x
Breaking News
More () »

Hoopfest volunteer reaches 30 years of service, hasn't missed a single year

Madelynne Wilson has helped with player check-ins for 30 years, since the first Hoopfest back in 1990.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Hoopfest depends on the help of hundreds of volunteers to keep things running smoothly, from court monitors to check in volunteeers.

Since its first year, Hoopfest has been ran with the help of Madelynne Wilson, who hasn't missed a Hoopfest since its start in 1990.

She may not be playing, but she's definitely heavily involved in all that's going on this weekend.

"We take the old stuff out, throw it away, and then we hav to fill it with the new stuff," Wilson said.

It's a process Madelynne Wilson has memorized.

"We gotta put all this stuff together. These are empty when we get them," she said.

RELATED: Hoopfest 2019 brings mass of fans, athletes to downtown Spokane businesses

She's a substitute teacher most of the year, and one year even wore a name tag that read "yes, I'm Miss Wilson."

But when summer break comes around, she still fills out papers, as she's been working at Hoopfest since 1990.

"When we first started out, it was really mechanical. We had to do things by hand. Now in this day and age, it's all computerized, but there's still mistakes," Wilson said.

Wilson said its an experience she wants to do for as long as she can. She said helping the people that take part in Hoopfest, especially the children, is the best part.

Over the years, I've seen them walk through when they were little. And now they're out there on that court, so I'm really excited when I see that," Wilson said. "Long as I can get down there and walk, yes, I'll be down here at Hoopfest."

RELATED: Hoopfest 2019 Day 1: A look at some notable players, stories from opening day

Michael Metcalf, another volunteer with Hoopfest, said that the city is a massive source of support for the tournament, and some like him have done it for over 25 years.

"It's like that song 'Hotel California'," he said. "'You can check in but you can never leave,' that's our attitude."

RELATED: Former Gonzaga player, current assistant coach team up for Hoopfest 2019

RELATED: Spokane Hoopfest 2019: What you need to know, most unique jerseys

Before You Leave, Check This Out