Returning to your birthplace after being away can carry all sorts of emotions and memories, but returning home to be honored is something special. On October 23rd, Jeremy Rusco returned to his hometown of Great Bend, Kansas to be honored as a speaker in the INSPIRE Speaker Series at the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce. Rusco outlined his journey as a kid from Great Bend to an entrepreneur selling discs as a hobby to owning and operating Dynamic Discs, which employs over 50 people in Emporia, KS.
The momentous trip didn’t stop there, however, as Rusco and other Dynamic Discs staff members Eric McCabe, Bobby Brown, and Robert McCall moved to the newly re-designed disc golf course at Veterans Memorial Park. The Great Bend Recreation Center hosted an afternoon re-opening of the disc golf course with a putting contest, long drive contest, clinic, and mini-tournament. Course re-designer Eric McCabe showed players around the new layout which now features red Dynamic Discs Veteran baskets.
This brief trip shows how important and easy it can be to grow disc golf in your area!
You can also read more about this event in the Great Bend Tribune here.
One of the many messages that disc golfers love to share with others is the fact that our sport is able to knit together close communities of people who simply enjoy each other’s company or can help in a time of need. If you’re fortunate enough to be a part of a community like this, then you know exactly what we’re talking about.
Yet some players don’t have this personal experience and may wonder just how throwing discs can create a true community atmosphere. We recently spoke with Alan Lappin, an avid player in Lisbon Falls, Maine and learned about how the sport has done some incredible things in his state.
The Maine Scene
Alan has been playing disc golf for about five years and like many of us wishes he would’ve started sooner. After a friend invited him to play a round he was instantly hooked and dove head first into the competitive scene in Maine. While he enjoys playing to win, Lappin recently took a step back into a more casual role and spends time helping another local player to maintain a course that was installed in the area.
Within the last few years, Alan has seen something incredible take place within central and southern Maine and described just how supportive players are when another is in need:
“We do different charity events every year. The biggest one was the Children’s Miracle Network tournament where we raised $5,000 that goes to the Barbara Bush Foundation. This year there’s a fellow disc golfer who is battling cancer, and we used a tournament to raise money for his medical bills.”
Lappin shared that in years past a local broker offered to match their funds dollar for dollar and the group ended up donating over $14,000 to a single cause.
True Team Spirit
It’s not just medical concerns that top the list of Maine disc golfers, as the community often raises money for local animal shelters, food pantries, and local school sports teams. Alan said that if anyone hits an ace, nine times out of ten they donate the money straight to whatever cause they’re playing for. Open players donate their money right back too, as he explains, “It’s not like we’re competing, it’s us supporting each other.”
In total, the various disc golf clubs in Maine raise between $20,000 and $30,000 each year for various charities and are always looking for ways they can help others in need. Lappin told us of a local player who lost his wife in a car accident and described how 136 people came out to play a tournament in her honor, raising over $5,000 for the family.
Maine’s disc golf scene has many strong and compassionate leaders who step forward and organize these events, and it’s people like Alan who help to make them such a success. If you’re ever in Maine, reach out to some of the local players and see how you may be able to get involved, even if it’s only during a short trip. The disc golf community is simply incredible there and encourages all of us to use the sport as a way to positively impact the lives of others. Thank you for sharing with us Alan!
Head on over to GrowDiscGolf.com to let us know how you and your local club help grow the sport of disc golf.
There are a few sayings that go around when it comes to group settings, yet with “the more the merrier” and “too many cooks in the kitchen” seeming to conflict with each other, how do you know which is the best route to take? We’re of course talking about your role within the disc golf community, and in addition to being a local tournament player or an on the road professional, the ways in which you donate your time are equally as important as how well you do on the course.
Nowadays everyone is busy and our calendars seem to be stretched to the max, but when you really think about it, spending some time to volunteer within your local disc golf community is invaluable. With the off-season nearly here, let’s examine the true impact that donating your time can have on the sport.
Going Behind The Scenes
Think back to the last tournament you attended and really analyze all of the work that went into making it a success. Managing sign-ups, organizing players packs, and making sure everyone knows where all the OB is are just a few of the things that happen when no one’s looking. Tournament directors spend hours upon hours of unpaid time making sure their event goes off without a hitch, and the more helping hands they have the better.
So how important are volunteers when it comes to local events? The answer is so monumental that it can hardly be put into words. If one person was responsible for everything under the sun when it comes to running a tournament, we’d have events that are of a lower caliber as well as some pretty stressed out TDs.
Working The Course
Although the weather is about to start getting pretty nasty, the trees keep on growing and sadly, people still keep leaving their trash at the course. Winter may not be the most ideal time to host a work party or five, but a little bit of maintenance during the off-season does help to lighten the load come springtime. We know, it’s cold, but before you know it all of the moving you do will warm you right up.
Again we ask, are volunteers really that important when it comes to course maintenance? This too gets a resounding yes! Even on some of the smallest courses you’ve ever played, the holes spread out over acres and acres of land. Mowing that alone is a tall enough task, plus when you add in the possibility of fallen trees and general cleanup, it becomes far too much for one person.
It Takes A Village
Even the busiest people alive can carve out some time in their life to volunteer with a group they care about. Most of us are completely obsessed with disc golf, so why wouldn’t that be the first thing you think of? It doesn’t take much - even one or two hours each month would go a long way to help other local players who are in charge of events and maintenance. Just think of it as your small way of giving back!
Do you volunteer with your local disc golf community? Share with us the ways in which you’ve found it to be personally fulfilling in the comments below!
People who are naturally inclined to play sports often pick up disc golf and never look back, learning about discs and mechanics as they go. Yet for others who are hesitant to try something new and feel overwhelmed with the amount of information that’s out there, the sport may seem too large to grasp.
If you’re introducing disc golf to a friend or family member and want a bit of help easing them into things, you may find that our resources page on the Dynamic Discs website can be a big help. Not only does it contain information that can teach a new player about a variety of disc golf elements, but more seasoned players may even learn something new! Let’s check out a few of the sections that are particularly helpful.
The Beginner’s Guide
A lot of this information may be familiar for those who have been playing disc golf for a while, but when you’re trying to explain the sport to someone who has never thrown a disc before, you may find some of this verbiage to come in handy.
Right off the bat, we dive into the different types of discs and how they may fly for newer players. Keep in mind that for us, discs are finely crafted tools that all perform various functions, but for a new player, it just looks like a frisbee. Having them understand the basics of distance drivers, fairway drivers, midranges, and putters will help in the early parts of their game.
Our Beginner’s Guide section also gives some detail as to what flight numbers really mean and how you can have a better understanding of what a disc will do for you based on that information. Finally, we review the types of plastic available and cover the options you have between the Dynamic Discs, Westside Discs, and Latitude 64 lines.
Our Disc Lines
Beyond just understanding the various types of discs and the plastics available to them, beginning players can really benefit from an explanation of what each mold may do for them. We spend time crafting descriptions for each of our discs so that people know what they’re buying - after all, how frustrating is it to blindly purchase a disc and then realize it’s not the one for you?
The distance drivers section includes everything in the Trilogy lineup, starting with speed 15 discs and moving down to speed 11 options. Discs are organized by stability for ease of understanding. Our fairway drivers are listed similarly and range from speed 10 to speed 6, while midranges and putters both feature discs designed for slower shots.
While we’ve intended our resource section to be a tool for all new and current players, it can be a lot of information all at once. If there’s a specific area that you want to brush up on or teach a new player, stick to that topic before making it a personal mission to memorize the entire section. Written information can be a valuable tool, but there’s also nothing like heading out to the course and throwing some plastic to see what truly works for you.
Who do you know that’s awesome at disc golf and even better at drumming? If you’ve met DD team member Andy DiFronzo, he’ll be the first to admit that he lives for both activities and if he could do them both full time, he would! But there’s so much more to this man than just extracurricular activities, as we got the chance to talk with him and learn about his deep-rooted commitment to the sport we all know and love.
From The Beginning
You might say that Andy is one of the original group of DD players, as he got his start about a year after CEO Jeremy Rusco started selling discs on eBay. Andy shared how he and Jeremy ended up connecting: “I got a lot of people to start sporting the DD logo all over. I met him at Bowling Green, Kentucky and placed well in advanced. I qualified for AM Nationals where I stayed with Jeremy in a house with about a dozen others. I guess he saw my early talent and good sportsmanship and I guess he thought I’d be a good seed to represent his brand.”
A good seed indeed, DiFronzo has been competing in sanctioned tournaments since 2006 and as a 996-rated player, knows a thing or two about how to represent himself and the team both on and off the course. He describes being a part of the DD team as an honor that allows him to be a part of our big family.
Tools He Swears By
Golf discs and drumsticks are both passions for Andy, and he says that if he wasn’t working full-time and trying to play in disc golf events whenever he can, he would be in a band playing shows every weekend. “Music is one thing I’m better at than discing!” he admitted. While he would love to hit the road and tour regularly, both with disc golf and a band, he has his feet securely on the ground knowing that there are bills to pay too.
When it comes to the course, you’ll find Andy hitting his lines and cashing his putts with his three favorite discs: a Soft Mercy that he can’t play without, the Escape that he describes as giving him “freakish distance,” and the Fugitive, his go-to midrange on any occasion.
Andy has had a great season so far, earning a first-place win during an event in early September and placing within the top 10 for ten other events this year. His most anticipated event that has yet to take place? The Warwick Disc Golf Championships in mid-October, held in Warwick, New York. Amidst all of these events and a job that keeps him busy, DiFronzo knows that he needs to keep a good balance in his life, explaining, “The love for the sport is like no other. Disc golf can definitely be a relationship ruiner if your partner isn't into it! I don't have kids... so, it’s game on!”
We look forward to seeing how Andy finishes out his year and can’t wait to watch him compete during 2019!
So much of the time we talk about the benefits of disc golf as it pertains to our own individual games. We focus on our mental progress, our form, and the discs we keep in our bag. Yet oftentimes we forget to look at the impact that the sport can have on our families and particularly our significant others.
Whether you’re a touring pro who needs the support of your spouse or you’re guilty of dragging your girlfriend out to the course more often than she likes, it might benefit all of us to examine the way that disc golf can affect our relationships and see how the sport can transform our lives.
A Different Perspective
Think about the one or two activities that your significant other is in love with. Is it yoga? How about hunting? Or maybe, much to your chagrin, it’s scrapbooking? No matter what it is, it’s something they love to talk with you about and they try to get you involved every chance they can. We’d guess that in most cases, you probably don’t express the same amount of enthusiasm but you’re loving enough to halfway listen when they go on a rant about their passion.
Sound familiar? For most couples who live together, this is the case. The same situation applies in reverse, as you’ve probably gone off about the foot fault that someone called you on last week or you’re glued to the television during each round of Worlds. Was your partner frustrated? Did he or she not want to hear about your stuff? Guess what - that’s probably how they experience your reactions too!
A Team Effort
We’ve heard countless stories about couples hitting the course together and how disc golf truly helped them to grow closer together, so why can’t this be the same for you? Instead of bringing your partner to the course against their will or overwhelming them by explaining the flight path of every disc in your bag, imagine how you would want to be introduced to a new hobby. Does a three-hour tour of your local craft store sound fun? Exactly.
Before you try to get your significant other to the putting basket or convince them to caddy for you during your next tournament, think about expressing some interest in their activities. Perhaps you can come to an arrangement where if you spend one hour per week doing hot yoga with them, they will spend one hour per week on the course.
Every relationship is different, but there’s something to be said for sharing common hobbies and interests with your loved one. Instead of disc golf becoming the thorn in the side of your relationship, see if you can’t come to a compromise and share your extra time evenly between everyone’s passions.
We’d love to hear from you - do you have an inspiring story where disc golf did truly save your relationship? How have you successfully gotten your uninterested partner onto the course? Share your stories with us in the comments below!
Imagine wanting something for over a decade, striving and pushing yourself to grasp your ultimate goals. For Paige Bjerkaas, that long stretch came to an end as she captured first place at the 2018 Pro Worlds. While Paige prepares for every tournament in much of the same way, she went into this year’s event with a calm mindset and aimed to finish in the top five, but obviously exceeded her own expectations.
We got a chance to chat with Paige as the news was still sinking in, learned what was going through her mind during the five-day event, and explored how she feels like this is more than just a win on her own list of career highlights.
Focused On The Family
Bjerkaas started playing disc golf around the age of 10 when her family moved to Denver, Colorado. That year also marked her first tournament participation, and in 2009 she got the chance to travel to the Junior World Championships. There, she watched as Val Jenkins took home the win, and Paige vowed to herself that someday she too would win a world title.
Fast forward to 2018, where she’s been on tour for the last few months and has had support from her friends and family every step of the way. “I worked hard and it paid off, and I didn’t have to be mean or put on a super game face,” she said. “[People are] giving me this credit that I’m so humble and nice, but I was raised that way, it’s my parents. I think they won Worlds too - they deserve it.”
Perfecting Her Performance
Paige was able to play multiple practice rounds on each of the two courses before the competition began, and between this knowledge and comfort in her game plan as well as her trusted bag of discs, she was excited and ready to give it her all. As she played each hole, reminding herself to stay calm and stick to her plan became the focus.
Yet when she found out that Thursday’s round was her highest to date with a 1021-rating, she had to let that moment sink in: “After my last putt, Robert McCall told me that I had the best round by 5 strokes. He told me it was 1021-rated and I said ‘are you serious?’” Paige laughed as she shared, still letting the reality of her win sink in.
The OB and wooded shots at Fox Run Meadows and Brewster Ridge can be challenging for anyone, but Bjerkaas relied on her plastic to do much of the work. She throws a 168g BioFuzion Enforcer that came in handy on most of her drives, a Fuzion Burst Getaway that earned her some birdies, and a Fuzion Judge that helped her to stay in the fairways on tricky holes.
Vying for the win is tricky by itself, but when you have stiff competition from other DD team members, it can sometimes change up the flow of things. “We’re going to do our best to beat each other but sometimes, in the end, it doesn’t work out in our favor. We like to celebrate each other’s successes,” she said. And celebrate she will! Congratulations to Paige on her amazing performance and good luck during the rest of the season!
We’ve really enjoyed getting to know more about Missy Gannon, one of the ladies on the Dynamic Discs team. It’s truly incredible how influential disc golf can be in someone’s life, and Missy is a perfect example of that. From not really loving it the first time she played to quitting her job and going on tour full-time, a lot can happen in just a few years!
In this final part of our DD Women’s Series on Missy, we’re going to explore what she’d like to accomplish during the rest of this touring season and discuss where the world of disc golf might take her. After all, anyone can take a streak of luck and run with it, thus changing the future of their disc golf career.
What’s In A Name?
Putting yourself out there on tour brings a lot of changes to one’s life, but one lesser thought of reality is that people start to know who you are. For Missy, disc golf used to be a sport she played with her friends and local club members, but it was never something that she was ‘famous’ for. But lately, that’s changed: “When you’re a newbie in this big field of great women players, you don’t realize that people are starting to notice you even if you’re not playing well,” she shared.
The more and more events she competes in, the more Missy is finding herself in the spotlight. With this bit of notoriety comes another challenge - fine-tuning your mental game to make sure you don’t feel pressure to perform well now that people know who you are.
Looking Long Term
For the rest of the 2018 season, Missy is almost treating her tour like a mini-vacation. She’s happy that she can sort of hit reset on her life and is thankful that she’ll never look back and wonder what would’ve happened had she not gone. While she’d love to cash at her remaining events, the intrigue of finding out how she compares to other women out there is more important.
Will we see Gannon on tour next year? “It would be a sweet life to be able to continue doing this, [but] I also have to be a little practical too. If it turns out to be a summer thing then that’s ok,” she explained. For now, Missy and her beau have enough saved to continue the rest of their journey this season and then will spend some time on the East Coast with friends and family while they evaluate their plans for next year.
If she ends up placing well during the rest of the season and cashes at the bulk of her events, Missy might just decide to go for it and stay on the road for another year. Otherwise, her goal of experiencing life on the road just once will have been crossed off of her bucket list. Either way, she’s doing something that most of us only dream about.
Good luck with the rest of your season Missy! We’ve really enjoyed getting to know you a bit better!
In this DD Women’s Series, we’ve been getting to know Missy Gannon, an East Coast native who spread her wings to Colorado, only to find a passion for disc golf and a supportive community around the sport. After becoming immersed in her local club and spending time honing her skills, the idea of venturing out on the road as a touring pro started to get more and more exciting.
Part 3 of this series sheds some light on how Missy decided to take the leap to play disc golf full-time and how she’s making up for lost years. Let’s jump right in!
Changing Plans
When Missy and her fiancé decided to move to Colorado, there was never any inkling in their minds that they would fall in love with disc golf. But after playing more and more regularly and growing their game, the thought of it becoming a job became more of a reality. “There was no original plan to leave Colorado and the booming disc golf scene there,” she said.
However, around the holiday season of 2017, Missy began to feel like she needed to make a change. Noting that there are so many up and coming players who are just entering into adulthood, Missy’s age started to play a factor in her decision making. “I thought ‘man, I’m 28 now and I’ll be 29 in March. It’s kind of like now or never.’”
Thinking It Through
Gannon didn’t jump on tour right away in 2018, and it actually took a good six months or so for her to feel confident in her decision. “It was the combination of ‘I like my job’ but I wasn’t in love with it, my fiancé is in construction so he was pretty transplantable, and we weren’t super tied to Colorado other than deciding to move out there,” she explained.
Making sure they could afford it was another endeavor, and as Missy didn’t want to have to rely on cashing at events to ensure their tour was sustainable, they had to make sure they had enough saved up before they hit the road. Going back to their love of the outdoors, the pair realized that if they camped instead of paid for lodging and really stuck to a minimal lifestyle, they could make it work.
“Being uncomfortable isn’t necessarily a bad thing when you can be comfortable with the discomfort. You can’t live the same way you did before,” she says about going on tour. As much of the latter portion of the season is based in the Northeastern area of the country, they will be able to visit their home base in New York and make things work, at least for the time being.
We’ve seen Missy perform exceptionally well so far in just the few months that she’s been a full-time player, and we’re excited to see what the rest of the season has in store. Be sure to check back with us for the final part in our series to learn about her long-term plans for 2019 and beyond.
In our fourth rendition of the Disc Golf Experience, the DD team invaded the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri for a day of fun on the football field. With nine baskets set up safari style, attendees were able to throw shots that they probably never even dreamed of!
Our VIP experience gave some the opportunity to hang out while enjoying food and drinks, and then allowed for one amazing shot from high up in the stadium down to a basket on the field. Others tossed their discs through the goal posts or weaved their way around the entire stadium complex.
We love putting on these types of events, as it gives area locals the chance to experience disc golf in an entirely new way. Whether you’re a fan of football, disc golf, or both, the Disc Golf Experience is a must-attend for anyone.
The DD team is looking forward to putting on more of these events, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted as to when and where the next one will take place. For now, check out some sweet action from the Arrowhead Stadium Disc Golf Experience.
