Notes from the President

Dear WAGA Members, Friends, and Fellow Golfers,

            Happy New Year for 2010!  We have an exciting year planned ahead and encourage all members, spouses, guests, and orthotic/prosthetic firms to participate and have fun.  Don Bigler will be hosting his Phoenix tournament in April, Ross Martin his Sacramento tournament in June, and Ed Wilson will host our Regional tournament in Seattle in August.  We are looking for someone to step up and organize a tournament in the fall.

I would like to encourage the members to work with their local orthotics/prosthesis company to have casual one-day tournaments.  In the Sacramento area, ACTT (Amputees Can Triumph Too) was started by a local firm and receives moderate funding from Otto Bock.  The tournaments are usually attended by 24-40 players consisting of 6-10 amputees and 18-30 normies (friends, spouses, guests, business associates, orthotists and prosthetists).  There are 3-4 tournaments with points totaled for participation and performance toward a player of the year trophy.  Everyone receives a raffle prize, and the amputees enjoy reduced green fees.

I would also like to encourage more participation by normies.  They have been an integral part of the association over the entire life of the organization.  They have provided much needed manpower, energy, resources, and friendship.  Most of them would tell you that they gained more from the experience of participating with amputees than they gave. 

I would like to reiterate and remind all our member of the specific and primary purposes for which our organization was formed.  They are: 1) to assist in rehabilitation of amputees for their general welfare, both physical and psychological, through golf and its associated activities; 2) to hold and conduct local and regional golf tournaments for competitive play by amputees, and their guests; and 3) to share an active out-of doors activity for better health, friendship, and personal well-being.  I am very proud of the unselfish time and energy that our members have shown other amputees, especially those newly returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  I encourage all our members to reach out to those in their community that could use their help, insight, inspiration, and assistance to feel whole, useful, and energized.

            We are keeping annual dues the same as last year at $20.00, and NAGA is again promoting their special membership fee of $10.00.  We have transferred our scholarship fund to NAGA for their oversight and management.  We encourage our members to support this worthy effort and include addition funds with their dues payment.  This can be paid in one check to WAGA and we will forward to NAGA.

            I hope you will be able to participate in one or more of our events this year, and I hope to meet you personally.  It is an honor and a privilege to serve you.

                        Sincerely yours,

                        Chris Wicks, President