SAN FRANCISCO — Kimochi, Inc., senior services has set its 19th annual Old-timers Fun Basketball Tournament for the weekend of July 14-15 at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter St. in San Francisco’s Japantown.
The annual tournament emphasizes health, team spirit, sportsmanship, and community involvement for “veteran” players in two age brackets: 50 years and older and 60 years and older.
Moses Yasukochi, who along with Rich Eijima co-chairs the annual Kimochi fundraiser, emphasizes the “fun” in the tourney’s title. “This tournament is for good times,” he says, “to hang around with your friends, to promote good health, and to support Kimochi’s programs and services for seniors.”
Yasukochi, who operates a bakery in Japantown, has been chairing the tournament since its inception 20 years ago, when he says he was “a young man in his 50s.”
Traditionally, teams in both age categories have come from the East Bay, Sacramento, San Francisco, and even Seattle to play. Yasukochi points out that the Seattle team, playing the 60-and-over category, has been coming to San Francisco to support the tournament for 15 straight years.
“It’s a good time and purely for fun,” he points out, “and the entry fees go to a good cause, Kimochi services for seniors. And let’s face it, all of us playing basketball now are just about there.”
Eijima adds, “It’s great to be on the court with friends, running, shooting, and being in shape; and it feels good to compete at a certain level, but with age, play with skills and smarts to absolutely not get hurt!”
For more information, contact Yasukochi at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop, (415) 931-8165, or Wes Nihei at Kimochi Inc., (415) 931-2294, or go online to www.kimochi-inc.org. All games are free and open to the public.