Sioux Falls, SD (KELO.com and KWSN) - The next NCAA Championship event to hit Sioux Falls is upon us.
Officials with the Sioux Falls Sports Authority and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference are ready to host the Division II Men's Elite Eight at the Sanford Pentagon. Part of playing host to the eight teams playing in the three day tournament is what Division II calls a civic engagement project, a means of getting players out into the community to interact with students and encourage them to come out to the games.
Each of the eight schools has been assigned to one Sioux Falls elementary school. They'll spend an hour talking to students about setting goals, going through basketball drills; some will even coach a students versus staff game.
Former NSIC Commissioner Butch Raymond is organizing the events for the teams, he says the events don't just benefit the students; it becomes a memory for the student-athletes as well. "I'm always amazed at how well the students-athletes react to the [children]. Yeah they remember the game, they remember the score, but invariably one of the things they talk about is how touched they were as they were involved in that classroom."
Raymond says each school created their own agenda for the time that they will spend with the tournament participants. "We'll do anything. We'll read to them, participate in drills, anything that we can do to be an advantage to the schools." He adds that teachers will often times find ways to incorporate the event into their classroom beyond the one hour they spend with the teams, by studying where the school is located. Schools have also organized full-blown pep rallies for the teams as well complete with handmade signs and cheers.
Sioux Falls schools that will get the visits include Cleveland, Garfield, Horace Mann, Sonia Sotomayor, Terry Redlin, Anne Sullivan, Hayward, and Axtell.