It's history now. If you missed it,you missed a really great day. The "Welcome To Florida,From Country to Coast" picnic was a huge success. Over 250 people enjoyed the beautiful fall weather,great food,and a wonderful time. With pony rides,hayrides,pinata,horseshoes,picture props,and great music provided by "$2 Perm",no one had time to get bored. Food provided by Fin-Atics members,Tiger Sharks staff,and restaurants managed to fill everyone's bellies. Great dishes from Applebee's,Heavenly Hams,Shells,Lindy's,Sonny's,Jim & Milt's,Taste Buds,and Wings gave the players a little taste of Tallahassee's delicious eateries. There was so much food that the extras were sent to feed the homeless at our local shelter. Thanks to Coke,sodas were available too. Thanks to Mr. Dahl,there was even a little beer. Sure did go quick too. Just as a Tiger Shark player.
The kids really had themselves a good time. Each player was assigned a partner or partners for the hayrides. A short ride along the famous canopy roads of Tallahassee was enjoyed by the players and the kids. The guys got themselves some new fans thanks to the time they spent with their partners. The parrot pinata was definitely built very well. It took Brent Cullaton to finally break it open...and that was after a few Cully swings too.
The $2 Perm band members graciously donated their time o entertain all in attendance. Their music added greatly to the gaiety of the event. Several of the numbers presented were written by the group themselves. A special thanks goes out to Anthony,Justin,Danny,and Mike for allowing us the opportunity to listen to a band on the move.
Pony rides are always a hit with kids,and this was no exception. Children were able to ride the ponies as many times as they wanted. If you were missing a child for some reason,you would find them atop one of the ponies circling the area.
Rick Oelkers graciously volunteered to blackmail as many people as were willing. He and his thrifty camera were available for picnic guests to have their pictures taken as a beach hunk or bathing beauty. Kyle Schultz and his wife got it backwards,however. Kyle is seen in a bikini bathing suit with long blond hair and lots of curves. Now we wonder who really wears the pants in his family!
One of the many highlights of the day were the games. David Thibeault,Marc-andre Gaudet,and Brent Cullaton volunteered to dress the kids in hockey equipment for a race. It became obvious who was the better clothing remover,and it wasn't Cully. David's team was the first team to finish and earned themselves a blue ribbon.
The most enjoyable game came after the hockey race. It was the kids turn to return the favor. For the first time in Florida we had French guys in camo trying to talk Southern. At least they were supposed to be talking Southern. Alexei,our Russian goalie,wasn't too good at reading English either,so his Southern lacked quite a bit. All we really could understand from the guys was "This 'ears my huntin' dog." The rest was gibbly garble. The players managed to display suck Southern traits that even WCTV (Channel 6) filmed them dressed and racing. And guys,it was even shown on national television later that night. T-bo's hat was way too small,Alexei's pants were way too big,JF had trouble guiding his horse,and Todd Kidd rode his backwards. I must admit that all of the guys who participated were really good sports and hammed it up tremendously for those of us hysterically laughing on the side-lines.
Last,but not at all least,the sand passing game was organized...well,sort of organized. Since the players were scattering,afraid they would be next for the dress up stuff,Coach Fleming and Mr. Cadrin were hauled to the front of the team lines. The big guys were supposed to grab a handful of sand and pass it to the next person...a child. The child to a player,etc. Don't let anyone tell you that Coach Fleming won't find a way around things in order to win. Somehow the kids on his team were still standing waiting for the sand...hum...wonder what happened there? T-bo's team must have aggravated or frightened one of their little ones as she threw a whole handful on the ground. Now that I think of it,how did David's team end up winning anyway? Does anyone have it on video?
Everyone quieted down a little after all the game excitement...that is until Coach Fleming,with dark shades for disguise,got up and sang with Frank Ranicky of WCTV. Needless to say,everyone circled around to see this event. Don't know that Gerry will get a major record deal,but we were impressed. Heard that his wife and daughter ran to hide when they saw what was happening. Just kidding,Coach.
Usually everyone heads on home after the events are concluded,but not this year. The players picked up the horseshoes and managed to get a great tournament going. There were lots of laughs and a few friendly quarrels.
The players all headed home tired,with some souvenirs of their day. Each of them were given a real Florida betta fish to nurture,compliments of Petland and Panhandle Pet Supply. They were told that these were fighting fish,and I think a couple of them doubted that this was so. Most of the fish made it safely to a home though. Marc-Andre still says his was the prettiest one. Mitch Fritz couldn't figure out what to feed his...tropical fish food just didn't work. Panhandle Pet Supply came to his aid with a can of Betta fish food. Mitch and Evan are enjoying their new pet.
All in all,the picnic was the best ever. Over 30 Fin-Atics members were signed up,too. The kick-off of the 2000-2001 Tiger Sharks team will go down in history...and we are all looking forward to many more picnics with the team in the future.