15th Annual Midtown Showdown Brings Spirit And Community To Hamber
Photo Credit: Linh Nguyen
From Jan. 22 to Jan. 24, Hamber hosted its 15th annual Midtown Showdown, a senior basketball tournament consisting of 22 teams from across British Columbia. First hosted in 2011, Midtown has grown into more than just a basketball tournament; it has become a community event. The Leadership 12 class was placed in charge of much of the tournament’s organization, which included coordinating hosts and scorekeepers, selling snacks at the concession, and running the halftime shows.
Ashley Warren (12) was a part of the leadership class and also co-ran the Hamber Athletics Instagram account. She explained how she stayed at Midtown for the duration of the three-day tournament, “constantly making posts for the account like Player of the Game, final scores, and upcoming games.” Her role was to keep the school updated and involved in the tournament as much as possible.
Leadership students also ran halftime shows, which were used to get students in the crowd involved in the tournament. At all games held during school hours, students were pulled from the bleachers during halftime for a chance to compete for prizes of Hamber merchandise. Additionally, the Cheer Club put on performances during halftime and stayed on the sidelines to support both the Senior Girls and Senior Boys teams during their games. These events gave all Hamber students the chance to appreciate Midtown, even for those who aren’t basketball fans.
Warren also commented on the environment at the tournament and was happy to see all the people who came out to support. She was surprised to see as many people as she did at evening games or on the weekend, but the busiest times were during the school day. “Classes got to come down, and it was super loud and chaotic at times,” Warren explained, but she also shared how the chaos made the tournament all the more fun.
Riley Tam (12), a player on the Senior Boys Basketball team, also enjoyed the bustling environment of Midtown. “We had pretty much the whole school involved,” Tam said. For him, that made Midtown special compared to other tournaments that the team attended throughout this season. “I noticed that at other schools, they often don't do that as much. So I think the fact that Hamber does that is pretty cool.”
Senior Girls Basketball player Esha Sadra (12) was in agreement and explained how Midtown stood out to her compared to others she’s attended in her two years on the senior team. “People at Hamber have so much spirit, and the amount of support we have is so important,” she shared. It was one of the last times she got to play on the Hamber court, and she shared that it was the best sendoff for her. “There’s so much energy from the crowd, and everyone’s having fun and is engaged [in the tournament].”
Tam echoed this sentiment. “You feed off the crowd noise as the game starts,” he explained, adding that the crowd at Midtown was the biggest number of people he had ever played in front of. Sadra shared that her favourite part of the whole tournament was playing in front of the Hamber crowd during the semifinals. “People were yelling and cheering and banging drums,” she said, which added to the intensity of the very close game. “Even though we lost by two points, it still felt like we won because of the support we had from the crowd,” she shared.
Warren also saw the support of fans throughout all three days of the tournament, as she saw tons of people come and go from the gyms. “Even on the Saturday, a lot of people came out to watch the finals,” she noted. The Senior Boys Basketball team played in the finals of the tournament and came up just short, placing second overall. The Senior Girls Basketball team placed fourth overall.