Blacksburg High School hosted another successful Austin Cloyd Memorial Girls Basketball tournament. Held December 27^th  – 29^th, girls basketball teams from across the state of Virginia participated. The tournament is held in the memory of Austin Cloyd, a member of Blacksburg’s 2005 girls basketball team, whose life was tragically cut short in the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy.

The BHS Booster Club, National Bank and Shelor Motor Mile headlined the sponsors for the event. Additional sponsors included Sub Station II, Kent Dodge with Brown Insurance, Frosty Parrot Yogurt Creations, BHS Sports Marketing, On A Whim, Edible Arrangements, Blacksburg Physical Therapy, and Sports Clips. Tournament attendance of 538 was at an all-time high this year due to scheduling games a little later in the day and extended marketing efforts with the teams. BHS Sports Marketing was in charge of marketing and managing the event.

As a part of this year’s tournament, Blacksburg girls basketball coach Roger Henderson added a service project. “We thought that since service was such a big part of Austin’s life, we wanted to do something that would help the community as part of the tournament participation process. The project was a great success, and we really feel as if we helped to make a difference in our community.” Henderson explains. The BHS Girls Basketball team volunteered at the Blacksburg Food Pantry and plans to visit a local nursing home in the coming weeks.

The highlight of the service aspect was the selection of the All-Service Team. Several seniors from the competing teams each earned a $250 service scholarship. The recipients, all standouts on the court and in their respective communities, were required to complete an essay on what their service has meant to them.

Victoria Langhorn from North Cross started a clothes drive for teens and it became more than she imagined. “To see [the girls’] faces…how thankful they were to have clothes fit them…was priceless.” Radford’s Hannah-Kait Facemire helped start a Christian youth ministry called The Rock. She says “many people…think the only way to help a community or person is to help in a soup kitchen…helping guide children on the right path is just as important.” Sarah Frame and Kayla Gibbs, both from Auburn High School, participate in a variety of church and school organizations. Frame states: “Personally, I feel I am making a difference that one day may lead to a change in the world.”  Gibbs points out “…giving back to my community, helping at school…helped me realize how truly grateful I am to have what I have.”

Lauren Foster of Pulaski County HS helped her community in the wake of last year’s tornado, including working a blood drive and helping with a soup kitchen. “I thought, what if we all apply [this] to our lives…giving what we can and receiving when we need it,” she says. BHS Senior Alayna Radford volunteers at the Blacksburg Rescue Squad while also participating in many community service projects at school. Radford says, “Service starts at home. My family has always given back to the community. I see it as very important part of my life.” BHS Senior Mary Kate Dodge helped manage the Thanksgiving Basket project and it has “always been a special project for me because it clearly demonstrates how willing our community is to help out.”

Renee and Bryan Cloyd, Austin’s parents, were in attendance the first day to welcome participating teams. They were particularly impressed with the All Service Team and their contributions to their respective communities. “Austin would be very pleased with the service component of this tournament. It was her dream to make a difference,” says Renee.

Photo: 2011 Austin Cloyd Memorial Tournament All Service Team: From left to right: Kayla Gibbs (Auburn); Sarah Frame (Auburn); Alayna Radford (Blacksburg); Mary Kate Dodge (Blacksburg); Victoria Langhorn (North Cross); Hannah-Kait Facemire (Radford); Lauren Foster (Pulaski). (Photo by David Gravely)