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Bummy Ball

Of all the sports that grace popularity in a Door County summer, basketball rarely comes to mind. That would change if more people knew about Bummy Ball.

Bummy Ball, a year-round pick-up style basketball league started by Randy Bumgardner (center), creates a fun and competitive atmosphere for locals looking for a game amongst friends.

Craftily named after its creator, organizer, and most consistent player, Randy Bumgardner, Bummy Ball is a yearlong open-gym held at Sturgeon Bay High School every Wednesday evening at 5:00 pm. During the school year, the gym is opened at 5:15 pm due to Clipper athletic scheduling.

Starting as a nonchalant series of pick-up basketball games around 16 years ago, Bummy Ball has observed quite the evolution.

“It really started where the old guys would play some of the high school senior, intramural guys,” Bumgardner recalled, but it has since grown into a weekly affair that comprises all ages. A recent episode included an age bracket ranging from high school freshmen to one participant still scoring above age 60.

One reason for the popularity that surrounds the phenomenon of Bummy Ball is the lack of restrictions. Other than athletes currently in an organized high school sport, anyone who desires to get their basketball fix is more than encouraged to take part. It is the exact reason Bumgardner keeps opening up the gym each week.

“It really helps be feed my basketball addiction,” Bumgardner said. “Growing up, basketball has always been one of my favorite passions, and getting in the gym to play each week helps me attain that fix.”

In addition, a competitive balance is almost always on display. Though many times a rivalry spews between players under 25-years-old and those above, a mixture of the two presents many rubber matches and game-winning shots.

Don’t look for those shots to be coming from far out, however. Each game is played to a score of 11, with each bucket tallying just one point, regardless of distance. Since his knees have seen better days, the three-point shot is rather trivial to Bumgardner.

“I’m just a traditionalist,” Bumgardner noted. “If it were up to me, I would wipe that three-point line right off the court.”

The other rule is that all players show up with white and dark shirts in order to make creating competitive teams a simple task; a task known well by Bumgardner, a physical education teacher at Sturgeon Bay High School.

Although Bummy Ball has thrived through a basketball-hungry population in Sturgeon Bay, the invitation has no limits and remains countywide.

“People will hear about it, and whoever they tell is welcome to come,” Bumgardner said. “We don’t turn down anybody.”

With the offer on the table, and a populace that adores basketball each winter, the summer ought to have its fair share, too, and Bummy Ball is the place for it.