YOUR HONOR 1,500 GOLF BALLS DROPPED FOR CHARITY.Byline: Eugene Tong tong 1 tr.v. tonged, tong·ing, tongs To seize, hold, or manipulate with tongs. [Back-formation from tongs. Staff Writer VALENCIA - Fifteen hundred golf balls, all marked with numbers, were dropped Monday from a helicopter hovering hov·er intr.v. hov·ered, hov·er·ing, hov·ers 1. To remain floating, suspended, or fluttering in the air: gulls hovering over the waves. 2. over the Valencia Country Club golf course, But it was No. 503 that mattered. Matthew Muscarella of Saugus won the $2,500 first prize for having the ball that landed closest to the hole, with Susan Opalk taking home $1,000 for second prize - and $500 for having another ball that was farthest from the cup. Margret Pazirerdeh won the $500 third prize. A higher amount was reserved for any of 50 marked balls that landed in the cup. No one claimed that $10,000 prize. The event, at the 10th hole, was the climax Climax Following a protracted period of selling or buying, a point wherein market trends are retarded or discontinued. Notes: At a selling climax, the market is characterized by a trend reversal whereby the market begins to buy stocks and prices rise. of the annual golf tournament benefiting Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. Special Olympics Special Olympics International sports program for people with intellectual disability. It provides year-round training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type summer and winter sports for participants. . The storm of golf balls cascaded onto the fairway, dropped by a helicopter while dozens of golfers and volunteers watched with glee. ``It was so cool,'' said Ken Opalk Jr., 20, a Special Olympian golfer. ``But if it landed on your head, it'll really hurt.'' ``It's a beautiful day,'' Maureen Spindt, the group's director, said before the drop. ``The weather has been very cooperative, and our major heat wave is over.'' The event was expected to raise $10,000, Spindt said. The drop is a new addition to the golf tournament, now in its second year. The whole event is expected to generate up to one-third of the group's annual budget of about $325,000, Spindt said. ``In Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, , our program has grown extremely rapidly,'' she said. ``We currently have 400 athletes who participate in 12 different sports throughout the year. ``Many people think Special Olympics is a once-a-year event, but our athletes train for different sports weekly. The funds from this event and others will be used toward program expansion.'' Susan Opalk, Ken's mother, said her family relies on the Special Olympics to give her developmentally disabled son a chance to socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. . ``It's wonderful,'' she said. ``If it wasn't for Special Olympics, he wouldn't have any social outlet. When we moved here in 1988, there was nothing here for Kenny. But since he joined the Special Olympics, he's been doing a lot better.'' Special Olympics is a sports training Sports training refers to specialized strategies and methods of exercise used in various sports to develop athletes and prepare them for performing in sporting events. Sports training methods and athletic competition program for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Four hundred athletes 8 to 80 train in 13 sports in Santa Clarita. Spindt said the Special Olympics has helped local disabled children and adults build confidence and improve their quality of life. ``They have the opportunity to increase their self-confidence and self- esteem,'' she said. ``They carry over that into their jobs and their classrooms.'' It also offers a chance for the community to interact with the disabled and encourage acceptance, Spindt said. Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- ran in SAC Sac: see Sac and Fox. SAC - 1. An early system on the Datatron 200 series. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. edition only) Sgt. Steve Jenkins Steve Jenkins (born July 16, 1972 in Merthyr Tydfil is a Wales international football player. A full-back, he attained 16 Welsh caps. Jenkins signed for Swindon Town in 2005 but after Swindon's relegation to League 2 and the appointment of Dennis Wise as manager, Jenkins of the Santa Clarita Sheriff's Office and volunteer Brad Clark Brad Clark (born 1960 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently the councillor in Ward nine in Hamilton, Ontario. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister measure the ball closest to the hole. (2 -- ran in SAC edition only) A helicopter drops some 1,500 golf balls onto the 10th hole at Valencia Country Club on Monday to determine a raffle winner. The event benefited Special Olympics. (3 -- ran in SAC editon only) One lone ball sits in the hole at 10. Entrants paid $10 per ball for a shot at winning, and the winner pocketed $2,500. (4 -- ran in SAC edition only) Ball No. 503 sits in the hole, an important occurrence for Matthew Muscarella, who won $2,500 as a result. (5 -- ran in SAC edition only) Spectators cheer as the 1,500 golf balls are dropped from the Helinet Aviation helicopter at Valencia Country Club Monday. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion