Enter or join a team for Hog Splash coming August 25 to Slovacek Sausage in Snook. August in Texas. It’s hot. It’s humid. It’s almost unbearable. Here’s a unique way to cool off from the heat, drink beer, then work it off with some exercise while getting down and dirty for a good cause: Hospice Brazos Valley and Slovacek Sausages’s 2nd annual Hog Splash MUDD Volleyball Tournament.
Who could be more appropriate to co-sponsor a Hog Splash ~ MUDD Volleyball tournament than local purveyors of the popular pork product Slovacek Sausage? Before the heat of the day arrives, 28-plus teams will converge on a pasture behind Slovacek’s Snook location that’s been converted into six MUDD volleyball pits. Into them teams from around the Brazos Valley will roll amid squeals, splashes, sausage and beer … all for a good cause.
“We had a really, really good time,” enthuses Dr. Scott Lingren, owner of Venus Pest Company, and a player in last year’s inaugural tournament. “The first thing you figure out is the MUDD is a pretty good equalizer. It keeps you from being mobile, so it’s all about strategy and where you put people. It was August so it was super hot, but having the pit of MUDD and water to play in made it bearable – it’s more muddy water. It was like a big outdoor party. It was fun!”
Interested in playing but don’t have enough people for an entire team of 10? No worries. This year, Hospice Brazos Valley will match single players with teams in need of extra mudders.
“It’s a community event,” explains Kim Augsburger, Manager of Fund Development and Public Relations at Hospice Brazos Valley. “If a team has trouble filling spots on their roster, a single player will be assigned to that group.”
Augsburger sees Hog Splash as a way to educate the young people in our community about the services that Hospice Brazos Valley provides. Lingren knows firsthand the benefits of the cause behind the Hog Splash fun. When his father needed end-of-life care, Lingren turned to Hospice Brazos Valley, a non-profit health care organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of central Texas residents who have a terminal or chronic illness. Hospice Brazos Valley provides numerous services including palliative medical consultation, skilled nursing, personal and spiritual care, and grief and bereavement support.
“They definitely serve a function that we need to have,” says Lingren. “The first thing they did was organize all of the medications; that was a lot of help because it gets very complicated. They also provided general nursing care at home. We didn’t have to go to the hospital.”
Lingren notes that it’s not all about medical and logistical support: “They told me what to expect in the final stages,” he recalls. “You think you know, but you don’t. It’s like having a backup army of people; you call, and soon after, they show up.”
Augsburger wants more people to know the Hospice Brazos Valley story so they can be there when families are in need. “We are a non-profit, community owned agency and take pride in the fact that we are good stewards of the money we raise. It all goes right back into patient care,” admits Augsburger. Proceeds from last year’s event helped establish Hospice Brazos Valley’s inpatient facility, and this year the funds will continue to support the facility, home care patients and bereavement services – all services that are available to everyone in the community regardless of their ability to pay.
Regardless of the score or who’s left standing caked in MUDD at the end of the day, participants of the event will have a lot of fun while knowing their money – and sweat – are going to a great cause.
WHAT
Hospice Brazos Valley’s Hog Splash MUDD Volleyball Tournament
WHEN
August 25, 8 a.m.
WHERE
Snook, behind Slovacek Sausage, off of FM 60
HOW
Register a team to play or be a sponsor for a team. Proceeds from the event will support continued care of Hospice Brazos Valley patients.
Hog Splash will take place rain or shine. Teams not competing can enjoy the food, beverages, and beer vendors on site. No charge for spectators!
For more information, visit hospicebrazosvalley.org.
