Hospitality heroes: GHC volunteers ensure events go smoothly

There's a lot that goes into making the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn run smoothly.

The tournament, which is presented by Kia Motors, is in its seventh year. During that time, Naomi Smith has volunteered each year, and has served as vice chair of volunteer support for five of them.

She said she loves each aspect of the tournament.

"Each event is its own little entity. We have folks that come out for each event," Smith said. "We have fans that are NASCAR fans that will come just today (Tuesday) to see the drivers play."

Smith is referring to the Dale Jarrett Shootout. Each year, NASCAR drivers, Champions Tour pros and a few other celebrities play a five-hole shootout.

The students from the Greater Hickory High School Classic who had the third through 12 best scores get to be caddies at the shootout. The students who place No. 1 and 2 get to walk inside the ropes during the Champions Tour event as honorary observers.

Smith said she loves the entire tournament week because she gets to see people and volunteers she hasn't seen all year. On Tuesday, though, she looked forward to seeing one person who always brings a special smile to her face.

"There's one autistic boy who's 11 who's a real fan of NASCAR. He comes every year to the shootout," Smith said. "He knows all the facts of NASCAR, and can tell you everything there is to know. The drivers make an extra effort to see him. He doesn't care a lot about golf, but he comes to see the drivers. I look forward to seeing him shake hands with Kyle Petty and the other racers. I love to see his face light up."

On Tuesday, Smith made sure the drivers were at the first tee on time and had everything they needed — including snacks and drinks.

She said she loves doing her job every year because it's different.

"I like seeing the drivers who come back year after year, because it's a different setting than the race track," Smith said. "I also enjoy seeing the new faces. I enjoy the people, from the golfers to the volunteers to the celebrities. I enjoy interacting with everyone."

While Smith is in charge of caring for the NASCAR drivers and celebrities, Richard Krapfel is ensuring the high school students get paired up and know what to do.

Twenty-two schools were invited to the Greater Hickory High School Classic on Monday, although only 15 participated in the nine-hole tournament.

Krapfel said the idea for the high school tournament was born because Greater Hickory Classic coordinators wanted more events at the beginning of the week.

"Initially, there was nothing really on Monday and Tuesday," he said. "Some people with the tournament talked with Dale Jarrett, since he was so involved, and he talked with some friends of his and got them involved in the shootout. On Monday, we decided to have a junior tournament, and that would feed into the shootout."

The top two students who win the high school tournament get to be honorary observers while the next 10 get to caddie the shootout. Krapfel said it is a treat they won't forget.

"The kids will remember being a caddie for Kasey Kahne or Elliott Sadler for the rest of their lives, and they're all great to these kids," he said. "Not a one doesn't come off the green without stars in their eyes."

Krapfel is the one who decides which student is paired up with which VIP in the shootout, traditionally going with the student who placed third overall in the high school tournament paired with the most prominent player, like Fred Funk.

"The kids don't have to bring anything. They get to listen to the bantering back and forth between the players," Krapfel said. "The kids have said that it's not just fun, but instructional."