Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Merry Christmas

Well, we had another successful birthing of the Messiah this liturgical calandar year. Oh, and I think we also helped with boosting the GNP to acceptable levels.

Good game, peoples... good game.

This Christmas has reminded me that I like Jesus; I don't like made-for-tv Christmas movies; and that I'm not terribly attached to a "white Christmas". My Jesus can be born in any kind of weather he wants.

I hope that you've been blessed in some way and I hope to see you all soon (for disc golf).


Merry Christmas,
Diggs

Monday, December 18, 2006

Apathy... Boardline Antipathy


I apologize for not being as consistent as I would have liked in "keepin' the train a-rollin'". I had no intentions of delaying the posts. Understand it was not for lack of material. I could have told you about a number of things I have experienced recently, such as dancing with 50 women, revisiting my childhood, new experiences with the "curb-stomp", or seeing a woman die/almost die in front of me (jury's still out on that one). But I will cover none of that today. Perhaps I will touch on them at a later time.

But this post is dedicated to my fairly unique finals week. We had our last days of classes last week; we had our first days of finals last week. See, I go to a school intent on being free from the typical. It is much like one of those neo-punks. You know the ones. They dress the part but you know don't live the lifestyle because they're from rural Iowa. I believe the catchy middle school title for them was "posers". Yes, my school is a poser. They thought it would be a gas to not have the whole of finals week during the same week as every single other school in the country. No no, we had three days of classes last week, a study day (I don't know how you relate "great idea" sarcastically in prose, but if I did, this is where I'd put it), and our first finals day last Friday. Following the ensuing weekend, we now have the balance of the finals week.

I think this denotes a lack of consideration on the topic. Professors around these parts tend to set due dates on major projects for the week before finals (I believe some schools have what is called a "dead week"). Ok, I'm tired of spelling this out... its not the greatest of ideas to have the week with major papers due and the week with final tests scheduled be the same week. Many I have spoken with have truly unfortunate circumstances revolving around difficulties with this. Worth a try; not worth repeating.

Now this is where I come in...

I am sure you are all aware of the contrived contition known as senioritis. I do not have this. I will not blame who I am on some third party. Nor am I simply lazy. I have been lazy in the past. I am familiar with laziness. In fact, I own a shirt that claims that I am among a group who have made laziness an art form.

No, what I am is truly apathetic. My condition is not one of a lack of motivation but lack of concern. I still have gotten my homework done. I have actually made some up. My deadlines are made. But my mind is in a place right now that does not give any credence to the grading process. I do not take my exams for a grade; I take them only because they fill up my day.

I have yet to study for a finals exam. And if I can give a hint to the future, its not looking like this pattern will be changing anytime soon. For those of you BTS inclined, this has gone so far as to precipitate me not preparing for a Dr. Long test. Most everyone reading this will not understand the implications, but just know that the ones that do get it are either mouth-open agast or doing that nervous laughing thing when they are just glad that its not them.

Nope. I have returned to high school as far as academic exercise preparation is concerned. I made a game out of my high school classes. I am doing the same out of my college classes. And honestly, I don't think it'll have to much of a negative impact on my GPA. I may have actually raised my grade by not studying.

I care about the material and the actual retention of it. I do. I enjoy the learning of it all. But something set me on my current path. I just remember one girl, in particular, asking a number of times this semester if "blah blah" was going to be on the test. I was a bit set back by the question. Seems to me that if she was at all interested in the subject, she would want to learn it regardless. Yet her question was motivated by the underlying expectation of a good grade above all else. I made the (perhaps unfair) conclusion that she really didn't want to learn the "stuff" of her major. Maybe acceptable for a business major, but when you are a Christian in a Bible-oriented major, I got beef.

So, as I tend to do, I go to the other side. I decided to gleam from the semester all that I wanted to learn in my classes with wanton disregard for my grades. I will learn what I will and whatever I retain will be what will be the determining factor on my final tests. Strangely liberating.

I just remember something a professor said once, and now I'm paraphrasing: "Education is the one thing in which we want the least for our money." For shame.


Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars,
~Diggs


Song of the Week: "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays", NSync (deal with it)

Monday, December 11, 2006

Chalk One Up for Late-November Warm Fronts



You know, sometimes the weather in Iowa smiles on disc golfers, even though most of the time she prefers to kick them in the face and spit on them. Here are some pics from a late November rendezvous of the SCDGA. Fun was had by all, and we got a couple good rounds in on the course cursed by many but recently improved by a local saint commited to the sport. Hope you enjoy the pics...

"There never was much hope...just a fool's hope."

mjbombadil

Friday, December 08, 2006

A Harsh Winter is Upon Us...Bring on the Broomball

This is the BroomSticks from the 2006 Season.


Upon coming to this great North Star State in the late part of 2004, I came upon a very unusual sport known to Minnesotans as Broomball. To an outsider this sport looks silly and almost impossible to play. And to their suprise, its not difficult to play. It's difficult to run or stop. The game of broomball is played almost the same way that traditional ice hockey is played. You play in a ice rink of some sort with two goals just like hockey. The only difference is that you dont use ice skates, hockey sticks or a puck.
What I was getting at in my brief explanation of what broomball is for those bloggers who don't have the privilage of seeing a live game. I was able to step out on the ice a little less than a week ago. I was invited by my roommates to play a pick-up game at a friends house. He's from a rich Minnesota family and happens to live on a lake. The ice was 6 inches thick. It was weird playing on it because you could actually see through the ice to see how deep it was. Usually when we play there is a layer of snow over the ice and then ice over that. So an illusion was upon us. However, I did score 2 goals and was able to begin to get my bearings on the ice. Which is good because I'm playing on two teams this Interium. I can hardly wait. It will be a new experience for me this year because most of my former team mates will be overseas this interium and therefore resulted in my finding another team to allow myself to play for them. I've assured my new teams that I am good and that i can run on ice and play good defense. Hopefully, all will work out and the broomball season will be a success. To all you out there that play. Good Luck this season.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Private Park Patrons - 1; Municiple Grounds Keepers - 0


So, the return home for Thanksgiving was not without its difficulties. Such subjects have been hinted at already. But despite transportation issues, we were still able to get in a few good rounds at Sertoma. "We" being Pappy, Mike, Don and myself. I had never played with Don before, at least never with any sort of competancy. It was enjoyable to say the least. It had been some time since I had last played, but once I got rid of the rust, the experience proved to be fairly satisfying... for all.

Now, if you stop by the Cold Lamp very often, you will recall an article Mike wrote concerning the new face of Sertoma. Well, I am here to tell you that the back three look much better than before. After all, the place was only mowed once or twice the entire summer. I never used a spotter as liberally as I did back there. But now, the area is very trim and the trees are a lovely addition. My only peave is the removal of the brush at the end of the out-cropping on hole 7, but I'll get over it.

I was very proud (if not consternated that they did it at the end of good weather) of the parks department for doing their prescribed duties for the upkeep of the park. Their track record has always been a bit spotty. But word-round-the-lamp has it that the new hair cut is not the result of the parks department. Instead, a private citizen took it upon himself to do the necessary maintainence of the grounds.

I am a bit put out by the entire situation. I understand the difficulty involved in mowing that area, but let us look at it in light of a few other tidbits of information, shall we?:
  • You are already in the area. I know for a fact that the bottom of the hill receives regular visits in order to keep the playground area open to all. If this is your primary focal point, that's fine, but take a look up the hill occassionally.
  • You are already mowing the course. Yes, holes 1 & 2 are taken care of by the playground area. But by some wacky happen-stance, you find little difficulty in maintaining hole 3 and its mountainous ascent with little difficulty. Nay, you find little difficulty in maintaining everything up to and including hole 6.
  • You are already mowing the back part. Don't think I don't see the meager offerings you give us in the back; we appreciate them. But forgive us if we don't get overjoyed at the new 3 ft wide stripe down the middle of the fairway. Don't get me wrong, I don't even want the whole thing mowed. A fairway is a fairway for a reason. But one can hardly refer to what you provide as anything remotely effective.
  • Oh, and did I mention... its your job! I know how enticing the pull to ignore your responsibilities is, however, as your job description declares, the responsibility for park upkeep is in your hands. Now please use those hands to do your job and maintain the parks.

I find it truly unfortunate that a private citizen was upset enough with their performance as to do the job of a government agency. For shame.

At any rate, let's raise up our glasses and give a Cold Lampin' salute to our unknown mower buddy. Cheers!

"I blame it on the rain"

~Diggs

Song of the Week: "One and Only" by Teitur

Friday, November 24, 2006

Bambi's Mom Deserved to Die

Let me tell you a story...

Once upon a time, an animated mommy deer was bounding through an animated forest. I don't know what she was doing because its been more than a decade since I last saw this story. Then something happened that this mommy deer didn't expect... she was shot by a hunter. This left this deer's son noticably upset. Initially, I felt sympathy for this young deer, despite the fact that the thing didn't exist except on screen. More recently, I've had a change of heart.

Let me tell you why...

I believe you are all familiar with the saying, "you'll understand when you're older". At least I am; this answer was more common than an actual answer in my childhood. It perturbed me to no end. But now I understand that the world is much more complicated than I originally perceived.

For example, let's say that the hunter that shot Bambi's mommy was otherwise engaged in a debate with the wonderful people over at PETA concerning the necessity of pointing a high-velocity projectile weapon at an unsuspecting animal, forcing him to skip on hunting that morning. Instead, mommy survives. And as she is foraging through the field, she gets her fill of the remains of the crops of a good, hardworking Iowa farmer (crops she didn't plant by the way, we call that theft or gleaming as its referred to in Ruth).

She passes the day being a lazy, useless creature, going from field to field, doing nothing other than theiving. As night approaches, she remember's her young child that she had left earlier that day and begins the trek to find him. As she goes along, she eventually goes from being animated to being an actual, real-life deer.

Night has come upon our mother deer, newly brought into the physical plane and she comes upon a road. This road's name is Hwy 60. She feels like crossing this road. She also has a brain the size of a kiwi.

She successfully navigates the first half of the highway, making it to the median, though the next half will prove to be a bit more tricky. She notices that a light source is quickly approaching that shows that nothing is in the road to obstruct her passage. However, what her kiwi-sized brain neglects to pick up is that the light source has substance behind it.

Perhaps by now you can see where this is going...

So Bambi's mommy decided to cross two seconds too soon and tried to high jump my Grand Am... she missed. Instead, she left a lasting impression upon my car. Such impressions tend to total cars. Such was the case with my incident. So I no longer have the car that I enjoyed so much. In fact, I no longer have any car.

All this could have been avoided had Bambi's mommy would have just gone the way of the dodo bird.


"I blame it on the rain, yeah yeah."

~Diggs

Song of the Week: "My Father's Gun", Elton John

Monday, November 20, 2006

The Electric Fetus, Amos Lee, & Will Farrell

If my life were a guitar string, then Saturday morning began out of tune... I think it was a B flat but I can't be sure. I woke up not feeling the greatest. It was at this point I reasoned that Iowa was not going to beat Minnesota in the last football game of the season... a game I was supposed to go to. So instead of watching the depressing game, I decided to plow some of season 3 Arrested Development (thanks Wes). Out of tune guitar strings are painful to my ears.

But like any out-of-tune guitar string, one needs only to tune it for the pain to go away. This tuning, for me, came in the form of a phone call from my former roommate, Will, who brought exciting news. You see, for the past month or so, I had been aware of a concert involving one of my favorite artists, Amos Lee. The bummer with his coming was that the concert had already sold out by the time I was aware of it. The upside of it was that he was also going to be playing a short set at a local record store, the Electric Fetus (not just a cleaver headline). And the best part is that the event was not widely publicized, effectively limiting the number of attendees, not to mention the thing being free! O Glory be, I got to see Amos for free!


I've been to a number of concerts in my days. It was simply what I did as a younger man. And I have to say that few things top an intimate performance such as the one I experienced on Saturday. A well produced show may effectively mask the iniquities of a performance; not so when simply a man and guitar. One is able to experience the flaws of live performance, yes. However, one is also able to hear the songs as the artist hears them and plays them and probably wrote them.

Not to mention that I was close enough to get a sweet background for my phone.

From there, we ended up going to the new Will Farrell movie, Stranger than Fiction. Not a bad movie. Had its moments. Check it out if you got the coin.

"You sent me singin' through the woods",

~Diggs

Song of the Week: "Colors" by Amos Lee ...come on, you knew it was coming.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Disc Golf Tips

So, I continually tell Diggs that I have no time to post. While this remains true I will do my best. Here's a vidoe clip I found on youtube. His advice on the power grip is good but he's throwing from the waist and is not using the "J" . It goes to show you; don't trust everything you hear on youtube.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Global Warming: Keeping the Season Alive, One Chlorofluorocarbon at a Time

The weather is a tempramental little beast, though I am unconvinced this has always been the case. When I was a child, the summers were gloriously hot, the winters were blastedly cold, and spring and fall were always gradually heading towards a respective extreme.

These days, weather and life are much more complex.

I remember driving home for spring break a couple years ago not being able to see the ditches for much of the journey due to the blizzard (and again, Pappy, I'm sorry I took you home in that crap). And I remember dressing my campers with winter wear in August because otherwise they couldn't feel their phlanges. Similarly, the past two years have allowed me to disc golf into November without having to bundle up (this is an oddity in Minnesota). I believe it will come as no surprise to any of you that I have made formal requests to those in charge of such things to keep the cold where it bloody-well belongs. The warmth into the winter I am a bit more hesitant about, but shall suggest, for the sake of congruity, that the weather patterns should stick to the aforementioned cycle.

I have my reasons for supporting the cold for the winter season (and it does not have anything to do with a "white Christmas"). For one, I think its sad that the situation is problem enough that Al "I created the internet" Gore could spot it - honestly, this man should be seen and NOT heard! But more personally, I find the whole thing screws with my Chi. I honestly have at least 5-7 "last rounds" of the season every year and I can't take it! And I have much invested in last rounds. You see, if one is given a blessed day in November, as Wednesday was this last week, one must play. They are (and if I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times) moral imperitives. Not going discing during these times is harder to justify than the Department of Homeland Security.

And so I go on many many last rounds now-a-days. Based solely on playing disc golf, I could count this as one of my virgins in Heaven if I were Muslim, its so good. But there are... complications. I schedule things to begin when discing ends and when it doesn't end til New Years, I must seriously reconsider my scheduling process.

But suffice it to say, now that the official discing season is over (not that we won't go in our coats in two feet of snow), Pap and I have finally started working out. And I'm not going to lie, my silhouette could use it.

"I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert,
but I can live and breathe and see the sun in the wintertime"


Shalom,
Diggs


Song of the Week (a new addition to the column; check it out):

Ron Sexsmith and Chris Martin, "Gold in Them Hills"

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Sertoma Course Upgrade

Hey friends...
This post is for all those Sioux City cats who scorn Sertoma for her hills, trees, weeds, and all other various hazards that she bears to all those who brave her slopes. I have news...The Back Three, infamous for their tall grass, known to swallow short elephants, not to mention all manner of discs, have been dramatically altered. I would say that the parks department, or an angel, mowed about 40-50% of the total area around The Back Three. They also planted a bunch of small pine trees where they trimmed the wheat field, dramatically improving the course!!!! You all would smile to see the change...I think I nearly cried when I saw it. Pictures will follow.

As for what you would find in my bag....

Drivers:
1 very understable Valkerie
1 Beast (this has slowly become my favorite driver for forehand or backhand shots)
1 Pro Teebird (great all-purpose disc in my view)
1 Archangel (I rarely use this)
1 Champ Eagle (this is for mostly Tomahawk throws, and throws where I need a wicked left-turn)

Mid-Range:
1 pretty understable Champ Sidewinder (I found this one and it flies really straight)

Putters:
3 Aviar Putt and Approach Discs
1 Pro Aviar Putt and Approach (This is my favorite)
1 DX Aviar (This is a great long-range putter)

That's about it...keep your stick on the ice...

mjbombadil

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Bonus Day in November

I am happy to report that my finals week went well. I accomplished almost everything I set out to do and performed good to quite good on my tests. The papers could have used some revising, but alas, we are given but 24 hours in a day.

...what?... that wasn't finals week?

I suppose this is true, it was not the official "finals week" but I'm not going to lie; I will have less to do on finals week than I did this week.

But despite the impending longevity the nights last night held, I had at least one comfort: the weather was going to be pretty bleeding cold, removing much of the temptation for hitting the chains. The only exception to this weather was Monday. In some quirk of nature, Monday topped out at 65* F while Tuesday only inched towards 35* F. I'm sure this has something to do with global warming, global cooling, El Niño ("the boy") or some other such thing because that just isn't natural!

Anyways, a day in late October in which I only needed a t-shirt indicated that I had to go disc golfing. Such things are moral imperitives. I'll let Pappy post on the particulars of the round if he wishes because of the multimedia flare he can add to his presentation. But I must be going. My Hawkeyes are getting beaten by Northwestern (the University, not the College) and I must go rend my garments.


"An Poc Ar Buile"

~ Diggs

p.s. if you're into crazy action flicks, may I suggest you go to www.300themovie.com and watch the trailer. Pure awesome.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Keeping Up Foreign Relations

I dig Pappy's idea of seeing what's in everyone's bag. Its a way for us to get to know each other more intimately. Plus, I geek out about such things. So let me deliniate the contents of my meek and meager bag (hint: they're all pretty much Innova anymore)...

Putters:

  • DX Birdie (174g): 1st putter and biggest mistake
  • DX Aviar (174g): severely understable due to use
  • Aviar-X (174g): a.k.a. the gummy putt

Mid-ranges:

  • DX Wolf (172g): 1st disc ever purchased... my beloved Wolfie
  • DX Roc (177g): dig it!
  • Champ Spider (169g): my go-to middie

Drivers:

  • Champ Valkyrie (175g): opaque
  • Champ TeeBird (174g): opaque
  • Champ Roadrunner (168g): way too light! also opaque!
  • Star TeeRex (171g): not opaque
  • Star Wraith (175g): also not opaque
  • Champ Starfire (172g): continuing the the vein of non-opaque discs

There it is, the little collection I use to get by. Sorry I don't have some fancy picture to better illustrate my bag. Perhaps, in lieu of the coming of winter, a way to keep the hits a coming would be to offer disc evaluations. Hmm... just a suggestion.

Push the hand...

~Diggs

p.s. isn't it interesting that winter is quite often literary symbolism for DEATH? Just food for thought.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Frick! Cold!

Cold weather is the bain of my existence.

I believe most of you are familiar with my sentiments on winter weather. And please understand, my logic is undeniable. Yet I live in a place full of people that await the freezing temperatures. I believe this to be the overwhelming power of peer pressure and conditioning. At some point (I'm sure in full sarcasm), some hipster punk claimed that winter was his favorite season and that he loved the cold. In fact, nothing in the world thrilled him like loosing feeling in the extremities and feeling incontinent with his nasal secretions.

Then some poor schmoe, wanting desperately to fit in with said hipster punk, actually convinced himself that he liked winter as well. He invented activities that proved his affection for cold, like polar bear swimming and cross country skiing. He proceeded to enculcate his "kin" with his obsession until they too convinced themselves that enjoying the winter weather was even morally acceptable.

And by some fluke of the evolutionary process, these individuals were not shuned from the collective gene pool. Instead, they moved to Minnesota and raised up a following, as would a cult leader. This is not really the fault of these poor fools for falling for this load of pockey; their wills had been weakened by years of dealing with scooping driveways, astronomical energy bills and the symptoms of SAD's. But fall for it, they did.

And to think, all this because of peer pressure. This is why I am against cliques, public education for middle schoolers, and gerrymandering (cf. the monster Geryon in Dante's Inferno, Canto 17).

I have heard these poor saps respond to my qualms with the oft refered to phrase, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Well I say its pretty friggin' hard to make lemonade when all the water's frozen.

Peace,
Diggs

Monday, October 16, 2006

Humble Pie


I believe I promised an account of my first complete round of the Bethel course, so here is an abbreviated version: if the round were a school, I would be the kid with the dunce cap on.

Alright, so I scheduled a time with Beilby, a resident theology prof and all-around bamf at disc (he just so happens to be the disc golf prof as well). Anyways, this guy has gone twelve down at Acorn while having two bogeys in the round. Basically, I am his humble servant. So we get out there and play the front nine, each of us playing at an acceptable level: he sitting -4 and myself at a +1. I wasn't entirely happy with the +1, but I also wasn't very familiar with the course, anyhow.

But as we begin to set up for the back nine, a friend joins. This friend is a grounds worker at Bethel and just so happens to be the brother of my roommate's girlfriend. But more notably for our discussion today, he is also the guy who placed 3rd in the Pro-Am's at Nationals. Did you get that... NATIONALS! The dude might go pro.

Anyways, we get to the back nine, which I had not played up to this point. And for the first 3 holes, I'm actually keeping pace. My drives are landing at about the same places as theirs and I'm sitting -1 for the side to their -2. But hole 4 was alongside Lake Valentine and the wind was a presence. This compelled me to make a very stupid decision, a shot selection I swore to myself I would never make... I backarmed my light Roadrunner. For those of you who know the relationship I have to my Roadrunner understand that this could only end in tears... my tears. The shot left me with nothing other than punch out and my subsequent approach was just me being pissy and throwing the stupid disc. Yay for double bogeys.

I tried to force the next drive and shanked it, causing a bogey with similar results on the next hole, putting me +4 for that set of three holes. The only redemption came when I was able to settle down and make good shot selections for the last three and came up with a near ace on 18. I ended the round with a disappointing +3 to Beilby's -9.

Interesting side story... after the round, Josh and Beilby just started ripping huge drives. To give some perspective, they started at about the pin on 18 (the island around the Sem parking lot and blasted them towards the hole on 1. Some of their drives actually ended up just shy of the dead tree within the funnel the evergreens make. In a moment of wisdom and humility, I decided not to participate in the event.

I'll give my thoughts on the course at a later time, but know that I am much more keen on the course now knowing what the designer was going for on certain holes.


Charis kai Eirene,
Diggs

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

50th Post!

I don't quite have time to expound much on my round with Beilby that allowed me to take in the whole Bethel course. Besides, at a milestone post like #50, I should be telling you why you need to keep on reading the blog.

The reason is because I told you to! (sorry for the dangling preposition)

But hopefully I can inspire some hope for the development of our respective games. I'm not going to lie, I had it handed to me yesterday, but it wasn't just a lack of arm strength. The major difference was a knowledge of the game. And Pap, if you want to know as much as possible about the sport, believe me, much more awaits to be learned.

On a lighter note, I would like Mikey to know that in November, both Amos Lee and Ray LaMontagne are going to be playing in the Cities. I think Amos is pretty sold out, but Ray's a possibility.

Not only that, but Amos Lee just came out with his new album, "Supply and Demand" last week, prompting me to buy the first brand new album from a store since high school. And Mike, its pure awesome.


Dance by yourself and think of me when you do,

~Diggs

Saturday, October 07, 2006

What's In My Bag.














Well readers, its been a while since I have put some words of wisdom on this site. I just want to say my life has been crazy for the last few weeks which has hindered my game considerably. I havent been as focused as I usually am when it comes to our sport. I've tried to combat my lack of playing by staying connected with the sport as much as possible. Yes, I have been surfing the PDGA website like a vulture at acorn. I just have a desire to know as much about the sport as possible. I want to learn what it's like to be the best.

Anyway...the point of my blog. I wanted to give a preview as to what discs I carry when I am out on the course.

Let's start off with some short stuff.

In my bag I have:

DX Aviar 147 g
DX Birdie 165 g (I never use it. It's just a filler for the bag to stay "filled")

Moving up the range to the mid section I carry

DX Spider 170 g

My drivers flow like this:

DX Puma 174 g (This is the first disc I ever found when I started playing this sport)
DX Beast 174 g
DX Eagle 150 g
Pro Starfire 168 g
Champ Valkyrie 163 g
Champ Roadrunner 175 g

Of all the discs I carry in my bag. My favorite one to throw has to be my Roadrunner. The kinds of shots I tend to use this disc for are forehand shots that have to weave around a dogleg or something. They are unique shots.

Second favorite is my Aviar. I love putting. It's the most challenging part of my game. I'm not the best at it...but I'm working to improve it all the time.

And thats a look at what the Mid Range King carries with him on the course.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Bethel Course


I'm finally getting a real look at the new Bethel course. Monday I played with Pap and company, a perfectly mundane round to be sure, ending even overall. But to be clear, this was only a 9-hole round, strictly on the yellow tees. I doubt I'll ever play the red tees, but hopefully I'll be able to play the blue ones in the near future. I supposed to go with Beilby this week, so we'll see.


But as soon as I pound through the whole course, I'll be able to offer my full opinion of the course. Obviously it won't compare to Acorn, but its a fairly promising guy. Stay tuned.


Your smile is a drug,

~Diggs

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

On Etymological Misconceptions...



In the past, I have recieved a lot of flack for a pet peeve of mine involving the terminology of the sport. Let us make one thing clear... the name of the sport is "disc golf", not Frisbee golf. Granted, in the past I have almost been as the Spanish Inquisition about appropriate uses. More recently, I have loosened my Pharisaical plight to the more novice of people. Whereas before, I would correct anyone who would say frisbee (or the deplorable frolf) around me, now I only correct those for whom the adjustment is necessary to be taken seriously on the course.

First off, let us consider the argument against, a three-pronged attack from which there is no deniability:

1. Official terminology from within the sport always uses the term "disc", not "frisbee". For example, the leading body for the sport is the Professional Disc Golfing Association (PDGA). Hence, if the sport does not refer to itself in any relation to the word "frisbee", why should anyone.

2. The only reason the term frisbee ever even became associated with the sport is only a result of name-brand association. This exists elsewhere as well. You may hear tissues be called Kleenex or adhessive strips be called Band-Aids. So people also call all discs frisbees instead of the prescribed "disc" because this is the only term they know discs by, notwithstanding the fact that Innova or Discraft are the notable names within the disc golf community. Which brings me to my third point...

3. FRISBEE DOES NOT MAKE DISC GOLF DISCS! In fact, here is a link to Wham-O, the company that brought us the Frisbee: http://www.wham-o.com/default.cfm?page=ViewProducts&Category=2. I believe it would be reductio ad absurdum to demonstrate the futility in calling the sport by a brand name that has no actual association with the sport. Therefore, I will say no more on this.

That said, let me lighten up on those found in violation of using inappropriate terminology. I care no longer whether or not you call the sport frisbee golf. In the past, I considered myself a regulator of such things, but apathy has begun to win me over. So do not feel obligated to check your verbage when in conversation with me about the sport. Only those who declare a sort of devotion to the sport may receive a small nudge, but only for posterity's sake.

Just be aware that within the sport are people who consider frisbee to be the TRUE "f"-word. Such people often demonstrate this in their language.

Thank you Deb for reminding me of my past zealotry.



"Dr. Jekyll is wrestlin' Hide for my pride"

~Diggs

Friday, September 22, 2006

North Valley: A Love/Hate Relationship


First off, I'd like to say welcome to the new readership (if indeed they do actually read this stuff). Apparently I have friends outside of the disc golf community. And it seems as if these friends have discovered this blog, despite my unintentional attempt at exclusivity. To the new readers: if the subject matter does not suit your fancy, I would not be offended if you get terribly bored with this blog right quick and decide never to return. This is the nature of things. But if you do, indeed, have a fascination for all things disc, we wouldn't mind if you stuck around.

That said, let us continue...

In the Southeastern "burbs" of the Cities is a place called Inver Grove Heights. Whilst traversing Inver Grove Heights, you may happen upon a park, right off of I-494. Within this park is a disc golf course that goes by the name of the North Valley Park Disc Golfing Course (I understand this is an unnecessary build up, just bear with me).

One may surmise from the title of this piece that I both love and hate this course. I am still baffled as to how I can live in this paradox. Anyhow, MRKing and UrbWes and myself made the trek to this course last Saturday.

These are the reasons we went:
1) It was my birthday on Tuesday and I'll be buggered if I'm not going to disc the week of my birth. I didn't emerge from the placenta for nuthin'

2) Because it was my birthday (week), I got to choose where we went

3) I have an over-developed sense of accomplishment and I thought my recent level of play meant that I'd be able to perform up to par (and even hopefully below it)

4) I'm an idiot. I like the course. Read these as mutually exclusive, causitive or resultative


Here's the reasons we should not have gone:
1) I'm an idiot (see above)

2) The wind was like somthing out of the "Wizard of Oz"

3) I had been playing well lately, but my Karma just isn't that great

4) If I was going to have a bad day, I might as well have chosen Kaposia

Anyways, I had a rough time of it. MRKing lost a disc (though played well otherwise) and we met a new friend, Brian, a 23 year old computer graphics major from ------ College in downtown. In retrospect, the round really wasn't that horrible. I mean, let's be honest. I'm no Ken Climo.

But I included some pictures, taken from Pap's camera, for ya'll's enjoyment, including the first ever picture of our dear friend, URBWes!


Keep it Loose
Keep it Tight

~Diggs

Monday, September 18, 2006

A Day at Roy Lake




Hey disc dudes~
Here are some pics from my round on Saturday up in the wilderness of Northern South Dakota. I went up to Sisseton for my wife's grandma's 80th birthday party and researched to see if there were any courses close so that I could get a round in and experience a different setting for this beautiful game. The course was right near Roy Lake, and it was a wonderful backdrop for a great round on a beautiful course. Well maintained, well mowed...it was great! We played two rounds, one to get the lay of the land and I kept score the second time through. I had maybe my best round ever, six under and loving every minute of it. Even better, my wife's uncle and father came with me and loved playing the course. It was a great round on a great course and I would love to go back.

peace,
mjbombadil

Sunday, September 17, 2006

More Seymore Pics



Seymore of Seymore Smith


















Hello friends~
Last week, on Wednesday, I had to go to Omaha for a luncheon, and while I was down yonder in the south country I decided I had to sample the disc golf menu. I didn't know if the Links course had water hazards or not (which I am trying to avoid for as long as possible), so I chose Seymore Smith Park. I invited our friend Wade to join me, and he penciled me into his ever-busying schedule. I got there before him, and this dude Brandon showed me around, giving me a rundown of the course, which was absolutely necessary considering their twisted desire to insert multiple pads for added difficulty to each hole (see picture above...there are four different courses for each hole, making it nearly impossible for someone unfamiliar with the course to find their way. Thanks Brandon, we would have been as Lost as Merry if weren't for you. Anyway, the course was great...18 holes...par threes, fours, and fives...lots of trees with overhanging branches...it was a lot like Prentis Park in Vermillion, only bigger with longer and more difficult holes. Hole three's teebox points directly into a creek lined with brush and trees, and the only way is up over the trees...if you don't make it, you land in the cavernous depths of pit Seymore, as a couple of the pictures of Wade above demonstrate (I think he still made par which is sweet). I personally had a great round, using mostly forehand shots throughout the course. My drives using forehand shots have been flying farther than most of my backhand drives...my game has been improving quite a bit as of late. Enjoy the pics, and I will post my pics of Saturday's disc golfing experience tonight or tomorrow.
peace,
mjbombadil

Thursday, September 14, 2006

PR does not only stand for "Public Relations"




Let me tell you why I am awesome...


Ok, so a combination of factors has really affected my return to Minnesota DG. One of them is the weather. God has sent down the atmospheric urine every bloody weekend I have been back up here. Classes seem to take up a majority of the other time, and I recently got a job that should prove to eat up a little more time. To boot, I have been sick since Thursday of last week. I have just presently began to feel the abatement of such, but still continues to hold on. Man, I wish I had an immune system that would do its stinking job! Stupid white blood cells need to make like Tonto and "jump on it!"

In short, these are the reasons that I have for playing poorly. Either by directly affecting me physically or by keeping me off the course, preventing me from improvement.

But the thing is... I haven't been playing poorly at all. The firstround back was a bit of a stretch-out-get-loose round in which Wes and I decided not to keep track of even before the round began. Good thing too. I believe I've already discussed my displeasure with that round in a previous post.

And if I remember correctly, the next round was also not scored, this time my partner being Pappy. Although, we really did not play terribly. I think we may have been at our previous average or just above it. Not bad after being forced into (essentially) a 3 month hiatus from the sport.

But its the last two rounds I'd like to focus on for a moment. I have been out twice this week. I did not really expect to perform well being sick, but I appreciated the break. But something happened that never happens, something that very rarely happens, and something that has only happened in limited spurts, often not lasting an entire round.

Firstly, my spurt-y putting has actually been on. I just seem to have the confidence in it now that has allowed me to settle down and actually make shots I need to make.

Secondly, the very rare occurence is that I have been driving well in conjunction with my spurty putting. Both Pappy and I have put quite a bit more distance on our drives recently. However, unlike Pappy, I've gotten lucky in some good kicks and bounces that has made a big difference in my second shots that have set me up well for birdie attempts. Poor Pap has had to suffer through some just crap luck affecting what would otherwise be beautiful drives. I'd like to say that my approaches have been on as well, but lets be honest. I never could approach to save my life. Not true. I was a surgeon back in the day with my wolf. Unfortunately, the wolf had to hit the retirement home and the disc doesn't suit my throwing style anymore.

Finally, the one thing that is happening that NEVER has happened before is that I am being consistent. Inconsistency has really been a plague on my whole existence. I have a natural inability to keep at a steady pace at anything. But that seems to have ceased, if only for a moment to allow me this slight streak where I can perform well.

The result is that I have posted two of my best scores ever within one week. The first round was a PR, even though I completely fell apart on hole 18 and doubled (Hey, the consistency thing isn't perfect). This last round of mine I missed an easy putt and an easy approach and still ended up shaving two strokes off of the PR I had tied just two days earlier.

All this to say... I am happy playing disc golf again!

Now we're cooking with gas!

~Diggs

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

It Feels Good To Be Home!



Like the title says..."It Feels Good To Be Home!"
Yesterday, Diggs and myself along with my significant other made our way down 694 to our local disc golf course called ser----I mean Acorn. The course was practically dead except for a few locals who seemed to be racing through each hole. We enjoyed a casual game of disc. The rounds were pretty much normal except for a few exciting happenings.
1. My girlfriend Joslyn played her best disc golf round ever. I really taught her well. Just look at that form. mmhmm.
2. I had some of my best drives ever. My distance was huge and accuracy was top-notch.
3. But like every good golfer one part of their game always balances out the outstanding part. My putting fell apart like lincoln logs in a tornado.

I cannot complain one bit though. I loved my round...loved being with Digs and Jos...and cannot wait to play another round on my new home course.

As Always...

Listen for the Chains..

Mid Range King








Saturday, September 09, 2006

No Joy in the Business

As maybe a couple of you are aware, I desired a position on staff at the acclaimed disc golf store, Fairway Flyerz (please note the "z"... that's for the kids). Unfortunately (for me), running a disc golf store is essentially a one man operation. Therefore, I am disheartened to inform you that my potential forray into the disc golf business has been called on account of rain - the rain being the tears falling from my eyes. So instead, I'll probably be stuck cleaning toilets. Oh well, I suppose I never did want to work for a company that removed the appropriate "s" in words, replacing it instead with a once-long-ago hip "z". Ah, thus is life.

Here's to Jimmy Eat World and those nights in my car,
~Diggs

Tuesday, September 05, 2006






Attention my fellow disc golfing friends:

These pics are out of order, but I was wondering if you guys would take a look at my form and give me any pointers you can. I think I've improved dramatically over the last few weeks. My drives have increased to around 250-275 feet pretty consistently (You guys probably throw 350?), and I want to get some more distance on my drives. I've been throwing my weight forward, increasing my goofiness in stance at the end of my throws, increasing my distance and I've regained control after the dramatic form changes I've made in the last couple weeks. Please tell me what you think. Thanks and happy discing!

peace,
mjbombadil

Return of the Acorn


Well, the return to the Cities has reawakened my appreciation for quality course play. No offense to the courses I played this summer nor those who prefer them, but I felt my continued exposure to them did little to improve my game and may have even hampered my affinity for the sport in general.

To be fair, I will admit my first round back in the fray did little to assuage my frustration. With Pappy unable to attend, Wes and I set out to reclaim Acorn Park as our own. Instead it owned us. Wes shanked his free but not so free duplicate Beast into the water hazard on #1. My start was not much more illustrious as I bogeyed 1 and doubled 2. 3 and 4 were a little more satisfactory and I even gained some hope as I parked my drive on 6.

But around this time the rains that had only temporarily abated resurged with a new vigor. Yet our firm resolve carried us on... on, that is until hole 9 when some spacial quirk in the universe gobbled my favorite disk. And this is not simply a case of mistaken placement, laziness in searching nor obstructed sightline to where it landed. We saw where it went, yet nowhere within the accepted laws of physics was my disc. In fact, I am a bit peaved at the scientific community for not coming up with a set of physical laws which can account for my poor orphaned disc.

So, with the rain only adding to the mockery, we drove 17 and called it a day.

The next day proved more successful... for me at least. This time, Wes was calling in sick and Pappy filling out the card. I didn't start off very well going +2 right quick, but throughout the round, was able to stablize and maintain a good performance, finishing the day at +5. Its not that I played particularly well. But Lady Luck showed up to give me the good kicks in most of my faulty throws. Its as if Karma had realized what a jerk she had been the day before and decided to even the keel.

Pappy (Oh my poor Pappy), was not quite as fortunate. He just couldn't catch a break and his game suffered accordingly. Don't worry, Pap. It was just a crap-tastic day.

Dance by yourself and think of me when you do,

~Diggs

Monday, September 04, 2006

Prentis Park, Vermillion, South Dakota


Hello my fellow disc golfing friends. This is the much-awaited, hot off the presses Prentis Park post. I traveled to the bluffs of Vermillion to see my in-laws, which is always fun, for they are some lovely people. I intended to find the Prentis Park course and play it, and I ended up taking my father-in-law along to expose him to the wonder that is disc golf. He played a few holes with me and had a great time. (I think he will brave Sertoma with me sometime in the near future...) Somewhere below is a pic of his mad forehand skills which, for someone foreign to the sport, I was quite impressed with it.
For those of you dying to know about Prentis Park: It is a great course, and a welcome change of pace from the wilderness of Mt. Sertoma. It is completely flat...no hills, no mountain, no throws affected by differing topography. It is a city park, and they take great care of it as it is in the middle of town. It has ten holes, most of which are significantly shorter (9 of the 10 holes are 300 ft. or shorter). It is a great place to work on accuracy, as there are many trees in the middle of the fairway with overhanging branches...and your score will suffer if you cannot control your drives. Probably the most fun thing about this course, however, is your score. I scored a 32 on this course on ten holes...a great score and a huge boost for my confidence.
A note about technique: Below I have a bunch of pictures of my drive. I have changed my form quite dramatically in the last couple rounds, and I think it is really helping my game, giving me some more distance and better accuracy (when I am under control) than my previous form. Much thanks to Diggs...I was watching him last time we played and I noticed a significant difference in his run-up and I am trying to adapt it to my own game. I coupled that with something I have noticed from all of the pictures and video of anyone who's good. On their release, their back foot is always up wicked high in the air and they all look goofy, as if they are going to fall on their face. By pulling my body through "the whip", focusing on throwing all of my weight forward, I think I am acomplishing this goofy position. It really seems to working, although I really need to practice a lot more to get better control of the disc. Please look at the pictures and feel free to comment on my form, giving advice and/or making fun of my amendments to my form...thanks bros and happy discing...

P.S. Having trouble posting the pics...I will try to repost just the pics...






Thursday, August 31, 2006

My best round...A Sertoma Tale





Hello Friends!
I am new to this blog, but let me tell you all I am quite excited to post my best round at Sertoma ever...nay, my best round anywhere...ever!! I am fairly new to the sport, but I am quite addicted as of late, and today was a beautiful addition to my disc golf escapades. My first nine holes I ever played I posted a 36 which blew my mind...from there I went downhill, but since I have been posting 35, 36, 37 fairly regularly. (I have been playing less than a month) Early this week I played my best round at 34, which I have since repeated.
Which brings us to today...Day of days...a beautiful 80 degrees and a 10 mile-per-hour breeze...overlooking both Nebraska and Iowa on the hill which is all at once the bane and highlight of one's disc golf game...using my Champ Eagle, Archangel, a putter, and a well-seasoned Valk that I found on the hill (and which manages to be my favorite disc by far)...I posted a score of 32...one under the official par, despite Diggs' (and others) claims it should be otherwise!!!
I played the first 7 holes with my good friend Sean, who is new to the game and excellent with his Teebird...don't underestimate this man if you ever see him on the hill...he hardly ever plays, and the first time I played a round with him, he owned Sertoma, posting a 33. I think they are thinking about renaming the course after him. Being a new kid, you can understand my excitement at my new personal best...and you can bet I will be hitting up Sertoma again tomorrow...amidst the rain!!! Maybe Wes could come down in his galoshes and play a round...Anyway, he had to go, so I came back a couple hours later, knewing I was on track to break my personal best.

Yesterday's Round:
Yesterday was a truly breathtaking day at Sertoma...they mowed!!!! (For the first time since I've played disc golf...I feel your pains, fellow Sertoma regulars) It was sunny with a High of 75...just a light breeze to cool my brow...freshly mowed...absolutely georgeous!!! I am beginning to feel a fondness for Sertoma despite the highbrow snobbery towards it my fellow compartiots harbor. (much love to you Diggs for getting me started...you will be held high in esteem for showing me the ropes...but Sertoma is my home course, and I have to defend its beauty...I know deep down you love it as well:o) Anyway, I was on hole 6, doing ok and loving life, when I shanked my drive towards Wal-Mart...I was closer to hitting the home plate at the Explorer's Field than the basket. I thought my Valk, the greatest disc I have had the pleasure of throwing, was as lost as Waldo in a candy can factory. I repelled down the hill for what I thought was a fruitless venture to find my beloved disc, and there I prayed as all bad golfers pray, asking God to show me the disc or show someone else the disc who would appreciate its mad flight skills. In about 5 minutes I found the disc, and while I scaled Mount Sertoma I sung the doxology along with all of the insects, rabbits, trees, and the mount itself. It seems silly and quite melodramatic to retell the story, but it meant a lot to me.

I don't mean to over-spiritualize my disc golf experience, (nor do I mean to be branded a wild-eyed, raving, disc golf preacher dude) but I was struck by how we all cry out to God when we are lost, in the dark, suffering, searching for our lost, inconsequential discs and neglect the rest of those precious opportunities to talk to Him when we are playing a great round, going about our work, talking to our loved ones...all the wanderings, the suffering, the silent, dark times that put us painfully in a position to reach out to Him who is forever reaching...maybe it is the only way to cut through the fog and meet with us. It is funny that I understood more of what seems most often as a trite platitude on the hill, searching for an old piece of plastic amidst golf balls and trees, grass and dirt...

Sorry if my pictures suck...I am new to this blogging business...I probably would have been better off using finger paints...I plan on playing the Vermillion course on Saturday...I will let you gents know how it all turns out...

peace,

mjbombadil

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Summer's End

Well the summer is approaching its finale. And I have gleaned enough material to keep me busy posting for the better part of next semester. Haven't had much of a chance during the summer. Sorry for the drop in importance the blog has taken these past months, but thank you for sticking with us.

Continue fighting the phalacracy!

~Diggs

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Summer's Desire

The Highbridge trip being kaiboshed is a let down. Don't let anyone let you think otherwise. The trip signified the whole of my disc golfing expectations this summer.

But with the aforementioned doom of the trip its time to "move along, move along like you know we do".

Therefore, I have set an alternative goal to be reached by summer's end: to increase the number of courses I have played up to 20. In talking to "The Midrange King", we decided to mull through the courses we have played. Pap ran somewhere in the low double digits and I think I landed at about 16. This makes the total number of actual new courses I need to be four, a very attainable number.

Though of course, this may not be as easy as one may suppose. With half the summer already over, I should get cracking on this new objective toot-suite. But with Highbridge out of the picture and all the other major courses in the area already under my belt, the selection begins to thin. Even the Twin Cities, a very disc golf friendly locale, will not provide what I need as I will not head back up there til summer is over.

Two (maybe three) possibilities remain:

1) Denver - I have planned a trip to Denver at the end of the summer to check on a graduate school. Hopefully this will provide at least a couple courses to add to the list.

2) South Dakota - In light of the "Highbridge Incident", an alternative journey on the SD Circuit may add one or two more, though of course, the Sioux Falls and Yankton courses are already notched.

3) (maybe) Omaha - I have been meaning to get to Omaha for some time now. I have played Seymore and Cunningham before. But hopefully there is another one around town. And plus, there is always Council Bluffs.

So there you have it. My goal, the difficulties in attaining it and my plan to overcome those difficulties. If you would like to join in the festivities, let me know.

Cause after all...
you're my wonderwall,

~Diggs

Friday, July 14, 2006

In Lieu of Impending Failure...

The trip is officially cancelled.

The causes are many, varied and valid. We simply could not get all four of our weekends to correspond to disc golf nirvana. Wes has scholastic and musical obligations. Obligations he cannot ignore. We are, after all, talking about the man's livelyhood. After that, only one weekend worked for him. A weekend, which chance would have it, is the one week unavailable to our dear Pappy. And poor Harcum... his entire fiscal foundation is focused upon the weekend shifts. I feel ill about not having all three of them present and will instead see if a fall trip would be a better idea. Poor Highbridge will simply have to do without the SCDGA for a little while longer.

If anything, this unfortunate delay makes a much needed trip to Omaha a greater possibility.

One of the Many; One of the Few,

~Diggs

Thursday, July 06, 2006

The Bad news continues

Ok so my first post was bad..but then it got better. Now its bad again. I was going on the trip to Hybridge. Then I wasnt going to be able to make it. Then I was and now I am sad to say. That this is the last decesion I am going to have to make. I WILL NOT be able to make the trip to wisconsin as it is too close to coordinating between that and going to camp. Also I had made a commitment to run sound for ISFG for the week and that friday would be the last night of it.

It sucks but I have to fulfull my responsibilities placed on me.

May your day be better than this post.

Signed,
Mid Range King

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Bad News....

It is with my saddest concerns that I have to say this. After thinking through all the options and possible alturnatives. I have to let my fellow disc golf commrades that I will not be able to partake of the first ever "mecca" to Hybridge, WI in a few weeks. Prior to saying yes to this amazing trip with my best friends I had already made a commitment to be a counslor at my church camp the following week. The conflit would come in to play of when we would return home from the trip. I'd would end up being late for the start of camp and that would not please the new camp director. I want to respect her authority and eliminate some possible conflicts because of my absense.

Honestly, Guys it is really bothering me that I am not going to be able to make it. Us 4 have been through so much in our lives and this would be an amzing trip to make together.

I will be thinking of you during that weekend.

God's Blessings
The Mid Range King

Friday, June 23, 2006

Improvement

Well, as several recent posts have mentioned, I have considerably improved my game. I am throwing farther and not every shot is a rainbow anymore. However, there are times when you play for a while and see no noticable improvement. How do you know what state your game is in? We need to remember to take pride in the little changes.

I see Diggs playing consistently on a higher level than myself; and with good reason taking into account his considerable amount of game play and higher level of physical fitness (have you seen my arms?). At that level (and of course higher levels) it becomes hard to remain positive because improvement is a slow process. I remember playing with Diggs throughout the semester and can trace back the progression of makable putting distances. At first her made any straight shot on the wood chips, next he made shots just outside of the chips, finally he began expecting shots with obstructions or bad angles. My point is his chage didn't happen immediatley but there are little things to notice from round to round. Personally, I played a round today and found that the back tees on hole 9 no longer hold a mental block for me. I even landed just short of the rock (I'll catch your guys at ten feet past eventually). Now, I played a pretty horrible overall round today and my accuracy needs a lot of work. But my day can be seen as a sucess because of that one throw on a single hole.

Stay Positive,
Urbwes

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Sertoma the Neutered

Before I begin, let me say that I am super-pumped about the new additions to Acorn. The city takes amazing care of their parks, especially those that are disc golf friendly.

As you may have read in the King's previous post, yesterday we played what was promised to be a "swell" round out at Sertoma. What the King neglected to mention was that the aforementioned swelling was actually a malignant tumor located at the base of my cerebellum.

First of all, Harcum was not able to make it. Not a big deal except for that I didn't find out til I was already out at Sertoma (which, by the way, is all the way across town). And since he had no knowledge of Pappy's inclusion, Harcum, effectively left me out to dry. Let this digital lashing be the junk shot to him that he so justly deserves.

And now I'm over that...

The round still sucked without Harc-dog. I hadn't played since the Sioux Falls course a couple weeks prior (which is a must-post round in its own right). In short, I was rusty at best. But the difficulty was not so much in my playing. Rusty though it was, the main reason the round was so cancerous was the horrible state of the course. Piss! Don't they know how to mow? Its obvious the course is poorly maintained and garners little attention from the city that owns it nor the Mayor's Youth Commission that (is charged with) maintaining it. My once home course is in a sad state of affairs. So much so that I have difficulty calling it my home course. Sertoma, a once beautiful name, is now referred to with a disdainful, yet barely visible cringe and illicits an all but inaudible swear word under my breath.

R.I.P Sertoma of old.

I am the walrus,
~Diggs

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Renovations to Acorn bring positive results



I'm not sure if all of you know but last week I spent my week in lovely St. Paul at Bethel University. I was in residence there on business. I was working a sound gig for the Minnesota Girls State 2006 Session. My week was filled with lots of high school girls and lots of hours worked.

Luckily, at the end of the week there was a little time to make the trip worth while. I and my good friend Urbwes made our way to the local disc course Acorn.

I havent played since the last time i played about 2 weeks ago. So my game was a little rusty. I was happy with the way my good friend Wes is playing. My brother, He has gotten 100x better then the last time I saw him play. His newly aquired game did indeed force me to step up my game and make the shots I should be making on a consistant basis. My eventual score wasnt what I thought it should be but the technicques were being perfected. I have to say a few of my favorite shots was my birdie put from 25ft out through 2 trees on 14. I just threw it up on a whim and the beautiful S-curve came in.

More importantly for my main reason for this post is the renovations that have taken place. One new addition to the course is the new signs as shown above. They are very nice and help make the course a little more professional. Only a couple of them have been vandelized already. Which saddens me.


The next renovation is the addition of a terraced staircase on hole six. If you remember before it was a "take your life in your own hands" decline if you aren't careful.










The thrid addition to Acorn park is this foot bridge at the bottom of the hill on hole six. It is a nice addition especially because much of the year the bottom of the hill is filled with water and as a result is really muddy. This is a nice way to avoid some of the issues with mud. I'm wondering how it will react when it gets some of Minnesota's famous rain storms.


The final addition to the park is between holes 9 and 10. The decline downhill was getting really steep and eroaded away. The city added some long poles in the ground to help stop the errosion that was taking place every time it rained.

The final final addition I neglected to take a picture of was the addition of some sod at the base of hole 10 where the mud pit used to be. There is freshly laid sodd that should help to create a better environment.




Well today is going to be sweet. I'm totally looking forward to playing today with my buddies Harcum and Diggs. I feel its going to be a swell time.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The longest streak of my life

Well, recently I have been on what you might call a streak of disc golfing; from the second half of the last week of school through finals week 'til Monday this week I played every day (even a little driving range action a night). Through this marathon of discing, I have really imporved my game and have begun to truly enjoy playing. As my streak was drawing near a close, however, I was hit with an enemy I had never faced before: Humidity (I had to write this one Diggs).

Though our most prevalent poster chooses to igneore its power, I have found a new respect for the level of moisture in the air; it really saps your enegry. I was playing the best disc of my life and imporving every time until that summer humidity hit. Suddenly, my distance, accuracy, and overall enjoyment went down. Wherre I was begining to feel only invigorated after 18, I was again dead at the end of a round at Acorn. I'm certain, however, that, with a few weeks of getting used to the added air density, I will again be on the road to improvement.

and Diggs, its decent not descent :)

Saturday, May 27, 2006

The Mark of Kaposia


Well, finals week has come and gone, leaving little time to enjoy the Cities for the bountiful selection in courses before the semester came to a close. Unfortunately, this means that the King and I will become relegated to the comparitively barren discing experience that is western Iowa. URB will stick around here, hopefully keeping us abreast of the situation 'round the Cities. His recent post (along with his much improved long game) has given me renewed hope for his continued participation in the blog.

However, before going silently into that good night, the King and I took the trip to Kaposia to whet our appetite until we can hit up another descent course (and no, the LeMars municipal park course does not qualify as a descent course... that is putting practice). Kaposia is widely regarded as the premiere course of Minnesota and for good reason. Though the short tees detracted from my masochistic enjoyment of the course, the round was in the end a very positive experience.

The round was a descent representation, each of us performing solidly. But the round was boosted to the next level of nirvana by the addition of a random stranger who was going the round solo. The stranger, Mark, was a recent graduate of the U and was just enjoying the deliciousness that is DG. Mark is just one of those guys that, though not incredibly memorable for any one thing, stands out as a person you just get a good vibe from.

Fortunately for us, Mark often frequents the Acorn, increasing the likelihood of another chance encounter.

The moral of the story: I like hippies

Slap-fives all around,
~Diggs

Monday, May 22, 2006

... For Our Homie Gone Up the River...


In recent developments, a mutual friend of ours has become half of a new life created this weekend through the bond of marriage. It was quite a festive event, suffering only one casualty. The grandmother of the bride biffed it down the stairs, fracturing her wrist. And though this occured seconds from the beginning of the processional, the recovery was a fluid adjustment from the previously scheduled program and the rest went off without a hitch.

Honestly, I think I was more nervous than the groom was. Not that my nervousness was due to any concern, but by virtue of the fact that it was a wedding of a very dear friend with myself serving in a formal capacity on his behalf, I had a few butterflies running around.

The only other thing I will mention in connection with the actual ceremony is that 80's porn music makes a great soundtrack to driving off with your new wife.

And so, in honor of this momentous occasion, I dedicate my next round to you, Wade.

May your new life be filled with blessings in abundance.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

After Doug's constant nagging

Well here it is.... I have decided to post again.

Today, the saturday before finals week, I decided to play a round of disc golf with my neighbor and good friend Jon. We went to acorn park and played the 18 holes in one and a half hours this morning. I am decently happy with my imporvement and have begun to really love my sidewinder. Some on my shots of note include:
1. my best drive ever on hole 4
2. my disc actually turned over on several holes but most noticeably on hole 12 where I shot over the around the trees Doug always hits due to a beautiful turn :)
3. another great turnover on 17

Jon had also shown noticeable imporovement and is already driving consistently near my shots (not that I am great at the drive)

Later today we went across the street to the baseball field and practiced driving for over a hour. Also, Jon recently bought his first dsic (horray!). He bought an Archangel which I thought might be a bad choice due to past friends' difficulties but he has really played well with it. He is already contemplating buying his next few discs and has spent some time on innova.com. Its exciting to see him really enjoy this sport and I hope he continues to be excited about it (Playing today was his idea).

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Drop the Bomb


...So yesterday, Wes gives me a jingle and we head out.

Unfortunately, my beautiful blue beast was MIA, and I have no idea where she went. I'm so upset, I refer to it in aliterations. So I poured one out for my missing homie and moved on.

We ended up shotgunning it to hole 2 to avoid a massive group. It seems that because its disc golf, some people feel its acceptable to play in 8-somes. Come on, guys! Just suck it up and split into two groups. After a brief chat with P. Berg, we continued to play. We proceeded to play through a group of roving cold lampers. I think their rule of play included consuming a beer every hole. They were annoying, but at least they marveled at my throws, and I am egotistical enough to tolerate them for their oogling.

But let me say, yesterday was the day to oogle my throws. I don't know what exactly I changed, but I have adopted a bit of a looser approach, resulting in a significant increase in power. I was extremely pleased. The only downside is the marked reduction in accuracy, but that will come as soon as I become accustomed to the throw. Ah! Its always nice to explore new territory on the fairway!

Dance by yourself and think of me when you do

~Diggs