2024 was another record breaking year! $215,843 raised for St Baldrick’s (INCREDIBLE)! We now look forward to 2025 and see if we can top ourselves once again!
The new St Baldrick’s site is up and once your Captain gets your team page set up… please go create your individual player page here: 2025 St Baldrick’s site: https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/growler2025/
Other Growler Related news..
Thanks to all who helped out Jacquie, she is back at work while also recovering. She sends her Thanks for the care you all provided.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!! We are lined up to help Thank one of our food sponsors again for the month of April… “Sassool” on Strickland Rd April 30th (open 10am-9pm)! If you are able, please show them the Growler spirit by having either lunch or dinner at the restaurant and let them know why you came. Wear Growler gear if you can. NOTE: They have 1/2 price wine on Wednesdays. Thanks to those who helped support our other food sponsors in the Fall.
We are going to do a Growler clean up day on April 26th at Springdale to vacate the bathroom storage we have used over the years and formally organize the octagon storage we now have available. This will be at 10am and shouldn’t take more than a few hours (dependent on the number of folks who show up :) ). If any kids need service hours, they are welcome to help. Cristine or I can sign for the time. If you can help please let Cristine know (cristine@bespokerealtygroup.com)
Unrelated to Growler, but since Growler helps make everyone feel at home on the SARC courts :) Reminder to ensure you have a SARC member present if you are coming to SARC to play volleyball on a non-growler date when the pool is closed. If no member is present, please play on courts 3 and 4 (I’ll have them up an running within the week). If the pool is open and you want to play on the courts, please again be with a member and pay the guest fee.
We aren’t planning any change in 2025 related to how the Tournament runs (beyond the standard Promotion and Relegation of teams among the Divisions). Just like last year, the plan is to “Run it Back”!
All teams met their fundraising goals in 2024, so we expect to have the same 36 teams battling for the title again this year. Registration will open June 2nd and you’ll have until June 30th to complete it. Registration Cost was unchanged the last few years ($83)… we are bumping the cost to just $85 this year to address some inflationary impacts where we do have to spend $$.
Other Tournament items…
- We once again will have 4 Divisions of 9 teams. 9 teams per division will allow each team in its division to play a true Round Robin and crown a Champ.
- We will be acknowledging Division Champs after Week 3 in addition to the Tourney Champ after Week 4. Each will get a trophy to enjoy until next year’s Growler. We hope this will entice all divisions to drive for a title.
- Cross division games will be held Week 1. Each team will play 1 team from the “other” 3 divisions – Example: Each A team will play 1 B, 1 C, and 1 D. Each B will play 1 A, 1 C, 1 D etc. This will allow for Weeks 2 and 3 to be 4 games against all of the other teams in your Division. Tie breaker will be Head to Head, and then Point Differential within division games.
- All teams will evenly play 3 weeks at Springdale and 1 week at a satellite location (either LP or GS). Specific Dates will be available once the schedule comes out but e.g. Week 2 – A at LP, B at GS / Week 3 – D at LP, C at GS. All teams will have one game on Grass for 1 game on Night 1 at SARC like last year.
- Assuming all teams return and stay the same from a competition perspective… this will be the Division breakdown (Yellow highlights are the changes in Division related to Promotion (last year’s division champs) and Relegation). The below represents consistent strength of teams within each Division.
| Springdale | $et for Life | A |
| Lakepark | Air Vectors | A |
| Greystone | Swamp Setters | A |
| Seven Oaks | Kiss My Ace | A |
| North Raleigh | North Raleigh Legends | A |
| Crabtree | Spikological Warfare | A |
| Springdale | Volleywood | A |
| Harrington Grove | Swingrays | A |
| Springdale | Sand Diggers | A |
| Springdale | I’d Hit That | B |
| Greystone | Safe Sets | B |
| Lakepark | Pass It Around | B |
| Greystone | Sand Gators | B |
| Lakepark | Block You Like a Hurricane | B |
| Seven Oaks | Team Kona | B |
| North Raleigh | Hit That Thang | B |
| Lakepark | Will Play for Sets | B |
| Lake Park | #DoBetter | B |
| Lakepark | Bumpn’ Uglies | C |
| Springdale | Dirt Devils | C |
| Lakepark | 2 Legit 2 Hit | C |
| Springdale | Big Dig Energy | C |
| Springdale | Sets on the Beach | C |
| Springdale | Notorious D.I.G. | C |
| North Hills | That’s What She Set | C |
| Greystone | Overserved | C |
| Greystone | Swamp Thangs | C |
| Greystone | One Hit Wonders | D |
| Springdale | ChewBlocka | D |
| Springdale | Mojo Risin | D |
| Springdale | Raleigh Brawl | D |
| Crabtree | Sand in Strange Places | D |
| Crabtree | Volley Llamas | D |
| Springdale | Mizfits | D |
| Greystone | El Toro’s Revenge | D |
| Springdale | Here for Beer | D |
More information to come in the months ahead, but one last time the GROWLeadERship team wanted to Thank you for your tremendous response in regards to both St Baldrick’s fundraising and the smoothness with which the Volleyball events were carried out in 2024. The template is set for continued success. Let’s get it!
Summer is Coming!
Bill Speri
https://growlervolleyball.com/
If anyone wants to get more involved in event operations please let me (wmsperi@gmail.com) know. Otherwise, no time like the present to start organizing your team fundraising creativity and your own individual fundraising drives to make 2025 the best yet! We have a tall mountain to climb following 2024, but I know we can do it!