CARY, N.C. (July 18, 2018) – In July 2017, long-time North Carolina FC defender Connor Tobin joined forces with former teammate Neil Hlavaty, the Oak City Supporters and many others to put on the inaugural Oak City Classic at Raleighwood. Their purpose was to raise money for the Oak City Soccer charity, which aims to help children with sensory processing challenges and autism.
Known as a team leader when it comes to giving back to the community, Tobin began the process with a vision of creating an event that would eventually be synonymous with Raleigh and the entire Triangle.
The event was billed as the nation’s first soccer mini-golf bar crawl and was an instant success. It consisted of teams of four competing in a nine-hole mini-golf course in which participants kicked a mini soccer ball toward a 12-inch hole, while avoiding many obstacles in their path. Mixing the sport with the fun atmosphere of the tournament created one of the most unique and exciting avenues in the Triangle for the community to give back.
The first year of the Oak City Classic saw 27 foursomes participate in the event, showing that there is plenty of support throughout the area for the causes that Tobin and others wished to reach. Now in 2018, the event is back for a second year with even bigger ambitions.
With the estimation of an even higher turnout for the 2018 Oak City Classic at Raleighwood, Tobin’s vision is closer to fruition as support continues to grow in year two of this incredible community event.
Oak City Classic at Raleighwood Q&A with Connor Tobin
What does it mean to you to be able to give back to the community?
“I’ve said it before that we’re lucky enough to play a sport for a living. None of that happens if the community doesn’t support us. It’s one of those things that I, and other players in the locker room, feel that this community has given us something and it’s always nice to give back when we can.”
What convinced you to join up with the Oak City Supporters to put on this event?
“Obviously, they bring a certain energy to the stadium week in and week out. I think there’s a piece of capturing that, but I’ve been lucky enough to be here for five years. A lot of those supporters have become my friends. It’s always nice to work with your friends, right?”
What charities will the event be supporting this year?
“We’re again benefitting Oak City Soccer, which is a nonprofit out of the Triangle that does work with kids with autism. They use soccer as a vehicle to help them have a more traditional sports experience. We’re also doing some work with Neighbor to Neighbor, which does a lot in southeast Raleigh with community building and giving the younger demographic a more positive environment to grow up in.”
The event had 27 teams participate in 2017. What did you think about the turnout?
“Last year, it was just one of those things where we came up with a farfetched idea that we were going to throw together some holes and we didn’t even quite know what was happening. So, we were blown out of the water. I think we had about 125 people participating with about 25 volunteers. We were looking at roughly 150 people. In addition, we had corporate sponsors in the area and it was awesome. What’s exciting is that we’ve already hit that threshold this year, so it’s only going to get bigger.”
With the expectation of a higher turnout this year, how does it feel to know that the event is growing in support?
“To be honest, with the event two weeks out, it’s a little bit of pressure [laughing]. The important thing is, now that people have seen the event, they have expectations. There’s a lot of new stuff we have planned this year. A lot of stuff that we hope people come in the day of the event and go, “I can’t believe they came up with this!". So, we’re excited about it.”
How did the idea for this event come about? The format, rules, etc.
“It was definitely something that just kept getting pieced together. I think the genesis behind it was that I grew up just north of Boulder [Colorado], and there was a unique charity event in the area that I haven’t seen anywhere else. I was looking around in Raleigh and was like, “We don’t really have an event like that.”. I saw an opportunity to create something that is so far to the extreme and so weird that it can be something that this community is known for. So, we just threw together a bunch of ideas. We have soccer and mini-golf, promotion/relegation, and the fact that we’re all playing for a final hole that it doesn’t really matter how you do. So, it’s just a weird, funky event and hopefully people enjoy that.
What was your favorite moment during last year’s event?
“I think the one that blew people away was our final hole, much like it will be this year, no one knew it was coming. It was a giant Skee-Ball hole at the back of the London Bridge Pub. Because we were jumping from bar to bar, no one had seen it. So, when they came back and walked through the doors, they see this thing that’s standing eight feet tall with a ramp shooting up to the top. Seeing their faces in that moment was probably my favorite moment. But, the whole event was spectacular.”
Were there any changes or additions to this year’s event when compared to last year?
“Oh yeah. So, there are a bunch of new holes with new obstacles at every hole. Then, as I said, the final hole is a new concept. Again, it’s a mystery so you don’t know what you’re getting into. What’s cool is, where a lot of people enjoyed the Skee-Ball hole last year and it was a big challenge, this year we’ve actually partnered with Guinness on it. It’ll be there as more of an auxiliary hole that will be pay-to-play. Guinness will have some pretty cool custom prizes that you can win, and all of that money will go directly to these two charities.”
What can you tell us about the course that participants may not already know?
“If you get online and follow @OCCRaleighwood on Twitter or Instagram (occraleighwood), we have put out descriptions of all the holes. Those descriptions allude to the genesis behind the name of the hole and there are some hints about what the holes will look like. But, that’s as deep as we’re going. We want people to come up the day of the event and experience the mental challenge of figuring out how to play the holes. So, you can find hints on those pages but we want it to be a mystery.”
CARY, N.C. (July 18, 2018) – In July 2017, long-time North Carolina FC defender Connor Tobin joined forces with former teammate Neil Hlavaty, the Oak City Supporters and many others to put on the inaugural Oak City Classic at Raleighwood. Their purpose was to raise money for the Oak City Soccer charity, which aims to help children with sensory processing challenges and autism.
Known as a team leader when it comes to giving back to the community, Tobin began the process with a vision of creating an event that would eventually be synonymous with Raleigh and the entire Triangle.
The event was billed as the nation’s first soccer mini-golf bar crawl and was an instant success. It consisted of teams of four competing in a nine-hole mini-golf course in which participants kicked a mini soccer ball toward a 12-inch hole, while avoiding many obstacles in their path. Mixing the sport with the fun atmosphere of the tournament created one of the most unique and exciting avenues in the Triangle for the community to give back.
The first year of the Oak City Classic saw 27 foursomes participate in the event, showing that there is plenty of support throughout the area for the causes that Tobin and others wished to reach. Now in 2018, the event is back for a second year with even bigger ambitions.
With the estimation of an even higher turnout for the 2018 Oak City Classic at Raleighwood, Tobin’s vision is closer to fruition as support continues to grow in year two of this incredible community event.
Oak City Classic at Raleighwood Q&A with Connor Tobin
What does it mean to you to be able to give back to the community?
“I’ve said it before that we’re lucky enough to play a sport for a living. None of that happens if the community doesn’t support us. It’s one of those things that I, and other players in the locker room, feel that this community has given us something and it’s always nice to give back when we can.”
What convinced you to join up with the Oak City Supporters to put on this event?
“Obviously, they bring a certain energy to the stadium week in and week out. I think there’s a piece of capturing that, but I’ve been lucky enough to be here for five years. A lot of those supporters have become my friends. It’s always nice to work with your friends, right?”
What charities will the event be supporting this year?
“We’re again benefitting Oak City Soccer, which is a nonprofit out of the Triangle that does work with kids with autism. They use soccer as a vehicle to help them have a more traditional sports experience. We’re also doing some work with Neighbor to Neighbor, which does a lot in southeast Raleigh with community building and giving the younger demographic a more positive environment to grow up in.”
The event had 27 teams participate in 2017. What did you think about the turnout?
“Last year, it was just one of those things where we came up with a farfetched idea that we were going to throw together some holes and we didn’t even quite know what was happening. So, we were blown out of the water. I think we had about 125 people participating with about 25 volunteers. We were looking at roughly 150 people. In addition, we had corporate sponsors in the area and it was awesome. What’s exciting is that we’ve already hit that threshold this year, so it’s only going to get bigger.”
With the expectation of a higher turnout this year, how does it feel to know that the event is growing in support?
“To be honest, with the event two weeks out, it’s a little bit of pressure [laughing]. The important thing is, now that people have seen the event, they have expectations. There’s a lot of new stuff we have planned this year. A lot of stuff that we hope people come in the day of the event and go, “I can’t believe they came up with this!”. So, we’re excited about it.”
How did the idea for this event come about? The format, rules, etc.
“It was definitely something that just kept getting pieced together. I think the genesis behind it was that I grew up just north of Boulder [Colorado], and there was a unique charity event in the area that I haven’t seen anywhere else. I was looking around in Raleigh and was like, “We don’t really have an event like that.”. I saw an opportunity to create something that is so far to the extreme and so weird that it can be something that this community is known for. So, we just threw together a bunch of ideas. We have soccer and mini-golf, promotion/relegation, and the fact that we’re all playing for a final hole that it doesn’t really matter how you do. So, it’s just a weird, funky event and hopefully people enjoy that.
What was your favorite moment during last year’s event?
“I think the one that blew people away was our final hole, much like it will be this year, no one knew it was coming. It was a giant Skee-Ball hole at the back of the London Bridge Pub. Because we were jumping from bar to bar, no one had seen it. So, when they came back and walked through the doors, they see this thing that’s standing eight feet tall with a ramp shooting up to the top. Seeing their faces in that moment was probably my favorite moment. But, the whole event was spectacular.”
Were there any changes or additions to this year’s event when compared to last year?
“Oh yeah. So, there are a bunch of new holes with new obstacles at every hole. Then, as I said, the final hole is a new concept. Again, it’s a mystery so you don’t know what you’re getting into. What’s cool is, where a lot of people enjoyed the Skee-Ball hole last year and it was a big challenge, this year we’ve actually partnered with Guinness on it. It’ll be there as more of an auxiliary hole that will be pay-to-play. Guinness will have some pretty cool custom prizes that you can win, and all of that money will go directly to these two charities.”
What can you tell us about the course that participants may not already know?
“If you get online and follow @OCCRaleighwood on Twitter or Instagram (occraleighwood), we have put out descriptions of all the holes. Those descriptions allude to the genesis behind the name of the hole and there are some hints about what the holes will look like. But, that’s as deep as we’re going. We want people to come up the day of the event and experience the mental challenge of figuring out how to play the holes. So, you can find hints on those pages but we want it to be a mystery.”
