A Dream Was Born...

The idea for the Engineering Softball Classic was born as many other great ideas are born in southern Louisiana… two guys sitting around drinking some beer.

Dan Forman and Tom Polito were spending one unusually cool June night in 2013 sitting at the St. Louis ballpark. The teammates, having just finished a game, decided to sit around and drink a beer while waiting on the games to finish for the night. Tom, with the help of his father, Ray, ran the softball program at St. Louis, which his grandfather started 40 years prior. Dan helped take care of the field after the games.

As they sat, watching the games finish, they began talking about the rest of the season. The season would be finishing up soon, and both Tom and Dan still wanted to keep playing ball. They talked about putting on a softball tournament in July, to prolong the end of the season. Having hosted softball tournaments in the past, Tom knew that one of the biggest problems with hosting a tournament is getting teams. Since most competitive softball teams would soon be participating in state and regional tournaments in July, they knew finding teams to participate in a tournament would be tough.

Ever since entering the engineering business after graduating from LSU in 2005, Tom always thought it would be fun to get different engineering firms together in friendly competition. Halfway jokingly, Tom suggested that the answer to finding teams for a tournament could be to contact engineering firms and see if each firm would want to enter a team. Without hesitation, Dan jumped on board, and that is when the Engineering Softball Classic was born.

Things really start to develop...

Over the next week or two, Tom and Dan imagined one grand idea after the next on how to make this the biggest event to ever happen in Baton Rouge. However, being engineers, reason and practicality soon curbed the fantasies that they dreamed up. They began to work on developing a realistic plan for the tournament. Umpires, concessions, volunteers, teams...MONEY...all things that would need to be worked out before a successful tournament could be held.

The softball side of things was easy. Tom had connections to the field and umpires. They both knew enough people to volunteer, so it all circled back to the two most important components, teams and money. Neither Tom, nor Dan were doing this with the intent of any personal financial gains, so they wondered what they would do if the tournament made a profit. They both immediately agreed that any profits should be donated to charity, and what better charity to donate to than St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital?

Having these rough ideas starting to come together, they each approached their respective office managers. Both experienced very similar, yet sort of surprising responses; an overwhelming interest in participating in the tournament itself, and an even more overwhelming willingness to donate money to charity. In fact, both office managers actually offered more money than originally requested. After getting such a positive response from their own companies, they were ready to begin approaching other firms to see if anyone else would share the same interest in participating. That is where things really started to develop.

Everything Comes Together…

Once they approached other firms, there was immediate interest. However, one thing became clear; in order to make it easier for companies to donate money, the checks would need to be written directly to St. Jude’s. While this helped attain the ultimate goal of donating money to charity, it left some concerns about covering the actual operating expenses of the tournament itself.

To help cover some of the operating costs, Tom and Dan decided to seek sponsors. Knowing that some of the vendors that they work with on a weekly basis also have connections to other firms around town, that seemed like a good place to start. And, like every step leading up to this point, it was surprisingly easier than either of them expected to get donations. Some vendors donated cash, others donated prizes to give away. All of these donations helped cover the operating expenses of the tournament. Once the donations were lined up, and the teams committed to playing, that is when everything came together. The first Annual Engineering Softball Classic, which had been dreamed up just over a month before would actually happen.

And the rest is history...

Seven teams registered for the tournament that year. As the week of the tournament approached, and the final arrangements were being made, Tom and Dan anxiously awaited the start of the tournament. And of course, it rained everyday leading up to the tournament weekend. Coworkers approached Tom during the week saying that they didn’t think the tournament would be played, or asking what would happen if it rained out. Tom, confidently assured them that “It never rains at St. Louis…” a statement that had been heard for 40 years at the St. Louis ballpark. Sure enough, although there was a brief drizzle during the tournament, the rain held off and the tournament was played without a hitch.

The day before the tournament proved to be a long day for Tom, Dan, and their volunteers. Final field preparations, concessions stocking, last minute purchases, etc. filled the day and went late into the night. When the first pitch was finally thrown on Saturday morning, they could finally relax. It was only softball at that point, and that was the easy part.

The crowds gathered throughout the day. The Knights of Columbus provided a tremendous help in donating food and more importantly their time to cook hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, and french fries. In addition, there was a bounce house, a dunk booth, and a station for kids to make pictures and cards that would be sent to the kids at St. Jude. In fact, over 75 cards were made, and St. Jude wrote a personal, handwritten thank you note to all that participated.

And then, of course there was the softball. There were some intense games throughout the day, and in the end, it was Audubon vs. Willbros in the championship game. It could not have been a more fitting finish than for, after all their hard work, Dan and Tom to face each other in the finals. Willbros ended up pulling it out and winning the championship by one run over an Audubon team that gave it all they had.

More importantly, thanks to all who participated in and donated to the event, a total of $8,602.58 was donated St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. After setting an initial goal of $1,000, the two tournament organizers could not have been happier at how much money was raised.

It ends just as it began…

After the tournament, Dan, Tom, and their volunteers fixed up the field, cleaned up the concessions, and took out the trash. The whole time, they were talking about how well things went, and relaying stories of positive comments that people made throughout the day. After over a month of hard work, everything was finished. Once the field was cleaned up, the trash was thrown away, and the concession stand was emptied, they could finally step back and be proud of what they had accomplished. There was an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, but more importantly, a tremendous amount of appreciation for everyone that made the event possible. From the companies who sponsored teams, to the vendors who made donations, to the players that participated, and to the volunteers that selflessly gave their time and energy to help Tom and Dan carry out this dream, the support received surpassed all expectations. And once it was all finished, it ended just as it began, two friends sitting at the ballpark drinking a beer and dreaming about what they can do next year to make it the biggest event ever to come to Baton Rouge.