campus

Instead of looking at fluctuating profit graphs, business management senior Mason Marchbanks keeps his eyes on discs curving into the air, hoping they land on an elusive metal target. 

Marchbanks took a semester off school to invest himself in professional disc golf, and it’s paying off.

He currently plays nationally on the Disc Golf Pro Tour, the professional disc golf circuit for the best men’s and women’s players in the world. He also placed 14th in The Open at Austin from March 17 to 19, taking home $1,075.

“It’s my craft. It’s my sport. It’s what I do,” he said. “I treat it as something with regard.”

Disc golf is played similarly to regular golf, according to the Professional Disc Golf Association. Instead of a golf ball, players swing discs or frisbees from a designated tee area to a target “hole,” which is typically an elevated metal basket, in as few throws as possible. 

The sport’s popularity has grown significantly, with membership increasing 75% between 2020 to 2021, according to The New York Times. The Metroplex has a big disc golf presence with many courses and tournaments, Marchbanks said.

His performance in Austin led to an invite to the European Open in Nokia, Finland, in July, he said. 

“That’s a tournament I’ve actually watched and kept up…

The winter break offers students more time to rest and rejuvenate, giving them the chance to entertain new hobbies or develop old ones they’ve neglected during the school semester. Students plan to spend their break in various ways, including gaming, reading, researching and working holiday shifts. 

Teresa Nguyen, psychology senior and Student Body president, said her favorite things to do during the holidays are decorating and creating personalized cards.

“When I say card, it is not just ‘oh, I’m gonna fold a paper and draw something.’ No, I make it so that you can play with it,” Nguyen said. “If it’s Christmas, if it’s winter, you can actually play with the snow that I put in there.” 

Most times, she takes about two days to complete one. If she has to make a card in a rush, Nguyen can finish it in a night.

Besides crafts, Nguyen enjoys any media with romance, including books and movies. She said over the break she’s also hoping to get back into yarn and embroidery crafts and to try to exercise more.

Aerospace freshman Manuel Luna said he plans to hang out with friends and family and catch up on sleep over the holiday break. His hobbies include gaming, reading and researching political science topics.

“Trying to go and read about the news, it gets so depressive. But you have to try and make sure you go out of your way to find the positives,” Luna said. “If you get tangled up in all the negatives, then you start bringing yourself more down.”

Over the break, Luna might check out the game Evil West and try Cyberpunk 2077 on a new laptop he’s gotten….