Hoops for Hope Women's Basketball

Come One Come All to the Basketball Event of the Season! You have heard of soccer moms and hockey moms but no one beats basketball moms for their tenacity and competitive spirit!

Saturday, March 10, 2012 marks the day for the 7^th annual Hoops for Hope Women’s Basketball Tournament benefiting the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation.

The tournament will be held at Marist College McCann Arena [map] using 10 half courts for 3 on 3 competitions. Forty teams are expected to participate; spectators are welcome.

“The women participating in this tournament range from former UCONN all-stars to moms inspired by their athletic children!” explained Pari Forood, Executive Director of Miles of Hope. “It is a fun day with everyone benefiting from exercise in the bleak mid-winter. I urge any and all women who are bored with the treadmill at the gym to come play basketball with us and register a team on line at milesofhope.org.”

McCann Recreation Center, Marist College

Foundation Co-Founder Cathy Varunok said: “All of the sports competitions that we sponsor are designed to be a friendly message emphasizing the benefits of exercise to all women. Goals for Hope Women’s Soccer Tournament in August and this basketball tournament are not about winning or losing but about participating and recognizing that we can be proactive about our health.”

Tournament Co-Chairman Shannon Leddy has helped run the tournament since Hoops for Hope honored her mother in 2010. “I have been involved with Miles of Hope since its inception,” Ms. Leddy explained, “but they really stole my heart when they honored my mother, a 25 year breast cancer survivor.”

Maureen Seipp, Tournament Co-Chairman, remembers playing basketball in high school as a highlight of her adolescence: “I always loved basketball and the camaraderie with my teammates and I have missed it since high school. With this tournament we have attracted everyone from former college players to basketball moms who are tired of sitting on the sidelines. Most have a connection to breast cancer and they are either playing in honor or memory of a loved one or friend.”

Each year Hoops for Hope is dedicated to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of our event. This year’s Honoree is 12 year breast cancer survivor and Miles of Hope volunteer, Cathi DeLeon. Cathi lives in the Dutchess County town of LaGrange with her husband Raoul. She has 2 grown children. When she is not running the concession stand at Hoops for Hope or captaining the Breast Cancer Boat at the Dragon Boat races every summer at Peekskill Days Celebration, or helping at other Miles of Hope events, she works at the Vail Farm Elementary School in the Arlington Central School District as an Administrative Assistant to the Principal.

Details of Hoops for Hope 2012 can be found on the Miles of Hope website.