I saw head Gus Buster Mark Abbott earlier this week, and I told him that I read his plea to the public for more volunteer Busters.

Abbott penned a letter to the editor that appeared in the Monday, July 6 edition of The Evening Sun. In his piece, Abbott said he is (again) woefully short of volunteers to officiate or supervise courts for this weekend’s 3-on-3 basketball tourney. It’s a message that Abbott has needed to deliver year after year, and yours truly has submitted numerous columns on the same subject matter.

It’s the 14th year of the popular tournament, and as Abbott stated, the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Tournament is one of Norwich’s signature summer events along with the Blues Fest, the Chenango County Fair, and in early September, Colorscape.

As a sporting event, Gus Macker stands alone in Norwich as its top drawing card. It’s no secret, either, that this is a basketball-rabid town. Our players, fans, community members, supporters, and longtime alumni have great pride in the quality of basketball produced here. And Gus Macker is a hoops frenzy that is sure to satiate even the most die-hard basketball fanatic.

In nearly a decade and a half of tournament play, we have never had a shortage of players and teams willing to participate. We have never had a shortage of local businesses willing to lend financial support. We have never had a shortage of concessions booths – profit or not-for-profit. And we have never had a shortage of fans taking in the sights.

What we have lacked, consistently, are the lifeblood and backbone of the Gus Macker Tournament: Gus Busters.

Abbott said he has heard virtually every excuse as to why this person or that person will not serve as a volunteer official. The one that stands out to me is, “I don’t want to take the (verbal) abuse from fans.”

It’s an excellent excuse if you have actually suffered the wrath of an indignant or unruly fan. (Or a player, for that matter.)

I would gauge my own skin as relatively thin. I dislike confrontation, and would prefer to avoid arguments. Still, I worked several years as a volunteer official. I was out of my comfort zone, but it proved an enjoyable task. Yes, I had a couple of incidents where a player or parent did not agree with call I made, but the vast majority of my experiences were positive.