By Nate San Nicolas (Class of ’13)
The 2014 FD Alumni Tournament came to a close Friday night as the Class of 2004 came out on top above the rest of the competition. Since it was their ten year reunion as well, the Class of 2004 was up to take on the challenge of hosting the annual event, and it was a successful one indeed.
Basketball may be the highlight of the tournament, as it features the best Friar basketball players both young and old. However, it’s more than just baskets and highlight reels; it’s a gathering of family, friends, and brothers.
Brotherhood is the pride and joy of the Duenas men, exemplifying the identity of a true Friar.
Whether you’re the Class of 2014 or the Class of 1965, you’re a Friar if you believe in that tradition of brotherhood. It is exemplified in this annual tournament, and FD should be fortunate to have such an event that has grown bigger every year in the past 29 years. Although winning that championship at the end is a big goal for most classes, the fun of every basketball game comes when you have to see your non-ballers trying to dribble the ball down court and travelling every time they go for a layup. The crowd loves seeing this fun as a grown man goes back to his high school ways just having fun and playing basketball with his classmates.
High school is an important part when growing up as kids. The friends and memories made will always be remembered years after.
Luckily for the FD Alumni, each year is an opportunity to get together and reminisce about those memories, and as time passes on, the younger generations have the chance to hear the stories shared by their elder Friars. The alumni tournament is like stepping back in time; it brings back not only ‘the boys’, but also brings together the families of these Friars. Wives, girlfriends, parents, children and childhood friends gather to watch their loved one play on the court, having a little reunion themselves on the bleachers.
What also makes this tournament even sweeter is the mouth-watering barbecue food laid each night of the tournament, and you know the food is delicious when the entire table is wiped out seconds after it is just opened. The fun for the night doesn’t stop when the last game is finished; it continues with shared meals and laughs.
Although reminiscing about the crazy high school days, new memories are made at the tournament every day. Whether it would be on the court when a classmate nails a half-court shot or after the game when the group is together playing pranks and laughing up a storm, stories for the future are created every year with the same group back in high school.
These continually-made memories is something anyone can relate to, no matter what colors you sport from high school. Other schools have banquets, beach barbecues, or house gatherings for reunions, but luckily, the FD Alumni have the tournament to reunite. Memories are made in ‘The Jungle’ those two weeks, and 2014 had some memorable ones like the buzzer-beater three from the rugby star and the old fogies beating the young guns. Those moments happen in split seconds and are over in the blink of an eye, but every year a Friar gets to relive those emotions.
Whether you go to the FD Alumni Tournament for the basketball, the barbecue, or the brotherhood, it is a gathering for all to think about the past, enjoy the present, and create conversations for the future.
Not everyone bleeds maroon and gold, but the feeling you get when you witness the young and old sing that FD Alma Mater is something words aren’t able to describe. So you should know what two weeks in 2015 a Friar is looking forward to.
GPS Sports Calendar
March 2024
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for February
1st
ISA SOFTBALL
IIAAG MS GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS
HS RUGBY PLAYOFFS
Events for March
2nd
HS RUGBY
ISA GIRLS SOFTBALL
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
Events for March
2nd
Events for March
4th
ISA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
ISA SOFTBALL ALL-ISLAND COACHES MEETING
Events for March
5th
HS RUGBY PLAYOFFS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
Events for March
8th
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
ISA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS PLAYOFFS
Events for March
9th
ISA SOFTBALL FINALS
HS RUGBY FINALS
Events for March
9th
Events for March
14th
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
Events for March
16th
Events for March
17th
Events for March
18th
Events for March
19th
Events for March
20th
Events for March
22nd
Events for March
24th
Events for March
25th
Events for March
27th
Events for March
28th
Events for March
29th
- 31
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Events for March
30th
Soccer
ISLANDERS OUTSHOOT DOLPHINS
Uncategorized
4TH QUARTER SPORTS SET FOR TAKE OFF
Soccer
ISLANDERS OUTSHOOT DOLPHINS
Uncategorized
4TH QUARTER SPORTS SET FOR TAKE OFF
COMING SOON …
4th Quarter Sports
- Guam Marathon