by Janice Davis – Club Correspondent extraordinaire
The 18ers end of year holiday event, the Holly Jolly holiday party was all that it promised to be. Starting with a lovely string ensemble performing seasonal classics and holiday favorites, the evening flowed into a gathering of old friends and new members. Event chairs MaryAnn Higgins and Mary Jo Leary created an elegant evening of music, passed hors d oeuvres and beverages. Husbands, Gayl Westendorf and Bernie Podberesky performed their bartender duties with gusto, serving mixed libations, wine, eggnog and non-alcoholic drinks. Attendees wore holiday fashions, some bling, some traditional and some classic, and all, very festive.
Daisy Soo Hoo, outgoing Captain, gave a short review of the 2022 season, then introduced past Captains who attended; Peggy Yamada, Margo Dutton, Del Poirier, Denise Pratt, Theresa Kim, Teddi Swanson, Olivia Hsueh, Joan Munn and Janice Davis. Recipients of the Northern Awards, an honor given to those who made a significant contribution to the 18ers, were Lana Yagle and Joan Binnings for tournaments, Joyce McCann for her Rules reports and initiating on-course rules workshops, and to MaryJean Kidd for outstanding work on the budget and finance. Lana Yagle announced winners of previous events, then Claudia Terry revealed the most improved golfer. The most improved player of the year is the woman who, through consistent play and correct score posting, has shown the greatest improvement in her game. The dedicated golfer who received the award this year is Sunhi Kim. Those who came close but fell short of Sunhi’s performance were Jayoung Lee, second, and Lynda Pritchett, third place.
As the evening progressed several of the women began singing and harmonizing traditional songs accompanied by the string quartet. As it turned out, many of the women are quite talented with lovely voices and the attendees enjoyed an impromptu serenade. Thanks to MaryAnn Higgins, Mary Jo Leary, and all of those women who decorated, set-up and volunteered their time to help make the party a huge success.