First High Fives Foundation Charity Golf Tournament in the Vail Valley Raises Over $34,000 for injured mountain sports athletes
30 teams competed in the late summer golf outing at the Vail Golf Club
(Vail, Colo.) – On Tuesday, September 1st, the California-based High Fives Foundation hosted a charity golf tournament on the fairways at Vail Golf Club. 30 teams of four competed for incredible prizes.
Between registration fees, silent auctions and open donations, over $34,000 was raised towards the mission of the High Fives Foundation. The nationally recognized nonprofit supports the dreams of mountain action sports athletes with life-altering injuries through Board-approved grant funding towards their recovery goals. To date, the Foundation has given support to 89 athletes from 20 states.
Five High Fives Athletes were in attendance at the welcoming ceremony for the golfers: Megan Wemmer, Tim Burr, Bond Camp, Sally Franklyn, and Steve Wallace
“It was amazing working on this event with an organization that is very close to me,” said Jay Badgley, Owner of Phunkshun Wear and member
of the High Fives Foundation Advisory Board. “I’ve attended High Fives Foundation tournaments in Tahoe, and there is so much positive energy at the events! I was excited to pass that energy on to my stomping grounds in Colorado!”
“It was our first major event in Colorado, and we sold out the tournament way in advance,” said Roy Tuscany, Executive Director of the High Fives Foundation. “It is amazing to see our growth in regions across the country. Tournaments like these help us tell our story, and more, it directly benefits the athletes who need it.”
Helping athletes with life-altering injuries is a philanthropic effort that is very close to the Vail community. In April, 15-year-old Eagle, Colo. student Kailyn Forsberg injured her spinal cord at the USASA National Free Skiing Championship at Copper Mountain. Since then, Kailyn’s community has rallied to raise funds towards her recovery. She is an athlete of the High Fives Foundation.
Once the tournament results were tallied, all players and guests were treated to a celebratory dinner at the Vail Golf Club where activities included the putting contest finals, team awards and a silent auction. Colorado-based non-profit, the Foundation For Greater Good (F2G2) made a $10,000 match for all items sold at the silent auction. Some of items included a heliskiing trip with Canadian Mountain Heli, Colorado Rockies tickets, and other packages donated by sponsors and local business.
The $10,000 match was initiated by Brian McCartney, Chairman of the Board of F2G2. He was eager to provide support after reading about Kailyn Forsberg in the Vail Daily. F2G2 partners with nonprofit organizations to provide charitable support towards positive educational initiatives that advance the quality of life and independence of individuals with health-related issues. The High Fives Foundation and F2G2 have been in collaboration for two years, aligning to support athletes with life-altering injuries. Their match helped the High Fives Foundation raise $18,070 in the silent auction alone.
Overall tournament winners:
First place: Stormy Day Sales (55) – Clem Smith, Todd Rash, Pete Pattison, Greg Ernst
Second place: Vail Fine Wine (56) – Kevin Lawrence, Foster Gillette, Todd Mossa, Steven Teaver
Third Place: Outdoor Technology (57) – Derek Pappas, Ben Welsch, Ben VanCurren, Tim Peterson
Contest winners:
Flop Wall Contest: Brian Willie
Putting Contest: Jason Landa
Baseball Long Drive: MacKenzie Hannah
Men’s Long Drive: David Oliver
Women’s Long Drive: Suzie Filla
Men’s Closest To The Pin: Davey Gonzalez
Women’s Closest To The Pin: Suzie Filla
Best Dressed: Kevin Lawrence
TITLE SPONSORS: GoPro, Phunkshun Wear, Outdoor Technology, Kind Design
SILVER SPONSORS: EPS Doublet, Wellspring Collective, Summit Ford, HEAD Snow Sports, Copper Mountain, Budweiser, Montauk Restaurant
BRONZE SPONSORS: Freeskier, POC, K2, Line Skis, Salomon, Arcade Belts, Craig Hospital, B Dot Media, Vail Gondola Club, Minturn Fitness Center, Orage, Dr. Randy Eldridge, Yellowbelly Chicken, Optic Nerve, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Evergreen Lodge, Vail Recreation District, Slopestyle, Volkl/Marker
