The scent of barbecue, the sounds of music and the ringing of whistles wafted from Lambeth Field on an uncharacteristically warm Saturday afternoon last weekend as the men's lacrosse team hosted the Inaugural William L. Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament to raise money for the University's HELP Line.
Fifth-year Education student Max Pomper came up with the idea for the tournament two months ago as a way to remember Will Barrow, a beloved teammate and friend who took his own life last November.
"Our whole point was to raise money, but also to celebrate Will's life," Pomper explained. With Will's tragic death in mind, Pomper contacted HELP Line, a 24-hour crisis hotline, about raising money for the service as a way to ensure that more students might learn about the useful service.
The HELP Line is a 24-hour, confidential, student-run crisis hotline serving all members of the Central Virginia community. Although the program has been around for more than 20 years, it has always been underfunded.
A talented athlete and admired teammate, Barrow was chosen by his fellow players to serve as captain of the men's lacrosse team in 2008. He also was a strong midfield player on Virginia's 2006 national championship team. In addition to playing lacrosse, Barrow served as a volunteer lacrosse instructor for ACAC Fitness and Wellness Center, as well as a volunteer elementary tutor in conjunction with Athletes Committed to Education. Barrow was finishing a major in sociology as a fifth-year student at the University.
"Quite simply put, [Will was] an amazing and influential person," said fourth-year College student Kyle Menendez, a long-stick midfielder on the team. "Anyone who was [lucky] enough to have crossed paths with Will might easily recount his infectious million-dollar smile and his happy-go-lucky attitude that made him such a pleasure to be around."
Pomper decided to plan the tournament close to the one-year anniversary of Barrow's death.
"We wanted to make sure it didn't come with a sour taste," he said. "We wanted to do something positive to get people to remember Will."
Pomper, along with fellow event coordinators Menendez and fourth-year Education student Mike Thompson, another midfielder, initially anticipated a relatively modest turnout.
But the event surpassed their wildest expectations. "It blew up," Menendez said. "I was ... thinking a dozen teams and we ended up getting 28. Most of us knew Will's popularity when he was here, but this blows us away."
In addition to the University's men's and women's lacrosse teams, as well as several local sorority and fraternity teams, participants traveled from many other higher education institutions including the University of North Carolina, Georgetown University, University of Maryland, University of Delaware, Vanderbilt University, Roanoke College, American University and Gettysburg College. Even the Charlottesville Old Men's Lacrosse Association formed a team.
Local businesses such as Boylan Heights and Big Jim's BBQ willingly gave their services to the cause.
Each team consisted of 10 teammates with a $150 entry fee for the entire team. The lacrosse team also organized a raffle, which included items such as a football signed by the Dallas Cowboys. In addition, T-shirts and wristbands were sold; all 150 T-shirts and 400 wristbands were gone before the event even came to an end, Menendez said.
The event raised an estimated total of $7,000, which will directly fund the HELP Line.
"The biggest thing for us is getting people to learn about HELP Line and get the number," HELP Line Publicity Program Director Steven Le said. "Having an event where people are talking about HELP Line is a huge deal for us."
Head Program Director Lauren Gloudeman added that using Barrow's memory has helped to generate publicity for the program.
"To be associated with men's lacrosse and such a great person as Will," she said, "brings credibility to our program ... and opens doors for us."
The wristbands created for the event have the HELP Line number (434-295-TALK) printed on the inside.
Pomper and teammates understand the immeasurable importance of a program such as HELP Line to students at the University. "I just want people to know that this is available. There is always an outlet," Pomper said. "It's something I really wish Will had known."
Although Gloudeman noted that "HELP Line volunteers are not trained professionals, and we can't prevent suicide," he explained that the organization can still be of great service. "What we can do is listen ... and hopefully diminish [suicidal] thoughts."
What was obvious Saturday in Lambeth Field was that the Inaugural William L. Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament proved to be a wild success, generating whopping attendance numbers and a large amount of funding for the HELP Line. What may not have been so obvious was the true sense of remembrance and reverence felt by tournament participants for a beloved student, brother, teammate, classmate and friend.
"Will gave us a good day," Pomper said.
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