By Brooke Szpaicher
Here’s to another year of celebrating a local legend (not that I’m bias or anything). We are pushing into the ELEVENTH year of celebrating the life of a local father, husband, a brother, an uncle, a friend. This year we are proud to take on the 11th Annual Eddie Szpaicher Golf Classic at Holiday Valley on July 13th, 2022. This year’s event sold out in less than a week, which is truly unbelievable! In honor of our father, we have continued this tournament to raise money for scholarships to give to two college bound, graduating ECS students.
When my dad suddenly passed in 2012, we were devastated. As the months passed and a new golf season was once again upon us, it seemed fitting to honor him by doing his favorite thing: golf. Since then, the tournament has raised funds to award over $55,000 in scholarships at Ellicottville Central School and it is still going strong today!
My dad was an amazing man who absolutely loved life and lived it to the fullest. Living in Ellicottville is what truly made him happy, which is why he and my mom, Rebecca, planted roots and raised our family here. A true lover of all things sports related, he spent a lot of time on the sidelines of fields and courts watching us play various sports over the years. (Even though it was like having a second coach waiting for you when you got home.) When he wasn’t watching his favorite sporting events, his friends could find him tending bar at various local establishments. His smile and larger than life personality made any patron (local or not) feel welcome and like they belonged there. Most known for, “It’s nice to be nice,” rang true in his daily life through his interactions with family, friends, and strangers alike. Almost eleven years later and I still hear stories about Dad that truly make me realize how loved he was and how missed he is! (Someday I will write a book bringing them all together! Shout out to you Cheryl Kerns!)
This year’s recipients are Elsa Woodarek and Kaleb Kilby. Elsa Woodarek is this year’s graduating class’s valedictorian. She was a member of the varsity soccer team and basketball cheerleading, also leading as a team captain on both. She will be attending Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania to study public health and political science. One of her most notable achievements for the community is her founding of the Caring Closet at Ellicottville Central; the Caring Closet is a place where students in need can shop for clothing and personal hygiene needs at no cost. The other recipient this year is Kaleb Kilby who was a member of the ECS Ski Race team and varsity soccer. He was very involved in the community, including CAP (Civil Air Patrol), which is an organization of the U.S. Air Force teaching aerospace engineering, community service, marching, discipline, and military protocols. He is most recently training to become an EMT. Kaleb will be attending West Virginia University in the fall for pre-nursing.
Thank you to all sponsors and participants! We cannot express our love and gratitude enough to all that make this possible. Although the tournament may be filled, please feel free to check out the tournament website, wwww.bigedgolf.com to make donations, for future tournament dates and hole sponsorships. Thank you to all who make this happen, friends, family, and the community! Don’t fret, if you didn’t get signed up this year, mark your calendars and get to it early next year!