Spokane, WASH. — Crews are working late tonight to prepare downtown Spokane for Hoopfest, with the annual street basketball tournament set to open Saturday morning at 8 a.m.
More than 40 city blocks are blocked off to allow volunteers to finish setting up roughly 400 courts, with workers placing basketball hoops and outlining boundaries directly on city streets.
The event depends on a volunteer workforce of more than 3,000 people — many of whom return year after year.
“This event wouldn’t happen without the volunteers,” said Jerry Schmidt, Hoopfest co-founder. “We have over 3,000 volunteers. We like to think that we hook them — once you get them in, they enjoy it and they come back.”
Among those returning is Jonathan Sanborn, who has volunteered at Hoopfest for nearly a decade.
“I’ve been volunteering for like eight years, so it’s really nice to get out every once in a while and do something nice,” Sanborn said.
For Sanborn, the experience doubles as a family tradition. “It feels nice to get out and it’s kind of like family time — spend some time with the family doing something nice for the community,” he said. “I’m not getting paid for it. It’s just sweet time to spend.”
For others, Hoopfest is an annual homecoming. Brandon Schmidt, a volunteer who now lives in Seattle, said the tournament draws people back to Spokane from across the region.
“Hometown, Spokane, Hoopfest — they are all the same,” he said. “I was on a flight over today and ran into five different people, and they are all coming back. It’s a reunion for us.”
Schmidt added that the event welcomes people well beyond the basketball community. “Even if you are not a basketball fan, there is something for everyone,” he said.
The first games at Hoopfest tip off Saturday morning at 8 a.m. in downtown Spokane.
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