Changes for 2010

Wow, it is hard to believe Nationals is over and next year is only 354 days away. My family has headed up the National Tournament for the last nine years. That is exactly half of the eighteen years the National Tournament has been in existence. To be honest I am not sure how we have made it this long, in the first nine years there were three different directors each holding the post for three years. This year we got a little glimpse of why directors where ready to pass the torch after three years.

On the way home Cheryl and I talked at length about the challenges and the extra stress of running the tournament in a new city. Obviously everything that had become routine in the last few years had to be reinvented. Working with 35 new facilities, new officiating groups, new convention center, new showcase and final facility, new media, new Convention and Visitors Bureau, new hotels and new local sponsors. Add to that, we had our most significant growth of HomeSchool teams in six years, added the Christian Educated Tournament and television coverage. All that to say it was a year that I found myself in a high D mode all week to make sure the end product was as good as expected.
The reviews on Springfield have been 100% positive (I mean 100%) and we are thrilled because there was a lot of prayer, blood, sweat and tears that went into that decision.

I know I am biased but I think the National Christian HomeSchool Tournament is the most amazing sporting event in the world. I am truly blessed that the programs and teams that have come for years have put their trust into my family's hands over the last nine years. I also am truly blessed to have a family that loves to serve the HomeSchool community. We have spent most of the time we have been awake since the tournament ended reviewing, discussing and planning for 2010. I want you to know that one of the things that makes the National Championship so awesome is the fact that so many of you share your ideas. We love to sit back with our planning boards and take your ideas and see how they fit into the big picture. I can promise you we truly listen and your ideas make a difference. I am not saying that we can implement them all, as many of the ideas reflect one team or programs perspective. That is fine the feedback still helps.

With the above in mind I need to announce a significant change in the 2010 Regional Tournaments. We will be moving a tournament and making a realignment of the southern regional tournaments. The Shreveport Regional will move to Houston, Texas (Feb 4-6). The realignment will be as follows:
Dallas/Ft Worth North Texas -- OKC
San Antonio, Austin, San Marcos - Houston
Louisiana -- Houston
Tennessee - Atlanta
Arkansas - OKC

This schedule should work well with the Texas State Tournament travel schedules and better balance the regions. We will be bring the regional pages on the website up to date over the next couple of days. Kurt Talbott will be overseeing the Regional Tournaments again in 2010 so if you have questions please feel free to contact him directly.

In the next few weeks as I travel I hope to be able to write to you concerning a number of issues that many of you have been asked about. Everything from the long range plans for the showcase, the program fundraising, the fall National Tournament weekend, to how the Christian Educated Championships fit it.



Championship and All-American Rings

Ring Fliers and Order Form is at www.homeschoolbasketball.com

Hooded Sweatshirts -- Sold Out (Med and XL)

We are now Sold Out of Adult Medium and Adult XL Hooded Sweatshirts. We have limited quantities of the other sizes and expect to sell out by this weekend. Soon we will have a huge t-shirt sale, so keep an eye on future e-mails.