Tigers and Jacks booster clubs hold golf tourney

SOAP LAKE – The booster clubs of Ephrata and Quincy high schools held their second annual Battle of the Boosters golf tournament on Thursday, raising money for the school’s athletic programs.

The tournament was held at the Lakeview Golf & Country Club in Soap Lake and will alternate sites each year. Brent Weber, president of the Tiger Booster Club and a 2000 Ephrata alumni, said that the idea was brought up to combine it with the Quincy booster club last year.

“Ephrata’s booster club is relatively new, so we were looking for ways to fundraise for our program,” Weber said. “We thought if we combine forces with the Jacks that we could really have something special with the rivalry that we’ve had for years and years.”

Twenty-six teams registered for the scramble, with 104 golfers in total attending the Battle of the Boosters. Teams were paired up for the 9 a.m. shotgun start, pitting alumni and fans alike against each other in a friendly competition.

“As an Ephrata alumni, I think it’s awesome,” Weber said of the turnout for the tournament’s second year. “We’re raising a good amount of money for all the kids in the community, it means a lot.”

Calls of “What happened in that basketball game last year?” and other friendly boasts were audible throughout the course, calling back to games that the rival schools had played over the past year. The tournament served as a means to use school pride in a manner to help the schools’ athletic programs.

“This is fun,” Weber said of the friendly rivalry that was going on at Lakeview. “We got an Ephrata team playing with a Quincy team here, we got some good banter back-and-forth, it’s great.”

The tournament began last year as a fundraiser for the athletic programs of both Quincy and Ephrata. The inaugural tournament was held at the Colockum Ridge Golf Course in Quincy and will shift sites every year to give each booster club a chance to host.

“Quincy hosted it last year, and this year it was our turn,” Weber said. “This is the closest course to Ephrata, we’re going to alternate where it’s at (each year).”

The second year of the tournament saw more teams and sponsors support the scramble, according to Weber.

“I think that there’s just more people aware now that we’re doing it,” Weber said of the increased support. “Everybody had so much fun (last year), I think everyone talked about it and we just pursued a few more sponsors this year.”

Along with the $500 registration fee for a team of four, teams had the opportunity to participate in side games, another way to raise money. The side games consisted of events like closest to the pin, longest drive and putt for both men and women, a putting tournament and more. Other donations could be made to insurance on lost balls to avoid paying a $5 per ball fee and Cheat like a Tiger/Jackrabbit, allowing golfers to tee off 100 yards closer to the pin.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.