By WARREN DILLAWAY - Staff Writer
ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP — Colorful discs flew through the air Saturday as 28 people descended on a snowy Lake Shore Park to compete in the Ice Bowl.
Disc golfers are a hearty group that loves to play the unique game at Lake Shore Park throughout the year. The charity tournament will help the Ashtabula area Meals on Wheels program and Catholic Charities, said John Verzella who helped arrange the tournament with Larry Jennings.
Verzella said more than $230 was raised for Meals on Wheels and two boxes of canned goods were collected for the Catholic Charities Food Bank.
“The weather is hit or miss. Sometimes its muddy and sometimes it’s so cold you can’t feel your face,” Verzella said of past winter tournaments. He said several years ago it was 20 below zero with the wind chill and it took some teams four hours to finish the 18-hole course.
Chilly temperatures didn’t deter golfers as they trudged through knee deep snow at some parts of the course Saturday morning.
Several disc golfers left Columbus at 5:30 a.m. for the drive to Ashtabula. “I wish I could say it (the reason for driving more than three hours) was a job or a woman, but it is just disc golf,” said Brian Henry while walking the course in shorts.
Henry and teammate Kevin Cruise won the advanced division with a score of 43, followed by Mark Verzella and Mike Mote with a score of 46 and Tom Mote and Andy Morrison checking in for third place with a score of 50.
The recreation division was won by Larry Jennings and Pat Jarvis with a score of 55.
The Shoot the Breeze Disc Golf Club sponsors the event each year and also coordinates a Sunday disc golf experience each week at 10 a.m., Verzella said. He said there are a variety of reasons to play; even in cold weather and difficult economic times.
“It’s free to play here, the discs are cheap and everyone’s willing to help you learn,” Verzella said.
Larry Jennings saw a group of people playing disc golf at Lake Shore Park — sent an e-mail and the rest is history. “I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s relaxing and I can come out and play by myself,” he said.
William Sheppard, of Ashtabula, said there were people from Pennsylvania, Parma and many other northeastern Ohio communities.
At the start of the tournament disc golfers were warned that if their disc flew over the fence into the duck pond they were to wait for a park employee to retrieve it.
Pat Jarvis, of Ashtabula, said the winter tournament is definitely colder and you have to work more to get through the snow. She said she has been disc golfing for three years and loves getting the exercise and enjoys the beauty of Lake Shore Park.
The tournament was broken into an advanced division and a recreational division. The same amount of money goes to the charities from each division but advanced winners receive cash and recreational winners receive discs, Verzella said.
