Whack & Roll goes through the wickets
FRANCONIA » Age doesn’t matter in croquet.
At 89, Curt Stoudt was half of this year’s first place finishing team in the Novice Division at the Mennonite Heritage Center’s Whack & Roll croquet tournament.
Harold Wambold, who is also in his 80s, was half of last year’s Open Division first place team.
Another of the players each year is Henry Bergey, who is in his 90s, Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania Executive Director Steve Diehl said.
Stoudt, who was paired with Patrick Fitzpatrick, said this was the first time they teamed together. He said he hadn’t played since last summer, but recalled playing croquet frequently at Sunday afternoon gettogethers in younger days. He credited teamwork with leading to this year’s win.
This was the 10th annual Whack & Roll, held June 2 on the Mennonite Heritage Center grounds in Harleysville.
On the night before, there was an All Star Exhibition Match, featuring 2015 winners husband and wife Owen & Kim Longacre; Whack & Roll founder and previous Senior Division champion Dan Lapp and Charlie Law, Wambold’s partner in the 2017 win; and Andrew Derstine, a runner-up in 2017 and Bryce Mininger, the only three-time Whack & Roll champion.
The exhibition gave a chance for people who might not otherwise see the top players in action to do
so, Diehl said.
“I wanted to do this tonight to have kind of a fun chance to see the best players,” he said.
The match-up, which Lapp and Law won, was announced by Ford Fay, who comes each year from Connecticut to take part in the Whack & Roll.
“I learned so much from him two years ago when I sat next to him and he was doing what he’s doing tonight,” Diehl said. “I said to him, Ford, I just want you to go to the microphone and be the color commentator and explain what’s going on.”
Steve Fluder, of Croquet Your Way, remembered getting the call from Lapp that led to the Whack & Roll starting in 2009.
“When I came here and saw the interest, I was just bowled over. This has been just so much fun,” Fluder said. “I could not ever ask for a better group to deal with. It’s been a dream.”
“Croquet has been a favorite summer pastime in southeastern Pennsylvania
for many years,” Whack & Roll information said. “Accounts of croquet history vary, but it is thought that the game began in Ireland and was introduced to England in the mid-nineteenth century. The game traveled to America, and by 1882 an official National American Croquet Association was formed. Croquet was even played in the 1904 Olympics. For most, however, croquet was played in back yards on Sunday afternoons and it is still a favorite activity at summer get-togethers and family reunions.”
This year’s Whack & Roll included 108 players on 54 teams playing for 24 different local non-profit organizations, Diehl said.
“In addition to being the Heritage Center’s largest fundraising event, Whack and Roll is a wonderful annual gathering of nonprofit leaders,” according to the Whack & Roll information.
Each of the non-profits with teams in the Whack & Roll receive $500 from Bergey’s Inc. The non-profit for whom the first place finisher in the Open Division is playing gets another $5,000, again sponsored by Bergey’s Inc. Second place in the Open Division brought in $2,500 for the non-profit the team was playing for. That was sponsored by Detweiler Hershey & Associates. Third prize was $1,250 sponsored by Compass Ion Advisors. Fourth through sixth place in the Open Division brought in $500 each for the non-profits. In the Novice Division, first place brought in $1,000, with $500 for second place.
First place in the Open Division went to the Whack a Mole team of Angela Bishop and Owen Longacre playing for Spruce Lake Retreat. Second was the Hoot Owl Farm team of Charlie Law and Adam Law playing for Peter Becker Community. Third place went to the MRC Rovers team of Landon Leinbach and Bryce Mininger for the MCC Material Resource Center.
First in the Novice Division went to the Plumstead Panthers team of Patrick Fitzpatrick and Curt Stoudt playing for Plumstead Christian School. Second was the LB1 team of Bob Heacock and John Seeton playing for Living Branches.
This year’s participating non-profits were Bridge of Hope BuxMont, Camp Men-O-Lan, COBYS Family Services, Dock Mennonite Academy, Encore Experiences in Harleysville, Franconia Mennonite Conference, Frederick Living, Grand View Health, Historic Rittenhouse Town, Indian Creek Foundation, Joni & Friends of Greater Philadelphia, Living Branches, Living Hope Farm, Manna on Main Street, MCC Material Resource Center, Mennonite Disaster Service, Penn Foundation, Peter Becker Community, Plumstead Christian School, Quakertown Christian School, Spruce Lake Retreat, Ten Thousand Villages, The City School and The WORM Project.
Along with the All Star Exhibition Friday night, the Survivor Croquet Youth Tournament was also held.
Survivor Croquet is a fast-paced game with competing teams in action at the same time on the court.
“It’s a completely different game,” than traditional croquet, Diehl said.
Teams from eight youth groups took part in the competition for a chance to win prize money to be used on the church youth group mission trips.
Butter Valley Community Church’s Butter Ballers took the top $1,000 prize, with second ($500) going to Bally Mennonite Church’s Bally Wicket Patrol and third ($250) to Franconia Mennonite Church’s El Whackadors.