PAST NEWS

August 2010
Thanks for visiting the WPA.  Despite the lull in tournament action  recently, with Labor Day just around the corner, we all know what that  means... West Fest is nearly here!

The 8 or 10 team field traditionally features some of our leagues best pitchers. Some young, some old, some clueless, but they all have one common goal- to take home the Best Fest title. And on their way they will let nothing stop them, aside from too much pivo of course.

The Super Bowl of washers, which takes place every year the Friday before Labor Day, will be followed by the tourney at the grounds on Saturday. It's been a while since our league has won and I think it's about time to bring this title home as well.

February 2010
The 2010 season officially kicked off with the annual Pitch in Drippin tourney, only it wasn't in Dripping Springs. The newly renamed tourney, dubbed Washers in Whitney, featured teams with some of the most elite pitchers in our organization.  Two tournaments were held on Saturday.

In the first event, Gus and Pig Pen took 1st place, Brandon and Prez finished 2nd, and Ringer and Kahuna took 3rd.  The second tournament featured the same final four but Brandon and Prez won,  Gus and Pig Pen placed 2nd, and Smokin Joe and Goose rounded out the top 3.

Thanks to Craig for bringing back the annual gathering. It's been a few years and was much needed!

Setpember 4, 2009
Another Best Fest has come and gone but it was certainly a good one! Thanks to everyone for their participation in the Labor Day weekend festivities. The 10th annual Best Fest tourney featured a 10 team field with plenty of good washer action.

After 3 straight years, the defending Best Fest champs were knocked off by the 2 time West Fest champs. After several grueling hours of intense washer pitching, Smokin Joe & Goose were able to outlast Prez & Jonesy to take home their 3rd Best Fest title. The win puts them into a tie with Jonsey & Prez for the most all time Best Fest tourney wins and also snapped the Prez's 5 year winning streak.

Honorable mention goes out to Pig Pen & Gus for finishing 3rd, Brandon H & Mike for 4th place, and all the spectators for staying up til the wee hours of the morning all weekend.

June 27, 2009
Congrats to the WPA on it's 10 year anniversary!

For the first time ever, the WPA held a sanctioned tournament in conjunction with a fantasy football league. Yes, you heard it right, we have branched out to the football community but that shouldn't come as a surprise. The 1st annual Big 12 Fantasy Football washer tournament was held over the weekend. Sean and Brandon H came from the losers bracket to win the tourney.  Jason and Smokin Joe, though shocked, gladly accepted 2nd place.  Rounding out the top 3 were Cory and Prez. Thanks to everyone for their continued support.
May 23, 2009
Annual Memorial Day tourney was held poolside again this year with basically same results as last season. Goose and Shane took the grand prize. This was Goose and Shane's 2nd straight Memorial Day tourney win.  And just like last year, Brandon H and Prez finished 2nd place.  Kahuna and Clint placed 3rd (Kahuna finished 3rd last year as well).  No injuries to report.

May 10, 2009
Thanks to the Anderson's for their hospitality over Mother's Day Weekend. Karla's first Mother's Day was quite a memorable one.  The new grad and mother was on hand to watch 2 tournaments.  Jeff and Prez won the first, while Jeff and Tye won the 2nd tourney.  Jeff's sweep on the day marks the 3rd time someone has accomplished this in our 10 year history. [Shane (February 2004) and Brandon H (February 2007) were the other 2 to do this] 2nd place finishers on the day were Drew and Shane in tourney #1 and Shane and Ashley in tourney #2.

September 2008
Another Labor Day weekend has come and gone, but it was well worth the wait.  As usual, the weekend activities kicked off with the 9th Annual Best Fest.  Mary and Anthony gave a valiant effort to finish 2nd, but for the 3rd straight year Jonesy and Prez claimed the title.  Rounding out the top 3 were Gus and Pig Pen who have a history of pitching well in August.

It was no surprise the 40 team washer tourney at West Fest was very competitive. Brandon H and Prez tried to get the title back to the WPA but fell just short with a 2nd place finish.  It was the best showing for the WPA since Smokin Joe and Goose won back-to-back titles in 2003-2004.  

July 2008
Thanks to everyone who attended the Summer Bash to honor Tom and Addison's birthday.  There were several new faces in the 8 team tourney field, but in the end Goose and Jonesy prevailed to claim the championship. Smokin Joe and Brandon H took 2nd, while Shane and Brandon D placed 3rd.  

On a side note, there will now be 2 new members added to the WPA in 2009.  Seems as if our club just keeps getting bigger (-:

May 2008
The 6 team tourney field over the Memorial Day weekend featured some newbies as well as the original founding fathers of the WPA. Shane and Goose came from 11 down to steal the championship game away from Brandon H and Prez.  It was a very impressive showing despite nearly a 2 month layoff.  Brandon D and Kahuna finished 3rd.

Following the Memorial Day Invitational, the 2008 season is now officially half way over.  After a month or so break (due to certain WPA wedding in early July), the summer tourney has been tentatively set for July 26th.

March 2008
The 2008 WPA season is officially under way after the annual Easter Invitational. Thanks to the West Urby's for their hospitality and house warming party.  For some it was their Easter debut, but for many it was just like the good old days of past Easter meetings.  Good food, great fellowship, and plenty of Pevo to go around.

While Brandon D may have taken home the golden egg, Prez and Pig Pen won 1st place honors in pitching. Ringer and Smokin Joe were very happy with their 2nd place finish.  According to Smokin Joe, "As long as I leave any event ahead of Brandon H, my day's work is done. And that's usually not that difficult."  Rounding out the top 3 were Brandon D and Pee Wee.

September 2007
Thanks to everyone for another spectacular Labor Day weekend.  After the wind and rain subsided, Friday night was the perfect evening.  This year was extra special as it marked Addison's first Best Fest, but that wasn't the only homecoming to celebrate.  Brandon and Sam were also able to attend for the first time in quite a while, as well as many other Best Fest newbies. 

The Super Bowl of washers was exciting as usual.  The 10 team field was won by Jonesy and Prez for the 2nd straight year.  Gus and Pig Pen finished a close second; while Goose and Smokin Joe took 3rd.  Saturday was a totally different story as only 1 of our 5 teams made it into the second round.  The competition has definitely intensified the last few years, and we certainly have our work cut out for us in 2008.

February 2007
Thanks to Mark for all his work and volunteering his home. Again Kahuna cooked up a feast, first time for me to eat "goose meat chicken fried" it was awesome.. Mark's beans were very good too... Kahuna then hit us with his famous charcoaled country style pork ribs, wow... Goose, the T shirt was probably the best yet, very professional and quite comfy...Washers were pitched, Brandon seemed to dominate the tournaments (winning with both Dick and Gary); however some money games were quite interesting, seems there is a big issue over $3 and $2 and $5 wagers...Wally and I enjoyed our $1 games and stayed above water till late Saturday night...Understand the "women in Wimberley" even took a famous "buggy ride" they had fun too.  Thanks for the memories, hey Gary was the lucky one, he did not have to pull out anyone and did not have to open any autos with keys locked inside.

December 2006
Thanks to everyone for their attendance at the Gerik-Anderson wedding.  For those that were unable to attend, you missed the party of the year.  Bigger than Best Fest, the reception (aka Guest Fest) was a blast. As with all WPA events, there was plenty of pevo and food to go around.  There were no washers thrown, but rest assured we'll pick that up again soon.

September 2006
Another great Labor Day weekend has come and gone.  Jonesy and Prez claimed the 2006 Best Fest title.  The win marks the 3rd consecutive Best Fest title for Prez, each coming with a different partner.  Finishing 2nd were Smokin Joe and Goose.  The strong finish puts Smokin Joe ahead in the overall standings, with Prez and Pee Wee right behind at 2nd and 3rd place.

At West Fest on Saturday, 7 WPA teams competed in the 40 team field.  Despite not capturing the West Fest title, Smokin Joe and Goose made it to the final 4 before falling to the eventual champions.  Other notables in Saturday's tourney included Prez and Jay, Jonesy and Littleton, Rick and Karla, Brandon and Russell, Ringer and Kahuna, and Pig Pen and Gus.  Even though we didn't have the results we wanted, practicing Friday night on the ground certainly helped.

Thanks to the Geriks and everyone else involved in another successful and memorable West Fest weekend.

July 5, 2006
There were a total of 7 teams in the annual July 4th weekend tourney.  While washers have always been thrown at past WPA 4th of July gatherings, this year marked the first time for an actual sanctioned tournament.  Several rookies were on hand to participate, and they were not to be outdone.  Despite having to come from the loser's side of the bracket, Pee Wee and Jeff won their last 5 games to win the tournament.  Smokin Joe and Goose looked strong heading into the final match-up, but gladly accepted 2nd place.  Rounding out the top 3 were Brandon and JD.

January 2006
No tournament was held over the Christmas break, but New Year's Eve ended the year (or should I say started 2006) in the right direction.  2 round robin tournaments were held at RA's with Pee Wee and Prez winning the 1st, and Pig Pen and Goose winning #2.

December 2005
With deer season now upon us, the WPA is taking some time off.  On behalf of the WPA, I hope everyone gets the big buck or at least has a good time.  Despite not having a sanctioned tournament on the official schedule, as always, remember to pitch em if you've got em.

The next possible final major tournament of the year will take place Christmas Eve at the usual place in front of the usual suspects.  Washers, beer, elephants, and food.  What else could one want for Christmas?

September 2005
Best 2005 was a huge success thanks to the efforts of many individuals.  Sara and Kahuna hosted another brilliant event with their generous hospitality and delicious food.  For the 6th annual event, Kahuna and Carruth provided the musical entertainment, while Littleton and Prez organized the washer tourney.  Ok, it was mostly Jason doing the work, but the Prez was too busy winning the tourney with Anthony!  Prez took his 2nd straight Best Fest title (3rd overall), and Anthony won for the 2nd time in 4 years.  Smokin Joe and Goose took 2nd, meaning they have finished in the top 2 three of the last 4 years.  And 3rd place went to Pig Pen and Gus, who have finished in the top 3 four of the last 5 years, but have yet to win it all.  Congrats are also in order for Jonesy and Littleton for making it into the final four of the West Fest tourney on Saturday.

Not sure who finished first in the beer drinking contest, but the usual suspects gave it their best effort. Ok, I guess we'll let Goose have it since he provided the keg, but several others certainly deserve honorable mention.  For some reason, I get the feeling there's a certain group of girls from Stephenville who can hold their own.  We never got to see the keg-stand, which is probably for the best, and thankfully there are no major injuries to report either!  What can I say, every year we become a little more wise (or is it just older).

August 2005
It's hard to believe, but Labor Day is just around the corner, and we all know what that means... it's nearly time for West Fest!  And for the 3rd straight year, Best Fest (the Friday night preview party) will be live with Pat Carruth.  Carruth promises a great show and the biggest surprise in Best Fest history.  Speaking of surprises, the new 2005 WPA t-shirts should be unveiled and handed out during the Friday night gathering.

As for the pitching, Prez will try to defend his Best Fest title with a new partner, while Goose and Smokin Joe will attempt to Three-Peat at the West Fest washer tourney.  Rumor has it there may be an extra special way to beat the late summer heat this year.  So get ready to have some fun and BYOB x2 (Bring your own bathing suit!)

June 2005
With July 4th just around the corner, washer pitchers all around the state are now in full force.  More importantly for us, the WPA may finally host a sanctioned tournament this year.  The last time an official tourney was held took place way back in September 2004, when Pee Wee and Prez won Best Fest.  And oddly enough, there has never been an official 4th of July tourney in our history.  Hopefully this year we can start a new tradition.  Despite the shortened past 2 seasons, the board of directors is certain the WPA will make a comeback sometime in the near future... the sooner the better.

April 2005
With Memorial Day just around the corner, washer pitchers all around the state are getting ready for the summer season to begin.  More importantly for us, the WPA may finally host its first sanctioned tournament of the season.  The last time an official tourney was held took place way back in September 2004, when Pee Wee and Prez won Best Fest.  And there hasn't been a Memorial Day tourney since 2003, when Ringer and Kahuna were victorious.  Despite the shortened past 2 seasons, the board of directors is certain the WPA will make a comeback sometime in the near future... the sooner the better. 

January 2005
It's hard to believe the WPA is entering its 6th fabulous year.  This season may feature fewer tournaments than past years, but there's a good reason- the family is expanding.  With 2 WPA weddings in early 2005, there just isn't much time to pitch.  But don't worry, if history repeats itself, the WPA will be alive and well in May when Memorial Day kicks off the summer tour.  So between now and then, in the words of Ringer, "Pitch 'Em if You've Got 'Em.

November 2004
With winter now upon us, the WPA is gearing up for the final 2 events of the 2004 season-Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.  While the Thanksgiving Day tourney may be in question, one thing is for sure...the Christmas Eve tournament will close out the WPA's  5th season in style.  And with double points counting on Christmas Eve, the 2004 champion is still up for grabs.
 
 This season has been one of the shortest one's in WPA history, but the show must go on.  As Ringer says, pitch 'em when you can, and that's what we plan to do for the remainder of this season and in 2005.  Long live the WPA! 

September 2004 (tourney recap)
PeeWee continued his dominance in this year's shortened season by winning Best Fest 2004 with the Prez.  They were the only undefeated team on the night.  After seeing Smokin Joe and Goose bow out early, Gus and Pig Pen finished 2nd, while Jason and Jonesy took 3rd place.  Friday night also featured the music of Cat Carruth (guitar) and Kahuna (spoons).  Dede did not sing this year, and was not available for comment following the event.

The fun continued on Saturday and Sunday, with Goose and Smokin Joe winning the West Fest tourney for the 2nd straight year.  In fact, 3 of the final 4 teams in the 38 field tourney were WPA members!  Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved in the Labor Day weekend festivities.

July 2004
With Memorial Day and July 4th behind us, we turn our attention to the next big event... Best Fest 2004.  This year's competition should be even better than last year with the introduction of several new members of the WPA.  And these new members will have their hands full as they take on the some of the state's best washers pitchers.  Smokin Joe and Goose have won Best Fest 2 of the last 3 years, but that just makes this year's contest even more intense.

And who needs Kevin Fowler on Labor Day weekend when you've got Pat Carruth.  Carruth will perform live for the 3rd straight year at the Friday night party.  And of course Saturday the fun continues at the West Fest grounds.  Last year we had a great turnout, and this year should be no different, especially with the possibility of seeing Jonesy and Gus getting asked to leave...

May 29, 2004
Although the turnout was lower than past gatherings, this year's Memorial Day weekend was certainly one to remember.  Anthony started off the weekend on Friday evening by becoming the 3rd member to join the "4 in a row club." Goose, Pig Pen, Jonesy, and Kahuna were among the few that witnessed the feat.  Ironically, the record-setting toss took place on the same grounds where Goose started the club in June 2002 .  Beretta, the only other member of this elite group, accomplished this in September 2002...

No official competition was held, extending the tourney drought to 3 months, but there were few complaints. Sitting by the lake and drinking a couple cold ones (ok, maybe more than a couple) is just as much fun, especially  when you add in Kahuna's home-cooking and Pig Pen's adventurous boat rides. Oh yea, in case you haven't heard, Pig Pen is now part of a dynamic duo thanks to PeeWee.  I haven't seen shorts that dirty since...well, ever.   

February 22, 2004 (tourney recap)
The 3rd Annual Pitchin' in Drippin' tournament was held this past weekend.  For the first time in recent memory, the weather was absolutely perfect...despite Pig Pen and Goose getting together.  The "guys only" weekend kicked off Friday night for some, with the rest of the crew showing up on Saturday afternoon. 

Another first, besides gorgeous weather and Jonesy not hurting himself, were the number of tournaments in one day.  A total of 3 tournaments were held giving everyone a chance to stake their claim as the washer pitcher of the week.  After winning 2 out of 3 events, PeeWee receives that honor.  For a complete recap of the weekend and to see the official results, check out the standings page.

December 27, 2003
 Ending the Year on a High Note!
Congratulations to Smokin Joe and Joanna for tying the knot!  The turnout for our 2nd ever WPA wedding was phenomenal.  The traditional tossing of the bouquet and garter took the place of formal washer pitching.  With Ringer and Anna leading the wedding march, and Trigger leading the way to the beer line, what more could one ask for?

December 6, 2003 (tourney recap)
Champs Struggle, Is it the Changing of the Guards?
Trigger and Joey put on a brilliant performance on their way to finishing ahead of the defending champs.  With just enough on hand for an 8-team tournament, Pig Pen & Gus breezed through the tournament posting an undefeated record.  With only 1 remaining tournament on the schedule for the season, many are wondering if it's possible for the champs to fall in 2 straight matches.  Tune in Christmas Eve to find out...

September 1, 2003 (tourney recap)
Best Fest Brings Out in Best in the Champs...
After finishing 2nd last year, the defending WPA champs secured their 2nd consecutive winning season.  Smokin Joe and Goose breezed through the competition, with their only challenge coming from 2nd place finishers Gus and Pig Pen.  3rd place went to Beretta and Prez.  Cat Carruth's music was entertaining as usual, the weather was nice, the pitching was great, and the beer was even better (according to Jonesy and Smokin Joe)...  

The West Fest tournament featured 3 teams from the WPA- Littleton and Jonesy, Gus and Pig Pen, and Smokin Joe and Goose.  And in the only the 2nd year of participation, Joe and Goose overcame 29 other teams to win the tourney.  Congrats to them and everyone who participated!

May 18, 2003 (tourney recap)
The End of an Era...
The WPA gathered to celebrate the Prez's graduation from college.  8 teams battled it out and Smokin Joe and Goose won a tourney that was shortened because of time issues.  Beretta and Prez took 2nd, and Mary and Anthony finished 3rd.  Little E made his 1st appearance of 2003 and pitched well with Pig Pen.  The tournament was a good warm-up for the upcoming Memorial Day festivities.  Thanks to everyone for their attendance, and a special thank you to Cat Carruth for his live music.    
[attendance: 33- season high]

April 20, 2003 (tourney recap)
No Easter Eggs, But Plenty of Ringers...
The winning streak has finally come to an end.  After 10 straight wins to start the season, the defending WPA champs lost.  Despite only losing 1 game in the tournament (which featured 6 teams), it cost them the monthly title.  Beretta and Prez went 5-0 on the night to end their pitching slump and claim a tournament win...In other news, the twins took 3rd place (the highest finish ever for a female duo).
[attendance: 30]

February 9, 2003 (tourney recap)
Pitchin In Drippin'...
It was certainly a memorable weekend for several WPA'ers as the 2nd Annual "Men's Only" Dripping Springs gathering took place.  Pig Pen graciously welcomed the men of the WPA to his place, where they witnessed an all to familiar showing from Goose & Smokin Joe.  For only the 2nd time in WPA history, a season has started with the same duo winning the first two events (Beretta & Prez, 2001).  While the Cuddly Cousins went undefeated again, PeeWee and D'Wayne placed a strong 2nd for the highest finish of their career.  

Apparently someone forget to tell D'Wayne that this was Pitchin in Drippin, and not Sippin in Drippin.  I guess it's true what they say, sometimes the more you drink the better you pitch!  Needless to say, everyone had a good time, thanks in part to Smokin Joe's keg, Jeff's hot sauce, and Kahuna's pork ribs.  It was a little disappointing, though... no hungry caterpillar this year )=    
[attendance: 17]   

January 19, 2003 (tourney recap)
4th Season Begins The Way It All Started...
The WPA's inaugural tournament in the summer of '99 featured a phenomenal showing of Smokin Joe and Goose.  Some things never change.  Despite a smaller season opener than in year's past, the Cuddly Cousins won the 1st event of the season.
[attendance: 25]   

January 8, 2003
Another WPA Wedding!
The year is just barely underway, and we already have good news... Joe and Joanna are tying the knot! It's been a while since the last WPA wedding, and the next one is just right around the corner! 

December 25, 2002
We celebrated Christmas to close out 2002 at Richard and Anna's.  No washers were pitched, but the Prez finally spoke. Click here to get his final thoughts on the 2002 season.

Congrats to Smokin Joe and Goose on their 2002 Championship season!

September 1, 2002  (tourney recap)
This year's 'Best Fest' was one for the ages!  The Friday night party featured the live music of Cat Carruth and drew an enormous crowd.  The largest crowd of the season also witnessed some very good washer pitching.  Goose and Smokin Joe fought their way to the championship game for the 2nd straight year, but A&M was just too much to handle.  Anthony and Mary went undefeated on the evening on their way to their 1st win of the season.  After the tournament was over, Beretta became the 2nd person in WPA history to throw 4 consecutive ringers.  Although it was in non-tournament play, it was all caught on tape thanks to the Prez.  On a side note, Littleton struggled in his WPA debut, and Gus & Pig Pen finished 6th out of 9 teams, but would Saturday bring better luck?
[attendance: 37]

The 1st annual West Fest WPA tournament drew 26 teams.  I'm proud of how our members pitched, but these guys were good!  The highest a WPA team finished was 6th place (Pee Wee & Happy).  Gus & Pig Pen were inconsistent for the 2nd consecutive day, and rumors are circulating that the team may soon part ways.  Littleton & Jonesy had an amazing run, but came up just short with only 3 games remaining.          

July 12, 2002
It's official- there will be a washer pitching contest at West Fest! I received confirmation earlier this week.  It will start at 2:00 pm Saturday, August 31 and finish sometime that evening.  

June 30, 2002 (tourney recap)
History in the making...
The WPA has been waiting 3 years and 4 days for the perfect game... and Saturday night it finally happened.  For the 1st time in WPA history (since it's conception on June 25, 1999), someone threw 4 consecutive ringers.  And it was only fitting that the Vice President, who accomplished the amazing feat, also walked away the winner of the tournament, along with Smokin Joe.  2nd place went to Pig Pen and Dirty Harry, and 3rd place to Prez & Jonesy.  The WPA thanks you for your attendance at the birthday party honoring Prez, Joanna, Squeaks, No-Bangs, & Westin!              
[attendance: 22]