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For the first time since its creation more than half a century ago, the Bedford Road Invitational Tournament (BRIT) has been cancelled.
The 2021 version of the Saskatoon high school basketball tournament was to be held this weekend.
“There’s no Grey Cup this year (and) people can’t see Grandma,” Bedford Road Collegiate principal Scott Ferguson said Thursday. “We have people that have lost their jobs. So we are really keeping it in perspective here that we’re talking about a basketball tournament.”
In any given year, BRIT welcomes teams from across the globe. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, it just wasn’t in the cards for 2021.
“Given the circumstances, it’s really something that we took into account — the situation with athletics in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan, the fact that we couldn’t have teams travel and, basically, we wouldn’t be able to offer the type of experience that we would have been used to,” Ferguson said.
“Given the fact that we’re in a global pandemic here, we have an obligation to consider the safety of our school population, our community and any incoming players that would be part of the tournament.”
The spirit of BRIT is being kept alive, however. Ferguson said Bedford Road is offering a school-wide lunch Thursday.
“One of the staples of BRIT is the BRIT Dog,” he said. “We’re going to be sharing with students, individually in a safe way, (and) kind of bringing that spirit back to our school.”
Additionally, BRIT-funded scholarships annually awarded to Bedford Road students will continue with the 2020-21 graduating class at the school.
The organizers and school community will now turn their attention to 2022. In a media release Wednesday, the school said it will “remain hopeful” the tournament can be staged for the 53rd time in January 2022.
“We’re really looking forward to again bringing in some of the best teams in the country and getting our students involved, and our community involved, in that really special way,” said Ferguson.