On the eve of Super Bowl 50, I took lovely wife Elaine out for a romantic evening that was filled with energy, passion, and a lot of heavy sweating.

Did we go dancing – no?! Did we go ice skating at Stuart Park – no?! Did we go to the Kelowna Community Theatre for a Vegas-style live show – no?!

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Romance took his bride to a secondary school basketball game. Whoa – slow down, Romeo. You heard that right, we went to the 43^rd Annual Interior Savings (free plug!) Western Canada Basketball Tournament. We sat in the bleachers for the boys’ championship game between the home team Kelowna Secondary School (KSS) Owls and the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs from Vancouver.

 

The gym was packed and toasty. The KSS students were lathered up and decked out in a variety of black-and-gold makeup, outfits and wigs. Two separate groups of them stood all game behind each baseline screaming and doing voodoo waves during free throws. Textbook stuff. Let’s be honest, the Churchill chaps were outnumbered and didn’t have a chance.

 

Nonetheless, the Bulldogs were bullish and put up a valiant fight. They had a couple ball handlers and shooters that should be scouted by the UBC Okanagan Heat. They grabbed the early lead and had the crowd groaning. The Owls, rated #1 in the province coming into the game, were clearly nervous and shot poorly. The hometown heroes finally took their first lead at 17-15 late in the first quarter and started to gain momentum.

Final score – KSS 84-71. That make two straight years for the Owls winning the championship trophy. At the final buzzer – the students on both baselines mobbed the court. It was pandemonium, but nothing stupid happened. Elaine commented how enjoyable it was being around all that energy and enthusiasm.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh yeah – the refs did an outstanding job in a raucous environment. I knew two of them. A couple times the Churchill coach got in their grills because of alleged hometown calls. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Elaine and I shared a Saturday night smooch for the victors. We had a blast going back to high school for a couple hours. She gets Homecoming-queen credit for all the photos you’re looking at.

PS:  Kudos to tournament sponsor Interior Savings and its 3-Point Fundraiser. For each 3-pointer made by a KSS Owl during the 2016 tournament, Interior Savings donated $50 to CRIS Adaptive Adventures. CRIS offers unique recreation programs that enable people of all abilities and disabilities to interact with the great outdoors. Update:  The Owls made 19 3-pointers over three games and Interior Savings donated $950 to CRIS.