JCC’s Pain and Suffering Tournament

Who in their right mind would enter the recent and aptly titled “Pain and Suffering Tournament,” subjecting themselves to four grueling hours of leg cramps, muscle spasms, bruises, sprains, and pulled ligaments?

Said player and Ocean Township attorney Joel Penchina, “We’re 20 middle-aged mild-mannered guys looking for a chance to get competitive and go at each other—all for a worthy cause.”

Four teams of five men competed in three different sports. Each team played each other in volleyball first. The first team to earn 16 points was awarded 20 points. The losing team earned the number of points they scored in that game. At the end of three games of volleyball the Orange team, sponsored by Just Paving, LLC, was in the lead.

Next, each team versed each other in basketball. The first team to score 16 points again earned 20 points and the other team earned the number of points they scored. At the end of basketball, the Blue team, sponsored by Professional Contracting, LLC, was in the lead by only two points over the orange.

Last, a game created by PE and Health Director Shlomo Weiss called ultimate rugby football was played. Again the same scoring rules applied After the final game, the Blue and Orange teams competed for the championship.

This final game was tremendously exciting. The winner of this game would earn the trophies and title. After competing in three games of volleyball, three games of basketball and three games of ultimate rugby football the Blue team was victorious.

The black team, sponsored by Civil Engineers, Surveyors and Planners, and the Red team, sponsored by The Standard Group were also tough competitors. All participants voted this year’s MVP to be Evan Dabby.

According to Richard Krupnick, the chair of the event, “Our Annual Pain and Suffering Event is a significant fundraiser for the Monmouth County JCC’s Meal on Wheels Program. Meals on Wheels is a lifeline for shut-ins who receive a daily warm, nutritious meal. With some generous business sponsorships, we have raised over $36,000 and hope to reach $50,000 in the next two years. That’s more than enough reward to turn our grimaces of pain into smiles of joy. It makes icing those muscles and lack of sleep from throbbing aches a lot easier to bear.”

Said Joanne Glassoff, Director of Senior Nutrition, “It is so rewarding to see these men putting out all this effort to help those who are homebound. We often hear about sacrifice, but for these men it’s truly personal.”

She added, “Meals on Wheels is one of the JCC’s most important outreach programs. Our volunteers bring smiles, greetings, and a well-appreciated personal connection to those who are otherwise isolated.”

Congratulations go out to all participants for another successful tournament. A special thanks go to Shlomo Weiss for coordinating and directing this event for the 8th consecutive year. Also, thanks go to referees Jillian Poling, Shai Galapo and Stephen Keller for their hard work. Lastly, thanks to Rena for preparing and setting up the brunch which was sponsored by 84 Lumber.