Since I moved up here in January, there’s been one thing that a significant amount of people from the Douglas County area have talked to me about, and that’s The Resorters Golf Tournament at the Alexandria Golf Club.
Although I’ve lived in Iowa for nearly all of my 23 years and nine months in Ames, I had heard of The Resorters because my step-dad grew up playing in it and made the trip from the Twin Cities to Alexandria for that week on a handful of occasions.
But now I’ve gotten to experience covering the tournament and all I can say is this: It was exactly what I thought it would be, and I mean that in the best way possible. It was simply fun. I now understand why people from all over the country flock to the tournament. Or at least one reason why they might flock to Alexandria for that week. What made it stand out to me was the atmosphere of it all.
It seemed like while it was very competitive and to be the best you have to beat the best, it also seemed like the golfers were just out there having fun and doing what they love. It always brings a smile to my face seeing different kinds of people having fun doing what sport or hobby they love.
And the celebrations can be fantastic as well; like Dave Harris in the Grand Masters Division celebrating a long putt made on the fourth hole or Lisa Sobba in Women's Executive Division celebrating a made chip-in from off that same green.
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Ultimately it was fun to see people do what they love. And I’m not saying that I don’t see that on an everyday basis too. It continues to amaze me to see the passion in which people involved in the local sports scene have and the same goes for non-sports groups as well.
I also loved hearing the banter from each of the groups. Whether that be the Grand Masters Division, Men's Executive, Women's Executive, Women's Champ, Mens Regular, or whatnot.
And I’ll say this too, I was kind of amazed at how these golfers can launch the ball. Whether that would be a player in the Junior 10-12 division or up to the Grand Masters Division.
I now understand the appeal of what the area has to offer in terms of hosting these kinds of events (both sports and non-sports). I really liked the prestige of the tournament, along with the history. I think tradition in sports is one of those things that if it's positively affecting the community, it should never go away.
It was also very fun to see how the stories developed each day and how to learn on the fly while covering the tournament. I would like to say thank you to all the people who made this experience enjoyable for me, especially the people that I work with who worked much longer hours than I did covering the tournament.
All in all, I would say the long hours of working at the 101st Resorters Tournament were for sure worth it and a blast. I look forward to the 102nd Resorters Tournament next summer.
The Trust Project
