MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -- Marines from Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River donned their white ankle socks and multi-colored bowling shoes for some friendly competition at the air station bowling alley, July 25.
The tournament was part of the 2013 Commander’s Cup – a series of competitions held for the purpose of raising money for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.
“The main goal of these events is to raise money for our ball and reduce the overall costs of tickets,” said Sgt. Stefan G. Davis, Installation Personnel Administration Center quality control noncomissioned officer with H&HS.
“The perk to winning the Commander’s Cup is that 20 percent of all proceeds up to $400 will go to the top sections junior Marines tickets,” Davis said.
Approximately $420 was raised just from the contestants in the bowling tournament.
Jennifer Anderson, H&HS Family Readiness Officer, said the amount raised from all the events combined was already surpassing her expectations.
“Our targeted amount of money we wanted to raise for the ball was $2,000,” Anderson said. “With this event we are already $300 over that, and we still have more events to come.”
Tournament participant Lance Cpl. Arturo Carrillo, a Meteorology and Oceanography analyst, said he thought the competitions were a great way to raise money for the ball.
“I’ve competed in these events before and I enjoy them and I think they motivate us as a unit,” Carrillo said.
Carrillo said he also appreciated the chance for interaction.
“I think the way our command is raising money for the ball is smart. It’s a good way to get our units to interact with one another,” he said.
Once the tournament came to a close the final scores were tallied. Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Marines from H&HS were named champions of the tournament.
Anderson said that the success of this year’s Commander’s Cup was a result of several factors.
“Last year our commander’s cup was small, started late in the year, wasn’t well organized and only raised $500,” Anderson said.
“This year we started strong, we are well organized and with this event alone we raised almost as much money as all of last year’s events combined.”
For those who haven’t gotten to participate in any events yet, there’s still time.
A golf tournament will be held in the near future, with the possibility of a soccer and cornhole tournament to follow, Anderson said.