2009 Event Recap

2009 marked the seventh year of the David Busta Basketball Tournament and Silent Auction. It's hard to believe it's been that many years already. It's been a lot of work for a lot of people, but everyone was rewarded with the satisfaction of surpassing a major milestone - over $200,000 raised to help find a cure for spinal cord injury since our first fundraiser in November of 2003. I'm not sure any of us could have imagined such a feat during our very first planning meeting.

The silent auction portion of the event seems to grow every year, and 2009 was no exception. There were more items/packages available in the auction than ever before and a greater diversity than we have seen in the past. Bidders had everything from quilts to bird houses to get certificates to autographed sports memorabilia to an actual live American bulldog puppy to bid on. There was something for everyone, even those choosing not to bid - just watching the frenzy of the final moments before the silent auction closes can be very entertaining.

The level of competition in the basketball tournament remained high in 2009. We see many of the same teams and players every year, yet there are always new faces that keep things fresh. When you think about it, the average career of an NBA player is only about five years, so with 2009 being the seventh year of the Busta tournament, there is bound to be some turnover. That being said, the core of the 2009 champion team captained by Dave Cowley has taken part every year of our event and came out on top for the 4th time. The women's champion was captained by Jenica Paulson and featured a nice mix of tournament veterans and newcomers.

Several weeks after the basketball tournament and silent auction GMR Marketing, David's employer, held its third annual "Bags for Busta" beanbag toss tournament at its home office in Milwaukee. 49 pairs paid $20 each to enter the tournament. In addition to the tournament, the event also had a silent auction. Together the event raised nearly $7500 for the Busta fund at the Waisman Center. It was the third year GMR held the bags for busting event, but this was by far the biggest. Hopefully it will continue to grow.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered, participated, donated and placed bids. It takes all of us for the David Buss to Basketball Tournament and Silent Auction to be successful. 2009 was a great year and we all look forward to 2010.