kansas

Emporia’s own Eric McCabe will be inducted into the Kansas Flying Disc Association Hall of Fame this week.

McCabe is one of seven members of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. According to a written release from the KFDA, McCabe is a “highly decorated player who won the 2010 World Championships in Disc Golf. Beyond his 86 total Professional Disc Golf Association career victories on tour, McCabe is an acclaimed course designer, team manager for Dynamic Discs, founder of the Glass Blown Open and a tireless volunteer for the sport.”

Kansas has a storied history of flying disc (Frisbee) sports dating back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Players from every corner of the state organized clubs, produced newsletters and held tournaments throughout the region at that time. These early pioneers set the foundation for the sport to flourish and grow statewide.

Mirroring the explosive national growth of disc golf, there are currently over 250 disc golf courses in Kansas, and Emporia is widely known as the “Disc Golf Capital of the World.” Fools Fest, an annual Ultimate Tournament held at the University of Kansas, is the 13th oldest Frisbee competition in the world.

As flying disc sports have matured over the decades to the national and world stages, flying disc athletes and teams from Kansas have made their mark, both in competition and in creating and supporting a structure to expand the sport.

“We have an amazing history here in the State of Kansas that needs to be celebrated and told,” said Rich Smith, KFDA’s president and president-emeritus at Henderson Engineers. “The individuals in our inaugural Hall of Fame class have not only achieved great results on the playing field, they have also dedicated their time and talent to impact many others to help grow the sport here in the Sunflower State.”

The other members of the first class of the Kansas Flying Disc Hall of Fame include:

• Bill Paulson: A longtime resident of the Wichita and Valley Center area, Paulson first started playing “Frisbee” in 1978 at Pittsburgh State University and hasn’t stopped since. He is an all-around state champion, a world’s top 10 finisher, a charter member of the Kansas Disc Golf Association and the Air Capital Disc Golf Club, a cofounder of the Kansas Disc Sports Scholarship Foundation and a state historian of the sport.
• Dennis Vahsholtz: rom Herington, Vahsholtz started his involvement in Flying Disc Sports in the early 1980s. What followed is a lifelong passion, a successful disc golf business and multiple wins and top 10 finishes at the state, national and global levels. He was also the tournament director for the Discs Unlimited Open for 35 years.
• Hal Kurz: From Overland Park, Kurz is an accomplished player and freestyler who won multiple national championships as part of the Bud Light Frisbee Team. He is a past President of the Kansas City Flying Disc Club and has served as a longtime ambassador of the sport locally and nationally.
• Pete Cashen: Currently living in Kansas City, Kan., Cashen started playing Freestyle and Ultimate in the late 70s. He grew to be a force and influence in disc golf locally and nationally both as a player and ambassador of the sport. He has influenced countless people through giving back to the community, especially at Rosedale Park in Kansas City, one of the oldest disc golf courses in Kansas.
• Tavish Carduff: A native of Prairie Village, Carduff was exposed to the sport by her father and friends in the late 1970s. She went on to win the World Championship in 2018, a highlight among many other titles. She has volunteered with the Kansas City Disc Golf Club, the Kansas City Wide Open and the Kansas City Disc Golf Day.
• KU/HorrorZontals/Bettys: The longest standing single name Frisbee club in the State of Kansas. Launched in 1977 as the KU (University of Kansas) Frisbee Club, the organization quickly transitioned to becoming the HorrorZontals (Men) and Betty’s (women) Ultimate teams in the late 1970s and early 1980s. More than 1,000 University of Kansas students have been active members throughout its 40-plus-year history. The club’s many successes include a national championship for the Betty’s as well as Fools Fest, an annual Ultimate Tournament held in April. The tournament is the 13th longest-running Frisbee event of any kind in the world and it attracts top teams from across the United States.

The event, scheduled for 5 p.m. April 28 at the Emporia Country Club, will be held in conjunction with the Dynamic Discs Open, a top destination on the National Disc Golf Pro Tour.