09/30/2026
What people saw was a successful tournament. What they don’t see are the hundreds of hours it took behind the scenes to make it happen.
We want to take a moment to recognize our Tournament Director, Brandon, and his wife, Amanda, who also serves as our FBC Treasurer.
Brandon stepped into this role with no previous tournament-directing experience and very little guidance. What he did bring was his experience as a project manager, an incredible work ethic, and a willingness to figure things out. For months, he put in countless hours planning, coordinating, problem-solving and working through every little detail that ultimately became the Big Pine Showdown.
And when tournament weekend finally arrived, the work didn’t slow down. Brandon was up before most of us, at the fields early, there until late at night, and then back at it again the next morning. On top of essentially leading the tournament, he was also coaching his own team throughout the weekend.
Yet somehow, every time you saw him, he was still smiling, full of energy and ready to handle whatever came next. Even when you knew he had to be exhausted, he carried himself with integrity, patience and genuine enthusiasm. He never lost sight of why we were doing this or the kids and families we were doing it for. That says so much about the kind of person and leader he is.
Amanda was right there beside him through all of it. Together, they took on something completely new while balancing work, family and everything else life brings. Their daughter spent the weekend helping at the registration booth while their son took the field with his team. This truly became a family effort.
There was no roadmap. Brandon and Amanda learned as they went, worked through the challenges and helped lead an entire team of people to put on a tournament we can all be incredibly proud of.
Brandon and Amanda, we hope you know how much your time, sacrifice and dedication are appreciated. So much of what everyone experienced this weekend started with hours and hours of work that most people will never see.
Thank you for believing in the vision and helping bring it to life.
One passion, one standard, one flame.
