I love the passion of disc golfers, even when desire butts head with reality. There’s a very well intentioned petition out there to get disc golf in the Olympics in 2016 at discgolfbuzz.com.
An article by International Surfing Association president Fernando Aguerre provides all kinds of useful, and apparently, well-researched information. For instance, “The biggest obstacles facing new sports hoping to be included in the Olympic Games Program are the strict requirements for inclusion and the length of time the process requires. A new sport should start its campaign at least nine years before a particular Olympic Games, because the final line-up of sports is decided by the IOC seven years before any given Olympic Games.” (Emphases are mine.) What this means is that it’s too late for disc golf in 2016, where, “the five sports on the ’short list’ for inclusion in the 2016 Games are rugby, karate, roller sports, racquetball, and golf. Currently there is only room for two additional sports for those Games. The IOC could also decide not to include any new sport at all for 2016.”
Assuming that Mr Aguerre has his facts correct, the earliest disc golf could be included would be in 2020. Mr. Aguerre points out that getting any brand-new sport into the games is quite difficult: “At the end of the day, the process comes down to a vote by all IOC members, some of which are presidents of federations of sports currently in the Games. Hence the vote for inclusion could end up resulting in the exclusion of the sports of the person casting the ‘inclusion’ vote for a new sport. In other words there is a full potential for a big conflict of interest: What might be great for the health of the IOC and the Games (bringing new, contemporary youth or extreme sports that will result in better ratings and sponsors interest), might be the worst for some currently included sports (such as aging, obsolete, or no longer relevant sports) that will be ‘kicked out’ of the Games as a consequence.”
Like many disc golfers, Mr Aguerre has had his hopes buoyed for surfing’s inclusion due to success of X-Games driven sports the last several Olympics. However, he notes, “The inclusion of Snowboard and BMX in the Games was not as complicated as the inclusion of surfing would be, since both sports were considered ‘disciplines’ of existing sports (snow skiing and cycling respectively), and not ‘new sports’. The inclusion of a totally new sport (like surfing), as opposed to a ‘new discipline’ of a currently included sport, is a much more complicated and involved process. Even if golf were chosen for 2016, it would be hard for disc golf to piggyback on that because there are no organizational nor financial connections to our much wealthier cousin.
Disc golf (and ultimate) were in the World Games in Japan in 2001, which was the result of a decade-old organizational scramble under the aegis of the World Flying Disc Federation that brought WFDF into the General Association of International Sports Federations and other international sporting groups. Unfortunately, disc golf did not make the 2005 games, and only ultimate will represent flying disc sports in 2009. Because disc golf no longer is represented within WFDF, it’s unlikely that disc golf will make it back to the World Games, which at one time, was thought of as a way into the Olympics.
I believe there is no precedent for a sport getting into the Olympics via a petition. While i wouldn’t rule out the possibility that someday disc golf will make the cut, it’s still many years out. However, the good news in keeping the Olympics dream alive is that PDGA Europe is likely to have these new members countries in 2009: Austria, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic. They will be joining existing members: Belgium, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and Norway. Countries that are just getting into the game and hopefully will affiliate before too long include Hungary, Israel, Slovakia, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, and Ireland.
I’m fairly certain that a sport has a much greater chance for entry into the big-ticket cavalcade of international sports competition if it’s played in many countries. Even if the Olympic thing never works out, being able to play disc golf while traveling the world would be its own reward.
What’s more mainstream than the venerable Reader’s Digest, where this issue’s World Power section features word associated with outdoor activities, including anhyzer?
The worst thing about not going to the Kzoo Worlds was not being able to catch up with my old friends and foes, and meeting up with some new folks as well. The Pro-Am Worlds remains not only the greatest promotional opportunity for the sport of disc golf, but also is a throwback tournament where for most of the players, it’s as much about camaraderie as it is for titles and winning stuff. We’re really stoked about having the disc golf family coming to KC next July and will be working hard to make that trip full of memories as well. Congrats to the KZoo crew…from what I’m hearing, you did a great job. It was definitely a good thing that you were “fueled” by Bell’s. Yum!
It’s kind of funny how many of my picks actually won. Even though I’ve not traveled at all since last year’s Worlds and of course, there’s been no DGW in 2008 to make me pay attention, I do talk to folks still and read what’s online. Congrats to all the winners. I hope that FDM will give each division and or champion his or her due.
While I was not sitting at my computer every minute following the live scoring at pdga.com, I did scour the Net for coverage. Of course, the PDGA led the way with lots of photos, some videos, several PDGA radio broadcasts, and irregularly posted “daily” summaries. The scoring crew and Chuck Kennedy combined on a few rounds to bring some electronic play-by-play, consisting of photos of the holes and Chuck describing the action or, at least, the result of throws on the message board.
New players in the field of electronic news coverage with Worlds reports are the up-and-coming 1000rated.com and flyingdiscmagazine.com. Other sources for news were the pdga.com message board, where the scorekeepers announced live scoring and aces, Hosfeld’s blog, and a couple of bloggers at discgolfersr.us.
Not surprisingly, I discovered that there is no substitute for actually being where the action is to get a real sense of what the event is like. Of course, it’s hard to convey the totality of such a huge event, but there is room for improvement in all areas. By taking the extra time to caption photos, to identify people and places in videos, to interview more people with incisive questions, etc., a fuller picture of the event can be presented. While we will strive to do better for the KC Pro-Am Worlds, our top obligation will be to the players themselves. Not only are we expecting over 900 competitors (sure we’d like to top Des Moines’ 911 in ‘04), but we will be encouraging people to travel to KC to form one of the largest galleries in World’s final-nine history. More on this later.
Hall of Fame: Dan Ginnelly, Juliana Korver
Male Player of the Year: Ken Climo
Female Player of the Year: Valarie Jenkins
Male Rookie: Cory Sharp
Female Rookie: Sarah Stanhope
Bob West Sportsman: Jay Reading
TD: Bill Old Man and Mom Wallis
Volunteer: A fellow from Huntsville
It would appear that David Feldberg took the lead at these Worlds on the seventh hole of the fifth round this morning, and I’m betting that is the end of the story—Feldberg will be the World Champion and will join Climo as the only man to win all three “major” majors (Catch 22 anyone?)—the Worlds, the USGDC, and the Japan Open. However, with 3.5 rounds left, anyone within 12 throws has a chance. I’m not sure if Nikko Locastro, aged 17 or 18, and now down four after leading most of the way, has the mental game to stage a comeback. However, it appears that so far he has been keeping the negative emotions that he has been prone to express at bay. Hopefully, he’ll just keep playing his game. Matt Orum, who was something like a bazillion under par this morning (actually “only” a -18 41 on a 6661′ layout) roared up the leaderboard to trail Feldberg by 6. Of course, Matt was in the thick of the Worlds battle in 2006, finishing 2nd and has the mettle to keep charging. Eric McCabe and Geoff Bennett are 10 out of the lead—a lot of throws to overcome, even with 63 holes left to play. Nate is 11 out and as defending champion will be the most motivated. All and all, it’s now Feldberg’s event to lose, and after this afternoon’s round we’ll know if it’s going to be a good battle or a coronation.
Note: this site got hacked, but we’re back. Even before it was hacked, I wasn’t posting much. But I hope to start flexing my writing muscle once again. Stayed tuned and thanks for stopping by. —Rick
This will be the first Pro Worlds I’ve missed—either as player, staff, or reporter—since 1984. As the Worlds is the oldest “major” disc golf event, it has truly earned the description “major” unlike several of the “Johnny-come-lately” events that have been declared majors—seemingly for more political than historical reasons…but I digress. Though I’m free from reporting about this event as Disc Golf World, the magazine is on hiatus, I still find myself drawn to write about it because I’m a member of the 2009 Pro-Am Worlds team here in Kansas City and as a newly elected Board member of the PDGA, I’m keenly interested in helping the two events that the PDGA owns and operates—the Pro Worlds and the Am Worlds—to be as good as they can be.
First some numbers. The most impressive streak continues, as Tim Selinske will once again tee it up in the open division as he done the previous 26 years of Worlds. For most of these years, Tim’s focus has been on the business side of disc golf having been with Innova Champion since it’s founding in 1983, and thus, playing the game at a competitive level has not been a very high priority. Also, as the courses have gotten longer and his body only older (he’s nearing 50), Tim is thinking about moving down to masters in the future. Without poring through the records, I’m pretty sure that David Greenwell is the only other person who has played in every Worlds in either open, masters, or grandmasters.
A big number is 897, which represents the 580 ams and the 317 pros for this event. This compares quite favorably with the Iowa Pro-Am Worlds that drew 911—579 ams and 332 pros. The late date of this Worlds, which has run into some school openings in many communities may account for the fact that there are nearly 30 fewer than the 80 juniors who were in Iowa.
Even though over 20% of the entire field (182 players) are from Michigan, this might be the best-represented Worlds for US participation ever with only three states—Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island—sending no one. (However this might be changing before too long as I just read this unusually accurate piece about disc golf this morning: http://tinyurl.com/RIdiscgolf
Internationally, it’s a mixed bag. For the first time ever, there are players from Ireland and Russia, but missing are reps from Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, Scotland, and Finland—countries that have been here before. We hope to induce more of the top international pros to travel to MO-KAN country for the KC Worlds.
Picking winners for these Worlds, especially for someone who’s getting most of his information from the Web, is kind of silly, but I’m going to have some fun and lay it out anyway, guessing the winners—both pro and am.
As most everyone knows, Ken Climo has won this event 12 out of the 26 times it has been held, but more awesome is that he’s won 12 out of the 18 he’s played. Those six other Worlds belong to Barry Schultz and defending champ Nathan Doss (2 each) and the no-longer-playing-very-much Ron Russell and Cam Todd. Though now 40, it’s hard to count Climo out of an event that he has helped to define and he understands better than most how to handle the marathon (7.5 rounds if you go all the way in open) that is the Worlds. The Champ has played a pared down schedule this year, and reportedly injured his arm during the Scandinavian open three weeks ago.
The defending champ Nate Doss seems to pace himself each year to be sharp for the Worlds and from all reports, his attitude remains upbeat. Schultz, who tailored his schedule to go to those events he wanted to be at this year, seems to have found some of the fun in playing that escaped him when he quit his job and made DG his sole source of income. He’s has a solid year with only one finish out the top six.
I think there are six other credible candidates for winning these Worlds: Dave Feldberg, Avery Jenkins, Steve Rico, Mike Randolph, Markus Källström and Eric McCabe. Feldberg has always believed in himself, has worked hard on his game, added the Japan Open to his resume of wins this year, is now ranked #1 in most polls, and is almost impossible to intimidate, which relates to his”Borg” nickname. (An intangible for him this year was being lucky enough to represent disc golf on the Conan O’Brien show last May—a disc golf superstar!) And on top of everything else, he is returning to the area where he went to high school and first discovered disc golf.
Avery Jenkins is a dominating force of nature just about ready to break through at this event. He crushes drives both back backhand and forehand, putts well, and when he stays focused, he’s very hard to beat. However, even when things don’t go his way, he’s always supportive of his little sister, Valerie.
Touring all over the country for the first time, Eric McCabe has had a breakout year, finishing no worse than ninth in any event, and no worse than seventh in any of his seven NTs. However, he didn’t win a NT, although he had two seconds and two thirds.
Then we have Steve Rico, who went pro at the age of 15 in 1993, and seems to be finding the maturity on the course that he has needed to reach his full awesome potential. Mike Randolph and Markus Källström are long shots, but Mike especially seem to rise to the occasion for a guy who I believe still plays more ultimate than golf, and holds down a full time job. He’s also returning to his native state. Markus, who just about become the first European (though living in the USA) to win the open division last year has reportedly been injured, but anyone who can crush like he can and putt like he can, cannot be discounted. However, he has not played nearly as much as he did in 2007. Pick: my gut says Nate, but I’m picking Avery Jenkins.
The women’s division will likely be won by one of these Worlds Champions—defending champ Valerie Jenkins, three-time (2002, 2005, 2006) champ Des Reading, 2004 champ Birgitta Lagerholm, and the remarkable and durable four-time champ Elaine King (1991-1994…yes, she’s in her 40s!) With five-time Juliana Korver on the sidelines (actually marshaling this year) as she recovers from a serious hand injury whilst snowboarding early this year, I think only Angela Tschiggfrie is the only non-champ who has an outside shot of nabbing the title. Val’s main enemy in such a long event is that she might have too much fun off the course. When on the course, she plays fearlessly and has the power and the putting to crush anyone. But, at 21, she’s now just having fun, and the joy she gets from playing and being part of the elite disc golf scene is wonderful to behold. (While not updated recently, you can get to know Val here: http://tinyurl.com/valjks
However, Des is intense, and probably works harder off the course than any other player, and it seems that once a player has tasted a World Championship title, he/she wants it again. I think Birgitta is a long shot at best, although she beat Val in the Stockholm Open, although Val won the Scandinavian Open over Birgitta. Elaine King could win if the courses are not too power-based. She just missed getting into the final four last year at the fairly balanced set of courses in Wisconsin. My pick is Valerie to defend, joining Avery as the first sibling world disc golf champions. My sentimental pick is, of course, Elaine, who I first met in 1986 in a memorable road trip to Toronto.
Some day (and it may be sooner than later), professional disc golf’s senior division will begin at 50 years old. But the Worlds is one of a handful of events where people in the 40-49 year old division can not only get a title, but a damn good payday as well. Just lining up these players by their ratings show who will win the masters title: Jim Oates (two-time and defending masters champ)-1015; Al “Sugar” Schack-1009; Brad Hammock (four-time champ) and Stan McDaniel (three-time champ)-1008; Dean Tannock (one-time champ)-1007; Mike Raley, Brian McRee, Joe Mela (one-time champ)-1006. Eric Roadhouse-1004; Mitch McClellan-1001; Dan Ginnelly and Joel Kelly-999. The file that shows the ages of each these guys is missing, but I believe that Brian McKee is the youngest and has the chops to win this thing. Raley and Schack are playing in their home state, and likely know the courses better than most. I’d love to see Joel Kelly win for his years of being so close and being such a good sport—win or lose, but I’m going to pick Schack as the winner. After that, anyone but Hammock. I cannot get past his behavior at the 2006 Worlds (and his lousy attitude in general). If professional disc golf means having no fun and exhibiting no joy and blaming others for one’s shortcomings, then no one will ever buy in.
Might this be the year when, for the first time, a former open world’s men open champion wins an aged-protected division? With Johnny Sias (1986) and rookie GM Gregg Hosfeld in the 50 and above grandmasters field, it could happen. However the guys who have been dominating this division for the last five years—Kentuckians David Greenwell (2003, 2004, 2007) and Rick Voakes (2005 and 2006) are not going to roll over. Greenwell, with yet another win in the open division two weeks ago (this one at age of 55), has not lost to Voakes this year and played only in the open and masters divisions. Voakes has won all four events he played as a grandmaster. Now pushing 60, Voakes has suffered a number of injuries since his amazing top four finish in the open at the 2000 Worlds. Most of these picks are sentimental anyway, but despite the fact that Gregg was a loyal staffer at DGWN for 20 years, I’m picking him because he’s been on the road, where he has always played his best golf and his state of mind (and I think body) is excellent as his blog entries at http://www.onegranddiscgolftour.com will attest.
In the senior grandmasters division (60 and up), don’t be fooled by rookie Captain Snap Conger’s rating that is higher than Peter Shive’s. Snap just hasn’t played the amount of golf in the past couple of years to overcome Peter’s single-minded pursuit of disc golf excellence. However, if the courses are tight, Peter’s confidence might get shaken, but he’s been working on his sidearm for a year, so he’s even shored up this weakness in his game. My pick: Peter Shive.
Annie Kreml, who has dominated the women’s masters division the last three years, has given the other women a huge break by playing in the open division. Sue Stephens, playing near her home, has got to be considered the favorite, although Pam Reineke is higher-rated. Long shots in this uber-fun-loving division are Sheila Kirkham and 2004 champ Lisa Warner. My pick: Sue Stephens.
Kathy Hardyman has won the last two years in the grandmasters women’s divisions and is my pick to for the hat trick. However, Sandy Gast is higher rated and this will be her second Worlds in as many years. I still pick Kathy Hardyman in a three peat.
1985 grand masters champion (then 45 and over) Ray Carr is now a legend, and should be competitive in that division. Tom Skidmore makes his legends debut as well. Don Dillon keeps improving, but I think the overall athleticism of defending champion Al Faupel will prevail. My pick: Al Faupel.
Am Side
Other than picking (not-so-little—I hear he has had a growth spurt) 13-year-old David Wiggins to triumph in the 19 and under junior boys division, it’s even more hazardous making guesses who will win in the amateur side of the Worlds. Andrew Coggin, another incredible kid from North Carolina and winner of the 10 and under division in Tulsa in 1996 will probably prevail in the 13 and under division this year. Oh yeah, it’s likely that Nick Duran will defend his 10 and under title, but could be tested again by Brock Dowell.
Beyond that, we can look at the ratings for clues about for the advanced men. Another North Carolinian, Jeremy Koling has the best rating, 986, a full 15 points ahead of Tate Handy, who is playing at home. Rated from 1 to 11 points below Tate are 23 players. If Handy has done due karmic diligence by helping with the preparation for the Worlds, he might overcome Koling’s year of playing primarily in the open division, which in North Carolina is always tough. Also, this would account for his slighter higher rating. May the best man win, but I’ll go with Koling just to have a pick.
The highest rated advanced women’s player is the 2004 13 and under junior girls champion Kelsey Brakel, a member of one of several two-generation families competing in these pro-am Worlds. She was second last year. Last year’s third-place finisher Page Pierce is back and is the second highest-rated player in the division. These women will have to contend with another disc golf family member, Sandra Frazier, who won the advanced women masters title at the Tulsa Worlds. Also in the women’s field are Sandra’s daughters, Michelle and Rebecca Frazier, who won titles in Tulsa in the 16 and under and 13 and under divisions respectively. I’m picking Kelsey, who is playing in her home state, and has played only in open women and intermediate men’s divisions this year, which should have toughened her up.
I’ve always quipped within the ranks of the age-protected divisions: that if you can’t take a joke, play open. It’s usually within these amateur age-protected divisions that you’ll find a lot good-hearted, fun-loving players, who also are often dedicated disc golf volunteers—doing what needs to be done at the grassroots level. Just slightly over one of every three players (199 in total) of the ams are 40 (or will be this year) and over. (The pro division is ever older with 47.4% or 150 out 317 players in the age-protected brackets.) One pick is that my good friend Paul Eklund (aka Pablo Klunel from Shebogyan) will shoot much better than his rating. Other than that, I’m curious about Fiona Ming Menzies from New Zealand, who by 50 points is the highest rated advanced grandmasters woman. In the other men’s aged protected divisions, Mark Steddom is defending his men’s gm title and Terry Calhoun is the most experienced SGM—this might be his year. In the masters, defending champ Mark Roberts, playing at home is back, but Tim Weimer is the highest rated am master at 991 and he’s from Michigan, so let’s go with him. That leaves the 16 and under junior boys. I’ve obviously no clue, but I remember writing about the 983 rated Oscar Stenfelt from Sweden, so he sounds like a pretty safe choice. I’m picking Marie Fry as the women’s masters winner because she’s among the higher rated women and I like her name. The junior girls choices are locks as regrettably they are the only girls in their divisions.
My choices:
Open: Avery Jenkins
Women: Valarie Jenkins
Masters: Al Schack
Women Masters: Sue Stephens
Grandmasters: Gregg Hosfeld
Women Grandmasters: Kathy Hardyman
Sr Grandmasters: Peter Shive
Legends: Al Faupel
Advanced Men: Jeremy Koling
Advanced Women: Kelsey Brakel
Advanced Masters: Tim Weimer
Advanced Women Masters: Marie Fry
Advanced Grandmasters: Mark Steddom
Advanced Women Grandmasters: Fiona Ming Menzies
Advanced Sr Grandmasters: Terry Calhoun
19 and Under Jr Boys: David Wiggins
16 and Under Jr Boys: Oscar Stenfelt
16 and Under Jr Girls: Dawn Geist
13 and Under Jr Boys: Andrew Coggin
13 and Under Jr Girls: Korina Carlos
10 and under Jr Boys: Nick Duran
David Feldberg, on the strength of wins at the Japan Open and the Memorial, and second place finishes at the Minnesota Majestic and Greater Tulsa Open, has vaulted into the top spot in the DGW standings. Ken Climo is second, followed by Nate Doss and Eric McCabe.
Feldberg’s win leaves him one major of capturing them all (well, I guess all but two, since no one’s yet won the new Scandinavian Open). He’s won at Japan (2008), USDGC (2005), European Open (2006), and the Players Cup (2007). Of course that one biggie fly in the ointment is the World Championships, but the Worlds this year are in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where David originally hails from and where he cut his disc golf teeth. It would certainly be a storybook finish for him if he were able to pull it off. Of course, it won’t be easy, and David had to withdraw at this past weekend’s Golden State Classic due to swelling in his knee, so besides the usual obstacles of Climo, Doss, and Schultz, he may have to contend with his own health issues. The knee could just be a temporary setback, though, and he may be fine by Worlds. We’ll keep you posted.
Des Reading continues to lead the women’s rankings, but Val Jenkins continues to gain ground. Burl and Angela Tschiggfrie continue to be 3rd and 4th, and Liz Lopez, who is the prohibitive favorite for 2008 Rookie of the Year, continues to impress, and has risen all the way to 5th in the rankings.
There’s lots of good golf coming up before Worlds. Fort Steilacoom and Pittsburgh are this coming weekend, The Hambrick is on July 12-13, Beaver State Fling and the newest major, the Scandinavian Open, comes July 19-20.
Now, I’m on my soapbox (it is a blog, after all) I’m not picking on the SO, because I’ve heard it’s a very good and well-run event, but are we going ever limit the number of majors? Currently we have Worlds, USDGC, Japan Open, European Open, Players Cup, and Scandinavian Open as majors. (Yes, I’m not forgetting nor discounting the U.S. Women’s, U.S. Masters, or U.S. Amateur Championships, but am concentrating on the Open division for the moment) That’s 6 majors, or 2 more than golf or tennis. Horse racing and baseball have only Triple Crowns. We’ve got the Super 6, or more properly, the Fantastic 5 (Japan Open and European Open are going to be contested every other year). I heard rumors of a possible PDGA Championship (ala the PGA Championship) to be held at IDGC, which would give us 7, but that may have been tabled for the time being . Hokey smokes, Bullwinkle! That seems like a major pain in the calendar to me.
Anyway, I’m still basking in the glow of my first PDGA victory in 18 years at the Star City Shootout in the Advanced Masters division. I got close in Advanced in 1991, but Mike Kurtz (curse you, Mike Kurtz!) birdied the first playoff hole and beat me at the Ottumwa Fall Classic. Hopefully I’ll get my next one sometime before 2026.
Below is the statement that will appear on the PDGA Ballot. I’d completely forgotten to mention this blog in my statement, but I’ll be glad to answer questions out here, if anyone is paying attention. Blogging is new to me, so i don’t really know what to expect.
It’s very heartening that there are a total of 11 candidates vying for the three spots. I’m looking forward to hearing what the others fellows (it’s really a shame that no women are running) have to say.
RR
Rick Rothstein
Kansas City, MO
PDGA #2458
DOB: 8-18-1948
Synopsis of Disc Golf Experience
Communications Director PDGA Board 1987-1988
Oversight Director PDGA Board 1989-1990
Competition Director PDGA Board 1990
Regional Director PDGA Board 1994-2001
Publicity Director PDGA Board 2002
Co-Founder of Columbia (MO) Disc Golf Club 1983
Current President of the Kansas City Flying Disc Club
Founder and Tournament Director—Mid America (nee Missouri) Open 1985-1991
Tournament Director 1999 Amateur World Championships
Tournament Director Kansas City Wide Open 1993-1998, 2002-2005
Publisher Disc Golf World News 1987-2007
President Disc Golf World, Inc 1987-present
Founder and Instigator of Ice BowlTM 1987-present
Entered the Disc Golf Hall of Fame 1996
Mid-Missouri Open Masters Champion 1985
World Disc Golf Championships Masters Division - 9th - 1985
Kansas City Wide Open Masters Champion 1987
Platform
Because of my longevity in the sport that includes 13 years of service on the PDGA Board, I can provide some of the institutional memory that I believe has been lacking in some of the Board’s decision making during the last three or four years. In addition, I’ve participated in hundreds of events through the years as a player, director, helper, or reporter; have traveled to many parts of the country and Japan; know many people in disc golf; and have always been very active at the grassroots level.
For the most part, I think that ratings have been a very good thing for competitive disc golf and the PDGA by providing increased opportunities for fair competition for members of all skill levels. However, not enough attention has been paid in educating tournament directors and promoters about event management and venue presentation. I believe that the main avenue for providing value to sponsors and getting more sponsors—at this point in our development—is to get spectators out to watch our events and to pay greater attention to presentation values. There are a few exceptional events out there, most notably the USDGC that is leading the way in this area. The PDGA has flown in scorekeepers and officials to its World Championships, so spending money to make a venue sparkle and to ensure that the sponsors we have are taken care of is not that much of a stretch.
While it’s fitting that competition is the main business of the PDGA, I think we should also be in the forefront in solving environmental issues and promoting the healthful aspects of disc golf. The main environmental problem on our courses is soil compaction, and in many places, a major threat is the ongoing loss of trees. In ball golf, the USGA, besides running many major events, also promotes turf research. Similarly, the PDGA can sponsor research to remedy the soil compaction problem that will continue to worsen due to increased course usage as the sport continues its growth. Similar research could be done about re-forestation.
Here in Kansas City, a very motivated disc golfer received a corporate grant to build a disc golf course on a grade school campus as a way of combating childhood obesity. I think that utilizing PDGA resources to find out what other money is out there for similar projects and even hiring grant writers would be a good investment.
The PDGA was fortunate to strike the deal that created the International Disc Golf Center to house its administrative offices. That the organization has been able to afford to hire more staff and consultants has meant that the need for volunteerism at the national level is not as great as it once was. This contrasts vividly with our local clubs, which, for the most part, provide a large percentage of income for the PDGA by running the sanctioned events that encourage people to join the PDGA. Whereas the PDGA has been able to afford lawyers and accountants to tighten up its dealings, many, if not most of our local clubs lack the resources to pay employees or to get the financial and legal advice that is needed to become more legitimate. I’d reckon that volunteers run 80-90 percent of our courses, clubs, and events. I’ve no pat solutions to this problem but I believe the Affiliate Club Program could be strengthened to provide some legal and financial guidelines in this area for starters. I’ve no doubt that our sport will continue to grow and I suspect that the financial situation of our public parks is going to worsen. As a result, more clubs will be expected to formalize their existence and be better prepared as parks departments start looking for new sources of possible income.
I have opinions and ideas concerning many other relevant topics, such as but not limited to how the PDGA communicates with its members (magazine and internet), revising and expanding the scope of the PDGA Mission Statement, the international initiatives (PDGA Europe and Japan), efficiency of the administrative staff and member services, the extent of corporate transparency, and revitalizing the National Tour to name just a few. However, I’ve burned enough space already. I not only welcome but also encourage you to express your concerns and to ask me questions. Contact me at 888.237.6884, 816.471.3472, or rick@discgolfworld.com. Thanks for your consideration and please vote.
Ken Climo and Des Reading maintained their leads in the DGWN rankings. Climo is followed closely by David Feldberg, up one spot from the 2007 year-end rankings, and Nate Doss is in 3rd. Eric McCabe might be the hottest player on tour this year. McCabe has won at Lewisville and at the Texas States in Houston, and finished second in Las Vegas and at Bowling Green, and a third place finish at the Memorial. Eric finished 2007 in 13th place in the DGWN rankings, but has rocketed all the way to fourth.
Des Reading maintains her lead atop the women’s rankings, but Val Jenkins keeps chipping away at it. Val has 5 wins this year already, including wins at the Memorial, Las Vegas, and Bowling Green. The only blemish on her otherwise perfect record in the women’s division this year was a second place finish to Nicole Frazer at the Bluegrass Open in northern Kentucky (suburban Cincinnati) this past weekend. Frazer moved up seven places to ninth based on her win in Kentucky and 4th place finish at Bowling Green. Carrie “Burl” Berlogar has moved past Angela Tschiggfrie into 3rd place. Tschiggfrie hasn’t played in a sanctioned event since September, while Burl has top 4 finishes at the Memorial and Bowling Green, and a win at the St. Patrick’s Classic in Orangevale.
I just posted a geographical breakdown of where Ice Bowls are being held this year at icebowlhq.com.
The 221 events we’re tracking so far represent a 10 percent increase over 2007. We’re still 6 states shorts from having an Ice Bowl event in all 50 states. If anyone from Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Delaware, North Dakota, and Alaska is interested, you can register your event at the Ice Bowl site or contact me for more information.
December 22nd, 2007 by Rick Rothstein · 5 Comments
It’s a done deal. The last issue of Disc Golf World is on press. It’s a solid and fat (104 pages) issue with interviews with Frisbee icons Dan “Stork” Roddick and “Crazy John” Brooks, coverage of the USGDC and the USWDGCs, reports from around the globe in Transcontinental Flights, our picks for player of the year (Kenny and Des) along with a list of rookie candidates, and the always ubiquitious more.
Now that I no longer “buy ink by the barrel,” I will be investigating the world of web communication a bit more, perhaps offering some commentary here from time to time. For today, I’m just discovering if this gets published. More later.
Ken Climo took back the top spot in the Disc Golf World rankings, based in part on his win at the European Open. Really, the 2007 Player of the Year award seems to be a wide open competition this year between Doss, Climo, and David Feldberg, who is currently 2nd in the National Tour points standings (one spot behind Doss and one ahead of Climo). Feldberg maintained the number three spot in the Disc Golf World rankings this week, and a win by any of the three players at the United States Disc Golf Championship might cement not only the #1 ranking, but also Player of the Year honors. The only other large move in the top ten was Mike Moser, moving from 7th to 5th with a win in Paw Paw at the West Virginia Open and a second place finish at the Eric Yetter Memorial.
On the Women’s side, nothing’s really changed that much. Des Reading maintains a solid lead in top spot, with Val Jenkins and Angela Tschiggfrie rounding out the top three. The Player of the Year (POY) battle appears to be between Reading and Jenkins, who are also 1-2 in the National Tour points standings. If one of these two can play well in Peoria and win at the U.S. Women’s Champioships, they could cement Player of the Year honors. If Angela Tschiggfrie successfully defends her title, or Burl adds a second major win this year at Peoria, then it’s going to truly be free-for-all for POY.
Nate’s win in Highbridge not only puts him at the top of the disc golf world, but also gave him the points he needed to pass Ken Climo and take the number one spot in the Disc Golf World rankings. Val’s win helped her close the gap on Des Reading, but Reading’s second place finish allowed her to maintain a 4 point cushion and hold on to the top spot.
One thing that stands out about the World’s is the amount of mental and physical stamina it takes to succeed. I was drained just following players around for the week. It was interesting to watch the almost 40 year old Ken Climo’s play steadily improve as the week wore on.
Our Flickr gallery has been updated with images from the final nine and the awards ceremony, check it out.
Finally getting some images uploaded. The weather has changed up here with a front moving through Thursday night bring some rain and much cooler temps. Todays high should be in the upper 70’s with light winds. Prime conditions should lead to some hot rounds today.
We are up in the wilds of Wisconsin for this year’s Worlds. This is a shot from Whitecap ski resort where many of the players are staying. Awesome accommodations, but no cell service.
Highbridge is located about 15mi. from here and is beautiful, but isolated. You spend a lot of time on the road. The players meeting last night at the casino in Ashland (about 30 mi. one-way) was pretty straightforward, with most players leaving immediately after and making the trek back in order to get some rest.
I will be getting some shots from the courses later today and will be posting from Highbridge, so stay tuned.
OK, so you’ve probably wondered, why the big swings in the
rankings with some of the women, and the lower ranked men?
Well, when a lower ranked player does extremely well in an
event, that gives her a lot more points, and only one more
tournament to average in, so their ranking points go up by
a large percentage. Now you take someone like Niloofar
Mossarrahmani, a fine player from Sweden, but someone who
hasn’t played in as many A-Tier and above events as say,
Des Reading, well, one good result (such as her recent second
place finish in Skelleftea this past weekend) will move her up
in ranking points an even higher percentage.
At the top of the grid, Angela Tschiggfrie and
Val Jenkins will have to work a lot harder to topple Des
Reading from the #1 ranking. And that’s the way it should
be….players in our ranking system get rewarded not only for
playing well in big tournaments, but you get rewarded more
for playing well in LOTS of big tournaments. And although
both Val and Angela have beaten Des at times, and can do
so on any given weekend, Des has been clearly the best
over the last 4 years or so in the overall scheme of things.
Anyway, notable changes recently:
Nate Doss overtook David Feldberg last week for the
#2 spot on the mens’ side, and Ken Climo is definitely within
striking distance. A strong finish in Pittsburgh this weekend,
coupled with an NT win for Nate at Columbus might give him
the #1 ranking going into the Worlds. David Feldberg is
within striking distance of #1 as well.
Avery Jenkins overtook Steve Rico this week for the
#4 spot. Steve hasn’t traveled outside the Pacific Time Zone
this year, and although he’s generally done well, hasn’t done
well often enough to hold off Avery from the #4 spot.
There’s been a couple of injuries recently to top players:
Barry Schultz hurt his throwing shoulder at the
Kansas City Wide Open. He shut his tournament down 3 holes
into the final round. Looks like it was just a precautionary
move on Barry’s part….all indications are that he’ll be
healthy and ready to compete at Worlds in 3 weeks.
Steve Brinster apparently tore a pectoral muscle
in Toronto last weekend. He had to miss the Skylands Classic
on his home course in Warwick, NY. No word on the severity
of his injury, but hopefully he’ll be back in time for Worlds.
David Feldberg broke a bone in his hand at the
DGLO, but has been able to play through it, carding 3rd at
the DGLO, 4th in Kansas City and Toronto, and 5th Place
at Warwick last week.
Player to watch: Kyle Crabtree has made the
biggest move in the last 3 weeks, vaulting from #48 to #19.
The Disc Golf World crew just returned from a four-day expedition to the Wakarusa Music Festival. We had planned on posting from the field, but contrary to the large banners displayed at various points throughout the grounds, there were no “Free Wi-Fi Hot Spots” available.
Despite the technical shortcomings, much fun was had by all, and it was a bit refreshing to be unplugged for a few days with nothing but disc golf and live music on the agenda.
The DGW tent became “disc golf central” for the weekend and we had lots of people buying a disc to give the game a try for the first time. In addition to the new players, golfers from all corners of the country brought their discs with them and were excited to get in a few rounds during the festival.
The two on-site 9 hole courses had received much attention prior to the event from the Waka course team assembled by Crazy John Brooks, and the mowed fairways and detailed signage made navigation a breeze. The courses certainly provided a challenge, though, with deep rough and well protected greens, and many of the newer players had problems keeping track of their plastic.
Disc golf is finding its way in to more music festivals each year and with good reason:
It is a low cost addition relative to other amenities.
Requires little or no oversight during the event.
A large percentage festival attendees are disc golfers and vice versa.
An easy nine-hole course requires little more than a single disc to play.
Discs can be event stamped and vended at the event creating a revenue stream.
Check out some of the images from the event. (Link)
In the process of researching an article for the upcoming issue of Disc Golf World, Rick has manged to cover every available flat surface in the shop with stuff he dragged up from the basement documents from the archives.
I am not a big fan of clutter, but looking over 20+ years of club newsletters, tourney flyers, and other assorted DG publications has been a real treat. It has also got me thinking about the nature of communication in our online world.
Since it exists in a physical form, printed matter has a residual quality that lends itself to accidental archiving. Who doesn’t have a few of “those boxes” in the basement/attic/closet full of magazines, books, or photographs.
In the process of putting out a magazine for the past twenty years Rick has managed to accumulate quite a few boxes which, when taken as a whole, document the birth and growth of disc golf. I wonder how much of the online communication we rely on so heavily now will be around in a decade or two? Hopefully someone is printing out all those PDF files.
In case you lost your copies, I thought I would share some images of the stuff I have been walking around this week. I like the flyer from the 1st PDGA worlds with a copy of the original score sheet attached (right). I have more pics that I will put up on Flickr when I get a chance.
To navigate through the images click on the left or right side of the large image to move through the gallery.
Well, as everyone knows, Dave Feldberg was on the Conan O’Brian show last night. I don’t know that the “sport” side of disc golf was on display, but the fun factor of the game sure came through.
It was great that they set up multiple baskets in the audience, anytime I am at a large, crowded arena/theater I have the urge to fire some putters into the crowd. Dave can check that one off the todo list, along with a few others from the night I’m sure.
Overall, I feel it was a positive moment for the game we love. The most identifiable aspect of our sport, the basket, was featured prominently in front of a large number of people, and the fact that Conan was able to hit some 20 footers after a few throws makes the game look accessible. Conan showed the full range of DG emotions in three putts- he hit chains and missed, sank one, and he was robbed. I have got to work on the crazy karate routine the next time I hit a clutch putt!
The rankings have been updated with the only meaningful change being Feldberg’s upward movement in the men’s top 10. Dave narrowly edged out Schultz for the #2 spot based on his win at Augusta over the weekend.
In the women’s rankings Des continues to pad her points lead with a significant 7 point lead over #2 ranked Angela Tschiggfrie.
The Bite reps stopped by yesterday and let us have a peek at the next generation of their high-top disc golf shoe. It will be available in a darker color scheme and is fully waterproof. The low-top version will also feature a waterproof outer, a real plus for those dewy morning rounds. Unfortunately, the new line isn’t due out till 2008. I really wish they would have released the Vertigo Line. I prefer the more subdued look, and the less aggressive sole would be nice on concrete pads.
With over 30 Ice Bowls yet to report, the collective charitable goal of $180,000 has been exceeded by $10. This represents about 170 events held in the US, Canada, Finland, and Germany. In addition, over 16 tons of food was accumulated.This compared quite favorably to last year’s total of $155,000 and over 11 tons of food.
On average, the weather this year was colder and snowier than in 2006.
The average temperature was 34°, six degrees colder than last year.
There was an average of 3.38 inches of snow this year compared to 1.2 inches in 2006.
This year’s record-setting, charitable total was accomplished by a total of 7,630 players, compared to last year’s 7,800.
Below are a few charts showing the Ice Bowl leaders in several categories:
In the most recent issue of Disc Golf World, we unveiled the Disc Golf World Rankings, showing the top 25 men’s open players. In the article we also promised to provide weekly updates here at DGWN.com.
True to our word, we are ready to go live with the week 14 rankings. The results will be updated every Monday. As a bonus, we decided to take it up a notch and provide rankings for the top 100 players. Women’s rankings are in the works and will be included soon.
The top 100 is the brainchild of box scores guru John Chapman. In the DGW article Chappy explains his methodology: [Read more →]
Both Gateway and Quest have some new plastic on the market.
The Blurr, a high-speed, wide rim driver, has been out for a couple of months now and we just received some discs from the second run. According to Dave at Gateway, “…the latest run is less overstable and more flexible…”. Visually, the new disc sports a larger dome,a different stamp, and only come in white or yellow. Both discs are only available in the Evolution Pro-Line plastic.
The Rage is the latest wide-rim driver to come from Gateway. We haven’t had a chance to get it on the test range yet, and there isn’t any info on Gateway’s site, but judging by its rim configuration it looks to be an overstable flyer.
The prolific plastic producers at Quest have come up with “ultralight” versions of the various Inferno molds. We received a batch of these DT Raging Infernos in the 135-139g range. The plastic is very tacky, flexible and semi-transparent. These could be fun extreme tailwind drivers.
From the “It’s not golf unless you use a club” file:
I came across this wacky take on disc golf the other day. It is little more than an Aerobie hooked to the back of a regular club, but according to the inventor it can do it all. Among some of the uses; snow golf, basedisc, golf hunting, golf fishing, and the always exciting - Kung Fu golf.
Their site has an extensive collection of videos and is full of fantastic Engrish.
Using Golf Club To Launch Frisbee To Fly
The Fantastic Brand-new style of golf product - Golfrisbee is for you.
You are playing golf, you are playing frisbee, you are playing both at one time.
You can doubling your fun while you are doing excise!
For a disk golf player, with the club, your hand is extended, you can reach farther!
For a golf player, with the disk, you can play anytime, anywhere!
Rick just returned from Bowling Green with some stacks of sexy, flexy goodness. With the release of the super-fast Avenger and the overstable Predator in FLX, you can still get your flex on when the wind picks up.
Discraft has also added the Surge to the SuperColor line-up. While the designs may, or may not, be your cup o’ tea they sure will add some color to your bag. Just don’t get it mixed up with your Spectra.
In the Adv. Mens divisionan unknown playerStephen Whitson from the B pool has apparently shot a 210 to have the lead by 2 strokes over Ronnie Huffman and Dan Defries, who are tied at the top of the A Pool.
Your source for a steady stream of disc golf goodness. Timely event coverage, playing tips, as well as the latest product reviews are all fair game here at DGWN.com.
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The Disc Golf World crew just returned from a four-day expedition to the Wakarusa Music Festival. We had planned on posting from the field, but contrary to the large banners displayed at various points throughout the grounds, there were no “Free Wi-Fi Hot Spots” available. 
Well, as everyone knows, Dave Feldberg was on the 
With over 30 Ice Bowls yet to report, the collective charitable goal of $180,000 has been exceeded by $10. This represents about 170 events held in the US, Canada, Finland, and Germany. In addition, over 16 tons of food was accumulated.This compared quite favorably to last year’s total of $155,000 and over 11 tons of food.
Your source for a steady stream of disc golf goodness. Timely event coverage, playing tips, as well as the latest product reviews are all fair game here at DGWN.com.