DAYTON — There was plenty of action for basketball fans in Dayton Sunday before the teams for this year’s First Four arrived in the city.
The Four Miler kicked off a series of events Sunday morning and kids from all over the Miami Valley went to the Dayton Convention Center for the Stem Challenge. These activities were put together by the Big Hoopla.
>>PHOTOS: The Big Hoopa and Stem Challenge
News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson said runners stepped up to the start line at UD Arena for the Four Miler at around 9 a.m. and ran along the Great Miami River before finishing back at the Arena.
The next event was the Ohio Stem Challenge.
“We have a couple of events,” said Sarah Spees, volunteer organizing committee director with the Big Hoopla.
Robertson says the Stem Challenge brought in 20 exhibitors from all over the country to do hands-on experiments for the kids.
“So, they can come in, they have live robotics, they get to play on a computer and make that robot do what they want,” she said. “We have Shook Construction who has been one of our partners from the beginning, a great Lego experiment of the whole entire UD floor from the arena.”
>>The Big Hoopla: Several events taking place in Dayton Sunday prior to First Four
Kids could also make their own flashlight and take pictures in the NASA photobooth. They also compete in the hotshot contest for a chance to walk onto the court and put up a shot during Tuesday night’s First Four games at the UD Arena.
“The kids are just wide-eyed and the parents get to see some great ideas for their kids as they grow in education,” said Speeds. “It opens the door for lots of things that even parents weren’t aware of.”
Robertson spoke with Terry Slaybaugh, the Volunteer Chairman with the Big Hoopla, who says he is proud to be part of the event each year.
“Our founder JP started this, the Big Hoopla,” he said. “It was really an effort to draw the community into the First Four Tournament. We have spent over a decade really pulling that community into First Four games.”
>>Airman from Wright Patterson Air Force Base will be in attendance at First Four
Robertson says the Big Hoopla works to support military families who are stationed here in the Miami Valley.
“We wanted to be able to show our appreciation for the airman and their families at Wright Patterson Air Force Base,” said Slaybaugh.
“So, we purchase tickets through amazing sponsors, companies all over the region,” Spees told Robertson. “Then, we purchase tickets to make sure that the arena is sold out which the NCAA really appreciates and we give them a great experience when all these families and students come to games, something they may never get to experience.”
Organizers say they can appreciate that this event mixes basketball and the power of stem education together for families to enjoy.
More information on The Big Hoopla can be found here.
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