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Dear Bismarck Hoops Fans, Players, and Sponsors:
With much hesitance, frustration, and, grievance; the Bismarck Hoops Council has decided to discontinue our Winter Blast, Fall Classic, and Holiday Blast Youth basketball tournaments. Bismarck Hoops Youth Summer League is still undecided at this time.
The reasons for the cancellation of our program are due to increased gym fees, and adequate gym availability to provide quality youth tournaments in Bismarck. Bismarck Hoops has hosted teams from Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, and Canada. We are very proud of the participation, and support our tournaments have enjoyed from the many travelled teams throughout the years, and this decision wasn’t easily reached.
The Winter Blast tournament routinely receives over 80 requests (turning away about 15 each tournament, due to space constraints) for our Girl’s tournament in February, over half of these registrations are from out of town teams who travel from 50 to 400 miles, and stay in the Bismarck/Mandan hotels, visit area shopping centers, and restaurants.
Bismarck Hoops’ gym and custodial fees have increased to an amount which inhibits our ability to provide a quality tournament, and to be able to support the Youth Basketball teams, and both local and school charities, like we have in the past. Our gym fees, for just the Winter Blast Tournament, this year will be approximately $2650, plus an additional $1300 for custodial fees. These increased gym fees inhibit our ability to just break even without increasing team registration fees or fan entry fees. We have decided it is not in the parent’s nor fans best interests to raise the fees to participate and enjoy watching your youth play in a game which teaches team work, and fair play, along with creating an excellent environment for exercise, and activity.
The teams which have already registered (as early as August) will have their registration fees returned to them in the mail. We apologize for any inconvenience these cancellations may have created, but it has become fiscally prohibitive to continue the tournaments at the present fees being charged by the Bismarck Public Schools. If anyone has any questions or helpful comments please feel free to email any one of us.
Thank you again for all your support of our tournaments in the past.
Sincerely,
Bismarck Hoops
