The Indiana Fever hosted their annual charity bowling tournament last night at Pinheads Bowling in Fishers. All proceeds from the event, which included a silent auction featuring Fever and Pacers memorabilia among other prizes, were donated to the Fever’s BeYOUnique Fund, a grant fund of the Pacers Foundation, Inc., which promotes strong self-image and positive life skills for the young women around the state of Indiana.
Fever players, coaches, and other local sports personalities, including Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen, were each assigned to round out existing teams of four participants, which included fans and corporate sponsors. Each team played two games, and the team with the top score received a grand prize that included autographed Fever basketballs and Papa John’s pizza vouchers.
Fever forward Tamika Catchings, who knows all about the importance of charity from her work with her Catch the Stars Foundation, cherishes any opportunity she has to give back and to be able to interact with fans and supporters somewhere other than Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“You get to not only meet our fans, but our partners and sponsors,” Catchings said. “As long as everybody’s smiling and having fun, that’s all that matters.”
The night had a lively atmosphere from the beginning, with the crowd appreciating a speech from Fever head coach Stephanie White before Pacers Director of Corporate Communications Eddie White, who served as emcee throughout the night, provided energetic introductions for all the celebrity bowlers.
PHOTO GALLERY: Indiana Fever Charity Bowling Tournament »
PHOTO GALLERY: Fever Bowling Teams »
Allen, a well-known fan of several other Indy sports teams, including the Fever, was happy to participate in a charitable event while still being able to show the competitive side people are used to seeing from him on the football field on Sundays. He also spoke about the importance events such as this can have on a team in the middle of what can be a grueling season.
“It’s neat to see how the team meshes together and how the different personalities are off the court,” Allen said.
Roberta Courtright, director of community and player relations for the Fever, has seen this event grow over the last nine years and was pleased that last night’s event, which raised over $14,000, went off without a hitch.
“I love when we can do events where the fans get to see our players’ personalities off the court,” Courtright said. “It shows they’re real people, they like to have fun. The WNBA prides [itself] on how accessible we are, how fun we are with our fans.”
Fever guard Jeanette Pohlen was the night’s top celebrity bowler, bowling a high game of 166. The Citizens Energy Group team, with Eddie White as its celebrity bowler, won first place for having the highest combined score through two games, recording a score of 1,860.
Longtime Fever fan Jeff Price received a surprise happy birthday wish, giant inflatable cake and all, from the Fever’s mascot, Freddy. Price, who has been a Fever fan for several years, thoroughly enjoyed his first time at the Fever bowling tournament.
“Everybody with the Pacers and the Fever are very friendly,” Price said. “The players are great.”
The Fever currently sit in 4th place in the Eastern Conference with a 10-8 record. They host the Connecticut Sun (8-8) at 6:00 p.m. Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.