2nd Annual William Wiersma Golf & Disc Tourney comes back to Santa Barbara

This sticks and discs event retains its spirit of fun and collaboration

Santa Barbara, CA – (April 10, 2009) – For a second consecutive year Montecito Country Club will play host to the William Wiersma Golf and Disc Tourney. It will all take place on Thursday afternoon, October 15, 2009. The William Wiersma Golf and Disc Tourney, Will’s Tourney for short, is a unique collaboration of stick and disc golfers. Stick and disc players run the links side-by-side to raise money for the William Wiersma Memorial Scholarship at Westmont College.

Don’t just innovate. Collaborate! is once again the theme of the event. The theme and concept of the event arise out of Will’s appreciation for anything associated with collaboration, Ultimate Frisbee and quality time with old and new friends.

Unlike conventional fund-raisers, this Best Ball/Best Disc tournament is an innovative event that puts stick golfers and disc golfers on the same course at the same time.

Last year, Innova Discs, donated the Disc Golf baskets and arranged the disc golf course layout.

“The three registration levels ranging from Current Students, to Recent Grads to All Others makes the event accessible to just about everyone. And we think this approach makes for an even more innovative and collaborative afternoon,” said Will’s dad, Tom Wiersma.

Far from being a Westmont-only event, Will’s Tourney is open to everyone. “You don’t have to be a Westmont alum, a member of the Montecito Country Club, or even be a good golfer to play – I know because I’m none of the above,” Wiersma went on to say.

About Will Wiersma and the William Wiersma Memorial Scholarship at Westmont College.

William Jae Wiersma graduated from Westmont College in 2006 after spending his senior year studying at Oxford University in England. He graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Political Science / International Affairs.
Will was a joyful Christian and his faith was openly integrated into the skills he used to be a gifted student, a talented athlete, an accomplished traveler and a loyal friend in addition to being an avid collaborator. He understood that although sometimes a challenge, collaboration yields real benefits by preserving the integrity of individual ideas while also combining and expanding them to create the most effective actions, decisions or results.

Collaboration is a process that requires considerable skill. And a liberal arts setting like the one at Westmont and Oxford encourages and hones collaborative thinking. The William Wiersma Memorial Scholarship will provide need- and merit-based funds to incoming freshmen at Westmont College and the hope is that they too will grow to exhibit an innovative and collaborative life.

William “Wheels” Wiersma was an accomplished Ultimate Frisbee player. He played Ultimate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his home. He captained Westmont’s Bandicoots to a regional berth in Colorado Springs in 2004. He helped take Oxford’s OW! to the Division 1 University playoffs in Cardiff, Wales in the spring of 2006 — and he helped the Santa Barbara Gendors emerge from the Regional Tournament in Phoenix in the fall of 2006 to capture a berth in that year’s Nationals.

Will died in a tragic automobile accident on October 1, 2006 returning from the regional tournament in Phoenix. Late in 2007, a scholarship was set up by Will’s family — Tom, Laura and Will’s sister Natalie at Westmont College to honor the principles of collaboration for which Will stood.

For up to date photos you can also navigate to the “Photos” tab above

Golf Memorial Oct. 6

Tom and Laura Wiersma have created a unique sporting event to honor their late son, William, a Westmont College graduate.

The inaugural William Wiersma, a collaboration among traditional golf and disc golf players tournament will be held at the Montecito Country Club on Oct. 6.

The goal is to raise money for a new scholarship program at Westmont. Wiersma died in an automobile accident in Phoenix in 2006, shortly after his graduation.

For more information or to participate, check out www.willstourney.com.

NEWS-PRESS STAFF REPORT

September 26, 2008 12:00 AM

Golf and disc golf will be playing side-by-side to benefit the William Wiersma Memorial Scholarship Fund at Westmont College.

The “Don’t Just Innovate. Collaborate! Tournament” will be held on Oct. 6 at the Montecito Country Club.

“This best ball-best disc tournament is an innovative one that puts traditional golfers and disc golfers on the same course at the same time,” said Tom Wiersma. “The two won’t compete with each other in the traditional sense. But traditional golfers and the disc golfers will collaborate in order to raise money for William’s scholarship.

“Although this hybrid of traditional and disc golf is the first of its kind, the integrity of each sport, the tradition and the fun will be preserved.”

William Wiersma graduated with honors from Westmont College in 2006 and was an accomplished Ultimate Frisbee player, having captained the university’s “Bandiccots” team to a collegiate regional berth in 2004. He also played for Oxford while studying abroad.

He was returning from a tournament in Phoenix on Oct. 1, 2006 when he was killed in an automobile accident. His parents, Tom and Laura Wiersma, started the scholarship fund in his honor last year.

The golf and disc tournament is open to all. The cost is $75 for current students, $115 for recent graduates (2004-2008) and $150 for the general public. You must register by Monday at www.willstourney.com.

Tom Wiersma
The Verti-Mark Group, Inc
(616) 456-9676

When referring to this news item, please use reference number 089-0808-101

NEWS                                 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A first-of-its-kind 2008 Golf and Disc Tourney comes to Santa Barbara.

“Don’t just Innovate. Collaborate!” is the theme of this hybrid classic.

Santa Barbara, CA – (August 27, 2008) – Tom and Laura Wiersma are hosting the 2008 “Don’t just innovate. Collaborate!” Golf and Disc Tourney at Montecito Country Club on Monday afternoon, October 6, 2008. The Golf and Disc Tourney is a unique collaboration of traditional golfers and disc golfers playing side-by-side to raise money for the William Wiersma Memorial Scholarship at Westmont College.

Unlike other tournaments, this Best Ball / Best Disc tournament is an innovative one that puts traditional golfers and disc golfers on the same course at the same time. The two won’t compete with each other in the traditional sense. But traditional golfers and the disc golfers will collaborate in order to raise money for William’s scholarship. Although this hybrid of traditional and disc golf is the first-of-its-kind — the integrity of each sport, the tradition and the fun will be preserved.

The Golf and Disc Tourney is open to everyone in the Santa Barbara Community. You do not have to be a member of the Montecito Country Club to play. Three registration levels ranging from Current Students, to Recent Grads to All Others will make for an even more innovative and collaborative event.

Registration for the Golf and Disc Tourney is open now and through September 29, 2008. Visit www.willstourney.com, or www.westmont.edu/giving, or go to Facebook and search “Will’s Tourney” to register and pay securely, or to find more information about participating as a golfer, sponsor or underwriter. You can also download a registration form to register and pay through the mail.

About Will Wiersma and the William Wiersma 2008 Memorial Scholarship at Westmont College.

Will was a joyful Christian and his faith was integrated with the skills he used to be a gifted student, an accomplished traveler and a loyal friend in addition to being an avid collaborator. He understood that although challenging, collaboration yields benefits by preserving individual ideas while combining and expanding them to create the most effective actions, decisions or results. The process requires considerable skill and a liberal arts setting like the one at Westmont and Oxford encourages and hones collaborative thinking. The William Wiersma Memorial Scholarship will provide need- and merit-based funds to incoming freshmen at Westmont and the hope is that they too will grow to exhibit an innovative and collaborative life.

William Jae Wiersma graduated from Westmont College in 2006 after spending his senior year studying at Oxford University in England. He graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Political Science / International Affiars.

William “Wheels” Wiersma was an accomplished Ultimate Frisbee player. He played Ultimate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his home. He captained Westmont’s Bandiccots to a regional berth in Colorado Springs in 2004. He helped take Oxford’s OW! to the Division 1 University playoffs in Cardiff, Wales in the spring of 2006 — and he helped the Gendors emerge from the Regional Tournament in Phoenix in the fall of 2006.

Will died in a tragic automobile accident on October 1, 2006 returning from an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament in Phoenix. Late in 2007, a scholarship was set up by his parents at Westmont College to honor the principles of collaboration for which Will stood.

Main Contact:
Tom Wiersma
President
The Verti-Mark Group, Inc
(616) 456-9676
Email: twiersma@vertimark.com