(In what seems to be a lifetime ago, I used to LOVE covering charitable events for the West County Journals and other local newspapers; especially ones in which I could interview dozens of people partaking in a variety of strange events.)
If Jack Buck had been on hand to announce
Saturday’s Corporate Sports Challenge at John Burroughs School, “That’s a
Winner!” would have been his only necessary commentary.
The primary beneficiaries of the event are
disadvantaged and homeless youngsters who find a positive escape in 11-day
summer programs from Kiwanis Camp Wyman in Eureka. The event netted $28,358 for that facility. But
there were other winners as well.
Some 340 employees on hand from 17 St.
Louis corporations displayed an unbelievable level of sportsmanship while vying
for the local title. For the fourth time in five years, Ralston-Purina, which
edged Citicorp, 670-644, emerged as the team champion. The spoils of Checkerboard Square’s 20-person
contingency, is an all-expenses-paid, three-day trip to Las Vegas to compete in
the early December national finals.
“It’s
one of those days where everyone is winning,” said Dave Hilliard, Kiwanis Camp
Wyman’s executive director. “It’s very
gratifying because we do a good deal of fundraising at the camp, but it’s hard
to ask people for money. This is most gratifying for those of us who work with
kids all year. All the companies are
pumped up and excited, and when the kids walked out on the field, the crowd
went nuts. It’s such a great feeling for
the youngsters that all these people care for them. It’s really uplifting. Here, everybody wins!”
Ralston-Purina certainly had its share of
athletic successes. One was the sack
races where four male-female duos hopped to victory. One featured pair was Cindy Widmann and John
Houska.
“We just like to be in the sack together,”
Widmann said. “He kept saying, ‘Let’s
get in the sack together, but not do anything.’ “
What the pair did in the sack was compile
one of the fastest times of the day. Houska,
an all-state soccer player for St. Louis U. High (1967) and a 1970 Division I
All-American at Michigan State University, certainly wasn’t surprised by the
result.
“We have a very athletic contingency here,”
Houska said. “We’re serious about this
and we scout a lot of people at our fitness center at Ralston. A lot of these events are conducive to having
strong legs.”
Citicorp also had its share of
winners. The volleyball assemblage of
captain Phil Koch, Stephanie Helwig, John Pacini, Lisa Dunlap, Richard Joseph,
Lori Rogers and Curtis Anderson scrambled to a 9-11, 11-9, 11-9 championship
win over Budweiser. Citicorp was coached
by Heather Fenstermaker, whose sister Erin won the 1988 Missouri State High
School one-meter diving crown for Parkway West.
Luckily, very few people interchanged the
word ‘winning’ to finishing first in any individual or team event. Winning was also evident in some of the more lighthearted
moments.
Ladue resident John Roberts, office
manager for Arthur Andersen & Company, won the special CEO event. But one of the more memorable moments was
provided by Pet Inc’s vice-president and comptroller Tony Knizel. The town and Country resident had all kinds
of trouble directing the oversized golf ball with the substitute club.
“Everything (the remainder of the event)
was fine til the golf part,” Knizel said.
“I’ve played a lot of golf before but not with that club. It was too wobbly. I’m just an average golfer, but I’d have to
practice a lot to be competitive in this.”
A couple hours later, Maplewood’s Beth
Battock struggled in the indoor pool while paddling in the Funfloater event.
“I had too much water between myself and
the float, which causes you to fall off,” Battock said. “I think I’m going to stick to land sports.”
For the third consecutive year, Battock’s
Christian Health Services served as the main sponsor of the event, which was
referred to its architects as “Challenge:
The Ultimate Corporate Games.”
“We feel it’s our role as a major health
organization to sponsor this type of event,” Gosser said. “We’re conscious of
social as well as well as healthcare issues.
It’s a tremendous feeling knowing that a lot of disadvantaged and homeless
children are receiving the special treatment they deserve.”
And the Kiwanis Camp Wyman kids were in
agreement as to the worthiness of both the Challenge Corporate Games and the
camp.
“It’s nice because it shows that everybody really cares,” said Tonya, age 12. “They’re trying to raise money for kids who can’t afford it. This is really an experience!”
“It’s fun watching them, and comical,”
said Greg, age 12. “It also helps so we
can even go to camp. Every parent’s kid
should be able to go because it’s a chance to get away from home. Trying to live and work together with five
other kids in a cabin takes teamwork.”
That’s precisely what the 17 companies,
Challenge officials and John Burroughs facility manager Jim Haskins utilized in
making the event an overwhelming success.
