THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 4, 1996 TAG: 9609040417
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: KENNAN NEWBOLD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 50 lines
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, 22 ballplayers walked off the Old Dominon University baseball field. Their 122-hour softball game was over. Nobody cared who won.
It was party time. And there was reason to celebrate.
The ODU Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon had raised more than $5,000 in donations for Operation Smile, a nonprofit medical organization that provides free surgery to children who suffer from facial deformities. And the money is still coming in.
The fraternity's marathon, five-day game also apparently broke the 1986 world record set by a group of Marines in Hawaii. The final score: 602-588.
``We're really lucky we had so much support,'' said Douglas Grimsley, fraternity president and event organizer.
Support came in all forms. Members of Pi Beta Phi, a campus sorority, solicited food donations from local pizza parlors and fast food chains and spent more than $260 of their own money to provide food for the ballplayers. The university let the players use the showers on campus.
``Everybody we talked to said, `Do it, do it, do it!' '' said the Rev. David Lasselle, the fraternity's adviser and campus chaplain. ``When we work together and pull together, there is lots we can do for the community.''
Members of the university community are already talking about their next community project - an Operation Smile Student Association on campus.
Dr. William Magee, founder of Operation Smile, has enjoyed watching the men play each night and thinks highly of their accomplishment.
``There is a small window of time in your life that you could do something this insane - and that's college,'' he told a crowd of fans who had gathered to celebrate the game's end. ``This was their Hell Week.''
But spirits remained high throughout. At 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, the players were still sprinting around third base toward home plate and dancing in the infield to ``Walk Like an Egyptian'' blaring on the portable radio.
``I thought next year we'd do it for seven days,'' joked Pete Arsenault.
Do it again?
``There's always a possibility,'' said Paul Hayden.
``Maybe we'll do a state tour, play for 48 hours, rest for four,'' said fraternity member Matt Kelly.
Most had other plans, however.
``I think,'' said Grimsley, ``we're all going for beers.'' ILLUSTRATION: GARY C. KNAPP photo
Members of the Old Dominion University chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon
congratulate each other - and hold each other up - after a 602-588
softball game to benefit Operation Smile. Some talked of another
effort - maybe next year. by CNB