Nearly 150 Omaha Bar Association members enjoyed a day of golf, pickleball and camaraderie at the OBA’s annual Field Day event.

Held at Champions Run on July 19, this was the first Field Day — and first major in person event held by the OBA — since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBA Executive Director Dave Sommers was glad to see so many members participate.

“After more than a year without large in person events, it was great to see all the smiles on the faces of the OBA members,” Sommers said. “The OBA Field Day is a pretty special event. There’s just something special about taking a day off work, being outside with your friends and colleagues and trying to find that loophole in the rules that could give your group that extra edge over the competition.”

This year’s Field Day kicked off shortly before noon with a golf scramble tournament, which drew the majority of participants for the annual get-together.

Other Field Day participants went to the tennis courts for a round robin pickleball tournament in the afternoon or to the driving range for a series of lawn games, including a giant Jenga set, cornhole and jumbo beer pong.

Field Day also featured a trap shoot competition which was held offsite at Harry A. Koch Trap & Skeet Range in Omaha’s Seymour Smith Park.

Sommers noted the heightened interest in pickleball this year and hopes to build on that enthusiasm at future events.

“It was very exciting to see all the interest in pickleball this year,” Sommers said.

For the uninitiated, pickleball is a paddleball game for two or four players with elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton, played with a Wiffle ball.

At the end of all the fun in the sun, OBA members gathered in the clubhouse for a reception and awards dinner emceed by judge and would-be standup comedian, Judge J. Michael Coffey.

The first award of the evening went to Ryan Wiesen, a senior attorney in the City of Omaha Legal Department, and Amelia Prickett of Warren Distribution, who bested the field to win the cornhole championship.

“You know, you can hardly say anything anymore, but you still say cornhole champs,” Coffey cracked.

The doubles pair of Joe Bradley of Bradley Law and Brad Entwistle of Walentine O’Toole came away with the OBA pickleball trophy, while Matt Quandt, Matt Reilly, Bill Foley and Andy Huettner, all from Erickson & Sederstrom, not only won the golf scramble, but defended their 2019 championship, as well.

The least coveted award of the evening, the vaunted Jacket of Shame awarded to the last place finisher in the golf scramble, was cheerfully and good-naturedly accepted by judges Shelly Stratman, Stephanie Hansen and Marcela Keim.

“I don’t think they heard me right,” Coffey said after the applause died down. “It’s the last place (award).”

One of the judges will have the ignominious distinction of wearing the Jacket of Shame, also known as the Out of Bounds Blazer, to the OBA’s Fall Kickoff BBQ on Sept. 9.