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Tournament Program
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Saturday July 22, 2006
Kick Asphalts (3)
(VA Dominion Division)
vs
Off in Public (2)
(DC Rock Creek Division)
Kick Asphalts
2006 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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Tournament Program
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Saturday July 23, 2005
Kick Asphalts (5)
(VA Dominion Division)
vs
Off in Public (2)
(MD Bethesda Division)
Kick Asphalts
2005 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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Tournament Program
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Saturday August 21, 2004
Kick Asphalts (19)
(VA Dominion Division)
vs
N.A.D.S. (1)
(VA Triumph Division)
Kick Asphalts
2004 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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Saturday September 13, 2003
My Left Foot (17)
(DC Capital Division)
vs
Happy Fun Ball (3)
(VA Alexandria Division)
My Left Foot
2003 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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Saturday August 17, 2002
Milk Money Millionaires (2)
(DC Potomac Division)
vs
Pity the Fool (1)
(VA Dominion Division)
Milk Money Millionaires
2002 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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Saturday August 18, 2001
Pity the Fool
(VA Dominion Division)
vs
?
(?)
Pity the Fool
2001 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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Thick Femur (1)
(DC Capital Division)
vs
After School Specials (0)
(DC Capital Division)
Thick Femur
2000 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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After School Specials (7)
(DC Capital Division)
vs
Keg Kickers (6)
(DC Capital Division)
After School Specials
1999 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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Thursday July 30, 1998
The Big Kids (4)
(DC Capital Division)
vs
Kickin' Chicken (2)
(DC Capital Division)
The Big Kids
1998 Founders Cup
World Kickball Champions
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The History of the Founders Cup
The WAKA Founders Cup is awarded annually to the
kickball team winning the World Kickball Championship in the Spring/Summer season.
Few trophies in the world can compare with the history and mystique of
kickball's Founders Cup. The Cup's power and grace, smooth lines, and solid luster all combine to epitomize
the commitment, dedication to a cause, and excellence required of champions in the world's best known playground
sport - kickball.
The trophy was crafted by some of the world's finest silversmiths
in the Kashmir region of India. It is a 12" tall, sterling silver, wide-mouthed half-gallon grail with intricately
designed handles, base, and rim. The Irish Lord O'Casey purchased and brought the trophy to Dublin in the early 19th
century and used it to celebrate the champions of his own private estate sports tournaments. So revered was the Cup
by fellow Lords and commoners alike, it is not surprising that O'Casey eventually lost possession of it. It is
unclear whether the Cup was lost due to play in an
Inter-Estate Tournament, or if it was stolen by one of the participants or guests. From there, more than 50 years
later, the trophy mysteriously made it to the Americas soon after the end of the American Civil War. Rumor has it that
the Cup served as a prize both for local baseball and later, soccer teams, at different times during its stay in the
United States.
The Cup's recent history starts, of course, with the founders for which
it is named. Having played kickball all their lives, these four young men started the kickball league that would soon
be known simply by its acronym, WAKA. In appreciation of the time and energy that the founders donated to the league and
the sport in general, a group of players suggested that the first WAKA season's championship team receive a trophy titled,
the Founders Cup. So, after a long and varied life, the Cup finally made its way to WAKA and debuts to this day as the
World Kickball Championship Founders Cup.
The one constant throughout the silver grail's
life has been its unique status in the sports world. "It's unique because there's no other kickball trophy like it," said
David Lowry, WAKA's Executive Director. That kind of history has built the legend and aura that surrounds the Cup today.
Jimmy Walicek, another of WAKA's National Directors, relates that one of the many traditions associated with the Founders
Cup is its presentation to the winning team during the awards ceremony - the Cup is filled to the rim with fine ale. After
the team drinks in the sweet victory, the Cup is hoisted above the players' heads. "It's a sign of victory not just for
the players, but the fans as well," said Walicek.
Arguably, the Founders Cup is a metaphor
for kickball itself. It has endured spirited celebration, suffered a pulled hamstring, sprained an ankle, and shows a few
scars and bruises, yet it is still the shining silver embodiment of kickball's style, valor, and glory. Like the game-weary
WAKA player in grass-stained shorts and sweaty socks it always returns the next year to play again.
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