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Vibram Aims for $50k Donation to St. Jude and Autism Speaks

Vibram Aims for $50k Donation to St. Jude and Autism Speaks

Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 11:57

If you’ve been itching to run a tournament, specifically one geared towards getting new players into the sport, a Vibram Birdie Bash (VBB) event may be just what you’re looking for. VBB is a “tournament in a box” style of event, making it easy for anyone to put on a great event, all while raising money for two amazing charitable organizations at the same time; St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Autism Speaks!  

VBB's Charitable Goals

On top of creating the VBB events, Steve Dodge #22042 is also the head of Vibram Disc Golf, Tournament Director of the Vibram Open at Maple Hill (a 2016 PDGA National Tour event), and founder of the upcoming Disc Golf Pro Tour. Dodge has set the bar high for the VBB events with a goal $50,000 in funds raised for St. Jude and Autism Speaks. He believes it is not only possible, but important for the sport as well.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is dedicated to advancing cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of their founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay and all research is shared with the world to improve the lives of all children.

Autism Speaks is dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a possible cure for autism. They strive to raise public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society, and they work to bring hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder.

"It is important to maintain the culture of the disc, and charitable giving goes hand in hand with that goal” says Dodge. “This year we’ve chosen St. Jude's and Autism Speaks, and we’re excited to see how much we’ll able to contribute at the end of the VBB season. Both of these organizations embody the casting and caring qualities the disc culture exudes and we are proud to partner with these two great organizations.”  

What is a Vibram Birdie Bash?

A Birdie Bash is not your typical disc golf tournament. In fact, you might not even finish the holes. In a similar fashion to a Discraft Ace Race or a Trilogy Challenge, finishing the hole isn’t the true objective. These types of events are about introducing new players to the sport and giving someone that has always wanted to run an event the opportunity to get their feet wet before making the transition to a full-blown Tournament Director.

As the VBB website states, “The best reason to participate is to spend time throwing the disc with friends and soon-to-be friends.”

VBB Format

  • For each hole, players are limited to a number of throws equal to one less than the par of the hole. E.g., on a Par 4, the maximum number of throws allowed is three.
  • The only two discs that can be used while playing the course are the two Vibram discs that all players receive as part of their players packs.
  • Eagles earn 5 points. Birdies earn 2 points. Metal hits earn 1 point.

Pretty simple, right? It should be noted that there will likely be a VBB Championship that each winner will be invited to participate in at the end of the year. More information will be made available on that in the near future.

VBB TD Perks

Who can run a VBB? Anyone! A detailed step-by-step guide is included in the package you receive as a VBB Tournament Director making the process simple for anyone, even if it is your first time as a TD. Additionally, promotional pieces are being developed that can be printed and/or used on social media to help promote your VBB.

Other notable benefits of running a VBB include:

  • All of the event registration, processing fees, player pack assembly, and shipping costs are covered by Vibram.
  • All of the PDGA event sanctioning fees and all player fees for PDGA members and non-members alike are covered by Vibram.
  • TD’s receive $5 cash back per player to help support the event.
  • TDs will have access to the PDGA insurance certificate (often needed by many venues).
  • Events with 40+ pre-registered players receive bonus prizes for CTPs and/or giveaways.

VBB Player Perks

Seasoned competitive disc golfers and players looking to compete in an organized event for the first time are all welcome at a Vibram Birdie Bash. Registration is $40 per player across the board, with three divisions offered: men, women, and juniors.  

The players pack includes:

  • Premium VBB Dryfit Polo
  • Vibram Mizu M8 Water Bottle
  • Vibram Fairway Driver
  • Vibram Putt & Approach
  • Vibram Mini Coaster
  • Vibram Stickers

There are also opportunities to win per-card CTPs and round prizes. Awards are given out for the winners of each division plus an additional Spirit Award for one individual, determined by the TD.

We look forward to seeing just how much Vibram Birdie Bash events can raise for St. Jude and Autism Speaks. Disc golf continues to excel in fundraising for nonprofit organizations, from the local food bank donations raised by Ice Bowls, to the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital via the St. Jude Disc Golf Charity Invitational, Ledgestone Insurance Open, and various other events around the globe.

It’s amazing to see how much good we as a disc golf community can do, simply by doing what we love the most; throwing discs and banging chains.

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Comments

Submitted by keertiji on

USA & Canada only? I would be interested in running one of these in New Zealand. Any plans to do international events like this as there is a whole world of disc golf out there.....cheers