Jeff Edmonds was a new player in the Coady Roundball Classic 10 years ago. He now admits the gay basketball tournament "had a profound influence" on him.
"It seriously helped reaffirm and solidify my personal identity while also providing me an opportunity to meet so many wonderful people I now consider my dearest friends," said Edmonds, 35, who lives in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood and works as a middle school teacher and coach.
Plus, for three years, Edmonds has been a co-director for the yearly hoops extravaganza, and he was on the coordinating committee for three additional years.
The 23rd annual Coady is scheduled for April 20-21 at the University of Illinois-Chicago Gymnasium, 901 W. Roosevelt Rd.
"The Coady Roundball Classic, due to its location in Chicago, provides a centralized location to which athletes from all corners of the U.S., and sometimes even overseas, can easily travel [to]," Edmonds said.
"Also, because of the tournament's longevity and tradition, it's an event that is always generously sponsored, allowing us to provide players a lot of additional amenities they might not be able to receive at other tournaments, such as meals, T-shirts, free drinks at bars, etc. Finally, the CRC provides high-caliber basketball for athletes in all divisions. [Since] so many teams attend this tournament, we are able to organize teams into several divisions while still making sure teams play a wide variety of competitors."
Edmonds is co-director this year with Steve Waldron.
"As one of the tournament's directors, I feel proud to be able to give back to our community by helping to orchestrate this event for others," Edmonds said. "In many ways, the CRC is like a reunion; it is the one time each year that many of our participants see each other, and it is always wonderful to watch so many friends and athletes enjoy the company of friends, both old and new."
After 10 years, Edmonds is still looking for his first division title in Coady play.
"Before I lived in Chicago, I would fly here from the west coast to play in the tournament," Edmonds said. "Ten years ago, when I was playing in the tournament for the first time, I remember being so overwhelmed, amazed, and excited about the caliber of play. Now, helping to direct this tournament, I always love seeing new faces each year and hope these new players feel the same rush I did when I first played in the CRC."
This year's tournament is expected to be the biggest ever, with 40 teams.
"Every year, we learn more about what our participants want from their experience here. We do our best to implement new ideas while also ensuring people experience the traditionally excellent tournament we've been able to organize," Edmonds said. "Our sponsors this year include Subway, Roscoe's, Spin, and 3160. We always look forward to our sponsor parties, and we are thankful these awesome establishments are generously taking part in the weekend's festivities."
Edmonds said there will be no new inductees this year into the Coady Hall of Fame.
