Well the hard work paid off!

On the second day of the Big D in the Desert Competition, I broke the standing women’s world distance record.
The record was set at 139m by Jennifer Griffin.
I got a chance to throw with her head to head and managed to rip one off at 148m (485ft), to break the record by 9 meters.

I threw a 157g Wraith with what I was told was a slightly higher golf release. I had been practicing the 360 turnaround drive to help increase my distance, but just days before as I was dialing it in I tweaked my groin/hamstring. I took a couple days off before the competition because basically it hurt to walk. I didn’t want to risk throwing on it right away. I wrapped my leg, iced it, soaked in the hot tub hoping it would get better. I wrapped it for throwing, and attempted the 360 but I couldn’t plant hard enough on my left leg, so I stuck to the traditional “disc golf run-up” for my distance drives.

Heres a little clip~~>

Distance throwing such a completely different way of throwing compared to fairway driving. In golf, placement is the key. If your disc lands next to the basket then theres not much anyone can critique about it. In distance, there are a million more factors that contribute into a great throw: Anhyzer Angle, Wind Speed, Height, Power, and Nose Angle are just a few examples. As this was my first competition it was a lot to take in all at once. It was great experience, and when the wind picked up I got to see some HUGE world class throws. Hopefully with a little tweaking I can break my personal goal of being the first woman to throw 500 ft. Avery and I will have another attempt again this year at the World Disc Games in Santa Cruz the first week of July. The elements will not be the same as the desert, but maybe with some more practice I can raise the women’s distance bar even more…

Thanks to everyone for the good luck and good karma!

Finally the season begins! I jumped on a plane and headed out to Vegas Feburary 26th. I was soo ready to leave the snow and get to playing golf in some WARM weather! This was my first year being 21 in Vegas so I lived it up and explored the city every night.

As always I had to shake off the dust from my game the first couple practice days. I dread getting bundled up and hittin the course in the snow so I don’t get out to practice much during the winter. One good thing though, the winter does build up anticipation to play for the first tournaments of the year. You’ll never know what it is to appreciate to have feeling your fingers until you’ve played golf in the snow. For that alone makes the trip out west worth while!

Normally I meet Burl and the Spirit out there and we stay in the RV and then travel down to AZ, but this year the Spirit had some complications. Burl was delayed a couple days because the Spirit’s transmission blew out, and she was forced to wait around until the warranty company came through. She arrived Saturday and caddied for Lesli, while her friend, CJ, carried my bag.

The winds in Vegas on Saturday and Sunday were pretty insane. The course isn’t too technical, but throw in 20-30 mph winds and things get interesting. With not alot of practice under my belt I was forced to concentrate more than usual and trust my discs would do what they should. Vegas is a great tournament to go to, not only because its Vegas, but its good preparation for the next weekend at the Memorial. I like being able to get my mind game in check and try and get my body back into the rythm of tournament play. I believe that you can practice all day long, but without tournament experience your performance is likely to meet under your standards.

We all let loose on Sunday night, and partied until the sun came up. We had a gang of about 10 of us roaming the streets causing a ruckus. A great time as always!

Funday Monday was spent driving 5 hours down to Phoenix. The Spirit was packed to the brim with luggage rolling 8 people deep! This alotted time allowed plenty of room for catching up and tons of laughing. These tournaments are the best because you get to meet up with everyone after a couple months apart. During the summer you see everyone every weekend. So when we all go our seperate ways for the winter, theres a lot to catch up on!

I don’t know what it is about Arizona but I’m addicted to playing golf there! I usually bust out the necessary practice rounds and I’m done until the tournament. But Its totally different when I get to Scottsdale. I play every chance I get, no problem. One reason is because we stay at the hotel that is right on the course, eat at the bar right on the course, and meet up with golfers every second of our stay. Or maybe its because I’ve been locked up in my house for months, and the chance to play is there so i take full advantage of it! OR MAYBE its because the courses are absolutely beautiful!.. I think its all of the above.

My play this weekend seemed a bit more natural. I have attended this tournament for 5 years now, and had much revenge on the courses over the years. This year, I was finally happy with how I played. The key is to stay in-bounds and as safe as possible. It’s hard to believe how many strokes people obtain from just OBs alone. I’m pretty positive these courses have more OBs than any other 2 tournament courses I’ve played. It’s a tough course to start off the year for everyone, so preparation and a good mental game are needed! Its very important to know when to go for a shot, and when to realize that playing safe will result in the same score.

This has been a great start to the season, and I’m excited for whats in store for this year! I am currently home for a week, but will be flying out to Portland next Wednesday. I will be hanging out with Avery for 2 weeks; playing a couple tournaments and getting ready for the Big D!!

*I’ve fine tuned up my schedule, but a couple tournaments are still up in the air.. Oh how I wish the PDGA made a better tour schedule! We’ll need to do something to change that for next year..

So.. over the past couple of weeks Avery and I have decided to head out to the Big D in the Desert in April. It is where all the distance world record are recorded. WFDF will be out there professionally measuring drives so they are legit for getting a World Record! It will be very exciting!
Distance is a big part of our games, and I think has lead us to achieve what we have. So why not give it a try.. We’ve both been putting in some training time so we’re up for the challenge. I’d be willing to try to break all the womens world records while im out there including overhead, and roller if they have it. Avery has to beat the current record holder, Christian Sandstrom head to head, along with other European big guns.. So that’ll definitley be something to see! We’ll have to get some good footage!
Anyways, Keep a look out for some new World Records! Check out the other world records @ DiscGolfValues.com

Man, Its cold in Ohio in January! I say that every year like its something new, but its definitely something that I never get used to. We have had some beautiful weeks where the temps got up to nearly 60 degrees! Craziness! But because it is Ohio and it is January many of the days have been snowy and freezing. In other words not my ideal golfing weather, so I haven’t been out too much lately.
Like a million other people after New Years, I’ve attempted to get back into shape. The whole month of December I quit drinking beer, and exercised every day. It didn’t do much to my figure, but it made beer taste like heaven when I allowed myself to drink it again! I’m running and doing a little weight training here and there, so I guess its better than nothin’.
I did get a couple of sweet things in the past couple months. For Christmas, my parents got me an amazing laptop, so I’ll finally be able to keep in contact with people while I’m on the road. And now I don’t have to mooch computer time off of Avery or Burl. Its gunna be so much easier!
As for Disc Golf, after worlds I got bumped up to Team Star on Innova. This means they now pay for our entry fees for NTs (National Tours) and 100 of our own signature disc. We were able to pick our disc and colors, so I got 50 Hot Pink Star Starfires, and 50 Star Destroyers in red, white, and blue. I’ve thrown a couple up on Ebay, and have surprisingly gotten tons of requests for them. It’s a little weird, for me, when I’m selling my discs, with my name on it. But in this sport that’s self promotion is the only way. It’s really turning out to be a great fundraiser for this year’s tour.

Another really cool thing, I recently found out that I’m the cover of the 07 PDGA Worlds Dvd! I never really expected it. Basically, because it’s not often enough that a woman gets the recognition that they should in this sport. Needless to say, I’m completely honored, and really excited!! So check it out!

As for the rest of the winter, I’ll be counting down the days until I’m back on tour. I actually only have another month and then I head out to Vegas, and Memorial. The Bob West Memorial is definitely one of my favorite tournaments of the year. Its always a good break from Ohio. It lets us thaw out a bit, and enjoy some much needed sunshine. Vegas will be extra fun this year because I am finally 21! I’ll be able to experience Vegas with everyone else without getting kicked out! It shall be glorious!
After the Memorial, I’m scheming up a plan to fly to Florida to hit up the Melbourne tournament, then fly over and meet my friends in Panama City for their spring break. The rest of the tour isn’t set in stone, but I’ve figured out which tournaments I’m going to be able to go to. The tour this year seems to be so inconvenient with the way it works the NTs around the Majors. I will for sure be going to the Japan Open, and now the Scandinavian Open in Sweden. I’m going to try my best and finagle my flights so I can possibly hit them all , but at this point, it’s hard to tell..
But like last year, I’ll be all over the place, hitting it hard and getting to every tournament while i can.. After all it is my job, Its time to make the most of it!

After all it is Turkey Day, and with all the people that have helped us struggling Disc Golfers along the way. I just wanted to give thanks.

I’m thankful for.. (more…)

As the season winds down, we are lucky and get to finish off and play 2 great tournaments, The Moccasin Lake Open and The Players Cup. I flew down to Tampa on Tuesdays to meet up with Avery and Dave, and got chauffered by Climo to his Clearwater pad. (more…)

Being home for a week was SOO great! I caught up on family and friend time, and got a lot of tedious tasks done. But the disc golf tour called me back on the road, and i flew out to Tulsa, Oklahoma last week. (more…)

Its been such a hectic summer! This year alone I’ve played in 25 tournaments in 17 states and visited 7 countries. And to think, theres even a couple more left!! (more…)

I cant believe it’s USDGC time already! This will be my second year here at Winthrop but now I’m coming back as a competitor! Last year was the first time I made it down to Rock Hill. Burl had gotten a spot from the PDGA to play last year. The Spirit (our RV) was USDGC bound all I had to do was jump in.My plan was just to come down, hang out, and see this course everyones always talking about. We got down to Winthrop and played a couple of rounds to check out the course. The course was everything I expected and more; perfectly groomed greens, lots of OB rope, and well designed holes. I loved it! I wish i could play this course every day. (more…)