This week the Finch Fanatics were graced with the presence of Scott McNeal and Mallory Kunkel.
Scott “Gus Macker” McNeal is the founder of the Gus Macker festival, and Mallory is the Social Media Manager responsible for all of the Gus Macker social media platforms. (Also, a retired Finch Fanatic and the very first Gus Macker intern to receive her own business card! *Applause*)
Scott spoke with us about the history of the Gus Macker festival including how it began, challenges it has faced, opportunities it has created and how it has grown into the success it is today.
It was awesome to learn how the idea for a 3-on-3 basketball tournament was created right in Scott’s driveway back in 1974. Scott, only in junior high school at the time, and 18 of his friends gathered together and contributed $1/person to play.
As word began to spread about this unique tournament in Scott's hometown of Lowell, Mich, more and more people started showing up to the driveway to play. The tournament was then moved to Belding, Mich. to accommodate the amount of teams interested in taking part in the tournament.
The Gus Macker tournaments today have evolved from registering 5,000 teams by hand and using wooden baskets to a national corporation that has gained a reputation of hosting the best 3-on-3 basketball tournaments.
According to Scott, one of the first things he began to appreciate the Gus Macker festivals for in the 70s, besides the game itself, was the idea of everyone coming together to play a game they all loved. No matter skill set, size or experience, everyone was welcome to play.
“It wasn’t about anything besides basketball. It didn’t matter if you were white, black, rich or poor,” Scott stated. Everyone was just there to play.
Hearing these ideas and values from Scott has given us a deeper connection to this incredibly unique festival, and will allow us to serve the national organization the very best we can.
We now understand why Macker prides itself on staying family oriented, an equal opportunity for all and a friendly tournament that is made for the players by the players.
As a whole, we are more appreciative of what each Macker tournament aims to accomplish, and are one step closer to making the Mount Pleasant festival the best one yet.
Thank you Scott and Mallory! We can't wait to show you what we've got in April!
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