Flathead Lake 3-on-3 basketball tournament returns to Polson
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POLSON — The 22nd annual Flathead Lake 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be returning to downtown streets July 25-27.
Teams begin playing at 9 a.m. both days.
On Saturday, the three-point shooting contest will begin at 8 p.m., and be followed by the slam-dunk contest. The contest required all participants to send in a YouTube video of them dunking a basketball to qualify. The winner will take home $1,000.
The event draws 250 to 300 teams of more than 1,200 basketball players each year, according to Rich Forbis, sales manager at Anderson Radio Broadcasting and original co-founder of the event.
Three members make up a team. Teams often include a substitute player. There are 16 brackets, and the divisions range from 5th and 6th graders up to 35 years plus.
Many of the new divisions are due to the increase in young people participating, according to Dennis Anderson, president of Anderson Radio Broadcasting. As a major sponsor, Anderson has also been on the committee running the event for the last 20 years.
“It makes the event even more family oriented, provides youth valuable lessons in competitive sports, team-play, sportsmanship, self-confidence, loyalty, pride and hard work,” Anderson said.
The popularity of the event provides an influx of more than 6,000 people for a period of time that benefits the local economy through hotel stays, restaurants, and downtown shopping.
“All businesses derive an indirect financial benefit from the additional visitors,” Anderson said.
Financial support for the event is provided largely through corporate sponsors and team fees. This has enabled net proceeds to be donated to local charities. Proceeds and all extra money from the event benefit the Mission Valley Animal Shelter, Polson Booster Club, the Buck Young Scholarship Fund, among others.
Last year a key and valued member of the event team, Buck Young, was lost to cancer. He did everything from officiate games, coordinate officials and volunteers, and operated the forklift as necessary for the event, according to Forbis.
“Buck will be sorely missed,” Forbis said. “It’s sad that we lost him. He’d been with us for over 21 years but in his memory we are donating to the scholarship.”
Sponsors include Les Schwab Tires, Glacier Bank, Super One Foods, Best Western KwaTaqNuk Resort Casino, McDonald’s, Anderson Radio Broadcasting Inc., Budweiser, Glacier Bank, Polson Auto Parts, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, Community Bank, Town Pump, Universal Athletic, Gull Printing, Tire Depot, Allied Waste, Ronan Power Products and Total Screen Design.
Registered team members can obtain their packets with the confirmation letter, team name and team number from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 25 near the center court downtown on 3rd Avenue West. The packet includes initial game time and location schedules.
