The PCA Blog - Portland

1st Annual Deloitte Coach-AM Charity Golf Classic benefiting PCA-Portland

by Jean Ryan McHale

08.30.2016

PCA-Portland celebrated the Power of Positive at its Coach-Am Charity Golf Classic held August 22, 2016. PCA corporate partner Deloitte was title sponsor for a special day of golf held at the private Royal Oaks Country Club – a prestigious tournament site in Vancouver, WA.

As PCA-Portland moves into its second year, the inaugural charity golf tournament aimed to strengthen partnerships and grow Chapter support. More than 90 golfers enjoyed a superior course followed by a casual reception, dinner, and awards ceremony that provided opportunities to meet professional and amateur coaches and athletes and learn about PCA’s mission from Portland Chapter staff, board members and partners.

The “Coach-Am” format linked foursomes with a noted coach or athlete. Moving tee boxes based on the previous hole’s score added difficulty, but Trail Blazers In-Studio Analyst and Former NBA Player Michael Holton says his group took that in stride, following PCA’s advice to maintain a positive mindset. “We had one guy to hit the ball long so we managed to be under par and have a good time.”

Portland Pilots Head Baseball Coach Geoff Loomis was amazed at the pace of play, leaving him time after the round to reflect on how PCA’s message resonates with him:

I think the right path to get enjoyment is just playing and having the opportunity to compete and learn all the things that come with sports rather than putting so much emphasis on the winning side of things. The best benefit I’ve had is just having my kids play in the sport that they love, and it keeps that passion going.

In addition to chipping and putting contests, Royal Oaks Golf Club Head Pro Scott Leritz aided fundraising efforts by challenging players to “Beat the Pro” at the 5th Hole. Meanwhile, the 12th hole -- “The Pond” -- hosted a “Hole in One” challenge. Although no one drove away in the red Mercedes CLS 250 offered by Mercedez-Benz of Portland, the signature hole was a popular spot to deliberate over club selection, enjoy complimentary KIND® bars or sample local craft brewery Hopworks’ newest IPA.

At Hole 12, Oregon State University Head Softball Coach Laura Berg explained her introduction to PCA through OSU Deputy Athletic Director and PCA-Portland Board Member Mark Massari:

Mark asked me if PCA would be something I’m interested in -- and I am. Plus, a bad day of golf beats most any day in the office.

The tournament dinner and awards ceremony provided additional opportunity for PCA-Portland leadership to share more about PCA’s goal to develop winners in sports and life. PCA-Portland Founding Board Member Ryan Schlunz said everyone enjoyed a premium tournament thanks to Deloitte and additional support from signature sponsoring organizations, including adidas, Jet Industries, Rip City Radio, Hillsboro Hops, Wells Fargo, CDW, and Chipotle.

Signature supporting organizations presented premium food and drink throughout the day. JET Industries sponsored the seated dinner. Rip-City Radio sponsored lunch and reception appetizers. Hillsboro Hops sponsored beverages.

Reception, Dinner, and Awards Ceremony Highlights:

  • PCA-Portland Executive Director Benjamin Dudley introduced Clackamas Cavaliers Baseball Coach John Arntson. Earlier this year, Arntson was among 50 people nationwide to garner Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double-Goal Coach® Award Presented by TeamSnap.
  • Schlunz shared his own story of involvement with PCA. His journey began years ago as a parent when he discovered PCA’s resources and became a Double-Goal Coach. A move to Portland in 2015 coincided with an opportunity to serve PCA in an expanded role. He served as a founding advisory board member to the new PCA-Portland Chapter and steered the golf committee in presenting the inaugural Deloitte PCA-Portland Coach-Am Charity Golf Classic.
  • Dudley invited guests to share ideas for creating great youth sports experiences for kids and pointed out how all the ideas (even after-game treats) correlate to PCA principles of helping kids feel connected to their team and coach, believing they can improve, and feeling proud of Honoring the Game.
  • Coach Curtis Schlunz (Ryan’s brother) and members of the 2016 State Champion Clackamas Cavaliers Junior National baseball team shared how Double-Goal Coach and Second-Goal Parent® helped them persevere in the double elimination state tournament. Teammates Joey Irish, Samuel McGladrey, and J. Schlunz explained how recovering from mistakes by “flushing the bad”, “picking each other up”, and even encouraging their opponents created a positive mindset that helped the entire team.

PCA-Portland Partnership Manager Jack Hendrickson said generous sponsors and the all-inclusive event made the day special. “This represents a culmination of PCA-Portland’s successful first year and is a great way to head into the coming year.”

Other featured professional and amateur coaches and athletes:

Laura Berg – Head Coach, Oregon State University Softball Coach

Nigel Burton – Analyst for Pac-12 Networks and CSNNW, former head football coach at Portland State, and former assistant coach at Oregon State.

Matt Gregg – Warner Pacific Assistant Athletic Director & Head Basketball Coach (Knights)

Marshall Haskins – District Athletic Director for Portland Public Schools, Portland Interscholastic League & PCA-Portland board member

Quincy Heard – Warner Pacific Head Golf Coach

Michael Holton – Analyst for Portland Trail Blazers, Former NBA player

Sean Kelly – Head Coach, Concordia University Women’s Basketball 

Jordan Kent – CSNNW Analyst, Former NFL player, former University of Oregon (Ducks)

Rick Krueger – Big 10 official

Terry Porter – University of Portland

Dawn Shockley – Head Coach, Oregon State University women’s golf.

Christopher Smith – Head Golf Professional at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club

Wayne Tinkle – Head Basketball Coach, Oregon State University (Beavers)

Mike White – University of Oregon softball

Hole Sponsors:

Cache Valley Electric
CDW
Clackamas Baseball
ETZEL
Knife River
Miller Nash Graham & Dunn
Northwest Bank
OsterCraft Homes
Profit Recovery Partners, LLC
Providence Health & Services
Sports Medicine Oregon
University of Portland

Jean Ryan McHale is an accredited public relations and business communications professional.