It’s an exciting year for Mt. Pleasant and Central Michigan University, as they will be hosting the 5th Annual Original Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, April 27-28th.
You may be asking yourself who or what is Gus Macker? Well, Gus Macker is a nickname for the creator of this basketball tournament, Scott McNeal, a 1979 CMU alumnus. McNeal started the first Original Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball tournament in 1974, which took place in Lowell, Michigan. Now, 40 years later, Gus Macker tournaments have been held across the country in more than 75 cities.
For the past 4 years, McNeal has given back to the Mt. Pleasant and CMU communities with a generous donation of $10,000 each year to the Dick Parfitt Gymnasium in the Events Center. It was announced at a press conference this past February that CMU and Gus Macker will be partnered up for another 5 years.
Mt. Pleasant and Central Michigan University are especially proud to host this tournament because it offers something unique you won’t find at any other Gus Macker tournament across the country, it is completely run by students.
This event is organized and administered by 30 CMU students minoring in event management. These students are currently enrolled in a 2 credit class specialized for the Gus Macker event. Dr. Tim Otteman and Dr. Lori Irwin have taught this class for the past for years and are extremely proud of what their students are able to accomplish. The students are given responsibilities but are not micro-managed; they truly gain a hands-on, learning experience.
This class also acts as a direct substitute for event management field experience.
Not only are these 30 students involved in the making of this event, they incorporate other student groups. Student athletic trainers act as the medical team, the ROTC students help with security, sales minors assist in obtaining sponsorship and students in the Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services Administration (RPL) department volunteer during the event.
Over the past 4 years, 130 students have taken this class and have made the Gus Macker Tournament in Mt. Pleasant a huge success. On April 27th there will be a special Alumni Party for them in celebration of an outstanding 5 years.
Since, CMU is celebrating its 5th year anniversary and the signing of 5 more years with Gus Macker, this year’s Black Tie Affair theme is more than appropriate.
With this event being the 1st Michigan Macker of 2013, there are hopes of getting at least 200 teams registered.
You do not have to be the best basketball player to participate, the Gus Macker Tournaments are all about fun. It is open for people of all ages and levels of talents.
So gather up some friends and take advantage of this awesome opportunity to be involved in the 5th Annual Original Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament at CMU by registering online here: http://www.macker.com/tournaments/mtpleasantmi.html Online registration is open now until April 13th.
The tournament will be taking place between Finch and Warner Hall starting Saturday, April 27th with games beginning at 10:30 AM.
You can find out more information by visiting http://www.macker.com/
Make sure to follow @cmumacker2013 on Twitter and like the Gus Macker Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/gusmacker3on3?fref=ts for more updates.