Tournament honors deceased seminarians
By Kara Hansen
Leaven Staff
PRAIRIE VILLAGE — When players take to the court for this three-on-three basketball tournament, there will be more than a championship and bragging rights at stake.
All the money raised from the event will go to support seminarians in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph — and all of it will be raised to honor the memory of deceased seminarians Matty Molnar and Jared Cheek.
“We had been looking for something to do for Jared and Matty, and since we didn’t have anything going for basketball, we thought a tournament would be a good idea,” said Jake Riordan, a parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood who is helping organize the event.
Fellow organizer Sara Batenhorst agreed.
“Once we decided that we would like to donate the money to the seminarian fund, we thought it would be appropriate to do it in Matty and Jared’s honor,” said Batenhorst, also a St. Michael the Archangel parishioner. “The young community was severely affected by their death four years ago and many of us still mourn their loss. We also want to make sure that their memory remains with us. There are many new young adults joining Catholic Challenge Sports and young adult communities every day who did not know Matty and Jared, and we would like to make sure that their lives are not forgotten.”
The Jared and Matty Charity Basketball Tournament is being sponsored by Catholic Challenge Sports, a Catholic young adult ministry focused on providing sports events and leagues within the Kansas City metropolitan area.
It will take place at St. Ann Church in Prairie Village on April 17, with games starting at 10:30 a.m. and running until approximately 7 p.m. Games are held on the half-court; the tournament is double elimination.
There will be three divisions in which teams can compete — female, male recreational, and male competitive. Anyone interested in playing can either register as a team of three to five players or as an individual “free agent” and then be assigned to a team. The cost for team registration is $60; the cost for individuals is $15. The winning teams will receive championship T-shirts.
In addition to the tournament, there will be three-point and free-throw shooting contests for $1 per round. Winners of the contests will receive free registration for an upcoming sport offered through Catholic Challenge Sports.
“We’re hoping to draw around 30-40 teams,” said Riordan. “Of course, more would be great, too.”
If the tournament has a positive response, it will likely become an annual event, said Riordan. All tournament participants are invited to dinner together at a local restaurant following the completion of the games.
To register, visit the Web site at: http://kccatholicchallenge.com; select “basketball tournament” from the choices along the left-hand side of the site.