by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

February 19, 2008

Twenty athletes between ages 35 and 53 huffed, puffed, and grunted their way through four nonstop hours of athletic competition.

Playing basketball, volleyball, and Ultimate (often called Ultimate Frisbee in reference to the trademarked brand name) Feb. 3 at the Ruth Hyman JCC in Deal, there were few complaints as the participants considered their goal: raising funds for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Monmouth County’s kosher Meals on Wheels program.

The real heroes are those who rely on the Meals on Wheels program for sustenance and interaction, said Richard Krupnick of Wayside, founder of the five-year-old Pain and Suffering Tournament.

“There are people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s and they’re struggling,” said Krupnick. “For many, the meal on wheels program provides the only really nourishing food they eat on a daily basis.”

And although the players’ pain is usually gone within two weeks, the elderly population that depends on the meals program deals with the ongoing problem of isolation, he added.

“For many, the drivers who deliver the meals are their only contacts with the outside world,” said Krupnick. “That kind of isolation breeds its own kind of pain.”

On the way to raising more than $10,000 for Meals on Wheels, four teams played a total of nine games, with no breaks, except for water and a few deep gulps of air, between each match.

Krupnick, 45, a real estate developer and former board member of the JCC and JF&CS, created the tournament five years ago as a means of helping the JCC attract new members.

As interest grew in the yearly tournament, sponsors stepped in and enabled the athletes to continue the fun while raising money for the JCC’s general fund.

This year, however, a reduction in funding for the JCC Meals on Wheels program prompted the tournament participants to raise money to offset the loss, he said.

Somerset Development in Lakewood, which pledged $3,600, became the event’s main corporate sponsor.

Other sponsors donated money and supplies, including American Insulation Contractors; Beaton Brothers Wood Flooring; Carluccio, Leon, Dimon, Doyle, and Sacks, Esqs.; Cleary, Alfieri, and Jones, Esqs.; Double B Tile; FWH Associates; Just Paving; Professional Design Services; Ray Shea; the Standard Group; and Vintage Contracting of New Jersey.

The combined sponsorship money and the $36 per-person entrance fees enabled the group to meet its fund-raising goal, Krupnick said.

“Our goal was to raise $10,000, and we did it,” he said. “Everyone understood what a worthy cause the meals program is, and they all seemed to feel particularly good about helping to raise money for this program.”

This year’s tournament was exceptionally grueling and did result in some major discomfort for the athletes. Eric Abrams of Ocean Township, who broke his elbow and tore a tendon during the competition, assured Krupnick that he would be fine and ready to play in the 2009 event.

Others told Krupnick that although they were coping with bruises, muscle spasms, and other assorted aches and pains, they also plan to be around next year.

Information about the next Pain and Suffering Tournament is available from Krupnick at 732-363-6000.

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