You see, this is why I gave you all so much stuff yesterday!
I'm off to the golf course for the day and night and maybe even the morning.
All for a good cause of course. This year's charities include:
Kid Sport BC and Port Alberni
Meals on Wheels
Kiwanis Hilton Centre
Alberni Valley Community School
and the BC Children's Hospital.
I'll try my best to get some pictures!
Hammer
5 comments:
What a great event, like every year!! I was there tonight and overall had a great time, however I was somewhat, if not largely disappointed, about our LOCAL BullDog (Hero) "REPRESENTATION". The only "Dog" (called out/announced) tonight was from Saskabush??? Which is great and much appreciated to say the least...Good on Patterson.
But...what happen to our local guys who seeded our arena and team from day one and who made it what it is today?
A big disappointment, to not recognize our local "young past" talent who gave it their all as hockey players to bring the BCHL to heights this community never thought it could reach....
It was great to here about at least one of our past Bulldogs, but where was our local guys....Josh Bonar, who was the most integral and probably most overall talented part of our initial teams, Devin Timberlake the most energetic Captain of our most successful team to date, and Tyler Ruel another Captain who set some local game records as a player? Where were these boys tonight and being introduced as local celebrities.
In this regard it was disappointing only in the fact that this "celebrity classic" recognized the big names (deservedly so), to the likes of Rich Chernomeaz, Rob Schick etc, but not to the likes of our local young guns, who are in the midst of their careers and hopefully achieve what
Rich an Rob have achieved.
I understand this is about the many charities who prosper from the efforts of so many, but I believe it could snowball to huge proportions if our past and future sport hero's are utilized/recognized on specific/community merits that exemplify the already established spirit this community is recognized for.....a community with a heart....
Example, TRAVIS Cross, the OLYMPIAN!!!!The news of today, tomorrow and the future.......!!!!!
Well, I said I was going to reply to this so I had better get around to it!
First and foremost- It's Pattison, not Patterson. And he's from Alberta, not Saskatchewan.
Also, he is (as far as I know) the only ex-Bulldog living IN TOWN. So in fact he is the only quasi-local ex Bulldog, and lo and be hold he's the one they get out to the event.
Tyler Ruel as far as I know is on the Mainland. Devin Timberlake I believe is in Nanaimo. I am not sure but Josh Bonar might be in town. I saw him once for 5 minutes at the lake and then not again except for a quick hello on Friday night.
I agree 100% that the locals that played a big part in making this the communities team, but at the same time I also understand that it is no easy task to track these guys down if they aren't living here. It's even a tougher task to nail down a schedule and commitment from them. It could be as simple as these guys not being able to take a couple days off from work to come back to Port Alberni to be present for this.
I'm sure at the same time it's possible that no one even called these players and attempted to get them to the event.
My question to you would then be- Did you attempt to talk to any of the tournament organizers to see if they even tried to get some of the "young past" guys here?
I think you are 100% correct when you say THIS:
"I believe it could snowball to huge proportions if our past and future sport hero's are utilized/recognized on specific/community merits that exemplify the already established spirit this community is recognized for.....a community with a heart"
To follow up your comment I must ask you- Are you involved in the planning and organizing of any community events? I ask because it sounds like you certainly have good ideas as to what Port Albernians hold very dearly. You could be very well used and would most likely be a very valuable part of a committee for an event like.....The Charity Golf Classic. I encourage you if you are willing and able to give some of your time to get a hold of the Golf Course who could get you in touch with the committee to get you on board for next season. I remember doing an interview with Les and the crew back in the spring where it appeared the tournament was in danger due to lack of NEW BLOOD to run the thing and put the needed work in. People do it over and over and get burned out. They put their hearts into it and then I'm sure feel heartbreak when they read something like what you posted.
I saw that you posted this not only on my blog, but also word for word on the alberni.ca website. That shows me you are quite passionate about this. With a heart, so to speak.
If that's true, then I encourage you to make your voice heard in your opinions first and foremost. Don't just post anonymous posts on my site and other sites. Phone the people straight up and offer your opinions in a constructive and considerate matter. Show the people planning the event what is important to you. Finally, I encourage you to roll up your sleeves and make this the tournament you think it should be.
In fact, I'll make you a deal. If you volunteer to sit on the committee, I'll volunteer to sit right beside you.
Thanks for taking the time to post. I appreciate you taking the time.
Thanks for responding..And I stand corrected, Pattison from Alberta...
Now as for your comment
.......Tyler Ruel as far as I know is on the Mainland. Devin Timberlake I believe is in Nanaimo. I am not sure but Josh Bonar might be in town. I saw him once for 5 minutes at the lake and then not again except for a quick hello on Friday night........
The mainland (Ruel), Nanaimo (Timberlake) and Port Alberni (Bonar)are not far off destinations for celebrities to travel from.. Man didn't Cherno come from Germany? Didn't all the Vancouver Giants travel from the mainland?
Didn't Shick travel from far off as well..Kind of interesting how there were a number of Giants there but not one local hockey player, with one of them (Bonar) who actually played with the Giants...I found it kind of classless to not include our locals but invite players from other communities and other leagues before hand...
To answer your question regarding involvement.
......To follow up your comment I must ask you- Are you involved in the planning and organizing of any community events?......
No I am not involved with the Charity Classic, but have been involved with many organizations in the past 30 years for this community. However at this point in my life I am volunteered out and at an age where its time to let the younger people take over. I know 100% what organization is all about regarding huge events. I have done many of them as a director of venues for the Summer games and I have been the top organizer of many sporting events in several sports...I have given it a rest for the past 5 years, but am going to be involved with the U17 Tournament in December. Not a huge role but as a supporting cast.
I am not criticizing or copping out on your comments about volunteering, but my days of that stress are over. I believe I have done my part. So I ask you to take my suggestions, as well as your own, and sit at the Charity Classic Organization Committee table unfortunately without me.
Thanks again for taking the time to return to the blog and make a comment.
First and foremost- Thanks for your years of volunteer service in the community. It is many individuals like you that had a part in laying the groundwork for the Alberni Valley of today that prides itself on being a community where people want to be involved, where people choose to give their time to their city and their fellow woman or man.
In regards to your other comments-
I am certainly well aware (as is anyone else I'm sure) that Nanaimo and Vancouver aren't far off destinations to travel from.
You seem to be copping out on my question about whether or not you took the time to call or talk to tournament organizers to see if they ACTUALLY ATTEMPTED to talk to the guys to get them to come, only to have the guys not able to make it.
I know for a fact that Tyler Ruel and Jordan Kremyr were here the week before the charity but they weren't able to be here the week of. I know this as I talked to some of the organizers myself in response to your comments.
If you have volunteered in the past as you have stated, I'm sure you are well aware of how frustrating it can be to be volunteering your time and doing your best only to have people complain and critisize without actually having any real knowledge of the situation and the efforts that WERE put in.
If you have indeed followed up and found out for certain that efforts to get more locals here were or were not made, please accept my apologies.
If you continue to make posts like this without actually knowing the facts of the situation, in my humble opinion the person making apologies should be you and not me.
Sticking to the FACTS and making some corrections again- There were NO Vancouver Giants players at the tournament. Players were supposed to attend, but things came up that made it impossible to make it over here.
A member of the Giants executive and the Giants broadcaster were all that attended from the team.
I am probably going to sit on the committee anyway, but I'd be willing to make a compromise if you are.
I'll be a part of it and take your ideas there, if you can make a call to tournament organizers to at least try to get the facts on who was invited and how the guest list was planned.
I don't think it's right to make claims like you have, if you don't have the information to back it up, which from all I have seen here you do not.
Again to repeat myself- With your involvement volunteering in past events I am sure you have had experiences where the shoe is on the other foot and you might have been un-justly critisized by someone who may or may not be uninformed.
Hammer
Hammer, thanks again for your reply.
And oh ya, I know the other foot when it comes to criticism and complaints. It's a hard pill to swallow, but nonetheless you are there do the work for the overall event, not the complaints. I might add though constructive criticism is not a bad thing.
To answer your question..., I did not call the golf committee to follow up on who was on the list, but I did in fact talk to the three in question over the last 2 weeks. So I do have factual comments on whether either one of them were in fact invited. Ruel was the only one that was asked if he would be around that weekend, but there was no formal invitation whats so ever. Timberlake and Bonar were flat out never approached, even though Bonar had been around the golf course during the past month or two.
So, I guess that is why I even posted in the first place because of the information from these three players. I really don't need to contact the committee on this, because I know most of them could and should have made the attempt on their own without a blink of an eye. Ruel was there last year, so its surprising he was actually not formally invited.
Anyways, I don't want to belabour this topic. I was slightly shocked thats all.
Good Luck with the event next year. I know you will be an excellent candidate to make the event bigger than what it is today. Your community efforts since your arrival have been outstanding.
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