Thousands pack Spokane streets as Hoopfest returns

Emily Turner showed up for her second Hoopfest on Saturday to support her boyfriend and his team, “Trill Walton,” named after the late famous basketball player and sportscaster, Bill Walton.

Members of Trill Walton traveled from Los Angeles, San Diego, Stanford, California, and Seattle for their eighth consecutive year playing in Hoopfest. Though Turner isn’t playing on the team, she enjoys being a cheerleader and taking pictures of the event.

“It was better than I could have ever imagined,” Turner said. “We call it summer Christmas.”

This year, 45 city blocks were shut down to accommodate 4,730 teams playing across 422 courts in the event’s 35th year. The 3-on-3 tournament, the biggest in the world, was expected to bring around 250,000 people to Spokane this weekend, all with the help of thousands of volunteers.

On Saturday, downtown Spokane was packed as competition began. Players of young and old took to their one-hooped courts with high energy. Some took the game less seriously, laughing and convening with their opponents when the games ended. On the sidelines, onlookers were locked into the action, many using fans and eating iced desserts to cool from the high temperatures reflecting off the road.

The focal point of Hoopfest for many was the Northern Quest Center Court, located in the U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park. The court laid the setting for multiple key events, including the MultiCare Slam Dunk Competition and the Women’s Professional 3XBA Tournament Finals. Between games, kids tripped over onlookers as they ran to catch souvenirs tossed into the crowd.

Lines for food trucks stretched across the paved paths of Riverfront Park, and eventgoers were hard-pressed to find shady spots to sit among the crowds of thousands.

With thousands of athletes competing across downtown, injuries were inevitable. That’s why MultiCare set up four tents with 149 volunteers across the event space to accommodate the medical needs of anyone at the event for no charge .

As of 4 p.m. Saturday, there were 522 injuries related to Hoopfest, compared to around 1,200 injuries total from last year’s event.

Kevin Maloney, MultiCare’s media relations manager, said people weren’t experiencing as many mild injuries as years prior. They have encountered a few more serious injuries, including seven Achilles ruptures, which require surgery.

Besides addressing immediate needs, MultiCare staff also offered preventative care options like wrapping wrists and ankles to counteract the strain from the games.

During a time when the health care field is facing a labor shortage, the scale of care they provided at Hoopfest is exciting, Maloney said.

“To be able to count on those 149 people, have them here on the weekends doing what they love, which is taking care of people, it’s a beautiful recipe,” he said.

The action wasn’t limited to the weekend.

On Friday, members of the Spokane Police Department and the Spokane Valley Fire Department competed in a basketball match at the Hooptown USA Court off of North River Drive to benefit foster child programs.

The match between the two groups of first responders was organized by Spokane Police Sgt. Richie Plunkett.

The fire department “soaked” the police department 48-28 at the end of the game, but all rivalry aside – everyone came out to play “on their own time,” Plunkett said. No overtime pay, just love of the game.

With so much action, the spectators who lined the streets seemed to enjoy this year’s event.

Ian Culnane, 14, has three favorite sports: football, wrestling and basketball.

He was excited to play the latter with his friends from Yasuhara Middle School in one of his city’s biggest events.

“Spokane is kind of boring. This actually lights it up a little bit,” Culnane said.

Henri Osborne attended Hoopfest sporting a jersey with the hand-drawn character Yoshi to play for her team, the “Hooper Mario Bros.”

Though her team might not have won its first game, her spirits were not dampened.

“I just think it’s a fun time to get a group together,” Osborne said. “We come into it with no expectations. It’s just to have fun.”

The action will continue Sunday with championship games for each division, along with the dunk contest finals.

Reporter Alexandra Duggan contributed to this report.