Re: 2021 Update - the decline of mud volleyball
Posted by Muddybootsnlevis on February 08, 2021 at 00:18:33
In Reply to: 2021 Update posted by Mudman on February 03, 2021 at 23:41:57:
For 35 years the March of Dimes Mudd Volleyball tournament in Denver was a major summer event. At its peak there were 64 mud pits!
Over the years the event was held at four different locations - usually industrial parks with large open lots. Thee final location had decent mud but not as good as the incredible clay mud at the previous site.
Over the years the sophistication of the water distribution to the pits and the shower stations got much more elaborate as the number of teams and spectator crowds grew. One year I estimated that over 3,500 people were there. A local radio station broadcast from the sidelines and there were numerous food and beverage booths.
Then about 10 years ago interest began to fade and the number of pits declined year-to-year. The March of Dimes organizers started tournaments in other Colorado cities but there wasn't enough interest to sustain them for more than a couple of years.
In 2018 - the 35th anniversary - they announced it would be the last year. I counted about 24 pits and perhaps 1,200 people. Still big by
most standards but nothing like it used to be.
I always picked gear to wear with great care and sometimes would wear white Levis and t-shirt, which always enticed people to splash me or hug me as I walked around taking photos. As the playoff rounds began and pits were vacated, there used to be a fair number of us mud lovers having fun jumping in and wrestling fully clothed. I remember one older guy (well into his 70s) that I saw for five years in a row.
Every now and then there would be a newbie, timid about showing that he was there just for the mud. But once he saw the rest of us "regulars" having fun he would usually become more brave, but not always joining others in the mud, just doing his thing alone. One year there were bikers in leather in the pits. I made friends with one guy and we had other mud adventures for several years before he left town for a new job.
Since it's too dry in Colorado for mud bogs to be successful without wasting a colossal amount of treated water, they are not an option for muddy fun around here.
It will be interesting to see which tournaments resume in 2021 and which ones may be gone forever like the Denver event.
- Re: 2021 Update - the decline of mud volleyball Mudman 03:48:02 2/08/2021
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- Re: 2021 Update - the decline of mud volleyball Capri's Carl 02:48:30 2/09/2021
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- Re: 2021 Update - the decline of mud volleyball Capri's Carl 02:48:30 2/09/2021
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