Sports management students hyping up three-on-three basketball tourney
Slippery Rock University will host a different kind of senior at a basketball tournament Saturday, April 11.
Students in the school’s sports management program are organizing and promoting a Senior Olympics of Western Pennsylvania basketball tournament, in which teams of three women will go against one another in exhibition matches.
Meghan Guiher, a junior communications major at SRU, said people in the sports management and ethics class have hosted the tournament before, but this year’s cohort is trying to gain more traction, saying the matches are competitive and fun to watch.
“The women are really good at basketball, so we want people to come watch,” said Guiher, who is minoring in sports management. “They come from Pennsylvania, West Virginia and all over to play.”
According to Guiher, the tournament has divisions that separate the teams of women into brackets based on age. The age brackets are 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and 65-69.
Guiher said the tournament is normally a qualifier for Senior Olympics’ National Senior Games, but it is not part of the circuit this year.
Nevertheless, the tournament normally attracts several teams that play in games starting as early as 9 a.m. and lasting through “a decent part of the day,” according to Guiher.
The event is not only fun for the women who throw down in the 3-on-3 basketball games, but it’s a good educational excursion for the students in the sports management and ethics class.
Guiher said Rivalry at the Rock has been a successful student-run program for years and she is happy to be part of its planning this year.
“It’s using that knowledge in that class and putting it to work and plan the event,” she said. “I’m on the public relations committee trying to promote the event. It’s a good way to get some experience”
For more information on Rivalry at the Rock, follow the event’s Instagram account, rivalryattherocksru.
