Annual Dayton Big Hoopla events scheduled

Published Dec. 1, 2017
By Mark C. Lyle
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The NCAA® First Four® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship games held at the University of Dayton Arena are three months away, but there are many Big Hoopla events to get involved in before the big day.

- March 11 - Hoopla Four Miler at the UD’s River Campus. Check-in and registration begins at 9 a.m. at UD’s Meyer Room at 1700 S. Patterson Blvd., Dayton, Ohio. The race will follow at 10 a. m. You can also pre-register at www.daytonhoopla.com. The Big Hoopla and Key Sports have teamed up to provide all Wright-Patt personnel with a 20 percent military discount if you use promo code: WPAFB20. All pre-registered runners receive a t-shirt and all participants will receive a medal. The four-mile course will start and finish at the UD River Campus. A post-race celebration will follow on selection Sunday at the Meyer Room.

- March 11 - Hoopla STEM Challenge at Chaminade-Julienne High School. This is a free basketball skills competition and educational event for boys and girls, grades K-8. Check-in starts at noon. Pre-registration is encouraged and now open at www.daytonhoopla.com. The STEM Challenge combines the excitement of March Madness with the power of STEM education. Participants will be provided free pizza and a Hoopla t-shirt as a registration gift. During the “hot-shot” contest students will compete for a variety of prizes which are awarded for point totals based on the shots made. Regional and national partners will be on-site to engage students with hands-on STEM exhibits, Including Wright-Patterson Education & Outreach, Air Force Research Laboratory, 88th Air Base Wing, the Boonshoft Museum, Scene75, and others.

- March 12 - NCAA First Four Open Practices at the UD Arena from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and March 13 from noon to 3 p.m. Watch the teams practice at this free event open to the public. Parking is free, and T-shirts will be given away to the first 100 people each day. (Times subject to change)

- March 13-14 - NCAA Division Men’s Basketball Championship First Four Games at UD Arena starting at 6:30 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. (Tip off times subject to change)

Last year the Big Hoopa ticket program donated over 6,500 tickets to active-duty Airmen and their families to recognize and show appreciation for the United States Air Force and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. These tickets are to say “thank you” to military serving our country.

For the 18th consecutive year, the road to the Final Four® starts in Dayton, Ohio with the 2018 NCAA First Four. For more information on pre-game events, visit DaytonHoopla.com. For the latest updates with the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament visit NCAA.com.