Greensboro Sports Council Distributes Funds to TIMCO Invitational Schools

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro Sports Council has donated $112,000 to the eight schools that participated in the 38th annual TIMCO Invitational presented by NewBridge Bank last December, the Council announced today. In addition, the Sports Council donated $18,000 in scholarships and charitable contributions from tournament proceeds.

The women’s team from Page High School and the men’s team from Greensboro Day School each won repeat championships in 2013. An excellent fundraising effort by the Greensboro Sports Council membership coupled with solid school fundraising participation and attendance combined to allow increased donations to the participating schools. Each school received $14,000, an increase of $500 per school over last year.

With this year’s donations, the Greensboro Sports Council has now distributed more than $1.5 million to the tournament’s participating schools in the last 15 years. In the last four years, the Council donated $80,000 to the schools following the 2009 tournament, $86,000 following the 2010 tournament, $100,000 following the 2011 event, $108,000 after the 2012 tournament and $112,000 this year.

“The mission of the TIMCO Invitational has always been to raise money for schools in Guilford County,” Greensboro Sports Council president Jim Gentry said. “This announcement is truly gratifying for the Sports Council and our sponsors. Our ability to increase donations to the schools again this year is directly related to the great relationship we enjoy with our title sponsor, TIMCO Aviation Services, our presenting sponsor, NewBridge Bank, and the scores of additional companies and individuals whose generosity makes the TIMCO Invitational possible each year. On behalf our participating schools, we are grateful to all of our sponsors along with the fans who purchased tickets and attend the tournament.”

In addition, in keeping with the tournament’s mission of supporting schools in Guilford County, the Greensboro Sports Council made a one-time $8,000 donation to the Greensboro Aquatic Center’s ‘Learn to Swim’ program. In partnership with Guilford County Schools, the Greensboro Aquatic Center (GAC) developed the curriculum-based ‘Learn to Swim’ healthy lifestyle program in 2011.

Students in the ‘Learn to Swim’ program receive instruction, both in the GAC’s “wet” classrooms and in the 25-yard warm up pool, and are taught techniques to foster a systematic progression of swimming skills that maximizes their development over a series of ten 40-minute classes. The skills gained in the ‘Learn to Swim’ program are not only potentially life-saving, but also help students develop a physically active lifestyle, improve overall health and fitness and expose them to additional swimming opportunities and other aquatic related activities. To date, 1,036 second-grade students from seven Guilford County Schools have completed the ‘Learn to Swim’ program.

The Council also awarded $8,000 for its four annual Bill Lee Memorial Scholarships. The Council made two charitable donations: $1,000 to the Corrigan Faircloth Chapter of the National Football Foundation to sponsor a scholarship and $1,000 to The First Tee of the Triad, a non-profit organization that teaches young people, ages 7 to 18, positive and effective life skills utilizing the game of golf. For more information, please visit www.thefirstteetriad.org.

The 39th annual TIMCO Invitational is set for Dec. 26, 27 and 29, 2014. As is the case each year, members of the TIMCO Invitational tournament committee met to discuss possible changes to the 38-year old event. As organizers of an invitational tournament, the Council can change the field or format at any time, but a decision was made not to make any changes at this time.

This year’s tournament will feature the same outstanding field and matchups that characterized the 2013 event; the Greensboro Sports Council has extended invitations to: Greensboro Day School, Grimsley High School, Northeast Guilford High School, Northern Guilford High School, Northwest Guilford High School, Page High School, Ragsdale High School and Smith High School. All invitations were accepted.

The TIMCO Invitational presented by NewBridge Bank is an annual high school basketball tournament in Greensboro, N.C. Founded in 1976 as the Little 4 Invitational, the tournament features men’s and women’s teams representing eight Guilford County high schools playing at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Tournament proceeds are donated to local charities and the participating schools; the TIMCO Invitational is planned and implemented by the Greensboro Sports Council.

2013 TIMCO Basketball Tournament

Photo Caption: Greensboro Day School center Peter Agba drives to the basket during the men’s championship game of the 2013 TIMCO Invitational presented by NewBridge Bank on December 28, 2013. Greensboro Day School defeated Page High School 53-51 in overtime to claim Greensboro Day’s 12th TIMCO Invitational title. (Photo Courtesy: Bob Leverone)

4 thoughts on “Greensboro Sports Council Distributes Funds to TIMCO Invitational Schools

  1. NC public schools get allotted roughly $7,500 per student per year for education and Greensboro Day charges roughly $23,000 full cost per high school student. Why would Guilford Co schools partner with such a school as GDS? This is just a fleecing of our funding. Has anyone ever considered if this is part of how many of these better players are getting their tuition and side expenses covered? The public schools keep losing a number of their top players to the most expensive private school in the area and it gets paid for by what. Guilford Co should stop financially supporting a school that continues to recruit its best players and help them fund it at the same time.

  2. I will tell you what is even worst than Guilford Co supporting Greensboro Day financially while many of the better basketball players are being recruit. Have you ever been to GDS on a regular school day versus just showing up for a basketball game. Less than 2% of the GDS population is black but over 70% of its high school basketball teams are black. GDS will go out and get the best of our black players but when was the last time that you saw GDS out recruiting any of our black “student” only kids. GDS has had more black players on both its boys and girls basketball teams in recent years than most of the public schools including Page, Northern, Ragsdale and Grimsley. Yet when you consider the rest of their high school student body and exclude their “basketball playing students”, then you get a completely different picture of what GDS values. GDS does not value the black community. The proof is in the numbers. The black community should consider how GDS is representing them and parading our kids around town without showing the same consideration to our community when it comes to the face of the school and the image it puts in front of others in the community. Many other private schools are doing a better job in this respect but GDS continues to get away with this year after year without being called out on to the carpet. Without the black players from our community, GDS would suck in basketball which is by far their most visible sport along with soccer. GDS should either stop just going after the black kids that play basketball and/or start trying to recruit student only kids from our community as well. For those of you that think I am out of line because of what you think you know, then subtract the kids from GDS that play basketball and tell me what the numbers show. GDS does not value the black community as a whole and does not recruit our kids beyond the court. Sure they are recruiting the kids that can play the game and handle the classwork but that is it. Until GDS can’t put large numbers of our black girls and boys on the floor, then I realize many in the community will continue to give GDS a pass but the truth is the truth. Guilford Co public schools should not be a part of the GDS financial machine.

  3. Could Page be lumped into this same category? Or will that be swept under the rug to?

  4. No one will touch Freddy and GDS because Freddy and his son are members of the sports council which puts this event on each year. Freddy, his son Robert and several of his coaches are also either the director, on the board of directors, or a significant part of the coaching staff for many of the major AAU organizations within the county which allows Freddy the opportunity to recruit the local public school players all year. This would include Team Felton, Warriors, Gaters (boys), Gator (girls), Greensboro Aggies and CP3. Guilford Co has basically tried their best to get rid of as many AAU related coaches as it could within the middle/high school ranks over the past 5 years but yet has continued to support what is happening at GDS as if nothing is different with what they are doing. Image how different GDS would be for basketball if they were not on the board of directors or had a highly visible coach in each organization. These same organizations use the gyms at GDS every weekend but I would bet you could not take your team over to their gym whenever you needed a gym. GDS has a system in place and to Freddy’s credit he is working that system like a puppet. Maybe one day someone will tell the truth about the recruiting process at GDS and force Guilford Co to hold them to the same standards as other schools.

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