CRANBERRY TWP — Dave Hilliard, executive director, and Jason Groves, senior physical director at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA, 2001 Ehrman Road, want to help Butler County businesses take their rivalries from the bottom line to the foul line.

The Butler County YMCA's inaugural Corporate Challenge offers businesses the chance to field teams in a variety of sports beginning with this weekend's dodgeball tournament that has attracted 50 employees on teams representing five companies. Upcoming events include basketball and volleyball tournaments and a mini-triathalon competition.

Whatever the outcomes, Hilliard and Groves see the challenge as a win-win situation both for the companies and the YMCA.

“We want to support local businesses and support employee wellness efforts,” said Groves. “This will give businesses a chance to network with one another. And it will foster physical activity and camaraderie among the employees.”

Groves said all the tournaments will be in pursuit of the President's Cup, which will be awarded to the top business in each division, determined by company size.

“As businesses get involved, they get participant points,” said Groves. “And they get points based on how they finish in the events they enter which go toward the President's Cup.”

Hilliard and Groves said that while they haven't decided yet whether the President's Cup will be a traveling trophy or not, businesses will have something suitable to display year-round.

“But the important thing is just to participate,” said Groves. “We've had a lot of inquiries about all the events at this point.”

Groves stressed the Corporate Challenge is an ongoing event. A business can sign up to field a team in April's volleyball tournament even if it was too late to register for this weekend's dodgeball competition.

Groves said he got the idea for the challenge from a similar event staged by the Columbus, Ohio, YMCA.

But Hilliard said the Y had a similar event nearly 30 years ago.

“I was a part-time employee at the Y,” said Hilliard. “In 1986, we had the 'Battle of the Businesses' that involved 20 to 30 businesses and lasted about 10 years.”

Hilliard said the Y had a team in the earlier event, but wouldn't in the Corporate Challenge to “avoid any conflict of interest. You want it to be all about the businesses.”

What the Y will supply, Hilliard and Groves said, are officials, equipment and venues for the six competitions.

Hilliard said the Y might even be able to provide practice space.

“We've had quite a few requests from teams that want to practice,” he said. “We are surely encouraging it, that they come to the Y to practice. We can't guarantee practice, but we like that they are getting excited about it.”

So what is converting a captain of industry to a captain of the dodgeball team?

“I think it probably has grown in popularity because it takes them back to their childhood,” said Groves. “You don't have to be highly skilled, but it's still enjoyable no matter how old you are.”

He said the contests for the challenge were picked to appeal to all skill sets and fitness levels from the triathlon to the cornhole tournament.

The triathlon teams, he added, will feature an individual who will be in all three competitions — a quarter-mile swim, a 7-mile bicycle race and a 3.1-mile run — and three team competitors will each run one leg of the competition

“We do have corporate memberships at the YMCA,” said Hilliard. “And so that's part of the Challenge, to expose them to the facilities, so that they may sign up under a corporate membership and become healthy employees.”

Event - Date - Deadline - Location - PlayersCo-ed Dodgeball Tournament - March 7-9 - Registration closed - Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA 10Co-ed Volleyball Tournament - April 11-13 - March 28 - Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA 8Co-ed Kickball Tournament - May 16-18 - May 2 - YMCA Camp/Armco Park 10Co-ed Basketball Tournament - June 6-7 - May 23 - Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA 12Triathlon - July 12 - June 25 - Moraine State Park 4Cornhole Tournament - Aug. 8-9 - July 25 - Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA 6Dates, times and location subject to change based on enrollment. To receive a copy of “Corporate Challenge Handbook,” contact Jason Groves at 724-452-9122 or e-mail jgroves@brsymca.org.