Let's Get Dirty

Last weekend I participated in the annual March of Dimes Mud Volleyball Tournament which was held in a large field on the far northeast side of Denver. The company I work for sponsored two teams and although I had never played mud volleyball before, I thought it would be good time. I had considered riding my bicycle in the the Copper Triangle ride instead, but this seemed like it would be a good cause and would be a little closer to home. I'm especially glad I mad the choice that I did since Rachel had had a few bad nights in row and I had been struggling to get enough rest.

The high temperature in Denver on August 2nd, the day the event was held, was 103 degrees. Cooler than the high of 104 the day before, but still plenty toasty. It turns out that pigs really have it right, slogging around in the mud is a pretty good way to stay cool. There were tents set up around the outside of the competition area that provided some shade for the onlookers. Bree and Rachel even came out for a while to watch daddy slog around in the mud with a bunch of other people most of whom had started drinking beer bright and early in the morning. I'm afraid to say that I was no exception.

I'm sorry to say that our team did not do especially well. We finished the day with a 1 and 4 record. The other Collect America team fared considerably better and competed late into the afternoon in the playoffs before finally getting their butts kicked by a far superior squad. Despite my normally ultra-competitive nature, I didn't feel too bad about having to call it an early day. Playing in the mud is exhausting. Just taking a step or two in one direction or another takes considerable effort. Then there is trying to stand back up after falling down or diving for the ball that can be really tough. Before even going in the mud to begin with it is highly recommended that you duct tape your shoes to your legs, so that they do not come off when you try to lift up your leg. Every year many people lose their shoes in the quagmire. Although, once the initial aversion to the mud wore off it really didn't bother me anymore. Other people actually started flopping down and rolling in it, or in some instances, wrestling in it, which I must say that I approved of.

A girl on the other Collect America team had given her wedding ring to Kim, our HR director, to hold while she was out playing. As luck would have it, a couple of people thought it would be funny to throw Kim in the mud between matches. Sure enough, there went the ring into the mud which set off a good deal of crying by the young bride. A dozen people probably got down on their hands and knees in the pit to search for it, but to no avail although the ring was eventually found the following Tuesday.

Possibly the most interesting part of the day for me was watching an enormous dust devil form in the ajoining field. I'd seen dust devils from a distance before, but never such a large one so nearby. It was made all the more specacular because of all the dry soil that had been churned up by the hundreds of cars making their way across the field that morning on their way to the parking area.

When all was said and done, this worthy charity event had raised over $215,000 for the March of Dimes with well over a thousand people participating on over 100 seperate teams.