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The Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center, Deal Park, held its sixth annual "Pain and Suffering Tournament" on Feb. 1, raising $10,000 for Kosher Meals on Wheels.

Six years ago, JCC member Richard Krupnick, of Ocean Township, organized the event in order to attract membership and raise money for the JCC and for Kosher Meals on Wheels.

He decided to have 20 middle-aged men compete in teams at basketball, volleyball, and ultimate Frisbee, while at the same time raising money for good causes. There are four teams comprised of five players on each team, and all teams play each other once in every sport.

Krupnick said he started the tournament because he wanted to introduce the JCC to local guys who weren't members or didn't participate in the activities at the JCC. Moreover, he said the facility was too nice not to take advantage of.

"It (the tournament) has become more popular each year," Krupnick said. "Players look forward to it all year."

The real heroes aren't the people participating in the tournament, but rather the volunteers that deliver the Kosher Meals on Wheels, Krupnick said.

Shlomo Weiss, the health and physical director at the JCC, said he has taken part in the tournament for all six years. Every year the tournament is played on Super Bowl Sunday, he said.

"It became a tradition here, thanks to the efforts of Richard," Weiss said.

The JCC was looking for something special to do for the adults and, at the same time, raise money for a worthy cause, Weiss said. The fact that Krupnick loves competition, sports, and the JCC, were the primary reasons that the tournament was created, he said. Overall, everyone that donates money to the tournament ultimately assists in the development of the community, Weiss said.

"It's very refreshing, and a great feeling that people are stepping forward and using the JCC as support," Weiss said.

Each sport played in the tournament had its own set of rules and there were referees on hand to enforce them. For basketball, the first team to score 16 points was the winner, all shots were worth two points except foul shots, which were worth one point, and there were no 3-pointers. For volleyball, the first team to score 16 points was the winner, any team on the serve can score points, the ball can touch the net on the serve, and no one can touch the net or cross under the net to the other team's side. Normally, the serving team is the only team that can score points, and when the first team reached 15 points, both teams could only win if they were serving. In ultimate Frisbee, the first team to score eight touchdowns or was winning after 20 minutes was declared the winner. Also, a player couldn't hold the Frisbee for longer than six seconds and no physical contact was allowed.

The winner of every game was awarded 20 points, which included 16 points for the win and a four-point winning bonus. The losing team keeps their points, except in ultimate Frisbee where the winner was awarded 20 points and the losing team was awarded points based on the ratio of the final score. The team with the most cumulative points was declared the winner.

The winners of the tournament were the blue team: Mark Lowe, Jeff Green, Alan Specter, Jeff Reisler, and David Kawut.

Kawut, a resident of Ocean, said this was his second year participating in the tournament and it was a lot of fun. Kawut said he heard volleyball was being played in the tournament, so he decided to participate.

"It's a great time and a great bunch of guys," Kawut said. "What better way could you spend Sunday than by running and sweating."

Lowe, of West Long Branch, who has participated in the tournament for the past five years, said he truly enjoys the excitement of the tournament and what it does for the JCC and the community. Furthermore, the most important -- and impressive -- part was that the tournament raised $10,000 on Super Bowl Sunday, Lowe said.

Another participant in the tournament was Joel Penchina, of Wayside. Originally the tournament was supposed to be a racquetball tournament, but eventually it became a tournament where middle aged men play against each other in different sports for a good cause, he said.

"To ease others' suffering, we're willing to go at each other," Penchina said.