By Carol South
TRAVERSE CITY -- Small town, big rivalry.
Even bigger hearts.
Scheduled opponents for the first time in years, the girls basketball programs at St. Francis and Central high schools are leveraging the meeting to help others.
Thanks to team members and coaches, tonight's Hoops for Hope games at Central have already raised around $2,800 for two area charities. Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan and Girls on the Run are beneficiaries of the event, originally slated for December but rescheduled due to snow.
Hoops for Hope will also feature a 50-50 raffle at halftime of the varsity game. Those receipts, coupled with hoped-for robust gate fees for two home teams, should boost the total donations.
The money will help the two nonprofits purchase athletic shoes and socks for needy youth in the area.
Hoops for Hope is a creative application of pay it forward, noted Gina Aranki of Child and Family Services.
"It's the kind of thing that makes the Traverse City area such a great place to live, work and play," noted the marketing/public relations director. "It is never too soon to expose our children and youth to the idea of giving back to their community."
Therese Schaub, local coordinator of Girls on the Run, appreciates the older female athletes helping out girls ages 8-12.
"Our budget is small and we want to touch as many girls as we can with this program," she said.
Central freshman coach Heather Simpson flashed on the Hoops for Hope idea last fall, realizing the scheduled Central-St. Francis match presented a unique opportunity. Looking beyond the high school participants, she also rounded up third- and fourth-grade girls from the YMCA basketball program to play at halftime. In addition, Central's freshman girls will be volunteering at the game.
"I never had to worry about having shoes on my feet," said Simpson of her motivation to transform the game's focus beyond stats and the win column.
The life lessons for the schools' players, all of whom participated in the fundraising, transcend the usual benefits of playing a sport.
"Basketball is a stepping stone in life, really, and this is something that I think the kids can learn from," she said.
During the unusual cross-town rivalry, at least one grandma in town will be stressed. Cousins Lyndsay LaCourse, a senior at St. Francis, and Katie Knudsen, a sophomore at Central, will play their first game against each other.
"Their parents are looking forward to this with dread: 'Who is grandma going to root for?,'" said Aric Woughter, Central's coach.
"Lifetime bragging rights are at stake," joked St. Francis coach Bill Bayer.
After the December snow day cancellation, finding a time for the two teams to reconnect has been a challenge. The Hoops for Hope game was finally tucked in near the season's end, a date that suits Bayer perfectly.
"For us, it's a week before districts and it's great to play a high quality team," he said. "We appreciate the fact that they will even play us -- we will play anybody, anytime or anywhere."
It is unusual for a Class A team to eagerly take on a Class C team. Woughter, weighing in for the larger school, noted it is a winning scenario for his team.
"We drive three hours to play teams and here's a quality team right in our backyard," he said. "They're a small school but very competitive."
The Hoops for Hope fundraiser will be held tonight at the Central High School during the St. Francis vs. Central junior varsity and varsity games, which begin at 6 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. respectively. Admission is $5. Girls on the Run participants or coaches can were their T-shirts for free admission.
