Peter
Thank you for serving on the BOD. Thank you for understanding the way to grow this sport is NOT to throw more resources at the top players, or to dress up the top events, but to encourage new players.
JTACOMA. I will be voting FOR Peter in an effort to vote AGAINST candidates like yourself. Many things you propose have already been tried before with little success.
Having a dressed up venue, only gives you a dressed up venue; it does not attract more spectators or PDGA members or make the event high caliber.
This has already been tried. For example, The Golden State Classic NT event was hosted at La Mirada from 2004-2008. It was run by the late Tim Selinske, who was a master promoter. He had the entire park decked out from end to end with banners and signs and flags. Everyone who was near La Mirada Park KNEW something big was going on that weekend. Tim had demonstrations for Guts and Freestyle and Distance. He paid for radio advertising and had a beer garden!! No one came. He booked a frisbee dog demonstration and at least several hundred people came out to the Golden State Classic that year; but only to ask "Where are the Frisbee dogs?" They didn't care about disc golf before, during or after. Once the dogs left, all the people left. And not one cared if Ken Climo or Dave Feldberg was in the lead. Tim also did all this production for the US Masters PDGA Major event that he hosted from 2000 to 2008.
So Tim spent this massive amount of time and energy and money and volunteer staff putting up banners and flags and paying for radio advertising and beer gardens and public disc demonstrations. No one except the players showed up then. No one except the players are going to show up now. Here it is nine years later and you are proposing tournament visibility is what we need to make our events high caliber. Tim proved you can wear the prettiest dress to the ball, but it doesn't make a difference if there is no one there to dance with you.
Also, the Memorial has always been a high visibility event at both the Vista and Fountain Hills venues. Although these parks are packed with disc golfers, 90% of the other park users don't have a clue what is going on....even with all the disc golf banners flying and the PDGA circus tent in attendance!
Again, I will be voting for Peter and any other candidates that are looking to step away from growing this sport from the top down.
Suzette Simons
California PDGA State Coordinator - South
PDGA Competition Committee Volunteer
Suzette unfortunately you have a couple of things mixed up, which is probably due to skimming and not reading my posts.
1. I'm not running for BOD. I never said or even implied that. I was simply debating Peter's platforms, which is something that should be done with all candidates. For the record, I have nothing but respect for Mr. Shive, I just disagree with him.
2. You are falling into the "oh he's throwing money at top pros" camp which is false. Though your examples of what Tim Selinske did are the best counter-argument so far, they're still not necessarily what I'm talking about. Flags and banners are boring and outdated. We're not selling used cars. I don't want to debate the specifics because I wasn't there and can't adequately critique or speak to what Tim did. Suffice to say though, that I'm talking about a fan experience, not just making it more visible and hoping people show up. Look to other sports for how this is done.
On a side note: it is truly amazing (and revealing about our sport) how many people attack me on this point. Every single other popular sport does this, yet somehow it won't work for disc golf? I think people are just resistant to change, that or they aren't learning from the past. I'm not suggesting we repeat the past. I'm suggesting we look at examples of what has worked for us, what has worked for other sports, and what hasn't worked and develop a new plan of attack.
I'm not "growing from the top down" - anyone who says that is straw-manning my arguments. I'm saying contribute to bottom up growth through empowering local clubs,
who do a much, much better job than the PDGA, while focusing on the
professional part of disc golf because that's what they're for. Give the bottom growth something legitimate to aspire to, or at least just be a fan of and support. Look at how many uber-nerds here on DGCR refuse to pay a measly $50 a year! It's because the PDGA's product
sucks. They have no business micromanaging local clubs, they need to have a trusting relationship with established communities and empower them financially and logistically to do the work in the local communities themselves. The PDGA is ill equipped to maintain local communities, so why do we insist on having them do a job they're not designed to do?
The turnover is how the same thing gets done over and over. JTacoma03 has ideas that I've heard repeated since the early 90's. He is new blood, ready to believe that pro disc golf will work. They are doomed to burn out and give way to the next generation who will do the same thing. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Having people willing to repeat all the mistakes the previous guy made is how the PDGA tour keeps going, though. :\
Unfortunately you've simplified my arguments, or not read them (see above in response to Suzette). Technology is also much more suitable to a DIY exposure atmosphere, which we can create. In the 90's that was a much more monumental task financially.
You're also forgetting the variable factor - humans. The climate is much more ripe for our sport than in the 90's. We have way more exposure that we could either capitalize on, or waste.
