Elizabeth Dedert: Today, I am joined by Ed Goeke, president of the SGF Kickball, a volunteer-based kickball organization. Thank you so much for joining me today, Ed.
Ed Goeke: Thanks, Elizabeth. It's good to be here.
Dedert: Of course. Now, let's talk about SGF Kickball. You guys are an organization that comes together ages from — eight-years-old is the youngest, all the way up to parents over in Phelps Grove Park. Can you just give me a little bit of a background and exactly what is going on over there?
Goeke: So, the event coming up for SGF Kickball is an event where we're "Just for Kicks" getting together with the defending champions of the most recent SGF Kickball tournament. That always takes place, Elizabeth, either the third or fourth weekend on a Sunday in April. We do it once a year, and we're really trying to encourage all neighborhoods to develop their own team because, really, what we're about is connecting people through play and just building community through play. And it's a great way to get to know your neighbors. So, this coming Thursday. It'll be a week from today, I think that's the 30th, at 7 p.m., just after supper, everybody's gathering over there near the tennis courts in Phelps Grove Park. There's a backstop there, and we're just going to mix it up and have a little fun, a little scrimmage with the defending champs from Phelps Grove. They call themselves the Phelps Grove Galaxy. And a good veteran behind the scenes on radio, Mike the Intern, is their coach, Mike Holmes.
Dedert: I was reading about that, yeah.
Goeke: So, he said, "yeah, bring it, let's do this and have some fun with people." But it's not just for Phelps Grove, and it's not just for teams that have already organized, it's for everybody. So, come out, even if you don't plan to play, bring a lawn chair, and just enjoy an evening of fun with like-minded neighbors.
Dedert: Now, I have the flyer right here. You guys are going to have prizes and refreshments and all kinds of fun things that are going to be popping up.
Goeke: Mike Holmes was helpful in this regard. We got a couple of gift certificates to give away. We'll do a raffle on that. The refreshments are going to be pretty low-key, and it's probably just going to be sports drinks and waters and stuff like that. But, you know, we figured, people just ate, it's time to get some exercise, come on out.
Dedert: Now, we were talking a little bit before here, but SGF Kickball kind of originated from just two guys kind of challenging each other back in 2019. Can you give a little bit more of a backstory for those?
Goeke: Now, Bobbi and my good friend Kevin Evans, Bobbi Ream and Kevin Evans, were talking about how can we get neighbors more involved — getting out and knowing each other and doing things? So, Kevin challenged Bobbi's neighborhood to a kickball tournament. There was some smack talk that went down in emails and things like that. And they decided, "okay, let's do this." Then they invited some more of their friends from two other neighborhoods.
The original footprint was four centrally located neighborhoods in Springfield. And these were through neighborhood associations, which a lot of people confuse. Let me just say, Elizabeth, a lot of people confuse that with an HOA, homeowners' association. That's not what neighborhood associations are in Springfield. Neighborhood associations are really built for the neighbors to get to know one another and to advocate for each other, for whatever's going on in their neighborhood. So, we bring a positive energy as this has developed over six or seven years.
We now had at least 13 to 14 neighborhoods participate. We've even had hospitals and schools participate, believe it or not. One of my favorite names endured for a couple of years ended up being the Mercy Toe Jammers. A social worker decided to gather a group of kids and parents and they came and played. Isn't that a great name?
Dedert: That is an amazing name. Just talking about past things, not even just what is going on next Thursday, what has been your favorite event, something that you weren't expecting the whole entire neighborhood to show up — what has been in the past sixish years that has been the most fun event for you?
Goeke: Great question. What has pleased me and surprised me is the level of commitment we have with a committee that meets monthly. They do this year-round. Some of my better friends are a part of this committee that meet to make things happen. So, that's been some real glue to hold this whole thing together. We're completely nonprofit, grassroots, don't have any funding from the city or anyone else. We just raise our own funds, so that's been a delight. But really, the bottom line is, every April we get together, and we host a tournament at Meadow Park Sports Complex. We do this annually and have done it consistently for six or seven years. And that to me is the highlight.
Dedert: From what I was looking through, and you gave me the kickball rules, so I kind of saw it from my own picture, where you guys have some non-traditional trophies. You have what you guys called "The Bobbi", which for those who are listening is a gold-painted shoe.
Goeke: That's right.
Dedert: Where did that originate from?
Goeke: Well, remember Bobbi and Kevin, I mentioned the two founders. Kevin, I think, of course, challenged Bobbi to assemble a kickball team in her neighborhood, Meadow Park, and Kevin brought his energy from Delaware. They were two of the original neighborhoods. Kevin one day shows up, says, "I need a shoe. You have an old shoe?" And of course, Bobbi had no idea what he was talking about. But she found an old, you know, athletic shoe of hers that she really wasn't wearing anymore and threw it at him. And he says, "this will work fine." So, he goes away, and Kevin, being the creative soul that he is, took that shoe and mounted it on a piece of walnut, I think he spray-painted it gold at the time. We've since then updated it and enhanced the trophies, so we have plaques for every championship winner. This year it was Phelps Grove, so their name's on there with 2026 as the reigning champions for the kickball tournament. But that's how it all started. And it's now bronze, believe it or not. It's a bronze shoe. Pretty intense, pretty serious. And that's the coveted trophy that everybody's playing for in the tournament.
Dedert: For those in general who would love to join, maybe Thursday, but also just in general, where can they kind of join or get more and more information?
Goeke: Good, good question, Elizabeth. The best place to go to find out what's happening is Facebook. So, just type in your search engine or your search menu on Facebook, SGF Kickball, and it should pop right up. There's a public page there. You can download lots of info, including a release form that everybody has to sign if they're going to actually play in the tournament. Now, next Thursday, no signatures needed. Just show up. We're just going to have a scrimmage and have fun together. And really, we'll take any age, eight or up. We don't want little ones getting injured or anything. So, eight to 88. I mean, we've, we have some old dogs out there playing kickball, believe it or not.
Dedert: Wow, that's, that's incredible. Now, you have this also this Neighborhood News that you gave to me, that you were awarded an award for NUSA National down in Jacksonville, Florida. We were talking a little bit before that. But can you explain what awards you won? And what does that mean not only you as the president, but for this organization as a whole?
Goeke: Well, its credibility, I think, down, bottom line. And this all came out just out of us searching on a monthly basis. How can we get the word out of SGF Kickball? What is available to us? And we had already won a local award for best collaborator. This is with the Community Partnership, the Ozarks CPO, great organization. They'd awarded us, I think in 2023, best collaborator. We had a local award. And we thought, well, let's see what else is out there. We're looking for grant money and those sorts of things. And one of our members, I think it was Kevin, discovered this opportunity through Neighborhoods USA. That's what NUSA stands for. They're an organization that's 50 years strong. They were having their 50th anniversary down in Jacksonville back in 2025. So, we got to looking at it realized we need to apply. So, quickly, we put together an application, described what we did, and they thought, well, this is this is pretty good and original. We want you to come present as a finalist for best social revitalization neighborhood program. We were competing against cities that had staff. That does that — does this kind of work. We were really, I think, the only volunteer grassroots group there that I knew of. And we just came and had fun like we always do and presented what we do and why we do it, and they gave us first place.
Dedert: Wow, I mean, just congratulations, because I'm sure, obviously, over the years, you've had so much hard work and determination just trying to bring the youth of Springfield together. Not only the youth but also those who are older, like you said, all the way up to, you know, 88 years old. You have created this safe place, the safe haven for those. And I just think that is just amazing. Is that, as president, the most rewarding thing that you have that organization and to bring all ages and all sizes and groups together?
Goeke: Well, it's great to be rewarded. It's awesome to see, you know, children of all ages, eight to 88, out participating. But I think the most rewarding thing for me is seeing how friendships and bonds are created among neighbors and across neighborhoods. Through this effort, we see a lot of the same faces every year. And we always are interested in seeing new neighborhoods get involved. This is a perfect opportunity this a week from Thursday, again, seven o'clock, Phelps Grove Park, just show up. And if you've got a lawn chair with you, if you're not planning to play, that's fine. Just come ready to kick some kickballs and have a good time. That's really what we're about.
Dedert: If you're interested in joining the "Just for Kicks" Summer Scrimmage with the Champs, it will be held in Phelps Grove Park near the tennis courts from seven to eight p.m. But again, I was joined by Ed Goeke, president of the SGF Kickball Club. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Ed Goeke: It's good to be here, Elizabeth. Thanks.
