In a town that’s seemingly so focused on the green and white team down the road, Luther Invitational Tournament (LIT) still never fails to attract a crowd.
Okay, it might not be the 30,000 people that pack into Mosaic Stadium every week during the summer, but there’s something about this basketball tournament that sets the school abuzz.
“To be honest, I’m really only a basketball fan during LIT,” said Abby Vadenboncoeur, a member of one of the many student committees that help organize the event year after year.
In fact, students have been organizing this particular event for 65 years.
Vadenboncoeur, a grade 12 student, has been helping out in one way or another with LIT since she was in grade nine, estimating about half the school gets involved in the planning and execution of the event.
“So much of LIT is just the atmosphere and the school coming together,” she said Thursday afternoon between draws.
The energy in the school was palpable with students bounding around in tournament t-shirts ready to greet anyone who walked in the door with a program or directions or to ask each other who was going to win the next match up.
“There’s really just a certain kind of energy that comes around during LIT,” Vadenboncoeur explained. “It’s not just a basketball event, but it’s also kind of a Luther event and by extension a Regina (one).”
Speaking of Regina, there are four teams invited to the tournament this year from the Queen City, both the Luther Lions teams, of course, as well as Campbell Collegiate on the boys’ side and the Miller Marauders on the girls.
Teams are also visiting from Saskatoon, Lumsden, Winnipeg, Calgary and Kelowna.
Draws will be taking place throughout the next two days, with the boys and girls finals taking place on Saturday evening.
Tickets can be purchased at Luther College High School.