Nolan Lorenz is a 17-year-old with his eye on the prize.
The senior basketball player has been working hard all summer raising money for the chance to head down to San Diego after Christmas with a small contingent of local players for a week of basketball.
“I've done two bottle drives, one of the barbecues and helped with the meat fundraisers,” he said. “It should be pretty good.”
The dedication Lorenz has shown so far is understandable, considering the ultimate goal – the 2012 Surf 'N Slam Hoop Classic. The high school tournament, run by Basketball Travelers Inc., is set up with three divisions of boys and three divisions of girls battling it out for their respective championships.
Senior boys and girls from Innisfail will fly down Dec. 26 and stay at the newly-renovated Marriott-Mission Valley Hotel for the duration of the competition. They'll also get to do some sightseeing on the side.
As fun as all that sounds, it's the lessons the players will learn from heading out on this adventure together Lorenz is most excited about.
Taking place right in the middle of the basketball season, he hopes teammates will bond on the road, creating a formidable force to be reckoned with on the court back home in 2013.
“It's a team game,” he said. “It's fast and quick and you really need to react to what's going on. People need to trust each other.”
Senior girls coach Allan Whitehead heard about the tournament from a Chestermere coach. Their squad had gone to the Cactus Jam in Phoenix last year, which was put on by the same company. This year they'll be at Surf 'N Slam too.
“I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where we're at compared to the teams from California and the States,” Whitehead said. “It's a really good group of kids we've got going.”
Though no team rosters will be assembled until November, a number of youth have been extremely active in fundraising activities already.
“Right off the bat we had lots of kids interested,” he said. “Every time we've had a fundraiser we've had a lot of support from the kids.”
The community has been rallying around the players, as well.
Wild Tim's Car Wash donated its facilities for a day and about 15 students showed up to help do the dirty work.
The response was amazing, Whitehead said, noting one driver even paid $50 to wash his truck.
No Frills even donated all the food for the Sept. 15 barbecue.
About $5,000 has been raised to date.
