08/08/2021
This is going to be a long post…where do we begin:
It started as a vision two years ago to create a tournament where people could come together as a community and raise money to support Siskin Children’s Institute and bring awareness towards autism. Little did I know how much this disc golf community would come together to make this dream a reality. Thanks to my best friend Brett Ives for really pushing me and encouraging me to make this happen. As well as the support from my wife and family. From the beginning of reaching out to Prodigy Disc about my dream and them deciding to get behind the idea fully. Then hooking me up with an awesome human being in Donavon Ferguson to show us the ropes on how to run a tournament(still have a lot to learn) as a tournament director. To the guys at Gravity Disc Golf for being our main vendor for the tournament and all the love and support they showed…as well as NoogaDiscs for also stepping in the help out. From the countless number of sponsors than sent us merchandise to raffle such as; GripEq, Upper Park Disc Golf, Grip6, Shady Rays, BirdieBags Brock Woodall , ProdigyDisc, Dark Ace Apparel, Scott Stokely, Full Flight Disc Golf, NoogaDiscs, Terry Rothlisberger, Double G Craft Jerky, and others that I’m probably forgetting.
Then to Siskin Children’s Institute for all they do in the community with special needs children. It was truly an honor to get behind you guys and be able to do something so special that stems from deep within my heart. It was amazing to see the support that Crush Autism got from you guys. Thank you Steffanie Altman and Shannon York for attending the event and representing Siskin well.
To Donny: over the past few months I have told you how much that we appreciate you for all that you have done to make this event possible. It’s really hard to describe in words and actions just how much this tournament meant to me and my family. You were the backbone that we couldn’t have done this without. I look forward to continuing our friendship and this mentor ship for years to come as we grow this event into something huge in our area.
Thanks to Nathan Curtis for coming out and capturing the essence of the tournament in photos. It was such a great help for you to be out there. If you guys want some sick photos hit this guy up not only is he a great photographer but an even greater person. For him to devote about 4-5 hours out of his day to doing this for us was amazing.
To Melodee’s Diner: it was so great to be able to provide sandwiches for the players for the event. Thank you guys for the support. If you have been to this restaurant, it’s a must. They have a great atmosphere as well as great food.
To the Prod Squad: it would have been impossible to do this without the support of the guys at Prodigy Disc. From the making of the Crush Autism Logo to the making of the stamp for the discs to the stamping of the discs (Nathan) to the Prod Squad (Jordan Frye,Adrian Fraire, Donny, and others behind the scenes) that helped in getting the course ready for the event. Such an amazing thing to witness first hand.
Thanks to Rock105…Chattanooga’s Rock station and their affiliates and Greg Rambin Sr for the awesome commercial that aired for a few months leading up to the tournament. Also, for all of the raffle items we received. It was certainly a big help to have you guys on board.
All in all I really feel as if the inaugural Crush Autism 2021 was a true success and I can wait to get to work on Crush Autism 2022. We will start on this sooner to make sure we go bigger and better for next years event. Thanks to all the players who can put to support such a great cause and those who couldn’t play but still donated to the event. It’s because of you that we were able to raise money, and awareness for this great cause. Thanks again and on to the next one
