By WESLIE STRATTON
Moapa Valley Progress
The fifth annual Mesquite Rotary Mudd Volleyball competition is set to take place on May 12 beginning at 10 a.m. behind the Eureka Casino Resort Hotel.
The family-friendly event will feature teams made up of locals including members of the Mesquite police and fire departments.
Event co-chair Linda Gault said that the two departments will face off in challenge matches.
“Whoever wins two out of three will win a tall trophy and will be our Studs of the Mud of the year,” Gault said.
The “traveling trophy” has been passed between the two departments over the years and has a plaque identifying previous winners.
“[They] have a wonderful time!” Gault said.
The event was originally organized as a fundraiser for Beaver Dam High School which has been adopted by the Mesquite Rotary as part of a leadership program for the organization.
“The school district is very small,” Gault said. “Funding is limited and they have had to cut back on things.”
Gault first thought of the idea of mud volleyball as a way to raise money to provide additional landscaping for the school to enhance its exterior.
“It’s a fundraiser to help our [beautification] endeavor,” she said.
With proceeds from the event the Mesquite Rotary has assisted Beaver Dam students who are members of the Rotary’s Interact Club to plant foliage around the school and to continually care for the landscaping.
Gault said that the whole idea is to get students involved with planting and weeding.
“It instills a sense of community,” she said.
The first event five years ago had six participating teams. Gault said that people were hesitant to participate because they had never heard of playing volleyball in the mud.
“It isn’t really mud because we don’t have the right dirt here,” she said. “It’s more like dirty water.”
People came to watch anyway and got excited about it. This year’s event has 22 teams registered to compete so far.
Several businesses are sponsoring the event including the Eureka Casino Resort Hotel where the four volleyball pits will be located. A DJ will be playing music and there will be a bounce house available as well as concessions for purchase.
“It’s going to be an interesting fun day,” Gault said.
Contestants can register in teams of six until May 9 by contacting Gault by phone at (307) 760-9544 or by email at lindakgault@gmail.com.
The cost is $180 per team or $30 per person. Individuals without a team can contact Gault about availabilities on a sponsored team. Gault is requesting that teams come up with a fun team name as the winning team will receive special recognition and awards will be given for first, second and third place winners. Competitors will register at 9 a.m. the day of the event where they will receive an event logo t-shirt.
