Rotary Basketball: Carson's labor of love
<p>Referee and Rotary Basketball Chairman Greg Carson takes a second during a basketball game to instruct the young players at The Summit last Saturday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>Greg Carson runs up the court while refereeing a Rotary Basketball game last Saturday at The Summit. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
Greg Carson says he’s happy he didn’t take someone’s advice a long, long time ago regarding Rotary Basketball.
Dave Meredith, who was the basketball committee chairman at the time, “told me to do it for a year and get out.
“It’s a lot of work.”
That was in 1988.
“I don’t listen to advice very well,” Carson said kiddingly.
“I also don’t regret anything about the last 27 years.”
The 67-year-old Carson, who was cut from his high school basketball team in Bemidji, Minnesota, stepped down as the Rotary Basketball Chairman last week at an event at the Hilton Garden Inn honoring his years of exemplary service to the hoop program.
“I loved it,” he said.
“I don’t regret one minute of it. We grew the program ... made some changes (girls play in the fall, boys in the winter).
The one thing Carson is most proud of is “we never turned a kid down for financial reasons, or anything else.”
Under his watch, everyone got to play.
“I’m really proud Rotary has done this and continues to do this for the youth of the Valley,” Carson said.
“The Rotary Club looks at this as a public service.
“As a service organization our job is not to teach basketball, but to teach life skills. We push sportsmanship.”
Rotary Basketball started in 1979 to help Flathead High School’s struggling basketball program. The school district did not have the funding for such a youth venture, so Rotary stepped up.
Chet Mahugh was the Rotary president that year.
The school district agreed to provide gym space while Rotary would handle everything else.
During those first years, about 200 youngsters participated in Rotary Basketball. The boys and girls both played in the winter.
There are currently 450 boys participating. Last fall the program had 278 girls.
Rotary Basketball is for grades 3-6. Boys and girls practice one day and then play a game the same week.
The player fee is $35. Team sponsors pay $125.
Financial scholarships are also available.
“Based on an average, 20,000 kids have gone through the program,” Carson said.
“All the teams (this year) are full.”
The program’s success has pushed gym time to a maximum.
Gymnasiums at Linderman, Elrod, Edgerton, Russell, Peterson, Hedges, and Kalispell Middle School are in use along with The Summit on Saturday mornings and St. Matthew’s Catholic School on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We’ve always had a father or a mother volunteer,” Carson said of coaching.
But a shortage of coaches in recent years has forced Rotary to rely on high schoolers for some of those positions.
“We screen them pretty good,” Carson said of the teenage coaches. “They coach in pairs. We’ve had very good luck with our high school coaches.”
Having someone direct the program for as long as Carson has done it is an added plus.
“Greg is a tireless worker, very dedicated to the program,” Jim Moore, who has been involved with Rotary Basketball for 25 years, said.
“He’s always been very hands-on. He’ll role up his sleeves and wade into whatever the situation is at any given moment. We regard him as a champion of Rotary.
“If I’m missing a referee, he’ll step in and referee two, three games. There is not a part of the program that he doesn’t touch.
“He’s been the perfect person for Bruce (Nikunen) and I to work with.”
Moore and Nikunen are not Rotarians, but have been co-directors since 1990. They help administer the program — handle promotions, registrations and setting up team rosters.
Scott Williams, a Rotarian, has been involved since 1998. He takes over as the basketball chairman.
“We’re there for all the kids, not just a few of them,” Moore said.
“We want them to walk away from this feeling good about the experience they had.”
Michael Hayes, president of the Kalispell Rotary, said Carson will be missed in his role as basketball chairman.
“Greg will never know the positive effect he’s had on coaches, young and old, referees, parents and grandparents and most of all, the countless youngsters,” Hayes said.
“Greg is all about being perfectly fair. He’s passionate about getting it right every time.”