The Boys High School National Championships committee has announced the dates for the 2023 tournament.
Normally held in the middle of May, the 2023 tournament will be moved one week later to May 25 through May 27, which is Thursday through Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend.
The reasoning for this move are as follows:
- There was widespread support for the tournament to return to Elkhart, Ind., where the 2022 teams reported having a very enjoyable experience.
- University of Notre Dame’s graduation weekend is May 20-21; with Elkhart being so close to South Bend, the hotel prices are expected to increase dramatically. (This already happens when Notre Dame is hosting a football game.)
- The option of having teams find hotels further from the Elkhart-South Bend area was rejected because the hotel options are limited, and one feature of the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart is that all of the hotels are very close. (Side note: at this past HSNC, this writer left his laptop in his hotel room. He was able to retrieve it in less than 20 minutes and missed none of the action.)
- Committee members determined that while Memorial Day travel can cost more than normal, the highest-cost days are Friday and Monday, when teams attending the National Championships would be traveling Wednesday and Sunday, thus avoiding peak times.
- Teams were polled regarding the move to Memorial Day and while opinions varies, about half of those responding said they either preferred Memorial Day or saw no difference between that weekend or the earlier weekend. About half of those responded said they preferred the earlier weekend.
- With graduation weekend, spring football, and other events happening at different times in different regions of the US, finding a competition weekend that doesn’t clash with anything is impossible. So the May 25-27 dates have been selected.
