Ghost Man on Third: WAKA Cares

I remember when I got a call Monday night from the captain of Pitches Be Crazy, Chelsea. She was like “My team is forfeiting, we have seen the news, we have to do something other than play a game- we have to do something to help those in need!”

My first reaction was maybe a distraction would be good for people. Come out play a game, have a drink, celebrate with your friends that we made it and we can focus on those affected in one more day. As her words started to penetrate that selfish thought, I realized she was right. There is more to life than distractions and sometimes you have to just run in, drop everything, and be a part of something greater than yourself.

With her and many other captains request, we did indeed postpone Tuesday’s games. In lieu of the competition, we put together an impromptu donation drive with our sponsor bar Grandad’s. Tuesday was the beginning of a lot of things that WAKA orchestrated with our great players and volunteers.

When this tragedy hit Moore, Shawnee, Luther, Little Axe and others, our entire league jumped at the chance to help those. I am proud to be a part of a league that truly cares and have been so ready to do all they can to volunteer, donate, or pray for those affected by the tornadoes.

See WAKA isn’t your typical “beer league” that you may have played softball in the past, we are a community. Every week we meet others who are like us- someone who is out for a fun social experience, getting to know new people, and a place to network and build friendships. Making friends outside of your team is a concept that we pride ourselves in our league. To take it a step further, some have described us as a large support group that happens to play kickball.

One player, Tatiana, had this to say:

I tried to articulate it recently. “There’s just something about kickball… I mean, I’ve played recreational softball, and dodgeball, and like social leagues but… I don’t know… it’s just… because WAKA… and maybe because… just kickball...?”

As I struggled for the thoughts that would sufficiently describe the WHAT of WAKA, I realized that the reason I could not find the right words is because I would have to describe each and every WHO of WAKA in order to articulate my point. There is a common denominator that draws a grown up to the World Adult Kickball Association – there must be. And that common denominator can only be assumed to be something extremely trivial. Fun? Beer? Stress relief? A bevy of semi-willing sexual partners for those on the prowl? But in reality, the WAKA community embodies so much more than the fun that initially draws each of us to this hobby we cherished so dearly in 4th grade.

Thus, if I were to describe the WHOs of WAKA, here are a few things I would say.

It is as if I have found a community who is willing to work hard and play hard for and with me. This community is one which will go hard on the fields and in a bar on a Tuesday then show up to work and bust their ass on a Wednesday. That’s WAKA.

This is a group filled with some people who excel in their professional lives and others who are still working hard on their educations to be the best they can be in their areas of interest. Then there are people who opted out of finishing high school because they had the foresight to realize that the world was bigger than that. That’s WAKA.

Kickballers are people who are willing to go to dive bars and make it their home, and who can take an exceptional watering hole and make sure the staff know how much we appreciate what they do to make it so great. That’s WAKA.

Kickballers hear about a bowling/ dodge ball league or a cruise and don’t even take time to think about the reasonability of such an endeavor. Rather, they ask for the registration details and brace themselves to meet a few hundred more kindred spirits. That’s WAKA.

As time has gone on, it becomes increasingly apparent that we are our best selves when we are together. These skills and backgrounds combine to make us a force to be reckoned with. Collectively we are stronger, faster, and more attractive than the competition, and we are unafraid to throw dignity out the window when in competitive settings. We each have dreams, and so many of us are enjoying the distinct pleasure of living our dreams. All of these people converge on a field every week, then go to a bar to share some beers. There are bumps and bruises, and there is laughter and fun. And don’t get me wrong, there is unnecessary yelling at umps, and drinking, and inappropriate touching, but there is teamwork and camaraderie that is unmatched. That’s WAKA.

Most recently, it has been kickballers who have answered the call to help those affected by a disaster in our own backyard. Among us we have collected thousands and thousands of dollars worth of supplies and spent hundreds of hours serving this community. Without hesitation, our teams have rallied their families, friends, religious groups, and more to join in the WAKA spirit and help the cause. Kickballers from Kansas City, Tulsa, Connecticut, New York and beyond have all pledged support and given of their time and resources to help their WAKA family. After all, it was kickballers who drove to New York to help Hurricane Sandy victims only a few months ago.

As the needs have changed for victims of the tornadoes hour by hour, so did the response from our ballers. Requested items were in the door almost before we could circulate the information of a need for them, and literal truckloads were dispensed to communities around the state within hours of the disaster. When we found out that we were doing TOO good of a job collecting items, the bars which support us agreed to hold on to items on our behalf or to contribute financially rather than in kind in order to fulfill specific needs. Kickballers willingly walk directly up to families who have lost everything, and hand them life changing items. Kickballers are unafraid to answer the call promptly, efficiently, and flamboyantly.

In this regard, I can only conclude one thing. Kickballers serve as ambassadors of hope just as they serve as ambassadors of fun.

That’s WAKA. And I am so grateful to be a part of it.

She as well as other Norman kickballers were able to raise $1020 plus about $500 worth of donations in kind and made about 150 cards for first responders!

Robert, the captain of Kick Tease, helped to organize a lot of great work. Here is a brief summary of what WAKA, Grandad’s Bar, and our friends and volunteers were able to accomplish this week:

So what did all of our effort get us? Are you ready? So we filled up 1 dirt hauler, a total of almost 20+ truck loads that were sorted and delivered by 40+ different volunteers, 7 trailers full that went to 15 plus donation sites, and delivered to almost 10 different families directly. A special thanks to James Buchanan Elementary that helped with donations and the sixth graders that organized everything we took. WE SPOKE TO SOME OF THE FIRST RESPONDERS AT THE SITE AND THEY SAID THANKS FOR THE GATORADE! Well done kids!!! We delivered 150+ hot meals to the victims. We burned through almost 12 tanks of fuel and we changed lives. And it wasn't just the lives of the survivors. We changed the lives of the workers, the volunteers, and of a lot of people who weren't expecting us Okies to come together like we did.

There is more than can be done. This isn’t something that will be restored overnight, and we can still play kickball, flip cups, and love our community and our state going forward. I am asking of you if you have time, volunteer or go get donations, if you don’t have time, give money.