A Sweeping Success at Easter Seals Bonspiel

 

 “Over the years, many, many people in our community have had children who took part in Seaway’s athletic program and benefitted from it,” said Mark Lewis, athletic director at Seaway District High School. “Now we are hoping for golfers to come out and support us so that program can continue.” 

The Iroquois-Matilda and the Morrisburg and District Lions Clubs have joined with a volunteer committee, of which Lewis is a member, to set up and host the first ever Seaway Spartans Golf Tournament, scheduled for Saturday, August 16, at the Iroquois Golf Club. This fun-filled tournament is being held to support the Athletic Program at Seaway District High School.

“There are many life lessons which can be learned by being part of a school team, or taking part in any form of athletics,” Lewis said. “It is vital to ensure that a variety of strong sports programs remain available to all the students at the high school.”

“There was a time when there were nearly 600 students at Seaway. Now we have about half that number, and the budgets for sports have declined as a result. Our basketball teams are using uniforms from a decade ago, and we are playing with soccer balls that are more than 14 years old. Our weight room needs serious upgrading as well.”

One of the biggest financial problems for Seaway is the funding required to cover away sports. Because of the fact that Seaway players must travel long distances to take part in meets and tournaments, much of the school’s limited athletic budget goes just to cover those costs. There is often very little money left over.

Yet the school hopes to continue to offer all local students a full, varied and exciting selection of athletic programs throughout their years at Seaway.

To do this, the volunteer committee and the Lions Clubs,  felt that a fund raiser, taking place well outside of the regular school year, would ensure that fresh funds find their way to the Spartans in order to support school athletic programs.

The first ever Seaway Spartans Golf Tournament is spear-headed by Iroquois Junior Lions Jessica Hartle and Melissa Stevens and Morrisburg Junior Lions Christyn Veinotte and Victoria Peters. They have had strong on-going support from Lions Tracey Veinotte, Rick Mackenzie, Evonne Delegarde and many others in the local service clubs.

“This event just wouldn’t be happening without the support and expertise of our Lions clubs,” Lewis said. “I was a complete novice at this kind of thing, and their advice has been wonderful. I know that this is one of the most generous communities I have ever experienced, and I know that local businesses and groups are hit up a lot. What we wanted to do was to give people an opportunity to have a day out, really enjoy themselves, and help our sports department at the same time.”

The tournament starts at 11 a.m. on the 16th of August, using a four man scramble format. Sponsorships are already out in the community. Companies, clubs and individuals are invited to choose from six levels of support, although donations of any size will be gratefully received. 

Sponsors will all be recognized in the local paper, on the SDHS web page, in social media and will also be prominently displayed at the actual event.   

The cost to play is $80 per person, which guarantees 18 holes of great golf, a light lunch and a full roast beef dinner at the end of the day, as well as a donation to the Spartan athletic program.

Contact the Iroquois Golf Club or Morrisburg Home Hardware or the Seaway District High School web page to enter your team or to sponsor the Seaway Spartans Golf Tournament.

“We would especially like to see Seaway alumni, former teachers and administrators and their friends coming out, having a great day and supporting their old high school,” said Mark Lewis.

[…]

 

Our men were in Russell recently for the annual Merkley Bonspiel. Our first team, Joe McCooeye, Dave Dolan, Ken Konick and Henry Looyen squeaked out a win against Winchester, 7-6. After a nice lunch, the fellows met 12-time champion Ken Sullivan from Russell. Sullivan won, and made it 13 Merkley wins against Metcalfe in the evening, after the annual meeting and the banquet.

Our second team, Larry Cooper, Robert Houze, Mahlon Locke and Peter McCooeye defeated the second Russell team in a superb match in the afternoon to advance to the ‘B’ final in the evening. In a seesaw battle, the Winchester rink eked out a win to capture the Bruce MacDonald Shield. Well done anyway, boys. Next year the fellows meet in Winchester.

At last week’s women’s bonspiel at CityView, Alice Thompson, Betty Locke, Sharon Van Allen and Joanne Baker lost their first match to a Carleton Heights foursome, but defeated Ottawa R.A. in the afternoon. Our favourite Navan curler, Lynne Stacey, ended the day as the champion, finishing first overall.

In Maxville, Greta McGann, Kathy Hardy, and Paula and Claire Locke lost their first game against an Ottawa R.A. team, and won the afternoon match against another quartet from the same club. They also won $10 each for being the high one-game winners, and had a delicious chicken dinner, so it was a good day for the hardy ladies.

In the senior men’s friendly bonspiel last week against Winchester, our hosts had a good day. Three teams, Bill Magee, Mahlon Locke, Bud Perry and Dave Salsman, Al Harriman, Jack Dikland, Keith Robertson and Ted Herriman, and Peter Zeran, Arnold Barkley, Fred Langlotz and Al Gowanlock won by a total of one point. (Perhaps to make more friends, or to share any blame for errors, our fellows switched sheets after four ends, and then totaled the scores.) With that tally, they declared themselves the winners. After a good lunch, they sent the visitors home, and then went out to curl their regular league games.

Next week the annual McLennan Cup is on in Cornwall. So far there are three teams of senior men competing for the two openings. Teams skipped by Peter Zeran, Dave King and Allan Herriman have declared an interest. 

On Saturday, another charity bonspiel, the Easter Seals, holds sway at the local club. There may even be a few openings. Check the sign-up sheet in the lounge.

This’ll teach me. I left early from the Heart and Stroke Bonspiel and got the wrong info down on paper from over the phone, listing the wrong Lockes as winners. Sorry, Sam. You and Parker, Claire and Paula were the champions, beating out Betty and Jim Locke, Maurice Kolff and Rick McKenzie. Belated congratulations –and apologies!

Congratulations to the three Seaway curling teams, who did so well in Morrisburg last Thursday. We wish you the best of luck in the EOSSAA Curling Championships in Brockville, March 1 and 2.

Good curling to all!

[…]

Jamie Scott, assistant proshop coordinator at Upper Canada Golf Course, was taken aback last Monday, September 19 when he was asked by one of his marshals, Mike Bradley, “what does a blonde from South Carolina have that you don’t.”

The answer, a hole in one on the 95 yard, par-three 13th hole.

The hole in one was dropped by Donna Notman in just her fourth game of the 2011 season, and what makes the accomplishment even more unique is that her husband, Jim, had an ace on the same hole earlier this year.

The Notmans were playing with Mike and Evonne Mabo last Monday.

Donna and Evonne were playing a best ball and when they got to the 13th tee, Evonne joked that they were doing well. She also joked about a hole in one.

“When Donna hit, the ball started rolling towards the pin (back right corner),” says Jim. “It seemed to stop by the pin, and we told her ‘you are really close’.”

“Someone had not put the pin in properly and when we got to the green, the ball was in the hole but was pinned by the flag pole.”
When the pin was pulled the ball dropped to the bottom of the cup.

It was the first hole in one for Donna who took up the game after retiring five years ago.

Not so for husband Jim and his hole in one in the spring.

Jim was playing with Wayne Domanko and Paul Coolican when he dropped his ace on the 13th. That day the pin was tucked behind the imposing sand trap on the left side of the green.

It was Jim’s third hole in one, adding to one he scored at the Morrisburg Golf Course and another on the par three 181 yard seventh hole at Upper Canada.

“It was very exciting,” said Evonne, who with husband Mick figured it was probably “very unusual for a husband and wife to both have a hole in one on the same hole in the same year”.

[…]