2014 Team Registration-  Deadline for captains to submit Team Registration Forms is July 11th.  You can tweak your rosters up until the opening night, but this will guarantee your shirt order.  The registration form can be found at >>>   http://growlervolleyball.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-Team-Registration-Form.xlsx   

Plans are underway for an even larger Growler format this year.  We will cap out with a 32 team format without giving up the number of games each team plays.   32 teams allows an even 8 flights of  4 teams each.   The schedule will be similar to years past.  One interesting twist with the seedings, is that we will schedule the top 8 teams to be in 2 of the flights.  This means that they will play a round robin of each other in a more competitive bracket.   The other 24 teams will play no more than 2 of their 11 games against the A bracket.  There will be incentives for the A team Bracket.   They will be guaranteed a top 9 seeding the final night and they will not have to play on grass the first night.

The opening night will be moved to WEDNESDAY this year, due to scheduling conflicts with the TSA swim team schedule and school start dates.  The other 3 nights will be Tuesday nights as usual.

We hope to top our earnings of $20,000 for St. Baldrick’s this year.  Start soliciting donations.  Also check with your employer to see if they will match contributions.  Our 2014 St Baldricks site will be up soon.

Start forming your teams now and get out on the volleyball courts.

Look forward to another great GROWLER.

Mark Williams
Growler Tournament Director

I used to sit in front of a mirrors for 30 minutes, sometimes an hour fixing my hair. I loved it. I would spend hundreds of dollars a year cutting it, straightening it, and coloring it.

Since telling people that I would be shaving my head to raise money for childhood cancer research I have been called brave. Ha! After sitting in the pediatric cancer clinic week after week, watching a clinic full of kids get chemo, and being on the 5th floor for weeks at the time, and sitting in the recovery room waiting for my child to wake up from anesthesia every day for 27 treatments of radiation at UNC-Hospitals I have had the pleasure of meetiing brave and courageous people, and hair ain’t got noting to do with it. It’s all heart.

So I ask you today to have a heart for all these little warriors. If the action of me shaving my head inspires you in any way, please reach in your wallet or purse and make a donation this organization.

If you don’t know how much to donate, how about $27.00 for the 27 radiation my little warrior received. Or how about $55.00 for the 55 weeks of chemo, blood, and platelets. Or how about $100 for the 100 nights we had to spend in or around the hospital getting the chemo. I donated $182 to represent all these figures.

Please share this post in an effort to raise money for a worthy cause. Hair grows back, Kids don’t.

Melissa Markham   http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/655075/2013 

Some Highlights—-

I’ve had a few questions on how to participate with our goal of helping the children.

First here is our event.  Toward the bottom of the page you will see teams and participants.  Usually its best to click on show all teams and find the team you would like to support.  If you team is not on there, you will want to start the team or talk to your team captain to see if they want to start the team.  Once your team is listed, click on the team name and you can either click the “Join Us”  button which will make you a participate on that team or you can donate to that team directly.  If you are unsure on if you are doing it correct, I suggest doing a sample 5 dollar amount to make sure everything does what you think it would.  Then go back and give more.  Thanks.

Pre-Registration is Closed..

We’ll have 28 teams this year!  Springdale and Lake Park will have one additional team from last year.
This year we will have A New Team made up of our SPONSORS

One of the goals each year is to raise more money then the previous year. In order to come close to achieving that goal, this year we will be implementing a new wrinkle. This year the team that raises the most money (must be before final night so brackets can be finalized) has the option to elect to take 5th seed in the playoffs thus having a first round bye and only having to play 4 games to win. If they would have been the 25th seed team and they raised the most on the website, they will be the 5th seeded team and everyone else will be pushed down one spot.  Also, if the team that raised the most money finishes in the top 4 seeds they have the option to take any seed 1 – 4.

Opening night only: Have your team bring a couple of 5 dollar bills each as you will be able to purchase mulligans (a do-over) on your serves only.   We will have containers attached to the poles on each court. If your serve goes out or doesn’t make it in the net, quickly put a 5 dollar bill in the container and serve again. 5 dollars washes away your serving mistakes. If you want to arrange with other team in advance and just drop a 20 into the jar and prepay for four serving mistakes great.  No refunds and only for that games’ mistakes. Speed is still of the essence but we want your money for St Baldric’s.

Congratulations Volleywood and thank you for bringing the trophy home to Springdale!  Tuesday night was everything I thought it would be and more.  (I laughed I cried I hit on your wives.)  I can’t wait for July 30^th 2013.  Mark your calendars!

There were a lot of surprises.  Last year’s winner went out in the first round and the SARC-Sand Diggers lost their first game blowing my prediction of a Sand Diggers/ Volleywood match up.  Mike Robbins decision to sit himself for the first game will probably haunt him until next year.

Volleywood looked fantastic and went undefeated going in to the final game.  There was then a 47 minute break and some incoherent rambling by Mark Williams where Mark won a wine tasting for 20 people in the raffle.  (And who is more deserving then me; one of Mark’s twenty closest friends)  It then came time for the final game.  You could cut the tension with a wiffle ball bat.  The sobriety of the Volleywood team was evident and has always been their secret weapon.  It started off close but in the end it took very little effort to overcome the Lake Park team and bring the trophy home.

Here are your 2012 Growler Champions:

Team captain Jason Greico sacrificed a lot.  He alienated friends, pilfered players from other teams, ignored his family, and finally called Glyn Jones and asked him not to show for the final night.  Heartless?  Yes!  But damn-it he’s a winner.

Rob Rauth; the first three time Growler champion.  Rob dyed his hair in order to look like the host from The Hunger Games but surprised everyone when he had his head shaved and it turned out he colored his scalp purple as well.

Gary Caiola; $30 for 4 nights of food, drinking, volleyball, a free hair cut and 2 tee shirts?  Try keeping Gary away.

Pete Borgia; he cleans himself less often then I clean the top of my refrigerator.

Steve and Heather Barna; I find it harder and harder to say anything negative about this wholesome, friendly, happy-go-lucky couple.  They seem out of place with the rag tag team.  Heather is straight out of Stepford Wives movie and Steve seems like you would more likely find him working security at Walt Disney World; The happiest place on Earth, then apprehending criminals in Durham’s underbelly. (There I did it)

“Tom (last name?)”  Seriously that’s how Jason listed Tom’s name on the team registration form.  He spotted a 6’5” guy with and American flag dew rag, colored safety goggles and an artificial knee and thought “I got to have him who cares who he is.” That’s how his name is going to be listed in the archives.

Glyn Jones; I was joking when I said Jason called Glyn and asked him not to play. (I am not joking when I say he would totally do that though)  Glyn was a valuable member of this team even though they were able to win the championship game by a 15 point margin without him.

Finally, a lot has been said about all that Mark Williams has done to make Volleyball at Springdale so popular but little has been said about Jeff Vance; The father of Springdale volleyball.  Way back when in yee olden times; back when Hootie was still with the Blowfish it was by all accounts Jeff’s idea to install the first court and with the help of others like The Henderson’s, The McCollum’s , and The Johnson’s installed the first court.  In fact it was Jeff’s idea to install the net pole at a 70 degree angle to “give it some character” and Springdale certainly has a lot of character and characters.  Jeff did not play this year because he injured his shoulder base jumping or riding a bull or something of that nature but I am sure he will back out at The Growler next year and we will always leave the gate open for him on Thursday nights.

Some of the proceeds from this year’s Growler are going to go to purchase hooks for the back of the bathroom doors so that large, good looking, drunken men with clefts in their chin (that are somewhat difficult to shave) don’t accidentally kick the rocks used to prop open the doors and break their toes.

It was a great ride.  Thank you to Mark Williams and all the volunteers, sponsors and Springdale staff and a special thanks to Yvette Caiola for wearing that dress Tuesday night.  It was certainly appreciated!