1B & 2B at the Spokane Arena  | 1A & 2A at the Yakima Valley SunDome  | 3A & 4A at the Tacoma Dome 

The WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab Tires present the Hardwood Classic in action all over the state March 1-3, 2012 with games beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday. The east side of the state will host the 1B, 2B tournament at the Spokane Arena, central Washington will host the 1A, 2A tournament at the Yakima Valley SunDome, and the 3A, 4A teams will compete at the Tacoma Dome.

Bonnie Long is the Tournament Manager for the 1B, 2B tournament at the Spokane Arena. Long was born and raised in Spokane where she attended Lewis and Clark High School. She attended Eastern Washington University, class of 1973. She is in her fourth year as Tournament Manager. Prior to managing the tournament, she was the girls floor manager for three years. She also ran the B State Volleyball Tournament when it was at EWU.  Ken Lindgren is Assistant Tournament Manager for Long and takes care of officials and staff for the tournament as well as setup and maintenance once the tournament starts. One thing that Long appreciates is the amount of staff members who have put in 20+ years working the tournament. She attributes their committed effort to how much they enjoy the tournament.

“There is a real family atmosphere at the tournament and I really like that,” said Long.

At the 1B, 2B State Tournament, look for Jim Stinson’s book Remembering the “B”, a story about families – basketball families. Traced in its pages are the stories of 68 boys’ and 33 girls’ high school basketball tournaments played by teams from the small schools and towns of Washington. The story of the 101 championship games are described from opening tip to the final buzzer. Included are the names of every player and coach to ever participate in the tournaments. The book is filled with features on players, coaches, administrators and the events that have made the State “B” such a special event.

Gene Rostvold will be managing the 1A, 2A tournament at the Yakima Valley SunDome for the 14th-consecutive year. Rostvold, a native of Spokane, attended Spokane Falls Community College and went on to get his BS in Biology, BA in Education and his MA in Education from Whitworth University. Helping him run the State Tournament is Mel Moore, Greg Lybeck, and Rich Austin. Moore is the Assistant Tournament Manager, Lybeck is the SunDome Director of Operations, and Austin is the Tournament Media Coordinator. It is a collective effort to run this team-based event. Counting the 2012 Hardwood Classic, Rostvold and his management team will have managed a total of 26 state tournaments in the SunDome and a total of 1,336 games. Rostvold has also managed the WIAA State Springfest Championships since the spring of 1994. The community really pulls together for this event as well.

“The tournament staff, local businesses, schools, and fans experience an overall community appreciation for the event,” Rostvold said. “It is obvious to participants and out of town visitors that our community appreciates and enjoys the opportunity to host state tournaments in Yakima.”

Dean Naffziger is Tournament Manager for the seventh-consecutive year for the 3A, 4A State Tournament at the Tacoma Dome. Previously, he was Bob Shaner’s Assistant Tournament Manager for the Hardwood Classic. A native of Wyoming, he attended the University of Oregon for his BA and then Oregon State University for his MA in Education. Naffziger has served on the WIAA Representative Assembly for 14 years and on the WIAA Executive Board for seven years. He was President of the Executive Board in 2003.

The three tournament managers have a combined effort of 25 years of experience with the WIAA State Tournaments. Their knowledge of the event and dedication to giving a team effort brings out the best in the teams participating.

All we need to know now are who will be the 2012 Hardwood Classic Champions!

For more information visit www.wiaa.com and follow the event at: