2013: Off to Soccer First in Dublin; Tampa Bay Wiffle Wins Rematch of 2012 Final

NWLA Tournament
Jul 22, 2013
2 min read

Updated: May 30

NOTE: Wiffle® is a registered trademark of The Wiffle Ball, Inc. The NWLA Tournament is an independent event and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by The Wiffle Ball, Inc.

Recap

It wasn’t easy to get eight leagues to travel to the middle of Ohio in the dead heat of July the year before. However, all eight were glad they did. The first tournament was a success, and the next year the tournament had five new teams sign up. It was going to be a 13 team tournament, but unfortunately, Washburn had to drop out due to a tragedy involving one of their league players.

Josh Smith and Ryan Winfield left the host committee, and they were replaced with Sam Skibbe from SWBL, Jeremy Ratajczyk from GBL, and Brian Meyers from KWL. The early plans were to return to the St. James Church, but it didn’t work out. It turned out to be a blessing, as the tournament was then moved to the Soccer First facility in nearby Dublin.

The tournament was still planned the same weekend as the London Tournament, but it wasn’t planned around it. Also, the host committee added Friday Night festivities which included a home run derby and an all-star game. They also added a Dangerfield Tournament for the teams who went 0-2 in double elimination play.

The 2013 championship was a rematch from the year before, however, this time Tampa won.