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With the Lafourche Parish School Board feeling the pinch of statewide budget cuts, athletics don’t get nearly the funding they used to.
South Lafourche High School combated that problem this past weekend the best way they know how – playing softball.
The local high school hosted its 8th Annual Alumni Softball Tournament this past weekend at Golden Meadow’s Oakridge Park.
With more than 30 teams split between both a male and female tournament, the event has become a hit within the South Lafourche community.
“This was our best year for this event by-far,” South Lafourche athletics director and boys’ basketball coach Brian Callais said. “We had great weather, a lot of help from everybody. We had a committee and we got together and just made sure everything was organized. Everything went very smooth. It’s been great.”
The softball tournament is one of three fundraisers sponsored by South Lafourche’s booster club in a given year. The school also has a steak dinner and an annual golf tournament.
But the alumni softball tournament is arguably the biggest of the three.
With teams paying $250 entry fees to participate ($200 for women’s teams) and concession proceeds throughout the weekend going to the school, South Lafourche raises thousands of dollars for its athletic programs in the Friday-Sunday event.
This year alone, Tarpons assistant women’s basketball cook and Class of 1984 softball player Greg Curole gave an in-depth look at the tournament’s success by breaking down the amount of food grilled at this year’s tournament.
Those who attend the event never leave the tournament hungry, as the menu is loaded with delicious treats like barbecued pork, hamburgers, hot dogs and nachos – all the usual ballpark favorites.
“On Friday night, it was terrific,” Curole said. “We actually had a little bit of trouble keeping up with the food. When it was all said and done, we were at about 25-to-27 pork roasts and about 20 cases of hamburgers. We also cooked 80 packs of hot dogs that we’re just finishing off today. … Needless to say, it went very well.”
The unique thing about the event is that it benefits all of the sports within the South Lafourche athletic department.
Callais said coaches from all of the school’s sports, as well as their players, are assigned to work at the event.
Once it’s over, the money is split among all of the teams.
“All the money raised ends up being divided amongst all of our sports,” Callais said. “Every sport gets its share. We take what we make in all three of our fundraisers, add it all up and divide it by the sports. That amount is what we give to each sport.”
Callais said what the money provides for the programs is travel – an expense that is becoming more and more difficult to afford with rising gas prices and less available money.
“It’s a big help to our transportation,” Callais said. “That’s a big, big expenses that all of our programs have to worry about. A lot of the coaches come in here and they work and they know that their transportation will be paid for in the next year. Others use it to help with equipment, uniforms and really whatever they need in their programs. It’s a good deal for them.”
But while fund raising and philanthropy are at the heart of the softball event, competition is also why the tournament is a hit.
With graduating classes from several decades pitting young versus old on the baseball diamond, the event features high-level softball.
This year’s champion was the Class of 2009, who used solid hitting and phenomenal defense to take home their second-straight title.
They encountered a laundry list of challengers throughout the weekend.
Even some of the older folks stuck around this year, too, as tournament officials regulated the softballs used, which made home runs near extinct.
“I know a lot of the big hitters didn’t like that,” Curole said with a laugh. “But it made you play baseball. It made you focus on your defense and on hitting the ball solid. It just leveled the playing field.”
Whether one agrees or disagrees with the new balls, it’s hard to argue with the general theme – it’s hard to pass up on an event where one can see his/her high school buddies, while raising money for the future of a school’s athletic endeavors.
“We’ve done a good job growing this tournament,” Callais said. “If this one was our best one, then hopefully we can keep going and grow it again next year to make it better.”
South Lafourche Class of 2004 slugger Cody Fillinich takes a cut during this weekend’s Alumni Softball Tournament.
