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Family
Croquet Tradition Continues
By Brett Olizando MARBLEHEAD, MA (AP)- Augustus Wolfgram stepped off the boat at Ellis Island weary and weak. Having pawned his possessions for the long trip across the Atlantic, Augustus had nothing. All that remained were the clothes on his back and a tattered gunnysack carrying his grandfather's croquet set. The sea
voyage had been difficult. Augustus had found it nearly impossible to
set up croquet in the cramped quarters and hard wooden deck. When he
did manage to start a game, Augustus found the rocking boat reeked havoc
on the game play. The set was But that was now behind Augustus. He had arrived in America, the land of fruited plains and luscious lawns. There had been stories told in his mountain village about miles and miles of green pastures in America, flat as a puddle after a rain. He knew here he could enjoy his family game the way it should be played. |
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| Augustus
was the forefather of Wolfgram family croquet in America. |
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Augustus wandered the country for some time before settling in the small town of Marblehead, Massachusetts. The area was rich with promising croquet fields and access to the ocean, which accommodated Augustus second love, sea kayaking. Marblehead would become home and the place where he would start a family.
On December
30, 1950, Constance Wolfgram gave birth to a prodigy child and named her
Barbara Ann. At age 2, Barbara received her first croquet mallet. By age
4, she was playing with and beating While most of Barbara's siblings embraced her talent, her brother John secretly despised the attention she received. Friendly Wolfgram Family tournaments soon took a dark turn when John began to lobby for the implementation of cutthroat rules. Although Barbara far out-matched John in talent, (and all of his other sisters for that matter…and his cousins, Peter, Bev and Joanne… and his wheelchair-bound friend,Timmy, |
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| from down the street) | Barbara shows off for the boys at one of many croquet parties her brother hosted for his friends |
Finally, at the first Lawn Olympics in 1999, The Elders gave their blessing to resume inner-family play among the Wolfgrams. Under the watchful eye of the Lawn Olympics gods, the croquet tournament ran smoothly. In the end, the old rivalry was rekindled as Barb and John once again faced off in the final round. John won that day and became the first Lawn Olympics Croquet Champion, but not without raised eyebrows from onlookers. As he accepted his trophy at the awards ceremony, John boasted that he was glad the record had been set straight and thanked Barb for being such a gracious competitor. In 2001, croquet will return to Lawn Olympics. The tournament promises to be streamlined and fast-paced. As returning champion, John will receive an automatic bid, but word has it that more than one Lawn Olympiad has their sites set on The Champ. Will we see a "Wolfgram Final" again? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, Augustus Wolfgram would be proud to see the croquet tradition as alive as ever. |
finally
stowed for the rest of the trip after something historians call the
"man overboard holding a croquet ball incident."
The
great, great grandchildren of Augustus Wolfgram remain native to Marblehead,
and like their ancestors before them, were born with the passion for the
game of croquet. Many continued the tradition of hard-fought lawn games
on the very ground Augustus had squatted nearly a century before. That
land, now know as 80 Evans Road, has remained the site of many legendary
battles between members of the Wolfgram Clan, but none so often as in
recent years.
her
older brother, John, and all of his friends. By age 12, she was given
a croquet scholarship to the prestigious Revere School for Young Woman.