Tired, tan, and sandy, day 1 of 2014 is an excellent benchmark for the days to come. I’m so happy about the start of my new year. My buddy Mike (of The Elbow Room fame) texted me this a couple of weeks ago:
I love the guy like a brother, but isn’t this basically “hey, will you organize this tournament for me?” Ha! We worked together to create a little buzz, invited all of our friends, and crossed our fingers. I raided Party City for the cheesiest gold medals and bedazzled trophy cups I could find, then we showed up to the sand with white(pink,blue)boards and shiny new year’s day faces.
30 people (15 teams) ended up signing up to play! The idea was coed doubles blind draw, but we ended up with a few men-only teams. After drawing partners out of a hat, we organized three pools on three courts, ranked everyone coming out of pool play, and set up a bracket. The bracket featured a few upsets, which was exciting because it meant the teams and pools were all pretty even. The championship game pitted Mike (rigged!) & Joe against Stacy & Jason, who beat them 21-16 to take the first annual HBVBNYD crown—literally, a tiara.
Playing from noon to sunset, I don’t think anyone could imagine a better way to kick off 2014 than with a day of sports with a tons of friends, new and old. I grinned the entire day, as it ushered in a new year with a big group of friends, ever changing but always the volleyball family. Sand, sun, and sport. And Mike and I made it happen.