August 6, 2019 at 1:29 p.m.
ABC scramble supports area sports teams
Event set for Saturday at Rhinelander Country Club
ABC scramble supports area sports teams
The ABC's 39th annual golf scramble is set for this Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Rhinelander Country Club with well more than 100 people from around the area set to tee it up for a good cause.
"I think I've been with the ABC for eight, nine years now and the community is such a big backer of the booster club and the country club just does such an amazing job that it's one everyone's calendar," said Brandon Karaba, president of the ABC's board of directors. "Every year this is a staple that people come to and they want to make sure that the teams - whether its new scoreboards, new uniforms, you name it - that they are supported."
The event is one of three big fundraisers put on annually by the ABC - its membership drive and selling ads for the sports schedule posters distributed through town are the other two. Between sponsorships, the putting contest, raffle events and the silent and live auction at the end of the event, Karaba said the scramble typically generates between $10,000 and $12,000 annually. Since 2002 alone, the club has donated more than $300,000 back to the community in monetary grants to local sports teams and organizations.
"Without this scramble, things would be really, really tough," Karaba said. "We wouldn't be able to support the teams like we can. Thirty-nine years is nothing to bat an eye at. Everyone does an amazing job and we can't thank the community enough for all their support."
Title sponsors Rhinelander GM/Toyota and Aspirus Rhinelander Clinic are back for another year. In addition to being title sponsors, both businesses pony up additional support for the day of the event. Rhinelander GM supplies the hole-in-one prizes, including a car that could be won if some aces that par-3 fifth hole. Aspirus donates the base jackpot for the putting contest, which grows throughout the event culminating in a putt-off for the top prize.
Throughout the scramble's nearly four decades, Rhinelander Country Club has served as the venue and the event has not changed much over the year. At its root it is still a five-person scramble in which players sign up as individuals and then are paired by the pro shop in evenly-matched teams, based on handicaps, before heading out on the course in an attempt to win the top prize.
However, there have been a couple of tweaks over the years. Most recently the ABC and the club have allowed interested players to form their own teams and take part in a non-competitive division. Karaba said the change has helped bolster participation.
"We'll probably be up three to four teams (15-to-20 people), if everything comes to what we're thinking," Karaba said regarding this year's turnout. "That comes to more of that open structure of allowing teams to sign up. It's nice to advertise and get that out there because the country club and its members are open to having that. We have both the competitive and the non-competitive side."
What's more, Karaba said, the country club will hold a drawing for non-members during the event, with the winner receiving a membership for the 2020 golf season.
Karaba said Packers tickets will once again headline the live auction that will take place during a dinner reception following the scramble. The ABC is busy finalizing its live and silent auction items - virtually all of which are donated by area businesses, organizations and individuals, he said.
The event goes back to the Rhinelander ABC's core mission of supporting Rhinelander sports, and there will be a definite sports presence at the event. Coaches can be seen selling tickets on the par 3s for contests in which golfers try to earn chances to win rounds of golf at area golf courses - increasing their chances of winning if they hit the green in regulation. Over the past several years, athletes from a number of sports teams have been on-site to welcome golfers as they arrive and carry the golfers' bags up to the clubhouse.
Most of what the Rhinelander ABC supports is behind the scenes. Typically area sports teams looking for financial assistance apply for an ABC grant. Coaches then show up to an ABC board meeting to explain what their team is looking for and how much it will cost.
Sometimes there are big ticket items. Over the past several years, for instance, the ABC has helped fund new scoreboards at Mike Webster Stadium, the Rhinelander Ice Arena and Pioneer Park. Sometimes the items are as simple as uniforms or equipment that a team would not be able to otherwise purchase.
"Fortunately we've been able to back all teams," Karaba said. "We've never said no (due to a lack of funds). We've been able to donate to everyone that's come in front of us, because of this type of event. With the community allowing this event to be successful, we can continue to do that."
Additionally, the ABC sponsors two, $1,000 scholarships given annually to a male and female RHS senior student-athlete. The ABC also organizes the Hodag Hall of Fame.
Karaba said, as the ABC gets set to begin its fifth decade of existence, he's grateful for the support the community has shown the organization.
"They see the value of athletics," he said. "It helps a kid become who they become in a community. They learn discipline, respect, trust, hard work - all those characteristics feed into them becoming a full adult."
There are still limited spots available to play in Saturday's event - with flights going off at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. To register, contact Rhinelander Country Club at 715-365-3201.
For more information about the ABC, visit www.RhinelanderABC.org.
Jeremy Mayo is a former member of the Rhinelander ABC board of directors. He may be reached at [email protected].
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