For one night, Beebe High School graduates will have their turn on the basketball court.
The fourth annual Badger Booster Club Alumni Basketball Game, which raises money for the booster club, will take place at 6 p.m. Jan. 21 at Badger Arena, 1201 W. Center St. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for students. Admission is free to those preschool age and younger.
Penny McGraw, a Booster Club member, said the idea for an alumni game came from former Booster Club President Terri Chapman.
“She was from Hazen, and they had an alumni game every year, and she wanted to do that for Beebe,” McGraw said. “It’s been a huge success.”
The Booster Club invites 40 alumni to play against each other on teams of 20. Alumni cheerleaders are also invited to participate. For the game, 12th-grade basketball players coach the alumni teams, and the school’s basketball coaches referee the game.
“You’ll have mothers and fathers and sons all out there together,” McGraw said. “We had a cheerleader who was a mom, and she had two sons playing in the game. She had her two sons playing ball, so she got to cheer for her sons. One of [the sons] had a child, and the grandchild was in the stands watching all this. It’s fun to see generations of Badgers participating in the game together.”
Heather Healy, event coordinator and a Booster Club member, said about 24 alumni, ages 18 to 70, have signed up to play in the game so far. She said typically, the teams are separated by gender.
“We really haven’t gotten a big draw of girls this year,” she said, “so they’ll be mixed in with the guys.”
Because the event can typically draw the same players each year, Healy said, the club has aimed to add different elements to the game. This year, the Beebe Middle School Choir will perform the national anthem, Beebe Elementary School will lead the Pledge of Allegiance, Beebe Martial Arts will perform a demonstration, and a group of seniors will present a flash mob between the third and fourth quarters.
“We just decided we would try to branch it out and get it a little bit bigger and try to make it just a little bit more fun,” Healy said.
McGraw said the event typically raises around $2,500, and that the Booster Club raises between $10,000 and $15,000 each year to assist coaches with various needs to help their programs thrive.
McGraw said every alumni player has an opportunity to play in the game.
“We have a lot of [alumni] come back and sign up every year, and they always talk about how they wish they had more minutes, more time,” McGraw said. “We try to have 20 on each team, and everybody gets about 12 minutes of play. They can take themselves out if they feel like they need a break.”
Healy’s daughter graduated from Beebe High School, and her son is a sophomore. She said being involved with the Booster Club is important to her because it helps serve student athletes in need, whether it’s a child in need of a T-shirt or an after-school snack.
“I have lived in Beebe all my life, so I went to school there,” Healy said. “My dad coached football for 30 years, and basketball and track, and did almost all the sports there. I’ve been a part of the community and the Badger program for quite some time.”
Email badgerbooster@gmail.com to receive a form to sign up to play in the Beebe Badger Booster Club Alumni Basketball Game. The cost to sign up is $20 for basketball players and $10 for cheerleaders and dancers. The sign-up fee includes a T-shirt and a Badger Legacy Membership. McGraw suggested that those who want to sign up do so by Tuesday.
Healy said the Booster Club is well-received by the community and aims to raise as much money as it can.
“I feel like the Booster Club is that support program that makes sure everybody is on the same playing field,” Healy said.
Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.