There's nobody standing around. And while things get competitive, they don't get that competitive. Students have to shake hands after each game and display good sportsmanship. You play hard, you play to win. Plank added everybody's skill level goes up as the result of the tournament and that students' enthusiasm for the tournament sports spills over to after-school hours.
Parents say as soon as they get home from school they're out practicing.
Which is the real object of all Plank's work. We're trying to promote fitness and a healthy lifestyle. If they like what they're doing, we make it exciting, they'll go home and do it too. Everyone in the school gets caught up in the spirit of tournament time. All week, tournament-related Top 10 lists are read on the morning announcements.