Bilingual event at Mill River Saturday, Sept. 14
MILL RIVER, PEI – Aug. 9, 2013 – “Our 8th Acadian Golf Tournament of PEI, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, has been completely reinvented to make it more competitive and interesting and to help us collect more profits so that our young Island athletes can participate in the Jeux de l’Acadie (Acadian Games),” says Carole Gallant, president of the PEI Regional Committee of the Jeux de l’Acadie.
First of all, the bilingual tournament will be held for a first time at the Mill River Golf Course, which is recognized as one of the best courses on the Island. It’s a professional 18-hole course, compared to the previous tournament site, which only had nine holes. Secondly, the tournament is taking place a Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. rather than a Sunday morning.
Next, organizers are primarily focusing their efforts on recruiting four-person corporate teams from all over the province (although individuals and teams of friends are always welcomed). As a new addition, this year’s registration fee includes two golf carts per team.
In the past, organizers would serve a barbecue meal at the end of the event; this aspect had a tendency to stretch out the event. This year, free food will be served at stations located near three of the holes located throughout the course. As well, little games situated here and there on the course will also give participants an opportunity to win additional prizes.
“We decided to revamp the tournament following discussions with our main sponsor, Evangeline-Central Credit Union, and our partner in the organization of the tournament, the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI (CCAFLIPE). We had all noticed that registrations were going down every year,” explains Gallant. “We therefore decided to establish a provincial committee to help with the organization of the event and especially to help recruit teams, sponsors and suppliers.”
She adds that as soon as it was confirmed that the tournament would be moving to Mill River, a number of golfers who wouldn’t go to the former site confirmed that they would indeed be interested in participating this year. The tournament is open to everyone who would like to play, whether they speak French or not. All official ceremonies will be bilingual, as usual.
DETAILS
The president said golfers are asked to arrive at the Mill River Golf Course by 1:30 p.m. to confirm their registration. The tournament begins at 2 p.m. with a shotgun start. The event will be played in the best-ball Mulligan format.
At the end of the tournament, all players will be asked to convene at the club house for the presentation of awards and prizes. Evangeline-Central Credit Union will present the first-place plaque to the champions. Prizes will also be presented to second and third-place finishers. Male and female longest drive prizes will be handed out. Closest-to-the-whole prizes will also be presented. Many door prizes will also be drawn.
The registration fee is $300 per team or $75 per person. Participants must register in advance, by Sept. 9, by contacting Jeannette Gallant at (902) 854-7250 or at jeuxacadie@gov.pe.ca. It is also recommended to pay the registration fee in advance, either in cash or by cheque payable to Comité régional des Jeux de l’Acadie de l’Î.-P.-É. Players also have the option of paying upon arrival at the tournament.
It should be noted that Rodd Mill River Resort is also offering special overnight room rates to tournament participants for that night only.
Organizers are currently seeking businesses and organizations that would want to sponsor a hole for $100. All those interested are asked to contact Jeannette Gallant to discuss the promotional opportunities of such as sponsorship.
Proceeds from the annual tournament, from the sponsorships of businesses and organizations as well as from a portion of registration fees, will help ensure that more than 150 PEI youth aged 11-16 years will have the opportunity to participate in the Jeux de l’Acadie program each year. In fact, the funds raised this year will help provide training for coaches and athletes as well as purchase sports equipment and uniforms for the Island delegation. For some of these youth, the Jeux de l’Acadie is one of the few opportunities they have to play sports in French.
Just like the Jeux regional committee, the Acadian Chamber is extremely pleased with the changes that have been made to the event. It remains confident that the revamped event will be able to attract a larger number of players as well as raised a greater amount of money for the cause.
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CUTLINE: Acajoux, the Jeux de l’Acadie mascot, proudly launches the invitation to Island golfers to sign up for the 8th Acadian Golf Tournament of PEI, to be held Saturday, Sept. 14, at Mill River Golf Course. The mascot is seen with, from left, Jeannette Gallant, coordinator of the PEI Regional Committee of Les Jeux de l’Acadie, shown accepting a $1,000 sponsorship cheque from Angele Gallant, Wellington branch manager of the Evangeline-Central Credit Union. Bonnie Gallant, executive director of RDÉE Prince Edward Island, the parent organization of the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI, attended the ceremony since the Chamber is a tournament partner.
For more information:
Jeannette Gallant
Coordinator
Comité régional des Jeux de l’Acadie de l’Î.-P.-É.
(902) 854-7250
jeuxacadie@gov.pe.ca