Belly Bump Returns To Hinsdale

After lying dormant for 13 years, the Hinsdale Belly Bump tournament has been revived in Hinsdale.

Levi Capdeville and Nate Remmick decided this was too good of a tournament to lie buried in the archives so they got together and set it up for last Friday and Saturday at the Hinsdale High School gym to the delight of a couple hundred fans.

The teams consist of say, some 2000-03 players, or some 1993-96 players and before. Well, you get the picture. Current high school players are not eligible.

Lloyd Jones, Kurt Rosendahl, Art Arnold, Johnny Arnold and Gary Klind were players in the first Belly Bump.

The 2014 oldest player award went to Gary Porter, 61 years young and class of about 1972 or so. He seemed in far better shape that 95 percent of the other players in the tourney because he plays basketball in Manhattan a couple times a week.

Brandon Hoerster, Jessie Gray, Josh Palm, Mark Arnold (game high 26 points with six 3-pointers), Chad Bowman, Jess Korman, Mark Johnson and Chisholm Christensen were among the “oldsters” while Austin Beil, Drake Molina, Dalton Peterson, Ashton Simpson and Jeff Zieger were some in the younger crowd.

We also got to see K-Raye Canen, Bodel Johnston, Bailey Remmick, Ashley Fossum, Tina Molina and Allison Riden among others on the female side.

The Belly Bump was started back in 1979 or so by Kurt Rosendahl who was encouraged to run the tourney because, in his words, “I had a big belly.” When Kurt bailed, Mike Jones ran it for a few years [I presume for the same reason?] and the tourney demised around 2000.

The money raised goes to some local thing or other. This years take will be given to the Milk River Days committee and be ear-marked for the Fourth of July fireworks display.

Nemont Beverage sponsored a team as did Stoughies and Ezzies. Farm Equipment Sales sponsored two teams and they fought it out in an overtime game for the championship.

The Hinsdale Junior class provided the concessions and a very tasty sloppy Joe supper.

Plans are in the works to have another Belly Bump during Christmas break this year so make plans on attending

In the Championship game Chad Bowman scored a game high 19 points which included five 3-pointers. Brandon Hoerster had 12 and a bazillion rebounds, not literally. Rounding out the scoring was Scott Fishell with nine, Mike Chappell with five, Justin Strommen with four, Chad Fishell with three and Paul McColly with two.