December 29 & 30, 2022
Mayo Civic Center | Rochester, Minnesota
The 34th annual Rotary Holiday Classic is set and the annual 3-club fundraiser for the Rochester Risers Rotary Club, Greater Rochester Rotary, and The Rotary Club of Rochester is ready to begin But, in order to have a 34th Holiday Classic, there had to be a “first.” The genesis of the first classic lies in the motto of Rotary, “Service Above Self.”
With a look to creating a fundraising project to allow Rochester Rotarians to continue and increase their tradition of giving, a group was formed some two years before the first to explore the idea of promoting a holiday basketball tournament. The idea had surfaced at a Rotary Club Fireside Meeting some six months previously. The idea was brainstormed and then discussions ensued with the then Rochester Mayo boys’ basketball coach Wally Brunswold and the then Rochester John Marshall boys’ basketball coach Al Wold. Recently retired Rochester Public School Athletic Director Kerwin Engelhart, who was to become the Mayo Civic Auditorium site manager, also joined in the early discussions. Numerous ideas were reviewed, and with the support of Mayo and JM coaches, contact was made with other schools (Hastings, Red Wing, Lake City, Winona, Rochester, Lourdes, and Waseca). By late 1987, plans were underway to hold a tournament on December 28-30, 1988. Since students were our medium to raise funds, it was thought essential that all net proceeds be returned to young people in some form.
Holiday tournaments had sprung up in different parts of Minnesota. Rochester had a history of strong high school basketball programs, and the period between Christmas and New Years was relatively void of any special entertainment for Rochester area adults and young people. With a plethora of hotel rooms in the community, it was deemed an opportunity to create a special event that would attract not only local fans, but those from the participating area communities; it seemed almost a natural.
As a fundraiser, it was essential that we have the support of Rotarians who would do the work of running the tournament, and corporate sponsorship to help underwrite much of the cost of sponsoring and promoting a holiday basketball tournament. Fortunately, the Rotarians responded enthusiastically. First Bank Rochester (now U.S. Bank) came forward as the initial tournament sponsor/underwriter continuing for nearly 30 years, KTTC-TV along with other Rochester media provided substantial support in publicizing and promoting the tournament, and The Kahler Hotel provided generous discounts and excellent accommodations to house all of the out-of-town teams and many of their fans.
Numerous committees were organized under the umbrella of a Steering Committee. The original committee consisted of Dan Kelly and Jack Van Straaten (Greater Rochester Rotary); Tom Moon (Rochester Risers Rotary Club); and Stu Olson, Richard Hurt and Al DeBoer (Rochester Rotary Club). Wednesday, December 28, 1988 finally arrived. With considerable apprehension, there was relief when the teams actually arrived, and fans filled the stands! There were many outstanding players and teams. Friday evening, December 30th, we crowned our first champion, Winona. We had arrived! $6,522 was left over after all expenses to contribute to scholarships for Rochester high school students. The idea of a holiday tournament seemed to be viable. In 1989, the number of teams was doubled by adding a girls’ tournament. It meant about twice as much work, but resulted in a least twice as much fun!
Each year had its own uniqueness, to say nothing of some truly outstanding teams and individuals who have showcased their talents. It has been a labor of love for Rotarians working in and on the Holiday Classic. Through 33 years, the Rotary Clubs of Rochester have been able to contribute more than $1.0 million dollars in scholarships to youth-related organizations and groups in Rochester. This is a credit to area sponsors, participating teams, their coaches, and the wonderful basketball fans who attend the Holiday Classic.
As you can see this has become a special event for our community as well as many Rotarians over the years. This year will be the last Holiday Classic as we know it and we hope you will do your part to make this one extra special for the 26 Minnesota varsity basketball teams, fans and volunteer Rotarians. Please consider signing up to volunteer. All proceeds from the event are distributed as grants to local nonprofits serving youth and education. Our club also receives a portion of the funds raised to distribute as grants of our choosing.
As of today 9 of the 55 needed volunteer slots remain to be filled.
You can register here to volunteer.