As Labor Day weekend rounds the corner, that can only mean one thing for the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend community: It’s time to get out the baseball bats, gloves and helmets for the M.O.T. Big Ball Marathon.
The 24-hour softball series will kick off its 13th year at Silver Lake Park Friday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.
With an oversized softball and plenty of pizzazz, players of all ages will take the park’s fields to play and raise money for area charities.
“This is something the community really rallies around,” said Big Ball Committee Member Kate Rokosz, who oversees the event. “A lot of teams come out for their own reasons, but they’re all good.”
Four marathon teams — Nick’s Knucklers, The Bartenders, The Hustlers and Selena’s Sluggers — will each play for 12 hours against incoming teams that play in one-hour time slots throughout the event.
The Middletown High School Cavalier Marching Band will get things started Friday night during the event’s opening ceremonies. Then members of the public are invited to test out their Big Ball skills during the Home Run Derby.
The Big Ball Marathon has raised almost $350,000 for local charities so far, and although the committee did not set a specific goal this year, Committee Chair Irv Brockson said he always tries to top the year before.
“We know everybody’s hurting,” he said. “If we raise $20,000 or $30,000, we’ll feed as many people as we can and do as much as we can with it.”
Must-see games this year include the Ironman Tournament, in which the Middletown Police will battle the Volunteer Hose Company of Middletown; the Blonde Bombers, where men and women wear blonde wigs and padded shirts; the Middletown Veterinary Hospital, who play with dogs on the field; and the Southern New Castle Rotary Club versus the Middletown-Odessa Rotary Club.
Nick Vacirca, coach of Nick’s Knucklers, said he has been involved with the marathon for the past 10 years and has loved every minute of it.
“I’m out there with 15 other people I know having a good time, and the main focus is to raise money,” he said.
Vacirca said the main difference between the “big ball” used in the marathon and regular softball is the size of the ball and how it is handled. After a few innings, the ball softens and loses its consistency. Playing for 12 hours straight can be a challenge, but it’s all worth it.
“Once you get to the seventh or eighth hour, it gets harder and you get a little sore, but when you hit the 10th hour, that’s when you’re starting to struggle,” he said.
Kristen Krenzer, public relations officer for the Town of Middletown, has been playing on the Town’s incoming team for four years.
“I love the fun in it all,” she said. “Where else can you go and have people dress up in costumes and ready to play a team that’s been playing all night long?”
Krenzer said although the ball looks easy to hit, that’s not often the case.
“I like to think of it as a big marshmallow,” she said. “The ball is coming at you and you think you can hit it, but it’s not as easy as it looks.”
The ball games aren’t the only attraction to the event. Spectators will enjoy carnival games, live entertainment, ice carving and more throughout the night, and as a Rock the Vote event, a table will be set up near the stage where young people can register to vote.
The price of admission is one canned good, which is used to replenish area food pantries. The Middletown Walmart Supercenter is also collecting canned goods for the Big Ball Marathon until Sunday, Sept. 12 at its store on Route 301.
Brockson said he is proud of the dedicated group of people that organizes the event and all of the community members that support the marathon’s cause.
“It’s everyone’s responsibility to give back, not just a select few,” he said. “To see all those groups out there playing at two or three in the morning really speaks about the type of people we have in this town.”
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As Labor Day weekend rounds the corner, that can only mean one thing for the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend community: It’s time to get out the baseball bats, gloves and helmets for the M.O.T. Big Ball Marathon.
The 24-hour softball series will kick off its 13th year at Silver Lake Park Friday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.
With an oversized softball and plenty of pizzazz, players of all ages will take the park’s fields to play and raise money for area charities.
“This is something the community really rallies around,” said Big Ball Committee Member Kate Rokosz, who oversees the event. “A lot of teams come out for their own reasons, but they’re all good.”
Four marathon teams — Nick’s Knucklers, The Bartenders, The Hustlers and Selena’s Sluggers — will each play for 12 hours against incoming teams that play in one-hour time slots throughout the event.
The Middletown High School Cavalier Marching Band will get things started Friday night during the event’s opening ceremonies. Then members of the public are invited to test out their Big Ball skills during the Home Run Derby.
The Big Ball Marathon has raised almost $350,000 for local charities so far, and although the committee did not set a specific goal this year, Committee Chair Irv Brockson said he always tries to top the year before.
“We know everybody’s hurting,” he said. “If we raise $20,000 or $30,000, we’ll feed as many people as we can and do as much as we can with it.”
Must-see games this year include the Ironman Tournament, in which the Middletown Police will battle the Volunteer Hose Company of Middletown; the Blonde Bombers, where men and women wear blonde wigs and padded shirts; the Middletown Veterinary Hospital, who play with dogs on the field; and the Southern New Castle Rotary Club versus the Middletown-Odessa Rotary Club.
Nick Vacirca, coach of Nick’s Knucklers, said he has been involved with the marathon for the past 10 years and has loved every minute of it.
“I’m out there with 15 other people I know having a good time, and the main focus is to raise money,” he said.
Vacirca said the main difference between the “big ball” used in the marathon and regular softball is the size of the ball and how it is handled. After a few innings, the ball softens and loses its consistency. Playing for 12 hours straight can be a challenge, but it’s all worth it.
“Once you get to the seventh or eighth hour, it gets harder and you get a little sore, but when you hit the 10th hour, that’s when you’re starting to struggle,” he said.
Kristen Krenzer, public relations officer for the Town of Middletown, has been playing on the Town’s incoming team for four years.
“I love the fun in it all,” she said. “Where else can you go and have people dress up in costumes and ready to play a team that’s been playing all night long?”
Krenzer said although the ball looks easy to hit, that’s not often the case.
“I like to think of it as a big marshmallow,” she said. “The ball is coming at you and you think you can hit it, but it’s not as easy as it looks.”
The ball games aren’t the only attraction to the event. Spectators will enjoy carnival games, live entertainment, ice carving and more throughout the night, and as a Rock the Vote event, a table will be set up near the stage where young people can register to vote.
The price of admission is one canned good, which is used to replenish area food pantries. The Middletown Walmart Supercenter is also collecting canned goods for the Big Ball Marathon until Sunday, Sept. 12 at its store on Route 301.
Brockson said he is proud of the dedicated group of people that organizes the event and all of the community members that support the marathon’s cause.
“It’s everyone’s responsibility to give back, not just a select few,” he said. “To see all those groups out there playing at two or three in the morning really speaks about the type of people we have in this town.”
