GARY GRYDER 6th Annual Softball Tournament Recap
Published April 6, 2023
Author Shannon Barker
The 6th annual Gary Gryder Memorial Softball tournament concluded with another successful year. Several games even concluded with scores that looked more like football scores than softball scores, one game concluded with a 40-41 final score.
Event coordinator, Mandy Day, sent out a special thanks to the Houston Police Officer Union and BioTechs Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaning South Houston for your continued support since the beginning of this tournament. This year the event was excited to welcome a new sponsor, William Hart. It is through these sponsors generous support that the event raised $5,330 for a retired Houston Police Sergeant who is experiencing medical complications.
Further, event coordinators expressed they were especially thankful for their partnership with Assist the Officer and HPOU Vice President Tim Whitaker who emcees and helps coordinate the opening ceremonies every year. The opening ceremonies this year included special guests. Assistant Chief Garcia, the HPD Honor Guard, the HPD Blues who sang the national anthem, and the HPD Mounted Patrol.
Thank you to the Houston Police Department and their partnership which allows us to continue to honor Gary, all our fallen officers, and their surviving families.
A BIG THANK YOU to the softball teams who return year after year to gather in the spirit of comradery and healthy competition.
The tournament concluded with these top three finishing teams:
First place: DFW Metro Fire
Second Place: Houston Heat
Third Place: Gunslingers
Finally, an extra special thanks to the Gryder family who works diligently every year to host this event. We strive every year to honor Gary as best we can by giving back to the community he loved.
Looking forward to seeing every one next year for the 7th annual tournament in 2024!!
