Summer/Fall 2004
Facing Bench

Canton Labor Day Softball Tournament:
A Win for Everyone

L to R: John Burch, Aubrey Werstler, and Clark Hoopes.

Winnners of Division 2 were West Gate from Columbus, Ohio (5-0).

Raisin Valley (MI) Friends Church came the farthest.

Jackson (OH) Team won Division 1. (5-0) Coached by Bill Heade.

One of the best parts of the weekend is the fellowship during the games.

Take 19 softball teams from 15 churches, add a little competition, softball weather, and the result will be a weekend of friendships, fond memories, and new or continued family traditions.

This year 16 men's and 3 lady's teams represented 15 different Friends churches in the tournament. In order to field a few more full teams, several churches played together. This gave those who couldn't get a full team together the opportunity to still play.

The men were divided into two divisions-Division I was for teams that had winning records during the year and were more competitive. The winner for Division I was Jackson Friends, coached by Bill Heade, with a record of 5-0. The winner for Division II was Columbus Westgate Friends, coached by Chris Peters, also with a record of 5-0.

Canton Friends and Gilead Friends brought complete ladies teams. There were others with interest, but not enough to field a team. After making lots of calls, we received a call the night before the tournament that there were more than enough women to complete a combined team with Winona, Damascus, Jackson, and Salem. For the first time in quite a few years, we had a ladies tournament and we are looking for more ladies teams to compete next year. The winner of the ladies tournament was Canton Friends, coached by Angie Hayes.

The teams from Raisin Valley, Michigan and Van Wert, Ohio drove the farthest. Many of the Raisin Valley players have been coming down for quite a few years, some since the tournament began over 30 years ago.

Lunch was held at the ball fields. Area Superintendent John Ryser did a short devotional that was followed by teams enjoying sandwiches and chips from Subway.

We had thunderstorms on the north and south sides of us several times, but only a few light showers hit the ball fields! It turned out to be a great day for softball.

Submitted by Aubrey Werstler,
Labor Day Softball Tournament Coordinator

A Few Quotes
Rusty Savage, West Park Friends
“Although I had participated in the Tournament several times in the past, it was a new experience for everyone else on our team. Despite our record (0-3) everyone had a great time. Several of the guys have already mentioned that they want to go back next year. I think that one of the best aspects of the tournament was that it allowed the guys from our church to meet men from several different Friends Churches. Several of those that played on our team are fairly new to our church and it gave them a great opportunity to get better acquainted with the other Friends from all over Ohio and Michigan. We also really enjoyed getting together in the weeks leading up to the tournament to practice as a team. It allowed us more opportunity for fellowship together outside of church. I was really encouraged to bring so many young guys. I hope that we can start a new tradition for years to come of attending.”

Clark Hoopes, Canton First Friends
"We received positive comments from Paul Jeremiah (the head umpire) and other umpires about the teams and the way they played," noted Clark Hoopes. “Renewing friendships and playing with and against each other made it a great time."

Mark Ives, coach of Raisin Valley
He explained that they drive three and a half hours every year from Michigan because "It gives us something to do with our team as a whole. It's great playing other Friends teams, and also great just having our team together. We camp every year here and have a service at the campground along with a team breakfast. Many players bring their families to Canton with them! Also, it was really nice to be able to have our pastor, Vance Weeks, playing as well!"

Eric Walters, Gilead Friends
He played on the men's team and coached their ladies team. "This is my third year with the men's tournament and I look so forward to it every year now! Both of our teams really enjoyed the day. The ladies definitely enjoyed getting out with the players on their own team as well as the other two ladies teams. Hopefully we can add some more ladies teams for years to come!"