Camp TotaliTee disc golf tournament at Copperas Cove's Ogletree Gap prior to solar eclipse

By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press

In less than two months, the sun will be blacked out and day will turn into night for a few magical minutes during the total solar eclipse on April 8th.

“It’s a once in 397-year event,” said JT Street, Executive Director of Camp TotaliTee.

Street says that some lucky participants in his event will have the unique opportunity to start out their disc golf course using their regular disc and switch to a special glow disc as day turns into night.

Camp TotaliTee will be held at Ogletree Gap Park in Copperas Cove. Volunteers with Camp TotaliTee have been working hard to make the event as fantastic as possible. There are going to be thousands and thousands of people flooding the area for a chance to witness the total solar eclipse, and Copperas Cove businesses and volunteers have the opportunity to be a part of history.

“Friday morning through Monday night, it will be camping, disc golf, music, vendors, food, drinks, and all that good stuff,” said Street. “It really is going to be a 4-day festival atmosphere.”

Space for vendors and camping is limited, so those interested should apply soon.

Camp TotaliTee plans to host a total of eight different disc golf tournaments throughout the event, one in the daytime and the other at night with glow discs and a glow course. It will be an 18-hole course. They will offer different packages for those looking to participate whether it’s for one tournament or all eight. For those who do not know what disc golf is, Street described it, “Disc golf is golf except the circle is flat and larger than a golf ball. You have 18 holes and instead of throwing a tiny ball into a tiny hole with a club, you throw a bigger frisbee into a bigger basket.”

Street said that disc golf is sporty, but it does not have to be super competitive and is generally less high pressure. He said that it’s a way to get out into nature and many disc golfers compete against their own previous scores. He said that there is a lot of strategy to the sport as well.

“It’s something anyone can get into. My five-year-old daughter can throw a disc into a basket,” said Street. “I’ve seen kids of all ages get into it and have a blast on the course.”

Though the details are not set in stone yet, they plan to divide the competition into categories for adults and children as well and possibly by experience levels. They plan on having flexible start times as well. The disc golf portion of Camp TotaliTee will also feature free games.

Money raised by the event will be divided evenly by the selected non-profit organizations. As of this week, that list includes Moose Lodge 2029, Negrete Firefighter Foundation, Think Aloud, Pink Warrior Angels, Not Rich but Enriched, Copperas Cove FFA Booster, and the Copperas Cove Pride of Cove Band and Color Guard Booster.

They cannot currently accept any new non-profit organizations until they have more businesses willing to donate money for the event. Of course, if a non-profit 501c3 business already has a business/es willing to donate $1,000 or more, then they would be very likely to be considered for the event.

Each of the non-profit organizations is encouraged to come up with an obstacle for the disc golf course and will reward the group that comes up with the best obstacle.

How big the event will become will be determined by how many area businesses are willing to get involved. Businesses can get involved in various ways. They are currently looking for businesses willing to pledge $1000 or more to support the non-profit organizations. Businesses can team up with other businesses to make a combined total of $1000 and they will put their combined logos together as a donor.

Businesses that want to be a part of things but cannot afford to donate $1000 can instead choose to donate goods or services to be used as prizes for the event.

“Our goal is to get more money into the area...All of it is going to go back into the community,” said Street. “We’re trying to make it as easy as we can for area businesses through either cash or trade to participate in TotaliTee and all of that is going to go to a good cause. If they give us a couple hundred bucks worth of their merchandise as a trade, then we’ll use that as a raffle or make it a prize for a game. We’ll have various levels of rewards. We’ll give them shout-outs on social media leading up to the event. We’ll give them shout-outs at the event. We’ll put their logos in various places. There’s a lot of ways for businesses to team up and be a part of TotaliTee.”

Starting today, those interested in signing up for the disc golf tournaments can do so online at https://www.discgolfscene.com/clubs/Not_Rich_But_Enriched.

Businesses looking to support the event can reach out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TotaliTeeCC.

They are also looking for volunteers to help with the event.