Hi-Line Living: 13th Annual Golfing for a Cure Tournament

When it comes to choosing a place to live, there can be a variety of factors to consider. But when considering Havre, Montana, you have to consider the town slogan because in Havre, it really is all about the people.

A lot of different things prove how great the people of Havre and the Hi-Line really are, but one such event is the annual Golfing for a Cure tournament, hosted by the Havre Women's Golf Association and was held for the 13th consecutive year June 2-3 at Prairie Farms Golf Course.

The tournament, which raises money for two foundations in the area that help fight cancer, the Golfing for a Cure Foundation and the Hi-Line Women Against Breast Cancer Foundation, has turned into an annual event to help local women combat the disease.

"We have our own foundation up at the hospital, the Golfing for a Cure Foundation, and with that we give out $500 scholarships," Melissa Oberquell, a tournament organizer said. "And all you have to do is show that you have cancer and you will get $500."

The cost of entering the tournament is $280 per team and this year, Oberquell said, a total of 15 teams were in attendance.

The event included other ways of raising money, as well, such as an auction the night before the tournament, which allowed the three-woman teams to bid on their fourth golfer, which allowed men to play in the tournament. That is something that was changed recently Oberquell said. When the tournament first began, men weren't allowed to play, they could only caddie.

However, as more men expressed a desire to play in the tournament, the idea of the auction came along, which allowed each team to have one male golfer, but also added another element of fundraising.

"That was one of the ways that we changed things," Oberquell said. "It actually raised over $6,000 just in bidding for our fourth players. We also had a raffle at Triple Dog Brewery and Crunch for a Cause at Taco John's. Normally, the golf tournament is the only thing we do for this cause, but this year, we decided to do a few different things."

Oberquell said, in 2016, the foundation was able to donate $22,000, but she added with some new ways of raising money, that number should end up being even higher in 2017.

"I think the awesome thing about this," Oberquell said, "is that when people hear what it's for, it's amazing how the people in this community give. We have had people that have come to us wanting to help, wanting to be a fourth player, wanting to give money, and it's amazing how such a horrible thing can bring so many people together. It's awesome how people just love to give to it. This community, really, is just amazing."

While just about everyone involved with the tournament has been affected by cancer in one way or another, other participants, such as Connie Peterson, are cancer survivors, which can make attending even more meaningful.

"For a person that has gone through it, it really means even more now to me to be here and support it," Peterson said while playing in the tourney. "The people of Havre are such giving people. We give a lot and then we can give back and a lot of cancer patients can then apply and get some money to help with housing, travel or any expenses they have, so it's a really big morale booster."

Peterson, who is an avid golfer and religious walker, for a time had to give up or scale back those activities to fight her own battle with cancer. And while she said it can be difficult, her advice to others was never to stop fighting and never give up hope.

"For me, getting back out here is wonderful. Getting back to feeling like myself and getting to play and have fun is really great. But it is hard, but you have to try not to give up," Peterson said. "Hopefully, everyone going through this has someone there to give them support, but the biggest thing is that you just have to believe that you can get through it and that you can get better."

Of course, cancer is always difficult for the person afflicted, but as another survivor in the tournament, Cindy Knudson said, sometimes, it can be just as hard for the families and loved ones who are affected in other ways.

"I think that it affects your spouses and your families worse," Knudson said. "I think that it affected my husband more than it did me because they can't do anything for you. I worried about him and he worried about me, but with cancer there isn't anything you can do. When you have the flu, you can make chicken soup, but when it's cancer, there isn't anything they can do, they can't make it go away."

Knudson, who said she played softball with Peterson, said that the two of them have shared a lot together, including lots of hugs as they each won their own fight with cancer.

"I played softball with her and when we played together, I was Cindy Peterson and she was Connie Peterson, so we were always known as mom and daughter," Knudson said. "So we share a lot of hugs because we both know what it means (to be affected by cancer) and how important it is to be supportive of each other."

Knudson also said the reason things like Golfing for a Cure mean so much, is that even though she and others have beaten back this awful disease, the door is never closed, so that need for unwavering, unconditional support will always be there.

"That support, it's just huge," Knudson said. "And for people like me, who have been through it, it means everything."

Havre may not have everything you want in a place to live. It may not have fancy restaurants or happening social events, but in the end, none of that matters because the people who live here matter to each other, and events like Golfing for a Cure just serve as a reminder that, as far as Havre is concerned, it really is all about the people.