After 83 hours, the record was broken. But Courage and Strength weren’t finished. They continued playing past the 100-hour mark. “The rep from Guinness was there the last eight hours, to check continuous play, document things, and review the scorecard,” he said. After it was all over, Bartolotta said an on-field celebration ensued. “We were exhausted, tired, thrilled,” he said. “It was a great experience. There were lots of hugs. So many people from all walks of life. It was pretty cool.” A retired construction project manager, Bartolotta said baseball has been a passion of his since he first arrived at Missouri Valley College after being recruited by the legendary Coach Ken Gibler to play football. But it didn’t take Bartolotta – or Gibler – long to realize that football wasn’t his game. “I never played a varsity down. So after the season, I went in to him to say I was going home. But he made
me a deal. He said I could keep my scholarship if I was able to make the baseball team or the track team.” And the rest was history. Bartolotta caught at MVC for four years and developed a passion for baseball that still lives today. In fact, he was in Florida in November playing in the 65-over Senior World Series where he was named his team’s MVP. But Labor Day Weekend, he said, was for fun, and just as memorable as his days at Missouri Valley. Bartolotta symbolically wore No. 62 (he has six granddaughters and two grandsons), and “we made the weekend a family affair. “ His daughter Kristi Larkin ’07 was a Valley cheerleader, and son-in-law Justin Larkin ’07 was a baseball player. And…daughter Kaylee Gaunce ’13 was also a Valley cheerleader. In the Endless Game, Courage (Bartolotta’s team) defeated Strength 468-307.
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