Like any hack of a blogger worth his salt, I’ll open by
talking about how long it’s been since there was a Circle Three post. Man, it’s been a while since there was a
Circle Three post! And now that we’ve
gotten that out of the way, I’ll launch into an all out barrage of
information. Although, information is
probably a strong word. So, an all out
barrage of opinion. Starting now.
*The Green Mountain Point
Series. I, for one, am burned out on
slow tournament play, rainy disc golf, and long travel days. So, I’m shooting for, maybe, two or three
tournaments this year. But that’s not
true for everyone, especially for you, my loyal reader. But, my second and third hand information
tells me that tournament turnout has been low.
(Not for the BRO, of course, but that’s a whole other story for another
day.) I think I know why. And I might even know what to do about
it.
*Eleven events with 6 scores
counting for the totals is too much. I
don’t think it’s a sustainable season for many disc golfers. I mean, if Sean Bleything isn’t playing, does
it really even count as a real tournament?
Of course, for some people, like my favorite AMs, Jon Moorer and James
Sweat, 11 tournaments is just right. But
they’re real, avid disc golfers. For the
rest of the field, I think committing to 6 scoring events is too much.
*Well, you might ask, am I just
going to complain, or do I have a solution?
It’s just like me to complain away with no solution in sight. But, for once, I actually have a solution to
propose, instead of just sitting here complaining. So here it goes. Like everything else, this certainly isn’t my
original idea. So, if you’ve contributed
to this, then please let me know. And if
you’d like to keep quiet and let me take the blame, then keep on doing what you’re
doing.
*The Majors and Minors Plan. I
propose the GMDGC changes the approach of tournament scheduling to major and
minor tournaments. I’m suggesting that we
have 6 majors each year and only 10 total events. Five of your top scores count. Why 10 events, you ask? Well, 10 is my favorite number, it sounds
good, and it’s less than 11. Plus, it’s
not 12 or 13.
*The Majors. So, here’s how
it works and here’s how it gets interesting.
Each season, 6 events get to be counted as Majors. The other four events are filled up by other
courses and tournaments that fit into a rotation. Those are the Minors.
So, Major #1 is New Hampshire. That’s right, New Hampshire, the state. Those friendly fellows get one Major tournament per year. Spencer, James, and Nicky Blue Eyes can have some sort of pissing contest to see who gets to host the yearly Major, but one way or the other, the state of New Hampshire is guaranteed one Major per year.
So, Major #1 is New Hampshire. That’s right, New Hampshire, the state. Those friendly fellows get one Major tournament per year. Spencer, James, and Nicky Blue Eyes can have some sort of pissing contest to see who gets to host the yearly Major, but one way or the other, the state of New Hampshire is guaranteed one Major per year.
Calais obviously gets a Major. Obviously?
Yes, obviously. I didn’t stutter
and my words were pretty clear. When you
have the oldest, biggest, baddest course in the land, you get a Major. Johnny Betts also gets a Major. He can host it at Black Falls, Cherry Hill,
or whatever concoction his far Northern mind can come up with, but Johnny Betts
is guaranteed a Major.
And that accounts for 3 Majors so
far. And now we’re getting down to it,
so we’ll see what happens next. Because
Jeff Spring gets a Major. Sure, sure, it’s
really Brewster Ridge who gets the Major, but I’m awarding this one to Jeff
Spring by name. If you can pull off a
course that costs more than my student loan debt, then you too can get a
Major. Otherwise, just keep
reading. That was Major Number 4, and
only 2 remain.
Waterbury gets a Major. It’s home to most of Vermont’s disc golfers,
the most played course in the state, and generally a pretty nice place. Waterbury gets to host a Major for as long as
the course exists. Which, if you ask me,
might not be that long. But, for the
time being, Waterbury gets a Major. And
now we’re down to one.
Don’t worry, Mike Miller, I won’t
forget about you. In the business, we
call this building suspense. Base Camp
Outfitters gets the 6th and final Major. They’re the heart of Southern Vermont disc
golf, they have a great course, and they’re dedicated to the sport. So they get a Major.
*The Minors. Oh, boy. This is the point where people get
pissed. What, Wrightsville doesn’t get a
Major? What, you didn’t even mention White
River? How can Cow Hampshire only get
one Major? Those questions are all
valid. But I had to choose and some
feelings were bound to get hurt. Plus, I’m
pretty sure Colin at Wrightsville doesn’t like me as it is, so I’m not really
doing a disservice.
Anyway, the Minors plan. Each year, 4 different courses or tournaments
get to vie for the Minor tournaments.
Now, Minors would score the same as Majors, they’re just not guaranteed
a spot in the rotation each season. So,
yes, Wrightsville, one of the other New Hampshire courses, Storrs Pond
(whatever the fuck that place is), Sugarbush, The Timbers of Fennario or whatever
new course pops up, can get in the rotation.
Think about it, on the PGA tour,
not every fancy course gets to host a tournament on the schedule every
season. And as Vermont (ahem, and New
Hampshire) disc golf continues to grow, then we’re going to need a plan for
making the schedule work. And this is a
plan. Now, I doubt you’ll like my plan, but
I do. And if nothing else we’ve again
opened up the debate. So, make some
comments and let the world know what you think.
*The final word goes to the
whispered-about stroke shaving comments.
Seriously, how pathetic can people be?
Is counting to 5 (or in my case, 9) really that hard? Or do you want to “win” a tournament so badly
that you’ll cheat? Man. That really makes me mad. Imagine how the people who actually played in
the tournament feel. And some ridiculous
technology that someone mentioned on the forum isn’t the solution. Old fashioned accountability is. So, disc golfers, make it known now and
forever. Cheating won’t be
tolerated. For once, I’ll agree with the
federal government… if you see something, say something.
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