10th Annual Will Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament Announced
Donate Today | Sign Up via Email
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After successful runs the past nine years, the Will Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament returns for its 10th annual event on Nov. 10. Play is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m., and the event will take place again at UVA’s historic Lambeth Field.
Proceeds from this year’s tournament will benefit two great causes. Not only will proceeds be donated to the UVA HELP Line (like from previous tournaments), a non-profit, student-run crisis hotline, but also new in 2018 is the goal to fund college scholarship money for one ore more Harlem Lacrosse students in Will’s memory.
“Coming up on the 10th anniversary of the Will Barrow Flag Football Tournament, we are all very proud of what this event has turned into,” said UVA senior defensemen Griffin Spolansky. “The cause is near and dear to the hearts of everyone involved in the program and we are really proud of the fact that we can raise money and awareness in Will Barrow’s honor.”
The UVA HELP Line is an anonymous, confidential telephone service serving the residents of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University of Virginia. It is affiliated with UVA’s Madison House. HELP strives to provide callers with an empathetic ear for any sort of issue they wish to discuss and on finding long-term services in the community for callers, such as counseling services, medical services or drug treatment programs.
UVA men’s lacrosse’s ties run deep with Harlem Lacrosse. UVA head coach Lars Tiffany is on the advisory board, while Hall of Famer and former UVA head coach Dom Starsia is on the executive board. UVA alum, Own Van Arsdale, currently works as the program director for Harlem Lacrosse. The mission of Harlem Lacrosse is to empower the children who are most at risk for academic decline and dropout, encouraging them to rise above their challenges and reach their full potential.
After the tournament raised nearly $10,000 nationwide during the inaugural event, tournament founder Max Pomper was awarded the IMLCA Boston Market Humanitarian Award for his efforts. The award was created to recognize student-athletes for their strategies and efforts in addressing community needs with campus-based efforts.
“The hotline has been underfunded for 17 years with no sponsorships,” said Pomper upon the creation of the tournament in 2009. “We want to honor our friend Will Barrow and spread awareness of suicide prevention. With the HELP hotline, there is an outlet for people in need in times of crisis around UVA and the Charlottesville area. This is something we wish Will would have known about.”
As a fourth-year player in 2008, Barrow was a captain of a squad that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. He was considered one of the top defensive midfielders in the country throughout his career. During his senior season, he finished with a career-high 28 ground balls, while scoring seven goals and adding three assists. Following the season, he was selected in the second round of the Major League Lacrosse draft by the Chicago Machine and appeared in five games during his rookie year. He appeared in 63 games during his UVA career and scored 18 goals with seven assists. Barrow also was a member of the Cavaliers’ 2006 NCAA Champion team.
The tournament costs $175 per team with a roster minimum of seven people per team for the 7-on-7 tournament. There will be a BBQ and a lot of other great food served while the tournament is taking place. The winning team will receive special “Champion” t-shirts.
All inquiries can be sent to wbmemorial2018@gmail.com. Donations are welcome via the tournaments official GoFundMe page: gf.me/u/mqkgst