Although I’m only a sophomore in college, wiffleball is a longtime passion of mine; some of my best memories from middle and high school are of days spent playing wiffleball with Austin and Evan Bischoff in their backyard. The three of us are still playing in that very yard, but we’ve connected with other enthusiasts by entering a team, the Whiteford Wicked Aces, into Wiffle in Southeast Michigan.
Joining WSEM and meeting so many people that loved the same game I did was great, and it only got better when I found out about the NWLA. When we were younger, we always loved to make wiffleball seem as professional as possible, even if it meant being a bit ridiculous at
Photo credit: Wiffler's Digest |
times. It’s obvious that the NWLA shares this philosophy when you look at the web site.The number of leagues and teams that it encompasses blew my mind, and I enjoyed the articles and other media on the site. I was especially entranced by the team rankings, and seeing our team rise through a national list of teams was a very cool feeling. I wondered how accurate the rankings were, though, as it’s difficult to compare teams from different leagues.
The inaugural NWLA tournament promised to provide evidence on this topic, and although I didn’t play or attend, I followed WSEM’s Big Wood team through Twitter and Facebook, pumping my fist every time they announced a victory. Although they didn’t take home the title, I was proud of our league’s representation on a national level. Our team must have made an impression on the NWLA: two WSEM teams made it to the final four of the fictional Large League championship tournament. The players came back from the tournament with great stories of epic games, wiffle-filled days, and no shortage of shenanigans; I was more than a little bit jealous of their experience.
This spring, I learned that I’d be playing in the 2013 NWLA tournament. Since then, I’ve looked forward to it as the highlight of my summer. After graduating high school and leaving varsity sports behind, real competition has been hard to come by. I play sports only casually in college, leaving wiffleball as my primary source of competition. Still, although WSEM contests have a competitive edge, prior to the playoffs
Photo credit: Wiffler's Digest |
most games have a relaxed atmosphere. This isn’t a bad thing, but it is enough to leave me hungry for more intense competition. I watched several of the
games that were filmed and posted to the NWLA tournament site, and saw some of the best players in the country fighting hard to prove the worth of themselves and their league. I’m excited at the level of talent sure to be present at this year’s tourney and the challenges they will present to me and my team.
Another challenge will be adapting to the NWLA ruleset. Although our pitchers should be more prepared than last year after WSEM moved its mound back to the NWLA’s distance, our batters may be at a disadvantage after swinging the bigger “Griffey” bats in 2013. I plan on taking a LOT of practice cuts with the classic yellow bats before heading down to Ohio. Still, we’re used to a 5-2 count that includes the risk of a first-pitch strikeout, so we should benefit from spending our entire WSEM season “behind” in the count. Finally, I will have to make some adjustments in the field, since we will use one less fielder than we’re used to and have the ability to peg runners anywhere.
Of course, there’s more to the NWLA tournament than just the games, and I’m definitely looking forward to the community aspect of the event. It’s not too often that you spend time with hundreds of other people who play wiffleball competitively, and with so many different leagues present I’m looking forward to some very interesting conversations about rulesets, fields, classic games, legendary plays, and the like. I look forward to putting my best on the line on a national level and seeing where I stack up. I look forward to hanging around between games and watching other teams compete. I look forward to spending time with players from my league and getting to know them better. This is the true meaning of the NWLA tournament, and I can’t wait to experience it.
See you there!
I could go into detail on how much I enjoyed my time hanging out with each league, but I think then this article would end up just dragging on and on. The Wiffle brotherhood is a strong bond, and the NWLA tournament is really building into something special. I want to thank Chris Gallaway for his hard work to put on this event. I know a lot of the behind the scenes logistics to put this event on, but he is still able to shock me with some of the stuff he does. For example, I had no idea the jumbotron was going to be there. Thank you again to Chris and his staff and even the umpires for helping make the 2013 NWLA Tournament one to remember.
Favorite part of the weekend would definitely be how professional the tournament felt. From the jumbotron, to the HR derby and all-star game, to all the fields being right next to each other, it felt like the tournament was really worth something. Had a feel of a wiffleball convention with a tournament involved.
This is the weekend I have been anxiously awaiting to arrive for just over a year. With the thoughts of how amazing the event was last year on my mind, I could only imagine what was in store for this year. It was an awesome experience to welcome in the four new leagues, and reconnect with all of the wiffleballers around the country from last year. The HR Derby and All-Star events were both great events to meet and greet the other teams. This weekend is the perfect mixture of competitive nature and having fun in a game in which we all enjoy. My favorite part of this weekend was the twelve-inning duel between Ryan Bush and Austin Bischoff, easily two of the best pitchers in the country. Although we fell short of our own expectations, the atmosphere of this weekend was absolutely unreal. The NWLA tournament always will be one my favorite weekends of the year. I can’t wait to see you all again next year, let the 362 days of preparation begin now!
