Tough contests mark Punjabi Sports Festival

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Basketball and Volleyball winners with PCS officials

CHICAGO: Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) organized its 18th annual Sports Festival recently at Falcon Park Recreation Center, in Palatine, Illinois.
State of Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford and past Mayor of Palatine IL Rita Mullins inaugurated this sports festival after a colorful ribbon cutting ceremony in the presence of more than 250 enthusiastic athletes and spectators. The tournament started with a prayer and the US national anthem.
Falcon Park District, Mayor Rita Mullins and Treasurer Rutherford were honored with plaques by the PCS officials. Rajinder Singh Mago emceed the event. The sports festival was sponsored by Balwinder Girn and Dr. Amarjit Singh.
Twenty one Basketball and Volleyball qualified teams hailing from Chicago and suburbs, Milwaukee Wisconsin, Saint Louis MO, and Cincinnati Ohio competed in the tournament for the PCS Chicago championship trophies and cash awards.
This all day Basketball and Volleyball tournament was held indoors in the courts of the new state-of-the-art air-conditioned facilities at Falcon Park in Palatine, IL.
The winner of PCS Chicago Basketball Championship Cup and the cash prize of $500 was the team named “No Respect.” The basketball runners-up trophy and cash prize of $250 went to the “Chicago Untouchables.” No team could touch them until “No Respect” showed up and they lost only by a score of 54 to 55 points in a very tough competition. The “Brown Mambas” basketball team, last year’s PCS champions, came in third.
The PCS Chicago Volleyball Championship Cup and the cash prize of $500 was won by “Shaheed Bhagat Singh Club” team, and the volleyball runners-up trophy and a cash prize of $250 went to “Saint Louis Sikhs” team. The “Milwaukee Club” volleyball team came in third.
All the individual players of the winners and the runners-up teams of each sport were also awarded trophies. All the participating athletes and spectators were served pizza, soft drinks, and tea for lunch and bottled water all day. The event was free and open to all.
The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago is a not-for-profit community service organization devoted to promoting healthy life style and sports, education, good citizenship, Punjabi culture, language, and performing arts, in the metropolitan Chicago area.

Surendra Ullal