It was a day of good, old-fashioned sweat and dirt, all in the name of philanthropy. About 100 people braved the heat and gathered Sunday at UF's Southwest Recreation Center for the TitleTown Gator Club's co-ed kickball tournament. Nine teams made up of students, alumni and their families filled all four of the softball fields at Southwest, each featuring names such as "The Recess Renegades" and "Toe Jammers."
Teams paid $50 each to enter and were comprised of eight to 10 members, each with an equal number of males and females. According to Lindsey Stevens, young alumni coordinator for the club, the money raised by the event will help to provide scholarships for students.
In addition to raising money for the club's philanthropies, Stevens said the goal of the event was to increase membership in the UF Alumni Association. Alumni who live in Alachua County and join the Alumni Association automatically become members of the TitleTown Gator Club, she said.
The winning team won VIP tickets to the club's Gator Gathering, which will take place at the Reitz Union on Sept. 2, Stevens said. UF's head football coach Will Muschamp will speak at the event, and the winners will be able to meet Muschamp and ask him questions.
The tournament, which was open to anyone age 18 and older, was originally a young alumni event, Stevens said. But a few older Gators also decided to join the fun.
James Di Virgilio, the club's vice president of athletics, said he is happy with the turnout of players and fans. All kinds of Gators showed up, he said.
A team of Florida Cicerones, UF's official student ambassadors and the governing body of the Student Alumni Association, and "Let's Go G!," a team of intramural veterans, each played four games Sunday afternoon and met each other for a rematch in the fifth and final game. After four hours of almost nonstop play, the two teams played for the championship and all of the kickball glory an evening in Gainesville could offer. "Let's Go G!" came out on top.
Amy Catlin, member of the championship-winning team, came into the tournament with plenty of kickball experience. Catlin works for the Department of Recreational Sports at UF and was in charge of the intramural kickball league and umpires during Summer A.
Catlin said her team knew the rules and strategy of the game, which helped them to defeat the Cicerones 12-3 in the championship.
Catlin and the rest of her teammates can expect a great time at the Gator Gathering, according to TitleTown President Bill Strawn.
The tournament was one of TitleTown's first big events, he said. The club hopes to make it an annual or semi-annual event after Sunday's turnout.
"It's about raising money for scholarships and getting people together to have fun. We just love the Gators," Strawn said.
