thedrifter
04-26-08, 07:14 AM
Marines bring swing to green
By Wandoo Makurdi
Sports Editor
They came out in droves, responding to the best weather one could’ve hoped for. With not a shade of cloud in the sky, 83 players showed up early to the Medal of Honor Golf Course on Marine Corps Base Quantico in a bid to raise money for charity.
The Prince William Chapter of the American Red Cross Society held its third Quantico Golf Tournament Friday, raising funds for its programs on the base and in the communities. Now in its 90th year of existence, the chapter helps to provide many services to military families including, emergency messaging services and in⁄out processing of military members on the base. It also provides disaster relief assistance, adult and youth volunteer programs, CPR and First Aid training certifications and various health and safety training preparatory programs, among others, to residents of Prince William County.
Karen Wayne, the chief executive officer of the chapter, said hosting the tournament every year has been a no-brainer thanks to its continuous success.
‘‘We’ve found that golf tournaments are a wonderful way to build friendships and to raise money. The marines that we serve, and other sponsors from the community, come together to build relationships and enjoy a beautiful day of golf. And we get the benefit of some money raised,” Wayne said.
Wayne said her chapter is thrilled to be able to host the tournament on the base, which offers a rare invitation to play on the course to non-base locals who wanted to partake in the fund-raising. And Wayne credits the fund-raiser for helping the chapter meet its goals.
‘‘It’s because they came out today and helped provide financial support [that] we can continue to be there when help is needed,” Wayne said. ‘‘The kind of work that we do is never in the papers, but the devastation to the people we serve is real. So we just need to always be ready when our community needs us, and thanks to this fund we’ll be able to do that.”
Last year, with help from the tournament’s funding, and 700 volunteers, the chapter provided financial assistance to 477 people in the community who suffered house fires and helped 661 military families with messaging or related services. It also trained 157,000 people in preparation for disasters and almost 25,000 in CPR and First Aid certification.
The tournament kicked off at 8.30 a.m. after a prayer and speech by the base command Chaplain, Lawrence Greenslit, who also played in the tournament. Twenty-one teams paired off in groups of four (the final team had only three players) to conquer the 18-hole course. Some capitalized on free before and after massage sessions with students from the massage school to loosen up tense muscles.
The atmosphere was of a friendly nature, but with a slight competitive overtone. While some players grimaced as their balls hit the trees or dropped into the water, others stopped to crack jokes with the Hooters team who sponsored one of the individual challenges that was offered aside of the tournament play.
After play, prizes such as a complete set of clubs, two individual iPods and a Red Cross emergency response kit, were given away through a raffle draw while players lunched on food provided by Mulligans restaurant. The top raffle drawing for tickets to the Tiger Woods’ AT&T golf invitational in July will be given out on a later date.
Four teams were recognized for their accomplishments. The top three teams were given congratulatory certificates, and the winning team of Mike Pybus, Amelia Stansell, Tim White and Corey Rankin, were given a plaque, a set of balls and an umbrella in addition. The team in the rear position was also given a gift in the spirit of encouragement.
Three individual awards were given out in addition to the tournament winners. Ellis Gonzalez won the award for closest to pin, at 4 feet 10 inches, Will Clapp won the Hooters-sponsored closest-to-hole challenge at 1 foot and Clint Alanis won the award for longest drive.
Alanis, who’s been playing golf for three years, talked about his experience at his first tournament on base.
‘‘We had a great time,” Alanis said of playing with his colleagues. Alanis, who picked up golf while on a stint in Iraq, said he’d love to play next year’s tournament if he’s around.
Dirk Koolman, a 30-year veteran of golf echoed Alanis’ sentiments. ‘‘It was well run, the food was good. I’d come back and do it again,” he said.
Wayne was happy with this year’s turnout, but said she hoped to see more people turn out for next year’s tournament.
‘‘We’re hoping that next year we can get over a 100 players. We’d love to have more of both the Marine Corps and our community come together and play. It’s really a special tournament because of that.”
Ellie
By Wandoo Makurdi
Sports Editor
They came out in droves, responding to the best weather one could’ve hoped for. With not a shade of cloud in the sky, 83 players showed up early to the Medal of Honor Golf Course on Marine Corps Base Quantico in a bid to raise money for charity.
The Prince William Chapter of the American Red Cross Society held its third Quantico Golf Tournament Friday, raising funds for its programs on the base and in the communities. Now in its 90th year of existence, the chapter helps to provide many services to military families including, emergency messaging services and in⁄out processing of military members on the base. It also provides disaster relief assistance, adult and youth volunteer programs, CPR and First Aid training certifications and various health and safety training preparatory programs, among others, to residents of Prince William County.
Karen Wayne, the chief executive officer of the chapter, said hosting the tournament every year has been a no-brainer thanks to its continuous success.
‘‘We’ve found that golf tournaments are a wonderful way to build friendships and to raise money. The marines that we serve, and other sponsors from the community, come together to build relationships and enjoy a beautiful day of golf. And we get the benefit of some money raised,” Wayne said.
Wayne said her chapter is thrilled to be able to host the tournament on the base, which offers a rare invitation to play on the course to non-base locals who wanted to partake in the fund-raising. And Wayne credits the fund-raiser for helping the chapter meet its goals.
‘‘It’s because they came out today and helped provide financial support [that] we can continue to be there when help is needed,” Wayne said. ‘‘The kind of work that we do is never in the papers, but the devastation to the people we serve is real. So we just need to always be ready when our community needs us, and thanks to this fund we’ll be able to do that.”
Last year, with help from the tournament’s funding, and 700 volunteers, the chapter provided financial assistance to 477 people in the community who suffered house fires and helped 661 military families with messaging or related services. It also trained 157,000 people in preparation for disasters and almost 25,000 in CPR and First Aid certification.
The tournament kicked off at 8.30 a.m. after a prayer and speech by the base command Chaplain, Lawrence Greenslit, who also played in the tournament. Twenty-one teams paired off in groups of four (the final team had only three players) to conquer the 18-hole course. Some capitalized on free before and after massage sessions with students from the massage school to loosen up tense muscles.
The atmosphere was of a friendly nature, but with a slight competitive overtone. While some players grimaced as their balls hit the trees or dropped into the water, others stopped to crack jokes with the Hooters team who sponsored one of the individual challenges that was offered aside of the tournament play.
After play, prizes such as a complete set of clubs, two individual iPods and a Red Cross emergency response kit, were given away through a raffle draw while players lunched on food provided by Mulligans restaurant. The top raffle drawing for tickets to the Tiger Woods’ AT&T golf invitational in July will be given out on a later date.
Four teams were recognized for their accomplishments. The top three teams were given congratulatory certificates, and the winning team of Mike Pybus, Amelia Stansell, Tim White and Corey Rankin, were given a plaque, a set of balls and an umbrella in addition. The team in the rear position was also given a gift in the spirit of encouragement.
Three individual awards were given out in addition to the tournament winners. Ellis Gonzalez won the award for closest to pin, at 4 feet 10 inches, Will Clapp won the Hooters-sponsored closest-to-hole challenge at 1 foot and Clint Alanis won the award for longest drive.
Alanis, who’s been playing golf for three years, talked about his experience at his first tournament on base.
‘‘We had a great time,” Alanis said of playing with his colleagues. Alanis, who picked up golf while on a stint in Iraq, said he’d love to play next year’s tournament if he’s around.
Dirk Koolman, a 30-year veteran of golf echoed Alanis’ sentiments. ‘‘It was well run, the food was good. I’d come back and do it again,” he said.
Wayne was happy with this year’s turnout, but said she hoped to see more people turn out for next year’s tournament.
‘‘We’re hoping that next year we can get over a 100 players. We’d love to have more of both the Marine Corps and our community come together and play. It’s really a special tournament because of that.”
Ellie