EVERETT -- Thanks to lots of hungry linemen and linebackers, space at the Holiday Inn buffet will be at a premium this week.
The hotel is hosting the East-West All-Star Football Game players through the weekend. Included with every guest room is a free pass to the breakfast buffet, which will surely be raided early and often by the bulky athletes.
"These kids are all over that stuff," said Doug Bartells, general manager of the Holiday Inn Downtown Everett.
The annual East-West Game, featuring many of the state's top Class 3A and 4A high school gridiron players, was in Spokane last year, which meant no boost to the local economy. But the event's return to Everett will provide a welcome spike in business, said Bartells. The 61 East-West Game players (as well as coaches and players' parents) staying at the Holiday Inn will pay about $15,000 in lodging fees, he said.
Most families haven't started their summer trips yet, so June is usually kind of an in-between month for the hotel, Bartells said. That means the East-West Game guests are "definitely a great deal of help for us," he said.
The big game is at 1 p.m. Saturday at Everett Memorial Stadium.
One concern about hosting large groups, especially teenagers, is the potential disruption to other guests. But Bartells said his hotel has hosted many sports groups -- including members of the Silvertips and AquaSox -- and everything went well. He expects a similar experience this week.
"Most of these (athletes) are pretty good about that," said Bartells. "They realize that they're representing their schools so they're usually pretty good."
Sometimes the guests who are supposedly more mature and responsible end up causing the most trouble.
Said Bartells, "Kids, we usually find, are better than the adults."
East-West Game tickets and practice schedule
Tickets for the 2009 East-West All-Star Football Game are $7. They will be sold before the game Saturday at Everett Memorial Stadium (3721 Oakes Ave.). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Team practices at Everett Memorial are open to the public. The schedule is: today, 9-11 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.; Wednesday 9-11 a.m.; Thursday 9-11 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.; Friday 9-10:45 a.m. and 2-4:30 p.m.
A QB at nose guard?
In an attempt to get to know players, West team head coach John Ondriezek called every athlete on the West roster a few weeks ago. The coach heard a surprising answer when he asked Jacob Allie, a quarterback from Lindbergh High, which position Allie would prefer to play on defense. Instead of saying defensive back, like Ondriezek expected, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Allie said nose guard. "I told him I like that mentality of a quarterback, one that wants to get up on the defensive line right in the heart of where it's all happening," Ondriezek said. "He's going to be a tough kid."
