Results

NEW YEARS EVE INVITATIONAL
Pennine Ridge Field - Grand Ledge, MI
December 31, 2007

Is there a better way to end 2007 than with an evening Monkeyball tournament under the "lights"? To the diehard M-ballers, the answer is no.   For the third time in 2007 Tony Olds hosted a tournament at Pennine Ridge in Grand Ledge, Mich. (also Labor Day Invitational and Memorial Weekend Invitational), but this tournament was like no other in the history of the sport:

• The tournament opened an annual New Year's Party featuring members of Charlotte (MI) HS's class of '95. Five of C-town's finest competed, along with their significant others. The field was rounded out by residents of the Pennine Ridge neighborhood and the MB Commissioner.
• Two courts were set up on the snow-covered lawn. A snow blower cleared the playing field and a bon fire burned nearby.
• The M-ball ladders were wrapped in Christmas lights. The lights created some much needed light since the sun set shortly after the first toss. Of course, this created a few problems. First, the strands created quite an obstruction on the limbs (luckily we were able to refer to Rule 3.0.1).   Second, as Christmas lights tend to do, they stopped working after taking a beating game after game.
• The featured beverages of the event were cold brews from the Todd Byers Home Brewery and homemade spiked coffees and cocoas from Café Olds.
• By the end of the nearly four-hour event, the snow was falling fast and furious, not stopping until it had dumped nearly nine inches in the Grand Ledge metro area.

Not only was the event unique, but some high level Monkeyball (not typically seen in the offseason) was also played, particularly by some newcomers who made a splash. Paul Ford survived what some believe is the longest MB match EVER in the first round before finishing with a T-5 finish. Also finishing at T-5 was the Justin "MacGyver" Viele, a gifted pincher and Christmas light electrician sure to be heard from in future MB events

The top four finishers all lived up to their MB World Top 25 rankings. Tony defeated wife Maggie in the winner's bracket finals. In the loser's bracket Andy Frushour topped Todd Byers and then Maggie to reach the finals. In the championship match (while all other competitors were inside feasting on a hot New Year's meal), T-Nuts stormed back from a 7-1 deficit and dropped three threes in the last round to beat Andy, 15-7.  

All in all, it was a great MB event to send 2007 out in style, and I'm sure its success with spawn many more tournaments in the snow.