EAGLE, Colorado — Disc golf courses around Eagle County are taken down about the time ski season starts, but that might change after Feb. 28. That's when the county's first Ice Bowl disc golf tournament takes to the air.

There are a few important rules for all Ice Bowls, which have been going on all over the world for some time. One — “No wimps.” Two — “No whiners.” These winter disc golf tourneys take place no matter the weather. Third and most importantly, all Ice Bowls must benefit a charity.

Can Do Multiple Sclerosis will be the benefactor of the Feb. 28 doubles scramble, best-shot tournament, planned at the Eagle County Fairgrounds. Can Do MS was founded by Olympian Jimmie Heuga, who died earlier this month, and assists people in adapting their lifestyles to better cope with the disease.

All proceeds from the event are going to Can Do, but there are also prizes for first place, longest drive, hole-in-ones and even some door prizes. Event co-founder Kevin Sharkey said about $1,000 in prizes has already been collected, including a Never Summer snowboard.

Registration is $15 until Feb. 26 and then it goes up to $18 on the day of the tournament. There is a 72-player limit and mulligans will be available for purchase at $2 each. The Dusty Boot in Eagle will host an award ceremony immediately after the tourney.

“We don't want everybody to wait until the day of the tournament, though,” said event co-founder Jason Congleton. “Register early to save and that will also help us put on a better tournament because we'll be more organized.”

People can register or get more information by going to www.eagleicebowl.com or contact Sharkey at (970) 471-5636.

Light bulb moment

Sharkey said the disc golf competition started with Congleton's thinking some time around the December holidays.

“It was sort of an idea that came out of thin air, when [Congleton] was playing at the Eagle County Fairgrounds,” Sharkey said.

Congleton said he disc golfs a couple times a week in the summer and wanted to do it in winter, too.

“I was out on a sunny day with snow and thought what a perfect day it would be for disc golfing,” he said. “I started talking about it with Sharkey and he found out about the Ice Bowl, which you have to do for charity, and he said, ‘Let's do it for MS.'”

Sharkey discovered the Ice Bowls on the Internet, which are apparently widespread across the globe. In fact, Denver's Mile High Disc Golf Club raised the most money of all the Ice Bowls last year, with its charity tournament bringing in $14,794 and 150 pounds for Food Bank of the Rockies, Arvada Community Food Bank and Jeffco Open Space Foundation.

Sharkey's wife, Kim Sharkey, is the Can Do MS chief executive and he had participated in fundraising events for fighting the disease in the past. The Ice Bowl idea fit right in with what he likes to do.

Multiple sclerosis, as described by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is a disease that affects the nervous system by disrupting the flow of information from the brain to the body. It has no known cause and no known cure. According to the Colorado Chapter of the Society, about 9,500 people in Colorado have MS, which is one of the highest prevalence rates in the country. There are about 400,000 in the U.S. and 2.5 million worldwide with the disease.

In addition to the Eagle Ice Bowl, Kevin Sharkey is once again participating in the Vertical Express for MS at Steamboat this year. It requires a minimum of $1,000 of funds raised to enter a team. He hasn't been able to do that for a while but this year he's already got it in the bag.

Besides the fundraising, the local Ice Bowl is likely to benefit the community in general as well. Sharkey said there are some people hoping the event will be a springboard to start a disc golf club in the area and that Western Eagle County Metropolitan Recreation District is also looking into the possibility of disc golf programs.