The sport is similar to regular golf. Participants start at a launchpad and throw discs at a metal basket. Each hole is assigned a “par” number. (Photo by Alyssa Polc/Cronkite News)
The Pro Disc Golf Association kicked off its season in Tucson recently with an All-Star Weekend that set the tone for competition in 2022. (Photo by Alyssa Polc/Cronkite News)
TUCSON – Though more people are taking up the deceptively difficult sport of disc golf as a hobby, it has long been a way of life for pro disc golfers, some of the best of whom participated in the recent season-opening All-Star Weekend in Tucson.
“Everyone here is amazing,” said Lisa Fajkus, a competitor from Texas who has earned more than $90,000 on the tour. “All the competitors are good. Beyond good.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the sports landscape, it also inspired some to seek new outdoor options. Disc golf was that for many. Membership in the Pro Disc Golf Association increased from 53,366 in 2019 to 71,016 in 2020, according to the PDGA. And from 2010 to 2020, total prize money jumped almost $2 million to $4 million.
The sport is similar to golf. Participants start at a launchpad and throw discs at a metal basket. Each hole is assigned a “par” number.
Opening the season with All-Star Weekend is unique to professional disc golf. In most sports, the all-star competition typically takes place midway through the season or near the end. The thinking behind the placement of the disc golf tour event is that it serves as a kind of trailer for the season, giving fans a glimpse of what they can expect from their favorite disc throwers in future matches.
Disc golf tournaments attract fans of all ages include Bodhi, left, who was there to cheer on her favorite competitor, Heather Young. (Photo by Alyssa Polc/Cronkite News)
“It kind of gives me spring training vibes,” said Hunter Pickard, a disc golf amateur. “You have these great players in one city, on one field, basically, warming up for the season ahead. I think it encourages more people to get into the sport because they see how competitively fun it can be. It’s fantastic to watch and be a part of.”
Fans come from all over the country to attend live disc golf events, including many who travel in renovated vans and buses from tournament to tournament just like most of the players do.
One at All-Star Weekend was Bodhi, who is described in her Instagram bio as a “toddler traveler.” She tours full time with her parents, Stephanie and Taylor, in a “skoolie,” where they live and explore different parts of the country, all while attending disc golf tournaments.
Bodhi could be spotted in her plum-colored attire. Her bubbly and rollicking personality was as hard to miss as her colorful wardrobe. She held up a “Go Heather” homemade sign as she cheered on one of her favorite pro disc golfers, Heather Young.
This year, the PDGA made the decision to spice things up and add a snake draft to the mix for the very first time. The snake draft consists of captains taking turns picking players to create teams. For the women, team captains included Paige Pierce and Catrina Allen. Eagle McMahon and Calvin Heimburg served as captains for the men.
The tournament lasted three days at El Conquistador Resort. Friday consisted of a skills competition between teams. Doubles matches were held Saturday, followed by singles matches on Sunday. Each event drew intrigued fans who stood around and watched.
“You know, these fans are dedicated to watching and coming out each season and to each tournament,” Disc Golf Pro Tour owner Todd Rainwater said. “We want to give them the best experience possible. They’ve traveled from all over to be here, and they deserve to have a good time.”
Rainwater is banking on the fans returning home and talking to their friends and families about the event. “That’s how the sport continues to grow,” he said.
With tournaments all over the United States between February and October, people have ample opportunities to take in a disc golf event – either in person or through live streaming. All-Star Weekend was a perfect example of the different ways to experience the event. Hundreds of people of all ages surrounded the course and followed the players from hole to hole. Those not able to physically attend streamed the tournament online at DGPT.com. With improvements in technology, course setups, and streaming, attendance is expected to continue to increase in the coming years.
“We have a nice foundation,” said Rainwater, who added, “These players put in so much work and are great at what they do. That needs to be displayed for people to see and enjoy, whether that’s online or in-person.”
Related story
Disc Golf is one of the fastest growing sports, according to Disc Golf Mentor. With the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacting the sports world in 2020, people looked for new ways to stay entertained. Suddenly, disc golf became the new fad.
“It was never something I had even thought about, let alone doing,” Pickard said. “When the pandemic hit, there was nothing going on. Nothing was open, and if it was, there were so many safety regulations and hour changes.
“So, I ventured to a park near my house to get some fresh air and noticed the disc golf baskets. I figured, ‘Why not try it since I’m not doing anything else?’”
Pickard is just one example out of the thousands of people who recently got into playing disc golf. According to Sabattus Disc Golf, approximately 50 million rounds were played in 2020, triple the number played the previous year.
All-Star Weekend was a big hit with the fans and competitors alike.
“Getting that text was so cool,” said Rebecca Cox, a pro disc golfer and president and founder of Diversify Disc Golf. “It was a fun surprise for me. …I got kind of lucky being an All-Star. I had to take advantage of this opportunity.”
DutchNews.nl is publishing 10 articles focusing on the 10 cities where most international residents live in the run up to the local elections in March. Part 3: Leiden.
Twelve political parties will be vying for control of ‘Sleutelstad’ in this year’s elections, but the safe bet is the three that have dominated regional politics for over a decade will remain in power. The current and presumably future reigning trio are D66, GroenLinks, and VVD.
If they hold the line and retain their current coalition on the city’s executive board, they’ll be tasked with helping it bounce back from two years of lockdowns that have impacted both small businesses and arguably its biggest: Leiden University. These are just a few of the concerns Leiden voters are taking with them to the polls in a few weeks.
‘The council has succeeded in some areas, such as better cycling paths and garbage disposal/collection, but failed in others, including the provision of affordable housing to rent or buy,’ one voter said in a recent survey by the International Community Advisory panel about the local election.
‘They should focus more on the transition to green energy use, affordable housing and social services,’ said another.
Safe streets
The largest focus of many local parties this year seems to be how to manage Leiden’s streets. It’s become one of the most contentious topics in town. On one side of the debate, those who would like to see as many vehicles as possible booted out of the centre of the city and the maximum speed limit reduced to 30 kph. On the other, locals who are determined to keep the streets open to car traffic and increase the amount of parking.
D66 would like to move forward with a proposal that includes a car-free centre that prioritises pedestrians and cyclists over vehicles. They’d like to keep car traffic limited to only locals within the Singel, the ring of waterways that encircle the core of Leiden.
The VVD disagrees and wants to retain as much parking as possible. Their stance: ‘After all, a car is often not a choice, but a necessity for many people. For example for work or care.’ Meanwhile, no one seems to know what to do with the city’s buses or which streets to allow them to drive down.
Not enough housing
As with many other cities around the country, Leiden has a housing shortage that has led to eye-watering prices on real estate listings. The situation boiled over in February when local members of PvdA and GroenLinks fled a heated protest organised by a group called Woonrevolutie (housing revolt).
Some 23 demonstrators were later arrested after allegedly hurling stones at police. Squatters have also taken over an old building on the Van der Werfstraat that had been neglected for a decade, much to the chagrin of the VVD. They’ve been posting about their efforts to hang on to it over on their Twitter page.
Photo: Brandon Hartley
It’s a situation that recalls the protests and squats of prior generations. As the costs of mortgages and rents continue to soar and the university’s students continue to struggle to find suitable accommodations, party leaders have been searching for solutions and how best to encourage self-occupancy obligations.
GroenLinks remains committed to building affordable social housing, student residences, and starter homes. Leaders over at D66, meanwhile, have been crowing about their party’s contributions to housing initiatives that have led to the construction of hundreds of homes around the city.
Other issues
Additional hot topics this election season include proposals to help cafes and bars recover from the crisis, funding accountability among the parties, if the maximum limit for new buildings should be raised above 70 metres, whether or not to experiment with municipal cannabis cultivation, and various proposals for Polderpark Cronesteyn.
D66 wants to construct a green sky bridge and a walking path that will connect the beloved park to Oostvlietpolder. A grassroots effort successfully convinced the council not to convert a portion of it into a disc golf park earlier this month. This was just the latest debate in a long series about whether to keep Leiden’s green spaces green or turn them into sporting facilities.
The race to the election
Many parties around town seem to be racing to make up for lost time with campaigning. On Saturday, 19 February, there were few signs, both literal and figurative, around town of the upcoming election. The usual billboards that feature party posters hadn’t gone up, but volunteers from both the CDA and GroenLinks were handing out flyers at the outdoor Saturday market along the Nieuwe Rijn.
‘Because of the lockdowns, it has been difficult to organise public events,’ one Groenlinks campaigner explained. ‘We only have about four weeks until the elections, so we won’t be able to do one for internationals.’
Photo: Brandon Hartley
Key facts:
Current council executive: D66, GroenLinks, PvdA
Current council make-up: D66 (9), GroenLinks (7), VVD (6), PvdA (6), CDA (3), PvdD (3), SP (3), Partij Sleutelstad (1), ChristenUnie (1), Leiden Participeert (1), Fractie Marcel Terlouw (1; former member of GroenLinks, will participate with new party Klimaat Actie Nu)
New parties participating Studenten Voor Leiden, Klimaat Actie Nu
Total number of voters: 103,189
Number of international voters: 10,000 (9,8%)
Local election information in English Voting compass Expat center website GroenLinks PvdD (national website) The city will publish voting information at a later date PvdA and Leiden Participeert to follow
Election events for internationals None planned so far
Additional reporting by Jan Douwe Krist. This article was made possible by a donation from Stichting Democratie & Media.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl
The DutchNews.nl team would like to thank all the generous readers who have made a donation in recent weeks. Your financial support has helped us to expand our coverage of the coronavirus crisis into the evenings and weekends and make sure you are kept up to date with the latest developments.
DutchNews.nl has been free for 14 years, but without the financial backing of our readers, we would not be able to provide you with fair and accurate news and features about all things Dutch. Your contributions make this possible.
If you have not yet made a donation, but would like to, you can do so via Ideal, credit card or Paypal.
Over the years, Texas has safeguarded numerous magnificent land areas to offer people an opportunity to get away from the crowds of the city–resulting in a plethora of fantastic camping locations around Dallas.
Wildlife sanctuaries and conservation activities have replaced livestock roads and open fields. There’s a place for you whether you’re searching for a more traditional camping spot or some fun glamping near Dallas!
In every region of Texas, you’ll find RV parks, rustic camping areas, and fully-equipped campsites.
Here’s where you may go camping near Dallas, Texas!
Cedar Hill State Park
With huge tracts of open ground and pathways to wander, Cedar Hill is a terrific natural destination to visit near Dallas. Fortunately, Texas state parks offer free fishing in the park’s lakes.
The Vineyards Campgrounds and Cabins
During the 4th of July, visitors flock to Grapevine Lake to watch fireworks. There is, however, a lovely lakeside resort with cottages and RV sites where visitors can enjoy the lake all year.
This region differs from other campsites around Dallas in that it isn’t fully distant from the city, which is ideal for first-time campers or people who are hesitant to travel to a state park. There are washing and dryers on-site, as well as fully equipped cabins.
Twin Coves Campground
Twin Coves Campground is the place to go if you’re searching for a basic campground close to Grapevine Lake.
There are both rustic and fully furnished cabins and RV sites available for rent. With 19 furnished cabins and 22 RV sites, the property fills up quickly during the holidays! Linens and dishes are provided in the cabins.
Outdoor activities like disc golf and horseshoe are offered in this area. Water sports can also be done with a single or tandem kayak.
Willow Grove Park
Willow Grove Park, on the banks of Lewisville Lake near Dallas, has both RV and rustic campsites.
Within a 30-day period, campers can remain for up to two weeks. Because primitive campsites are first-come, first-served, you should arrive early in the day if possible to get a nice place. It is also perfect for a romantic gateway.
Ray Roberts Lake State Park
Ray Roberts Lake State Park is a terrific place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and let the sounds of traffic and commotion drift away.
Depending on your needs, there are group campsites and more basic campsites available.
Equestrian campsites are accessible near the equestrian paths, which is an interesting feature of the park.
SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — For those unfamiliar with disc golf, eyebrows can be raised as they see what appears to be a net on a pole in the middle of a field or wooded area.
For those who have a love of the emerging activity, the course is a cherished place for enjoyment.
“Disc golf has been a part of Sam Michaels Park since 2018,” said Tommy Van Vliet, recreation coordinator for the Jefferson County park system. “While we started out slow, it has exploded in popularity over the past few years.”
The first organized meeting of the Eastern Panhandle Disc Golf Club was held in spring 2019, Van Vliet said, mentioning it attracted 14 attendees.
“Since then, each March through October, the club meets on Thursday evenings, in rain or shine, to play a round together,” he said, adding that most nights average between 15-20 players. “The league is free to play, and players of all skill levels join in.”
The open environment of the club has seen the membership grow significantly, with the numbers most recently rising to over 240 active members.
“Not only has disc golf grown rapidly in our area, but, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a renewed desire to be outdoors, disc golf, as a sport, has grown in leaps and bounds across America,” Van Vliet said.
According to Van Vliet, the Professional Disc Golf Association, founded in 1976, now has a membership of more than 200,000.
Sam Michaels Park is currently the only public disc golf course in Jefferson County. The course offers a mix of open field holes, shots through trees and across ponds and utilizes the natural features of the park. The range of difficulty challenges more advanced players, while the less-challenging holes encourage novice players to try the sport.
“According to statistics provided by UDisc, the official scorekeeping and course directory app of the PDGA, Sam Michaels Park Disc Golf Course was played an estimated 6,500 times in 2021, by nearly 700 unique players,” Van Vliet said.
“You can find players of all ages out on the course throughout the day, playing through rain, wind and even snow,” he said, mentioning that Sam Michaels Park was also the site of the Eastern Panhandle Disc Golf Club’s first Glow-in-the-Dark Disc Golf League.
The players in that league spread play over six weeks in October and November on Thursday evenings, using lights to illuminate each basket, along with flashing LED lights or glow-in-the-dark tape stuck to their discs, to enjoy the course in a fun new way at night. Prizes were awarded to the top three finishers over the six-week series, in both recreational and advanced level divisions. The rest of the money collected, as part of the series, was the first step in fundraising for continued growth in disc golf at Sam Michaels Park.
According to Van Vliet, plans made by members of the Disc Golf Club were approved by Jefferson County Parks & Recreation management to make additions to the course in 2022. The current expansion plans will add a new, second tee location to each hole, allowing players the option on each hole to choose between a more challenging starting position and one that is slightly easier and/or closer to the basket.
Additionally, each hole will also have a dedicated “juniors” tee location, allowing younger players or those new to the game to experience the course by starting each hole roughly 100-225 feet from the basket, without any large trees or obstacles to navigate. A small number of baskets will also be slightly moved to increase player safety with higher numbers of players on the course simultaneously.
To raise the additional funds needed for the planned work on the course, the club has organized a GoFundMe page to accept donations.
“Our current goal is to collect $3,500, which will cover the cost of all the planned updates, as well as serve to assist Jefferson County Parks & Recreation maintenance staff with the upkeep and maintenance of the course throughout the year,” Van Vliet said.
Any additional funds raised with the GoFundMe campaign will be put towards future disc golf projects in Jefferson County. Club members hope to raise more to self-fund this project, rather than asking Jefferson County Parks & Recreation for any additional funding.
“We hope that, with increased use and future tournaments being held at the course, that Sam Michaels Park Disc Golf Course and any other properties containing disc golf courses can be revenue-generating features within our parks & recreation system,” Van Vliet said.
Van Vliet can be reached via Jefferson County parks and recreation at 304-728-3207 for more information on the disc golf club.
Cranbrook’s professional disc golfer Casey Hanemayer has his sights set on his biggest year yet, and with an extension with his sponsor Prodigy Disc Golf and a spot on Team Canada for the World Flying Disc Federation’s (WFDF) World Team Disc Golf Championships in Croatia this summer, he’s off to a good start already.
“Being able to resign with Prodigy has been awesome, they have given me the support that I need to play this season,” Hanemayer said. “Since I signed with them two years ago the relationship has grown, and I am happy with everything that they have done for me.”
Hanemayer had a great year in the 2021 season, winning numerous tournaments, and securing himself a spot at the United Disc Golf Championships in Rock Hill, S.C., but this year he intends to play a lot more events in the U.S., less hindered by COVID-19 travel restrictions.
READ MORE: Cranbrook’s Casey Hanemayer qualifies for United States Disc Golf Championship
“This season is going to be my biggest tournament and travel season yet,” he said. “I’m going to be playing in multiple Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) events in the U.S., along with many tournaments in Canada.”
His trip to Varazsin, Croatia from August 17 to 20, will not be the first time Hanemayer has travelled internationally to play disc golf, and in fact not his first time representing Canada at the World Team Disc Golf Championships.
READ MORE: Cranbrook’s Casey Hanemayer performs well in Thailand disc golf tournament
“I played in the World Team Championships in Estonia in 2019 which was a great experience and I will be bringing that to this year’s event,” he said.
Hanemayer will be one of 10 Canadians, six of whom are from B.C., heading over to play in the event, which consists of multiple games, singles and doubles, all in a match play format.
According to CandDiscGolf.com This year the team assembled “features a mix of the highest-rated athletes and some of the most experienced Team Disc Golf Championship veterans Canada has to offer.”
“To be named to the team again is a great feeling and I hope with the previous experience I can play with more confidence and give Canada the best possible chance to win.”
Hanemayer plans for the first event of his season to be the Dynamic Discs Open in Emporia, Kansas: an historic venue for the sport and the site of this year’s 2022 PDGA World Championships. This year the DDO runs from April 28 to May 1.
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
This week is homecoming at Newman, and the 2022 king and queen will be announced tonight during the halftime of the men’s basketball game.
The men’s game will start at 7:30 p.m. in Fugate Gymnasium and will follow the women’s game, which starts at 5:30 p.m.
The winner of Wednesday night’s Lip Sync Battle will perform during the halftime of the women’s basketball game, said Vanessa Rials, Newman’s Director of Multicultural Engagement and Campus Life.
Newman’s 2022 homecoming king and queen will be crowned during the break in the men’s game and will come from a pool of five male and five female finalists. All 10 candidates will be on the court for the ceremony, Rials said.
Students voted for the winners earlier this week.
“We encourage everyone to come,” Rials said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to celebrate our students and their accomplishments. Homecoming is a time to really hype up our school spirit and recognize some outstanding students.”
These are the 10 finalists for homecoming king and queen, all of whom are seniors:
Tejay Cleland is a communication major with a minor in journalism. While at Newman, he was a part of the baseball team as both a player and coach. He has been writing for the student newspaper, The Vantage, for two years, serving as both sports editor and editor-in-chief. He also is a reporter for KWCH-Channel 12 in Wichita.
Daniel Knolla is a biochemistry major on the pre-med track and he plans to attend the University of Kansas Medical Center next semester. He has been a part of many major theater productions, including the upcoming “Mary Queen of Scots,” and is also part of the Sloppy Joes. Knolla also is a Biology Lab TA.
Tyler Push obtained a bachelor’s degree last year with a double major in sports communication and business management. He returned to school this year to pursue his master’s degree in leadership business while also utilizing an extra year of eligibility to play basebal, which he has done for four years. He also is a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and is the sports editor for The Vantage.
Steven Nguyen is majoring in English and secondary education in hopes of becoming a high school English teacher. He has been on the triathlon team for four years and has been a Campus Minister for three years. He also started and created a course for the Disc Golf Club, and as an ASC Scholar, he has spent time volunteering to work with inner city kids.
Brenden Schwartz is majoring in psychology and theatre and is a member of the honors program. He has been a captain of the Sloppy Joe Improv team for three years and an honors house leader for two years. He serves on the board for Pi Gamma Mu and is a writer for The Vantage.
Kayla Garvert is double majoring in management information systems and business data analytics. She is a St. Newman Scholar as well as an active member of the honors program and has served as a Traditions and Transitions facilitator for three years. She worked for the Student Life department for two years and also served as the Student Government Association’s vice president during her sophomore year.
Julia Myers is a senior business data analytics major. She is a member of the Newman triathlon team, an honors student, and an ASC scholar. She is also actively involved in Campus Ministry and was a student ambassador for three years. After graduation, she will start a full-time position as an aftermarket data analyst at Textron Aviation Defense.
Marie Moore is a biology major and hopes to attend medical school after graduation. For the past three years, she has been a microbiology TA, and within the past year, she has served as president of the Medical Professions Club. She also has been involved in the Sloppy Joe improv and has acted in four Newman productions. She is also a member of the honors program.
Anna Veltien is majoring in biology with a pre-medical technology concentration. She’s been a part of the Newman softball team for four years and has also served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee for the past two years. Over the past three years, she has served as a senator for the Student Government Association.
Allison Williams is majoring in both criminal justice and psychology and minoring in theatre. She has been involved in every theatrical and musical production put on during her time at Newman. She is involved in Pi Gamma Mu and Newman Theatre Club. She also has been accepted into the Clinical Forensic Psychology doctoral program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles and plans to move there after her wedding this summer.
The Carthage City Commission has given a professional disc golfer permission to create a new disc golf course at the ballpark.
Miles Seaborn, who plays professionally, had previously asked the city to let him design and fundraise for a new course at the ballpark. He got that permission last week, with commissioners saying they were looking forward to the new amenity.
“There have been a lot of positive comments online,” City Manager Steve Williams said.
The project does not use any city funds; commissioners just gave approval for Seaborn to use city-owned land around the walking trail for the disc golf course. Seaborn plans to fundraise for each of the course’s holes.
Seaborn has been working to finalize a plan for the course, using the naturally wooded area around the walking trail. There will not be a lot of clearing to do; Seaborn said much of the area’s natural obstacles are something disc golfers prefer to keep.
He is planning nine holes, with two ways to play each for a total of 18 holes. The course will be accessed through the walking trail, but Seaborn says people will be playing away from the trail, so they won’t be hitting anyone.
“None of the holes cross or play close enough to the path to have any real impact on it,” Seaborn said. “And that utilizes a lot of the already-manicured space. So as far as new upkeep, they’re really not going to be. The idea is to do about a $700 hole sponsorship that pays for all the equipment and the installation.”
Seaborn previously designed a disc golf course in Logansport and has been playing the sport for 15 years.
“Designing is different than playing, obviously, but you know, I know kind of what I’m looking for. And I’m happy with this. I don’t know if you remember last time, but I’ve actually reversed the layout from what I thought it would be because it gives more room to make the holes a little bit more challenging. There will be two tee boxes on every hole. So there’s a more amateur, intermediate beginner tee box, something easier, then something a little longer for advanced players.”
Seaborn encouraged city commissioners to give the sport a try and also noted it’s good for kids of all ages.
“It’s a good activity for young kids too and youth,” he said, adding “the numbers, you know it’s been around for almost 50 years, the first 41 years of professional Disc Golf Association, they went from zero to 100,000 members. In the last four, they’ve gone from 100,000 to over 200,000 and COVID. So it’s exploding like crazy.”
February 23, 2022 by Charlie Eisenhood, Patrick Aubyrn, Kingsley Flett, Gabe LaBounty, Jesse Weisz, Cameron Guidry, Christopher Wiklund, Steve Andrews and Ben Murphy in Preview with comments
The 2022 disc golf season is finally here! The top professional players are warming up in the Nevada sunshine as the Las Vegas Challenge, the first stop on the 2022 Disc Golf Pro Tour, kicks off the touring season tomorrow.
Inside, we look at the stories that will define the next nine months!
PDGA/DGPT Unification: Tour Cards, Playoffs, and Media, Oh My!
In some ways, it’s remarkable how quickly the Disc Golf Pro Tour has gone from a shaky foundation to being the only game in town, with all the North American players and even top European athletes planning their seasons around it.
In the offseason, the PDGA ceded control of the professional side of the game to the DGPT, folding the long-standing National Tour into a single, unified Disc Golf Pro Tour. And the professionalization has been happening fast. Top players from 2021 (plus some European and other exemptions) get a slew of benefits as a Tour Card holder. The Pro Tour sold its media rights to post-production teams for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Minimum added cash is going ever higher.
And the season structure is getting more clearly defined as well. Now, Majors earn players DGPT points, too, and everything funnels into a multi-tournament playoff structure that whittles the field down from 150 at Green Mountain Championships to 96 at the MVP Open to 48 at the DGPT Championship, a model loosely modeled around the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup.
The DGPT is borrowing another concept from other professional sports: the play-in tournament. Major League Baseball recently added a Wild Card play-in game; the NBA also introduced two 4-team play-in tournaments to set its 16-team bracket last year. This year, the DGPT will offer six players in both MPO and FPO the chance to earn the final two spots in the Tour Championship: the next two players in the standings, then any players that won an Elite Series event or Major but didn’t directly qualify for the Tour Championship, and then any additional slots allocated to the next players in the standings.
All together, it stands as an inflection point in pro disc golf history, a changing power balance and new focus at the elite end of the sport.
– Charlie Eisenhood
Is this the Year of the Dark Horse?
Gregg Barsby holds a scorecard during 2018 Pro Worlds. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen – PDGA
I first met Gregg Barsby in the car park at Delaveaga prior to the Pro Worlds in 2011. He approached me while I was flipping through racks of discs at the fly-mart and said, “hey man, I’ve got a few discs in the car to sell, they’ll be cheaper.” I followed the future world champ back to a little wagon-style car with its best years well behind it, by a decade or more. In the back was a jumble of clothes, a sleeping bag, and boxes of discs. Barsby’s tour included 31 tournaments that year. He would finish 16th that week in Santa Cruz and earn $575 in prize money on his way to $11,923 for the year. The few discs he sold me and anyone else would have supplemented that prize money, but I had to assume that he attended those 31 tournaments through a combination of sleeping in that car, couch surfing, and the kindness of strangers. If you talk with any pro about touring in those years, they make it sound like a lot of fun. But it’s not an ideal environment for peak athletic performance.
In the past half decade, the sport’s top players have begun to leave that lifestyle behind. Some travel with managers, they either fly-in and out of events, staying in quality accommodation, or travel in mobile homes that would make any van-life YouTuber envious. There are still a few zeros less in their paychecks than those of tennis players or golfers, but, in recent times, our handful of top performers have had a similar touring lifestyle to other pro athletes. This year, they will be joined by quite a few more.
As the increase in prize purses and sponsorship money trickles down to the second and third tiers of the sport, many other disc golfers are leaving the ramen noodles, Walmart carparks, and austere lifestyle behind to embrace a level of preparation that matches the very best in the game. Even a one percent improvement is the difference between being on the podium and not over a 72-hole tournament. I sense that the tide is rising right across the sport.
I wonder which players, then, will take the opportunity and become 2022’s dark horse? It might be Bradley Williams, who has been working hard in his offseason, especially on his putting stroke. Or will Ezra Aderhold break though? Maybe Missy Gannon will build on her stunning win in the DGPT Championship and carry that form through 2022? Or what about Gannon’s podium mate from that tournament Nathan Queen, who spent some of his winnings on some rolling tour hardware. Matt Orum will be touring full time this year (though he’s currently out for this weekend after getting his appendix removed). Has Madison Walker put her injuries behind her? Maybe Holly Finley will continue her relentless drive to the top?
What about the Europeans? Will Linus Carlsson or Eveliina Salonen show us that the game over there has grown in isolation and leapfrogged the US?
This list could go on, but the odds are that 2022’s dark horse won’t be on it. Gregg Barsby himself was a dark horse in 2018 when he won the World Championships. That’s the thing about dark horses: they always surprise you.
– Kingsley Flett
The Europeans Are Back
Kristin Tattar at the 2021 Great Lakes Open. Photo: DGPT
No need for a blurb here when we’ve got an entire series about the return of European disc golf to the world stage. Things get off to quite the start with the FPO feature card in round one of Las Vegas Challenge tomorrow: the top four highest-rated women in the world — Paige Pierce, Kristin Tattar, Eveliina Salonen, and Henna Blomross — will tee off on the same card. It’s the highest-rated FPO card in disc golf history. Really.
– Charlie Eisenhood
Power Players
Unfettered, infinite, and totally ethical growth is what capitalism is all about, but what is disc golf capitalism all about?
In recent years, we have seen a transition occur in the power dynamics between players and their manufacturers. Before 2019 or so, manufacturers were clearly in the driver’s seat when it came to the business side of the game. Players simply couldn’t support themselves on tour without their manufacturer sponsors who provided a stipend, gas money, plastic, and winnings bonuses. There were only a handful of companies involved in professional disc golf, and because of this, they dominated a relatively small market and could dictate the terms of their support without much consequence.
That has changed dramatically. At least at the top levels of the game, players are more valuable to a manufacturing company than the other way around. If the Luna was released as a regular putter in the existing Discraft lineup, would it have been as much of a cash cow? Probably not. Slap McBeth branding on it, and you have a major hit. MVP discs had a cult following but not a huge share of the market or conversation, then James Conrad makes The Shot and they sell more plastic in a couple days than they had over the course of the entire previous year. The PDGA tried to set up a new major with a new format, then the players complained and the PDGA backtracked and capitulated to the players’ demand for a more traditional format.
It seems right now that disc golf capitalism is perhaps a little more Marxian than we realized, where labor (the players) are indeed entitled to and obtaining the fruits of their labor. Fans will spend money on discs and merch, not because they necessarily need the product itself, but because they want to support their favorite player. Whether the plastic is molded in Michigan or California doesn’t really matter to many, but supporting an individual player does matter to fans.
Players and companies who have understood the paradigm shift have been the most successful over the past couple of years, Discraft is the perfect example. In their ads we see Brodie Smith, Paul McBeth, and Paige Pierce in the warehouse, with nary a mention of the actual product. They have been extremely successful in recent years. Innova has let players walk rather than pay them, and their advertising tends to be very product forward. Could they see some sales slippage?
In 2022, there will be new discs released, new merch to buy, new gizmos and gadgets to stuff your bag with, and you will purchase it not because it’s a DD product or a Prodigy doodad. You’ll buy it because you want to support Kona Panis and you like Kevin Jones.
– Chris Wiklund
#ContractYearCalvin
Calvin Heimburg. Photo: DGPT
Let’s take a look at the top five rated players in the world: Ricky Wysocki, Eagle McMahon, Paul McBeth, Calvin Heimburg, and Chris Dickerson.
Paul got paid. Ricky got paid. We don’t know how much Eagle gets paid, but he’s definitely getting paid. Chris Dickerson just bounced from Prodigy so that he can get paid (a Buzzzworthy offseason, no doubt). Further down the ratings leaderboard, Kevin Jones got paid.
Now it’s Calvin’s turn to get paid. Heading into the final season of his current contract with Innova, he’s surely doing just fine for himself, but, if he has a great season, he is going to have some serious suitors in the 2022 offseason. He knows this. The effort going into his social media has picked up quite a bit in recent months, and his game looks sharp: he was the standout player at the All-Star Weekend two weeks ago, showing off his powerful distance in the skills challenge and then finishing first (and beating Eagle) in the singles round.
He’s been one of the best players on tour for two years now, but his 2021 performance was a bit down compared to 2020. Take a look at his stats from the last two years:
There’s the obvious caveat that there were a lot more tournaments on a lot more course in 2021 than in 2020, but you can still see the slight percentage reduction in performance across categories (and relative rankings).
Could a contract year be just the ticket to push Calvin to new highs? You could hardly ask for more motivation heading into a season.
– Charlie Eisenhood
FPO Players to Watch
Stacie Hass at 2021 Junior Worlds. Photo: Kevin Huver — PDGA.
We spend a lot of time evaluating which players in the bottom half of the top 25 will elevate their status and challenge the stalwarts in the top 10. I want to highlight a few players I’m watching to break into the top 25 in 2022.
Let’s start with Holyn Handley and Stacie Hass, the latter my way-too-early frontrunner for DGPT Rookie of the Year Handley would be on my shortlist, too, but she is ineligible after playing four Elite Series/Majors in 2021. Hass was runner-up at Junior Worlds in 2021, and has since raised her rating 27 points to 912. Roll back the tape on the 2021 CCR Open—the kid can bomb. She also converted 76% of her C1X putts in her six UDisc rounds last year. Both are planning extensive U.S. tours.
I’m also keeping an eye on Leah Tsinajinnie. 2022 will be her second full season on tour. It would not surprise me to see her break into the 900-club before the Champions Cup. The ultimate frisbee convert finished 30th in DGPT points and 25th in PDGA NT points last year. Norwegian Lykke Lorentzen plans to visit the states several times this year in addition to playing on the European circuit. Lorentzen was my pick for Breakout Player of the Year in 2020 before the pandemic shut down international travel. Her work ethic is strong, and she spends just as much time in the gym as she does in the field.
Finally, Estonian Keiti Tätte will make her stateside debut this year (though she won’t debut at LVC as planned due to illness). She’ll be in good company, touring with Kristin Tattar and Silver Lätt. If somehow you haven’t seen her long throw-in for birdie at the European Disc Golf Championship, do yourself a favor and check it out. Based on her 937 rating, she is tied for 25th best in the world with Juliana Korver, Ella Hansen, and Alex Benson.
– Patrick Aubyrn
Brodie v. Stokely
Photo: Brodie Smith
Last year in our season preview, I set the over/under line for Brodie Smith’s ratings increase at 1015. He started the 2021 season at 999. He was able to eclipse that number and finished 2021 with a 1017 player rating, where he currently sits to start the 2022 season.
I believe Brodie is still at a point where fans consider him a new player and new to the tour. He was determined to not just be another celebrity or athlete that plays disc golf but to be thought of as a professional disc golfer and that alone. The transition took time but seems to have come to fruition.
As Brodie starts his third year on tour, a veteran of the sport, Scott Stokely, starts his very first year on the Disc Golf Pro Tour. Stokely has been playing in the Men’s Open division longer than Brodie has been alive but has not played in anything higher than a B-Tier in the open division since 2016. He was once rated in the 1020s with his all-time high at 1023.
Stokley is currently rated 992, and he has been in that general neighborhood for most of the last 15 years, with a few peaks around 1010. He has not been rated as high as Brodie is now since the year 2000.
So the question. Who will have a greater ratings jump in 2022: Brodie Smith or Scott Stokely? Secondary questions would be who will have the higher average finish at shared events? And who will have the highest single finish out of all the events they both play?
Scott Stokely
They are both currently signed up to play 11+ events with six in common, both starting in Vegas with the season opener this weekend. I’m sure more will be added for both players as further phases of the DGPT open up.
If I was setting over /unders for each player I would say:
Brodie Smith: 1025
Scott Stokely: 1010
My thinking is that it should be much easier (and faster) for Stokley to bump his rating higher with a 992 starting point, and Brodie is just now reaching that 1020 log jam of players. Getting to that 1025+ region is a different tier in the sport.
Perhaps the question on even more people’s minds: who will win more skins? Both Brodie and Stokely will be playing in the big money skins match at Eagle’s Crossing in April, with at least $11,800 on the line. They’re going up against Calvin Heimburg and Eagle McMahon. Maybe the question is whether they will win any skins at all.
– Darren LeMay
Load Management
The idea of “load management” was popularized by the NBA in the last few years as teams and players started to change how they prioritize the grind of the regular season against the possibility of being healthier and having more energy for the playoffs. Increasingly, players take games off for no reason other than getting some additional rest. This idea was already common in some other sports, such as baseball, where starting pitchers only take the field every fifth game because pitching is so taxing on their throwing arm.
This year has already started with a significant story around load management focused on Eagle McMahon and the health of his right shoulder. He hurt it last October, right before the DGPT Championship, and has been rehabbing it since. Months later, he says his backhand is pain-free, but he’s still not fully comfortable throwing forehands. Two weeks ago at the All-Star preseason event, he showcased a lefty backhand that was a better replacement for his forehand than most of us expected, and he’s also adjusted his tournament schedule to skip the Texas swing, which features courses that require a lot of forehands. His shoulder issues follow after his Discmania teammate, Simon Lizotte, had an elbow injury that first took him out over a year ago and is still affecting his shot selection.
As we see the calendar get packed more and more tightly with tournaments, including a full European swing, it will be interesting to see if load management gains popularity in disc golf circles and which players cite it as part of their decisions about which tournaments to attend — and which shots to throw.
– Ben Murphy
The Big Switch
Eagle McMahon throws a left-handed drive at the 2022 All-Star Weekend.
Speaking of that lefty backhand, one of the most talked about shots at the 2022 All Star Weekend was Eagle McMahon’s 360-foot park job on hole 12. Normally no one would notice Eagle parking an average par 3, but he threw it left-handed and brought gasps of surprise from DGN commentators Nate Doss and Terry Miller. Eagle is also not the only player experimenting with throwing backhands on both sides. Bradley Williams has also been developing his left-handed backhand during the off-season (nicknamed “Fritz”) and has shown its increasing effectiveness on his social media.
This might just be a way for players who are injured to be able to rest their elbows and shoulders from the stress of a power forehand, but it could also be a sign of a future approach to the game. With the difficulty many golfers have found in getting pro distance from their forehand and the injuries that some players with cannon forehands have suffered, is there a chance that “switch throwers” are going to become a thing in disc golf?
Backhand throws generate more spin (hence more distance) than forehands, so there’s a tangible reason for players to try to develop a backhand on both sides. Don’t expect a sudden sea change amongst current touring pros, but the young players still learning the game? They might have reason to start getting that off-hand field work working.
– Steve Andrews
Live Coverage: More Split Streams in 2022
Based on public statements from Jeff Spring and chatter I’m hearing behind the scenes, it looks like we will see more split streams for MPO and FPO this year. Recall last season the women teed off after the men most of the time, meaning the beginning of their round overlapped with the end of MPO. This approach was, in part, an earnest attempt to increase FPO viewership. The DGPT and DGN banked on retaining MPO viewers for the final nine holes or so of FPO; however, the tradeoff was that viewers interested primarily in watching FPO missed roughly 50% of that coverage.
At LVC, we’re seeing the first evidence that the Pro Tour will prioritize splitting the streams this season. That brings us back to the previous model, which had the women on the course first. In Vegas, the first FPO card is going out at 7:00 AM local time with the feature cards teeing off at 8:44 AM and 9:00 AM. As someone who often watches the women’s coverage to the exclusion of the open division, I applaud the change. I am certain the women’s field writ large enjoyed the afternoon tee times: for one thing, it usually meant better weather (remember that cold and snowy Jonesboro Open round from 2018?), but arranging tournament schedules to facilitate uninterrupted coverage of the FPO division is the right move on balance. Women’s disc golf is compelling in its own right without having to ride the men’s coattails.
On a related note: does this mean Catrina Allen has an early season advantage? Famous for rising in the five o’clock hour to hit the gym, the A.M. tee times won’t necessitate changing her alarm. I expect many of her competitors may take some time to adjust to the early wakeup call. The Europeans might also enjoy the early starts, as it will be the middle of the afternoon across the Atlantic.
– Patrick Aubyrn
Is Drew Gibson’s Play Style Sustainable?
Drew Gibson at the 2021 Ledgestone Open. Photo: DGPT
Gibson ended the season with a significant bang, threatening for wins at the DGPT Championship, USDGC, and Idlewild during the back end of the season. Additionally, he flashed a more dynamic putting game, even if you take away his supernova-hot run to keep pace with Nathan Queen in Charlotte.
Gibson may be the best midrange thrower in the game, but his audacious play style flies in the face of how others might play if their strongest asset was their midrange game. Gibson finished the season 96th in OB percentage, and frequently displayed no fear in putting himself in tough positions so long as he was also getting strokes on holes few others were touching. This led to highs and lows: for every Pro Tour Championship, there was a GMC, where he finished T-71st. It will be interesting to see if the putting strength continues, and if Drew’s brash, DeChambeau-esque strategy will pay dividends.
– Cam Guidry
Velediaz Ascendent?
Macie Velediaz at the 2021 TPWDGC. Photo: DGPT
Dynamic Discs announced Macie Velediaz’s one-year extension two weeks before revealing marquee signees Kona Panis and Valerie Mandujano. It feels like she’s been lost in the shuffle somewhat following those later announcements, but don’t sleep on her. Of the three, Mandujano boasts the highest rating at 950 with Panis clocking in a point shy at 949, but Velediaz is not far behind at 942. She only played six Elite Series tournaments in 2021 and finished in the top 10 four times: third place at the Dynamic Discs Open and the Music City Open, fourth at the Jonesboro Open, and seventh at the Throw Pink Championship. The Tennessean also boasted the fifth highest birdie rate in 2021 per UDisc statistics and was top six in all driving categories. If she can shore up her short game and bring down her OB rate, her stature will rise quickly. I want to see her raise her C1X putting percentage by 5% up to 67% (see: Eveliina Salonen, Maria Oliva, and Kristin Tattar) and lower her OB rate by 1.5% to around 11% (see: Valerie Mandujano, Ohn Scoggins, Ellen Widboom).
Velediaz seems unfazed by the limelight in her press appearances, but one can’t help but think those numbers will improve with more time on tour, which should increase her comfort in high pressure situations and on coverage. Her 2022 tour schedule includes all of the US Majors, nine DGPT stops, and two Silver Series, more than double last year’s slate.
– Patrick Aubyrn
What Will Ricky Wysocki Be Bagging?
Ricky Wysocki at the 2018 Tyyni. Photo: Marika Salmi
In The Bag videos may serve as an engagement machine for pros, but with so many players making a big switch this year, they’ll likely hold more water than normal when it comes to predicting the 2022 season. How Catrina Allen replaces her F7 or Dickerson his FX-2 both are interesting questions, but, for my money, I want to see how Ricky Wysocki’s bag shakes out after his move to Dynamic Discs. With two world titles under his belt with Trilogy, it’s likely that he has some old favorites he’s excited to dust off. However, there’s so much more to explore in the Trilogy lineups than when he last represented them. Harp vs. Slammer, Defender vs. Rive — we saw Ricky reach for the less heralded Innova Whale last season in big moments, what will he settle on for his putting putter in 2022?
Wysocki was a cut above in 2021, and while I’m a firm believer of archer over arrows, it’s still a focal point of at least the early stretch of the season. He talks about his plan for Las Vegas Challenge in today’s Upshot Interview Series.
– Cam Guidry
The “Grassroute” or Commercial Takeoff?
The Disc Golf Pro Tour is now the official pro tour of the PDGA.
For as long as disc golf has been around, it has had a well-deserved underground, grassroots reputation, but since its inception as an organized sport, it has also been a commercial venture. After all, the DGA and PDGA were founded by a department head of a 1960s toy company. Until the last two years, the spread of elite competitive disc golf has largely been in pockets around the United States and Northern and Eastern Europe with a national and international tour to connect everyone in the Frisbee Family diaspora.
The 2021 COVID outdoor sports boom brought exponential growth for disc golf on a level unheard of in the sport’s history, and the Disc Golf Pro Tour capitalized on several broadcast opportunities, but the last two years wasn’t without friction. The PDGA is a slow-moving machine by nature, as a non-profit with a board of directors elected by the player base, and was roundly criticized for poor handling of National Tour tournaments and Majors compared to DGPT stops, but elite tournaments will now be operating under the proven methods of the for-profit Pro Tour.
There has always been a push and pull between the sport’s executive level and the local player/organizer base. The grassroots nature of disc golf’s growth over the last 50 years is at a turning point with the tour unifying under the DGPT banner and more eyes on the sport than ever. The DGPT is still working out some kinks in their processes, but it is now the biggest growth engine disc golf has seen since Headrick’s network of regional pros. Disc golf’s elite players will enjoy a higher level of tournament administration proven by the DGPT in the past two years, but does this signal a larger move away from the grassroots spirit that brought many into the sport where top pros are easily accessible to and, in some cases, rely on fans to bolster their bags with out-of-stock discs?
Will the influx of new players who are often unaware of disc golf’s history change the culture of the game writ large? The 2022 season will be a bellwether for how much of disc golf’s grassroots kinship is sacrificed in the name of growth, and what influences will remain from the tight-knit group born of the PDGA’s transition from a profit-focused business to a player-run non-profit.
– Gabe LaBounty
The Next Rookies of The Year
Micah Groth could be in the running for 2022 Rookie of the Year. Photo: Hayden Henry — PDGA.
5-time world champion Juliana Korver raised eyebrows when she won the 2021 DGPT Rookie of The Year award. So much so that the DGPT felt they needed to change the qualification rules. Under the new rules, the DGPT Rookie of the Year will go to the MPO and FPO players with the highest point total who has not played in more than three DGPT Elite Series, National Tour, or Major tournaments in a single previous season. Players who have competed in two or more Majors in a single previous season are also ineligible.
These new rules narrow the field of which players are most likely to win the DGPT ROY in 2022. The more events a player attends, the more chances they have to amass the tour points needed to win, so the first place to look for contenders is this list of tour card recipients. Of the 84 men and 37 women who were able to get tour cards, I counted only seven players that would qualify for Rookie of the Year. In MPO, those players were Micah Groth, Issac Robinson, Kristo Raik, Lauri Lehtinen, and 2021 European Disc Golf Champion Niklas Anttila. For FPO, I found Aria Castruita and Keiti Tätte.
There is still a good chance someone without a Tour Card can place high enough at DGPT and Major events to win ROY. For example, 1035-rated Linus Carlsson does not have a tour card yet announced a pretty extensive tour in the US for the early part of 2022 and said the DGPT (and Majors) are his focus. Another contendor for ROY, Iceland’s Blær Örn Ásgeirsson, told me he had already registered for many of the early season tournaments before the tour card became available.
While the Europeans are probably the favorites to win the MPO Rookie of the Year award, perhaps a young American can follow the Gannon Buhr path to stardom. Buhr, the 2019 PDGA Junior World Championship, took the pro tour by storm in 2021 en route to his ROTY award. Micah Groth seems like a good candidate after his win at the 2021 NADGT-National Championship and third-place showing at PDGA Junior Worlds. On the FPO side, Aria Castruita has a very promising future after her wins at both PDGA Junior Worlds and the NADGT-National Championship. Stacie Hass, who finished second at 2021 PDGA Junior Worlds, also seems to be preparing for a full tour.
Either way, it is very unlikely we will have another ROY who comes into the season with a Hall of Fame-worthy resume. Sorry, Des Reading and Scott Stokely!
– Jesse Weisz
Who Will Finish the Year at #1 in the World?
Paige Pierce at the 2021 Ledgestone Open. Photo: DGPT
This is a question every year, of course, but it’s been a while since we’ve really seen the full field of elite disc golfers all competing together at the biggest tournaments. Paige Pierce finished at #1 despite a poor finish to her 2021 season, but she wasn’t at her sharpest for much of the second half of the year and was outright beat by Kristin Tattar twice, despite Tattar not playing many events. The race for the top spot in FPO feels more open than ever before after years of dominance from Pierce.
MPO, too, is intriguing. Multiple top players have new bags, some top pros are playing more extensive tours, and the ascendance of young talent like Calvin Heimburg, Eagle McMahon, and Kyle Klein seems poised to topple the Paul/Ricky era.
Could this be the year? People thought Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal would be mothballed a long time ago, too, and those guys keep winning majors. Ricky comes into the season at #1, and McBeth was the best player at the Majors in 2021, despite getting Worlds ripped away from him from 247′ away.
But their grasp on the top spot is no longer assured. Eagle McMahon is only one rating point behind Wysocki and is two ahead of McBeth, and Heimburg and Chris Dickerson are not far behind. Adam Hammes and Klein are surging. And who knows just how good the Europeans will be after two years off the tour?
America’s SBDC at Tarleton State University’s presents an upcoming webinar titled “Use Youtube to Grow Your Business” at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Learn how to use YouTube and the power of video to promote your business or brand.
In this workshop we’ll cover:
• Creating and organizing a YouTube channel
• Adding videos and streaming with YouTube Live
• Video ad formats
To register, go to register.gotowebinar.com/register/692259536711535628
Center hosting COVID-19 vaccine clinic
Doctors Medical Center, a primary care health clinic, located on the main campus of the Comanche County Medical Center (CCMC) offers COVID-19 vaccines and boosters every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Moderna vaccines are customarily administered 10-11:30 a.m., Pfizer vaccines from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Get on the schedule by calling the clinic at (254) 879-4910.
Doctors Medical Center is located at 10201 Highway 16 North, Comanche (midway between De Leon and Comanche).
Hearsay hosting live music, comedian
Hearsay Wine Bar, 270 W College St., is hosting live music and comedy at its new patio bar from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Come join us on the patio and listen to the Immediate Blues music and stand-up comedian Bill Muncey. Hearsay Wine Bar is open 4-10 p.m.
For more information, call (254) 434-2244.
Senior Center hosting Chili Cookoff
Stephenville Senior Citizen Center, 164 E. College St., is hosting a Chili Cookoff at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, for National Chili Day.
Setup will be from 10-10:45 a.m. with judging beginning at 11 a.m.
This is for amateur cooks only and individual entries, no teams. Contestants may be of any age.
There is a $5 entry fee.
For more information and specific rules, contact the center at (254) 918-1288 or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stephenvilleseniorcitizencenter/
Volunteers sought to plan Dublin Easter Egg Hunt
Would you like to be involved with planning and holding a community Easter Egg Hunt in April? Dublin DQ’s manager Shanna Phelps, has stepped up and offered to lead a group of volunteers to make an event happen here in Dublin.
Join volunteers at the Dublin Texas Chamber of Commerce, 110 S. Patrick St., at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25 to flesh out ideas and plan the event.
We need your help to make this event happen for our community.
Homelessness Help hosting free lunch
Homelessness Help is hosting a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Family Center of Graham Street Church of Christ, 375 Graham St.
The organization will continue this on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month.
Homelessness Help is dedicated to preventing, reducing and combating homelessness in Erath County by ensuring that an effective system of care and services is in place.
For more information, call (254) 595-3646 or email [email protected]
Open house to benefit fishing team
Outdoor Specialties, 10402 IH 20 Access Road, Eastland, is hosting its second annual open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26.
There will be raffle drawings for the following: Raptor X 42” Zero Turn Mower; Tracker Off Road 300 4Wheeler; and a 2022 Bass Classic XL w Mercury Motor
Tickets are $25 each or five for $100. You do not have to be present to win.
The event will feature door prizes, giveaways, pro staff seminars, and a food truck.
To purchase tickets, call (254) 629-8877 or stop by Outdoor Specialties.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Eastland County High School Fishing Team.
CASA hosting informational sessions
CASA for the Cross Timbers Area is providing online informational sessions on Tuesdays through March 29.
Dates are: March 1, noon-1 p.m.; March 8, 6-7 p.m.; March 15, noon-1 p.m.; March 22, 6-7 p.m.; and March 29, noon-1 p.m.
These are no-obligation introductions to CASA and its mission to provide abused and neglected children in foster care with CASA volunteers who can speak up for their well-being.
Join CASA staff and current Advocates as they discuss what it means to be a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, the increasing need for additional volunteers, and how community members can help make a difference in the life of children in foster care.
All sessions will be held via Zoom. For more information or to sign up for a session, visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/www.CASAfortheCrossTimbers
Clark Gardens, 567 Maddux Road, Weatherford, announces a new month-long event, “Grow at Clark Gardens”, highlighting nature-based activities while encouraging healthy lifestyles.
Throughout the month of March, “Grow at Clark Gardens” will host events, both weekdays and weekends, designed to enrich the lives of our local citizens and tourists through art, wellness, gardening, and other nature-based activities.
Each week will wrap up that week’s topic with a weekend vendor market. There will be vendor booths with locally made goods and local services offered. Vendor markets will be Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For weekly topics, visit www.clarkgardens.org
General admission is $7 for seniors 65 and older; $9 for adults; and $5 for children ages 4-12. In addition, optional fees will be available for purchase through vendors and professional events located throughout the garden.
For more information, contact Nigel Benavides at (940) 682-4856.
Senior Center hosting country dance
Stephenville Senior Citizen Center, 164 E. College St., is hosting a country and western dance from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, March 1.
Dust off those dancing shoes and come boot scoot to music by Cowboy Country Productions, sponsored by Andy’s Tires.
The center hosts a dance each first Tuesday of the month.
Entries sought for St. Patrick’s Festival parade
The community of Dublin is gearing up for its annual St. Patrick’s Festival and is seeking parade entries for the event.
The parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, with check-in beginning at 9 a.m. at the corner of North Post Oak and East Clinton streets.
Judging of entries will begin at 9 a.m. with awards presented before the parade begins.
There is no entry fee, but an entry form must be filled out. No candy or other objects are allowed to be thrown from vehicles.
For more information or to enter the parade, visit the Dublin Chamber of Commerce at 110 S. Patrick St., email [email protected] or text (254) 300-6263.
Shamrock Shootout part of St. Patrick’s festivities
The Shamrock Shootout 2022 disc golf tournament will be held in conjunction with this year’s St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin.
The tournament is set to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 12, at Dublin City Park, 216 N. Highland Ave.
Hosted by the Dublin Disc Golf Club, this doubles tournament is a bring-your-own-partner event with entry fee of $25 per person.
There are three divisions: beginner, advanced and open. This is a two-round, 19-hole course.
For more information or to join the tournament, find the Dublin Disc Golf Club on Facebook.
Shamrock Shuffle 5K part of St. Patrick’s event
The Shamrock Shuffle is scheduled for Saturday, March 12, as part of the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Dublin.
Race time is 7:30 a.m. and starts at the Dublin Public Library, 206 W. Blackjack St.
Entry fee for the 5K is $25 before March 1 and goes up by $5 after March 1. Children younger than 10 are admitted for $15. T-shirts are guaranteed for entrants who pay the fee before March 1.
Race packet pickup is 3-7 p.m. Friday, March 11 at Titan Fitness.
Race day registration is from 6-6:45 a.m. Awards will be given after the race for the top three male and female age divisions and to the overall male and female winners.
5K division include: 5 and younger; 6-10; 11-15; 16-19; 20-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 55-59; 60-69; 70-79; and 80 and older.
For more information or an entry form, contact Titan Fitness at (254) 445-3001, http://www.titanfitnessdublin.com/ or via Facebook.
Senior Center hosts monthly Book Club meeting
The Stephenville Senior Citizen Center has lots of fun upcoming books as part of its Book Club.
The Book Club meets each first Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at the center, 164 E. College St., to discuss the book.
Upcoming books include:
• March 3: “Welcome to the Departure Lounge” by Meg Federico
• April 7: “The Things We Cannot Say” by Kelly Rimmer
• May 5: “The Spiral Shell” by Sandell Morse
• June 2: “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir
• July 7: “News of the World” by Paulette Jiles
For more information contact the center at (254)918-1288.
Foster’s annual auction set for March 5
Foster’s Home for Children, 1779 N Graham St., will host its annual auction on Saturday, March 5.
The Outdoor/Silent Auction begins at 9 a.m. The indoor auction begins at noon with vehicles, etc., to follow.
A barbecue lunch will be available for $5 beginning at 11:30 a.m.
You can support the children at the Foster’s Home either by donating an item or bidding on an item.
Contact Lacy Barton at (254) 968-2143 to donate an item.
