BPSN Girls Basketball Tourney awards bursaries, cancels 2020 event
There is good news and bad news related to the BPSN Girls Basketball Tournament.
Rather than starting with the bad news about the cancellation of the 2020 tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic, let’s start with the good news of the tournament presenting $1,400 in bursary money to four women who played in the first-ever BPSN tournament last fall.
“The BPSN Girls Basketball Tournament is important because it shines a bright spotlight on girls basketball in Niagara,” tournament chair Jill Stiefelmeyer said. “Equally important is that funds raised from the tournament are used to help alumnus from the tournament fund their post-secondary educations. Our sponsors play a large role in making this a reality.”
Sponsors for the 2019 tournament included: Tora Inc, Niagara Rangers; No Limit Performance: St. Catharines Rebels; Niagara Falls Red Raiders; Alltech Automotive; Niagara District Referees Association; Brock University women’s basketball program; Pelham Panthers; Alison’s Sports Awards and Promotions; and, the Niagara College women’s basketball program.
Recipients of this year’s bursaries are Jennika McIntosh from Governor Simcoe; Julianne Bowles from Greater Fort Erie Secondary School; Rachel Bufalino from St. Francis; and, Julia McNeaney from Eden.
McIntosh will be studying in the physical science honours program at Guelph University with a major in theoretical physics.
“My passion for an environmentally efficient, fair and connected society has led me to this field of study,” McIntosh wrote.
She describes herself as very passionate individual, who attributes her ideas about the world to her involvement in the arts and sports.
“Art taught me to question and observe the world as well as how to communicate those thoughts. Through that experience I saw the beauty in perspective,” she wrote. “Sports showed me the value in cooperation and the beauty of competition.”
Those experiences have inspired her desire for human connection.
“In the future, I plan to lead an interdisciplinary career. Whether it be as a researcher, a biological and medical scientist in a hospital, or a teacher, I will contribute to community and global prosperity. It is through the field of science that I see I can have the optimal influence.”
Bowles is heading to Trent University to study chemical engineering. The program is a part of a dual-degree program with Swansea University in the United Kingdom.
“I will receive both a bachelor of science and a bachelor of chemical engineering in just four years,” Bowles wrote. “With this degree I am hoping to endeavour into environmental research as a means of keeping earth sustainable.
Bufalino will be attending Brock University and studying concurrent education at the intermediate/senior level.
“In the future, I hope to continue taking part in this tournament as a coach or volunteer while pursuing my teaching career,” wrote Bufalino.
McNeaney will also be attending Brock University and will be studying nursing.
“I plan to work as a registered nurse following my undergraduate degree,” she wrote.
BP Sports Niagara is honoured to be able help out these four women as they start their post secondary careers. Hopefully, the COVID-19 pandemic can be brought to its knees and the Second Annual BPSN Girls Basketball Tournament will be contested sooner rather than later.
“We would have loved to have been able to build on the momentum from the first year of the tournament, but we are confident the tournament will be equally successful once it is safe to resume play,” Stiefelmeyer said. “Thanksgiving weekend won’t be the same without the tournament and I can’t wait until we can all meet again in a packed gym on championship night at the BPSN tourney.”
At last year’s inaugural event, the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs defeated the Denis Morris Reds in the championship game and the A.N. Myer Maraiders topped the Centennial Cougars in the consolation final.
