No one is ever too old to play outside with their friends, especially if it involves mud volleyball and a good cause.
More than 3,500 mud-caked adults participated in the 28th annual MUDD Volleyball tournament Saturday.
For such participants as Kacy Beitel, the event is one of the highlights of the summer.
She has played in the tournament for the past five years, and her brother, Bryan Beitel, flies in annually from Montana for some sibling bonding time and to partake in the less-than-clean fun. Their team, “The Muddy Balls,” played duck- duck-goose, traditionally a children’s game, between sets with neighboring teams.
“It’s all about getting silly and crazy with your friends and the 300- plus teams for a good cause,” Kacy Beitel said, with mud stuck in her teeth.
The tournament is one of the largest fundraisers for the March of Dimes and the healthy-mom/ healthy-baby program. The event is expected to raise more than $200,000, March of Dimes representative Becky Herlinger said.
Kadir Suleymanogly said this year was his first MUDD Volleyball experience.
“I love babies,” he said. “And who can resist jumping and playing in the mud to help out one of the most fragile segments of our society?”
There were more than 30 courts dug into the field at the Majestic Commercenter in Aurora. Participants duct-taped their shoes and other articles of clothing on to make sure they stayed in place.
Mark Moreno said he has played in the tournament for the past five years and feels good about donating his money to help mothers and babies be healthy.
Moreno’s team captain, Lana Liley, said it was her second year playing in the tournament. She heard about the event through a friend and said she had to do it. The “Mud Ballers” knew, aside from having a blast, everyone had another thing in common.
“Everyone is eating mud today,” Liley said.
Caitlin Gibbons: 303-954-1638 or cgibbons@denverpost.com
