The Senior basketball league taking the school by storm
By Ty Guzman
As the final bell of the days ring, there's a group of seniors who don't go straight home, at least once a week. They head to the heart of Coral Gables, Jaycee Park. This is where seniors come to compete weekly in this basketball league ran by senior Gonzalo Palenzuela. This idea started throughout the summer and has continued to this day, with the league expanding weekly creating competition and growing the Columbus brotherhood.
The Humid League is composed of various teams and players, who have grown closer together due to the shared experiences within this league. Teams have a schedule and play against each other weekly with someone volunteering to be the referee and someone recording to get highlights to post on the official Instagram, "humid_league_updates".
The Humid League has served as a way to develop new friendships and strengthen bonds amongst seniors.
Commissioner Gonzalo Palenzuela stated, “I have grown a lot closer with people in this league than ever before, it's an extra thing we can talk about and bond over."
"The league allows me to have fun but also hang out with my friends and get to know new people," added Tiago Lirman.
The league has become a major talking point amongst many seniors with many interested in joining this community, causing the league to implement a mid-season draft and other ways for new members to join in. This is partially due to the league's presence on TikTok and Instagram to show off highlights and important news for the week. These social media accounts have been skyrocketing, as seen through the official Instagram account which currently has 135 followers, with more people showing interest every day.
"It is very warming to my heart that this actually has an audience in it and I'm hoping for it to get bigger in the future," Palenzeula stated.
The Humid League also serves as a way for those to show off their talents and what they are capable of. Since there are trades that can happen within teams and a championship game, these players go out on the court and give it their all to take home the win and get bragging rights.
"The competition is really fun because most of the teams are pretty evenly matched in skill level," said Bird Road Boys player Alexis Penalver.
This league has given its players something to look forward to each week and something to prove to the opposing teams and themselves.
Hialeah Haters player Gustavo Gonzalez says, "I wanted to have something to prove. I felt like I had a legacy to leave."
The Humid League plans to keep expanding and providing a fun environment for its players weekly as the championship game steadily approaches.
"Humid League is like a culture. It's a way of life," said Gonzalez.
Humid League photos provided by Gonzalo Palenzuela