Press release from Crescent City Jaycees:

For the past 52 years Crescent City has come alive every March for our own version of March Madness. What began as an 8 team, single division, 8th grade boys’ basketball tournament has grown into an event that brings not only excitement, competition, and sportsmanship to our small town but helps to bolster the local economy in the heart of winter. This year the Crescent City Jaycees 8th Grade Boys Basketball Tournament has grown larger than ever before. March 6th-7th, 2020, 64 teams will vie for the championship spot in 8 divisions all while displaying the highest level of sportsmanship in an effort to take home the most coveted trophy, the Arman Gunnerson Memorial Sportsmanship Award. These teams will play in schools and gymnasiums around the community moving from gym to gym as the tournament progresses. Along with the 64 for basketball teams there are 19 cheer teams and 12 mascots who will be cheering for the teams as well as competing in their very own cheer competition which takes place in the middle of the tournament adding to the excitement and frenzy of the weekend. 14 of the schools participating are sending ambassadors from their schools in the form of Princesses. These amazing young women will be interviewed and one will end up wearing the crown of tournament queen. All of this combines to create 30 hours of highly competitive sports and nonstop action.

As the tournament has grown so has its impact on the community. From its beginning as a small tournament for 8 local teams to the 64 team Mini March Madness happening this year, every team, coach, school official, referee, and fan brings dollars into local economy in the slowest part of our year. When this tournament rolls into town every hotel, vacation rental, restaurant, and store will be full to bursting. Each team spends an estimated $2,800 over the course of the weekend on food, lodging, gas, and other needs for a total of approximately $180,000. When you take into account the additional spending by out of town parents and fans who attend, we can safely account for a combined economic impact of close to $230,000.00 in one weekend. That’s nearly a quarter of a million dollar boost to a community that relies so heavily on tourism in the middle of the cold and rainy winter.

After the tournament is over and the excitement has turned to memories that will last a lifetime, 896 of the players along with many of the cheerleaders, mascots, and princesses will be eligible to apply for a scholarship worth up to $500 each when they graduate from high school and are heading off to college. This tournament is the highlight of the year for these young athletes and for many is the last time they will be involved in organized sports.

All of this is brought to you by a small but very dedicated group of volunteers who work tirelessly to bring this tournament together year after year. They work together to plan and see through this amazing event. Between scouting teams, sending out invitations, managing facilities, putting together a program, and running every other aspect of the tournament this team strives to bring this event together. Some of the individuals involved played in the tournament themselves when they were 8th graders and others had children who played, but all of them work relentlessly to make sure this event happens this year and for years to come.

• 64 teams
• 8 brackets - first time in tournament history
• 19 cheer teams
• 12 mascots from 9 schools
• 14 princesses

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