Centennial Memory #73: Volleyball Tournaments

To celebrate the DeMolay Centennial, PA DeMolay will be counting down 100 memories worth celebrating that took place within the DeMolay Chapters and Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

Sports activity can be an important part of a young man's workout routine. Competitive sports allow members to build teamwork, communication, and trust. PA DeMolay had four major sports tournaments throughout the years, but the one that will be the topic of today's post will be the tournament that traditionally took place during this weekend, the Volleyball Tournament.

The sports tournaments were double elimination style and Chapter's had the chance to form a team with the members of their own Chapter. Some Chapters reached out to other Chapters to form a team if they could not field one for themselves. Either way, brotherhood existed throughout friendly competition. Here are the first place teams during the run:

1989: Elizabethtown

1990: Somerton

1991: Somerton

1992: No Tournament

1993: Reading

1994: Reading

1995: Elizabethtown

1996: Elizabethtown

1997: No Tournament

1998: Reading

1999: Reading

2000: Reading

2001: Elizabethtown

2002: Elizabethtown

2003: Somerton

2004: Reading

2005: Reading

2006: Elizabethtown

2007: Elizabethtown

2008: Lorraine

2009: Elizabethtown

2010: Lorraine

2011: Pilgrim

2012: Lorraine

2013: Pilgrim

2014: Elizabethtown

2015: Carlisle

Check out some of the great photos from the years of the Volleyball Tournament.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Time to Plan for D4D4!

By Kody Anderson, Elizabethtown DeMolay PMC & Tournament Director

“Dad” David A. Glattly, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction , joins the leaders of Elizabethtown Chapter, Order of DeMolay, in encouraging DeMolays, Master Masons, Scottish Rite Masons, and everyone to form a team and register for the 4^th Annual Dodgeball for Dyslexia Tournament, proceeds benefiting the Children’s Dyslexia Centers.

Dodgeball for Dyslexia is a dodgeball tournament that has been driven for the purposes of raising as much money as possible for the Children’s Dyslexia Centers, the State Charity for Pennsylvania DeMolay. Dodgeball for Dyslexia was founded by Brother Evan Crawford of Elizabethtown Chapter, who has now passed the duties of planning this tournament to me, Kody Anderson, a 2017 Past Master Councilor of Elizabethtown Chapter.

Save the date: Dodgeball for Dyslexia will be held on May 12, 2018. The tournament will be held at the Spooky Nook Sports complex in Manheim, PA.

2018 will be the fourth consecutive year for this tournament. In 2017, we raised over $3,000 for the Dyslexia Centers, and we plan to raise even more for 2018! Each and every year, the Dodgeball for Dyslexia tournament has been increasing in participation, with teams coming from all over Pennsylvania and even Virginia. We had 13 teams in 2017, which consisted of many DeMolay chapters and even members from various Masonic Bodies.

We invite anyone who is willing to play dodgeball to make a team and help support and raise money for the Dyslexia Centers. All the money that is donated by teams will go to the Dyslexia Center nearest to them, so grab six to ten of your best players and come out to raise money, and have fun while doing it!  The overall winning team will take home the coveted Gold Dodgeball and have their name engraved on the trophy stand. The team that raises the most money for the Dyslexia Centers will win the Silver Dodgeball; and the team showing the most spirit will be awarded the Bronze Dodgeball.

In order to participate, each team will have a minimum registration fee of $75. The earlier you register, the less the fee.  Here are the dates and the registration fees. Our goal is to have all teams registered by March 1st.

·         By March 1st, $75

·         March 2nd - March 15th, $100

·         March 16th - April 1st, $125.

·         April 2nd - April 15th, $150

·         The absolute deadline to register a team is April 15th!

There are two ways to register: You can fill out the form and send it to our email at etowndodgeball@gmail.com as an attachment, or you can fill out the form and mail it straight to us at Elizabethtown DeMolay, 1244 Bainbridge Road, Elizabethtown PA 17022. Please contact us by via email to request a registration packet or by phoning 727 514 2462.

Remember: Making a team makes a difference, so come out and play dodgeball to raise money all for a great cause!

What do you mean "ritual tournament?"

Over the last year or so, PA DeMolay has undertaken an initiative to improve the ritual among the Chapters in the Commonwealth. Part of this project has been to get more young men involved in ritual tournaments. However, Pennsylvania hasn't really be a "ritual heavy" state in quite some time, leaving many members scratching their heads, wondering just what these tournaments are all about.

PA DeMolay is part of DeMolay International's Region II (which has been discussed in earlier posts.) As such, we participate in the Mid-Atlantic Tournament of Champions ritual tournament and generally go by their rules and evaluation procedures. Thankfully, the MATOC Committee has published all of this information on their website at http://harmonia.meccahosting.com/~a00060dd/rules.html. Just click the link and you'll be able to download .pdf's of all the important documents. Take some time to read and understand the rules - we know it's a little dry - but it's important to know the playing field.

In the coming weeks, we'll be discussing ritual tournaments a little bit more, and I hope to get some special guests to write pieces about their ritual tournament experience.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony