams and over more weekends. But tournament organizers have found the perfect recipe for a successful event that can be done in one weekend and with more fans.

By inviting just local teams to the tournament it allows for less travel time and the opportunity for more families to attend. And the fan section definitely reflects this aspect.

Local teams allows the opportunity for families to come and cheer on their players, including grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other family members that may not have had the opportunity if it was a longer drive.

The teams that participated Friday and Saturday were from Hurley, Ontonagon, Watersmeet, Ewen-Trout Creek, Wakefield-Marenisco, and Bessemer.

David Meade, tournament organizer and founder, started the elementary tournament years ago as a way to get the younger kids playing basketball and falling in love with the sport.

Retired now, Meade was a Physical Education teacher at Hurley and coach for the high school girl's basketball team for many years. His vision and passion to inspire a love for basketball at an early age has clearly not fizzled out.

Both Meade and the Midget Booster Club have worked many long hours over the years to continually provide a fantastic basketball tournament for local elementary kids and their families.