Would disc golf in high school help?

[Budman2012]

Im curious to what other people think. Everyone has been talking about where the PDGA should focus their attention, either new players or current pros.

I think getting disc golf into high school as a sport would grow the sport incredibly. I can't imagine it would be that hard to do. To me, it would be amazing to be able to go to practice everyday and do drills or something and be taught by a pro/coach to learn proper technique right from when I started. I would like this much better than trying to teach myself proper technique from scratch. In my own experience, I've been trying to teach myself and fix my technique ever since I started playing disc golf, about 5 years ago now. This has hurt my confidence because I have always been changing things and because of this I haven't played in many tournaments. Which I'm sure is not what the PDGA wants. I think if high school students were able to get proper lessons in technique and also travel to other schools to do events or tournaments then they would be more likely to compete in more tournaments when they are out of high school. I'm sure this would also lead to more people turning pros coming out of high school or soon after.

So to me I think the PDGA still needs to focus on the up and coming disc golfers. I personally enjoy watching these huge pro tournaments, but to be honest, the main reason I watch them is just to compare my form to the pros because I have no one else to learn from besides myself.

 

[bradharris]

As a community, we just don't have the manpower to support this. You say you want coaches, but where are you planning to find them?

If you want this to be a varsity sport, there has to be some sort of sanctioning with the local high school league. That probably also requires some sort of certification of officials. This includes finding people willing to donate even more time and effort into TDing High School competitions.

High school sports really require a lot of commitment that frankly, the PDGA is not equipped to handle. I was a swimmer through high school and while competitive swimming is a big sport, it was very hard to get it established as a varsity sport in my high school. Our club coach had to jump through a lot of hoops and do a lot of politicking to get a team established. And even once we got a team, we often had to travel long distances to find another team to actually compete against.

If you want to see disc golf in the schools, make it happen locally. That's what it really takes: a local person to champion the effort. Start it as a club activity and build it from there.

 

[DavidSauls]

High school disc golf has been done in some places. Collegiate disc golf has just taken off in the past few years, and hopefully high school won't be far behind.

(My personal belief is that the PDGA should not focus on any one thing, but many aspects of disc golf. Scholastic competitions is one, but it will take primarily local efforts to get it going).

Edit: I was still typing as all this was said, much better, above. Sigh.

 

[megamerican]

I know Minnesota has held high school tournaments. Lately it has been run by the Minnesota Frisbee Assocation and will be until the state high school league sanctions it as a varsity sport.

There is really no need for it to be sanctioned by a high school league or any school for there to be leagues or tournaments. Get the players first, then once it becomes popular you may or may not want to sanction it.

https://www.facebook.com/2012MinnesotaHighSchoolDiscGolfChampionships
http://www.flyinglea.org/?page_id=1175

Find a TD who wants to run the event. Find a sponsor for trophies, such as a local DG club and then promote it on social media and local disc golf courses.

 

[ThomasOrion]

Come to think of it, My senior year my gym class HAD disc golf. We played on the course around our school. It's super basic. But It was my first time playing....I remember everyone bitching that they all cut to the left everytime, haha ME included! Who would think that a few years later I would be ALL about DG. Then 6 years after that I would be addicted

 

[The Last DJ]

As a teacher, I'm with you here! Having disc golf in schools would grow the sport in terms of participation and respect. It would definitely help get more kids active. Let's face it: you don't have to be a world-class athlete to shoot par at the local course! If nothing else, why not have it as a part of the physical education curriculum and see where it goes from there?

 

[Budman2012]

Very true. Maybe I'm just dreaming a little about what I personally would have wanted.

 

[Budman2012]

Yeah I don't think it needs to be an official varsity sport right away. It could be a club or just a group of interested kids that start a league or something. Just something organized so kids arent playing alone and that they can ask questions and be taught how to play. I think it would be awesome if a local pro or just someone locally that has been playing for a while and has experience would take charge and work with the kids that are interested so that they are getting proper info right from the get go. I would've absolutely loved this.

 

[scarpfish]

I think getting disc golf into high school as a sport would grow the sport incredibly. I can't imagine it would be that hard to do.

I see in your profile that you're only 20. I had that idealistic line of thinking when I was 20 too. Enjoy it before reality takes a big poo all over it.

There are probably dozens of disorganized sports like activities like ours that have followers who wish schools would incorporate it into the athletic program. The thing is, school athletic programs cost money.

I'd like to see more PE teachers add disc golf to their activities list, but as for it being a sanctioned sport in high schools, umm, no.

 

[pmatt1969]

I don't see it getting into schools on a large scale for a long time. It has to be done at the local level. But schools are already having funding problems as it is. And with all the sports offered, is disc golf going to be your first, second, or third choice to play if you can get a college scholarship in another sport? Is there disc golf money being given out to players on the collegiate level?

 

[turbosteve]

It would definitely help the sport grow if Disc Golf was a sanctioned varsity sport. The problem is that it is going to be difficult getting Disc Golf sanctioned as a varsity sport. I remember that Lacrosse had to go through a lengthy process to be sanctioned as a varsity sport in my state. Another problem for Disc Golf would be that there are not to many women of a high school age playing disc golf so schools are unlikely to add the sport so they can maintain the Title IX regulations.

 

[tbird888]

I'd like to see more PE teachers add disc golf to their activities list, but as for it being a sanctioned sport in high schools, umm, no.

A google search for "high school disc golf championship" says otherwise.

 

[scarpfish]

A google search for "high school disc golf championship" says otherwise.

No google search for "high school disc golf championship" I found says that high schools anywhere are establishing formalized varsity teams like they do for ball golf or team sports. Pretty much any high school aged competition I found was being organized by a non-school entity.

 

[Hampstead]

There are a few self-organized HS disc golf clubs in town. Apparently they have some sort of league. It could just be a group of friends who go to different schools, I don't know. There is also a local HS that has a 9-hole course designed by students. It's nothing special but pretty cool to see the kids take the initiative to get the course installed.

 

[Grungedude42]

Probably would work best by beginning as a club venture, perhaps some intramural teams (as opposed to intermurals) whould compete a couple times a year, informally. I formed a club in high school for gaming (video games and card games). Just needed a faculty sponsor to supervise.
Once things get big enough, and enough schools participate, a league will form much easier. What's the point of a state sanctioned sport or league with no participants? Get the players first, and the league will follow.

 

[parrothead57]

I've seen baskets on campus at 2 Jr High Schools in Austin. But I don't know what types of programs exist at those schools.

 

[BirdieMachine]

I'm seeing more courses built on School properties. The sport is growing, it just takes time. Most other sports have 50-100+ years on Disc Golf.

 

[davistd0]

2 years after I graduated from high school, they added disc golf to the gym class curriculum. They used some of their annual equipment budget to purchase a couple of portable baskets and a bunch of beginner friendly DX plastic. The baskets are placed around the football/soccer field complex, which makes for a pretty uneventful course, but its a start.

The local course is actually hosting a high school players only tournament.
http://www.mainediscgolfers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2109

Seems like a good way to attract younger players. Perfect course for it, being an easier course and less than 20 minutes from 5 different high schools.

 

[gvdg jake]

We have a guy in our club who just graduated high school and as his senior project he got permission from his HS to build a 9 hole disc golf course on the land around the school. It consists of long and short pads to make a full 18 hole course. Baskets were donated from a older course that was torn down. I dont see this being a varsity sport any time in the near future, but I do see this being great for kids in school who have never seen or heard of it. The schools PE classes will go out and play this course during the year. This dude is helping grow the sport in many ways with his project.

 

[scarpfish]

It consists of long and short pads to make a dual tee 9 hole course.

FTFY