Gaston High School is looking for your help.
The school and its athletic department are holding their 7th Annual IMUA Open Golf Tournament on Saturday, June 22, at Meriwether Golf Club in Hillsboro, and they’re asking you to play in, sponsor, donate or simply volunteer to help the event that directly funds the football program and student athletes at Gaston High School.
The tournament is a 4-person scramble and is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. with lunch to follow.
The cost to play is $500 for a team or $125 as an individual. People not interested in playing can enjoy lunch for $25 or donate to the tournament’s auction.
IMUA stems from former Gaston teacher and coach Henry Kaulia who brought the term — along with much more of his Hawaiian heritage — to the school in the mid-1980s. Kaulia tragically passed away 18 years ago at the age of 45, but his legacy at the school lives on by way of the culture “Coach K” helped build, along with the dedication and commitment to the athletic teams he coached and supported.
“He (Kaulia) put his heart and soul into it,” Kaulia’s close friend and former assistant Kyle Kobashigawa said. “He wouldn’t take his stipend, he would put it all back into the program for kids’ shoes, camps, whatever they used it for.”
Kyle Kobashigawa explained IMUA as an inspirational rally cry for teams both prior to and during games or contests.
“When we grew up in Hawaii, instead of like, ‘go Vikings,’ it was ‘IMUA team,’” Kobashigawa said. “When we grew up, for a long time, that was our thing, and Henry brought that over to Gaston.”
Since his passing, the gymnasium at the school has been named after Kaulia and the “Special K” fund he started with his stipend continues as a means of offsetting costs for Greyhound athletes.
Gary Hedin, current Gaston head football coach and former athletic director, said that due to the limited size of the Gaston community, GHS athletics is heavily dependent on fundraising to meet operation costs. That’s where the IMUA Golf Tournament, and ideally you, come into play.
In addition to entering the event or having lunch, there are varying degrees of sponsorship opportunities for businesses ranging from hole, sign or banner sponsorships, all of which come with a bevy of items in exchange for the cost of the chosen donation.
The tournament is a fundraiser by definition, but it’s also a celebration of a Gaston High School legend who genuinely lived to help the kids of the community.
“He was a humble man and all about helping kids,” Kobashigawa said. “If he was around, he’d still be living and dying with Gaston sports.”
If you’re interested in playing, donating, or participating in the IMUA Open Golf Tournament, you can register or find out more about how to do so by way of their website at imuaopen.com.
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