7 News Belize

Welcome Back To Bird’s Isle
posted (August 11, 2017)
Last week Tuesday, we told you how the owners of the Bird's Isle Basketball court had revived it after Hurricane Earl smashed it to bits in August of 2016. And so now basketballers around the city can return to the iconic court.

The owners are staging a grand re-opening event, to show that high-level basketball play is back at that location.

An all-day marathon tournament will be held there on Sunday, and here's what the organizer and one of the athletes had to say about event which announces the return of Bird's Isle:

Vince Young Jr. Organizer
"Sunday we will have a grand opening tournament for the basketball court. Lots of people, lots of my friends grew up here playing ball and I think it means a lot to the community to the island, everyone is messaging and asking me when is the isle will done. They missed the board court which is the only board court at Belize. so it will be a good family event, bring out the family, a good 5 and 5 basketball, 8 teams, a thousand dollars grand prize. Now we have a team from Belmopan, everyone else's team is from here. So everyone should come out. This court helps my friends who told me, that it keeps them out of trouble. You have something fun to do. So this court is very important to a lot of people."

Darwin "Puppy" Leslie - Veteran Basketballer
"From ever since I have graduated from high school, 1999 that's when I made a transformation looking for what I was going to do next and I ended up around this community, Yabra community. It means a lot because from 1999 to now 2017, it's like roots. So the Bird's Isle means a lot and when I saw the weather come and crash it all down and it caved in, I never thought that the court would have been established again. I felt like they probably would have gone into business. It's very good to know that Vince Young Jr. still have the mind-set to keep the basketball going at the Bird's Isle."

Vince Young Jr. Organizer
"The entrance fee is 3 dollars which is reasonable. We start at 9 o'clock, it's a marathon tournament. We go throughout the day. It will be 7 games the whole day, 4 games for the first round, 2 games for the second round and the last championship game which should be finished around 5:30-6:00. We will also have food, refreshments and trampolines for the kids."

Darwin "Puppy" Leslie - Veteran Basketballer
"I would like to invite Belize City and everyone around Belize City because from the rosters that I have seen, these are definitely some of the top players in Belize City and I know that a team is coming from Belmopan, players are coming from all around the country."

The tournament starts at 9 a.m. on Sunday and closes at around 5 p.m. The Entrance fee is $3.

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