To The Top Contest
Kenn I. Hicks AKA the “Godfather of Streetball” went to high school with Earl “The Goat” Manigault who is a basketball legend. He is known by almost every professional basketball player and every player young and old living in New York City. The Goat has been featured in many books, magazines and the movie “Rebound” (Starring Don Cheadle) was made about his life story. The movie featured many great actors who wanted to take part in telling his life story.
The Goat was considered the highest jumping basketball player ever. He took quarters off the top of the basketball backboard. For over twenty years we have been sponsoring a contest to see who can touch the top of the backboard and join The Goat as a high jumping basketball legend. Many professional basketball players have participated in our high jumping 
contest: Anthony “Budda” Fredricks (Indiana Pacers), Charles “Bo” Outlaw, (Los Angeles Clippers), and Milton Banks, (Harlem Globetrotters). They got close (12 feet 8 inches) but never went to the top (13 feet) to join The Goat. We have always had large crowds who loved watching the contest to see who could go “To The Top”. Ballin’ for Peace will travel to different cities throughout the United States to search for the highest jumping athlete in the world. The finals will be held Labor Day weekend @ Venice Beach California. In our thirty years of having this contest, only Doug Thomas (2008) and Kirpatrick McCauley AKA “Stretch” (2012) has gone “To the Top”.
