For many many years our family has followed the College Basketball March Madness by randomly assigning teams to each of the four of us. We often had individual allegiances, but that did not matter. The draw was random and you got who you got.
Prizes were awarded for each win, frequently on the sweet side, often with an Easter theme. In the first round you might get a chocolate egg for every win, then up to jellybeans, a Cadbury egg, etc. The prizes are not quite the focus they once were – age and distance has made it more difficult and less important.
Yesterday evening I realized that today was Selection Sunday when the brackets are filled in, and we had not spoken about how to do the choosing with far flung folks. So – with four phones, two on speaker in close proximity to each other – the family, in two states and two countries, was made whole for a brief moment.
Our drawing took about 10 minutes, at which point we departed for whatever errand/chore/course we had to deal with next. A few notes:
Ashlan did not get a #1 seed, Jay got two.
Rey got Jay’s Alma Mater (MSU)
Rey got Carl’s Almost Mater (Illinois)
Jay got hometown favorite UM(ichigan)
Carl got current hometown favorite UW
Rey got Kansas – his great-grandfather’s team (played for them)
Any other teams of interest? – we can fill you in on who will be cheering them on.
It is a fun family thing, even when the family is spread thin.
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