Bobby is currently the General Manager and Assistant Publisher at the Daily Statesman after serving his term as Managing Editor. He wears many hats in the office, including coordinator of all things online, but his real passion is sports.

Bloomfield Christmas Tourney

Posted Wednesday, December 17, 2008, at 11:01 AM

The 52nd annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament tips off Dec. 26.

Very few local basketball tournaments can boast about their history like Bloomfield can. This year's 52nd Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament should just add to the history.

Have you been to Bloomfield's High School gymnasium lately? If not, you'll be in for a real treat. A fresh coat of paint (Wildcat colors) really brings the historic gymnasium to life. All of the work was done by students who volunteered a recent weekend. They did a great job! All of the local schools could take a lesson from this example of school pride.

Parking can be a challenge, but with a bit of patience, you will find a parking spot. That is to be expected though when their are so many good games to watch.

The parity between this year's teams seems to be closer, making the matchups all the more exciting. If you've been to this tournament before, I'm quite sure you will be back. If you haven't attended a tournament game in Bloomfield, you're missing out! Come out and enjoy the action.

Bernie will come to the tournament as the number 1 seed; Portageville number 2; Kennett number 3; Hayti number 4; Dexter number 5; Twin Rivers number 6; Doniphan number 7; and the host Bloomfield Wildcats are number 8.

Seedings 9 through 16 are South Pemiscot, Richland, Malden, East Prairie, Puxico, Van Buren, Greenville and East Carter.

If you can't make it to the games, you can keep up with the latest results in bracket form by clicking 2008 Bloomfield Christmas Tournament Bracket. All the games, dates, and start times are shown on the bracket.

Comments

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Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on dexterstatesman.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.

My husband would never miss a game at the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament! For years after he died, I couldn't go into that gym without my eyes tearing up. It's a special place. I'm so glad that the students care about it!

-- Posted by goat lady on Wed, Dec 17, 2008, at 4:00 PM
Going to the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament is just another tradition my family honors each year. What a great place and a great gym to spend time after the Christmas holiday!

-- Posted by shoe lady on Thu, Dec 18, 2008, at 8:56 AM
I remember when the gym was new, we all thought it was huge. The Christmas Tournament was THE place to wear your new Christmas gift sweater.

-- Posted by gardengirl on Fri, Dec 19, 2008, at 9:48 AM
I wonder if Dexter will be able to steal away this Christmas tourney next year with their new facility???

-- Posted by changedname on Fri, Dec 19, 2008, at 11:22 AM
Dexter will probably get the SCAA Tourney at their new facility, or at least every other year. But they won't get the Christmas tournament. Conference and District tournaments can move around, but Christmas tournaments are put on by one particular school. If Dexter wanted to do that, they would have to lure teams to play. That is why they would probably never host a Christmas tournament at Dexter.

-- Posted by BonScott on Fri, Dec 19, 2008, at 8:55 PM
Bon, I think you were joking there. If the attraction to that tourney continues to grow, they are going to have to sell tickets to the highest bidder. It's getting way too crowded in there.

-- Posted by layne staley on Sat, Dec 20, 2008, at 4:05 AM
You don't have options on a Christmas tourn. like you do a conference or district tourn. A certain school can either host a Christmas tourn. or not. If Dexter wanted to do so, they would have to invite teams to play. Which is very possible, but I don't see it happening. They might get the conference tourn. but if they pulled teams away from Bloomfield for a Christmas tourn., I think you would see a major fire storm. Just my opinion.

-- Posted by BonScott on Sat, Dec 20, 2008, at 8:22 AM
It's good to see a nativity scene displayed in front of our courthouse.

-- Posted by swift on Sat, Dec 20, 2008, at 9:42 AM
Did I miss something or was I just reading about the Bloomfield Christmas Nativity Scene Courthouse basketball tournament?

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Sat, Dec 20, 2008, at 11:40 AM
Good job, swift! Look who you lured out of the bushes!

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Dec 20, 2008, at 6:25 PM
Back to the bushes!

Its a wonderful time of the year!

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Sun, Dec 21, 2008, at 10:54 PM
Folks, I didn't know where else to post this! lol! After I did it, I thought, man all kinds of folks are going to post comments about my accidently changing the subject! lol!

Bobby, good blog and Bloomfield has the greatest basketball players!

Back in the bushes- no we're headed to Peoria to see the new grandson, David James Swift! He weighs only 2lbs 3oz after being born on Dec.4th at only 1lb 12oz. He's going to grow strong and become a basketball player maybe!

-- Posted by swift on Mon, Dec 22, 2008, at 3:31 PM
Hoon, where in the bushes have you been? lol

-- Posted by swift on Mon, Dec 22, 2008, at 4:19 PM
Deep in the bushes keeping warm.

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Tue, Dec 23, 2008, at 10:27 AM
#1 Bernie def. #16 East Carter 100-30

#2 Portageville def. #15 Greenville

#3 Kennet lost to #14 Van Buren 47-55

#4 Hayti lost to #13 Puxico 61-72

#5 Dexter def. #12 East Prairie 75-29

-- Posted by ruralrunner on Fri, Dec 26, 2008, at 6:08 PM
FYI: Rumored plans are that Dexter will host an invitational GIRLS tourney in the new event center either in 2009 or 2010. This is more likely to happen than a boys invitational. Dexter has already secured the 2009 districts, hope the center is ready to go by then!

-- Posted by ballmom2009 on Sat, Dec 27, 2008, at 8:26 AM
The other Stoddard County schools will never vote to move anything to Dexter. No school ever wants to go there and play but they have to because of conference play.

-- Posted by SUPER on Sun, Dec 28, 2008, at 11:40 AM
And just what is your theory why the other county schools don't want to play at Dexter, super?

-- Posted by goat lady on Sun, Dec 28, 2008, at 10:32 PM
gl, you mean in less than 1000 words??

-- Posted by changedname on Mon, Dec 29, 2008, at 12:26 AM
Sorry, I'll be a little more specific, adults rude, adults crude, adults rude,,,,,,,,,I know other towns have the same situation but Dexter seems to have more and keeps more as they grow older. I grew up in Pemiscot County and many Dexter relatives of my friends were known to be 'uppity',,,,,,,,,,,that was 60 years ago.

-- Posted by changedname on Mon, Dec 29, 2008, at 6:23 AM
Oh, my! I am shocked beyond words! You surely can't be serious!

Well, if Bearcatmom is right about the girls' tournament, we can be sure that the fairer sex will cause parents to behave in a much more mannerly, sportsmanlike fashion, can't we?

-- Posted by goat lady on Mon, Dec 29, 2008, at 3:27 PM
The Stoddard County Tournament WILL be held in Dexter when the center is completed. It will alternate between Bloomfield and Dexter since they will both have gyms that will fit the crowds. There are bad fans everywhere, at every county school, unfortunately, since Dexter is the largest, it appears we have the worse fans, when actually just the most because of our population-that has been the way it is as long as I can remember! Won't be any county teams in a girl's tourney anyway, since we are the only one with a girls team..

-- Posted by ballmom2009 on Tue, Dec 30, 2008, at 10:08 PM
It may start alternating for a couple years and eventually be in Dexter permanently.

-- Posted by changedname on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 5:54 AM
bearcatmom; what makes you so sure that Dexter will get the SCAA Tournament?

-- Posted by BonScott on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 4:04 PM
Another thing bearcatmom, if Dexter is going to host the 2009 District tourn. in the new gym they better get to building. They only have two months left.

-- Posted by BonScott on Sat, Jan 3, 2009, at 9:46 AM
I'll say this Dexter fans are the rudest. I have lived in Dexter even graduated from there, but I will not ever cheer for any of team, because the fans (parents, teachers, and administration) needs to remeber that it is a game and thier has to be a winner and a loser. Remember Dexter you can not always win, your'e not perfect

-- Posted by wdksfortman on Tue, Jan 6, 2009, at 8:48 PM
They guy who said it is not whether you win or lose, its how you play the game.........LOST.

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Wed, Jan 7, 2009, at 8:36 AM
Well, shannonhoon I can tell you are one of the rude Dexter fans.

-- Posted by wdksfortman on Wed, Jan 7, 2009, at 6:11 PM
Wow fortman, you must have an unbelievable sense of judging ones character. You have never met shannonhoon, don't even know if he lives in Dexter or is even from there and by reading one sentence you have already made your decision. Very interesting.

-- Posted by BonScott on Wed, Jan 7, 2009, at 10:05 PM
Fartman: I wasn't talking to or about you. I was talking about the loser who said it was how you play the game that mattered. He happened to be from Dudley.

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Wed, Jan 7, 2009, at 11:10 PM
Maybe fortman has been watching the blogs for a very long time, before feeling safe enough to make such a statement. After all, hoon has been on a leave of absence for some time, so the Piranhas have been silent... Ha! Just when you think it's safe to go in the water!

-- Posted by goat lady on Thu, Jan 8, 2009, at 11:08 AM
GL...you know better than that....we are harmless, more like minnows!

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Thu, Jan 8, 2009, at 2:24 PM
Minnows with great big scarey teeth!!!

-- Posted by goat lady on Fri, Jan 9, 2009, at 8:33 PM
Minnows with teeth surely couldn't hurt a goat?!

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Sat, Jan 10, 2009, at 12:31 PM
Wdksfortman, one of my biggest peeves is someone who says "their", when they mean "there". It makes you look stupid. But in your case, you said, "thier". Thereby not only using the wrong word, but misspelling it.

You also seem to be very resentful. Were you picked on in school?

And, all this talk about minnows. Have any of you ever fished for dead minnows in Oklahoma? It used to be the best.

-- Posted by Jim Morrison on Thu, Jan 22, 2009, at 2:00 AM
The SCAA tournment should never be played in dexter. I wouln't care if they built a GYM like the show me center. This tournment has been held there for 84 yrs even before the bloomfield gym was built in 1955. Its the best place to play in the state. Dexter should be glad to play at bloomfield, it seems like they play better there than in there own gym anyways. But like we all now it's always about dexter and how they can look better and what they can do to make the county look bad. I wouldn't come to a tourment game in dexter if I had too, I rather go to a game in the old gym at FISK!If any one know what I'm talking about.

-- Posted by ford on Tue, Feb 24, 2009, at 1:17 PM
I just think it is a good tradition and a historic place to play. There is no other gyms that is going to hold the fan that Bloomfield can hold.Also I bet if you talked to the kids play ball from the other schools, they would miss coming and playing in front of a big crowed. Not every team in the SCAA is invited to the Christmas Tourny and so I think it is an experence that every athlete should have a chance to enjoy. I understand you concern of revenue and I don't have an answer for that. I also don't believe that fans need to worry about home court advantage at bloomfield, even though they have a great team this year. Every team gets pumped to play in that facility. I don't think home court is a issue since in the 84yr of hosting the tourny Bloomfield has only two victorys. In the 60's and in 1998:)

-- Posted by ford on Tue, Feb 24, 2009, at 3:58 PM
Sorry I have been busy, I understand, understand, understand, but that's all part of the fun at bloomfield. Trying to find a good spot, walking in the cold to get to the gym, walking down the slick steps to get food, and standing room only. I rather do that than give dime of money to the bad apples! catch ya later.

-- Posted by ford on Thu, Feb 26, 2009, at 3:55 PM
I would go for that also! later

-- Posted by ford on Fri, Feb 27, 2009, at 2:09 PM

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