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PRCUA National Softball Tournament
Held in Michigan
Written by Patrick
Kosowski
A Smash! If one word could
describe the PRCUA 2006 National Softball Tournament, it would undeniably be
“SMASH!” Hosted by St. Stan's PRCUA Society #718 at the fields in Woodhaven,
MI, the softball tournament was a sizzling success in every measure!
This year's tournament
brought participants from throughout Southeastern Michigan, as well as the
East Chicago, Indiana area. The initial plan to play games on Friday was
scrapped. This allowed the players and fans to take in some of the local
activities prior to game day. Some elected to attend a Polish Festival in
Wyandotte at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church - the parish of PRCUA Chaplain
Fr. Walter Ptak. Others elected to head into downtown Detroit to try their
luck at the casinos. Yet others chose to stay at the hotel and enjoy the
camaraderie provided by members of St. Stan's #718 in the hospitality room.
Under overcast skies, the
2006 tournament started on Saturday with eight teams participating in the
Men's Division. The tournament format called for the men to have two
divisions, with each team getting three games in divisional play. After
divisional play, the top two teams from each division would go on to compete
for the "A" division title. The 3rd and 4th place teams would go on to
compete for the "B" division title. Standings after divisional play were as
follows:
It is noteworthy to mention
that the seasoned veterans from St. Stan's Boomba Boys team WON their
division! These veterans showed all those younger teams a thing or two about
hitting and fielding. They made a great run through divisional play and were
set to go after the "A" division championship! Did we have a "Miracle on Pea
Gravel" in the making? Stay tuned…
With divisional play
complete, the championship brackets were set and the teams were ready to go
after the championships. But before that could happen, a new twist was added
to this year's festivities. A Home Run Derby Contest was held and each team
participated by sending players to compete. During the first round,
everybody gave great effort and balls were flying out of the park, much to
the delight of the many observing fans. After round one, the field was
narrowed from 17 to the following 7; Bob Kosowski (St. Stan's Future), Steve
Holzbach (East Chicago Stary Kon), Brian Novaseski (East Chicago Stary Kon),
Gary Plyler (PRCU Lounge #162), John Suski (East Chicago Milsky's Pub), Jeff
Seger (St. Rita's #1) and Jon Frederick (St. Rita's #1). All participants
hit the ball well in the final round but, in the end, it was Brian Noveseski
from East Chicago who won in convincing fashion, coming away with the Home
Run Contest Champ title! Congrats to Brian on his superb hitting display!
During the Derby, St.
Stan's provided a hospitality luncheon with beverage and food near the
fields at the community center, where the banquet was also held. It was a
great chance for everyone to grab a beverage and a delicious sloppy joe!
After the Derby, it was
back the championships. Starting with the "A" division, it was St. Stan's
Boomba Boys taking on their young protégé's in St. Stan's Future. This game
was nothing short of a battle between two spirited rivals. After 5 innings,
St. Stan's Boomba Boys were in the lead and seemed to have control of the
game. In the end, though, St. Stan's Future came from behind and eliminated
the Boomba Boys from what may prove to be one of their last realistic
chances at grabbing an "A" division championship.
In the other semifinal
game, East Chicago Stary Kon took on PRCU Lounge #162. This game found East
Chicago pulling away and finishing off the local Wyandotte team, setting up
the final game vs. St. Stan's Future. This was a rematch from a couple of
years back, when the young St. Stan's team squeaked out a championship from
the hands of the powerful East Chicago squad. This year's "A" division
championship would end quite differently. With St. Stan's Future coming out
to gain an early lead, East Chicago's squad took control and pulled away in
the middle innings to earn the championship. It was a great game played by
East Chicago's Stary Kon and they have proven themselves once again to be
the team to beat in softball! Congrats to the Stary Kon boys! Winning a
tournament on 2 hours sleep the night before is an impressive feat!
In the "B" division, things
shook down as follows: St. Rita's #2 defeated St. Rita's #1 in a battle of
the entire Rita's clan. In the other semifinal game, East Chicago Milsky's
Pub defeated Father Al's to gain a spot in the "B" division championship.
This championship game was huge! Could St. Rita's #2 defeat another powerful
team from East Chicago and prevent the Indianans from returning home with
both championship trophies? Yes! St. Rita's #2 beat the Milsky's Pub team
and claimed the "B" division championship!
Now, in the women's
championship, the Lady Aces from East Chicago took on the St. Rita's women's
team. In a best of 3 series, the Lady Aces won the first two games and
earned the Women's Championship title! Watching these women compete was
impressive, seeing how well they hit and field. Some of the women even
participated in the Home Run Derby! (I know that Tracy Corneil, Alana
Harrington and Beth Montague from the Lady Aces participated.) While they
did not hit any over the fence, they did send a couple to the warning track.
That is really impressive when you consider that they were hitting from the
same distance as the men were!
Once the dust cleared, the
players hit the showers and prepared for the banquet. The turnout at the
hall was fabulous and a great time was had by all! The banquet menu
consisted of stuffed cabbage, city chicken, meatballs, sauerkraut and
kielbasa, and much more! This Polish-inspired menu was a great hit with all
players and drew many compliments, as well as second and third trips back up
to the food line!
Once everybody was
satisfied with a great meal, the awards ceremony took place. Championships
trophies were awarded to East Chicago Stary Kon ("A" division), St. Rita's
#2 ("B" division) and to the Lady Aces (women's champs). Next came the well
deserved All-Star awards. Each team had at least one representative to the
All-Star team, recognizing their great play and efforts.
The 2006 PRCU National
Softball Tournament All Star Team is as follows: Ralph Flores was named the
Men's Tournament MVP and Sue Gabbert was named the Women's Tournament MVP.
Congrats to both players for their great performance throughout the
tournament! Upon completion of the awards ceremony, the banquet continued
with a DJ providing music and the PRCU players providing the entertainment
with their deft dancing moves on the dance floor. A good number of players
and fans stayed until the banquet ended, while others ventured out, perhaps
to try their luck again at the casinos!
At the end of the night,
the many people who helped to make this wonderful tournament were left to
reflect on its success. The many compliments we received from the players
and fans were well received and appreciated. I know we wanted to put on the
best possible tournament that we could and make it fun for all involved. To
that end, I think we succeeded. The vast majority of thanks go to
Chairperson Dan Gdowski. Dan did a phenomenal job of piecing this whole day
together. With help from his tournament committee (Mark Hamilton, Patrick
Kosowski and St. Stan's President Jerry Nasiatka), Dan put together an
outstanding softball tournament and all of us here at St. Stan's appreciate
his hard work. It simply could not have happened without him! Others who
warrant a sincere thank you for their help are: Monica Kret (hospitality
luncheon), Gdowski Family (Donna and kids), Gerry Wilk (ticket sales), Jerry
McFee (great job bartending!), National V.P. Bob Bielenda and Edzia
Kapanowski (hospitality room setup). Also, on behalf of the committee, we
would like to thank all the individuals who lent a helping hand during this
event. Your support was key to the success of the tournament!
The PRCUA 2006 National
Softball Tournament was put together with one thing in mind - to make it the
most enjoyable tournament possible for the players! We appreciate all the
participation throughout the day and thank everybody for attending! We look
forward to seeing everybody at the next tournament! |
