Fundraising is already off to a great start for the 2016-2017 school year! In an effort to get the ball rolling, this year’s senior class took to brainstorming event ideas. Aaron Bezio ’17 and Will Anderson ’17 pitched a great idea: Take ALS Yard Home Run Derby. After getting the go ahead from Coach John Campo and permission to utilize the softball field from Coach Annette Hunt-Shepherd, the senior class started to pour their energy into this event.
With Bezio leading the way, the event really started to take off. After setting the date for Saturday, October 22nd, everything began to fall into place. After reserving a table in the College Union Building from 11-1 during the two weeks leading up to the event, the idea really started to gain momentum. On top of the sign up for the home run derby, senior baseball and softball players were able to sell Take ALS Yard apparel. Even if one was unable to sign up for the derby, they could still take part by purchasing the Take ALS Yard t-shirt and or hat. In addition, this event was also great for raising awareness: t-shirts and hats were and still are being worn around campus!
After the last day of sign-ups and sales, the event was finally at hand. The 22nd of October was a cold and windy day, but this would not dampen the spirits of those involved. Turnout for the event was stupendous, proving to be a group effort. The event itself was run in a similar fashion to the MLB Home Run Derby event. Each player was allotted two timed rounds initially: the first was for two minutes and the second was for one minute. Those with the most home runs moved onto an eight person bracket, seeding the eight based upon the number of homeruns (from highest to lowest). Matchups were determined based upon this bracket: the one seed faced the eight seed, the no. two seed faced the seven seed, and so forth. These highly competitive rounds allotted each contestant one minute each, springing them into the semi-final round. After the conclusion of the quarter-final and semi-final rounds, the two finalists were Phillip Matranga ’17 and Chance Eggert ’19. The ensuing showdown was something to witness. Will Anderson ’17, had the following to say, “It was a slugfest, they were hitting homeruns all over. They were hitting them to left, center, and right.” In the end, Eggert was able to pull out the victory and the 25 dollar gift card to Chipotle.
On the whole, this event was a great success. While Chance took home the victory, all who participated and supported the cause shared in a group victory. The event was able to generate over 950 dollars! These proceeds were split evenly between Project ALS and the Softball Team’s initiative: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Both teams consider themselves honored and humbled to represent and support these philanthropic causes. An event such as this one truly engenders the spirit of philanthropy at Gettysburg College. We would like to extend one final thanks to all that made this event possible and we look forward to your continued support. We couldn’t do it without you!
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