Saturday, May 13, 2017

Record Attendance for Glass Blown Open Juniors Event


After the Glass Blown Open came to end for more than 1,100 participants, the competition heated up for the junior players.

Seventy-seven youth players took part in the Glass Blown Open Juniors Challenge on Sunday — an attendance which was more than double that of last year.

“It is great to see so many children and families out enjoying disc golf,” Dynamic Discs Owner Jeremy Rusco said. “To see the number of participants double from last year was just amazing.”

The day started with the top professional players from Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside Discs giving demonstrations.  Professionals who took part in the clinic were Eric Oakley, Eric McCabe, Tina Stanaitis, Paige Pierce, Ricky Wysocki, Zach Melton, Drew Gibson, JohnE McCray, Hannah Leatherman, Zach Newhouse, A Ray, Brian Miller, Jonathan Ray, and Robert McCall.

Children moved between a putting station, two throwing stations, and a question and answer panel. In the afternoon, players took part in an 18-hole disc golf competition.

Youth ages 7 - 18 of all skill levels were able to attend the tournament.

“Being taught by the top pros was great,” said Aiden Sanchez, who had never played disc golf before. “Even though I had never played before everyone was so nice and took time to work with me.”

Makayla Allen, daughter of PDGA women’s professional player Jennifer Allen, spent the week in Emporia caddying for her mother and then participated in the tournament.

Makayla picked up a first-place win for her age group.

“I really enjoyed playing in the juniors tournament,” Makayla said “The course was fun to play and I was glad I threw well.”

“I really enjoyed caddying for my daughter,” Jennifer Allen said. “She played great and it was awesome to see so many kids learning and playing disc golf.”

Dynamic Discs will host the Junior Worlds in Emporia, Kansas, in 2018, 2019, and 2020 as it continues its commitment to teaching and growing the sport among juniors.

“Children are the future of our sport,” Rusco said. “Talent level is getting younger every year and it is exciting to see the abilities of the children.”

Tournament Results: http://www.pdga.com/tour/event/30736

By Chris Walker
Chasin’ the Chains
2 comments:
  1. What an awesome turnout! And the perfect place to have it... in the heart of Dynamic Disc country, where everyone loves a disc golfer!

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