Physics of Flight Junior Edition 2019

ȓ Year-round access to several professional disc golf courses, many of which are within two miles of campus – Peter Pan Park, Jones East, Jones West, Emporia Country Club & Hammond Park. ȓ Home of the largest disc golf tournament in the world, the Glass Blown Open, and host to the Junior World Championships. ȓ 96% placement rate for graduates. ȓ Lowest student debt load of all four-year public universities in Kansas. ȓ Millions of dollars in scholarships, including the Sunflower Scholarship for out-of-state students.

emporiastate

@emporiastateuniversity

@emporiastate

CONTENTS

Junior Edition Publisher Jeremy Rusco Editor Laci Rusco Project Director Doug Bjerkaas Art Director Jacob Torkelson Design & Production Adam Harding Cover Photo John McCreary Photography Jesse Accacia Bobby Brown Denise Cameron Brian Keegan Jacob Torkelson Alyssa Van Lanen John Whinery

FEATURES

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Writers Doug Bjerkaas Denise Cameron Courtney Elder Danny Lindahl Eric McCabe Robert McCall Jeremy Rusco

Saving Pucks and Saving Pars NHL Goalie Loves Disc Golf

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Does Smaller Equipment = Better Results?

A look at junior-sized discs and baskets

22 Going the Distance

Copy Editors Clay Houser Robert McCall Marketing Director Laci Rusco More information laci@dynamicdiscs.com 3601 W 6th Ave Emporia, KS 66801 Magazine Designed By Adam Harding

ADH GRAPHICS

KaidIn Bell throws far!

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CONTENT 28 Keeping It Real

DGAM TACKLES KIDS DISC GOLF

34 Science Project

Danny Lindahl looks into the physics of flight

36 Disc Golf Life After High School When is the right time to tour?

42 Grow Disc Golf

You Got To Start Somewhere Tips for running a league for beginners

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44 Thinking About the Kids

Course Design Log with Eric McCabe

46 One Year Ago!

2018 Junior Worlds in Pictures

56 Social Sport on Social media #Bedynamic

60 What lies ahead for Junior World Champs The 19th Hole with Doug Bjerkaas

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Three championship disc golf courses Ed Headrick Memorial Museum Comprehensive Pro Shop Open seven days a week

Hi Disc Golf Fans, I’m writing this letter as we are all still decompressing a little from hosting the largest disc golf event in the world, the Glass Blown Open (maybe you’ve heard of it). I’m guessing that many of you watched through the various media streams or joined us in person in Emporia for the week. It was an incredible week to say the least where we had more media coverage for this event than any other event in the history of disc golf. The size of the gallery to watch the top professionals at the Emporia Country Club was impressive to see, especially as both the women’s and men’s divisions were essentially decided on the last hole. It was drama-filled and encouraging to see the direction that our sport is heading. It never gets old to see things grow and this growth is what motivates me and all of us at Dynamic Discs to push the sport to new limits.

Jeremy Rusco

The junior world champions that are crowned this week will be the future of our sport over the next decade or two as Paul McBeth, Ricky Wysocki, Paige Pierce, and Paige Bjerkaas (to name a few) transition to a different disc golf focus that is not centered around competing at the highest level. It is hard to imagine that today, but it is exciting to watch the rise of great players over the years. There is no doubt in my mind that many of our top players of tomorrow are competing this week for a junior world title. Hours and hours of video footage will be captured and stored in the history vault and clips will be shown on ESPN in another decade or two as disc golf continues to get more media attention.

At Dynamic Discs, our mission is to Grow Disc Golf and promote the sport in a positive and professional way to sustain long-term growth. We are dedicated to doing the right thing and taking care of our customers. I believe that if you have had any interaction with our staff that you will feel how passionate we are about these things. Hosting the PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships for 2018, 2019, and 2020 aligns with our vision to grow the sport because we feel that we can give these competitors an unforgettable experience that will last for a lifetime and keep them engaged in disc golf because of these positive and unforgettable experiences.

Being crowned a world champion is certainly an important aspect of this event, but even more importantly, it is about being a true supporter of all the competitors and keeping a positive and professional attitude all week! Thanks for visiting Dynamic Discs in Emporia, Kansas for the PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships, and be sure to cherish your time together with friends and family!

Owner and Founder of Dynamic Discs

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™

We engage. We transform.

We are Wranglers. fhtc.edu

“

What did you want to “ be when you grew up?

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Answers 9 10 13 11 14 12

1. Bobby Brown Famous Actor 2. Anthony Van den Heuvel The First Human to Walk on Mars 3. Stevo Storrie Astronaut 4. Brian Shintaku PE Teacher 5. Matt Loyd High School Basketball Coach 6. Bear Faulkner Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader 7. Jackie Morris News Anchor/ Wedding Planner 8. Jeremy Rusco Professional Athlete 9. Alison Edson Event Planner 10. Jacob Torkelson Engineer 11. Bradley Crow Police Officer 12. Doug Bjerkaas Sports Brodcaster... Just like Howard Cosell!

13. Jamie Rusco Professional Baseball Player 14. Kevin Shaffer Professional Baseball Player PHYSICSOFFLIGHT.COM

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saving PUcks AND Saving Pars By: Courtney Elder

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For many professional athletes, their trajectory toward a successful career is fairly linear. Perhaps they dabbled in several different sports during high school, but from an early age, it was clear that there was one key activity that really clicked with them. Those who are lucky have gone on to play in college and perhaps are even making a living doing that very sport they loved so early on. Disc golfers of a certain generation now have this option, and we’ve seen the likes of many big names rise up through the ranks since they were barely old enough to start driving.

However what happens when you find disc golf later on in your adulthood, and what does it look like to be an accomplished athlete in a completely different sport only to learn about the game, fall in love, and make it something that you now enjoy regularly? It might sound like an overwhelming task, as professional athletes are pushed to perform day in and day out, but for Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith, he’s been able to seamlessly enjoy disc golf and hockey for years. We’ll be the first to tell you - it’s likely that Casey will never quit hockey to join the tour and make his face known at NTs across the country, but with tournament play under his belt and a love for the game that’s as deep as the rest of us, it’s a safe assumption that disc golf will be in his life for many, many years. What’s more, DeSmith is a member of the Dynamic Discs family, and after sporting a disc golf basket on his hockey helmet, he unknowingly launched himself in front of the eyes of thousands of players nationwide.

Let’s take some time getting to know more about Casey what makes him tick as an athlete, how does he view disc golf from the perspective of a professional hockey player, and what do others say about his game and his potential?

Buckle up, because we’re diving head-first into the disc golf life of Casey DeSmith. What you once thought you knew about a hockey player with a disc golf basket on his helmet might just be turned upside down after you learn more about this New England native.

A Natural Athlete

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seemed that the heavens opened up for him and bestowed upon him the perfect sport. “I was immediately obsessed with it and there were points where I liked lacrosse more than hockey,” he said.

Disc golf literally fell into Casey’s lap during his adulthood, as we’re about to see later on, so it’s not like throwing discs in the New Hampshire woods is what sparked his inner desire to play sports. Instead, it was a family love for hockey that really began his career in athleticism. “Gary DeSmith, my dad, played hockey through high school and recreationally after high school. My family and extended family on my dad’s side have always been fans of the Montreal Canadiens. It was only natural for my dad to introduce me to hockey and the rest is history,” Casey shared.

This balance of hockey and lacrosse saw him through his final years at prep school, and he continued his hockey career at the University of New Hampshire. After playing for several different teams in the New England area, he signed his first NHL contract in 2017. Accolades have showered DeSmith over the past handful of years, including holding a record for the most saves during a playoff game.

In 2012 he was named the Hockey East Association Rookie of the Week and the Defensive Player of the Week and earned the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award in 2017.

Casey has developed an incredible reputation for himself as one of the NHL’s most talented goaltenders.

While hockey was truly his first love, Casey’s parents also exposed him to other sports. Soccer at age 6 didn’t stick with him at all, and a year spent in baseball at age 8 proved to be far too boring. One might describe Casey as a bit of a thrill-seeker, so when he discovered lacrosse at age 9, it

In all, he’s been playing hockey for 23 years and has been goalie for 20 of them. As he’s only in his late twenties, Casey isn’t talking about retiring anytime soon, although if he were to hang up his helmet one final time, there’s a good chance that he’d find a home quickly amidst the disc golf scene.

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Why Disc Golf?

It’s clear that Casey was born to play hockey, and with such a heavy training schedule on his plate, you’d think that there would be little time to enjoy much else, especially another sport entirely.

However, as we all know, you can’t help who or what you love, and disc golf often takes hold of us whether we want it to or not. Such was the case for Casey when he first discovered the game, thanks to his uncle Matt. His first thought after playing? “I need to be good at this, it was the perfect sport for me.”

Just how DeSmith and family stumbled onto the disc golf course is a story in and of itself, as his uncle was visiting in New Hampshire and happened to pull up YouTube in search of a particular mini golf video. Matt ended up watching a disc golf video that he found instead, and it sparked an interest in both Casey and his dad: “We Googled the closest place to play and played Salmon Falls DGC in my hometown of Rochester, NH. We used some old beat in loaners and after my first throw, I was hooked immediately. My first throw was a 330’+ slight turnover with a [driver]. I went on to shoot a loose +17 - I didn’t know many rules back then. From that day on I have played disc golf as much as I can when my schedule and the weather cooperates.”

That weekend the trio played four rounds, and it became clear that disc golf was something that Casey was not only attracted to but also had the potential to really excel at. Salmon Falls has quickly become one of his favorite courses along with Moraine

State Park in Pittsburgh, PA and of course, Maple Hill. As his game has grown and he’s better defined his skill set, DeSmith has come to rely on a few discs to get him through the wooded holes where he lives and loves the Enforcer, Warden, and eMAC Truth.

But more than just doing well on the course and discovering his go-to discs, Casey truly has a heart for the sport and isn’t afraid to show it just like any other disc golfer out there.

The Infamous Helmet It’s not uncommon for people who are obsessed with disc golf to show their admiration proudly, as we see countless stickers on cars and t-shirts on players around the world. However, Casey is in a unique position with many eyes on him, and he thought it would be fitting to display his obsession with the game while he was on the ice. Those who are keenly tapped into the disc golf world may have seen photos of his helmet as far back as 2016, but for most, the fact that disc golf was represented within the NHL didn’t register until a tweet in September 2018.

The NHL featured Casey’s helmet and showed off the beautiful artwork of not only a disc golf basket but also the DD logo on the back. Their caption, “When you love disc golf as much as @ penguins goalie Casey DeSmith does, you have to feature it on your mask. (Created by @JessesCusDesign),” surely piqued the interest of many who have never even heard of disc golf. While Casey likely had a direct hand in growing the sport, showing his love of the game was a genuine action that resulted in an interesting outcome which no one could have predicted.

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“I didn’t put the disc golf basket on my mask to try to get sponsored, I just love the sport and wanted people to know about it,” Casey explained. Yet the results were incredible, as he described, “I had the basket on the back of my mask and only a few teammates noticed. During warm-ups, someone saw it and tweeted it on a disc golf forum. The PDGA saw it and it sort of went viral. [Disc golf] companies started reaching out to me that same day.”

DeSmith said that several brands began the sponsorship negotiation process with the intention of positioning him as a celebrity ambassador, however, he felt that Dynamic Discs was the right fit for him.

Like many other players on our team, Casey recognized that the family atmosphere and supportive attitude that the DD group offers is just what he wanted, especially since he wasn’t making disc golf his primary focus. While he may not be spending as much time on the course as some of his counterparts, there’s still a deep connection that he shares with everyone who has supported him: “They’ve been amazing - from the very start they’ve been really helpful. Even the top guys have been so helpful to me whether it’s a quick shot of advice or getting me a new disc. They made me feel like a part of DD even though I’m not there in Emporia; they made me feel like a part of the team. As a hockey player, it’s really cool to have that link to professional disc golf.”

Comparing Hockey And Disc Golf Those who aren’t athletic and have never competed in any sort of organized sport may assume that professional athletes go through the same thing no matter what sport they’re in, and to a certain extent, that’s somewhat accurate. Instead of going to the office every morning and putting your thinking cap on, a hockey player or disc golfer must make sure they’re doing everything they can to excel behind the scenes before the big game or tournament.

Taking care of your body and practicing your skill set takes time and patience, yet perhaps that’s where the similarities end.

Casey tends to agree for the most part, but points to the fact that mental elements of both sports certainly do translate from one activity to the other. He explained “There is a mental link - when I go out and play disc golf if I’m playing poorly, it can be tough. Managing frustration and staying focused is something I really try to do on the ice too. It’s the same concept where if a goal or two goes in, how do you not let it get out of control?” Just like not letting a missed opportunity on the ice shake his confidence, Casey has been able to let go of previous bogies or errant shots on the course and not let it affect his game too much.

For DeSmith specifically, the life of a professional athlete is far different than that of our favorite pros. He’s fortunate

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enough to remain fairly close to home during the hockey season and imagines that life on the road traveling from tournament to tournament would become exhausting on a physical and mental level. Although the two sports are frankly like night and day - one is inside and is played in a team setting while the other is situated outdoors and is based on individual performance - he’s still able to view both objectively and pick out some interesting distinctions.

“As far as comparing the two sports on mental and physical levels, I would say pro disc golf would be more challenging mentally. Golf as a sport whether it’s ball or disc is tough because the game is so mental. On the flip side, I would say pro hockey is absolutely on an elevated physical level as far as demands on the body and fitness level are concerned,” he shared. It’s interesting to think about how each of the two sports really focus on different areas of athleticism and yet Casey is able to perform exceptionally well in both. When it comes to athletics, you might say that he’s the total package.

Life On The Course Since Casey obviously has a solid grasp on what it takes to succeed on the ice and on the course, how does that convert when he’s actually playing? We asked 2018 World Champion Paige Bjerkaas, who had the opportunity to play with Casey recently. With an incredible set of shots in her bag as well as the mental tenacity to perform well under pressure, who would be better to evaluate how he holds up against the rest of the field? As always, her candid attitude and infectious smile were quite apparent as she shared:

“When I heard about Casey DeSmith, I thought he would be a mediocre golfer. I mean, his full-time job is a completely different sport. I would imagine someone like that would not have time to pursue other sports. I figured it was just a hobby for him and he had maybe a couple of discs in his bag. Boy was I wrong! He is definitely a great player - way better than I thought!”

During their round, Paige was keen to various elements of Casey’s game, and given her extensive disc golf experience, was able to analyze how far he’s come in just a few short years: “Casey has lots of strengths in his game. He has a very powerful forehand and super good form. He also has a nice, consistent putt. When I played with him, he made everything inside the circle and made it look easy. He also was good at scrambling. I played a wooded course with him, and when he went off the fairway, he was able to get up and down and out of woods pretty easily. But the best part is his attitude. He is always smiling and laughing even after bad shots.”

This attitude is one that Casey is well aware of too, as he notes that disc golf is far less competitive for him than hockey, thus allowing him to take a more relaxed approach if his round doesn’t go as planned. He describes, “Hockey feels like a job sometimes; it’s stressful. The stakes are a lot higher than going out for a round of disc golf. I’m competitive with it and want to shoot well, but I won’t be grumpy if I don’t shoot well. Disc golf is more of a hobby.”

Just because disc golf is a hobby for Casey doesn’t mean that sponsorship isn’t appropriate either, as the DD family supports players at all levels of their disc golf career. When asked what Paige thought about DeSmith being a part of the team, she had nothing but good things to say: “I think it’s great that DD sponsored someone who is into another sport, simply because it’s a good way to grow the brand and grow the sport! There are more eyes on him during a game than a typical tournament. I think it’s a great move

by Dynamic Discs and it shows that we support everyone who plays disc golf, whether they are a professional athlete in another sport or a 10-year-old picking up their first disc.”

Playing Under Pressure Despite the fact that he’s really on the course to enjoy himself and stay away from the pressures that competition can undoubtedly bring, DeSmith still has a keen interest in the tournament scene on the East Coast. His first event was in 2018 at the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open at Moraine State Park and he ended up averaging right around a 954 rating across all three rounds. Overall his experience was fantastic, as he shared some of his highlights from the MPO field: “My goal was to not come in last place. I knew it was a high tier tournament and I had never competed and didn’t know what to expect. I played decent golf and think that it was a

good experience coming into this summer. The first memorable moment that comes to mind from that tournament was Dan Hastings’ ace on hole 11 in the first round. Here I am, playing in my first tournament already nervous, and this guy steps up and sends a stinging forehand 300’ on a rope that skips off the thick grass into the chains.

The second memorable moment would be my eagle 3 on hole 18. I threw the best drive I’ve ever thrown on that hole and made the putt so I was really excited about that one. I will definitely play in a few tournaments this summer around the Pittsburgh area and perhaps even back East if possible.”

Although his life certainly doesn’t allow for a full-fledged tour of any kind, Casey is excited to head to his local courses and brush up on his skills after a long winter. “I get out as often as I can during the hockey season but off days are few and far between and unfortunately Pittsburgh gets snow and even more rain so winters are dreary and sloppy,” he said. “But May through November you’ll find me out at a local course 4 to 5 times per week. I have to practice up so I can improve this year at the PFDO. I guess I should also renew my PDGA membership too…” he trailed off with a laugh.

There are many things that Casey DeSmith can teach us about disc golf, sports, and even just mental perseverance in general, but above all else, it’s his humble attitude that makes him such a favorite of fans across both sports. He’s put in the hard work when it comes to his time on the ice and takes his part of the game seriously, knowing that the success of his team is only as good as each individual person on it. Although disc golf is obviously a completely different animal, he’s adapted his mental and physical abilities to meet the challenges he faces in the wooded New England area, and in all instances, he knows that one miss isn’t the end of the world.

All of the individuals on the Dynamic Discs team bring an amazing outlook to the sport of disc golf, but Casey’s is particularly encouraging when it comes to the growth of the sport. His love of the game, and subsequent artwork on his mask, shows that disc golf is truly an activity for everyone, whether you’re a school-aged child, in your later years of life, or a professional hockey player. We hope Casey is able to get out on the course as much as his heart desires this year and we look forward to seeing him grow in the game for years to come!

FLIGHT CHART VERSION: 3.8 / © COPYRIGHT 2019 LATITUDE 64°

FLIGHT NUMBERS EXPLAINED IN DETAIL

= SPEED

= GLIDE

Speed ratings are listed from 1 to 15. Discs with a higher speed cut through the air better.

Glide range from 1 to 7. A disc with more glide is able to better maintain loft during flight.

= TURN

= FADE

High speed turn is between -5 and 1.

A disc with low turn has a tendency to turn right when thrown backhanded by a right-handed player.

VISIT US AT www.latitude64.se

Low speed fade is listed from 0 to 6.

A disc with high fade will tail off left at the end of the flight when thrown backhanded by a right handed player.

DISTANCE DRIVERS MISSILEN

RAKETEN

SUPER FAST STABLE DISTANCE HEX DRIVER

SUPER FAST UNDERSTABLE DISTANCE HEX DRIVER

15 3 -0.5 4.5

15 4

-2

BALLISTA PRO

BALLISTA

KNIGHT

CUTLASS

GLADIATOR

SUPER FAST STABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

SUPER FAST UNDERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

SUPER FAST UNDERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

FAST OVERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

FAST OVERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

14 4

3

0

3

14 5

-1

3

14 4 -1.5 3

13 5

0 3.5

13 5

0 3.5

DISTANCE DRIVERS STILETTO

HALO

HAVOC

BOLT

RECOIL

SCYTHE

FLOW

SUPER OVERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER WITH EXTRA FADE

FAST STABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

FAST UNDERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

FAST UNDERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

STABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

OVERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER WITH EXTRA FADE

STABLE DISTANCE DRIVER WITH EXTRA GLIDE

13 3 0.5 5

13 5 -0.5 3

13 5

-1

3

13 6

-2

12 4

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0

3

12 3

0

4

11 6 -0.5 2

FAIRWAY DRIVERS MUSKET

PIONEER

ZION

CULVERIN

SAINT

BRYCE

FURY

STABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

OVERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

STABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

STABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER WITH EXTRA GLIDE

UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

10 5 -0.5 2

9

3

0

4

9

4 -0.5 3

9

9

5 -0.5 3

7

-1

9

2

6

-2

2

9

6

-2

2

FAIRWAY DRIVERS STRIKER

SAINT PRO

FALCHION

XXX

EXPLORER

SPARK

RIVER PRO

STABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

STABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

X-TRA OVERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

STABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

STABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

OVERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

8

5

0

8

2

5 -0.5 2

8

5

-1

2

7

3

0

4

7

5

0

7

2

6

4 -0.5 3

0

2

MIDRANGE

FAIRWAY DRIVERS RIVER

MAUL

CORE

UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER WITH EXTRA GLIDE

UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

GOBI

FAST STABLE MIDRANGE

ANCHOR

MACE

COMPASS

FAST STABLE MIDRANGE

OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

STABLE MIDRANGE

7

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-1

1

7

7

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1

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MIDRANGE

5 -0.5 1

5

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0

3

5

5

0

2

5

5

0

1

PUTTERS

CLAYMORE

FUSE

FUJI

SPIKE

PURE

SINUS

MERCY

STABLE MIDRANGE

UNDERSTABLE MIDRANGE WITH EXTRA GLIDE

OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

UNDERSTABLE BEADLESS PUTTER WITH GRIP ZONES

UNDERSTABLE BEADLESS PUTTER

OVERSTABLE PUTTER WITH GRIP ZONES

STABLE BEADLESS PUTTER

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5

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6

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0

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0

2

4

3

-1

1

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1

2

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0

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PUTTERS GAUNTLET

CALTROP

SAREK

DAGGER

MACANA

KEYSTONE

STABLE BEADED PUTTER

OVERSTABLE PUTTER WITH RAISED THUMB GRIP

STABLE BEADED PUTTER

STABLE DEEP DISH BEADED PUTTER

STABLE DEEP DISH BEADED PUTTER

UNDERSTABLE DEEP DISH BEADLESS PUTTER

2

4

0

1

2

2

0

2

2

4

0 1.5

2

5

0

1

JADE

DIAMOND

PEARL

RUBY

LIGHT EASY-TO-USE DRIVER FOR BEGINNERS

LIGHT EASY-TO-USE DRIVER FOR BEGINNERS

LIGHT EASY-TO-USE MIDRANGE FOR BEGINNERS

LIGHT EASY-TO-USE PUTTER FOR BEGINNERS

9

6

2

5

0

1

2

5

-1

-2

B

1

8

6

-3

B

1

4

6

-4

B

0

3

5

-3

BITE

BEETLE

DOG DISC AND UTILITY DISC WITH EXTREME GLIDE

UTILITY DISC TO PRACTICE YOUR FORM

1

1

7

-1

0

1

7

-1

4

0

1

B

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UTILITY DISCS

EASY TO USE

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IDEAL DISCS FOR BEGINNERS WITH LOWER ARM SPEED

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PLASTIC TYPES RECYCLED

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= PRO FLIGHT P

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A

= AMATEUR FLIGHT

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P

P

P

P

B

= BEGINNER FLIGHT

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P

P

P P

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FLIGHT PATHS IS BASED ON A RIGHT HANDED PLAYER THROWING BACKHAND

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MORE INFO ON DISCS AT WWW.LATITUDE64.SE

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P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

120 P

P

P

P

P

P

P

300

P P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

A

P

90

A A

200

B

B

A

B

B

60

B B

B

100

30

FEET

RUBY

PEARL

JADE

DIAMOND

MERCY

PURE KEYSTONE SPIKE

GAUNTLET SAREK

SINUS CALTROP DAGGER MACANA

FUSE

GOBI

CORE

CLAYMORE

FUJI

COMPASS

MACE

ANCHOR

FURY

MAUL

BRYCE

RIVER

FALCHION

SAINT

STRIKER

SAINT PRO

ZION

MUSKET

CULVERIN

EXPLORER

SPARK

RIVER PRO

XXX PIONEER

BOLT

HAVOC

KNIGHT

RAKETEN

BALLISTA

FLOW HALO

RECOIL

BALLISTA PRO

CUTLASS

GLADIATOR

SCYTHE

MISSILEN

STILETTO

METER

Junior Baskets: A Fad or the Future?

By: Doug Bjerkaas

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Junior Discs - What Are They?

Junior discs are a recent phenomena on the disc golf scene.

My data may not be completely accurate, but I believe Gateway may have produced the first smaller-sized disc (approximately 6 inches in diameter) a few years back in the form of a mini or junior Wizard. Discraft came out with several molds a few years ago, including the very popular Mini Buzzz. Dynamic Discs followed with a junior sized Judge, EMac Truth, and Sheriff. MVP also has released the Macro Tesla.

These mini, junior, or macro-sized discs push the high end of the limits for a legal marker disc and are substantially larger than a traditional small mini disc made for marking ones lie.

Discraft advertises that the “Mini Buzzz has taken the world by storm. At approximately 62 grams and about six inches across, it’s larger and heavier than your standard mini. Looks awesome, flies great and always provides a ton of fun!”

MVP describes their Macro Tesla as “an 80g and 15cm diameter version of the famed MVP Tesla driver, designed for Macro Disc Golf with the upcoming Black Hole® Macro Basket. Macro discs conform to the PDGA maximum diameter for mini markers but are much easier to grip and throw naturally than mini discs. The Macro Tesla has plenty of stability to handle a full-bore rip and has been tested at extraordinary distances by our design team.”

Dynamic Discs says, “The Dynamic Discs Junior line of discs are a scaled down version of their full-size counterparts, and they are designed to fly with similar flight characteristics. With surprising stability and glide, the Junior line of discs are a ton of fun to throw. We’ve designed the Junior Recruit basket specifically to catch them well. When paired with the Junior Recruit basket, Junior discs are great for setting up a small, fun course around your house, yard, or office, or even to introduce younger children to the sport of disc golf.”

Both Dynamic Discs and MVP have also produced a basket that is either junior or macro-sized to scale with the smaller molds.

Mike Dunn, of Fly Green Disc Golf in Colorado invested in a full set of 18 of the Junior Recruits from Dynamic Discs so that he could run what he calls Fly Green Half Size Huck events. Mike sets up the course in conjunction with a larger disc golf tournament and lets folks flex start whenever they can throughout the tournament. Prizes and trophies are won by those that finish well. A nominal entry fee helps Mike cover the costs of running the Half Size Hucks! During the 2018 Colorado State Disc Golf Championships in Woodland Park, Mike had dozens of players come through and give the course a whirl. Fun was had by all who participated as they brought their Junior Judges, Mini Buzzzes, or Macro Teslas out for a spin! Mike commented that this was a great activity for folks waiting on a tee time or for an awards ceremony to begin.

My first baseball bat was about 26 inches long, as opposed to an “adult” bat measuring somewhere around 34 inches.

My first soccer ball was a size 3. It was not until high school when we started playing with an official size 5 ball. Basketballs were smaller as a kid, too. The baskets we played on were shorter as well. There are kids sets of golf clubs that are substantially smaller than their adult counterparts.

Smaller sports equipment just makes sense for kids. So what about disc golf? During the 2019 PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships, kids will be throwing regulation sized discs into regulation-size baskets. My guess is that many of the kids will be throwing lighter discs, but they will still be the same size as the ones that Gregg Barsby and Paige Bjerkaas threw to win their professional world titles last summer.

Generally speaking, disc golf has not embraced a smaller set of equipment for kids.

INDOOR

I enjoyed playing sports as a kid in the 1970s. The first football I ever remember throwing was a Wilson Pee Wee sized K2. I loved it. It was half the size of an official football.

There was no chance for me to be able to grip a full-sized football at the time and throw a spiral, but with the K2, I sure could!

MINI DISC

Smaller discs and smaller baskets have a place in elementary schools, day cares, and rec centers that cater to young children. Instead of seeing a kid labor with a disc too big and a basket to tall, give them a disc they can handle and a basket that they can reach, and they might just be a future world champion!

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U-18 & Adult Divisions

50/50 Fundraiser Tournament for Newman Regional Hospital Foundation Qualifying rounds: Tuesday, July 9th & Wednesday July 10th

Final Round: Thursday July 11th, 7pm $5 Tourney Entry • Free Open Play Tuesday Night: Mini Disc Markers & Art Glassworks by

While there are arguments made to make baskets smaller for tournaments to make the game tougher, I have not heard too much debate about the need for smaller discs and baskets for kids. Here is my case for smaller baskets and smaller discs for kids: I believe that once a kid is in middle school or beyond, they should be playing with equipment based on our current standards. My case for smaller equipment is for elementary-aged kids and under. I have been to far too many disc golf clinics in elementary schools and have seen kids struggle to get a disc into a basket because they are too short or simply do not have the ability to get the discs headed in the right direction. Give these same kids a juniorsized disc and a junior-sized basket and their eyes light up and they start putting the discs into the basket!

My guess is that Tom Brady threw a Wilson K2 before he ever through the official-sized NFL football. My guess is that LeBron James made a basket on an 8-foot basket well before he made a shot on a 10-foot basket. Small kids love to play sports, and they need to experience a bit of success using proper-sized equipment before growing into the equipment used by adults.

OPEN

Smaller baskets and smaller discs… is this the future of the sport for little kids?

DQ

Kaidin Bell’s Disc Golf Journey By: Courtney Elder

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F

For many parents across the nation, the chance to introduce disc golf to their children feels akin to a dream to come true. While it’s not uncommon to secure your child’s PDGA number right after they’re born, walking the delicate line between encouraging them to play while not forcing it upon them often becomes challenging after the vision of raising the next World Champion has entered into your mind. Yet for the Bell family, their passion for disc golf has truly influenced their children in an incredible way, and it’s positioned them to provide their kids with all of the tools needed to truly fulfill their wildest ambitions.

If you’ve ever seen a viral YouTube video of a child throwing a disc, there’s a good chance that it was featuring Kaidin Bell. A member of the Dynamic Discs family, Kaidin’s history with disc golf is far deeper at age 7 than many adults have experienced in their lifetime. Through the good and the bad, Kaidin and his parents have remained true to their passion for the sport, and the accomplishments that this young player has racked up are simply the icing on the cake.

Loving disc golf from birth is just one of the many details behind Kaidin’s journey, and whether he’s throwing long drives in an attempt to set world records or he’s competing at a local tournament, we guarantee that you’ve never seen a more focused, talented, and truly happy disc golfer. Let’s dive deep into the story of how Kaidin Bell got to where he is today and take an honest look at what it’s like to be a famous athlete at only 7 years old.

Start Them Young So many times, parents will put minis in the hands of their children hoping that their love for disc golf will somehow rub off on them, but Kaidin’s ambition seems to truly be in his blood. Both his mom and dad, Melissa and Adam, discovered disc golf in their teen years, and having been together for more than half of their lives, have been able to encourage each other in their own love for the game.

“My dad installed the first disc golf course in Oklahoma that he knew of,” Melissa shared. “I’ve always been athletic but don’t really care for competition.” Adam, on the other hand, quickly excelled within the competitive ranks before having Kaidin, and noticed that’s when things did change a bit. “I didn’t want to stop at first, but bringing a one-month-old in a stroller playing Open in C and B tiers was frowned upon,” he said. “It didn’t take long for [Kaidin] to become a local legend. Kaidin has really changed our disc golf community - it is very much a family thing now.”

Even from birth, Kaidin’s impact on the sport was larger than he may ever realize, as he would sometimes hold a mini in both hands as security items instead of a traditional blanket or stuffed animal. “His mother worked as a nurse on the very floor he was born, so every nurse, doctor, physician’s assistant, secretary, and medical professional was asking ‘what is that cute little frisbee’?”

Adam shared. Soon enough, packing a diaper bag had to include bringing a portable mini basket with them everywhere they went, or else Kaidin wasn’t having it.

“When we would go on walks or even in the isles at the grocery store, even when he could barely walk, he would go through the

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run-up routine of throwing both backhand and forehand over and over again to the point where everyone would comment on his ‘dance’ routine,” said Adam with a laugh. “But instead we would explain to people how he was twirling around throwing imaginary discs. People would usually give us a few minutes to talk about disc golf or it was just as simple as telling someone to Google him to show their kids when they get home.”

Despite the joy that came from encouraging Kaidin to play disc golf at such a young age, the Bell’s also endured a challenging time early on. From as early as his infancy, Kaidin had a difficult time keeping most foods down. Doctor visit after doctor visit resulted in most physicians telling Adam and Melissa that it was normal, but they knew something wasn’t right. “We were blessed and finally found the right doctor who didn’t say ‘it’s normal.’ She tested him for food allergies and found he was allergic to 99% of the test subjects,” Melissa explained.

Armed with this new knowledge, the family made the decision to stick to a vegan diet for Kaidin, and like any other kid his age, vegan mac and cheese with broccoli has become his favorite.

All during this trying time, disc golf was there as an activity that Kaidin almost found solace in. Having something concrete in his life was certainly comforting for Adam and Melissa as well as they navigated this unexpected aspect of becoming parents.

Videos And Records Galore Not every family could tell someone to look up their child on YouTube to get a better idea of what disc golf is about, but the Bell’s sure can. Kaidin’s debut appearance was at 13 months, where he was seen throwing minis from his toy box. His first

clip to earn over 100,000 views was of him throwing a disc into a basketball hoop for a world record at the young age of 2. Shared through Facebook via trick shot legend Brodie Smith, it helped to propel Kaidin into becoming more of a household name among disc golf lovers. At age 4, CBS Sports featured his throwing skills as he attempted to take down his 32nd World Distance Record, and a plethora of other videos and highlight reels have featured the young player over the years.

To date, Kaidin has 63 World Distance Records to his name, and it’s become a huge aspect of the family’s life within the sport. Individuals over the age of 13 have to compete for these accolades at a sanctioned WFDF location, but as Kaidin is so young, he and his family have had to get creative when they make their attempts.

His dad explained:

This gym [we use now] is huge - who knows how long he could actually roll one inside! He even is 50’ down a hallway rolling into the gym. [Eventually] we found the oldest flat walking track in town that still has a grass football field. He will outgrow that track soon and we will be at a loss for an establishment for the outdoor roller.”

While attempting world records year after year is truly fun for the Bell family, Kaidin’s level of talent and skill has certainly presented some challenges when trying to find adequate locations. Adam and Melissa have also had to exercise a fair amount of options when trying to find which discs would be light enough for Kaidin to throw and actually achieve the results he’s looking for. So far, they’ve come up with some winners, but the road hasn’t always been easy.

“When we go to a facility to attempt a world record he has usually practiced at home throughout the day just throwing and loosening up his muscles. When we arrive, we do the appropriate measuring and show Kaidin the distance and play catch for a couple of minutes to get his brain back into throwing mode. We cannot go to a park with a playground - it’s so hard for him to focus in on throwing when all the kids are hooting and hollering over on the jungle gym.

Selecting A Sponsor

Our first two years were way more hectic as we had to go to every school and big building we could find vacant. [Even] the local stadium doesn’t even have a big enough flat spot to perform a world record roller because his disc makes such a large circle before coming to rest. This year the indoor roller took several days because he kept hitting the back wall with his disc still in full roll.

Since the start of his disc golf career, Kaidin has not always been a member of the Dynamic Discs family, but ultimately has found a home here thanks to his love of the Judge, Diamond, and more, along with the support of other players within our group. As early as age 6, sponsorship was something that Adam and Melissa had been wrestling with. While they were fortunate enough to have the support of local clubs to help out with tournament entry fees, it was clear that taking Kaidin’s game to the next level would really require a major partnership. Many of the details are quite personal and emotional for the family, but through their story, it’s become obvious over the years that selecting a sponsor as a junior player is certainly no easier than it is for an adult.

It’s difficult enough to wrangle a 7-year-old’s passion for something and channel it into a productive activity, and Kaidin’s world record attempts have added another layer to the disc golf world that the family has become so immersed in. However, one of the major pieces of Kaidin’s story also brought along its own share of frustration and heartbreak.

Initially, Kaidin and his parents were in discussion with several different disc manufacturers, and they believed that they had zeroed in on a particular partnership. However, as soon as one offer came in, so did another, as well as some conversations that were downright difficult. If you wanted your child to be sponsored by one of the top disc golf companies in the world but it meant having to take away all of their favorite discs, what would you do? It was this exact dilemma that Adam and Melissa struggled with for quite some time.

However, 2018 marked a huge turning point for Kaidin and his sponsorship journey, as many conversations that took place around Junior Worlds and Junior USDGC were instrumental in his alignment with DD. He and his parents spent a fair amount of time talking with Paige Pierce about the offers they had on the table and how important it is that in the end, they just want Kaiden to be happy.

One of the main considerations in selecting a sponsor was addressing Kaidin’s attachment to certain discs, and Adam describes how difficult it was as a parent to approach this

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conversation: “I understand being loyal and I understand this is the biggest opportunity in the world for us to grow the sport, but telling a 6 or 7-year-old about this loyalty is going to be hard.” Rather than take away the discs that Kaidin has become so attached to in order to align with specific companies, Adam and Melissa decided that DD was the right fit for them.

Kaidin was certainly happy too, and as the family was unpacking from their Junior USDGC trip, he said: “If Paige wants me on her team I’ll throw only her discs.” Adam said that the sense of relief they got from allowing Kaidin to throw the molds he wanted was immense and incredibly important to their overall disc golf journey.

Speaking To The Man Himself It’s one thing to hear about Kaidin’s incredible journey through the eyes of his parents, but it’s quite another to get this 7-year-old’s take on his own disc golf accomplishments. Funny enough, Melissa mentions that Kaidin doesn’t really understand what he’s achieved, and from his point of view, his disc golf talents are akin to a child asking their parent to watch them do another summersault. However humble he may be, Kaidin’s perspective on the sport is one that reminds us all to have a little more fun and take both our wins and losses in stride.

To date, Kaidin has won 5 of the 7 sanctioned events that he’s competed in, and according to him, his success is due to a variety of factors. “[I won] because I took my time and listened to my dad. I wanted it [and] I got low scores,” he explained.

His daily practice routines certainly don’t hurt either. He’ll spend time with Adam on their own private 9-hole course,

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named Kaidin’s Corner, and also makes sure he putts regularly as well. Not only does he focus on various elements of his game, like trying to improve upon his already impressive 200’ drives, but he’ll play a round or two just for fun as well.

His plans for 2019 are certainly lofty enough for any professionally touring player to achieve, but for Kaidin, he knows that he has the talent to make anything happen. One of his goals this year is to become a 2x World Champion, and he’d also like to see Ricky Wysocki at some point on the tour. Despite the fact that Ricky is no longer a part of the Trilogy team, Kaidin still has an incredible reverence for him: “I’m proud of him,” he says.

Children naturally have a difficult time accurately describing what the future may hold for themselves, and frankly, many adults even do, but Kaidin’s love for disc golf is the only thing that’s on his mind. He’s already thinking about when he’ll play against fellow junior Landon Brooks at Junior Worlds this year and talks optimistically that someday he might beat Paul McBeth or Eagle McMahon. Kaidin sees nothing but success in his future, and says that when he’s 40 “I’ll be at Worlds and I’ll have 20 World Championships by then.”

However, like any other 7-year-old boy, there’s more to what makes him tick than just disc golf. Kaidin loves playing with Pokéman cards, doing Taekwondo, and watches Planet Earth TV with keen enthusiasm. He’s currently enrolled in a Chinese Immersion program which teaches him to speak Mandarin while focusing on other elements often seen in traditional American education. Each student has a Chinese name at the school, and Kaidin’s is “Ping.” Coincidentally enough, the symbol for his name looks very similar to a disc golf basket and means “to travel with peace.”

What The Future Holds The dynamics of the Bell family has only shifted even more over the last handful of years as Kaidin’s little brother Brinlee is also making his name known within the disc golf community. He has a handful of World Flying Disc Federation Distance World Records himself, and his parents attribute some of his success to the wonderful example and help from big brother Kaidin. The duo can often be seen throwing discs on their course at home, an idea that, at the time, Adam likely had no idea was going to be so instrumental: “I wanted to practice at home so I started to place baskets out making shots. I needed to practice and people started coming over [to play] so we started thinking of a design to actually walk a 9-hole course. It’s changed over time but we feel very blessed to live where we do so we are constantly sharing the yard with anyone who wants to play.”

Not only does the family property allow Kaidin the much-needed practice time over the course of each year, but he’s been able to fine-tune his distance drives more consistently than most adults out there. Using black and silver baskets at varying positions, he knows that he can accurately throw 200’. It’s his hope to gain even more distance this year, and his perseverance will likely serve him well, as he’s already had to deal with driving issues in the past.

Several months before the 2018 Junior World Championships, Kaidin fell off of the monkey bars at school and injured his elbow. He couldn’t throw a disc for two months and only got about two solid weeks of practice in before the event. “He had fun but his injury cost him 75-100’ in distance,” said Adam. Given that Kaidin has had to focus on rebuilding his driving technique already at such a young age, there’s no telling how much more distance he can add during 2019.

Kaidin’s advice for younger players who are interested in the game is to purchase their own discs and then spend some time practicing. “I would teach them how to play and I would also teach them how to throw as far as me,” he said. Again, it’s incredible to explore the ideas of teaching the sport from the eyes of someone who is simultaneously so young but also has had more years of experience playing than many other disc golfers out there.

Lessons We Can Learn Even if as he gets older Kaidin’s passion for disc golf slowly transitions into other activities, he’ll still have an incredible career to look back on. Not many 7-year-olds can say that they have multiple discs with stamps that commemorate their world records or championships, and the simple fact that he has the support of Dynamic Discs along with so many of the team’s top players goes to show how truly special he is to the sport.

Whether you’re a new player who is just discovering disc golf in adulthood or you have younger children who have shown a bit of interest in the game, there’s a lot that can be learned from Kaidin.

The lessons of persistence, hard work, and following your passions are ones that can easily be learned while on the disc golf course, and it’s amazing that Kaidin has nurtured these strengths so early in life. His outlook on the sport is bright, and when he was asked about his game, his answer contained more confidence than many four times his age might say: “I’m a champion and if I lose I know I will win the next one.” Keep working hard Kaidin - you’re making the disc golf world proud!

The Bell family is already looking forward to both of their sons setting new records this year, but will never put undue pressure on them to achieve. More than anything else, disc golf is intended to be a fun activity for them rather than something that induces unneeded stress, especially at such a young age. Spreading this enjoyment is something that’s on Kaidin’s radar as well, as he discussed a bit about his view on kids getting into the sport.

“I think it’s really really great,” he said when asked about junior players getting involved early on and being referred to as the future of the sport. Why so much enthusiasm? “So kids can play and be World Champions like me,” Kaidin explained. One can’t help but smile when thinking about how this seemingly overly simple approach to the game would actually work to benefit so many of us who are in our head too much or beating ourselves up for our performances. If we all took on an attitude that was more similar to Kaidin’s, how much happier might we all be on the course?

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Disc Golf Answer Man E

By: Robert McCall

Each Tuesday, Bobby (Coooooooool Daddy Slick Breeze) Brown, Eric (eMac) McCabe, and I, Robert (different nickname every week) McCall take to the live airspace on Disc Golf Answer Man to tackle listener-submitted questions. Most of the questions revolve around disc golf, but we also answer the occasional non-disc golf question about The Office, our favorite taco place, the fabled Torchy’s Tacos, or life in general.

Occasionally, we have special guests stop by, and they bring new insights every time. For this Junior Worlds issue, I thought you might like to hear some advice from some of those special guests - some of the touring pros from Team Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside Discs! Without further ado, let’s hear how they answered: “What’s one piece of advice you’d like to give to junior disc golfers for Junior Worlds or disc golf in general?”

Advice for Juniors Paige Pierce: “Worlds is a long event. Stay patient and stick to shots that you know. There will be lots of moments you are forced with an option - throw the one that you feel most confident with! Lastly, Emporia is known for the wind, remember to keep it low, flat, and fast on the drive and on the putt. If you don’t feel confident, don’t be afraid to lay up!”

Eric Oakley: “If you aspire to be a professional disc golfer, then put the time in off the course. Take care of your body, your mind, and your game, in that order. If your body is right, it becomes easier for your mind to guide you in the right direction, and when your body and mind are right the game will seem effortless and enjoyable.”

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biggest thing about disc golf is overcoming your weaknesses and becoming a versatile player that can handle any shot and situation.

Playing with more difficult competition always pushes you and gives you bigger goals, and the adversity teaches you very quickly and you get better that much faster!”

Zoe Andyke: “Remember to use your whole body when throwing.

Grip tightly, Discs are thrown farther when engaging your legs more, and grip. Whether putting or driving, be the most athletic you possibly can, the result will impress you! Also, disc golf is a game, and games are meant to be fun! Believe in yourself and always give your very best. This is the easiest way to have the most fun and set yourself up to win!”

Thank you so much to the touring players who were able to offer their advice! It’s so cool to see the way that they want junior players to succeed and for disc golf to grow.

Paige Bjerkaas: “My tip for juniors is to encourage your friends to play disc golf. Not only does it grow the sport, but it helps you as a player. If your friends are into disc golf, you will likely play more, which means more practice!”

JohnE McCray: “Enjoy the competition, and enjoy the town and all the activities throughout the week. There is something to do every day. Try to make friends that will last you a lifetime!”

Zach Melton: “HAVE FUN. Support your cardmates and enjoy the experience. We all play disc golf because it’s fun. Don’t change because you’re playing a tournament. See you there!”

Peter McBride: “My tip for juniors is to pick a couple molds (24) that fit your arm speed and learn those. Throw them on lots of different angles and winds. That way you know how they’ll fly in every situation. You can do a lot with only a few discs.”

Rebecca Cox: “My advice to juniors is to be proud of how far you’ve come and all the hard work you’ve done to get to where you are. It’s easy to overthink and put pressure on yourself, so just breathe, have fun, and play some disc golf!”

Chris Clemons: “Always remember to have fun and try your best. Learn from your mistakes and be positive always. The best golfers never ever give up!”

Kyle Webster: “Throwing multiple drives on a hole is great practice. Take that practice to the next level by throwing all the upshots and putts from those drives! Maximize your practice and don’t forget to have fun!”

Tina Oakley: “While learning to be a better disc golfer, I think it’s important to be patient. It takes time to learn how to be a better disc golfer, and if you can spend some time doing field work and working on your game, you will see yourself throwing better shots over time. It’s okay if it takes some time, but the more time you can dedicate, the better you will become!”

Grady Shue: “If you’re having trouble deciding what division or tournament to play, I suggest playing above your skill level or entering a division that makes you uncomfortable. The

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I also asked the Disc Golf Answer Man crew and Media Team what piece of advice they’d offer to junior disc golfers.

Eric McCabe: “The absolute best piece of advice I can give for Junior Worlds is have fun, first and foremost! Cheer on your fellow competitors and give 100%! That is the secret to success in disc golf.”

Bobby Brown: “Never let a bad round get you down. Try to learn from mistakes so that you can improve for the next round. Never let a good round make you overly confident. There is always room to improve.”

Robert McCall: “Focus only on the shot in front of you. Don’t think about any past shots or upcoming difficult holes.

Once you let a shot go, there’s nothing you can do to change it or where it lands, so why worry about it? Instead, I focus up while I throw, then I like to look around at the course, have a conversation with my cardmates about things other than disc golf, and just enjoy my time playing disc golf. At the end of the day, if you try your best, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose - you did everything you could do! Some of my most fun tournament memories weren’t necessarily when I scored the best but when I had a great card and a great time. Have fun out there every time you play!”

Danny Lindahl: “For Junior players, I think the biggest thing to focus on is reaching straight back. It feels like throwing while spinning is going to throw it harder, but throwing straight is really the secret to throwing far. Also, don’t worry about doing an x-step or any fancy footwork at first. Standing still

is usually going to be the easiest way to stay balanced and throw more comfortably and accurately. Always remember that slow is smooth, and smooth is far!”

Anthony van den Heuvel: “Always have fun! From the day we started, the main reason we all love this sport so much and keep playing over and over again is because it’s fun. It’s easy to get down on yourself if you throw a shot that isn’t exactly what you envisioned, but it’s important to remember that a birdie from 5ft, 15ft, or 30ft all count the same on your scorecard. Nobody likes to miss a putt or throw a drive OB, but that happens to everyone, so brush those off and keep you spirits high. What keeps me in a positive attitude is telling myself ‘whoever has the most fun wins.’ ”

What Does It Take to Get Sponsored?

It seems that Disc Golf Answer Man can’t go more than a few episodes without hearing a question about player sponsorship for Team Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, or Westside Discs, so I’ll share a little insight for players aspiring to be sponsored by one of our companies. First things first, though, I’m going to (cue Bobby turning on the echo effect that I hate) KEEP IT REAL. Player sponsorship is interesting. There’s a part of being selected to be sponsored that’s out of your control, and it’s sometimes about being in the right place at the right time. Dynamic Discs is now sponsoring many of last year’s Junior World Champions, so it just so happens that winning that tournament during that specific

year resulted in a sponsorship offer to that year’s champions.

It probably won’t be the case every year, but we sponsored some fantastic players from that group, including Virginia Polkinghorne, Jason Hardin, Anthony Anselmo, and Wyatt Mahoney who joined current Team DD members Isaiah Esquivel and Cynthia Ricciotti. What a fantastic group of disc golfers and people!

Those people are the exception, though - let’s talk about the general rule. Sure, Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside Discs are looking to sponsor people who are talented disc golfers with good tournament finishes, but that’s true of every disc golf company. Who wouldn’t want that type of player on their team? However, our companies aren’t only concerned with wins and stats - we’re interested in more. We love to see people working in their communities, trying to grow disc golf in their area, running events, clinics, etc. We love to see people who are active on social media promoting disc golf and the companies that they support. We love to see people helping other people out inside and outside of disc golf.

This is the tough part, and it’s so important for everyone who is interested in sponsorship to hear - there are more disc golfers qualified to be sponsored by Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside Discs than there are sponsorship positions available. We see quite a few team applications each and every day, and they’re kind of all over the board.

Some of them are new players who are just looking for some

free things, and we politely decline their request. Some of them have been playing for a couple of years, and they have a couple of tournament wins here and there, but that’s about it. We politely decline those requests as well. The toughest requests, however, are those that we receive from players who are great candidates for sponsorship but just aren’t quite there yet for some reason.

Sometimes, we just have too many sponsored players in a certain area to add another one, and other times, those great candidates just aren’t the right fit for what we’re looking for at that time. If you’ve applied and been turned down, let me just say one more time: We sincerely appreciate you so much, and we appreciate you choosing our companies to represent. There are a lot of disc golf companies out there, and we truly value your support!

I think some people set out with a goal to be sponsored, and that’s not a bad goal to have in the end. However, if I could give one piece of advice to prospective sponsored disc golfers, it would be this: If you are doing a lot of things just to try to get sponsored, you might be doing them for the wrong reasons. Do things to help your disc golf community and local community, run some events, lead some clinics, give away some discs. Even if you do those things and don’t get sponsored, you will have made a positive impact on those around you, and that’s worth so much on its own! Keep working hard out there, and maybe you could be sponsored by Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, or Westside Discs someday!

That’s all for this issue! Have a great week of competition - we can’t wait to crown some new World Champions!

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EVIDENCE

WARRANT

PATROL

STABLE MIDRANGE

B

SLAMMER

UNDERSTABLE MIDRANGE

B

OVERSTABLE PUTTER

EMAC TRUTH

TRUE, STRAIGHTFLYING MIDRANGE FOR ALL PLAYERS

SUSPECT

UNDERSTABLE MIDRANGE

SLIGHTLY OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

JUDGE

WARDEN

GAVEL

AVIATOR

B

DEPUTY

MARSHAL

OVERSTABLE PUTTER

PREDICTABLE, OVERSTABLE COMPLEMENT TO THE EMAC TRUTH

EXTREMELY OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

UNDERSTABLE COMPLEMENT TO THE EMAC TRUTH

WITNESS

UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER FOR LOWER ARM SPEEDS

B

MAVERICK

SLIGHTLY UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

WIND-FIGHTING, OVERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

SLIGHTLY UNDERSTABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

THIEF

STABLE FAIRWAY DRIVER

PREDICTABLE, OVERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

UNDERSTABLE PUTTER

BEADED, STRAIGHT-FLYING PUTTER

BEADLESS, STRAIGHT-FLYING PUTTER

B

GUARD

BREAKOUT

STABLE PUTTER WITH DEEP PROFILE AND GREAT GLIDE

B

EASY TO THROW MIDRANGE FOR BEGINNERS

B

Speed ratings are listed from 1 to 14. Discs with a higher speed cut through the air better.

B

PROOF

EASY TO THROW FAIRWAY DRIVER FOR BEGINNERS

Glide range is from 1 to 6.

A disc with more glide is able to better maintain loft during flight.

EASY TO THROW PUTTER FOR BEGINNERS

ULTIMATE AND CATCH DISC

B

High speed turn is between -5 and 1.

A disc with low turn has a tendency to turn right when thrown backhand by a right-handed player.

Low speed fade is listed from 0 to 6. A disc with high fade has a tendency to tail off to the left at the end of the flight when thrown by a right-handed backhand player.

By: Danny Lindahl

D

Disc golf is a surprisingly complicated game. There are many more variables at play than it would seem at first, and each of those can be the difference between a birdie and a bogey. Throwing the disc is only half the battle. One of the best ways to improve your game is to learn what your discs are going to do in any given situation. Let’s start with how your discs are designed to fly. This can help you understand how to change your disc selection to better attack your next course.

A disc’s flight is very complicated and difficult to describe, so we’ll start with defining a few terms. The first is the speed of a disc. This can be seen as how aerodynamic a disc is. If you compare a Formula 1 car to a minivan, it’s obvious that one is designed to go faster.

The same can be said for discs. A disc with a wider and more pointed rim is going to cut through the air better than a more rounded edge disc. But just like you’d have a hard time carrying a family of 5 in a F1 car, faster isn’t always better. The slower a disc is, the easier it is going to be to throw straight. A slow disc like a putter, if thrown flat, will generally fly straight and then fade. A faster disc thrown flat will move much farther left and right as it flies. Also, a faster disc requires more speed to fly as intended. When a disc is flying, the air hitting the front provides an upward force causing the disc’s right side to lift, assuming it’s rotating clockwise. Faster discs will deflect more of this air under the disc exaggerating this tilt. But if the disc is moving fast enough, enough air can be flowing over both sides of the disc to negate this issue. This is why generally newer players should stick to slower discs. It can take a long time to develop enough skill to get faster discs to fly straight, but just about anybody can throw a slow disc relatively straight.

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Disc Flight

When most people think of throwing an object like a baseball, they think of throwing it at a relatively high angle to give it time to fly forward before hitting the ground.

When throwing a disc, they need much less height because discs generate their own lift. From what I’ve learned, this is because of the air flowing over the top of the disc being deflected down at the back. That downward deflection causes an upward force on the disc giving it lift.

This is known as glide. Faster discs will almost always glide more than slower discs because the sharper nose allows more air to be deflected over the top. All that to say, some discs will glide more than others. Generally when going for distance it’s best to choose a disc with more glide. However, when going for a more accurate shot, it can be beneficial to choose a disc with a bit less glide so it flies more reliably.

Possibly the biggest indicator of how a disc will fly is the turn. Turn refers to a disc changing angle from side to side as it flies. How much a disc turns is referred to as its stability. An overstable disc will not change its angle at all, while an understable disc will change its angle quite drastically. This is caused by the same thing that makes a faster disc fly less controllably than a slower disc. When the air hitting the front of the disc is deflected over the top, it can cause a downward force on the front of the disc. That downward force on the front causes the right side of the wing to dip down because of something called gyroscopic precession. Because the front of the disc is already moving sideways, a downward force causes it to move at an angle down and to the side. This causes the right side of the disc to drop and creates turn. Discs will turn at different speeds a skilled thrower can manipulate that to create some really artistic lines to avoid trees.

The last way a disc generally moves is fade. Towards the end of a disc’s flight, the wind resistance will slow a disc down which reduces lift. The loss of lift will cause the disc to fall. While the disc is falling, instead of pushing on the front of the disc, the wind is now pushing at an angle up against the rim. This causes an upward force rather than a downward force. Just like turn, gyroscopic precession causes the right side of the disc to lift and the disc will tilt to the left. This is known as fade. When a disc is tilted to the left, it’s forcing more of the air underneath it out the right side. That causes the disc to move to the left. The same can be said for turn, but it’s not as pronounced there because the disc isn’t falling.

So what can you do now that you know how discs fly? Well, you can use that knowledge to make a disc fly on just about any line you need. Disc golf holes are rarely dead straight, and knowing how to control your disc at all speeds can help shape some beautiful lines. If you’ve ever played with a veteran player at their home course, you know what it’s like to see perfect understanding of a disc’s flight in action. It’s incredible to see a disc fly, swooping left and right to avoid trees like it’s a remote controlled helicopter.

That type of touch only comes after years of playing, but hopefully now that you understand why discs fly the way they do, controlling them can come a little easier!

e t a l oco

Ch

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the

When is right Time To Tour By: Courtney Elder

2010 Junior World Champion 2018 Professional World Champion Paige Bjerkaas

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2001 Junior World Champion 4x Professional World Champion Valarie Jenkins

P

Pursuing disc golf professionally looks quite different now than it did when the sport was first becoming popular. Until recently, the typical story of a disc golf player looked something like the following: grow up playing other sports, go to college, discover disc golf sometime in your adult life, and from there decide if you’re going to turn it into a career or not. While there are certainly variations to this narrative, it was more often the case than not.

However, with such a push to grow the sport and get kids involved from a young age, the role of disc golf in one’s life is now very different. Some of the sport’s top players were seen on the course decades ago in their early youth, and upon turning 18, many of them faced a difficult crossroads: to go on tour full-time or to pursue a college education.

Depending on one’s priorities, sometimes that decision can be pretty clear, and there are definitely multiple ways to look at the question. On one hand, college will always be there, and there’s nothing wrong with hitting the road first and then studying for a degree in your late 20’s or early 30’s. Yet many might argue that actually “making it” as a professional disc golfer is like finding a needle in a haystack and that a more practical approach to one’s career should be considered instead of briefly cashing in on youthful energy and talent.

It’s an interesting enough quandary that we thought it was worth diving into just a bit deeper, so we talked with four of the sport’s well-known players to get their take on the matter. Along with

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learning more about them, we asked the all-important question to tour or not to tour? Keep reading, because their answers may surprise you.

When The Road Calls There are certainly some players that haven’t even given college a second thought, much less a first, knowing that disc golf is their true path in life. Touring the country with gusto, they are confident that they can ride the wave of their talents and make something of themselves without having to go to school. However, others opt for a more traditional post-high school route only to realize that may not have been the right move for them after all.

One player who did just that is our current World Champion Paige Bjerkaas. After high school, she attended college for Elementary Education with the hopes of someday being a teacher. As she progressed through school and cultivated her disc golf skills, it became clear to her that things just weren’t adding up. When asked why she decided to leave for the open road, she mentioned a number of aspects: “There were a few factors that went into my decision to do so.

First was how well I was playing disc golf. I had been touring since May and I had been getting better and better each weekend. So I figured if I kept going, I was bound to win something. Second was how much fun I was having. I started to make good friends and was enjoying the tour life that didn’t have to do with disc golf: the

exploring, the traveling, the new sites, new food, etc. And third was my loss of passion for what I was studying. The further along in school I got, the less I really wanted to teach. I knew I wouldn’t be happy staying in school working toward something I wasn’t sure I wanted to do. So ultimately, all those things led to my decision to stay on the road.”

Before simply throwing in the college towel, Paige did consider taking online courses in order to fulfill both of her objectives, but she was simply too far along in her degree to make it work. Along with the support of her friends and Dynamic Discs family, the decision to go on the road became an easier one as time went on. Who knows - if she had been focused on schoolwork, maybe she wouldn’t have come out on top at Worlds! While leaving school was clearly the right move for her, Bjerkaas does offer some advice for those who aren’t quite sure which path to take. Other than making sure to think about all aspects of both tour and college in the long run, making sure to stay committed to your decision is key. If you still can’t choose, she offers a wise suggestion: “My advice for people who are on the fence about touring and college is to tour! Looking back on my experience, I regret not hitting the road ASAP. I definitely enjoyed college and made some lifetime friends, but now I have college debt for something I didn’t even end up wanting to do. However, if you are really passionate about a certain field and you do want to go to college, I would suggest summer tours. Save up money and during the summer you can tour for about three months, then get back to the grind in the fall. Plus, all the best events are during summertime in my opinion, except GBO. Also, if you do go to school, go somewhere where there are disc golf courses and other people who play.”

Multitasking To The Max Paige’s suggestion to try out both college and touring certainly is a tall order to fill, but if you are passionate about getting an education while playing disc golf, it’s definitely possible - just look at Valarie Jenkins. A major player in the sport, Valarie has certainly seen an immense amount of success within her disc golf career. But did you know that she also has a degree and worked exceptionally hard to earn it?

program that would work for my travel schedule and keep me on track to get my degree.”

While completing her BA in Marketing online, Valarie and husband Nate Doss traveled the world playing disc golf.

Sometimes they had to get very creative in order for her to complete her schoolwork, especially when they camped across Australia for two months. “I always remember many moments where everyone would be celebrating the tournament weekend, and I’d have my computer out writing a paper or responding to the discussion forums,” she explained. “One great memory is when Nate helped me with some math homework after my 2009 Worlds win! I did what I had to do to complete the courses regardless of where I was in the world, or what tournaments I just played. It was my responsibility that I signed on for, and I knew that it would better me in the long run.”

For Valarie, she saw that playing competitively and going to college weren’t mutually exclusive, and in 2011 she finished her coursework and received her degree. Not only does her BA prove that you can truly put your mind to anything that you want to accomplish, but it’s given her a jumpstart in the business world as it relates to the sport. She’s gone on to start DiscGolf4Women, used her skills as the Chairwoman of the PDGA Women’s Committee, and so much more.

If you’re unsure about what to do after high school, Jenkins offers some great advice: “As we all know, being a professional athlete as a career can end in a split second with injuries.

Having a backup plan and continuing to build on your passion though higher education is a great idea. If you decide to go back to school, make sure you’re willing to put in the time and energy regardless of what happens. I’d highly recommend to anyone who is on the fence to take some online classes. You’ll not only better yourself, but you could use that education to help grow the sport we all love.”

Jenkins initially took a year off after high school to travel and figure out what life had in store for her, and then was enticed to go to college with the option of being roommates with five of her best friends. Although this year was quite memorable, she found herself really missing out on all of the tournaments across the world. While Valarie was able to take down win after win after rejoining her fellow players, she saw that the sport needed much more from a business perspective and it really got her wheels turning about how she could contribute: “I wanted to learn more about the business and marketing world and I realized that taking some college classes might help. At that time, University of Phoenix was the only reputable online college out there. I filled out a form online and I think within that day someone called me. I started chatting and instantly realized that this could be a really great option for me. So I went for it. The advisors that I talked to at the school were very helpful and supportive. They checked in with me every now and then and helped me create a

Touring Professional Madison Walker

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Going In Order Both Paige and Valarie bring great points to the table when it comes to college and touring. While they both saw that hitting the road sooner rather than later was invaluable, others have taken a very different approach. Making a huge name for himself as of late on the professional circuit is Calvin Heimburg, a player who brings a lot more to the table than just a great game. Many may not know that he graduated from University of Florida in 2017 with a chemical engineering degree, and his thought process in doing so before touring certainly makes sense.

While he began enjoying disc golf around 2008 after receiving a starter pack for his birthday, Calvin only played infrequently with his dad. After discovering that a close friend was also involved in the sport, his interested grew quickly and at the end of 2010, he competed in his first sanctioned event. By 2014, he was playing in Open and knew that disc golf was in his life to stay.

Although he’s now a proud degree holder, Heimburg isn’t quite sure what he wants to do with his career, which is in part why he’s on the road now. While that uncertainty may now be present, he was always steadfast in his plans: “I can’t really say that I ever thought about ditching college for the road. There was always a plethora of tournaments in the Southeast to play throughout the year that I could travel to for the weekend. Getting my degree was always the primary objective and the decision process on whether or not to hit the road didn’t start until after I had already graduated. I am sure that there were some classes that I could have taken online. However, it is definitely easier to keep up with schoolwork when that is what you are focused on doing.”

Not everyone can be as sure as Calvin was when it comes to touring or not, but he does suggest that if people are unclear, they should attempt a mix of both until it becomes apparent which path will be right for them. Again as we heard from Valarie, sticking with your decision seems to be key. “If you decide to tour full time, you have to make sure that you have a good support structure behind you because living expenses on the road add up quickly,” Calvin explained. “Both options have their pros and their cons. You just have to choose the lifestyle that you think is better for you and commit to it.”

School, Then Disc Golf, Then More School?

There is no right way to go about one’s career path, and what may seem like a firm decision in a certain direction can absolutely change at a moment’s notice. For Madison Walker, that became apparent in 2014. Holding a degree in Marine Biology with a minor in Chemistry, she worked for roughly three years post-college with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response as an onsite biologist and natural resource advisor. After getting laid off and waiting tables to make ends meet, she realized that playing disc golf could be a viable career option.

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Madison Walker (far right)

Madison played local events in Florida and Georgia, and although she was in the process of applying to graduate school, she decided to attend 2014 Worlds in Portland, Oregon. There she reunited with Paige Pierce whom she’d met at a tournament earlier in the year. Together the two of them embarked upon the 2015 season with intensity, and it was in many ways a crash course for Madison into what “tour life” is all about: “I figured I could get a [Master’s] degree at any point in my life, but getting the opportunity to be Paige Pierce’s wingman wasn’t going to come around again later in life. I had a decent savings account and was sponsored during my first touring year, but funds ran out quickly and I found myself broke and one stroke out of cash pretty quickly. That’s where Paige came in - she was my biggest supporter financially. She liked to call it ‘mentoring.’

No matter what it’s called, I am so thankful she took me under her wing and helped me get through the most financially unsuccessful year of my life. She encouraged me to stick with it for another year at least, and my unwillingness to back down from a challenge has kept me on the road ever since. And a challenge it has been!”

Although Walker has become one of disc golf ’s more notable female players in the last few years and she truly loves the sport with all of her heart, touring full-time may not be in the cards for her in the coming years. She shared that natural sciences are her true passion and she will be returning to them soon. As far as what that looks like is anyone’s guess at this point, but flexibility in today’s workforce may allow her to mold both disc golf and her career into something unique that works for her.

“You can literally do anything you set your mind to if you’re willing to work hard, and maybe have a bit of natural talent to boot,” she said. “I think the decision is situational, but I am very happy I decided to stick with college, as having a solid back-up plan while grinding away on tour makes the risky lifestyle a little easier to accept.” Madison is right in that touring is certainly a risk, but isn’t going to college equally as ambitious?

Doing What’s Right For You We’ve learned just a little bit from some of disc golf ’s more notable players and without question, each competitor on tour likely has their own similar story to share. Whether it’s an injury that will sideline someone and encourage them to go back to school or it’s a pure and natural talent that simply has to be expressed on the road right away, there’s no one right way to handle this major decision. Even with the best-made plans, anything can happen, and having a backup option is always smart no matter what road you choose to travel down. As these pros have shared, what’s most important is to follow your heart, because if your decision brings you true happiness, then in a sense, you’ve already won.

THE

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By: denise Cameron

You Gotta Start Somewhere: Beginner’s Leagues One of the best ways to help grow the sport in your area is to start a beginners’ league. Whether you are aiming to market it toward women, youth, or new players in general, here are some tips that worked for me to help get you started.

- Try to pick a small, 9-hole beginner course to use.

You can use flags to create new tees if a shorter course is not available to you. A shorter layout can be less intimidating to new players and offers a shorter time commitment.

- Make your league free to play, but try to obtain some type of small prizes to give away. You can do a “CTP” (whoever gets closest to the basket from their tee shot on a particular hole) or a “long putt” (whoever sinks the longest putt on a particular hole). Reach out to your local disc golf community, club, or retailer to see if they would be willing to donate some beginner friendly plastic or other gear.

- Make keeping score an option, but not a requirement. I always tell players they can play along and not count a single hole, but I often find that players decide to keep score anyway. Let players know that keeping score is a great way to track their progress as they continue to improve, but only if they feel comfortable.

- For those that do choose to keep score, try awarding a prize to the player who beats their average by the most throws each week (I use a Google Doc on my phone to track stats and have it set up to automatically populate player’s results when weekly scores are entered). Once a player has their first round logged, they are eligible for a prize at future league nights. This is great because it rewards the player who is most improved and makes even the less experienced players have a chance to “win” the night. I can not tell you how many times I have seen someone light up when they hear that they beat their averages by a certain amount of throws! This was the first type of league I ever played myself, and I found it to be very encouraging.

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- Find ways to make sure people know about your league by promoting it. Post a flyer at your local course and create a Facebook page with specific information that players can search out. If there is a local disc golf group page, you can post there to share information and remind people when league night is coming up. For my league, we have business cards that direct people to our Facebook group for more information.

- Lastly, be consistent. Whether you choose to do a weekly or monthly league, make sure you continue to show up even if the participation is not as you had hoped.

We had very little participation during the first few years of my women’s league (partially because it took me a few years to learn and utilize some of the suggestions above), but we slowly started to see more and more participants as word got out and have had 30+ total participants come out to play the last few years.

Good luck and great job doing your part to grow disc golf!

Denise Cameron

DISTANCE DRIVERS WORLD

CATAPULT

14

4

-0.5

14

3

HIGH-SPEED OVERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

4

0

4

-0.5

3

14

13

4

5

-1.5

HIGH-SPEED UNDERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

3

14

SORCERER

0 3.5

13

5

-0.5

6

-2

3

SWORD

HIGH-SPEED DISTANCE DRIVER

HIGH-SPEED OVERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

4

DESTINY

HIGH-SPEED UNDERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

GIANT

WAR HORSE

13

KING

HIGH-SPEED DISTANCE DRIVER

HIGH-SPEED DISTANCE DRIVER

12

5

-0.5

14

5

-3

2

BOATMAN

STABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

3

QUEEN

HIGH-SPEED UNDERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

OVERSTABLE DISTANCE DRIVER

2

11

5

0

2

control DRIVERS NORTHMAN

FORTRESS

OVERSTABLE CONTROL DRIVER

10

4

0

SAMPO

10

3

5

-1

AHTI

STABLE CONTROL DRIVER

STABLE CONTROL DRIVER

2

10

4

-1

LONGBOWMAN

OVERSTABLE CONTROL DRIVER

2

9

3

0

OVERSTABLE CONTROL DRIVER

4

9

4

0

3

midrange HATCHET

STAG

UNDERSTABLE CONTROL DRIVER

B

9

6

-2

8

1

PINE

4

0

6

-1

2

7

5

5

0

-2

UNDERSTABLE CONTROL DRIVER

1

B

WARSHIP

1

5

6

0

1

7

6

-3

OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

1

TURSAS

STRAIGHT FLYING MIDRANGE

STRIAGHT FLYING MIDRANGE

2

5

BARD

UNDERWORLD

UNDERSTABLE CONTROL DRIVER

SLING

OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

5

SEER

STABLE CONTROL DRIVER

UNDERSTABLE MIDRANGE

B

5

5

-2

1

5

4

0

3

ANVIL

EXTREMELY OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

4

2

0

4

0

1

putters GATEKEEPER

HARP

SLIGHTLY OVERSTABLE MIDRANGE

4

5

0

2

4

SWAN 2

plastics

3

-1

3

0

3

UNDERSTABLE PUTTER

0

B

3

3

-2.5

MAIDEN

STRAIGHT, SHALLOW PUTTER

STABLE PUTTER

SWAN 1 REBORN

UNDERSTABLE PUTTER

3

SHIELD

OVERSTABLE PUTTER

3

3

0

1

3

4

0

1

CROWN

STABLE PUTTER

3

4

B

0

flight numbers Speed ratings are listed from 1 to 14. Discs with a higher speed cut through the air better.

Glide range is from 1 to 6. A disc with more glide is able to better maintain loft during flight.

High speed turn is between -5 and 1.

A disc with low turn has a tendency to turn right when thrown backhand by a right-handed player.

Low speed fade is listed from 0 to 6. A disc with high fade has a tendency to tail off to the left at the end of the flight when thrown by a right-handed backhand player.

The McCabe Minute

By: Eric McCabe

Designing a course

Juniors will love

T

This is not an easy task, unless of course you’re located in Emporia, Kansas: Home of the 2018-2020 Junior World Disc Golf Championships. We are very fortunate to be able to utilize a couple of already existing junior friendly courses and have installed proper, shorter tee pads on our longer, more staple courses.

Having that said, designing well for juniors really depends on which junior age group you’re targeting. For obvious reasons, you’re not going to want to put the 6- and 8-under boys or girls on a grueling course such as the Emporia Country Club or even a course as straightforward as Jones West. For the majority of the time, these young future champions of our sport play a 6- or 9-hole course like Hammond Park and most of the time utilize even shorter temporary tees, because let’s face it, their attention span is short, and we want to make sure they’re constantly having a good time.

The 10 and 12 under boys and girls are probably the hardest age group to design a course for. They are starting to mature and develop their own style and technique. Courses like Jones West and Peter Pan from the short tees and all the short basket locations really sets up great for these players. Keeping everything under that 280’ to 300’ mark is important to remember. You want to make sure they aren’t tiring themselves out super fast by playing big, long holes while giving them a good mix of reachable holes so they can take advantage of birdies as well. Nearly all players still get excited when they birdie a hole, and that doubles or triples the excitement level these kids have when achieving the goal.

Now, the 15- and 18-under boys and girls don’t need a whole lot of change. I mean, some of these kids are good enough to compete in advanced or local pro events. The competition level at that age is insanely growing at a rapid rate. The FPO pads at the Country Club or Jones East set up perfect for these guys and gals.

Overall, designing a courses for junior players isn’t a whole lot different, with the exception of making sure the number one priority - especially for younger players - is making sure they’re having FUN!

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2018

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Rewind

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2018 REWIND

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2018 RESULTS Junior ≤18 Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Jason Hardin Jr 73346 54 49 65 48 51 51 33 351 2 Trenton Higley 85079 53 48 60 55 57 56 28 357 3 Mikael Hakala 51479 52 49 66 60 54 50 32 363 4 Jordan Smith 77952 54 48 67 54 53 56 37 369 5 Gideon Drake 74465 56 52 69 52 53 50 332 5 Dallas Wrinkle 88370 55 48 62 59 55 53 332 7 Jake Rice 76975 57 48 68 57 55 49 334 8 Alden Harris 98091 55 53 66 57 49 55 335 9 Bradley Brown 81343 56 52 71 52 55 50 336 10 David O’Meara 66276 55 55 65 54 58 50 337 11 Drew Cantrell 80089 51 52 68 55 60 55 341 11 Cortin Knapp 88246 60 50 68 59 52 52 341 13 Logan McLaughlin 55719 54 51 63 64 55 57 344 13 Ezra Hapner 25000 58 52 69 57 52 56 344 13 Trenton Wilbanks 69256 52 47 67 58 59 61 344 16 Elijah Bickel 94844 61 55 69 54 52 54 345 17 Dominic Chee 60875 53 50 67 63 56 57 346 18 Brayden Wright 91677 55 49 75 58 56 54 347 19 Dylan Moyer 88222 53 52 68 55 57 64 349 20 Nick Travis 74439 60 56 70 54 56 54 350 21 Ty Browning 88117 54 58 67 58 57 57 351 21 Tristan Wilson 61035 59 56 67 56 57 56 351 21 Christian Chapman 95736 60 54 66 58 54 59 351 24 McCall Atchison 91761 55 51 71 58 60 57 352 24 Bryce Lawrance 59941 57 54 72 57 55 57 352 24 Jeremiah Dwyer 58738 54 55 77 59 56 51 352 24 Weylin McDermott-Phillips 77949 55 55 71 61 55 55 352 28 Landon Clark 96457 54 51 72 57 60 59 353 29 Caleb Nash 42679 60 51 75 58 54 56 354 30 Ethan Tschanz 70821 56 56 73 56 62 52 355 30 Sabastian Chino 60876 60 53 71 54 59 58 355 32 Drew Palmer 57385 59 51 74 54 58 60 356 32 Rocky Batty V 89754 55 53 78 55 58 57 356 32 Peyton Niendorf 56756 60 49 73 58 56 60 356 35 Wyatt Merritt 51603 62 51 71 55 56 62 357 36 Hunter Tiecke 59579 60 55 68 56 59 60 358 36 Jesper Persson 74796 56 53 74 57 59 59 358 38 D.W. Hass 94907 58 53 76 63 58 51 359 39 Julian Celis 103122 51 52 74 64 58 61 360 40 Joe Carey 73855 56 52 84 55 56 60 363 41 Drew Baker 78924 54 52 73 65 62 58 364 42 Kevin Quay 94280 57 55 73 61 61 62 369 43 Matthew Coccaro 75075 60 57 75 60 60 58 370 44 Lance Dall 69407 60 55 74 65 60 57 371 45 Maximus Meyer 49865 62 58 72 62 60 60 374 46 Timothy Lutz 97966 60 57 76 56 65 61 375 46 Lance Kirby 86637 59 54 72 64 63 63 375 48 Will Dobrzykowski 85446 59 56 85 57 58 68 383 49 Levi Van Hoecke 97215 61 51 76 61 61 75 385

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50 Sam Murphy 97921 66 64 70 62 64 64 51 Jordan Strader 90208 57 52 86 68 58 71 52 Christopher Marshall 85853 62 56 78 72 61 64 53 Chase Luster 86313 62 62 77 63 69 61 54 Braden Struble 88959 68 53 78 62 65 71 55 Presley Cooper 40631 62 59 84 68 58 68 56 Michael O. Luster 86314 65 59 80 70 66 63 57 Zacary Napier 72874 63 67 80 75 74 63 58 Drew Greene 87607 60 56 68 64 59 999 58 Xavier Venegas 110244 74 63 91 69 71 999 58 Calvin Caldwell 50024 55 54 57 62 64 999 61 Dillon Spellman 103705 63 64 999 68 61 999

390 392 393 394 397 399 403 422 DNF DNF DNF DNF

Junior Girls ≤18

Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Cynthia Ricciotti 75029 53 58 49 69 54 54 34 371 2 Kathryn Mertsch 99455 56 60 51 69 54 54 30 374 3 Carli Beith 85978 59 65 50 66 51 55 33 379 3 Esther Schultz 79049 52 57 54 65 56 58 37 379 5 Bailey Petty 77331 60 62 57 69 60 61 369 6 Morgan Beery 42997 66 75 67 85 68 72 433

Junior ≤15

Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Isaiah Esquivel 77939 52 50 58 46 52 47 27 332 2 Silas Schultz 79047 54 52 56 52 50 48 26 338 3 Zach Arlinghaus 65266 50 51 55 54 49 55 28 342 4 Gannon Buhr 75412 52 58 61 49 47 49 29 345 5 Simeon Schultz 79048 51 51 61 53 53 54 323 6 Hunter Collins 56362 54 56 54 55 53 54 326 7 Logan Moloney 96614 56 53 60 51 56 52 328 8 Miquaith Andrick 76557 53 56 63 51 53 53 329 9 Jacob Minasian 93154 50 54 59 57 56 54 330 9 Noah Higgins 84157 53 55 59 60 56 47 330 11 Nathan Bryant 87944 56 58 61 54 52 51 332 12 Ryan Muizelaar 103366 50 58 58 54 54 59 333 13 Samuel Streeter 69968 54 55 61 57 56 53 336

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14 Nolan Ramser 90461 55 53 60 55 59 56 338 14 Harper Thompson 60259 51 62 61 62 50 52 338 16 Wesley Carter 89444 54 58 63 53 58 55 341 17 Gavin Simpson 87282 52 57 63 57 60 53 342 18 Brady Crawford 96889 56 52 58 56 61 64 347 19 Jason Casper 91724 54 57 70 56 58 53 348 20 Bradley Caldwell 89240 58 58 61 61 56 55 349 21 Treyson True 91069 56 60 63 59 54 58 350 22 Adam Osborn 43203 56 55 59 60 59 62 351 22 Andrew Heus 90093 53 52 68 65 61 52 351 24 Gavin Stradley 75774 60 58 61 61 59 53 352 24 Elijah Hogan 72527 58 59 63 59 54 59 352 24 Jackson Busche 70120 58 61 59 54 64 56 352 24 Kieran Amoroso 98137 56 59 62 62 60 53 352 28 Joey Bergman 101173 60 58 60 53 60 64 355 29 Kyler Sparks 76606 57 56 67 63 56 59 358 30 Angel Gonzalez 98765 58 68 66 56 56 56 360 31 Dax Estep 87518 60 58 64 63 65 52 362 31 Tyler Criswell 86259 59 57 75 54 59 58 362 33 Benjamin Lutz 97965 57 63 64 61 61 59 365 34 Zachary Nash 101197 67 60 71 55 60 53 366 35 Mikey Barringer 74673 58 61 66 64 58 60 367 35 Cody Cooper 101249 61 58 68 61 59 60 367 37 Tyler Feldheim 88327 60 66 64 64 58 59 371 38 Bradin Balogh 68872 62 62 70 61 57 61 373 39 Bryton Napier 72875 61 62 71 62 60 59 375 40 Kade Filimoehala 104984 66 60 59 62 66 63 376 41 Martin Bengson 96838 58 62 74 61 60 62 377 42 Jayme Padilla 106250 62 70 69 60 60 58 379 43 David Nash 101196 63 63 62 61 62 70 381 44 Billy Scott III 69215 63 63 69 62 66 62 385 45 Bruno Batty 97021 58 65 64 73 61 66 387 46 Tyler Ahrens 88278 62 64 73 63 66 62 390 47 Tyler Fortier 97825 63 71 69 62 65 62 392 48 Jackson Ward 99367 68 61 72 62 70 64 397 49 Will Mason 99242 65 71 65 68 64 65 398 50 Zachary Overholt 89627 65 71 69 63 68 63 399 51 Logan Fuller 95470 69 67 68 69 64 63 400 52 Triton Ybarra 103995 64 69 75 67 65 72 412 53 Ty Hedrick 104326 69 72 72 73 71 67 424 54 Deegan Silva 109585 66 63 77 68 72 79 425 55 Henry Bair 102546 72 71 79 68 71 65 426 56 Andon Temeyer 102952 68 75 82 72 73 66 436 57 Spencer Pike 110319 74 73 84 82 75 71 459

Junior Girls ≤15 Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Edie Heard 96217 52 63 55 67 54 54 34 379 2 Lydia Lyons 58968 56 57 58 69 56 52 37 385 3 Hope C. Brown 62397 55 61 59 68 59 54 33 389 4 Lucy Burks 70025 68 63 57 71 60 62 34 415 5 Emma Partee 75785 72 73 69 87 68 63 432 6 Jenna Smith 110111 74 86 72 89 73 71 465 7 Victoria Daniel 109437 83 80 83 106 76 79 507 8 Emma Eich 110920 85 102 92 107 97 94 577

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Junior ≤12

Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Anthony Anselmo 56579 54 54 48 58 51 32 297 2 Logan Plake 76846 57 53 49 60 53 28 300 3 Kolby Sanchez 86512 55 56 54 63 54 31 313 4 Noah Fouquet 106636 60 60 53 67 51 31 322 5 Donovan Esquivel 88054 56 58 55 69 57 295 6 Maximilian Gutierrez 106216 59 57 50 78 60 304 7 Caleb Webster 90655 65 59 59 68 54 305 8 Xaelen Nash 46192 63 60 54 72 63 312 8 Karl Reed 85160 67 62 56 70 57 312 10 Carter Ahrens 88279 67 61 62 73 57 320 11 Justin Gutierrez 106217 64 60 59 71 68 322 12 Andrew Filimoehala 104985 60 61 60 79 63 323 13 Damien Busche 70122 66 65 64 68 65 328 14 Benjamin Streeter 91054 64 65 64 79 59 331 15 River Peters 88092 65 67 59 79 64 334 16 Ashton Kaylor 90257 79 79 58 75 63 354 17 Preston Crane 93133 77 68 73 90 66 374 18 Aiden Fields 92683 82 79 72 80 999 DNF

Junior Girls ≤12

Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Lilly Ruthen 76364 58 53 64 64 55 33 327 2 MaryJane Stevens 100285 62 70 72 67 57 37 365 3 Savannah Sweet 109182 66 71 87 69 70 38 401 4 Evelyn Heath 84438 70 78 80 71 65 39 403 5 Ebonnie Hayes 93409 69 79 84 80 68 380

Junior ≤10

Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Wyatt Mahoney 89460 57 57 57 25 26 222 2 Kai Barrios 80228 51 58 58 27 28 222 3 Uriyah Kelley 98747 54 59 55 26 32 226 4 Vincent Goodman 93537 62 58 56 26 32 234 5 Judah Berman 82877 60 60 57 26 203 6 Quillan Nash 79840 56 60 61 27 204 6 Pascal Dylan Galmiche 104528 63 55 62 24 204 8 Miles Sayer 91543 58 56 65 26 205 9 Leo Miller 104222 59 65 60 28 212 10 Noah Bennett 76068 62 62 63 26 213 11 Braden Green 92012 62 65 60 27 214 12 Evan Jones 59247 58 63 64 30 215 13 Jayden Torres 108560 63 66 62 28 219 14 Jeran Johnston 98177 62 61 70 32 225 15 Daegan Esquivel 98524 65 71 69 38 243 16 Mason Taylor 69724 68 73 72 31 244 17 Jonas Crowe 90636 65 78 69 33 245 18 Daniel Sweet Jr 110288 76 86 77 36 275

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Junior Girls ≤10

Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Virginia Polkinghorne 76009 61 69 74 32 37 273 2 Olivia Scott 92789 74 79 83 33 36 305 3 Ava Meyer 83000 79 82 79 39 43 322 4 Rylee Hayes 93410 82 78 85 41 48 334 5 Madeline Quade 79435 85 85 86 38 294 6 Hayleigh Shintaku 86094 81 85 91 40 297

Junior ≤8

Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Landon Brooks 83848 59 59 65 30 34 247 2 Kellen Smith 45168 59 58 68 30 37 252 3 Briksen Pavlak 102794 66 62 65 31 37 261 3 Hunter Grayum 89238 66 64 67 30 34 261 5 Jackson Green 96072 62 70 75 29 236 6 Jordan Morrow 109087 67 70 70 34 241 7 Kaidin Bell 86201 63 77 74 34 248 8 V’Ron Goforth Jr 99012 70 68 80 36 254 9 Aviar Watson 98096 77 78 84 33 272 10 Alexander Nunn-Gage 98844 83 86 101 47 317 11 Levi Smith 110112 95 103 103 48 349

Junior ≤6

Place Name PDGA# Rd1 Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Elam Rose 99021 92 105 93 8 298 2 Parker Kekec 110938 122 125 117 14 378

Junior Girls ≤6

Place Name PDGA# Rd2 Rd3 Rd4 Rd5 Rd6 Finals Total 1 Cadence Kekec 110937 127 122 14 406 2 Katherine Nunn-Gage 104434 141 161

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2010 Junior World Champion 2018 Professional World Champion Paige Bjerkaas

The 19th

Hole

Wow! I am so excited to see everyone back in Emporia for the 2019 PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships. I am always so fascinated to look back at past Junior Worlds and see who was competing for junior championships and where they are now.

David Wiggins, Jr. who holds the current world distance record won world titles in the Boys 10 & Under division in 2004 and 2005. In 2006 and 2007, Wiggins won titles in the Boys 13 & Under division. In 2008 Wiggins won his 5th junior title in the Boys 19 & Under division. Wiggins run of 5 consecutive world titles is certainly impressive!

The 2010 Junior Worlds in Marion, Ohio yielded a few now-household names as champions. Ricky Wysocki won the Boys 19 & Under title, Seppo Paju won the Boys 16 & Under title, and Paige Bjerkaas won the Girls 16 & Under title. Who knew that two of the three would go on to win professional world titles and one would be a top European player?

Other former junior champs who have made some noise professionally include Austin Turner (2015 Boys 19 & Under champion), Anthony Barela (2013 Boys 13 & Under champion), and Eric Tracy (1997 Boys 16 & Under champion).

3X Professional World Champion Nate Doss won a Boys 18 & Under junior world title in 1999 in Kansas City, Missouri. Nate’s wife,Valarie Jenkins (4X Professional World Champion) won a Girls 16 & Under title in Kalamazoo in 2001.

The most fascinating of all Junior Worlds to me though is the 2005 event held in Flagstaff, Arizona; specifically the Boys 16 & Under division. Devan Owens won the Boys 16 & Under Junior World title that year and had some fierce competition.

Finishing fourth that year was Paul Ulibarri. James Conrad finished sixth. Four-time professional world champion Paul McBeth finished in a tie for ninth. I wonder if as these four competed against each other at the 2005 Junior Worlds, they had any idea that they would all go on to win big tournaments and compete against each other on disc golf’s largest stages. Too bad Jomez or Central Coast was not around to film those rounds in 2005!

By Doug Bjerkaas Dynamic Discs Tournament Director

It is now 2019. I wonder if our champions from this year’s event will go on to do great things down the road. Based on our sport’s history, they likely will!

Good luck to all the 2019 PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championship competitors! I hope I see you do great this week and for the rest of your disc golf careers.

Doug

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