Registration for teams and participants is now under way for Maine’s longest, continuous-running, three-on-three benefit basketball tournament.

The 21st Annual Dr. Noel Paradise Memorial Swish-Out and Junior Swish-Out Childhood Cancer Challenge will take place on Sunday, Feb. 8, at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. Coordinated by Maine’s credit unions, teams of businesses, friends and family are once again being sought and encouraged to participate.

The Swish-Out has three adult divisions: Elite; Just For Fun Recreation Division; and the Not-So-Over-The-Hill Division, in which all players must be 45 and older, except one. The minimum age for adult team participation is 17 years of age. There is also a Junior Division, which is open to Middle Schoolers (grades 6-8, with up to two fifth-graders per team allowed).

The tournament is a three-on-three, co-ed, double-elimination event. The entry fee is $100 per adult team ($75 for juniors) and all funds raised go directly to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. Since it began in 1994, more than $290,000 has been raised through the event. The tournament’s first year started with seven teams and raised $575; last year, the event featured 53 teams and raised more than $31,000.

This year’s event is once again coordinated by the Maine Credit Union League and Maine’s credit unions and sponsored in part by Kepware Technologies, Five County Credit Union, WEX, Hannaford Supermarkets, Martin’s Point Healthcare, CU Promise, Back In Motion Physical Therapy, Jackson Laboratory, Moody’s Collision Centers, Time Warner Cable and WPOR (101.9) Radio.

Teams in all divisions may be of any size with the only stipulation being that a member of the opposite sex is on the court at all times. All participants receive a water bottle and T-shirt. Plaques are awarded to the top four and there is also a Silent Auction held in conjunction with the event.

For an entry form, sponsorship information and for more information, contact event founder and organizer Jon Paradise at the Maine Credit Union League at 773-5671, ext. 273 or email jparadise@mainecul.org. Entry forms may be downloaded at www.mainecul.org.