Event boosts scholarship

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Students in the Physical Education Majors Club at the University of Maine at Presque Isle are planning the Ruel Parks Memorial 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament the weekend of March 10th. The event will serve a primary purpose — to raise money for the Ruel Parks Scholarship.
     The tournament will feature co-ed teams comprised of three to five people, age 17 and over. The cost will be $50, $25 of which must be paid by Thursday, March 8 as a pre-registration fee with the balance due the day of the event. Checks and money orders may be mailed to UMPI, Box 436, 181 Main Street, Presque Isle, ME, 04769.
The following information should also be included: name of team captain with phone number and email address, names of team members including alternates, and the name of the team.
The tournament will take place in Gentile Hall, and times will be determined by the number of teams. Organizers hope to attract 10 teams for the event. The top team will be awarded T-shirts.
The money raised will go toward the Ruel Parks Scholarship. Ruel was a non-traditional student at UMPI studying physical education. He was a member of the golf team and the assistant coach of the women’s basketball team. He tragically passed away from a heart attack during the spring of his sophomore year. His fellow students started a fund to create a scholarship in his honor.
“Ruel was well respected among his fellow students. He would have been a great teacher,”said Trevor Parent, president of the UMPI Physical Education Majors Club and co-organizer of the tournament.
For more information about the 3-on-3 basketball tournament, contact Parent at trevor.parent@maine.edu or 540-1226.