Just a little rant

[discgolfbandit]

you only think of the TDs side of the story...making up possible reasons...I take a fellow DGCR member on his word...shame on me!

 

[Dave242]

An anonymous internet forum poster (with 17 posts) taking up for another anonymous internet user (with 21 posts). That is fine and good I suppose. Hopefully you 2 will become valuable long time contributors here....and hopefully you both are already that type of person in real life (much more important than the virtual world of the interwebz).

What is laughable is that you say I "only think of the TDs side of the story" in response to a post saying "every story has at least 2 sides/perspectives". I am a fellow DGCR member too, BTW.

 

[NDABRUSH]

People who hear one side of a story and buy into it lock stock and barrel are the ones that lean towards being "truly delusional".

People who realize that all are fallible and that every story has at least 2 sides/perspectives are rational.

People who behave like hypocrites in a position that doles out rules for 1 and not for another are just as annoying as some of the things you listed as things that TDs have to put up with.

 

[Dave242]

The OP posted that he had come to the conclusion "that the TD was a blatant hypocrite and lied." He closed his post with "What would y'all have done in this situation?"

My posts basically challenge his assumption/assertion that "the TD was a blatant hypocrite and lied"......and gave my input to what I might have done (as requested). I have seen nothing to establish this more so as fact and less so as speculation.....and I have seen lots of people going along with the possibly wrong assumption/assertion.

I have seen/experienced DB TD's who seem to be motivated by power-tripping and I have seen well meaning TDs make honest mistakes and get railroaded, and I have seen and heard plenty of whining about TDs without a mature/adult attempt to understand and rectify things that seem out of whack.

I would say from my perspective that the last thing mentioned happens the most....and it is unfortunate since it drives away a lot of very well meaning volunteers who want nothing more than to provide a good time for their fellow disc golfers.

My goal/hope here is to hopefully steer the OP (and maybe some other readers too) to consider all sides of a story before jumping to damning conclusions and causing more destructiveness than constructiveness.

.....but maybe I am just coming across as a goody 2-shoes, holier than thou, bloody do-gooder and my posts here will ultimately be more destructive than constructive.

 

[NDABRUSH]

The OP posted that he had come to the conclusion "that the TD was a blatant hypocrite and lied." He closed his post with "What would y'all have done in this situation?"

My posts basically challenge his assumption/assertion that "the TD was a blatant hypocrite and lied"......and gave my input to what I might have done (as requested). I have seen nothing to establish this more so as fact and less so as speculation.....and I have seen lots of people going along with the possibly wrong assumption/assertion.

I have seen/experienced DB TD's who seem to be motivated by power-tripping and I have seen well meaning TDs make honest mistakes and get railroaded, and I have seen and heard plenty of whining about TDs without a mature/adult attempt to understand and rectify things that seem out of whack.

I would say from my perspective that the last thing mentioned happens the most....and it is unfortunate since it drives away a lot of very well meaning volunteers who want nothing more than to provide a good time for their fellow disc golfers.

My goal/hope here is to hopefully steer the OP (and maybe some other readers too) to consider all sides of a story before jumping to damning conclusions and causing more destructiveness than constructiveness.

.....but maybe I am just coming across as a goody 2-shoes, holier than thou, bloody do-gooder and my posts here will ultimately be more destructive than constructive.

I agree with you as far as not drawing a conclusion without the facts.... just apply the rules as they were intended... the same for everyone.

 

[myoung]

i dont think you need to do anything. first off, you placed third by moving up. Doesnt that give you some confidence in your game now? it kills me how much people grip about this subject. if youre playing disc golf to be recreational then say something, but if you want to truly compete leave it alone. my rating is a 897 and i play advanced masters. moving up has taken my game to a level that i would have never experienced playing my rating. i just love competition and i just cant imagine staying in my rating. i know everyone doesnt want to play serious, but if you do just keep quiet and make your case by playing great rounds.

 

[Lewis]

While registering for a tourney this weekend I was told by the TD himself that if you've been playing for more than six months you couldn't play rec. ... I end my second round and walk up to some of the guys I know, who are legit novice guys and they say they have a few guys in their division that have been playing for more than 3 years and one at 7 years. ... I was pretty upset that the TD was a blatant hypocrite and lied.

How do you know the TD had all the same information at the time of registration that some of the players in the rec division had after the second round? Are the legit novices personal friends of the baggers? Did the baggers mention how long they had been playing during the rounds? Did someone else who knows them mention it? Are you sure the TD would have known about their experience when they registered? Are you sure they didn't lie to him about their experience when he asked them the same question he asked you? And most importantly, when someone confronted the TD about the inconsistent application of the rules (assuming someone did), how did he react? Until you can say with confidence that the TD knowingly applied the rules inconsistently, or that he refused to correct the error when it was discovered, you can't say with confidence that he was the person guilty of lying.

Needless to say I will never play for that organization again after those events occurred. I thought about saying something to him as I left about it but figured it was best just to leave it be. What would y'all have done in this situation?

If I found myself in that situation, I would think it best to say something about it to the TD. If I were not satisfied with his response, he and his organization would at least have feedback about my dissatisfaction. If it wasn't actually his fault, but the experienced rec players lied to him, they would be "outed" for their bagging, and they would be less likely to get away with it in the future. Then I could make a more informed decision about whether I wanted to give the organization another chance, or walk away knowing I did the right thing by reporting it and giving my due feedback.

 

[ChrisWoj]

I read until I couldn't read no more... and then skimmed. Here's a question: did they have ratings? Do you have a rating?

Sanctioned or not - if they had ratings showing they're Novice caliber players and you have no rating at all - he has every right to put you in whatever division he feels is appropriate.

 

[ill4mation]

I read until I couldn't read no more... and then skimmed. Here's a question: did they have ratings? Do you have a rating?

Sanctioned or not - if they had ratings showing they're Novice caliber players and you have no rating at all - he has every right to put you in whatever division he feels is appropriate.

I disagree. If the OP has no rating he should be able to play whatever division he wants until he has a rating.

 

[DavidSauls]

I disagree. If the OP has no rating he should be able to play whatever division he wants until he has a rating.

That would enable a good player to be a perpetual sandbagger, just by not joining the PDGA and never getting a rating.

 

[ill4mation]

That would enable a good player to be a perpetual sandbagger, just by not joining the PDGA and never getting a rating.

I didnt think of that. I guess I was thinking if he/she has no rating as a PDGA member then he/she should play until they get one. I would also think if he/she is not a PDGA member and continues to play in a lower division that locals would eventually call them out forcing them to move up.

 

[JimDK27]

For those that said, "play your rating." What would you advise for someone without a rating and doesn't want to pay a PDGA membership because I rarely play PDGA tournaments?

I'm a very casual player that rarely plays tournaments but would like to start playing weekly doubles and last time I played one it had Amateur and Advanced divisions. At that time I was very new and it was very easy to decide where I should play. Now I'm in a different area and I have only played an Ice Bowl and I'm not sure how I stack to the local regulars.

 

[DavidSauls]

It's hard so say where you should play in local league play.

If you've played any PDGA tournaments, you can look up those results and see what your round ratings are.

If you've played the local courses, you can tell the TD what your average score is and ask his recommendation. You may be able to look up prior PDGA tournaments, and see what rating your average score would have produced---but you'll want to verify that the tournament course setup was the same as the everyday one you're playing.

After a few events, it should be obvious if you're playing well over, or under, your skill level.

I don't advocate a blanket rule. I think the TD's advice and decision is the best way to go. The O.P.'s story describes a case where it's gone wrong---at least to the degree that we know the story---but it's still the best option in such a situation.

 

[sprintermatt]

I've played in local leagues where you know the TD and he puts people in the APPROPRIATE division. He may have had better assessed this individual as an INTie, not a RECie. It sounds like it was the right move. If you got 3rd in INT in your first INT event, you should totally be playing PRO at your next event.

OK, I'm kidding about that last part.

Was it a local league? Do you play in that league a lot? If so, have you been playing at these events for a while? If so, the TD would know the appropriate division to put you in. His event, his rules.

 

[chris deitzel]

Maybe the TD knew who you were and knew you were too good to be playing REC.

Why don't we just get rid of all these stupid divisions and just have pro men, pro women, and amateur women and amateur men.

Quit giving payouts to ams, just trophies.

We will have larger fields and more people move to the pro division so they have a chance to win something.

 

[JimDK27]

Why don't we just get rid of all these stupid divisions and just have pro men, pro women, and amateur women and amateur men.

Quit giving payouts to ams, just trophies.

We will have larger fields and more people move to the pro division so they have a chance to win something.

I like this. Keep it simple. True amateurs would play just as hard for t-shirts and discs as they would for money.

 

[ejvogie]

Maybe the TD knew who you were and knew you were too good to be playing REC.

Why don't we just get rid of all these stupid divisions and just have pro men, pro women, and amateur women and amateur men.

Quit giving payouts to ams, just trophies.

We will have larger fields and more people move to the pro division so they have a chance to win something.

All you're going to do is drive away lower rated Ams and push lower rated Pros into the Am pool.