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Thursday, June 14, 2012 The Bakersfield Californian
Eye Street
Kathleen Schaffer, Virginia Lennemann and Jim Fillbrandt
“If you like fast-paced comedy that's just a bit on the sentimental side, I'm happy to recommend The Last Romance . . .” — Camille Gavin, The Bakersfield Californian
“I LAUGHED while it tugged on my HEART!” — Kathy Jamieson, Season Ticket Holder CASEY CHRISTIE / THE CALIFORNIAN
San Joaquin Community Hospital “Dirty Scrubs” player John Hallum takes a dive for the team during the Mud Volleyball Tournament fundraiser last year.
“It’s a marvelous show. SUPERBLY DONE!” — Susan Holmes, Patron
Mud volleyball tourney is about good, dirty fun BY CHERYL PORTER Contributing writer
I
f you’ve ever felt envious watching animals wallow in the muck, mud volleyball might be for you. “This is our 20th year, and we have teams that come back year after year, always looking ahead to the next tournament,” said Doug Valdez of the Epilepsy Society of Kern County, which hosts the Bakersfield tradition. “Think about when you were a kid. The idea of playing in the mud sounded great, Now you’re an adult kid. It’s the same idea — you’re going out playing. It’s an addictive thing.” Last year’s event required three days to pump 25,000 gallons of water into the dirt at Stramler Park to make enough mud for more than 1,100 players. This year organizers will be making 16 muddy courts to accommodate up to 120 teams — but space is filling up fast for the June 23 event. Tony Folks is captain for his team, Family Dirt. Folks, 37, said that in the past eight years, his group of friends has multiplied from one to four teams. He highly recommends putting in plenty of pre-tournament court time in order to compete against seasoned players. “We spend a lot of time playing and practicing on weekends,” Folks said. “If we get a few wins in at the tournament, we consider the day a success.” He also suggests that even if players wear water shoes, they also use plenty of duct tape to secure footwear, or the shoes will get sucked right off by the mud. Another Mud veteran is Nathan Ives, captain of the Scallywags. He’s been part of several top-performing teams from the tournament’s inception. Even after a cold, windy, rainy first tournament 20 years ago, he’s returned to play almost every year since, and his approach to making the day a success is simple: Don’t stress — just enjoy yourself. “Don’t worry about who’s breaking the
20th Annual Mud Volleyball Tournament When: 8:30 a.m. June 23. Teams may register the day of the tournament, if space allows. Where: Stramler Park, 3805 Chester Ave. Cost: $350 per team ($375 after Friday); free to spectators Information: epilepsysocietyofkern.org epilepsysocietyofkern.org or call 634-9810.
rules or whether a game is called right,” said Ives, 52. “You’re not out there to win a big prize, you’re out there to have fun. Our team never tries to get muddy; in fact, we try to stay clean. But if it’s necessary to dive for the ball, we will take the dive and get muddy.” Players are encouraged to bring a change of clothing, protective footwear (water shoes are best), and plenty of water. Portable showers will be available. All teams must be co-ed. There can be no fewer than six and no more than 10 players per team. Every player gets a 2012 Mud Volleyball Tournament T-shirt, plus a whole lot of memories. Each game lasts 30 minutes and teams continue playing until they have lost two games. The tournament ends when these double eliminations leave a clear winner. But the day is about a lot more than winning and losing. “This event has become like a huge family that comes together each year and mixes and mingles and finds out what’s been going on,” said Valdez, 46. “Everybody enjoys it, and they earn the bragging rights of beating the team that beat them last year. And we’re already planning for next year.”
JUNE 14, 15 and 16 Purchase tickets online, by phone, or at the Theatre Box Office
STARS THEATRE RESTAURANT 1931 CHESTER AVENUE
325-6100 bmtstars.com