By Tom Rohrer
Winning and losing are important characteristics of athletics, but the main purpose of participating in sports is to have fun.
There will be no shortage of fun on Friday, Nov. 2, when the Harlem Ambassadors traveling basketball team takes on the hometown heroes of Olympia at 7 p.m. inside the Capital High School gymnasium.
The event, now in its second year, is run by the West Olympia Rotary Club in an effort to help raise funds for the Rotary Charity Fund. After receiving and reviewing requests from local organizations and charities, funds from the charity fund will be distributed to best help the community.
After a successful turn-out in year one, event organizers are excited for the return of the Ambassadors.
“We had about 400 people last year, and we expect to fill the gym this year due to the word getting out in the community,” said Sandi Wilson of the West Olympia Rotary. “This event is for kids and grandkids and adults that are kids at heart. It’s an entertaining event for all.”
Featuring a collection of former men’s and women’s collegiate players, the Ambassadors bring strong basketball skills to each performance, along with their flare for the dramatics and a goal to increase crowd participation.
“It’s a competition on the scoreboard, but really it’s the entertainment that people come to see,” Wilson said. “The players go into the crowd, do dance routines with the audience. It’s a different type of sporting event in that everyone in the gym is part of the game and not just the players and I think people really respond to that change of pace.”
Some of the Ambassadors hijinks include pranks on opposing players and the refs, optical illusions with the basketball and remarkable passing and dunking displays. The Hometown Heroes team is comprised of local adults with a love and understanding of basketball who know how to have fun and take a joke on the court.
“From our standpoint, there are two rules. One is be safe and the other is have fun,” said Jon Jones, the President/CEO of Washington Business Bank in Olympia, and a Hometown Heroes team member. “The Ambassadors, they bring so much positive energy to the gym that when you’re playing, you don’t care or really notice the score. It’s like you’re a kid again and playing for the first time and that’s the mindset of the players on our team.”
Along with the energy and skills they bring, Jones is impressed with the message the Ambassadors pass on to the local youth.
“Obviously they perform at these events which have a positive impact on the surrounding community, so there is that since of reward you feel in participating,” Jones said. “But they’ve got an excellent message, and that’s to study hard and stay in school.”
With local charities as the ultimate benefactor of the event, Wilson is hoping the annual Ambassadors game becomes a long-standing tradition in the community.
“I think there is great potential for it, because people know that it will only benefit the community and local charities,” Wilson said. “So we hope that people will keep coming out for a fun time.”
Along with the actual game, a series of raffles for prizes such as an autographed Ambassadors basketball will be held throughout the event.
Tickets can be purchased at www.seatyourself.biz, Thurston First Bank (located at 204 Pear ST. NE in Olympia), and Greene Realty Group (located at 1722 Harrison Ave., suite A).
Buying tickets before the event will save spectators $2 at the door. Pre-event adult tickets sit at $9 with child/senior tickets at $7. All children under four years old gain free admission.
For more information on the Harlem Ambassadors, visit www.harlemambassadors.com.
