Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / July 28, 2010, edition 1 / Page 16
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THE PENDULUM PAGE 16 // WEDNESDAY. JULY 28. 2010 Sports Elon MBA benefits Elon Academy, encourages camaraderie tlirougii annual goU tournament Sam Calvert Sports Editor About 30 minutes from Elon University’s campus, nestled in Mebane, sits Mill Creek Golf Club. On June 26, this 6,387-yard course became home to the third-annual Elon MBA golf tournament. The first tournament took place in October 2007 at the Challenge Golf Club in Mebane, and the second one was held in October of the following year at the Golf Club at Chapel Ridge, near Pittsboro. “In the early days of the MBA Student-Alumni Association, the group decided that it was important to hold an event designed to give back to the community in a setting that encouraged camaraderie among the members,” said Ed Adams, a member of Elon MBA’s Leadership Council. “A golf tournament seemed to be the best option.” In order to start getting participation in the tournament, those involved e-mail MBA alumni, students and faculty to inform them of the event. Then, many of the 13-person MBA Leadership Council sent out personal e-mails to try and persuade them to participate, said Vicki Dixon, director of marketing and sponsor relations. Last fall, the organization tried to plan the tournament, but it fell through because of lack of participation. The June event was its second attempt. “The most challenging part of organizing the tournament was recruiting players to participate,” said Jayson Judy, tournament director. “We thought we would have to postpone it again, as only three teams had registered and the tournament was only three weeks away.” Dixon said getting participation is difficult for a few reasons. First, students and recent graduates have less disposable income than others, and in a tough economy, the $80 registration fee is hard to justify. Also, picking a good time is virtually impossible. Students find it hard to give up study time on the weekends, and in the summer, there is always a chance that participants will be on vacation. And with students and alumni living all over the area, it’s difficult to pick a golf course that doesn’t leave potential players feeling too far away. In order to try and counteract those reasons, the tournament team created a marketing plan that began with advertising. With the help of Bryan Baker, a 2010 Elon MBA graduate, the organization recorded a 30-second commercial to air on Time Warner Cable News 14, and the sound was also used for a WPCM radio commercial. The tournament ran print ads in the Triad and Triangle Golf Today Magazines as well. “I also built the website www.elonmbagolftournament. com in an effort to give the tournament a foothold on the Internet,” Judy said. To round out the marketing strategy, the Elon MBA SAA took advantage of the social media outlets, creating a Facebook page, MySpace page, Twitter account and a blog on Blogger. Finally, after gaining enough participants and with the help of Heather Adams, Dixon, Judy Dulberg, Heather Frazier, Megan Thomas and J.T. Thill, who were present at the event, the third-annual Elon MBA golf tournament was able to take place. By the start of competition, there were 37 players registered, making up a total of nine teams — eight teams of four and one team of five. Haynes Dallas, Ryan Steward, Payne McCloud and Jimmy Cassady were the champions of the day, finishing with a score of 49. There were five other awards handed out, including closest to the pin on several different holes and the longest drive. “We tend to see some of the same faces at the MBA events,” Dixon said. “These are folks who love to network.” At the golf tournament, she said she registered people and saw more alumni than anyone else, but there were also a PHOTO SUBMrTTED Megan Thomas registers golfers as they arrive for the tournament. The event saw a turnout of 37, making up eight teams of four and one team of five. This is the third time tournament In as many years. few professors and some current MBA students. All the net proceeds of the tournament benefits the Elon Academy, a program created that continues to be connected with the university. “The Elon Academy became the primary charity of the SAA because its mission dovetailed nicely with the SAA’s objective of supporting the university’s goals, helping the local community and making a difference in the lives of the next generation of leaders,” Adam said. The Elon Academy is a college preparatory program that works with local high school students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue a college education. It involves a 4-week summer program at Elon, along with events throughout the year during the students’ 10th, 11th and 12th grade years. “The mission of t he Elon Academy is to inspire academically oriented students who are often underrepresented on college and university campuses to pursue higher education, build leadership skills and develop an active sense of social responsibility,” Adams said. The Elon MBA golf tournament is just one of many events the MBA SAA plans throughout the year. The next event will be the Greensboro NetworJr Luncheon, scheduled to take place in August. TOURNAMENT RECAP Champions; Haynes Dallas, Ryan Stewart, Payne McCleo^ Jimmy Cassady — score of 49 Runner-ups: John Burbridge, Lawrence Stoehr, John Simma, Peter Simms — score of 52 Third place: Kevin O’Mara, Art Cassill, David Noer, Adam Kolakowski, Jarrett Sullivan — score of 53 Elon trustee named to N.C. state athletics director PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY REUAPONS Pam Richter Editor-in-Chief Even though she graduated in 1974, Debbie Yow still remembers learning critical thinking skills while at Elon University. Now Yow will take these skills with her as she makes the transition to N.C. State University as its new athletic director. Yow was announced as the new athletic director June 25 after being the athletic director at another ACC school, the University of Maryland. She has worked at Maryland since 1994. During her time at Maryland, Yow experienced some of this success. The Terrapins collected 20 national titles. When she accepted the position at Maryland she was the first female athletic director in the ACC and has become the first woman athletic director at N.C. State. While making friends in Maryland after 16 years, Yow, a Gibsonville native said it was “a pleasure to go home.” Yow's sister, Kay, was the head women’s basketball coach at N.C. State from 1975 to 2009 passing away on January 24, “My family has a long history with N.C. State, Yow said. “Both my sisters were formally associated, and I’m looking forward to coming home.” She said that it is too early to have a lot of goals, but she plans to listen and learn as a new athletic director. “The graduation rate needs to improve ” she said. “There needs to be a competitive level across all the sports and a heightened level of success.” She said that she doesn’t think about the impact she’s had on other women aspiring to be athletic directors on a daily basis. “There are quite a few women who aspire to be athletics director,” she said. “I think if 1 can do the job relatively well, it helps open the door for them (in) the next generation.” Yow currently is a member of Elon’s board of trustees, and said she is proud of the university’s success in football. Also she is excited for the renovations that are taking place to Alumni Gym. Throughout her career, Yow said she worked her way up the ladder, but still remembers the impact one professor at Elon has had on her - Lamar Bland. Bland retired at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year. He first began teaching at Elon in 1967. Elon was the perfect place for me. 1 was an English major and it had small class sizes ... 1 blossomed under his (Bland’s) leadership.” “THERE ARE QUITE A FEW WOMEN WHO ASPIRE TO BE ATHLETICS DIRECTORS. I THINK IF I CAN DO THE JOB RELATIVELY WELL, IT HELPS OPEN THE DOOR FOR THEM (IN) THE NEXT GENERATION," -DEBBIE YOW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY
Elon University Student Newspaper
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July 28, 2010, edition 1
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