March Madness!

Throughout the country, normally sane men and women, boys and girls go crazy over NCAA basketball in March each year.  65 men’s and 64 women’s teams compete in the annual tournaments to crown the year’s champions with millions of fans who haven’t attended a game all year tuned  to their TV sets.  “Bracketology” is THE buzzword for several weeks with folks who would never consider going to Las Vegas joining their local pools at work, in neighborhoods – even at church – to pick the winners at each level and cash in on the “big prize”.  EXCITEMENT abounds!

Yet, what about our senior citizens?  Did they retire from all this “hoopla” when they moved into a senior living community?  As a regional director for over 20 retirement centers, I learned that none of these buildings scheduled anything on their activities calendars related to these events.  Several factors potentially contribute to this omission:

• Some senior living properties become so focused on providing for ALL of the needs of their residents internally, they tend to overlook the importance of keeping the residents aware of and involved in the mainstream activities of the broader community.
• Some buildings still hold a “rest home” mentality with activity programs limited to the 3B’s:  Bible, Bingo and Birthday.
• Many activity directors  consider sports related programming as only male-oriented activities and believe that they would not be well received by the majority of residents who are women.[1]
• Finally, some may simply look at the tournament as something the individual can watch in their own apartment, overlooking the value of socialization in watching the game  with  friends.  It’s strange that we see the value in weekly movies in the TV rooms but don’t consider the benefit of watching and discussing other TV programs in a common setting.

     ACTIVITY CALENDAR TIP:

Because of the number of games in all time zones, there is an opportunity to schedule WEEKEND and EVENING events around the broadcast of these games on numerous days!

In keeping with the philosophy of enhancing marketability by improving the resident experience[2], I directed that March Madness be treated as a current event.

MARKETING TIP:

Identify “prospects” who are currently living alone and might be interested in seeing games.  Invite those individuals to watch a game on your big screen TV with your in-house residents.  Sell camaraderie and the value of their access to the large (and high definition if you have one) TV.

The following game was one of several activities initiated in my buildings.  [Please contact me directly to discuss other activity and marketing ideas that may be built around the March Madness concept.]

March Madness

(Seated Basketball Game)

OVERVIEW:

This is a TEAM sport with two 5-member teams.  This is an age-adapted, adult program designed as a low-impact physical activity suitable for all residents.  The game is played from a seated position to neutralize any height advantage and eliminate restrictions based on

Seated
Basketball

the ability to stand and/or walk without assistance.

It is based on the shoot-around game of “HORSE” with 5 chairs placed in front of the basket.  Each participant on each team will shoot from every seat with points scored for made baskets.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES:

1. Promote independence in body and spirit.
2. Help residents fulfill social & ego needs.  Several residents may achieve self-actualization by participating in their First basketball “game”.
3. Create new Precious Memories as seniors get the opportunity to showcase their abilities to their families.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:

1. An adjustable height basketball backboard and goal.    The goal works best at 6 feet for an 8 ft. or higher ceiling.  The model shown is manufactured by Little Tykes and may be purchased at Toys-R-Us for about $45.  Remove or cover any reference to the Little Tykes name, age group, etc. (e.g. Use a sticker with the community’s name or logo) to insure that the equipment does NOT convey a “juvenile” nature to the activity.

The manufacturer recommends that the base be filled with sand, but a) a staff member can hold the backboard with a foot on the base or b)  fill with water to make it easier to move / store when not in use.

2.  The set comes with a ball, but these are usually light weight and more of a playground ball than a true basketball.  More realism will be gained by purchasing several mini-basketballs which fit these goals.  These can usually be found on-line or at stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Several buildings found mini-basketballs with local school logos and purchased balls for competing schools (e.g. Florida & Florida State, or Tennessee, Kentucky & Vanderbilt).  They found that allowing their resident teams to use these balls gave their teams identity and heightened competition.  Ideally, the facility should have at least 3 balls for each team to speed up the game.

3.  Five straight-back chairs placed in a semi-circle in front of the goal, plus 10 chairs for the “bench” (players not currently shooting) and chairs for spectators.  The spread of the arc can be adjusted to fit the dimensions of the room, but the center seat should generally be placed no less than 5, nor more than 8, feet from the goal, with the others spread to the side accordingly.  At least initially, the “court” should be designed to facilitate scoring.  Creating a sense of accomplishment for the first contestants will encourage greater future participation.

4.  A flip chart on an easel with marker to keep score.  Both individual and team scores will need to be maintained.  A volunteer will be needed to serve as the Scorekeeper.

NOTE:  Tech-savvy communities may find it advantageous to use a laptop and flat-screen TV for keeping SCORE!

Preparation:

Set-up can be accomplished in about 15 minutes once the goal has been assembled.  The activity is suitable for on-going competition throughout the year, but initiating the program during the NCAA tournament adds the additional “spice” to encourage greater participation, selection of TEAM names, etc.  Some buildings may want to encourage residents to purchase TEAM t-shirts/jerseys for additional authenticity to the competition.

Tournament Play:

The style of the tournament will depend on the number of teams involved, recognizing that the principal objective is to generate as much resident participation as possible.  The following options may generate activity programming over several days and/or weeks:

• Two Teams: Direct head-to-head competition.  This can follow the simple one-and-done philosophy of the NCAA OR utilize the series approach with the best out of 3 or 5 declared the overall winner.
• Three Teams: Round-Robin competition with each team playing each other team.  If one team beats both the other teams, they will be declared the winner with the team winning the other game as the runner-up.  If each team wins one game, a final round will be held.  If there is no champion determined after that round, the three teams will compete in a sudden death Tie Breaker as outlined below.
• Four or more Teams: Olympic style competition. Each team will play every other team in a preliminary round.  Then the two teams with the best records will play in a championship round for gold and silver medals.  If desired, the 3^rd and 4^th placed teams may play in a consolation round for a bronze medal.

ICE-BREAKER IDEA

Demonstration Event

5 Resident Volunteers

vs

THE STAFF

Beginning Play:

Each team will choose a Captain who will also be the first shooter.  After the ceremonial coin toss, the winner will take the middle seat and the first half will commence.

Play:

1. The first player will shoot 3 balls from the center seat with 2 points scored for each basket made.
2. The player will then move to the next seat to the right of the basket and the first player from the opposing team will take his/her place in the first seat.
3. That player will take their 3 shots and then move to the next seat to the left of the basket.
4. Play then returns to the first player who shoots 3 times and then moves to the chair on the far right.
5. The first player from the opposing team does the same to the left of the basket.
6. Then, the 2^nd player from the first team moves to the center seat and takes their 3 shots.
7. As they move to the second seat, the opposing team’s 2^nd player takes over the center seat.
8. Next, the 1^st players take their shots from the far seats and then return to the Bench.
9. This process continues until all 5 players from each TEAM have completed their 9 shots and the FIRST HALF concludes.
10. After an intermission, the SECOND HALF continues in the same process, except that the first team moves to the left of the basket and the other team moves to the right.  At the end of the SECOND HALF, each player will have attempted 6 shots from the center seat and 3 from each of the other seats.
11. At the end of the game, the TEAM with the most points (made baskets) is declared the winner.

Tie-Breaker:

In the event of a tie, the player from each TEAM with the highest personal score will be involved in a tie-breaker.  If more than one player on the same team has the same score, the team will choose which one will participate in the tie-breaker.

Beginning with the losing team of the original Coin Toss, the player will sit in the center seat (the “foul shot” position) and continue shooting until they miss.  The opposing team player must then beat the number of shots made by the first player to be declared the winner.

In the event of another tie, play will move to the 2^nd highest scorer for each team and continue until a) a winner is chosen or b) all players have participated.

Should that happen, the foul shot line will be moved backwards in 1 foot increments until a winner is determined.

Advanced Play Options:

1. A more complex scoring option is to record 1 point for baskets from the center seat (equating to a foul shot), 2 points from the middle seat and 3 points from the furthest chair.  It is generally best to begin with the simpler form of scoring until the participants become acquainted with the game and it becomes advantageous to increase the level of competition.
2. Seats can be placed further away from the goal.
3. Schedule an on-going competition or tournament with one or more nearby facilities.
   

   MARKETING TIP:

   • Contact a Senior Citizens Center, Church Group or other Seniors’ Organization and invite them to put together a team to challenge your in-house CHAMPS!

   • Add a social event, door prizes, etc. to tie in with the tournament and add participants and observers to your prospect list.

   Set up a home-and-away schedule with residents traveling to the opposing teams’ home court and vice versa.  Note: this is a great option when the same company has more than one property in the same geographical area – but may, in some instances, be also possible with competitor locations.

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[1] These individuals should check out the popularity of women’s college basketball and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt who leads ALL COACHES in total career wins.

[2] Check out “Turning Residents into our Best Marketers” in the CATEGORIES drop-down box for additional thoughts on this philosophy.

Please leave a comment and share the March Madness activities you have implemented successfully in your building.