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The Victoria

GAZETTE

by Sue Orsen

         It doesn't matter if it's 112 degrees and you feel like you're getting a bath standing fully clothed in the middle of Lions Park in Victoria, sans soap and shampoo, the game must go on!  Just ask the Victoria Lions, who sponsor this Tournament Weekend every July on the third weekend for over 40 years.  The only people sweating more than the ballplayers were the Lions and their wives on kitchen duty, working near a big hot black grill, frying and serving hamburgers.

         According to Lion LeRoy Worm, longtime Treasurer of the Victoria Lions Club, the 2011 Tournament was another success, coming within 2% of past revenues.  "The state shutdown in July put the fear of God in us to get the liquor license," said LeRoy.  "But it arrived in time."  You can imagine that beer and beverage sales are a big part of a summer ball tournament, especially when the heat's turned on more than in past years, although it's always a rather warm weekend.  It's also the weekend that receives the least amount of rain every year, thus allowing all those games to get played.

         He estimated 1200 bottles of water were sold this tournament weekend, 400 bottles of Powerade, 1300 cans of pop, and lots of beer and hard lemonade.  He estimated 2,500 hamburgers were sold, 400 brats, 600 hotdogs, and 550 tacos in a bag.

         The condiment table also outdid itself.  According to LeRoy, they went through 15 gallons of sliced pickles, 600 pounds of onions, 400 ounces of ketchup, 150 ounces of mustard, 48 pounds of sliced cheese, 30 pounds of sauerkraut, 180 pounds of tomatoes, and 40 heads of lettuce.

According to Victoria Lion Dennis Bjorklund, 50 teams played during the 2011 Lions Tournament Weekend.  They included 6 Modifed Fast Pitch teams, 12 Women's Slow Pitch teams, and 32 Men's Slow Pitch teams.  They played 95 games over the three-day weekend on six Victoria fields -- four fields at  Lions Park and two fields at Diethelm Park.

         According to Lion LeRoy Worm, also known as the Lions' Wizard, 1st place  Modifed team was T-Road from New Germany.  First place Women's was the Mary Daly team from Chaska.  First place Men's was Air Compressor from Chaska (A Bracket), Harvey's from Carver (B Bracket), Boys in the Burbs from Plymouth (C Bracket), and American Legion  from Chanhassen (D Bracket).

         What are the brackets about?  Said LeRoy, "Each team has to play two games and they move up the bracket according to their record of wins and losses."

         How do you find all the teams?  "I've got a data base of 70 to 80 teams that I send invitations to every year," said LeRoy.  "I used to send them out through the post office.  Now I use email.  The entry fee is $155 to $165 per team.  From that fee we pay the umpires and buy the softballs.  We also donate to the Boy Scouts and pay a grounds crew.  Entry fees total over $8,000."

         Where do the teams come from?  The Wizard, who moved to St. Bonifacius with wife Margaret in 2004, has all the stats.  They came from Hollywood Township, Chanhassen, Cologne, Carver, New Germany, St. Michael, Young America, Belle Plaine, Victoria, Plymouth, Tonka Bay, Shakopee, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Chaska, Waconia, Excelsior, Delano, to name a few.

 

Click here to continue The Game Must Go On!

August 2011
Text Box: The Game Must Go On!

         Moisture was not only soaking the air and pouring out of pores during the Lions Weekend.  There were puddles in some of the ballfields and also in the playground at Lions Park since the community has been drenched with rain in addition to humidity.