The Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce is bringing a new summer event to the City of Ravenna. The RACC in collaboration with the Ravenna Parks & Recreation Department will introduce the Community Cup Challenge, a four-day, friendly, community-wide competition beginning on Aug. 28 at 9 a.m.
“It is based on participation and so it will be kicked off at the Chamber’s golf outing,” RACC Executive Director Ryann Cline told The Weekly Villager on July 17. “You will get additional points for participating in the golf outing toward the community cup and then it will continue for three days the following week, Sept.1, Sept. 3 and then Sept. 5. We are going to be doing anything and everything.”
Beginning at the RACC’s annual golf outing at the Windmill Lakes Golf Course, teams of four will compete in community competitions such as disc golf, cornhole, archery, pickleball, and basketball. The winning team of each event will receive points and the team that amasses the most points at the end of the four-day competition will be awarded the City Cup Trophy.
“It is just a fun opportunity for the business community to come together and not only represent their business but have some fun and network and just bring back that active side of the community back to life,” Cline noted. “I know there had been a corporate challenge years ago and from what I have heard it had been extremely successful.”
On the days of Sept. 1, Sept. 3, and Sept. 5, one local business will “Own the Day”, sponsoring all activities by having its likeness depicted on signage and banners around the area, and other businesses will be afforded the opportunity to sponsor the events through refreshments, snacks or t-shirts.
According to Cline, after the RACC’s annual golf outing, the second day of competition will take place at Chestnut Hills Park, where teams will compete in disc golf and corn hole, then the third day will be at the Ravenna City Park, where teams will play pickleball and basketball, and the final day will return to City Park and include a tug-of-war, a one-mile walk, archery and then a ceremony awarding the winning team the trophy. The final three days of competition will each begin at 6 p.m.
Cline said there are no limits to how many teams can participate in the newest summer event, and each team will be allowed to submit a roster of five to 10 names, permitting them to make substitutions for a competition.
Cline added that she drew inspiration for bringing a Community Cup Challenge to Ravenna from her own personal experiences participating in one with her family during her childhood.
After conferring with the Ravenna Parks & Recreation Department Director Chris Bundy last year, she found a partner in Bundy who helped assist her to realize her vision.
“He asked specifically if there was an event that we could partner together on or that we could collaborate on or if there was anything we could do. How can we work together?” she added. “Of course, I took that opportunity and said this is something that I have always wanted to do.”
Cline said that four-day community competition will not only encourage people to be active but also serve as a social networking opportunity.
“It is truly for fun and for camaraderie, team building and just an opportunity to get out there withing the community to have fun and meet different people you wouldn’t have met at an after-hours event,” she said. “So, it is a great opportunity to meet people on different levels and for different experiences.”
Cline said that ultimate goal of the Community Cup Challenge was to instill a new summer tradition for the City of Ravenna.
“I think it will take some time to get it going but I think it will have the potential to be a huge staple event within Ravenna and I think it is going to be a yearly tradition,” she added “I think it is going to be amazing. I have wanted to do it, in addition to all the other events. Chris was all on board and I am very grateful for that.”
