Editorial: Golf tournament to support Warriors Path

Kingsport's greatest city-owned natural asset is Bays Mountain Park, and as you might expect, there exists a group of volunteers who look after it, the Bays Mountain Park Association.You can learn more about this organization, or become part of it, by visiting friendsofbays.org.The city boasts of another wonderful natural resource, though it doesn't own it. That would be Warriors Path State Park, which annually exceeds 2 million visitors, typically ranking it number one or two in visitation among all of Tennessee's 56 state park.And that's quite a claim considering the park is tucked away in the state's far northeast corner.Likewise, there's a volunteer organization, Friends of Warriors Path State Park, working to help improve, protect and preserve the park through user ideas, funding and volunteer labor. State funding for Warriors Path is inadequate to meet current needs for maintenance and improvements, and that is where Friends comes in.It's launching a new event this year, an 18-hole golf classic tournament. The inaugural tournament will serve as a fundraiser to directly benefit the park's golf course as well as other park projects.Among the founders of the Friends of Warriors Path is Mary Steadman, longtime community supporter who was also an organizer of Darrell's Dream Boundless Playground at the park.The organization was actively involved in the recent rebuilding of the park marina, boat slips and the new campground. It had been more than 50 years since those facilities were built.Past projects have included creating and maintaining more than 11 miles of mountain biking trails, development of the disc golf course and partnering with the Holston Rowing Club. Steadman said hundreds of volunteers show up for workdays each year to support projects that the state does not.The funds from the golf tournament will help bring equipment like a starter podium and scoreboard for golf tournaments to the park."Most facilities have what they call a starter podium. They do it out of a golf cart," Steadman said. "Part of our goal in the fundraising of this tournament is to provide 50% of the proceeds to the golf course to be able to purchase those things, and, 50% to the Friends group to do things like Darrell's Dream Boundless Playground, and to support our other user groups."The tournament will start at 8 a.m. Oct. 13. It includes breakfast, lunch, door prizes and awards for participating golfers. We are proud to be among sponsors. The entry fee is $400 per team of four, which covers green fees, a golf cart and meals.The event also will give team and hole competition prizes. Champion Chevrolet will be sponsoring four hole-in-one prizes, such as a truck giveaway, a retail golf apparel package and golf clubs. Hole sponsorships are still available for $150 each.Forms and payment must be submitted online or through mail by Oct. 1. Address mail entries to P.O. Box 6164, Kingsport, TN 37663. For online entries and more information, visit friendsofwarriorspathstatepark.com.To enter the Friends of Warriors Golf Classic, sponsor a hole or donate a prize, call Mary Steadman at 423-956-4330 or email mesteadman@aol.com.The park could use your support.