Here’s a last-minute checklist for Higgyball17 (which is this Saturday!):

• BE ON TIME! Reminder for the address: 7650 King Rd. Oxford, OH 45056. The event starts at 11:00am, so be there before then, especially the registered teams. Speaking of teams, take a look at the rules. Newcomers should familiarize themselves with how we run things. As usual, we’ll run everything through a computer on the deck, so you can see field assignments and standings on the big screen. Teams should check in at the deck when you arrive, because we need all teams present to begin the tournament. If you’re ridiculously late, we’ll give you a loss for your first match-up. If you know you will be late, please let someone know long before the start of the event.
• If you pledged your balls to Higgyball, please bring your bocce sets with you, and check in with a council member for field assignment. We’ll do our best to make sure you leave with your balls.
• Keep an eye on the weather. It looks to be pleasant, and there definitely won’t be any extreme weather like we’ve had the past few years. Even though we have yet to use it, the rain backup date is Sunday, Sept 5, 2021. We’ll make the call on Saturday morning if we need to use it this year.
• Speaking of weather, don’t forget: water, sunscreen, bocce set(s), food items to share, lawn chairs, water, bug spray, sunglasses, tape measure, rain gear, swim suit and towel, and water.
• Ice! It’s so important, it needs its own section. Please bring a large bag or two of ice to throw in the giant communal beverage tubs.
• If you’ve signed up and your plans have changed regarding Higgyball, please let me know, and you’ll get your money back. If someone bows out the day of the event, we’ll take any replacements that are at Higgyball to fill the spot. If you would like to play and have yet to sign up, hit us up, there are still spots.
• Just like recent years, parking is now in the big field to the left of the driveway (rather than on the right as in years past). Just park where everyone else is parked.
• Obligatory COVID section: please be smart. If you’re sick, please stay home. If you’re not vaccinated, please consider wearing a mask. Let’s all be safe.

Thanks go out to everyone that was able to navigate the craziness of the registration fiasco a few weeks ago. The poor web server couldn’t handle the thousands (dozens? sevens?) of eager fans vying to get their spot in the tournament this year, so I gave it an upgrade. We do have some team spots open, so if you’re able to join us on Sept 4, 2021 at 11:00am (SHARP!), please feel free to register your team. If any registered team has to drop out for any reason, let us know as soon as possible and we’ll refund your money. We also have T-shirts available, but remember that we need those orders by this Sunday, Aug 15, 2021, so do not delay.

A reminder on the location: 7650 King Rd. Oxford, OH 45056. We usually have a Food Registry so that we don’t end up with 20 bags of chips, but it crapped out this year, so please be wise and bring shareable potluck items suitable for feeding a small army of bocce enthusiasts (along with the supporting cast of things like eco-friendly plates and silverware, and lots of ice and water). Feel free to coordinate amongst yourselves.

Lastly, we are still looking for a volunteer to run the show on the deck, as our venerable manager of years past, Holly, is not able to join us this year. If you think you have what it takes (you just type in the scores and click a few buttons), please send a message to mark.r.walker@gmail.com.

H17 Registration is open: Go!

Follow along on the Bracket page. When you register, along with entering team information, don’t forget to pledge your balls to Higgyball and add a few songs to the Music Registry list.

If you don’t have a partner, please add yourself to the Free Agents list. When all team spots have been filled, the Wait List will open up.

While you’re there, don’t forget to buy a Shirt (sales end August 15) and add to the Food Registry.

Please email mark.r.walker@gmail.com if you have any problems or questions.

Attention all spectators! We have an opening for the Deck Manager position, which involves pushing a few buttons and letting people know which field they are playing on at the start of each round, and then entering scores when the games finish. If this could be you, please let me know. No experience necessary!

Your friendly Higgyball council would like to remind you that we have Higgyball registration happening this Sunday, August 1, 2021 starting at 12:00pm. We’ll keep registration open until we fill all 32 spots, but don’t sleep on it. Cost is $10 per team, and you will need to provide your team name, the names and email addresses of both participants, how many standard-sized bocce ball sets you can lend to the cause, and also up to two suggestions for the music playlist. During the day on Sunday, you can keep an eye on the Bracket page to see who has signed up. Also, add to the Food Registry or sign up on the Free Agent list if you don’t yet have a partner (you must do this instead of grabbing a spot and hoping to find someone later).

In addition to team registrations, we’ll have the annual Higgyball shirts for sale (see above), designed, as always, by the incomparable Patrick Lytle. One little wrinkle this time around: we’re using Lebowski again for the shirts, but they only offer price breaks at certain numbers of shirts ordered. Our shirts start at $25, but if we don’t have enough ordered for either design (H17 logo or the mad cow), we may ask if you would switch designs (or we will return your payment if you don’t care to switch). Hopefully there won’t be an issue, but do keep this in mind.

Finally, since we will have 32 teams this year, we’ll have a new format for the fields. Get a sneak peek at the map above, and start practicing your bocce throws! (This new format is why we need you to pledge your balls to Higgyball, so do let us know when you register.)

For those jonesing for some early Summer fun and bocce, the usual hosts of Higgyball (Danielle and Marc) are hosting a party this weekend. While it’s not the official Higgyball event (full details on our rescheduled event still to come), this is a fun substitute.

Here are the details:

• Saturday, May 29, 2021
• 11:00am until ??
• Miss Jacque to perform 5:00pm to 8:00pm
• Bocce, pool, sun, and fun
• Bring a snack, grillables, drinks
• Kids welcome, too!
• 7650 King Rd, Oxford, OH 45056

Back by popular demand, we have reopened the shirt orders. You have until 11:59 PM on Thursday, June 6, 2019 to make your (wise) decision. Click here to order yours today!

Well that was quite a day, eh? Another Higgyball is in the books, and despite an attempted monsoon, we have another champion on the cup. Congrats to House Team, Patrick Lytle and Andrew Bomholt, for becoming the first ever 3-time Higgyball Champions *

* of the Modern Era

Congrats also to our MVPs, Emily Silberstein and PJ Hile! As always, we’d like to thank our gracious hosts, Danielle Mann and Marc Tincher, for allowing to us to be idiots on their property, Holly and Ken Perander (and Nathan!) for managing the deck, and to all of you, for making this silly backyard tournament one of the best days of the year.

Please make arrangements to claim anything left behind at Higgyball, and help with the cleanup. Also, if you have any photos from the event, please share them with a Council Member, and we can collect them on the website. Now it’s my least favorite time of the year: the wait for next year’s Higgyball. See you all in 363 days!

Happy Higgyball Eve! In addition to the stuff from the last post, a few more things:

• We need ice! Our gracious hosts will have a couple of giant tubs for community beverages, and they need a lot of ice. When you’re buying your ice tomorrow, please get another big bag or two for the tubs.
• It’s gonna be hot! The weather forecasters are now saying some rain in the morning tomorrow, but clear sailing for the main event. The side effect of that morning rain means it’ll be hot and humid throughout the day. The pool is open, so consider bringing a bathing suit and towel for a quick reprieve. In the event that we do get a quick popup storm, we’ll have a rain delay, but then resume once finished, so bring some rain gear just in case. We’ll play through any light precipitation.
• Don’t forget your balls! You can’t spell Higgyballs without balls. If you pledged your set for the tournament, please make sure they come with you tomorrow. Check in with a High Council member to let us know that you’ve brought your set, and which field you’ve placed them on.
• Be on time! I can’t stress this enough. We start at 11:00am, so be there well before that. If something comes up, please let us know ASAP. When you arrive, if you’re a registered team, please check in with us on the back deck, and we’ll let you know what to do.
• Happy Higgyball!

A quick last-minute overview of the next Higgyball (which is this Saturday!):

• BE ON TIME! The event starts at 11:00am, so be there before then, especially the registered teams. Speaking of teams, take a look at the rules. No new rules in there, but newcomers should familarize themselves with how we run things. As usual, we’ll run everything through a computer on the deck, so you can see field assignments and standings on the big screen.
• Keep an eye on the weather. Looks to be hot, as usual, with a possibility for a thunderstorm. We’ve yet to use it, but the rain backup date is Sunday, May 26, 2019. We’ll make the call on Saturday morning if we need to use it this year. If we just have a couple of sprinkles during the event, we’ll have a weather delay, so bring some rain gear just in case. In the event that we do use the backup date, any teams that cannot make it will be refunded.
• Speaking of sun, don’t forget: water, sunscreen, bocce set(s), Food Registry items, lawn chairs, water, bug spray, sunglasses, tape measure, rain gear, and water.
• The Bracket and Wait List have gone through some transformations lately. If you’ve signed up and your plans have changed regarding Higgyball, please let me know, and you’ll get your money back. If someone bows out the day of the event, we’ll take any replacements that are at Higgyball to fill the spot.
• Just like last year, parking is now in the big field to the left of the driveway (rather than on the right as in years past; see the updated map on the previous post). Just park where everyone else is parked.

For the first time ever, team registration filled up in less than 45 minutes. Amazing! If any registered team has to drop out for any reason, let us know as soon as possible and we’ll refund your money. For those that missed the boat, if you haven’t already, please use the Wait List to reserve a potential spot in the field of 28. We’ve had to draw upon that list many times in the past. Also, the Music Registry and Food Registry are still open, so check those out.

I see some new names in the crowd, so you’ll probably need some directions. Higgyball will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 11:00am (be on time!) at the stately Tincher-Mann estate: 7650 King Rd, Oxford, OH 45056.

Head over to the Higgyball Rules for a refresher on how we play. We’ll be doing Swiss Pairs again for the first five rounds, and then a single elimination tournament to determine the ultimate champion.

Lastly, don’t forget to order your H16 Higgyball T-Shirt. Your last chance to buy one is 11:59pm on Sunday night, so don’t delay!