Planning for 2012 Make CF History Charity Classic underway, goal to top 'magnificent' 2011 event

The second annual Make CF History Charity Classic Hockey Tournament (and more!) is set for June 8th - 10th, 2012.  And while that may seem like a ways off, it will be here before we know it.  And with that in mind, planning for the 2012 Make CF History Charity Classic Hockey Tournament has begun.  

The Organizing Committee will meet for the first time since the inaugural event Wednesday November 2nd to officially kick-off our planning efforts.  And on the heels of a very successful inaugural event in 2011, our goal will be to top last year's event...not by a little - by a lot!

The inaugural event was..."magnificent"

Our ultimate measure of success will always be determined from the player's perspective, feedback from whom following the inaugural event was very positive.  "One of the best tourney’s I have ever played in.", said one player.  And on all accounts, our inaugural event (post-event wrap-up) was, well...simply put..."magnificent":

How do we top that?

Not easily, but certainly the inaugural event has established a foundation for us to build upon (I hope you watched the video above). And as with the inaugural event, our focus will continue to be on the player's experience - and in 2012, we will want more of them!  With 6 teams in the inaugural event, our goal for 2012 is to host 16 teams, including a women's division as well as a "Battle of the Badges" division for teams consisting of firefighters and policemen. And as we did last year, we will be reaching out to teams across the greater mid-west region to invite them in from out of town to join us. 

As for our fund raising goals (which are secondary to the player's experience), we will be looking to more than double our funding raising achievement of last year.  The inaugural event raised close to $11,000 (against a goal of $10,000) for CF, and therefore we will be striving to raise $25,000 in 2012.

Additionally, this year our organizing committee will be led by the Central Ohio Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  Their support has been tremendous, and now our partnership is even stronger! 

Thanks to the CF Foundation, the event's official website has taken on new a looks, with new features and functionality:

www.centralohioevents.com/hockey

Teams will be able to register online, and companies wishing to support the event as sponsors will be able to do so online as well. 

And after that?

The goal of the Make CF History campaign is to raise one million dollars for the CF Foundation.  The Make CF History Charity Classic will be our flagship event for achieving this goal.  In the years to come, we envision pursuing world records (http://longestgame4cf.com/), as well as expanding this event to more teams and more rinks such that the central Ohio community will know that each year during the first weekend in June it is "CF Hockey Weekend" in Columbus.

Stay tuned...

A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline - Part II

Napoleon Hill wrote that. "A goal is a dream with a deadline", that is. The first time I saw that quote was on a sign posted in the dugout of a baseball team -- and I've never forgotten it.

That's what I do - I'm a dreamer. And I'm a goal-setter, because we all know what happens when we don't have a goal to shoot at -- we can't score. And we all know what a dream is which is without a course of action -- it's just a dream.

Last August, I dreamed of organizing a men's hockey tournament to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I dreamed of teams coming in from out of town to play, of a silent auction, of "Stinger" (the Blue Jackets mascot) at the rink, and of a Columbus Blue Jackets player signing autographs too. I dreamed of media exposure, and of sponsors. And I dreamed it would be called The Make CF History Charity Classic Hockey Tournament.

By October, the deadline of my dream was set: June 3, 2011

And so, tomorrow night at 7:00 PM, the first puck will drop at the Easton Chiller to kick off the first of three days of games in the inaugural Make CF History Charity Classic Hockey Tournament. Saturday June 4th, starting at 11:00 AM there will be a silent auction, a public skate and stick-and-puck for kids with "Stinger", an autograph session with Jared Boll and Derek Dorsett of the Columbus Blue Jackets, followed by a live auction emceed by Stephanie Greegor from the Other Paper. Tournament games will take place throughout the weekend, and include teams from Columbus as well as Dayton and Detroit, MI.

And on the eve of our inaugural event, I am still dreaming of what this will all look like when it happens...while at the same time uncertain as to what to expect. Regardless, I can't help but reflect on and recognize the fact that one does not achieve a dream without the help of a lot of great people. And that perhaps the best part in the pursuit of a dream is the process of establishing new friendships while renewing bonds with friends of old -- all in the spirit of helping others. It is the greatest feeling!