Nikko LoCastro intimidating a PDGA official at European Open '22

[Keith H]

I just bought my first Clash disc (Mint in Steady plastic) 2 or 3 weeks ago. It's a good disc, I avoided the signature version.

I'm glad the EO took the action they did. I will be interested to see what Clash does now.

If Clash don't take some type of corrective action as a sponsor I won't buy a second Clash disc. I'm not saying they have to drop him but they do need to address this directly with him and make it clear to the public that they have.

 

[RistoS]

2. The rule can be enforced better. The PGA Tour has to notify the players that they are on the clock before they can time them and access a penalty. Was Nikko notified? Sure didn't seem like it. i don't know if notification is required by the PDGA but if not, it sure should be. Surprises tend to result in much larger reactions so that should be taken into account when discussing further penalties.

The field tends to be notified pre-round if they need to pay closer attention to something, such as excessive time being enforced and pacing their play accordingly. This is how major tournaments in Finland have done in the past, at least. It's good to keep in mind that an initial excessive time violation is always a warning, and only further violations can be penalized.

 

[BillFleming]

I know you all have anxiously been awaiting my thoughts, so here goes.

1. Nikko was incredibly out of line and should be suspended for a few events (I'm a forgiver), but will likely be done for rest of the season. Any more than that would be going way too far and an overreaction.

2. The rule can be enforced better. The PGA Tour has to notify the players that they are on the clock before they can time them and access a penalty. Was Nikko notified? Sure didn't seem like it. i don't know if notification is required by the PDGA but if not, it sure should be. Surprises tend to result in much larger reactions so that should be taken into account when discussing further penalties.

3. I bet Cat and Nikko are done after this. There also has to be moments like this in their relationship. It's going to be hard for her to keep it together this tourney. heading back for the day in 1st, ready to celebrate and doucheboy trumps it all with this act.

4. I just ordered a Clash Disc - some Popcorn to mess around with as it all unfolds.

For #2. It doesn't look like the DQ/possible ban is due to excessive time. That is what started everything, but the DQ is for the actions he took against the Tournament Official. There's no "warning given" for that....it's a DQ. The excessive time would have just gotten him a warning and then a penalty...but Nikko couldn't accept it and let it go.

 

[EarthRocker]

Not to mention, if every manjack in here knows about his issues with excessive time, guess what? He does, too.

His warnings are in the oxygen he breathes.

Guaranteed, he purposely takes as much time as he can get away with, precisely because he knows it bugs people.

Yeah. Have fun on the other side of the ropes, dude.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Lulz

 

[WD09]

That's a great summary.

He was DQed because he got up in a guy's Grill and refused to Chill.

 

[GMcAtee]

I wish he'd step to me like that. I'd enjoy the opportunity to jaw jack him.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

That's a well deserved dq imo.

Not to excuse his reaction by any means, but I do find it odd how randomly the 30s rule is enforced. People break this all the freaking time.

It's probably more a matter of his having a well established pattern for taking excessive time, and likely a player having mentioned it to the tournament staff.

Plenty of players take over 30+ occasionally, for difficult lies, or other unusual situations.

Nikko's a chronic offender, on a regular basis.
And while I applaud his passion, there are aspects of his "winning personality" that make some people want to call him on it, moreso than others.

 

[Shallows]

The only time I'll root for the refs is when they're helping my team. Otherwise I'm generally for less policing in sports.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Wouldn't surprise me if the crew of officials was directed to make 30 seconds and foot faults points of emphasis.

 

[acrosley]

I'd really like to here some of the players takes on the situation. I would imagine they're grateful towards the Official for calling the violation and probably all back him 100%. I know a number of players have spoken about needing to shift the obligation to call violations away from participants.

 

[GMcAtee]

I don't think comparisons to other faster, much more physically rigorous sports (baseball, hickey or even tennis) is a good analogy. The much greater physical activity involved in those sports gets adrenaline pumping in a way that golf, disc golf, bowling, curling... simply doesn't.

Not saying people can't get emotional about these sports, or that there's no excitement/adrenaline, but the level of physical exertion just isn't the same, and that seems to ratchet things up considerably.

Totally agree. Adrenaline pumping in disc golf is not really a thing unless you are taking some HGH or speed. Then you're out driving the 20 year olds, but missing gimme putts cause you're too jacked.

Even baseball can get the adrenaline pumping harder than dg to where you decide to take out the second baseman while stealing cause he wasn't taught to straddle the bag, or ignore the wall while chasing a fly ball.

Now you have me missing those adrenaline pumping days.

 

[acrosley]

Also I'm really hoping for a Jomboy breakdown of the incident. Conrad's shot featured in his best of 2021 so here to hoping!

 

[blake833]

I wish he'd step to me like that. I'd enjoy the opportunity to jaw jack him.

"I wish he'd step to me like that. I'd enjoy the opportunity to show that I can be equally immature and throw just as big or even bigger tantrum when faced with mild adversity."

I don't think our sport needs more hot heads, or macho men who feel like punching is the same as being manly, or anyone who thinks that somehow being better at violence makes your side of a conflict the winning side. I don't mean to call you out specifically, because I know there are many people who glorify the idea of punching someone for any reason, even something as small as "took issue with a correctly-called penalty." But anyone who thinks "oh if that had been ME-" is not effectively problem solving their conflict.

The best part of disc golf is whether you do well or do poorly, you have no one to blame but yourself. No matter how much you compare scores at the end of the day, you're the only one responsible for your score. Nikko blew up (again) at someone for just making sure they're all playing the same game the same way. If he can't "play nice" with his friends then I agree with the TD- he shouldn't play. If us as participants of the sport want to bring violence into any of this, then we are not progressing. This isn't hockey, or football, or even baseball where punches, or dugout-clearing, or even aggressive fouls (as in soccer) can be expected. This is an individual sport where the goal should be to play the best you can play. If you're even a really good person, you'll hope your competitors also play the best they can play, and if you're just a regular good person you'll agree to play by the same rules. No one should be offended by being called out if they are honestly trying to just abide by the standard set on every player they're competing against. Striving for a fair game isn't personal, it's professional. And Nikko was not in any way responding like a professional.

I'm sorry the disc golf world has to deal with this, and I also hope that anyone who plays, or wants to play disc golf, sees this kind of behavior dealt with severely so they feel welcome on a course, and even comfortable calling out other players without fear of retaliation. No matter your level of play, or the skill of people you play with, you should be having fun and just trying to play the best disc golf you can that day.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

DQ is for Drama Queen, right?

 

[dmoore1998]

I wish he'd step to me like that. I'd enjoy the opportunity to jaw jack him.

I was kind of thinking the opposite, like "I wish it was me, because I'm pretty sure I could get him to hit me".

 

[matycakes]

Big time nothing burger there. Yeah, juvenile behavior by Nikko but I can't muster the energy to care that much. DQ seems a bit excessive in my opinion. Apparently people are pretty upset by this though so I guess it's really offensive to the majority of people. Not the first time I don't agree with the majority haha.

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

 

[BillFleming]

Big time nothing burger there. Yeah, juvenile behavior by Nikko but I can't muster the energy to care that much. DQ seems a bit excessive in my opinion. Apparently people are pretty upset by this though so I guess it's really offensive to the majority of people. Not the first time I don't agree with the majority haha.

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

Some people are thinking the DQ was due to the excessive time call. It wasn't. It was due to his actions against the Tournament Official and that isn't acceptable. He was fairly DQ'd by the rules. If players were allowed to harass/intimidate tournament officials to get their way...there'd be no end to it. And who would want to be a tournament official if they had to take being harassed/intimidated for making a call?

 

[lee76007]

Nikko just became what the Europeans call "The Ugly American".

 

[dehaas]

Ouch