The 25th annual Harry Kazarian Memorial Minor Lacrosse Tournament wrapped up on Sunday with 5 divisional championship games at the JD McArthur Arena.
As mentioned previously, there are alterations afoot for the tournament, and the hope here is that we’re looking at a transition, not a conclusion.
As good as the tournament & the Championship games were this year, and through the years, what stood out to me on Sunday morning as I made my way to the arena was how packed the parking lot was at the Best Western Inn on the Bay.
Now, I understand, not every vehicle in the lot belonged to someone connected to the tournament, but there can be no denying how significantly positive this tournament is for the city & region.
Take 32 teams, each with about 15 players and you get close to 500 participants.
For arguments’ sake, let’s say there’s one additional adult for every two players competing and very quickly, that equates to more than 700 people, 700 consumers, multiplied by two to 3 days multiplied by how much money per person.
Any city, any region, would be thrilled to have a long established, long running community event, sports or otherwise, that brings in those kind of numbers.
So to the departing organizers and convenors of the Harry Kazarian Memorial Minor Lacrosse Tournament we say, ” well done ” and truly hope that the tournament as a whole continues to exist for decades to come.
I’m Fred Wallace