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BERTHA, AL March: the time of year when winter fades away and leaves the nation in warmth and sunshine. It’s also the time of year when thousands of basketball fans gather in front of their televisions and close the blinds to prevent the glare.
The last several months of teamwork and practice have led to this—March Madness. The Final Four.
And while the main attention is drawn to the big names—the Division I games—numerous other, smaller schools anticipate cheering their team to victory in their Final Four games.
This year, we highlight an exciting competition in the Division XLIV Final Four, which will be held this year in Bertha, Alabama. This thrilling competition is currently so close that it could go in any direction.
In the first game, the Jumbo School for Carnival Ride Operators (Jumbo, Oklahoma) takes on the Frederick Harrington Pre-Junior College (Snellman, Minnesota). The winner will compete in the division finals on Saturday, March 22, against the winner of the game between the RuPaul School of Cosmetology (Waterproof, Louisiana) and Plumbing University (Mud Butte, South Dakota).
According to Jumbo coach Miles Lester, the competition is fierce. “It’s an honor to be playing in the Final Four. Of course, there are only four teams in our division, but it’s been a tough year. The competition is great. I’d say we’re all pretty much even—so it’ll be great to see what happens.”
Harrington coach Dwayne Duncan agrees. “It’ll be a great tournament. Even our fans have come out to cheer us on. Sure, we’re not Big 10. We’re the little guys. But I think we’re worth watching.”
Plumbing U’s coach Darrell Southerby is confident that his team can succeed this year. “Sure, we’ve never won before. But it’s not easy when your basketball team is 85% of your school. This year, though, the championship will be ours.”
In just a matter of days, one of these four schools will be named the champions. The other three will return to their homes and to their studies and to their practice—driven by the hope to participate in next year’s Final Four.
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