Courtesy of Pensacola News Journal
The field tarp which saved so many Blue Wahoos games from being postponed in recent years will soon be gifted to an area school or youth organization in a free contest.
The most creative video chosen will win it. Contest entries must tag the Blue Wahoos in the video placed on social media.
Schools or youth baseball or softball organizations must submit a fun video of 60-seconds or less, highlighting the reason for being most deserving. The winning school or organization will then be invited to pick up the tarp and transport it to the needed field location.
“This is a $7,000 or $8,000 value, so I think it’s a great opportunity for local colleges or high schools – whomever would need something like this – to be able to get this,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith. “I know that my high school was never able to afford a tarp and I think most high schools are the same way.
“I think it’s a game-changer with teams being able to pull (tarp) out (on field), then able to get baseball or softball games in that would likely never be played otherwise. And besides the benefit of game days, it will enable to teams to hold practices they might not be able to do otherwise when it rains for long periods.”
The kind of inclement weather, of course, like the Northwest Florida region is forecast to receive these next several days.
The field tarp at Blue Wahoos Stadium, complete with its covering sponsored by the Joe Zarzaur Law Firm, is the second one used in team history. The previous tarp recipient from a contest years ago was the Pensacola State College baseball team.
“They did a video where they got into a canoe on their field during a rainstorm and sang (popular nursery rhyme), ‘Row Row Row Your Boat’ and won the contest,” Griffith said. “(PSC players) then come out, put it on a trailer and drove it to the school, unrolled it, and put it on spool and that’s what they are using now.
“The winner will need to transport it. We’re giving it away and how (winning group) gets it out of here is up to them.”
In the Blue Wahoos 2023 season, despite having several games being delayed due to rain, the team played all 69 of its regular-season home games as scheduled.
The Blue Wahoos will have a new tarp in place before the 2024 season begins on April 5. As part of the Player Development License (PDL) agreement with Major League Baseball, all minor league teams are required to make periodic stadium and facility equipment upgrades. The Blue Wahoos current tarp fit into that category.
“It’s a great tarp. It worked all of last year and we were able to get all of our games with zero rainouts and we had plenty of rain,” said Griffith. “It is a workable, usable tarp.”
The Blue Wahoos’ front office staff, wearing orange “Joe Zarzaur Tarp Crew” T-shirts, covers and removes the tarp during the Blue Wahoos baseball season to ensure games can be played.
“I think it will be great training for (the team contest winner) for the future if (team members) ever wanted to work for a professional baseball team,” Griffith said. ”So I think the opportunity we’re giving them to be able to do that is a great opportunity.
“This fits our own mission. To be able to give someone in our community to have a tarp on their field meets our mission of improving the quality of life in our community.”