Today I’ve got a couple of follow-ups to write about.

Last week’s column was about the teen pizza taste-off, held at the Villa Park Library. A group of about 50 teens sampled pizza from several Villa Park pizzerias and rated them on various criteria. I had hoped to list the results today, but as of press time, they were still being compiled.

However, I did have a chance to talk to Jean Jansen at the library, who coordinated the event.

“I am still in awe of how smoothly things proceeded this time as compared to the last time we held the event,” she said.

“The kids in attendance seemed to be a very good group overall, and I think the number present was just about perfect for the event in terms of space and amount of pizza to go around.”

I’ll report the results as soon as they are completed.

Another fun event was held July 19, at Lions Field. Steve Munsie of the Villa Park Parks and Recreation Department organized a mud volleyball tournament that had a great turnout. The day started out very wet and delayed the start of the tournament, but otherwise the games were played and everyone had a great, muddy time.

Eight teams competed in a double-elimination tournament. Each team was guaranteed two matches.

It was really amazing to watch the players in all that mud. At times, the game was like a typical volleyball game, and then there were plays when a player would go after the ball and literally get stuck in the mud, unable to move to bump the ball over the net.

The sounds were interesting too — lots of squishy mud oozing through body parts. It was funny to watch the ball land in the mud. It kind of made a “thump” sound and just stayed put. No rolling away from the playing field.

The players had a great time.

“I had very positive response from the teams,” Munsie said. “I got a comment that it was great to have such an event for adults. Another said it was the best time ever. Win or lose, each team went home with a smile on their face. This is definitely an event we are already considering to run again next year, and we are looking at ways to make it better.”

Liz Pahnke, camp director for the Parks and Recreation Department, formed a team with a group of camp counselors.

“Mud volleyball was amazing,” she said “Our team didn’t have a lot of volleyball playing experience, but we decided that it would be fun. There are no regrets on our part. We had so much fun.

“The mud was almost up to our knees, and it was so hard to move. It was all over our hands, arms, hair — everywhere. We had too much fun to complain and will play again next year.”

Paul Krzesaj was also playing with a group of friends on a team called No More Bets.
They ended up winning the tournament and received the first-place trophy.

“This is my first time, but it won’t be my last time. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. There are places where the mud is really deep and you just can’t move like you normally would,” Krzesaj said.

“Overall, the event was a great success,” Munsie said. “The rain slowed things down at first, but once it stopped, the day went very smoothly.”