05/04/2026
Received this in my personal inbox earlier. It is from the days when I started and ran the tournament.
Thought I'd share.
I also have every confidence in future organizers that they will do far better than I did.
Chris,
Proud cabbage patch 35 year old kid here, Believe it or not I remember seeing you at the park way way way back in the early 2000s/10s and I always wondered who you were. I remember the park before the black top and the back boards. As a middle/high school student during that time I know it helped so many Burlington kids out because I lived it everyday.
It really kept a lot of us out of trouble.
I could list you 10 different ways you would never think it could have a snowball effect but I was there
It helped level the playing field with the south point kids
The neighborhood was rough back then. Opioids just crashed the scene and the park gave us a place to go and something to do. It helped shape a lot of great athletes of my time. Just having the opportunity to.
A lot of those kids didn’t get as lucky as I did. That park helped me stay in athletics through school
Helped me graduate.You know, indirectly.
A lot of us either didn’t have dads.Or both parents.
And the court helped supervise even when there weren’t any adults lol
For years and years the all star teams were almost exclusively south point kids
Politicking back and fourth
Who’s name. Blah blah
I drive by every once in a while just to see. Same with the cabbage patch. Hurts my heart seeing the woods cleared.
Such great memories growing up down there. Such great people.
So thanks for that
😲😲WOW!!! JUST WOW!!! 😲😲 Until now, I had no idea the personal impact the tournament and the Commons had on the kids in Burlington.
I wish Bernard Conwell was still alive to read this. He was the driving force, as was Ed Moellendick, Ed Pennington and many others. THEY did the heavy lifting in the Commons. THEY are the ones to thank.
I just organized and ran the basketball tournament.