Featured photo:The Flint Central Class of 1983 committee are, l to r: Kena Powell, Michelle Ruffin, Rhonda Willingham and Elaine Matthews. The name of their kickball team is ’83 Balls a Flyin’, all team members are Central graduates. Their 1st opponent is the Flint Central Class of 1985. Teams other than school teams are welcome.
Written by L.M. Land
Flint Central High School’s class of 1983 welcomes you to an old-fashioned “Back in Time to 1983 family friendly Kickball Kickback, where somebody is going to get beat 83 different ways, Central Indian style,” according to the organizers, Rhonda Willingham, Michelle Ruffin, Kena Powell and Elaine Matthews.
“This is the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the reason we chose that particular date is to try to give people who are home for the holidays and spending time with friends and family something fun and different to do,” explained Willingham. “This is kind of a play on that old-back-in-the-day ‘turkey day’ Northern and Central game.”
The Kickball Kickback games are at 6 p.m. on November 24, in the Greater Heights Academy gym at 3196 W. Pasadena Ave., in Flint. Everyone is welcome to participate.
The old time excitement of cheering for your team, listening to the cheerleader chants, a concession stand for snacks and more can be yours for one night. Admission is $10, and persons 10 and under get in for 83 cents.
“We are excited to bring that [experience] back.” Willingham continued. “I think that is an important part of what Flint schools were built on. We are all products of the Flint Schools, and it’s just a healthy recreational program. We all played it in gym, and we just kinda want to bring back some of that, what we call old-school nostalgic fun. Another benefit of kickball is that all fitness levels can play.”
We all talked about our nostalgia surrounding playing kickball as kids, where all you needed was a ball to play; the sewer covers and curbs were the bases.
Anyone aged 50 or over, of any fitness level can register as a team to play. There are few spots left. It costs only $25 to register a team. Each team has 10 persons, and can be made of any type of group aged 50 or above. Registration deadline is November 10.
They also invite people with pompoms and enthusiasm. Do you remember your old pompoms? Dust them off to cheer for your team, or make your own.
“We just want to bring that back, those days in the gym and that atmosphere,” explained Willingham.
A student at Greater Heights Academy will sing the national anthem. A DJ will be playing songs from the 80s, and T-shirts, popcorn and other concessions will be for sale as well. Dust off your pennies as most concession items will be 83 cents! Also planned is a 50/50 raffle.
The kickball team that wins first place receives a trophy and a monetary award. The Jive Turkey award will go to the loser, who will also have to chant a school song to the winners. In addition, the loser will receive a financial award to use for their graduate year events.
“The Flint Central class of ’83 looks for ways to interact on a regular basis. It’s not just a one thing and then everybody goes their separate ways for 10 years and then come back together. The committee looks for ways to continuously interact and stay connected, as well as raise money for our class.” explained Willingham. They have also been known to take over restaurants for 8-hour stretches.
“Life is precious and we are just about embracing and taking opportunities to interact and fellowship with one another, and not waiting. Because a lot can happen from one year to a next. year.”
Willingham then showed the back of the T-shirt created by the team, which reads “In Memory of Our Beloved Classmates, You Are…Forever An Indian.”
The chair of The Flint Central Class of ’83 Committee is Pastor Brian Willingham of Bristol United Methodist Church and Christ United Methodist Church. The co-chair is Kevin Galloway.
Call Rhonda Willingham at 810-513-1431, or Kena Powell at 810-287-0017 to enroll for a kickball team, as a cheerleader or to volunteer.
