Just about over a month ago Dayna and I went to Jamaica (not the Jamaica you are thinking about, the one in Queens) to attend our very first Street 2 Street tournament, an event our marketing agency works with. This would be just one of the ways that her and I would be lending our helping hand (with our orange wristbands on!). To be completely honest, I had felt so many emotions before we went. I was nervous we were traveling to a place that was not exactly the safest. But most importantly, I was excited! I had heard so much about what a great experience these tournaments were and I could not wait to get the opportunity to experience one.
So, on a Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30 AM and got on a train and which picked up Dayna at the next stop. We traveled for a little over an hour and arrived in Penn Station, where we then walked a few blocks to get on the subway. We rode the F train to the last stop, Jamaica, Queens, where we were only a few blocks away from the site of the tournament. We then walked a few blocks to the tournament through a neighborhood that was interesting, to say the least.
When we got there all of the kids that would be playing in the tournament were sitting on the basketball court listening to Gian Paul Gonzalez speak. Gonzalez was an NBA player who left the game to become a teacher. He is credited with coining the phrase “All In”. You may have heard this (a lot I might add) when the Giants won the Super Bowl. Gonzalez was invited by the Giant’s Chaplin to come in and speak to them during Chapel before their big Christmas Eve game against the Jets. Gonzalez asked the team if they were “All In” for Christ, which turned in to “All In” for not only Christ, but the game and everything else.
On a side note, Dayna and I had the opportunity to meet the Chaplin who let us try on this bad boy!
Anyway, back to the tournament. Once Gonzalez was done speaking it was time for the tournament to begin. Dayna and I walked around introducing ourselves to those that were volunteering for Street 2 Street and running the tournament. We passed out our orange wristbands to them and let them know all about the contest. Everyone was really appreciative of everything that we were doing, and that made me feel good! We watched several games of basketball and cheered on the teams. We gave our wristbands to the players and took pictures of them sporting them.Overall, we had a great day. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I should have expected great things because it was great. I think that Street 2 Street is doing a terrific thing. I was glad to have been a part of it and I cannot wait to attend another tournament! For a full list of tournament dates check out the Street 2 Street website.
Here are a few shots from the day. Be sure to check out Street 2 Street’s Facebook for even more!