SPOKANE, Wash. -- The biggest change at Hoopfest this year is helping people track their favorite teams from the palms of their hands.
Organizers launched a brand-new mobile website, which can be accessed by any cell phone. The site lists the time and location of the games, as well as team and player information.
Nicole Thrift and her sister gave the new mobile website a try. Their verdict: two thumbs up.
With close to 250,000 people roaming the streets of downtown Spokane, the pair says the tool is major time saver.
“We would be running all over trying to find people. This way, we know exactly what court to go to, and we know their bracket. We don’t have to run all over or call people. It is way easy,” said Nicole.
As of Saturday afternoon, more than 4,200 people had registered with the site to track their favorite teams. Hoopfest organizers say every hour, that number is growing.
"For people who have a lot of kids that they are following, it's really handy to be able to know ‘I have to go here at 12:30 and here at 1:00. Then I have to go to this other game," said Tom Clark, software engineer.
The site also lists the scores of each game. Site creators say there is a small delay when the scores get posted online, because it is up to the winning team to turn in their official score card.
