Are you WAKA's Best Customer?
Are you WAKA's Best Customer?
We have no shortage of awesome and dedicated WAKA customers who continue to amaze us with the energy and fun that they bring to their leagues. We recently got an email from California WAKA player Padraic Culham, who claims to be "WAKA's best customer in 2011". This year alone, Padraic has played in 12 WAKA leagues, has WAKA shirts in 10 colors, and just played in his 100th game of the year!
So, we want to know... can you top this? Are you WAKA's Best Customer? Let us know in the comments. We'll pick our favorites and then one winner will get a free winter season of WAKA Kickball or Dodgeball.
And don't forget to use the zip code search tool on the right side of the blog to find a winter league near you. Registration for many of those leagues is open right now with more to come. See you soon! And thank you for choosing WAKA. We appreciate it!
This awesome photo was submitted by Padraic Culham
Culham says...
Heh, amazing what a semi-sardonic comment can cause....
It was a somewhat tongue-in-cheek statement to suggest that I'm WAKA's best customer, and it came strictly from the fiscal side of things. Registration for 12 seasons in a calendar year, a Founder's Cup registration fee, and various kickball sundries; I was merely suggesting that perhaps I had provided more revenue to WAKA in a year than any other individual player.
I freely accept that there are many players who embody the spirit of WAKA/Kickball more than I do. There are many players who have played longer, played more in their kickball career, and have done more to promote and embrace the game. To all of those people: I salute and respect you!
And someday I'd really REALLY like to meet this Josh Gordon fellow. Sounds like my kind of guy.
csebilia says...
Is it the drinking? Is it the winning? Is it the drinking? Did I already say it was the drinking? Many a man and woman steps onto the WAKA diamond with the hopes and dreams of a superstar. Sure, with a ghetto rigged boom box blasting your walk up song, and a goofy pink cowboy hat, or cheap feather boa on it’s easy to feel like a kickball legend. But despite your grandmother may tell you, not everyone is special. Nay, only a chosen few rise above the austere ‘good game, ‘ ‘nice kick’ praise to truly become a WAKA Allstar, a WAKSTAR if you will. I am talking of course about Morgan Meier. In 2009, amidst crushing financial meltdown, Iranian nuclear threat, and debilitating Thursday night inactivity Morgan stood up and said, “No. Not in my town. Not to my friends. And not on Friday because we’re going out.” And with that he single handedly put together a whole team of WAKA newbs, who never even knew adults played kickball. Sure, it was slow going at first. Losing nearly every game their maiden season, but was Morgan deterred? No. Never a man more passionate about a rubber bouncy ball sport had there been or will there be. And with that unflinching commitment, dashing good looks, and rousing leadership a mere 7 seasons later he captioned his team to a championship over the previous seasons’ champions. An inspirational leader sure, you may say, but what does he do for his fellow kickball enthusiast. Well that my cynical friend, this is where Mr. Meier’s bravado truly lies. I have once seen him buy charity jello shots for a whole team, which he didn’t even know. Helping children, and lending a helping hand to the un-inebriated, a double barreled philanthropist if you ask me. But he didn’t stop there. In my own presence I have even witnessed Morgan bring a keg for a fellow kickballer’s birthday, who wasn’t even on our team. As anyone in the greater central Texas kickball scene can tell you, the pride, bliss, and vigor with which Morgan Meier approaches could make even the most calloused thug break down and weep.
Now I ask you sir or madam, is your best costumer measured in the metrics of repeat customers or seasons played? Or is your BEST customer measure by the joy and goodwill of friendly competition, an outdoor social gathering on a chilly Thursday night? If your definition of ‘best customer’ is latter as mine is, well then your answer is clear. Morgan Meier is WAKA’s best customer.
kevinflorida says...
Josh Gordon of Fort Lauderdale, no doubt.
lasorsa710 says...
Josh Gordon from Fort Lauderdale is the best customer WAKA will ever have. If you play WAKA in Fort Lauderdale then you have heard of this kickball legend. If WAKA made a calendar this guy would be on the cover. He plays in every league you can possibly image, sometimes driving over 50+ miles to play due to his dedication and love of kickball. He also owns every color shirt that WAKA has ever had. He's been playing since the beginning of WAKA here in South Florida. You could call him the "Godfather of Kickball" Josh Gordon is WAKA's Best Customer period.
fluxw says...
I'm really NEVER one to toot my own horn, so I'll let the numbers speak for themselves:
55 WAKA Seasons
450+ WAKA games
65+ WAKA Kickball Shirts hanging gracefully in my closet
12 WAKA Division Championships
10 WAKA Kickball Weddings
4 WAKA Kickball babies (thankfully, none of them my own)
2 WAKA Founder's Cup appearances (including one in the finals - 2007 Boston)
Literally HUNDREDS of WAKA friends...
1 PHENOMENAL WAKA Kickball Career...
I've loved every single bit of it, and can't wait to see what's coming in the future!
briank says...
I would have to nominate the beloved Josh Gordon who has celebrated playing his 50th WAKA season in the 2011 year (as well as adding a few more under his belt this year). For those of you comparing, that puts josh at over 450 games. I am pretty sure that josh has helped pay for someone in the WAKA’s organization kids to go to school, braces or more likely a paternity test here and there. It is not about who plays the most games, but more of who represents WAKA the best. Josh has single handily brought in hundreds of new players to South Florida. Josh was here since the beginning, plays all over South Florida and has more shirts than even I do. He remembers every team name and pretty much every player he has played with including me for a dozen plus seasons. I may have 40 plus seasons under me, but in a lot of ways I hope to never reach Josh Gordon’s legendary status in WAKA. If you are looking for WAKA’s best customer then I would be surprised if you looked any further. He doesn’t only deserve the 2011 year, but you should create the WAKA lifetime achievement award and start by giving it to him.
tizzle82 says...
If I had the opportunity to play in 12 different leagues I would. From the moment I found out about WAKA back in 2007 I haven't missed a season here in Phoenix. I have met some really great people that I can now consider life long friends. Kickball is a great way for me to get away from the stresses that life brings us. I work at a sporting goods store and they started this program called "Living the brand". When I was asked to participate I jumped to the opportunity to spread the word about WAKA and kickball. There is now a plaque hanging in the store showing my spirit and letting all of our customers know that those red balls that we sell aren't just for the kids anymore. I will continue to play the game until I die. Keep up the great work WAKA!!!
jennyd1321 says...
I have played kickball since I was 5 yrs old...and when I was told about WAKA...i jumped at the opportunity to get back into kickball!! Joined the military the summer of 2010 and am now stationed in San Antonio...but I would not let that stop me from playing! I drive an hour and a half every thursday just to get in my kickball fix...i would have to attribute that to my true dedication!! I Love Kickball!!!
mozbot says...
Paddy is a beast. I've had the "fortune" to have played with him on a couple of those teams above: The Sasquatch Fiasco and Karateam (center mint and white respectively). And he is a fine teammate. That is if you enjoy epic emails, a dedication to his teammates as well as being a pretty darn-good kickballer. - M