Sports

Construction begins on Hoopster court

By Tyler Ohmann

07/10/2012

Construction has begun on a new state of the art basketball court at Tommy Turtle Park organized by the Bottineau Hoopsters.

The project, which has been in the works for several years began to come to fruition in the past couple weeks with the laying of foundation and pouring of cement.

“We’re very excited,” said Jeremy Hoerer, one of the Hoopsters board members. “We have been working on this for about two years.”

“We are still looking for a few donations, but those who we asked have been more than generous,” Hoerer added.

The court, which will be full-sized and have six different hoops, will also include a state of the art tile system, which provides many benefits to cement.

Hoerer stated that cement courts are tough on knees and falls and the new surface will help minimize damage to ball players and their equipment.

The design, which will include both purple and black colored tiles was inspired by Northen Illinois’s court of similar color patterns.

“Everybody is really pumped up, and really looking forward to getting it done,” Hoerer said. “It will be great for the kids to have something else to do.”

Currently Bottineau has only one basketball court at the central school, which is made from asphalt and has been used heavily by school children there.
Hoerer and the Hoopsters board believe that the court will be beneficial for not only the community, but those visiting Bottineau and Tommy Turtle Park as well.

“I think it is going to be positive for not only the community, but people who visit the park,” Hoerer said. “I hope that it gets used a lot, which I think it will.”

The board also wishes to recognize the efforts of prior Hoopster boards, which laid the frame work and did much of the fundraising for the project as well.

“The prior groups of Hoopsters boards did a lot of fundraising and laid the groundwork for this,” Hoerer said.

Current members of the Hoopsters board include: Hoerer, Ryan Henry, Anne Moum and Koni Hahn.
Construction is scheduled to continue throughout the rest of the summer, with the court hopefully opening later this summer.