Tournament spirit engulfs community

I want to thank all those involved in the third annual Williamsville Rotary Holiday Basketball Tournament held Dec. 28-29 at Williamsville South High School. The tournament was a tremendous success.

The feedback from the coaches and schools participating is that it is a classy event run in a first-rate manner. The event featured both junior varsity and varsity boys' basketball and halftime games played by members of the Amherst Youth basketball league, as well as a raffle for iPods.

Attendance was tremendous, and the games were exciting. The funds raised will go toward student scholarships and other charitable purposes in the Amherst community.

The Williamsville South Basketball Booster Club, Williamsville South coach Al Monaco, the Williamsville South staff and the Williamsville School District all played key roles in the tournament, and I appreciate their help.

We also had many local businesses that supported us by purchasing ads in our program. I want to thank you and let you know that your ads were part of a very professional program distributed free to all attendees at the tournament.

The tournament, after only three years, has now become a holiday tradition that the whole community will look forward to. The gym was full on Friday night, and the fans were treated to a great basketball game. I saw many people from the community who were there not because they had a child participating but because it was an entertaining evening and a chance to meet with friends.

The Williamsville Rotary is a service organization committed to serving our community through volunteerism and fund-raising. It is our privilege to be part of this event, and I hope this will be an event that the community looks forward to each year.

Jerry Sheldon Tournament Chairman

Williamsville