Peter Bug’s 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament Brings Community Together
by Ann Quarzo
trophies. Potomac Gardens’ Hot Boys captured the age 10-12 contest, and Bones swept the age 13-14 category. Recreation Center teams Boogie and Dream Team seized the crown in the age 14-15 and age 17-18 competitions. The highlight occurred on the court but not from the action. It was the expression on the faces of the three players who won brand new, top shelf bikes in the special drawing among all the participating kids. The previous Saturday, more than 100 neighbors gathered on the sunken basketball court beside Peter Bug’s for his famous barbecue ribs and chicken and potluck fundraiser. Through donations, a raffle for two sets of DC Council box seat tickets to Nats games courtesy of Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and purchased meals, the group contributed enough to host the tourney and seed for future events. “Peter Bug,” a widely known teacher, coach and former recreation manager, organized the Friends of Watkins and Buchanan Park as what he calls “the neighborhood watch of the park.” Watkins and Buchanan offer a baseballfootball-soccer field, two basketball courts, a roller hockey rink and children’s playground. The DC Department of Parks and Recreation provided bleachers; Mangialardo’s Italian Deli, 1317 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, donated bottled water; and Friends of Watkins and Buchanan Parks provided hot dogs, grilled by Peter Bug. Community resident Cherish Pennington took over 1,000 pictures of the event, which she and husband Matt, who refereed some of the games, have posted on the web. Pictures can be viewed at http:// www.flickr.com/photos/3on3basketball/ sets/72157606572766644/. Parks and Recreation workers Kevin Clark and Jeff Mays were so excited about the tournament that they hope to help raise next year’s event “to a whole new level,” using all playing areas in the park for simultaneous competitions. Coming attractions are “Horseshoe Sundays” and a “Pound Hounds” dog show and parade featuring rescued dogs. Both events are for the young and young-at-heart. “We want to see everyone using our park,” Peter Bug said. That’s exactly what the Friends of Watkins and Buchanan Parks plan to do. ★
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he First Annual Capital Hill Triangular Basketball Tournament at Watkins Park on July 26 wasn’t just an ordinary 3-on3 competition. It was a culmination of much spirit, soul and hard work. and the beginning of a community melding to provide positive activities for our kids, especially those in nearby Potomac Gardens. Nearly 100 kids ages 10 through 18 forming 22 teams participated: 12 from Potomac Gardens; two each from Neighbors United and the Marshall Heights Association; and one each from Cardoza, Roosevelt, Harry Thomas, Watkins and the 1430 L St. SE Recreation Centers, and a coed team from Eastern High. The tournament idea ignited when cosponsor John “Peter Bug” Matthews, proprietor of Peter Bug’s Shoe Repair Academy at 13th and E streets SE, teamed with Chuck Kaufman of the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ) just across the street, and the Friends of Watkins and Buchanan Parks, a nonprofit concerned citizens group, to utilize the park and involve residents in the process. Neighbors of all ages and walks of life volunteered to register the players, referee, set-up, and clean up. The Men of the Shoe Shop ran the event, with Donald Johnson taking the lead. Thanks to DC Housing Official Robert Kelly, each player received an individual trophy. Members of winning teams also received team
Jam-packed action heats up Watkins and Buchanan Park basketball court on 13th and D streets SE as 22 teams and nearly 100 kids ages 10-18 competed in the First Annual Capitol Hill Triangular Basketball Tournament. 132 ★ HillRag | September 2008
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