Super Day at Tidy Bowl XXXI

Tradition rules at the Tidy Bowl.
(Click the pictures to see a larger view.)
JP, Sam, Brent, Wese, PA, Billy, and Bruce at the very first Tidy Bowl
(Gail took the picture).
Way back in 1977 we had our first Tidy Bowl, a flag football game played on Super Sunday. This picture is Tidy Bowl I (10 years behind the Super Bowl), played bare-foot and in the mud. This is the before-shot—we never took the after shot, since the game ended when I sprained my ankle. At the end of the game, we were covered in mud and the name “Tidy Bowl” seemed apropos. We started the tradition to get us all in the mood to watch the network extravaganza that the Super Bowl has grown into. Over the years we’ve had anywhere from 8 to 30 participants, with the down-side of the participation level now being filled in with next-generation players (our kids). This year we had a great time at Tidy Bowl XXXI and the game, as usual, ended in a tie. Tyler Strause both played and took photographs. Here's the red team in their huddle with Kyle providing patterns for his ends.

Red team in huddle. Photo by Tyler Strause
Each year we have these goals:

Have fun
Don’t get hurt
Make the teams even
Have as many people catch passes as possible
End the game in a tie

Heavy rushing provided by PA and Kellen with JP blocking. Photo by Tyler Strause
We start playing around noon, take a half-time break, and continue playing until the game is tied or until around 2:30PM—time for us to collect our aching bodies and make our way to Chuck and Jocelyn’s for the Super Bowl viewing.

Gail, Sara, Kellen and Paul: a flag football playing family. Photo by Linda Strause

Tidy Bowl XXXI Participants. Photo by Tyler Strause
Tyler has posted his all of his Tidy Bowl XXXI shots online here.