Questions and Answers

What is the cost to join Cardinal Flight, and what does that include?
See the Cardinal Flight registration flyer for the current cost. This pays for a jersey and a portion of the tournament entry fees. We host several home tournaments to raise additional operating funds.

What other expenses might I need to pay?
There will be Cardinal Flight clothing and accessories available for purchase at the beginning of the season. Since the registration fee only covers the jersey, many girls opt to purchase Cardinal Flight shorts.
Since all our teams are traveling teams, you will incur expenses associated with traveling.

How long is the season?
The season is somewhat dependent upon how the league schedules tournaments. Generally, expect the season to run from October through March but it will vary.

How much of my time am I expected to volunteer?
It is generally expected that a family will work a minimum of 4 hours at each 2-day championship tournament we host, 4 hours at their own child's home tournament, and 4 hours at another team's home tournament. Alternatively, a family can pay a work assessment fee if it prefers not to dontate time.
We recognize that if a family has multiple girls in Cardinal Flight, those requirements could pose a hardship so the Board can allow exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

How many tournaments do we play, and how long is a tournament?
The number of tournaments that Cardinal Flight pays entry fees for is your child's grade level plus one. For instance, for a 5th grade team, Cardinal Flight pays for 6 tournaments. It is common for a team to sign up for additional tournaments and have that team's parents pay for the entry fee ($105 per team in 2005). For the exact fee amount, see the Great Northwest Basketball League web site.
In the grade 3/4 division, 4-team tournaments are on Saturdays, with each team playing 3 games.
In grades 5 through 8, the standard 8-team tournaments are usually held on Saturdays (occasionally on Sunday), with each team playing four games. The first games start at 9:00am and the final games start at 5:10.
For grades 6 through 8, there are also two-day invitational championship tournaments for higher ranked teams.

What type of basketball do you recommend for my daughter?
The official game ball for girls playing in the Great Nortwest Basketball League, as well as in the WIAA, is a 28.5" Spalding TF-1000, which retails for between $40 and $50.
The 28.5" Spalding TF-500 is a more affordable, good quality version.
Whatever brand you decide to buy, be sure it is the 28.5" size and has a synthetic leather cover - NOT rubber or vinyl.