Summertime is the time for area nonprofits to hold their benefit golf tournaments on the local links, and local golfers did their part to support some worthy causes in Windham County.
• On June 19, Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS) hosted its eigth annual golf fundraiser at Woodstock Country Club. Eighty players participated in the tournament, raising more that $20,000 for HCRS's Kindle Farm School.
The first place winner of the golf tournament was the Mascoma Savings Bank team of Elden Dube, Shelly Yusko, Joe Cardillo, and Frank Leibly. Second place went to Rick Marasa, Steve Birge, Tim Reynolds, and Tim Kangas. Jason Gramling, Jason Paronto, Kyle Gould, and Jamie Jasinski won third place in a three-way tie-breaker based on their score at a specific hole.
Winners of the longest drive were Lucie Garand and David Vagt; Shelly Yusko won the closest to the line award.
• On June 25, Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) held its 14th annual “Chipping Away at Poverty” Tournament at the Brattleboro Country Club. More than $11,000 was raised to support SEVCA's anti-poverty programs serving low income individuals and families in Windham and Windsor counties.
Team tournament winners were Raven Bay Associates in first, Mutual of America in second, and Claypoint Associates in third. Other winners included: men's closest to the pin, Chad Illingsworth; women's closest to the pin: Leslie Hoyt; women's longest drive – Thalia Holmes; and men's longest drive – Jake Obar.
The winner of the Vegas Hole Contest was Sean Bradley, who donated his winnings to SEVCA, and winner of the 50/50 Raffle was Jessica Leventry, who also donated a portion of her winnings back to SEVCA.
• Youth Services of Brattleboro held its 30th annual tournament at the Brattleboro Country Club on July 22, and had its largest all-time turnout, 92 golfers. They raised more than $20,000 to help underwrite the agency's programs.
The team of Elizabeth Walker, Eileen Ranslow, Ward Dannemiller and Scott Wilson won First Gross, with the team of Mike Cersosimo, Wayne Wright, Sam Gidder and Scott Ferland finishing First Net.
The team of Hugh Barber, Bill Crowley, Larry Farkas and Tammy Bischoff took Second Gross with the team of Tom Heydinger, Kurt Isacson, Bob Hain and Jim Lewis taking Second Net.
Elizabeth Walker won the prize for the Women's Longest Drive. Marilyn Cassidy won the prize for Women's Closest to the Pin.
In the Men's Division, Wayne Wright took the prize for Longest Drive. Craig Bengtson took Closest to the Line with Andrew Wisniewski winning Closest to Pin.
Youth Services' Board member Rick Hashagen and his grandson, Joshua Nordheim, ran a putting contest which raised $220 for the agency. The winner was Dana McGinn.
• The Brattleboro Retreat held its 10th annual golf event at the Brattleboro Country Club on Aug. 5, and more than 100 golfers raised more than $42,000 for the Retreat's programs for children.
Winner of the tournament's First Gross was a team representing Platinum Sponsor Sodexo, including David Marquis, Jack Varner, Pat Varner, and Tim Sheehan. Winner of First Net was “Team Walker” with Elizabeth Walker, Eileen Ranslow, Terry Boyce, and Pam Paradise.
Terry Boyce and Patrick Varner won the women's and men's longest drive. Women's and men's closest to the pin winners included Terry Boyce, Jack Varner, Elizabeth Walker, Brian Perkins, and Joe Fortier.
Nancy Hagstrom and Pat Varner won the women's and men's straightest drive. Team Walker had the longest putt at 15 feet, 7 inches. At the end of the afternoon, Steve Marzoff of the Melanson Company, won the Putting Contest.
• And, if you're a golfer and looking for another opportunity to play for a good cause, Windham County Safe Place Child Advocacy Center will hold its third annual Night Golf Tournament at the Hermitage Club in Wilmington on Sept. 1.
Entry fees are $125 per player or $400 per foursome. The fee includes dinner and a cart. Registration begins at 3 p.m., and players will play 12 holes in the afternoon, have dinner, then play the final six holes after sunset.
There will also be contests for the longest drive, closest to the pin, and a hole-in-one. All proceeds benefit the center, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse in Windham County. To register, or for more information, call 802-579-1358 or visit www.safeplacecac.net.
BST wins Division II title at state meet
• The Brattleboro Swim Team (BST) won the Division II title at the Vermont Swim Association's 2015 state meet, held on Aug. 1 and 2 at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center.
BST's swimmers amassed 1,351 points to win their division. Burlington Country Club was second with 1,107 points and the Middlebury Swim Team was third with 971 points. BST's point total was fourth best of all the teams in the state meet.
Brattleboro had many of its swimmers perform well.
Andrew Brooks, who set three records in the district meet, won two events, the ages 13-14 50 yard freestyle and 100 freestyle, while Mike Fernandez was first in the 11-12 50 backstroke, Matt Dulmaine won the 15-16 50 breaststroke and Cameron Wright took the 17-18 50 breaststroke.
In the 9-10 boys' events, Will Hill was second in the 25 freestyle, 50 freestyle, and 25 butterfly, and fourth in the 100 individual medley, while Will Thurber was eighth in the 25 breaststroke and 10th in the 9-10 25 backstroke and 100 IM).
Boys in the 11-12 age group with top 10 finishes included Fernandez (second in the 50 freestyle and 50 butterfly), Henry Thurber (third in the 100 freestyle, fifth in the 50 butterfly, ninth in 50 backstroke, and 10th in the 50 freestyle), Ernie Antonucci (fourth in the 100 freestyle, third in the 12U 200 freestyle), Brooks (second in the 100 butterfly, fourth in the 200 freestyle), and Colin Greenleaf (ninth in the 100 backstroke).
Top 10 finishes among the older swimmers included Phelan Muller (fifth in the 15-16 200 freestyle and 200 IM, sixth in the 50 freestyle, ninth in the 100 freestyle), Yaya Cooper (fifth in the 15-16 50 backstroke, seventh in the 50 freestyle, ninth in the 100 backstroke and 10th in the 100 freestyle), Dulmaine (fourth in the 15-16 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 50 butterfly) and Wright (second in the 17-18 100 breaststroke and 50 butterfly, seventh in the 50 freestyle).
For the relay teams, the 10U team finished seventh in the 100 freestyle, the 12U team was second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 200 medley, the 14U team was sixth in the 200 medley, and the 18U team took fourth in both the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays.
The under-10 girls had top 10 finishes by Delia Gould (eighth in the 6U 25 freestyle), Kennedy Taylor (fourth in the 8U 100 IM, ninth in the 7-8 25 freestyle and 8U 50 freestyle), Meredith Lewis (eighth in the 8U 100 IM, ninth in the 25 breaststroke), and Kali Taylor (10th in the 9-10 25 butterfly).
Top 10 finishers among the older swimmers included Lillian Fisher (sixth in the 15-16 100 freestyle, seventh 200 freestyle, ninth in the 50 freestyle,), Isabella Thurber (ninth in the 15-16 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly), Gigi Purcell (10th in the 15-16 200 freestyle), Isabelle Magbie (second in the 15-16 100 breaststroke, third in the 100 backstroke and 50 freestyle), Grace Reeder (fourth in the 17-18 100 freestyle, sixth in the 50 freestyle, eighth in the 50 butterfly), Harper Baldwin (second in the 17-18 200 freestyle, third in the 100 freestyle and 200 IM, fourth in the 500 freestyle), and Molly Schoales (third in the 17-18 200 freestyle, fourth 100 butterfly, seventh in the 100 backstroke and 50 butterfly).
For the girls' relays, the 8U team was third in the 100 medley and fourth in the 100 freestyle, the 10U team was fourth in the 100 medley, the 14U girls were 10th in the 200 freestyle, and the 18U team was third in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 200 medley.
Greeter program helps keep invasives out of Somerset
• The Somerset Reservoir is the wildest large water body in the state of Vermont. With 16 miles of coastline, 12 islands, and more than 200,000 acres of the Green Mountain National Forest surrounding it, it has long been a special destination for canoeists, kayakers, and fishermen who seek a quiet place to be on the water.
Unfortunately, aquatic invasive species are spreading rapidly around the state, damaging the quality of lakes, ponds, and rivers. The fastest spreading invasive in Vermont is the Eurasian Watermilfoil. It can form thick underwater stands of tangled stems and vast mats of vegetation on the water's surface. These mats can limit boating, swimming, and fishing.
Eurasian Watermilfoil can disrupt the ecology of a water body by crowding out important native aquatic plants needed for a healthy fishery, but there are also at least 48 other aquatic invasive species spreading around Vermont, many by way of trailered motor boats.
It's much easier to prevent the introduction of invasive species than it is to eradicate them after they have been established. That is why Green Mountain Conservancy (GMC) is hosting a “Somerset Greeter Program” at the boat ramp in order to prevent an accidental invasive species introduction.
They have been inspecting all boats at the boat ramp during the weekends this summer. GMC is also doing surveys to catch any invasives that do arrive while the population is small. They ask that if you have any time to volunteer to help at the boat ramp or monitor the shorelines for invasive species, visit greenmountainconservancy.org to sign up.