Tee, hee...I ask Mick to do a "blurb" for the website.....he must of thought I said "book"....
Well for what started off as a little low level, low key alternative to Saturday afternoon golfing, for those of us who prefer sports that require slightly bigger balls, the Barnball Flashback burgeoned into a truly disturbing spectacle! Put yourself for a moment into the shoes of the unsuspecting, casual visitor to the park that day, with say your children in the playground or merely feeding the geese, thereby contributing to the hyper proliferation of goslings and their subsequently annoying fecal footprint. There you are, minding you own business on a perfect August afternoon, when suddenly you look up and are confronted by the surrealistic sight of several late middle age guys in opposing team jerseys, charging up and down the basketball court, being cheered on by a squad of middle aged "Hot Clarence Chicks" also in matching red and black tee shirts (one of them with devil horns and a tail), pom poms in hand, banners flying, an even older but spryer guy with a whistle threatening technical fouls and shouting out calls, and a crowd of spectators gathered around watching and shooting photos. What could it be? Some desperate mass break out from The Brothers of Mercy? A hallucination resulting from a batch of bad wings and beer the night before? A picnic for out patients from Forest Avenue? (well maybe)...No! It was "The Last Bounce: The CCHS 40th Reunion Barnball Flashback"!
It was a wonderful turnout and a thoroughly enjoyable event for the players, the cheerleaders--those "Hot Clarence Chicks", the Coach/ref, and those stalwarts who came to watch, cheer and hang out. The teams took the court accompanied by the ironic strains of "Sweet Georgia Brown" blaring from a boom box. What was always billed as a slow moving, low key, non-competitive outing turned into a legitimate game almost from the first tip when those old adolescent hormones seemed to kick in. The players on the "Black" team won, predictably, being basketball (even though they played with no subs). They were Rick Wilson team captain, who ultimately got the MVP trophy; Jim Albisetti, the athlete of the year in 1967, who also got an award for feats of dribbling, ball handling and other socially questionable behavior; Jon Scott, a reunion virgin who along with his wife Camille designed and provided the opposing team tee shirts; and Phil Hans who drove the nails into the coffin of the "Red" team by sinking two downtown shots at the end of the game. The Red team was Jim Hofner, who arrived on his full dress Harley and captained the team; John Kausner, the recipient of the "Boots on the Ground" award for helping coordinate details on site for the event, locating Coach Johnt and conning him into actually participating; Doug Rapin, who supplied liquid refreshments and sideline commentary; Tom Castercane, who came to Clarence mostly for the wings, beer and the Barnball game, skipping the Saturday evening event; Russ Gibson, who came into the game late after golfing, but still wasn't able to reverse the fortunes of the Reds, and Mick (Mike) Souter, the event organizer, whose ponytail made an irresistible target for opposing defenders and who was reportedly singled out for continual abuse by the ref.
The cheer leading squad included Jane Thompson Vosseller, Gail Scheffler Karan, Dee Dee Sloman Hussey, Jan Ebersole Gibson, and the intrepid mascot, squad organizer and reunion chair, Alana "The Devil" Skelton Parisi-Weeks (say that three times quickly). The cheerleaders with pompoms, matching red and black tee shirts and sun glasses were the height of stylish cool, and kept the guys motivated with their enthusiastic cheers. They considered the old CCHS pyramid formation, culminating in a leap from the top with a cartwheel and split finale, but fortunately, reconsidered. Apparently they have more sense than the guys.
The real treat for everyone, the whipped cream and cherry on the Saturday sundae, was the participation by Coach "Howie Johnt", who refereed the game. His zingers and good natured barbs took everyone back to high school and showed that the years don't have to diminish either our wit or our physical abilities--Howie was a formidable presence still. Seldom do we encounter those people who can in the wink of an eye transport us from 57 to 17, purely because of the power of their personality or the strength of deep seated relationships borne in high school or before. Coach Johnt is one of those people. The affection and joy with which he was greeted by players, cheer leaders and spectators alike, testify to the beloved nature of the man and the quality of his person.
On other notable feature of the event was the "Memorabilia Table", which was set under the wonderful event sign that was designed by Jane Thompson's son and provided by her company, stating "The Last Bounce: The 40th Reunion Barnball Flashback" set on the facsimile of a basketball background. The table included a full team photo from the locker room in late 1966, a copy of the Trident with an article about the team being in first place, a memorial picture of the team's captain, the late Don McKinley to whom the game was dedicated, some red "C" varsity letters, and an original pair of high top white Converse All Stars--the shoe of choice back then.
All of the players were presented with medallions with a basketball and hoop on one side, and the inscription "I survived the Barnball Flashback" on the other. Coach Johnt was presented with a plaque expressing our thanks and appreciation to him for everything past and present.
The event was a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon, visit with friends and recuperate from the Friday night imbibing before starting again Saturday evening. Thanks to the committee for supporting and encouraging such wonderful insanity.
