I hope this message finds everyone having a very happy Cinco de Mayo!
There are a few topics worth mentioning now that we’re ankle deep in the month of May:
There are only 4 SPOTS LEFT for this year’s tournament. If you have been considering playing, now is the time to act. Click here to sign up. Spread the word.
In an attempt to make H14 ever more interactive, we want you to help build the soundtrack. Enter your jam(s) in the Music Registry on the right column of the Home Page.
If you’d like to take home a piece of H14 swag, visit our T-Shirts page by May 15th.
Howdy Higgyballers! This is your friendly reminder that registration for H14 is coming up: Sunday, April 30 at 12:00 PM sharp. The cost, as always, is $10.00 per team. In case you don’t know the drill by now, you’ll pay via PayPal, but you don’t necessarily need a PayPal account; you can enter a credit card to pay. During registration, we’ll also ask that teams choose a few things from the Food Registry and add their contributions to the Music Registry.
We also want you to pledge your balls to Higgyball this year. Last year we had a snafu with the number of full-sized bocce ball sets, so we want to make sure we have the right numbers this year. The balls should be between 107mm and 115mm. We want to know if you or your teammate (or both!) can pledge to bring your balls. There will be a place during team registration to let us know how many sets you can bring. No worries if you don’t have a set, though (but now may be a good time to buy one).
Last, but certainly not least, we’ll also have the swanky new H14 T-shirts for sale. We have some awesome designs from Mr Lytle this year! Prices start at $19.00. Click the images below get a sneak peak at the designs, and look for order page to go live by this Sunday.
Hey folks. There was a slight verbiage issue with the last email, so I’m sending a quick update.
Important Dates
Sunday, April 30, 2017 – Team Registration and start of T-Shirt sales at 12:00pm.
Monday, May 15, 2017 – End of T-shirt sales.
Saturday, May 27, 2017 – Higgyball 2017 Memorial Tournament begins at 11:00am.
Sunday, May 28, 2017 – Higgyball rain backup day.
Pledge Your Balls
Last year we were shy a few sets of balls. Therefore, in order to mitigate this problem, we kindly ask that you to pledge to bring your full-size set of balls to Higgyball this year. Look for that on the team sign up form. We may reach out to others that have sets if we don’t get enough during registration, so let a Council member know, even if you’re not planning on attending the event.
On behalf of the organizers, I’m proud to announce the 14th Annual Higgyball Memorial Bocce Ball Tournament. By now I would assume that we all know the drill pretty well, but for those who may need it, I’ll be happy to remind you.
1. Please spread the word to all interested parties to sign up for our post alert system at www.higgyball.com (the Higgyball Alerts box on the right).
2. Team registration (2 players per team) will occur at 12:00 PM on Sunday, April 30th, 2017. Go to www.higgyball.com to register. $10 per team will be charged through PayPal as an entry fee to cover expenses (though you can pay via credit card without a PayPal account if necessary). You need both team members to register a team (see below for the Free Agents list). Last year’s top 4 teams will be granted an automatic spot, BUT STILL NEED TO REGISTER AND PAY (they’ll receive the registration link prior to April 30th). A total of 28 teams will be granted entry into the tournament.
3. Registration sometimes fills up quickly. In the event that our bracket fills up, a waiting list will be opened (to open after registration begins). If you are unable to enter your team due to a full bracket, be sure to sign up on the waiting list. Waiting list teams have won the tourney in the past!
4. H14 will be held on Saturday May 27th, 2017 at 11:00 AM at the Tincher homestead in Oxford, Ohio. An address and directions will be provided on the website. We will reserve Sunday, May 28th as a “rain day”.
5. In an attempt to make the event ever more interactive, the food and music registries will be included in the team sign-up process this year. This year, the soundtrack belongs to you. In the event that we need more songs, a music registry will be opened to the public. The food registry will be open to all, as usual.
6. Send us pics of you and/or your loved ones wearing your Higgyball swag throughout the year and tell us where you were. We’ll add it to our “Where Have Your Balls Been” page on Higgyball Online. Also, be sure to send us any pics from last year’s tournament.
7. Be on the lookout to grab your favorite H14 souvenir T-shirt. There are some great designs to choose from this year for both the ladies and gents! T-shirt sales will open on April 30th and close May 15th in order to have everything printed by the tourney.
8. In an effort to increase public safety, we’d like to encourage participants to stay the night and camp or find alternate transportation if necessary.
9. If you haven’t contacted or found your partner, now is the time to do so. We have a Free Agents page for those needs.
10. Last year we were shy a few sets of balls. Therefore, to mitigate this, we kindly ask that you to pledge to bring your full-size set of balls to Higgyball this year. Look for that on the team sign up form.
So, polish your balls, spit-shine your medals, and lay out your jerseys. It’s officially bocce season, folks!
Expect to hear more from your friendly, neighborhood Council members soon!
Here is your way-too-early reminder about the upcoming Higgyball 2017 event! We’ll all be enjoying playing with Higgy’s balls on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 11:00AM (with the following day as the rain backup). Team Registration will open on Sunday, April 30, 2017 at noon, so mark you calendars for both dates, and keep an eye on the site for more details to come!
With another successful Higgyball in the books, we have a quick follow-up survey for you to take. It’s just one question, so it’ll be quick and painless:
Another great Higgyball in the books. Congrats to House Team for yet another championship, back-to-back. Can they be stopped?
It was great seeing some new faces in the Final Four, too! Congrats to Brews and Balls, Celtic Thunder, and Absolutely Fabulous. MVPs were Alison Bridge/Lexi Marsh (co-MVP) and Andy Bomholt. The weather held out, the atmosphere was phenomenal, and I think everyone had a great time. I heard several people use the new “kiss” rule, including the deciding points in one of the semifinal games, which was neat. And thanks again to our gracious hosts, Marc and Danielle!
If you missed out on the Higgyball shirts, we’re re-opening orders for one last batch of orders. Go to the Shirt Orders page to get one. Don’t delay: we need your order by end of day on Thursday, June 2, and then they’ll be gone forever.
We need your photos. Please send them to me, and I’ll include them in our galleries. I’ll take them via email, Dropbox, or any other method you may have. I can grab Facebook galleries as well, so feel free to include me on a gallery and I’ll get them added. Thanks!
Finally, look for a survey request coming very soon. We can always make Higgyball better, and that will be your chance to give us feedback. It’s not required, but we would love it if you would help us by filling it out.
Thanks again, everyone! The only bad part is, now is the longest part of the year until the next Higgyball.
We’re just a couple days away. A quick reminder for teams to be on time: 11:00am sharp! If you’re going to be late, let us know now. If you can’t make it at all, let us know that, too. We have some teams waiting in the wings, and it would be better to get things sorted now.
Also, the weather. It’s looking like we may see some rain, but we’re going to play through it (unless there’s nearby lightning). Bring a poncho or some sort of shelter just in case. If it looks like the weather will be really bad, we’ll postpone to Sunday and make the most of it. Stay tuned to your email or text messages; we’ll try to get the word out in advance if we need to go the Sunday route.
Don’t forget your community bags of ice, bocce sets, adult beverages, Food Registry items, sunscreen, chairs, camping gear, and a cheerful attitude. Here’s to another great Higgyball!
A few things to go over before the big day next weekend:
We’ll use Scoresheet mobile app again! You can see how it works at http://app.higgyball.com. At the event, the app connects to the server on the deck to see live updates for scores, standings, the map, the rules, MVP voting, and photo uploading on your smartphone (we have a Wi-Fi network for the app, but no internet, FYI). Spectators can use it to follow the progress of the event. Teams don’t have to use the app (all match information goes through the Deck Manager anyway), but it’s a fun thing to have available nonetheless. Let Mark know if you have any questions.
Don’t forget the tent city. We encourage people to camp out after the event (weather permitting). Bring your tent or small camper and we’ll make sure to have a setup break during the day. Leave a comment on this post if you plan to camp out. People that are camping out should also read the next bullet point.
We need a cleanup crew! You people make a big mess, and our gracious hosts need extra help this year for cleaning up the morning after the event. Please signup for the Cleanup Crew, and we’ll be forever thankful. Campers would be an ideal fit for the Cleanup Crew, since you’re already there.
We need ice! The Food Registry is mostly claimed–great job–but everyone should count on bringing a small bag of ice or two to contribute to the communal ice bin. It’s usually pretty hot at Higgyball, so please bring what you can.
Keep your eyes on the weather here. At the moment, a possible shower or storm is predicted. We will play through everything we can, so you may want to bring a poncho, rain jacket, or umbrella.
