While Steve Anderson might not attend basketball tournaments multiple times, he says he 鈥渨ill always attend鈥� the 性视界传媒 RCMP Basketball Classic.
For about 15 years, Anderson and his student athletes have taken part in the tourney, for boys.
鈥淲hen I started at Southridge (School), to be honest, I just wanted to be part of the tournament, but we never really had an opportunity to get in,鈥� said Anderson, adding that the tournament has limited space and a team needed to drop out in order for Southridge to play.
Then one year a spot opened up, and Anderson said it 鈥渨as great.鈥�
鈥淭he event itself, I really like the fact that it鈥檚 just for 性视界传媒, where pretty much everything else we do is kind of at a provincial level where there are teams from all over the province,鈥� he said.
This year鈥檚 tournament started Sunday (Jan. 13). Senior and junior teams are in action at school gyms across 性视界传媒, with the championship games to be played at Enver Creek Secondary on Saturday, Jan. 19.
鈥� RELATED: BASKETBALL: All-性视界传媒 school tourneys tip off this month, with girls and boys in action.
(Posted below is this year鈥檚 性视界传媒 RCMP Classic tournament program, as PDF)
Anderson said Southridge is one of only a handful of private schools that participate in the 性视界传媒 RCMP Classic.
鈥淭here might be one or two other small ones, but not too many. It鈥檚 definitely a majority public school event. I think when the tournament itself started, the whole purpose of the tournament was鈥� to connect the RCMP with the public schools.鈥�
Now in its 28th year, the 性视界传媒 RCMP classic is something Anderson said he looks forward to every year.
鈥淚 build it (my schedule) around the RCMP tournament. I will not attend other tournaments, but I will always attend the RCMP tournament because I think it has that much value to stay connected in the 性视界传媒 basketball community and also with the public schools and to show that we鈥檙e in a partnership here.鈥�
Here鈥檚 the sched for the 性视界传媒 RCMP Classic for boys, starting Sunday, Jan 13.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
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The week-long 性视界传媒 RCMP Basketball Classic began in 1992, and organizers call it the largest RCMP sponsored tournament in the country. 鈥淭he tournament was created by the 性视界传媒 School District and 性视界传媒 RCMP to help foster positive inter-school competition and create a healthy relationship between the RCMP and students.鈥�
During the tournament, more than 70 games are played, involving close to 650 students from high schools in the district. The tournament ends with the senior championship game, and the presentation of a number of awards.
In the spring, there is the All Star Classic which showcases the top 20 graduating boys and girls in 性视界传媒. Scholarships are also presented during that gathering.
For more info on the 性视界传媒 RCMP classic, visit .
The tournament, Anderson said, is a way for Southridge, and other private schools, to connect with the public schools.
鈥淚 actually find that over the years, although we鈥檙e a private school, I feel that we鈥檙e pretty much connected and looked at, I would say, the same as the public schools,鈥� he said.
Anderson said there 鈥渉as always been a little bit of animosity toward some of the private schools,鈥� partly because some people feel that private schools 鈥減lay on a different playing field for the most part.鈥�
鈥淚 find we鈥檝e always been a school that played by the rules and we鈥檝e not done any of the recruiting type accusations that have come about with other schools.鈥�
