A League of “ There Thrown ”
By Jayson Woods, Programs & Facilities Supervisor, Orange County Parks & Recreation
Since the opening of the Orange County Disc Golf Course in June of 2019, Orange County Parks & Recreation has endeavored to promote it as a location of active programming in addition to its natural state of passive recreation. We ’ ve achieved this through directly offering several tournaments with unique play formats, including our doubles ’ “ Turkey Toss ” and the individual “ Spring Fling. ” There ’ s more to come, as we are currently planning another casually competitive tournament (with only one disc allowed per
participant) and a youth introductory program for the
upcoming winter season. However, we wanted to take a moment and recognize the die - hard participants of our first league program at the course, the “ Would Chuck ” Disc Golf League. The league takes its name from the willingness of the participants to give it a shot, while making a tongue - in - cheek nod to the several groundhog residents along the course outskirts. Though just a pilot program designed to let our department experiment with formats and timing while gauging interest, the league has enjoyed the regular participation of 11 folks every Wednesday evening! A pack of clear
frontrunners emerged early in the quest for the custom - designed 1 st place trophy disc emblazoned with the league motto, “ Si Iactare Discus Marmota Poterat, ” (which translates roughly to “ If a woodchuck could chuck a disc ”), but all participants, regardless of standing, are having fun and getting some additional exercise. When asked about the course and league, participant Ricci Deloriea commented, “[ We ’ re] Lucky to have this course, it ’ s a little gem. ” This sentiment was echoed by other participants. Jeremy Butterfield mentioned, “[ It ’ s an] immaculately kept course, ” and stated it ’ s the nicest one he plays on. Jeffery Donnell wanted it known that he “ appreciates everything about it. ” Perhaps Kevin Hagood captured all the sentiments best in one statement, “ Even though I'm not the greatest disc golf player, I love to play, and this league gets me out for some exercise, friendly competition, and meeting new people. I really appreciate OCPR putting this together."
After many rainouts and a lot of jockeying for position, Caleb Roberts emerged victorious in our inaugural league. A regular participant in our programs, we are excited to have witnessed his victory; but we ’ re even more proud of the comradery and fun we saw exhibited by all players throughout the season! We learned a lot about ideal timing and format for this style of program, and we are considering improvements such as an earlier start date and potentially a “50 and Wiser ” league for some of our more experienced players. Stay tuned for even more disc golf related programs and events as we enter the colder months.
Page 15 | October, 2021
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