Robert C. Tabb's Blog
June 3, 2013
My Other Passions
I've often referred to writing as my (slightly) profitable hobby. But my writing has taken a back seat as of late to my other (more expensive) hobby; golf.
In April, having just finished my Master's in Mathematics Education K-6 through Western Governor's University, I was looking for something to fill all the extra time I now had. My wife asked if I was going to sign up for a marathon (which had been strictly forbidden while working through my graduate program). And while I was looking for a carrot to help motivate me to get into shape, I didn't want running competing with my time on the course. Thus, I decided to search for golf marathons and ended up stumbling upon the Hundred Hole Hike website.
Taken directly from the website: The Hundred Hole Hike (HHH) is a national-network of golf marathons where participants plan to walk 100 or more holes of golf in one day in order to raise money for various worthwhile charitable causes.
After mentioning it to my wife, who simply shook her head, and talking it over with the course I have an annual membership with (Sunset Grove) I picked a date June 25.
All that was left to do then was to select my charities (Angels Making a Difference and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital), purchase a new pair of shoes, and pay the $150 registration fee. Oh, and I needed to reach out to family and friends to get pledges.
With about $1400 in estimated pledges registered to date, I am slowly climbing toward my initial goal of $5000. Part of acheiving that mark will be to get some media coverage. To help make this happen, I have once again returned to my writing skills and penned my own press release.
Hopefully this will find its way into a couple of local newspapers and possibly some internet sites. But before I send it out, I would love to have some feedback from this community to help me strengthen its impact on readers.
If you played a couple of holes with Bobby Tabb on a weekday evening or weekend afternoon out at Sunset Grove Golf Club in Forest Grove, you’d probably be surprised to hear him talk confidently about breaking the course record on June 25th. But when you find out that Tabb, an avid golfer with an imperfect game but a big heart is not planning on carding a new low for 9 or 18 holes but rather looking to play the most holes there in one day, the proclamation makes more sense.
When Tabb, a first grade teacher at Banks Elementary, initially stumbled upon the Hundred Hole Hike (HHH) website and tinkered with the idea of participating in a golf marathon he planned on playing 108 holes. But after being inspired by Tyler Witman, a PGA professional from Florida, who played 160 holes during his HHH in May, Tabb decided to become a little bit more ambitious.
“I’m not even sure what the current record (for holes played at Sunset Grove in one day) is,” Tabb adds with a smile. But if he reaches his goal of playing 169 holes without the use of cart, it will shatter his personal best of 54 holes in one day set just a couple of weeks ago.
However, the number of holes he plays is secondary to the amount of money he raises while subjecting himself to what he classifies as, “too much of a good thing for a good cause.” As part of the HHH network of golf marathons, Tabb has been busy the last few weeks collecting pledges, posting blog entries, and even growing a mustache in hopes of promoting the HHH movement and securing donations that will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Angels Making a Difference.
A native of West Virginia with several connections on the East Coast, Tabb chose St. Jude because of its national name recognition and its commitment to never turning families away based on an inability to pay. And having a father and mother-in-law who successfully battled colon cancer, Bobby wanted to support a local organization in Angels Making a Difference that helps fill in the gaps for families facing similar circumstances.
In addition to raising money for the two causes, Tabb also hopes to promote the HHH movement which will include 77 golfers who have already raised nearly $250,000 worth of pledges.
And while Tabb will be the only golfer participating in the Hundred Hole Hike at Sunset Grove, he will be far from alone. He will have the support of at least four caddies; his wife, Emily, Noah Wilson-Fey, Eric Conklin, and Warren Moreno. They will take turns pushing his clubs around, keeping score, and helping fight off boredom. Tabb is also counting on some well-timed encouragement from those attending a barbecue benefitting Angels Making a Difference at the course at 7 pm. For $15 attendees will receive their choice of hamburger, hot dog, or veggie burger as well as baked beans, potato salad, chips, and watermelon. There will also be a raffle and a chipping contest.
But most importantly, Tabb has been receiving motivation from the numerous friends and family (and one stranger) who have made either lump sum or per hole pledges. He says any pain or fatigue he experience will be overcome by knowing playing one more hole will help families in the fight of their lives. Fights are that not confined to one day.
With almost $1,400 in estimated pledges so far, Tabb said the biggest donation came from his 5 year-old son, Chase, who pledged to give $2.50 to Angels Making a Difference after a couple of heart-felt conversations. “When my legs are hurting, my back is sore, and my hands are calloused, you better believe I’ll be thinking about his pledge.”
Though Sunset Grove may not have the same pedigree or national name recognition of other 2013 HHH venues like Medinah, Pinehurst, or the legendary St. Andrews, it is providing the same opportunity for a passionate golfer to make a difference as its other more well name counterparts. And as for the record for holes played, Tabb doesn’t really care how long he holds that. “I’d be thrilled if next year someone joins me and hikes 170.”
To support Bobby or one of the other 76 golfers teeing it up for charity this year, visit www.hundredholehike.com. If you are interested in attending the BBQ, visit Angels Making a Difference on Facebook.
Welcoming Feedback,
RCTabb
In April, having just finished my Master's in Mathematics Education K-6 through Western Governor's University, I was looking for something to fill all the extra time I now had. My wife asked if I was going to sign up for a marathon (which had been strictly forbidden while working through my graduate program). And while I was looking for a carrot to help motivate me to get into shape, I didn't want running competing with my time on the course. Thus, I decided to search for golf marathons and ended up stumbling upon the Hundred Hole Hike website.
Taken directly from the website: The Hundred Hole Hike (HHH) is a national-network of golf marathons where participants plan to walk 100 or more holes of golf in one day in order to raise money for various worthwhile charitable causes.
After mentioning it to my wife, who simply shook her head, and talking it over with the course I have an annual membership with (Sunset Grove) I picked a date June 25.
All that was left to do then was to select my charities (Angels Making a Difference and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital), purchase a new pair of shoes, and pay the $150 registration fee. Oh, and I needed to reach out to family and friends to get pledges.
With about $1400 in estimated pledges registered to date, I am slowly climbing toward my initial goal of $5000. Part of acheiving that mark will be to get some media coverage. To help make this happen, I have once again returned to my writing skills and penned my own press release.
Hopefully this will find its way into a couple of local newspapers and possibly some internet sites. But before I send it out, I would love to have some feedback from this community to help me strengthen its impact on readers.
If you played a couple of holes with Bobby Tabb on a weekday evening or weekend afternoon out at Sunset Grove Golf Club in Forest Grove, you’d probably be surprised to hear him talk confidently about breaking the course record on June 25th. But when you find out that Tabb, an avid golfer with an imperfect game but a big heart is not planning on carding a new low for 9 or 18 holes but rather looking to play the most holes there in one day, the proclamation makes more sense.
When Tabb, a first grade teacher at Banks Elementary, initially stumbled upon the Hundred Hole Hike (HHH) website and tinkered with the idea of participating in a golf marathon he planned on playing 108 holes. But after being inspired by Tyler Witman, a PGA professional from Florida, who played 160 holes during his HHH in May, Tabb decided to become a little bit more ambitious.
“I’m not even sure what the current record (for holes played at Sunset Grove in one day) is,” Tabb adds with a smile. But if he reaches his goal of playing 169 holes without the use of cart, it will shatter his personal best of 54 holes in one day set just a couple of weeks ago.
However, the number of holes he plays is secondary to the amount of money he raises while subjecting himself to what he classifies as, “too much of a good thing for a good cause.” As part of the HHH network of golf marathons, Tabb has been busy the last few weeks collecting pledges, posting blog entries, and even growing a mustache in hopes of promoting the HHH movement and securing donations that will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Angels Making a Difference.
A native of West Virginia with several connections on the East Coast, Tabb chose St. Jude because of its national name recognition and its commitment to never turning families away based on an inability to pay. And having a father and mother-in-law who successfully battled colon cancer, Bobby wanted to support a local organization in Angels Making a Difference that helps fill in the gaps for families facing similar circumstances.
In addition to raising money for the two causes, Tabb also hopes to promote the HHH movement which will include 77 golfers who have already raised nearly $250,000 worth of pledges.
And while Tabb will be the only golfer participating in the Hundred Hole Hike at Sunset Grove, he will be far from alone. He will have the support of at least four caddies; his wife, Emily, Noah Wilson-Fey, Eric Conklin, and Warren Moreno. They will take turns pushing his clubs around, keeping score, and helping fight off boredom. Tabb is also counting on some well-timed encouragement from those attending a barbecue benefitting Angels Making a Difference at the course at 7 pm. For $15 attendees will receive their choice of hamburger, hot dog, or veggie burger as well as baked beans, potato salad, chips, and watermelon. There will also be a raffle and a chipping contest.
But most importantly, Tabb has been receiving motivation from the numerous friends and family (and one stranger) who have made either lump sum or per hole pledges. He says any pain or fatigue he experience will be overcome by knowing playing one more hole will help families in the fight of their lives. Fights are that not confined to one day.
With almost $1,400 in estimated pledges so far, Tabb said the biggest donation came from his 5 year-old son, Chase, who pledged to give $2.50 to Angels Making a Difference after a couple of heart-felt conversations. “When my legs are hurting, my back is sore, and my hands are calloused, you better believe I’ll be thinking about his pledge.”
Though Sunset Grove may not have the same pedigree or national name recognition of other 2013 HHH venues like Medinah, Pinehurst, or the legendary St. Andrews, it is providing the same opportunity for a passionate golfer to make a difference as its other more well name counterparts. And as for the record for holes played, Tabb doesn’t really care how long he holds that. “I’d be thrilled if next year someone joins me and hikes 170.”
To support Bobby or one of the other 76 golfers teeing it up for charity this year, visit www.hundredholehike.com. If you are interested in attending the BBQ, visit Angels Making a Difference on Facebook.
Welcoming Feedback,
RCTabb
July 5, 2012
Being Realistic
I woke up two mornings ago with the strong desire to dunk a basketball on a regulation rim. Let me make it known now that I am a thirty-four-year-old, six-foot tall golf enthusiast who has hands big enough to navigate a guitar but too small to adequately palm a ball. I also don't jump that high.
Still, with some harder work, intense training, and the aide of a pickup truck I just might be able to land the simplest of two-handed jams.
But while I am in shape enough to have turned in a 22:37 5k a couple of weeks ago (and then pulled a muscle in my back two days later getting something out of my glove box), the truth is that I'm past my basketball prime (which lasted for about one day when on my eighteenth birthday I scored sixteen points for my high school rec team). And if I'm going to choose a lofty goal, it should have something to do with endurance (like running across the state of Oregon or playing over 100 holes of golf in a day) or weird skill (maybe setting a world record for peeling oranges in an hour??) rather than a skilled athletic endeavor.
It wasn't too many years ago that I had another lofty goal. I wanted to write a great novel (check), quit my day job (check - although it was sort of by accident), sell thousands of copies (check if and only if you cross out the last "s" on thousands), inspire kids to write (check), and become famous (uncheck).
Two more novels and a couple of school visits as an author later, I've found a day job I LOVE and am not so passionate for fame. But I still desire to inspire and I really enjoy writing. For me it is where vocabulary and story telling me math (I'll explain this more in an upcoming Blog entry, but the jist is that writing a story is much like balancing an algebraic equation). So when I was talking with an artist about collaborating on some picture books, I want to make sure she understood that this was more of a profitable hobby than a job (although I still pay taxes on my income).
And I'm OK with that. Writing taps into my creativity, helps me learn new things (like how hard it is to break beer bottles), and lets me use all the names my wife shot down for our kids. Plus, at least some people get a kick out of reading my work.
And (this is where I tie in my intro) unlike athletic pursuits which definitely have a steady climb and eventually a drastic fall off, I can keep improving at my writing for the rest of my life. Which will hopefull include a least one highlight reel slam. Time for 200 squats followed by some leg lifts.
Still, with some harder work, intense training, and the aide of a pickup truck I just might be able to land the simplest of two-handed jams.
But while I am in shape enough to have turned in a 22:37 5k a couple of weeks ago (and then pulled a muscle in my back two days later getting something out of my glove box), the truth is that I'm past my basketball prime (which lasted for about one day when on my eighteenth birthday I scored sixteen points for my high school rec team). And if I'm going to choose a lofty goal, it should have something to do with endurance (like running across the state of Oregon or playing over 100 holes of golf in a day) or weird skill (maybe setting a world record for peeling oranges in an hour??) rather than a skilled athletic endeavor.
It wasn't too many years ago that I had another lofty goal. I wanted to write a great novel (check), quit my day job (check - although it was sort of by accident), sell thousands of copies (check if and only if you cross out the last "s" on thousands), inspire kids to write (check), and become famous (uncheck).
Two more novels and a couple of school visits as an author later, I've found a day job I LOVE and am not so passionate for fame. But I still desire to inspire and I really enjoy writing. For me it is where vocabulary and story telling me math (I'll explain this more in an upcoming Blog entry, but the jist is that writing a story is much like balancing an algebraic equation). So when I was talking with an artist about collaborating on some picture books, I want to make sure she understood that this was more of a profitable hobby than a job (although I still pay taxes on my income).
And I'm OK with that. Writing taps into my creativity, helps me learn new things (like how hard it is to break beer bottles), and lets me use all the names my wife shot down for our kids. Plus, at least some people get a kick out of reading my work.
And (this is where I tie in my intro) unlike athletic pursuits which definitely have a steady climb and eventually a drastic fall off, I can keep improving at my writing for the rest of my life. Which will hopefull include a least one highlight reel slam. Time for 200 squats followed by some leg lifts.
June 22, 2012
Yes, I'm a Self Published Author but Don't Judge Me by My Title
As I venture into the new realm of blogging, I wanted to pick an opening topic that was both relevant and entertaining. The number of times I check my accounts to see my sales and royalties? Relevant but definitely not entertaining (more like teatering on pathetic). Dos Equis commercials? Entertaining but not relevant. The absurd levels self-published authors go to in order to promote their books? Winner, winner, chicken dinner. And by chicken dinner I mean a four-piece from the nearest fast food joint (the royalties for this month are looking so great).
I get these authors' needs and desires to promote their work. They spent four to seven good months of their lives holed up in some back room neglecting loved ones and showering infrequently. They ashew the traditional publishing route (Side note: when does traditional cross the bridge and become archaic? Just asking.) in hopes of becoming the next big story of rags to riches by clicking on the upload button to finally bring their baby to the masses. Only the masses, most of whom have been out living life, enjoying loved ones, and bathing regularly, don't notice. They don't care. And if they happen to notice and care, they don't know how to get the book. And even if they know how to get the book the are abducted by aliens before they can do so.
Something snaps and the authors decide they are entitled to gain an auidence by any means necessary. And since taking over a bank and demanding television ads and book reviews in exchange for hostages would be greatly frowned upon, they take to message boards and promote away. Check out my book. It's the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread! (Which is totally inaccuarate since that book was actually written by Don Roberston who has since passed away.)
Visit my website! You've gotta review this! My children are starving!
OK, so I haven't really seen that last one, but it's much like a girl named Kenny, I've never met one but I'm sure she exists.
The problem with these rants is that it doesn't really entice anyone to check out their books and it also has the adverse affect of attracting the social message board community watch people who have nothing better to do than to demand the authors delete their posts or else.
Or else ...they will report them so they can be deleted. And you better believe that cyber community watch person has nothing better to do than to check the thread every twenty minutes until the post is removed.
Which is a pretty poor way to spend your time on the internet, well that's all I've got to say. I need to go and check my sales figures again.
Happy Reading,
RCTabb
I get these authors' needs and desires to promote their work. They spent four to seven good months of their lives holed up in some back room neglecting loved ones and showering infrequently. They ashew the traditional publishing route (Side note: when does traditional cross the bridge and become archaic? Just asking.) in hopes of becoming the next big story of rags to riches by clicking on the upload button to finally bring their baby to the masses. Only the masses, most of whom have been out living life, enjoying loved ones, and bathing regularly, don't notice. They don't care. And if they happen to notice and care, they don't know how to get the book. And even if they know how to get the book the are abducted by aliens before they can do so.
Something snaps and the authors decide they are entitled to gain an auidence by any means necessary. And since taking over a bank and demanding television ads and book reviews in exchange for hostages would be greatly frowned upon, they take to message boards and promote away. Check out my book. It's the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread! (Which is totally inaccuarate since that book was actually written by Don Roberston who has since passed away.)
Visit my website! You've gotta review this! My children are starving!
OK, so I haven't really seen that last one, but it's much like a girl named Kenny, I've never met one but I'm sure she exists.
The problem with these rants is that it doesn't really entice anyone to check out their books and it also has the adverse affect of attracting the social message board community watch people who have nothing better to do than to demand the authors delete their posts or else.
Or else ...they will report them so they can be deleted. And you better believe that cyber community watch person has nothing better to do than to check the thread every twenty minutes until the post is removed.
Which is a pretty poor way to spend your time on the internet, well that's all I've got to say. I need to go and check my sales figures again.
Happy Reading,
RCTabb
