Eight players from New England over the weekend braved the rain and wind for more than 25 hours to break the World Record for the longest Wiffle Ball Game to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut.
The game, played at Fontaine Field in Norwich, CT, lasted 25 hours, 4 minutes and 53 seconds to surpass the old record of 24 hours. After 150 innings, Rutland Country Store Red defeated Rutland Country Store Blue 334 to 251.
This is the second “World Record” event organized by Robert DeAngelis of Rutland Town, VT, who also coordinated the record breaking longest marathon baseball game played in July of 2011. Mr. DeAngelis asked Special Olympics Connecticut staff member Jackie Turro, a long-time family friend, about bringing the event to Connecticut after he had difficulty securing a playing field in Vermont.
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Turro said she was honored to have Special Olympics Connecticut involved.
“I was thrilled to be able to help him get a field to try and break the record but even more excited when he asked if I’d be willing to play,”Ms. Turro said. “It was an amazing opportunity that not many people get to experience.”
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The game started on Saturday Sept 8 at 9:30 a.m. and didn’t end until 10:30 a.m. the next day. But much of the state was drenched with severe thunderstorms Saturday evening, threatening to postpone the World Record bid.
"We were very worried about the weather,” Mr. DeAngelis said. “To comply with Guinness rules, the game had to be continuous. Thunderstorms would have meant cancelling everything. But we were willing to play through the rain, and thankfully that’s all we got.”
DeAngelis praised his teammates and the event volunteers. “A lot of hard work goes into making an event like this successful, and I’m thankful to everyone involved for their support, especially all the players and volunteers who traveled from out of state,” he said, adding that he is already looking to 2013, where he plans to break the record for the longest indoor soccer game.
This event was sponsored by the Rutland Country Store of Rutland Town, VT.
