The annual overnight trip to Culver Indiana was a tradition beloved by both the players and coaches of the Girls Varsity Basketball team. For the past couple years, the team has grown and bonded as they shared memories in the gym and the hotel. Four year senior Kelsi Jackson loved their trip and relished the time they spent together as a team.

  “In the hotel we all went into one room and played games,” said Jackson when speaking on her favorite part of this tradition.

  However, in 2019 the Lake Forest Academy Girls Varsity Basketball team will not be attending the tournament. Instead, they participated in the Fenton Inaugural MLK tourney hosted by Fenton High school. This tournament, unlike the Culver one, has over six teams and gives the Lake Forest Academy Basketball team a total of four games to play instead of two.

  While the trip to Culver was a cherished tradition for the team, the switch to the Fenton tournament was an easy decision for Athletic Director Darrin Madeley.

    “It took me all of half a second to say that for our team and for our players this is much better than driving to culver to play two games,” spoke Madeley.

  He believed that the opportunity to not only play five games instead of two was a better deal, but the fact that they did not have to travel all the way to Culver Indiana was a huge bonus of the Fenton Tournament.  In addition, the competition at the Fenton tournament posed a greater challenge due to the presence of large public high schools participating in the tournament.

  Although the initial switch from their annual overnight trip was disheartening, the players and parents understood that this was the best decision for the team.

   When asking Head Coach Erica Wood about the switch from the Culver tournament to the Fenton tournament, she chose not to comment on the matter.

   “When they went home and told their parents, their parents were like that’s a no brainer,” said Madeley in regards to the tournament swap.

  With the switch to the Fenton tournament, there would be no overnight trip for the Girls Basketball team. Madeley doesn’t want them to miss out on that experience, so he has already began searching for new overnight tournaments that they could join.

  “I am still trying to get them an overnight tournament somewhere, it’s just tough because most of them are over christmas,” said Madeley.