Competitors help to feed the hungry 18 years running
By Marlene McTigue
Capital Region Independent Media
COEYMANS — The 18th annual J-Park Ice Bowl went off without a hitch as players from all over the Capital Region and beyond once again donned their gloves, sweaters and wool hats to spend the day in friendly competition and raise money for the hungry.
This year’s longest distance driver was Emily Braun from Hudson, Massachusetts.
Since 2006, intrepid competitors have gathered at Joralemon Park to brave the elements and test their skills. It’s not for the faint of heart. As always, scheduled in the heart of winter, the bowl’s motto is “No Wimps, No Whiners!”
This year, 72 competitors took up the challenge and made up 36 teams in five divisions – Pro, Advanced, Novice, Ladies and Mixed(male/female).
In the simplest of terms and according to the Professional Disc Golf Association, disc golf is a variant of ball golf, but with special frisbees or flying discs. However, instead of hitting a ball off a tee and aiming at getting it down a hole in as few strokes as possible, disc golf involves throwing a disc from the tee and hitting an above-ground target in as few throws as you can. At Joralemon, or J-Park, there are 36 holes.
Jeff Wiechowski, one of the event’s organizers, said the day started with a round of “Best Score,” where teams play singles and record only the best score for each hole.
After the first-round, players took a break to have lunch together under the park pavilion, the traditional Ice Bowl fires burning in the fire pits nearby to warm competitors.
After lunch came a round of Best Shot, which is “basically a two-player scramble,” according to Wiechowski.
The day of the competition started out cloudy and cold with occasional sunlight, but in typical Ice Bowl fashion, it ended with snow and wind.
As is true of every year’s event, it’s not all about the competition. Part of what makes the Ice Bowl such a memorable event is that these disc golfers are also working for a greater good that goes beyond competing for the win.
Every year, an integral part of the event is making a donation to help feed the hungry.
This year a raffle of items was held that raised over $500. Also, mulligans were sold and raised over $700.
“All told we raised $3,000 and collected about 80 pounds of food items for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York,” Wiechowski said.
It was a banner year as the contributions just keep growing, the organizer said.
“In 2023 we raised $1,500, 2022 was $1,800,” he said. “Totals over 18 years is around $20,000 and literally tons of food.”
