Average golfer gets 41 miles per gallon (of beer)

A golfer gets 41 miles to the gallon.

At least, that's we're told by Robert Higgins, president of Crimson Ridge Inc.

Higgins is Tourism Sault Ste. Marie's Business of the Year award recipient.

Accepting the award last night on behalf of the golf course, he told a packed house at Algoma's Water Tower Inn that the average golfer walks about 900 miles and drinks 22 gallons of beer in a year, giving him or her an average of 41 miles walked for each gallon of beer consumed.

Higgins also said that Crimson Ridge's success comes from the hard work and dedication of its staff and he's very proud of their efforts.

The full text of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie's release on the event follows:

************************* Tourism Sault Ste. Marie Annual Awards Night

Tourism Sault Ste. Marie (a division of the SSMEDC) held their annual Awards Gala on Thurs. October 25, 2007 at the Algoma's Water Tower Inn to recognize the excellence in the local tourism industry.

This well-attended evening dinner was prepared and served by the Algoma's Water Tower Inn and the Sault College Culinary and Hospitality Students.

The five award categories were:

- The Tourism Award of Excellence, presented to Michael Quinn for his significant impact to the development of tourism in Sault Ste. Marie. He has provided long standing and exceptional service and has established a strong legacy through passing on his experiences to others to further benefit the tourism industry.

- The Business of the Year Award, presented to Crimson Ridge Golf Course. After rising up from a legal battle and negative publicity the past two years, Crimson Ridge has turned the corner to become one of Ontario's finest golf courses. This golf course is home to one of the city's largest charity golf events and attracts participants from all across the country to its facility. Crimson Ridge was bestowed the honor of 13th-ranked public golf course in Ontario by Ontario Golf Magazine in 2007, a true indication of the strides made this past summer. The course is a popular spot for summer students each season, employing 15-20 students who come home from postsecondary schools and who hope to attain professional levels in the future.

- The Customer Service Award, presented to Harriet Papageorgiou who started working for the Holiday Inn the first day the doors opened, on July 2, 1974 as a server and has been serving visitors to our city for over 33 years. Harriet enjoys meeting new people, takes great pride in what she does and is truly dedicated to the guest's experience. She is valued employee and a true asset to the Holiday Inn and our community.

- Tourism Ambassador Award, presented to Thomas Cory who had a passion for basketball at a young age, went on to win a national championship in 96-97 with the Durham College Lords Varsity team and continued his career playing professionally in Portugal. Thomas was coach of Sault College for four years and is currently the head coach of Algoma University. His goal to build basketball within our community to attract athletes and visitors to Sault Ste. Marie and been a rapid growth in the Titan Basketball Club, which now boasts 10 teams at various age levels and still continues to grow. His leadership skills, countless volunteer hours, hard work has resulted in the 'best tournament' the Ontario Association had ever seen, hosted right here in Sault Ste. Marie in the spring of 2007.

- The newest award for 2007 is the Student Hospitality Management Award, presented to Pam Bock. Pam is a Sault College student who was born in Newmarket, Ontario and moved to Sault Ste. Marie at a young age. She heard about the hospitality management Program from a friend and the day she started the program she knew it was the industry for her. She received a 4.0 GPA in her first year and hopes to maintain the same this year. She always demonstrates a positive attitude and is an excellent representative of the program and the Sault College student body.

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