The sound of a plastic bat’s sweet spot coming flush into contact with a whistling ball. Seeing the white orb traveling about 10 feet beyond the left field wall. Running the bases with pride as though you were David Ortiz, Carl Yastrzemski or Ted Williams. All these emotions are fed from a simple little backyard game that is best played during the summer: Wiffle Ball. For the weekend of Aug. 6-8, players from far and wide will get the same feelings when they play in the Travis Roy Foundation’s 2010 Vermont Wiffle Ball Tournament, but they also will feel fantastic for helping out a good cause.

Tucked away in the forested mountains of Essex, Vt., are what could be considered the most famous Wiffle Ball fields in the world, Little Fenway and Little Wrigley. Built in 2000 as a whimsical backyard project for a bunch of friends, Little Fenway was the first field built by Pat O’Connor and it quickly took a life of its own. After several trips between Boston and Essex to get the proper paint color, dirt type and dimensions of the original Fenway Park down “pat,” O’Connor opened up Little Fenway on July 4, 2001.

Part of the allure to building such a unique structure would be for recreation, but O’Connor saw beyond that and decided it could be used for something better. Since the beginning, Little Fenway has raised money through tournaments for many noble causes, including the Travis Roy Foundation. The two sides have teamed up since 2002, when the inaugural tournament was held.

“Little Fenway was designed for Wiffle Ball and it seemed like a natural venue to use for a tournament to benefit the Travis Roy Foundation,” O’Connor said. “The money we raise goes directly to the people who need it.

“It is very motivating to know we can help accelerate the pace at finding a cure so spinal cord injured survivors can eventually play Wiffle Ball at Little Fenway with us, too.”

The amount of money raised is impressive for a tournament that has been around for less than a decade. Organizers pulled in $4,000 the first year and $10,000 the second, and the totals have risen exponentially. In 2009, they raised $231,000, nearly a third of the total $714,000 raised over the eight years the tournament has been in existence. The goal for this year is to raise $286,000 in order to break the $1 million mark overall. The significance of the number isn’t lost on the founder of the foundation, Travis Roy.

“With the economy struggling, fundraising for nonprofits is as difficult as ever. The Travis Roy Foundation is very fortunate to be associated with such a unique event,” Roy said. “The players are eager to attend and raise money.”

Donations and entrance fees aren’t the only way the tournament has raised money. It’s thanks to the welcoming community of Essex that the tournament is made possible on a yearly basis.

“The tournament has been blessed with people volunteering their time, local restaurants and businesses donating goods and services, and individuals making financial contributions,” Roy said. The event also benefits from the sponsorships of nearly a dozen companies, but they might not have even been aware of the games had it not been for the growth of interest over the past few years.

In 2002, the tournament was played with only seven teams using one field, but slowly more people got wind of the event and news spread all across New England — and America. Eventually, the tournament brought on more and more teams until Little Fenway couldn’t support any more games. That necessitated the construction of another classic ballpark homage — Little Wrigley — in 2007. With that ballpark’s founding, the tournament was allowed to expand to its current slate of 24 teams, but even that isn’t enough.

The 2009 champion Boston Beef show their stuff at Little Fenway. (Jane O'Neill)

According to O’Connor, the popularity of the tournament has led to the creation of a lengthy waiting list of teams that want to participate in the event. Despite the waiting list, O’Connor and Roy try to incorporate as many players as possible into the games by bending normal Wiffle Ball rules. The official Wiffle Ball website indicates that the game should be played with two to five players on each side with two to three out in the field. The field itself is interesting in that there are no bases and no runners. Instead, players hit into designated zones — single, double, triple and home run — and then have ghost runners based on where the ball is hit. Also, pitchers pitch to a designated strike zone placed behind the batter’s box, in order to eliminate the need for umpires to call balls and strikes.

For the Vermont Wiffle Ball Tournament, players follow more baseball-related rules, partly because of the venues being scale replicas of the parks and also so that more people can be involved in the game. That means baserunners, catchers and umpires.

“It was a conscious decision to have teams field nine players,” O’Connor said. “It helps create a baseball-like atmosphere and allows more participants in a game.” Also, to make the game friendlier for men, women and children alike, a speed limit is enforced during the games.

“We have had success with a speed limit on pitches; what we call ‘hittable speed’ is permitted,” O’Connor said. “Umpires make the call on whether a pitch is too fast.”

Pat O'Connor (left), Chris Sleeper of the Boston Beef (with the 2009 top fundraiser award), and Travis Roy pose at the 2009 fundraising awards ceremony at Little Wrigley. (Jane O'Neill)

Even with the tweaks, competition still runs high every year as teams vie to get their name etched forever on the “Rock of Champions” that lies right near the entrance to the Little Fenway. Last year was no exception as, fittingly, the Boston Beef took on the Staten Island Yankees in the final. Boston beat the team from New York, 6-4, and also took home the title of top fundraising team of the tournament.

The Beef will look to repeat in 2010 and win their third championship overall, but the tournament games aren’t the only events going on that weekend. Fans will enjoy the annual home run derby and even get to rub elbows with Red Sox legend Bill Lee and former NHL players Bobby Carpenter and Aaron Miller at the celebrity-sponsor game.

For Travis Roy, a former Boston University hockey player whose career was cut short 11 seconds into his first shift on the ice, the tournament has been an enormous help.

“In the last two years, the funds generated from the tournament have allowed the foundation to double the funds dedicated to research,” Roy said. “The tournament at Little Fenway and Little Wrigley has become one of the premier fundraisers for the Travis Roy Foundation.”

For Pat O’Connor, to have such a wide-reaching tournament be involved with the sport he has such a passion for is a no-brainer.

“I think of Wiffle Ball as a pure All-American game, or the ‘great equalizer,’ because everyone can play.  You don’t need to be a strong athlete or certain age,” he said. “Men, women, boys and girls can all play the game at the same time.  And most importantly, it’s a lot of fun.”

To visit the Travis Roy Foundation’s website, click here.
To visit the Vermont Wiffle Ball Tournament’s website, click here.
To visit the Little Fenway website, click here.
To make a donation to the Travis Roy Foundation and/or the Vermont Wiffle Ball Tournament, click here.

One Comments for “Travis Roy Wiffle Ball Tournament at ‘Little Fenway’ Aug. 6-8”

1. CADEN Says:
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