Imagine recess on steroids.
That’s what the Alachua County Emerging Leaders created when they took a childhood classic — kickball — and infused it with 32 teams composed of adults competing for $14,000 in prize money.
After about eight hours and seven matches, the Nationwide Insurance team, playing for the American Heart Association, took home the top prize of $5,000 in the fifth annual ACEL Champions for Charity Kickball Tournament, held Saturday at Diamond Sports Park.
Team Nationwide, which was playing its first tournament and had held only one 45-minute practice before the event, captured the title with a 1-0 victory over Frankel Media Group, the defending champions.
“I thought we’d be lucky to get in the top four. That was our goal,” said J.W. Scott, a member of Team Nationwide. “Winning it was just icing on the cake.”
Scott said his team owes the victory to “rover” Joe Pizzimenti, who Scott said would have been the team’s most valuable player if they gave out such an honor.
Pizzimenti led a defense that gave up just four runs in its last five games as Team Nationwide captured the championship in front of dozens of fans.
For its effort, Frankel Media Group will receive $2,500, which goes directly to the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation. In all, half the teams walked away with prize money.
Even with such large sums on the line, the majority of teams were able to keep their cool and focus on what was most important.
“Some are more competitive than others, but it’s for charity, so fun is the key,” said Reu Woodruff, a three-time member of the former-champion Gainesville Jaycees. “Most people have a focus on what the real aim of the whole thing is.”
The juxtaposition of competition and entertainment at the event provided a little something for all the uniform-clad participants.
“It was top notch — an A-plus effort by ACEL,” Scott said. “We’ll definitely be back next year.”
