Wiffle Ball tourney to benefit charities

~ Summer Classic will be held July 11 to 13 at Arena Park

Giving back to his community always has been a goal for Cape Girardeau native David Unterreiner.

The Notre Dame graduate is doing that by bringing the Cape Girardeau Summer Classic, a Wiffle Ball tournament, to his hometown.

"Growing up here I knew there was a following for it," Unterreiner, the Cape Girardeau Classic coordinator, said. "When I was a kid we had the Whiffle Ball World Series which got really big, really quick. Wiffle Ball seemed like an event that everyone would enjoy and be able to participate in, in some way."

The Summer Classic, which will take place from July 11 through July 13 at Arena Park, is much more than just a Wiffle Ball tournament, and it's not the first time he's done an event like this.

For 16 years, Unterreiner ran another Wiffle Ball tournament called Whackfest. which was played in backyards around Cape and became popular in the area. However, the tournament got to the point where it became too big and backyards were not sufficient enough to hold the event.

For the past five years, Unterreiner has been doing event production with his own company, Out of the Ash, in Durango, Colorado.

He has produced events for companies all over the world, including Red Bull, Monster Energy drinks and Rolex.

From those experiences, Unterreiner said he has learned more about event planning and gained the knowledge to make the Summer Classic into a popular and successful event.

Along with sponsors US Bank and Notre Dame Regional High School, Unterreiner has partnered with K103's Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon in an effort to give back to a deserving and trustworthy charity.

Unterreiner said 100 percent of the proceeds raised from the Summer Classic will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"The community in Cape has really gotten behind K103's Radiothon," Unterreiner said. "It's something people can relate to, something in town people trust and that they know is very real. It's also something that I believe is well worth supporting and ultimately a way to help kids in need of support."

The Summer Classic will kick off on a Friday night (July 11) with a welcome party at Arena Park. Players and members of the community are invited to come out and enjoy food, which will be grilled on location, and beverages, which will be provided by Kohlfeld Distributing.

The tournament will begin the following day and conclude July 13.

Right now, eight teams are registered for the tournament, but Unterreiner would like to see as many as 20 teams sign up.

If the Summer Classic reaches its goal of 20 teams, a double-elimination format will be used.

Teams can register at the United Way of Cape Girardeau at 430A Broadway or online at www.capegirardeausummerclassic.com. Anyone ages 10 to 65 is invited to play.

The registration fee for each team is $150. Registration will remain open until July 11.

Unterreiner said there will be plenty of other activities for people even if they don't plan on playing in the tournament.

On Saturday, (July 12) children and adults interested will have the chance to participate in a home run derby. For $10 participants will get a bucket of 10 balls and a shot at earning the title. Unterreiner said that money will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Cape Girardeau, which he said has been instrumental in helping with the set up of the tournament.

"They've done anything and everything I've asked them to," Unterreiner said. "It's a big help when you have an organization like the Boys and Girls Club working that well with you."

The Summer Classic will also host a day of youth activities on Saturday. The activities are available for kids of all ages. Activities will include an arts and crafts zone, face painting and a youth teaching session with members of the Southeast Missouri State football team.

Kids who attend the youth activities session with the Redhawks will get to play catch with players, have a pitch-and-hit session in the batting cages and even play against the Redhawks in a game.

Redhawks coach Tom Matukewicz said being a part of the Summer Classic and other community service events shows his team that they are a part of something bigger, other than playing football.

"A lot of people in this town, especially kids, look up to these guys," Matukewicz said about the importance of taking part in the Summer Classic. "We have the ability to maybe put a smile on some of these kids faces, make them laugh or just brighten their day in some way and we take that responsibility seriously."

Unterreiner said he would eventually love to have the Summer Classic become a nationally recognized Wiffle Ball tournament, but for now it is all about getting the participation for it to become the big event he envisions.

"It's kind of my own little brain child," Unterreiner said. "I want this to be big and I believe it can go national at some point, but for now I just want to get the community involved and interested."