Brock University President Lesley Rigg (third from left) joins mascot Boomer the Badger and four members of the Brock rowing team at the President’s Golf Classic at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club. From left are second-year Business Administration student Lucas Fogh, fourth-year Computing and Business student Connor Dodds, Rigg, Boomer, first-year Kinesiology student Mallorie Taylor and third-year Nursing student Genavieve Jopling.Spirits were flying high when community members, sponsors and Brock University employees hit the links in support of student-athletes during the 22nd annual President’s Golf Classic.
The event saw more than 140 golfers tee off at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club on Monday, May 26 to raise $84,500.
While addressing attendees, President and Vice-Chancellor Lesley Rigg highlighted the important role University sports play in teaching “teamwork, resilience and leadership” as student-athletes strive for academic and athletic excellence.
“Thanks to events like this and the generosity of our community, we’re giving our student-athletes the freedom to focus on becoming the best versions of themselves, both in sport and in life.”
The President’s Golf Classic has raised more than $1.5 million over the past two decades, helping to ease the financial pressures that come with competing at the highest levels of university sport.
That support has allowed men’s wrestling standout Gabriel Blanchette, a third-year Sport Management student, to reach new heights in his athletic career.
“The athletic financial assistance has given me the stability and opportunity to train around the world, something only a few fortunate student-athletes have done during their time at Brock,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to afford these opportunities without that financial support.”
Blanchette has competed at both the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and U SPORTS Championships, winning multiple medals and earning Academic All-Canadian honours for three seasons.
Women’s volleyball all-star Emily Foest, a fourth-year Medical Sciences student, said the funding she’s received has shaped her experience as a Badger, both on and off the court.
“The AFA made it possible for me to focus on becoming the best version of myself, not only for my team, but for my future. Donors’ generosity doesn’t just help us cover tuition or travel, it gives us the chance to represent this school, to grow as athletes and as people, and to chase something bigger than ourselves,” said Foest, who has helped lead the Badgers to four consecutive Quigley Cup appearances and three OUA titles.
Rankin Construction served as the presenting sponsor for the eighth consecutive tournament. Other sponsors include Aramark, Pepsi, Aviva Investors, Mawer, Architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson, Cassels, Barings, Axium, ECCO Electric, CIBC, Chorley + Bisset, PH&N Institutional – RBC Asset Management, Doherty Engineering, GardaWorld, TD Insurance, Blackstone Energy Services, Pier 21, Mercer, T. Litzen Sports and Nike Team.
