NORTH WEBSTER – School may be out for summer, but North Webster Elementary will be alive Saturday morning for the annual Tournament of Champions. Sponsored by the Shoop Sports & Youth Foundation, the tournament will feature 30 area athletes competing in 10 separate events for scholarship money, with a total of $10,000 being handed out. Awarding the top four places for each gender, first place will be awarded $2,000, followed by $1,500 for second, $1,000 for third and $500 for fourth. With such nice prize money being awarded for doing well in such things as a mile run, long jump, free-throw shooting and pull ups, participation hasn't been a problem. “When I put out the entry forms in April, it's become so popular, that within a week-and-a-half this year, I had 18 (guys) signed up,” tournament director Mitch Willaman said. “I only take 15, so there's three alternates, and since then, I've added two more alternates. And I've had to use all the alternates this year, because I've had guys call me with work, mission trips and things like that, that they aren't able to participate.” Getting guys to compete has never been a problem, but participation by the females hasn't been as easy, but numbers are picking up, as 14 were signed up as of Tuesday afternoon. “When I first started working the Tournament of Champions, I had, on average, five, six, seven girls,” Willaman said, referring to the 14 girls signed up as a high for the tournament. “We've just continued to add to that, add to that. I was hoping to get up to 15 and who knows what could happen by Saturday.” The day begins at 7:15 a.m. with competitors signing in, with a mile run following as the first event. After competing in the mile, the athletes will then test their abilities in free throws, pull ups, long jump, shuttle run, obstacle course, soccer course, 40-yard dash, football/softball throw and 3-point shooting. The top four placings from each event will be scored, with a tally being taken at the end of the tournament, determining the overall finishes. Despite the scholarship money on the line, Willaman says the competitors don't go over the line. “It's very, very competitive,” he said. “We have great athletes that go after it, but they're also very supportive of each other. We really promote a positive atmosphere.” And a crowd is allowed, as the athletes mostly receive support from family and friends at the low-key event. “It's a great atmosphere,” Willaman said. “Most of the people that come are family members, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends and sort of thing. We have a staff of four people, with two guys working with the girls, two with the guys and my wife is my assistant and scorekeeper.”
