@MUWomensGolf Partnering with Rally For Rhyan for Second Annual “Rally For Rhyan at the Johnie”
9/28/2017 8:56:00 AM | Women's Golf
Mizzou’s Johnie Imes Invitational runs Monday, Oct. 2-Wednesday, Oct. 4
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Mizzou Women's Golf team is once again partnering with Rally for Rhyan to help raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer at this year's Johnie Imes Invitational. The invitational is a three-day tournament hosted by Mizzou at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Mo.
Head Coach Stephanie Priesmeyer originally sparked the idea for "Rally for Rhyan at the Johnie" when she saw a similar story coming from a mother who had just lost her child to cancer.
"I thought, 'we need to do more,'" Coach Priesmeyer said. "It's not enough to just bring awareness. They need funding. They need those treatment opportunities."
Coach Priesmeyer contacted the Loos family and worked with them to create a fundraising event that they could combine with the Johnie. The mother of Rhyan, Jen Loos, reached out to the families they had met while Rhyan was receiving treatment at the Sloane Kettering Cancer Center and worked with them to pair the children with the different teams participating in the invitational.
"With the help of Jen Loos, we coordinate 13 children to be paired up with the 13 teams competing at the Johnie along with us being the 14th team. So Rhyan will be our special guest and each team will have a child assigned to them," Preismeyer said. "We're hoping that those teams develop a relationship and help spread the word about the child that they are sponsoring, especially since we have tried to pair up the teams with a child from the same state."
The cause stuck with many of the teams after just the first year of this event, as the Tigers continue feeling the support from these programs as they travel to other tournaments.
"The players just really care," Priesmeyer said. "The biggest response we get is when we go to tournaments like Las Vegas or wherever. There are coaches and players that still ask about Rhyan. People deeply care."
For Priesmeyer and the Tigers, the partnership with Rally for Rhyan offers an important perspective.
"It's knowing that what we're doing is playing a sport, while these kids are fighting for their lives and their families are dealing with it," Priesmeyer said. "Hopefully, this will put things in to perspective for our team. We can shake off a three-putt or a bad shot and think about how lucky we are to be able to compete, go to school and be healthy. It's important for our student-athletes to understand that."
Mizzou Women's Golf encourages fans to come out to The Club at Old Hawthorne and support them, along with Rhyan, as the Tigers look for a third consecutive tournament title at the Johnie Imes Invitational. The tournament runs Oct. 2-4 with tee times beginning at 9 a.m. Monday. Rally for Rhyan T-shirts will be available for purchase at the event.
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