Welcome to the 2024 Ypsilanti District Library's Summer Challenge Geocache series. This year, we have hidden three different caches around Ypsilanti. We hope you'll find them all. This year's theme is the Summer Olympic Games.
Earn a digital badge by logging your find at ypsilibrary.org/summer. To do this, sign up for the library’s Summer Challenge. Ypsi Library Summer Challenge Sign-up. Use your earned points on chances to win big prizes.
The closest parking is at Prospect and Oak St ON Oak.
A cache location "hint image" is available if you scroll down to the bottom.
For this geocache challenge, we visit Prospect Park. Prospect Park is the oldest park in Ypsilanti's current park system. Here, you will see mature trees and a variety of activities for people of all ages, including basketball.
Basketball was invented at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts between 1891-1892. It didn't take long for it to become a worldwide popular sport. It became an Olympic sport at the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis. The United States is by far the most successful country in Olympic basketball, with United States men's teams having won 16 of 19 tournaments in which they participated, including seven consecutive titles from 1936 through 1968. United States women's teams have won eight titles out of the 10 tournaments in which they competed, including seven in a row from 1996 to 2020.
Try to answer the trivia questions below to learn more about basketball and the Olympics.
Q1: What year was the Team USA men's basketball team nicknamed the "Dream Team?"
Q2: What year was women's basketball first included in the Olympic Games?
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A1: The Team USA men's basketball team was nicknamed the "Dream Team" in 1992. Before 1992, Olympic rules did not permit NBA players to join the Olympic team. Only nonprofessionals, such as collegiate and players from amateur sports organizations, were allowed to participate and represent their countries. For the 1992 games, the USA could ask players from the NBA to join the team, including players in their prime. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, and Magic Johnson were just some of the players on the 1992 "Dream Team." Team USA dominated the tournament and almost easily took home the gold medal. The closest outcome of the eight games played by Team USA was a 117-85 victory over Croatia.
Scroll down for the answer to the second question.
A2: Women's basketball was first included in the Olympic Games in 1976 at the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada. The Soviet Union won five straight games to become the inaugural champions.
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