BC Summer Games About More Than Just Competition

The BC Summer Games Awards Medals Of Course, But The Real Winners Are All The Athletes Who Participate, Compete And Make New Friendships- Image Courtesy BC Summer Games/Keith Graham

by Gino Cutri

With the exception of Ryder and Presidents Cup-style events, there is rarely a team aspect to golf. In this sport you are generally competing for yourself against others, who are doing the same. The BC Summer Games provides golfers that unique opportunity to compete as a team.

For the purposes of identifying teams, British Columbia is divided into eight geographical zones. These zone teams are comprised of both boys and girls ages 12 – 16 who qualified based off of their zone tournament performance.

At the Summer Games these zones competed in a two-day 36-hole tournament. Although there are medals for the top 3 individual scores, the team competition is a combined net score of your zone’s top three scorers.

How this works is each player’s registered handicap is used as the benchmark to determine if they score under or over par based off their handicap. This information then allows the staff to create each zone’s net score based off the scores they’ve accumulated at the tournament. Thus the zone with the lowest combined net score after 36 holes wins the gold medal.

The BC Summer Games are unlike any tournament these young golfers have competed in. Normally these up-and-comers compete for themselves in three-day tournaments with their parents there every step of the way. They generally have the luxury of going home after each round, eating a home cooked meal, and sleeping in their own bed.

That’s not what the BC Summer Games are about. At the Games all athletes are required to eat, sleep, travel, and play with their respective zone teammates. No home cooked meal, no comfy bed, and no parents. Parents are more than welcome to come watch their son or daughter compete on the golf course, but that’s as far as it goes. The BC Summer Games promote relationship building, and participation.

Working as a team manager I saw first hand the relationship building taking place. On the opening day most golfers were quiet and kept to their zones while on the range, and putting green. By the second day some of the golfers had taken the leap and began talking with others from different zones. For example, Zone 1 (Kootenays), and Zone 8 (Cariboo-North East) do not have the number of female golfers the zones from the Lower Mainland boast.

The Summer Games gave these girls the opportunity to play golf against other girls they otherwise would not have. In the process these girls were able to create friendships and bonds they can take back home with them. Firmly in the social media age of communication, these girls can stay connected and continue their friendships from different ends of the province.

image courtesy bc summer games/al brown

The Unique, Different Coloured Hats Not Only Helped Identify Players From Each Zone, They Proved To Be A Popular Exchange Element Promoting Friendship Among The Competitors

Part of representing your zone in the Summer Games is the honour of wearing your zone’s distinct coloured hat while competing on the golf course. It was a creative way of distinguishing the golfers from one another. At the end of the tournament the Zone 1 and Zone 2 girls took a page from the traditions of European football by exchanging their hats to keep as a reminder of their new friendship.

Also, part of competing in the Games is having free time away from the golf course. There were two social nights coordinated by the Games society where athletes from all sports could go to have fun, forget about their busy day of competition, and get to know other athletes from different sports.

Speaking with some of the golfers who attended, they mentioned how it was really ‘cool’ to meet other athletes from a wide variety of sports. There wasn’t that natural ice breaker topic of golf for a conversation to unfold. For that reason, the athletes could share other interests with one another, and in doing so, build friendships.

The BC Summer Games also takes a lot of pride in the participation of their athletes. Yes, the athletes are competing to win, but giving them the opportunity to participate in the Games means more than solely competition. Sports were founded on the grounds of participation, without it there would be no competition.

Participating in the BC Summer Games means more than going out on your respective field, track, diamond or golf course and doing your best to win. It’s about taking part in the opening and closing ceremonies, cheering on your teammates, and showing support by attending other sporting events.

For results and a participants list CLICK HERE

During the opening and closing ceremonies it was refreshing to see the athletes fully engaged in the event. If it was watching the performances on stage, or listening to the key note address from Summer Games alum and Olympic medalist Brent Hayden, all the athletes fully participated in the occasion.

Most golfers at the Games have spent the majority of their free time at a golf facility trying to get better every day. The strong participation illustrates the bigger picture in which the Games do matter outside the confines of the golf course.

Furthermore, the BC Summer Games provide a precursor to the life of a collegiate athlete. Summer Games alumnus and Zone 5 manager, Stephanie Wong, says if you want to play university golf you must get used to eating, sleeping, and travelling with your team. Wong, who spent 5 years at UBC competing on the golf team also says the Summer Games help assist in the mental aspect of team golf.

Lastly, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge Ledgeview Golf Club for their fantastic job of hosting more than 60 golfers over 3 days. Despite having their clubhouse burn down just weeks before the event, the staff did a wonderful job accommodating the golfers and coaching staff. The course was in pristine condition giving the golfers the best opportunity to play to their full potential.

“As a participant, you don’t see what goes on behind the scenes. As a coordinator and Zone representative, you begin to understand and appreciate the work behind the scenes. From the volunteers and officials. All the time,” said Wong.

The Games provided many young golfers with the opportunity to compete for their zone in an event that truly is once in a lifetime. Off the golf course it taught them the lessons of relationship building, and bonding, something they can take with them as the enter their adult lives.,