ROCKINGHAM – Bump, set, spike. The Gay Garris Rhyne charity volleyball tournament is just days away.
Set to take place Saturday, February 3, at the Richmond Senior High School gymnasium, the one-day tournament starts at 9 a.m. and is projected to be an all-day affair.
Created with a strong sense of community in mind, the tournament is sure to offer something for people of all ages and skill levels.
Presently, the tournament has 10 teams registered, with hopes to enlist more before the Thursday night registration deadline. Although some of these teams are made up of veteran players, others are comprised mainly of novice players who are out there simply to have a great time and support a precious cause.
Regardless of the talent and athleticism each team possesses, they will all have a chance to vie for a championship title as a result of the tournament’s structure. All teams will have several round robin games in the morning to establish the standings. From there, the teams will be divided into an upper and lower pool, before an afternoon of tournament play. All teams will then fight within their assigned pool to determine who will come out victorious.
Individuals who would prefer to attend the event as an audience member instead of a player are warmly welcomed to do so. Admission for the general public is just $2 per person, and gains them access the volleyball action, event concessions, and signature event merchandise.
In the words of tournament organizer, Richard Wallace, “we have a great time.”
Aside from having a strong passion for the sport itself and a desire to increase its following here in Richmond County, the inspiration for this tournament is one that hits close to home for Wallace.
In July of 2015, Wallace’s, along with many others’, lives were forever changed when their dear friend, companion and family member Gay Garris Rhyne passed away.
An instructor at Richmond Community College in the Health Information Technology field, Rhyne was a beloved member of her family, her workplace and her entire community.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina and a mother to two children, Rhyne was known for her enormous heart and generosity.
“She was the type of person who would do anything for anybody,” Wallace expressed emotionally. “At Christmas time, for example, she would open up her home to anybody and have a big spread. She was just an incredible person.
“Everybody who knew her, loved her,” he continued. “She was just one of a kind – you just had to know her.”
After much thought and grief, Wallace decided that he wanted to do something to honor Rhyne’s philanthropic personality. And so, the idea for the tournament was conceived.
“I want to give back as Gay did,” Wallace went on. “So, I talked to the family and I asked them if they would allow me to do this, and they backed me on it.”
Wallace went on to enlist the help of his and Rhyne’s close friends and relatives, Robin Roberts, Caroline Smith, Terry Davis Craven, Rene Craven and Robin Davis. Together the committee worked diligently to establish the Gay Garris Rhyne Scholarship through the Richmond Community College Foundation.
Following Wallace’s lead, the team planned and hosted the inaugural tournament last year, and were able to successfully raise over $3,600 for the scholarship. But through impressive displays of support from private donations and local businesses such as Griffin Nissan and Griffin Toyota, the team was able to raise just over $6,500 in their first year.
These combined efforts have allowed Rhyne’s family to have since awarded two scholarships to RichmondCC students so far, one in the spring and one this past fall. Wallace hopes that as notoriety of the volleyball tournament and the scholarship itself increases, that one day the tournament will be able to be moved outdoors and generate closer to $20,000 for the creation of an endowment in Rhyne’s name.
Until then, individuals can support this cause by attending or participating in Saturday’s volleyball tournament, or by making a monetary donation directly to the RichmondCC Foundation in the name of Gay Garris Rhyne.
