The Sad So-Long!

This is the last week that I will be able to play disc golf after work.  Bill Frederick Park, my home park, where I play every night will begin closing at 5 PM once Daylight Saving Time ends this coming Sunday. 

I’m already having withdrawal symptoms.

Playing disc golf has provided me with so much enjoyment ever since I had surgery to remove my kidney last spring.  At first, it was something to do to regain my strength and endurance. 

  Then I was practicing to prepare for 2013 World Championships.  After that I was training for the Southeastern Amateur Championships (SAC). 

After the SAC, I ramped up the training efforts and have been working hard to get stronger, and faster and more accurate with my throws.  I really enjoy the time spent on the disc golf course.  After sitting at my desk at work all day, it is great to get outdoors and walk a few miles while throwing plastic.  Since my surgery, I’ve logged 264 miles of walking/playing disc golf.

While I will still be able to play on the weekends, and will thoroughly enjoy it, I’m going to miss being outdoors and walking and having time to “be in my own head” while practicing.

I’m sure I’ll find something else, but it’s really hard to stop doing something that is so good for you!

Ript Disc Golf Card Game

On Sunday, we played "Ript" on the disc golf course.  It is a card game that you play while playing disc golf.  The game consists of a deck of cards with various actions on them.  At the start of a hole you can use a card on your opponent which will most likely be a disadvantage to him/her.

Danny bought a deck of "Ript" cards the other day, and this was our first chance to play the game.  We play a game of skins, meaning that the winner of each hole gets a point, everyone else gets nothing.

Since Danny is SO much better than I am, we devised our own rules for the game.  For instance, he takes all his throws from the long tee, while I use the short tee.  Most importantly, he plays NO cards on me.  I'm the only one playing cards against him.

I have five cards at the start of each hole and am allowed to play two on him per hole.  Some of the cards are meant to be played before any throws, such as "Choose a disc from your opponents bag for the next drive" or "Your opponent must be silent during the playing of the next hole."

On Sunday, we had to quit half way through the game.  One of my cards was, "Make your opponent throw a Roller off the tee."  Making Danny throw a Roller is no advantage to me as he can throw that shot with as good as, if not better, accuracy than a normal throw.  However, I had the perfect hole in mind for this card -- hole 16 on T-2 which is a long water hole.

Danny has a big arm and can drive from the tee to within a few fee of the basket.  I, on the other hand, throw from the short tee and have a very difficult time making less than four on this hole.  Making him throw a roller, meant he would have to go all the way around the water to where the basket was, and that included going through an area that had a lot of roots in the way for the Roller to get caught on.

Since we had to cut our game short on Sunday, we agreed to resume it one night this week.  Last night was the night.  On Sunday we had been working the rules out so that it would make us be more competitive in the game of skins.  Last night when we resumed the game, we started where we had left off with the following additional provision:

• When I get the card that allows me to pick the disc for him to throw, I can pick something from MY bag, including my mini.

The only way I can get points from in this game is to minimize his drive.  I had a card that said, after everyone drives, replace your lie with the lie of your opponent.  So Danny threw his big drive from the long tee.  I on the other hand, stood on the tee pad and threw backwards, and towards some trees.  That meant Danny was taking his second shot from way back in the midst of trees while I was able to take my second shot from where is first one landed!

His second shot was nearly as good as his first, but it was still in a more difficult position than where is first throw had landed.  I was able to just make it close enough to the basket on my second shot that my third shot was for par which I made.  My skin!

By the time we got to hole 16, I could barely contain myself.  I knew I was going to make him throw that roller.  However, one of the cards I drew prior to his throw was, "You must remain silent until you have completed this hole."  That was the card I gave him first.

Then I said, "Here is your second card."  It was the Roller card!  Oh, if looks could kill!  He had bad card and couldn't even say a curse word!

I laughed with glee.  It was truly a dastardly trick.

Thankfully, Danny is a good sport.  He also is SO much better than I am that anything I can do to deter his success he somehow manages to overcome!

I Survived My First Worlds!

In July of this year my son, Danny, and I attended the 2013 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships in Emporia, KS.  This was the first major tournament I had ever participated in.  

I had no idea what to expect as I prepared for the event.  I was pretty sure that most of the players would be way out of my league, and that proved to be correct.  But that was not a concern for me.  All I wanted to do was survive.

Just 10 weeks before the tournament, I had my left kidney removed after a lengthy illness.  We had made the decision to go to Worlds way before I knew that I was going to need surgery, or I probably would not have gone so soon after that procedure. 

There were moments when I was preparing for the competition when I fretted about whether I could survive all the walking and all the throwing that was involved in a six round disc golf tournament.  I knew that the weather would play a big part in my ability to play all six rounds.  I was hoping for sunny weather, so that I didn’t have to deal with lugging an umbrella, or alternatively, playing in rain-drenched clothes.

The number of discs I took to Emporia was more than I needed, but I did not know how many I might lose in lakes, ponds, or streams along the various courses we played.  During the actual competition I limited my bag to six discs, two Leopards, two Kites, one Putter and a spare disc that I was willing to risk losing if it landed in water.

Most of the other competitors had far more discs with them than I did.  However, I was concerned about carrying anything too heavy.  I also carried a water bottle that I could refill at numerous places along the course, and a tri-pod stool, so that I could rest my legs and feet while waiting for someone to throw.

What I wasn’t figuring on was that the weather would be nice—too nice!  It was sunny and hot during the whole tournament.  The first day it was over 105 degrees by the time we got off the disc golf course.  There was a point during that first day when I thought I might not make it the full 18 holes of the afternoon’s session. 

The morning session was at a course with a good amount of shade trees.  It was fairly flat with small elevation changes, and some holes wound their way or near some woods and a small stream.  This was nothing out of the ordinary for me.

The course that afternoon was rolling hills and long fairways.  It was super-imposed over a ball golf course just for this tournament. However, we weren’t allowed to use golf carts to transport ourselves. We were constantly going up one hill and down another. 

The 18^th hole was a hole where the basket was located on this small island in the middle of a small lake.  I had some bad dreams the night before I played that course.  I had no idea how I was going to get across the lake.  I have never had a strong arm that could throw a long drive.  But in my post-surgical state, throwing across all that water was something of a nightmare for me.  I thought I may have to throw every one of my discs in the water.

Just at my moment of deepest doubt when I reached hole 13 Danny showed up to caddy for me!  He had completed his round for the day and came to help.  He carried not only his bag, but mine as well, and ran for water for me, and carried my stool while I was throwing.  It was so encouraging to have him there.

Once I got to the dreaded 18^th hole, I threw my first disc in the water, and then had to throw from the drop zone.  But I made it across to the island from there!  When that hole was done a good friend, Ken Franks, was there driving all competitors up this large hill back to hole one.  That, too, was such a blessing!  There is no way I could have walked up that huge hill.

After that there were just six more holes for that afternoon.  By the time I was done, I was giddy with relief.  I knew right then that I could make it for the rest of the tournament. 

The second day I only had to play one course, and while it was the same, long, hilly course from the day before, I knew that once I was done, I had the afternoon off.  On the third day, I had to once again do a double session.  The morning course was easy and familiar as it was a repeat of the first day.

The afternoon course I had to play sight unseen.  My head kept telling me, just keep moving forward, and throwing in the middle of the fairway.  It, too, proved to be a very long, very hot, afternoon.  I was approaching my 30^th hole of the day when suddenly, I began to get very dizzy.  My biggest fear was looming in my face – that my body would fail me and I wouldn’t be able to continue.

Thankfully, one of the other women on my card, Kim, ran back to the group behind us.  One of those ladies had some nursing and emergency care training, and she told Kim what to do for me.  While I had been drinking plenty of fluids, apparently my body temperature was just getting too high.  They wrapped a pack of ice in a small scarf and placed it on the small of my back.  In about 10 or 15 minutes, I had relief from the heat.

The following day I just had one more round to play, and at that point, I figured that either I was going to complete the journey, or they would have to drive me away in an ambulance.  I was so determined to get it done, and so thrilled when I did!

I told people later that it was the biggest physical challenge of my life.  To make it through the surgery, and recovery, to push myself to be ready to compete, was difficult.  And then to have enough strength to make it through Worlds was no small task, but I had done it!

That’s why I’m so determined this year to be fully trained and ready for the 2014 Worlds.  It isn’t going to be enough just to survive.  This year I want to really compete.  Last year it was OK to say, “I’ve just had surgery.”  

This coming year I’m going to be strong, and be able to throw as far as my competitors did last year.  I’m going to be a real contender this year!  Are you hearing those strains of “Rocky” in the background?  I am!

A Baramoter of Health - Part 4

(This is a continuation of yesterday’s blog.)  Late in April of 2013, my left kidney was removed during an operation that was supposed to be done laparoscopically, and take just a couple of hours.  The operation ended up taking five hours, and required a full incision on my left side running from just under my rib cage all the way down and over to the left side of my waist. 

It took 65 staples to close the incision, plus more to close up the four small incisions made initially to try to do the procedure in the less invasive laparoscopic method.  My doctor had me up and walking less than 12 hours after the surgery.  I was to walk as much as possible in the halls of the hospital, to begin to recover my strength.

Moving with the incision was difficult, even with the pain medication.  I suppose in a way it is kind of like childbirth – no one really talks about the pain ahead of time – they just deal with it afterwards.  I guess that is a good thing.  Now, all these months later it doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but at the time it was.

During post-surgery blood testing, it was discovered that my iron levels were beginning to rise.  That was exceptionally good news for me.  Having to take iron supplements does not sit well with my system.
  

While we were discussing my post-op care, my doctor told me he was going to push me to regain my strength.  The first day back home from the hospital, I had to figure out how to do simple things like sit in a chair and stand up, get dressed, take a shower, use the facilities, get in and out of bed – just normal movement – without hurting my side or ripping out the staples.

The second full day home I began (at the doctor’s orders) to walk around the neighborhood.  The first day, I probably only walked a half a block. By the time I had gone that far, I was so glad to be back home.  

During those early days of recovery, I was quite terrified that I would trip over an uneven sidewalk, or some debris in my way, and rip open my incision.  So my family took turns walking with me, holding my hand as I walked. 

My daughter came home during the week on her lunch hour to take me for a walk.  In the evening my husband took over that duty or my son.  Every day I walked just a little farther than the day before, always pushing myself, all with my doctor’s blessing.

A week after surgery the staples came out which was definitely less painful than I thought it would be.  Surprisingly, I barely felt it when each one was removed.  The nurse put steri-strips over the incision to promote healing, but it wasn’t until the strips fell off about two weeks later that I had any confidence that it would not pull apart!

I returned to work about three weeks after the surgery, but it wasn’t until my six-week post-op check that I felt I was ready to return to the disc golf course to attempt to play again.  That first day, I was oh, so, cautious every time I threw.  My entire left side had no feeling due to the nerves that had to be severed during surgery.  So I had to relearn how to make my body twist so I could throw properly.

On my first trip to play disc golf I only played four holes – which was enough to push my endurance but not enough to hurt myself.  From there I tried to play at least one additional hole on each subsequent outing.

It wasn’t until three weeks before the 2013 Worlds that I played my first 18 holes, post op.  After that, I added a few more holes every chance I had, until I was up to 36 holes in one day.  I kept pushing, doing a little bit more every day, so I was ready to head to Emporia, KS for the tournament.

It took all my energy just to get myself around the course, so I took a minimum of discs in my disc golf bag, and had plenty of water to stay hydrated.  I also purchased a little tripod stool so that I could sit and rest my legs when I got tired.  It was interesting how just a brief one or two minute break renewed my energy and allowed me to continue on to the end of the course.

Once again, disc golf had become a barometer of health for me.  Even as I was gaining back strength post surgery, I realized that I was feeling so much better inside.  It had been a long time since I felt strong.  For the first time, I thought that just maybe, if I was smart about it, I could make it through the tournament.

So, with my discs in my bag, plus a water bottle and my stool, I was as ready as I was going to be!  It was off to Emporia, KS for me.

I was going to the 2013 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships!

A Barometer of Health – Part 3

 (This is a continuation of yesterday’s blog)

After having two lithotripsy treatments to remove a staghorn kidney stone in 2012, I was beginning to feel more like my old self. 

My son Danny had been encouraging me all year to be sure to register for the 2012 Orlando Open.  If I successfully competed in that event, I would have an automatic invitation to compete in the 2013 PDGA World Disc Golf Championships.  He wanted me to participate in that tournament, as he had gone to Worlds in 2012 and he wanted us to go together in 2013.

Being a more cautious, one step at a time person, I figured, first things first, and decided to see how I did in the Orlando Open that fall.  I prepared pretty well for the amount of throwing and walking I would have to do, and for my first tournament, I was pleased with the outcome.

So again, talk in our home centered on going to Worlds in 2013.  We needed to register for that event in March of 2013 before the tournament was opened up to any registered member of the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) rather than just those who qualified for it.

There were a few times when I still didn’t feel quite right, like something was still wrong internally, but without being able to put words to the symptom, it was hard to figure out what doctor to go to or what to tell him or her when I got there.  My energy level was beginning to come back, but some days I still seemed extra tired.

So, in March of 2013 we signed up for Worlds and paid for our hotel room.  Travel arrangements would be made closer to the event. 

It was later that month that I went back to my urologist for a follow-up exam following the removal of the kidney stone I’d had the year before.  They did an ultra sound of the kidneys which indicated that more tests were required.

Three weeks later I returned to the urologist’s office to have another CT scan, and this time they were able to administer the contrast medication.

 

The great thing about my urologist is that those tests are done right in their offices and an initial reading is made immediately.  As we were looking at the films together, my urologist discovered that I had no kidney function on my left kidney!

Wow!  That was a shocker.  I immediately was sent back to the Same Day Surgery Center to have a stent put in place to see if he could get kidney function to return.  That attempt proved to be unsuccessful, and in fact caused me great pain for about a week. 

At that point my doctor was very concerned and put me in the hospital immediately to try and discover the source of the pain.  I probably had 20 different tests over the course of ten days, not to mention daily blood testing and nothing obvious showed up except for the fact that I was extremely anemic, and in a lot of pain.

Ultimately, after seeing a plethora of doctors, they decided that my kidney was the source of all the problems and so surgery was scheduled to remove it.  I was told the procedure would be done laparoscopically with four small incisions, through which the organ would be removed.

Five hours after the procedure began (which we had been told would be a two-hour operation) the kidney was removed.  It was very infected and enlarged which meant that the surgeons could not remove it through the small incisions.  Instead, a large incision was required so that they could remove the kidney and clean out the abdomen of all the infection.  I awoke later with 65 staples in my abdomen and side.

However, the very next day, when I got out of bed, I knew I was better.  Oh, I had plenty of pain from the incision, but inside….I felt great.  The thing that I knew was wrong but could never describe was GONE!

Prior to the surgery I had told my doctor that I had planned a trip to Worlds.  Could I still go if I had this surgery?  Of course, he based his decision on the anticipation that I would have four small wounds, and so he told me Yes!  

After the outcome of the unexpected complicated surgery, I just didn’t know what would happen.  At my one week post- surgery check-up, my urologist told me that I could still go as long as I wasn’t in any pain.

The question was….could I be ready in time?  My side had to heal, I had to be able to twist my body, I was very weak after the surgery, and I hadn’t been on the disc golf course in over a month prior to the surgery.

As with most things in life, I decided it would be best to take this challenge one day and one obstacle at a time.  Come back tomorrow for the final episode in this story!

A Barometer of Health - Part 2

(This is a continuation of yesterday’s blog)  After being sick on and off for a couple of years, my doctor finally sent me to have a CT scan done of my kidney.  When I arrived at the imaging center, blood was drawn to determine if there were any obvious problems.  Then, into the CT machine I went.

It was explained to me that they would do a series of images without giving me any contrast.  Then they would give me the contrast and repeat the test for clearer detail regarding how the kidneys were functioning.

I remember distinctly when the CT tech came to my side after the first series of images had been done.  She said, “Mrs. Voss, we will not be giving you the contrast.  Your blood work indicates that your kidneys are under distress, and if we gave you the contrast, that would further stress your kidneys.”

In a way, I felt a bit cheated.  I thought that this test was going to finally give an answer to why I had been feeling so awful for so long.  I got up off the table, gathered my belongings and returned to work.

The following day, I got a call that changed everything.

“Mrs. Voss?  This is your doctor’s office.  (Ok!  Warning!  Anytime the doctor calls you – it is BAD!)  The CT you had yesterday indicates that you have a staghorn kidney stone.  We need you to visit an urologist right away.”  I’m surprised that I had the wherewithal to ask some questions, such as, what is that, how is it fixed, how bad is this?  I had lots of questions but of course received no answers.

I was, however, given the name of an urologist to call to schedule an appointment.  I made the call almost immediately and was asked the usual questions about was I a new patient, insurance, blah, blah, blah…..  When they asked the reason I was calling, I mentioned that I’d had a CT scan the day before and they discovered I had a staghorn kidney stone.  Things changed very quickly after that.

I was given an appointment for the following day, when I met with the urologist.  After reviewing the films, and taking some x-rays of his own, he directed me to view the films with him.  There it was, right on the x-ray – a large object in my kidney, about the size of a thumb.  He explained what it was, and then gave me the options for removal.

The very next day I was in the Same Day Surgery Center having a procedure called a lithotripsy (ESWL).  I went back to the urologist in one week where they repeated the x-ray.  Magically, nearly all of the stone debris had been flushed from my kidney except for one, small chunk.

That meant a return to the Same Day Surgery Center for the procedure to be repeated.  The second try eliminated all the calcified material from my kidney.  I was sent on my way, and told to come back in six months for a follow-up.  I was also told to be on the look-out for any further fevers, or symptoms of a kidney stone that might have come back.

A few days after the second procedure I was back on the disc golf course, glad to be able to once again play 18 holes of disc golf.  I thought that my problems were over.  I was feeling better, though still not 100%.  I figured that in time, I would be back to full strength and ready once again to resume playing the sport that I had grown to love.

However, I later found out that there was more serious trouble yet to come.  (Come back tomorrow for part 3.)

A Barometer of Health

The sport of disc golf, for me, has become my personal barometer of health.  There was a period of time when I was quite sick, and didn’t fully realize how dangerously ill I was.  It was only because of disc golf that I had a way of gauging when I was sick and when I was well.  Ultimately, it was the inability to play the sport at all that made me realize something was very wrong.

I had been playing disc golf for about a year.  When I first began playing the sport, I would play just a few holes at a time, and eventually worked up to nine holes.  Sometimes, I would skip a difficult or exceedingly long hole because the physical exertion was too much for me.

 

Over time, the nine holes became more manageable and I began taking a “break” after the first nine, and adding another 4 or 5 holes to extend my playing time.  Eventually, I tried paying the full 18 holes.  While I often couldn’t get 18 finished in the short time I had to play after work, weekends were another matter.  I tried my best to complete all 18 holes.

It was at that time when I starting playing handicaps with Danny on Saturday morning.  The first attempt left me nearly exhausted, and I needed to take a nap when I got home.  Eventually it got a little easier.  Sometimes I was really struggling on the last 3 or 4 holes, but I managed to get through it.

However, one day, I was exhausted and breathing extremely hard after just five holes.  I didn’t understand what the difference was.  I had been having chills and fevers during the day, but it always went away with some Tylenol.  After a time I went to the doctor who said I had a urinary tract infection.  A course of antibiotics, and I was good to go, and good to play 18 holes again.  Or so I thought.

The problem was, I wasn’t actually healthy.  Shortly after finishing the course of antibiotics, the fatigue and exhaustion returned.  After a month or two I again was unable to complete even 9 holes of disc golf.  So, back to the doctor I went. 

This cycle repeated itself time after time.  For two years I struggled with the fatigue and fevers.  I felt as if I wasn’t making any progress. 

Many, many days I went out to my car during my lunch break and took a nap just to get through the afternoon.  Sometimes I feared I might fall asleep driving on the way home.

However, it was always when I was unable to play even 9 holes of disc golf that I knew something was very wrong and headed back to the doctor.

At some point, I just couldn’t fight the fight any more.  I went back to the doctor once again and insisted that some other testing be done.  He sent me for a CT scan, and that’s when things really started getting interesting……  (More tomorrow)

How Many Flicks Does it Take?

That is a burning question in my training right now.  Ever since I began playing disc golf, this shot has been difficult for me, and because it was difficult, I focused more on the backhand throw.  Every time I attempted a forehand or flick, it was pretty pathetic.  So I never used it.  Now, I am fine tuning the backhand, while I’m still in the novice stage of the forehand.  Sounds like a good

So, I’ve watched videos, like the one below:

I’ve watched others throw at the disc golf course to get a concept of what I’m not doing correctly.  I’ve gone in the field and tried to learn the sequence leading up to the throw as well as the actual throw.

In the trunk of my car I have a milk carte filled with discs that aren’t a part of my regular disc bag.  I use them to practice shots in the field – whether it’s a sidearm, backhand, or roller.  There are 26 discs in that crate and I usually throw them all out, go into the field and throw them back to the starting point, and repeat that routine about four times per day.  That gives me about 200 tries at getting a particular shot embedded in my muscle memory.  Even with all that practice, I still throw a flick awkwardly and not with much accuracy or distance. 

When I’m playing with Danny or any other player who knows how to throw a forearm well, I watch closely how they are executing it.  I’ve even taken videos of players throwing the flick and viewed them on my Ubersense App so I can slow it down to analyze the parts of the throw.

The bottom line is, I still haven’t reached that magic number – when the throw becomes an extension of my arm, and is a natural motion from the tee to way down the field. Or I still haven’t seen that perfect video that will cause that “click!” in my brain that will make me finally understand the “how”of the throw.

Things I have working in my favor to learn the throw are determination, and a large dose of stubbornness.  I know that I can do this if I just get that motion down.  I have been practicing disc golf steadily for months now—daily in recent weeks—and I know that practice eventually makes perfect.  Or, if not perfect, at least I should attain acceptable performance.  Factors working against me would be a lack of natural athletic ability, and strength.

So, how many flicks does it take to learn this throw?  For me, the answer is still unknown, something along the lines of how many licks does it take to get to the middle of a Tootsie Rolll!

Follow Through... It Actually Works!

Monday was Columbus Day, I didn’t have to work, and it was a gorgeous day!  Slightly cooler weather, lower humidity than normal, and sunny skies greeted us as we played disc golf.   In the morning I asked my daughter to go with me to the disc golf course.  She is in the banking industry, and so she didn’t have to work either, and both her children were at school, so it was a perfect time to have an outing.

We played the front nine of the original T-1 course.  Carole did quite well considering she doesn’t play nearly as often as I do.  So many of her drives go 30-40 feet farther than mine do.  She isn’t quite as accurate as I am, but when she hits a good drive, it is an amazing thing to watch.  We also played on Sunday and I noticed the same thing then.

Yesterday I was trying to figure out how she was getting that extra distance.  It wasn’t until that afternoon, when I was all by myself that I realized the key – FOLLOW THROUGH!  Danny has been telling me that I need to do work on executing a good follow through.  When he says it, or reminds me, I try especially hard to remember while I’m playing with him, but somehow seem to forget it at the next outing.

In the afternoon, when I went back to work out some more, that advice suddenly dawned on me as I approached hole two.  I think I get nervous when I have to play a hole that is narrow, or has a lot of difficult rough on the edge of the fairway, or is very wooded.  I try to make sure that I release the disc at just the right time so it has the optimal chance of having a good flight.

In my caution, I realized yesterday that I am making things so much harder for myself.  My disc doesn’t have a chance to get up to full speed, which means it doesn’t really have a chance to go as far as it could.  So I threw caution to the wind and decided to just play “all out” on every hole.

Wow!  What a difference that made.  My throws were going just that much farther on every drive, making the approach shot much more doable for me.  The advice that Danny had been urging me to follow was really working. Imagine that!

When Danny came later that afternoon, we played the back nine of T-2 and there were several holes when he commented that he’d never before seen me drive that far.  There were a couple of times that I hit trees, which certainly shortened my drive, but in almost every case, my second throw was remarkably longer than usual.

Even throwing over the lake on hole 16 was amazing.  I threw farther than I have thrown in a long, long time, and with no fear of losing it in the lake.

Now, the question is, will I remember this next time?  Hmmmm….stay tuned!

Surprise in the Woods

Last week I wrote about losing one of my favorite discs, a new Mamba that had become my “go to” driver.  It was disheartening when it became lost in a thickly-weeded area just off the fairway.  There was little doubt about what area it was in, but accessing it was quite difficult.

This can also happen when one throws a disc over water – whether a lake, stream, pond, or other mass of water that flows through or near a hole on the disc golf course.  This past weekend my son had a similar experience when he threw one of his discs into an overgrown area just to the left of hole one on T-1 at Bill Frederick Park. 

Lately, Danny has been trying to get back to basics and so takes a limited number of discs with him when we play in the evening.  He has only been carrying a Roc, a Teebird, and two putters.  So, the other night when he threw across the bridge on hole 5, and his disc drifted just a bit too far to the left of the bridge and hit the overgrowth, it was important for him to try and recover that disc.

We looked for a while, not certain if it had punched through the tree foliage, or if it had been stopped and dropped into the creek running just below the bridge and overgrowth.  Not finding the disc in any obvious places, Danny decided to go into the overgrown weeds and foliage to try and find it. 

In the meantime, I was up on the bridge looking down into the murky, dark water trying to find the disc.  As my eyes got adjusted to the darkness, I finally found the disc down in the water.  At just about the same time he called out that he also saw where the disc was.  I was not confident that he was looking at the same disc that I was, because it seemed as though there was too much foliage for him to see it from his angle.

A few minutes later, he spied his disc, the same one I was looking at, and I was able to see the disc that he originally found.  So there were two discs to recover!  Getting to the discs was another matter.  Eventually he decided to remove his shoes and wade into the water to recover them.  I know he was happy to get his disc back. 

As he was pulling the other disc out he said, “Maybe it won’t have a name on it.”  Disc golfers generally put their name and phone number on the back of their discs with a black Sharpie marker so that if it ever gets lost in overgrowth or water, and later gets recovered by another disc golfer, there is a way to notify the owner of the disc.  It also is a rule to have an identifiable marking on any disc that you use during competition, in case another person in your group happens to throw the very same disk.

In the event of a lost disc, etiquette demands that the person who finds discs, should give the owner a call.  However, the rule also stands, “No name, fair game!” meaning if there is no marking on the disc the person who recovers it is free to keep the lost disc.

As he pulled the disc from the water, he said, “Oh, it has a name and phone number on it!  And it says, ‘Lynda Voss!’”  How funny was that!  He had recovered a disc that I had lost months ago in that very creek and was unable to find.  I had totally forgotten about it.  The disc was a Leopard that got caught by the cross wind and ended up in the creek.

I Lost A Good Friend!

Do you have something that you use every day, something you think of as irreplaceable, such as a phone, or tablet, or favorite golf club, or ball and mitt?  Maybe it’s a favorite book, or a wonderful comfortable chair?

Since so much of my free time is focused on preparing for the 2014 World Disc Golf Championship, right now, my discs are that sort of thing.  My disc golf bag contains some of my favorite discs along with a few new ones that I am trying to get to know how and when to use to my best advantage

.

One of those discs is a Mamba made of Starlite plastic.  It was a gift from my son for my birthday in September.  Since I’m training hard for next year’s World Championships, one of the things I wanted to do was to expand my disc selection and so as my Birthday approached I asked for some new discs.

This disc has become my “go-to” disc for most drives off the tee, or longer approach shots.  Because of its light weight, I am able to throw it 10 or 20 feet farther than any of my other discs, and for me, that is a very good thing.

Wednesday night, as we were finishing a round of golf on hole 17, I threw a hyzer shot with that disc.  It was NOT the way I should have thrown, as there is a bank of trees, weeds, and bushes down the left side of the fairway right off the tee.  Big mistake!

I watched the disc fly up in the air, so pretty, and then it started to turn, left, left, left, and DOWN!  Right into a huge mass of vines, leaves, trees, weeds and bushes.  When I walked to the point where I thought the disc had entered, I realized it was going to be difficult to find the disc.

Danny and I both looked for it, digging our way through areas compacted with vines.  Some were so thick that they formed a bowl-like canopy over the top of the trees and bushes….and were nearly impassable.

Dusk was fast approaching, and that meant that all sorts of critters were making nests to trap their evening meal.  

Danny captured a picture of a huge spider web with many spiders waiting for their next victim.  There must be 7 or 8 spiders in that picture.  I did not see the web as I was making my way through the overgrowth.  Good thing!  I probably would have been freaked out.

After a time, we decided to abandon the search for the disc.  Apparently it was too deep in the woods to find, or it was just too dark to see it.  Danny kept assuring me that it would be found, and probably no one else would find it because it wasn’t in any obvious place.

Last night I went back to that course, played it through from the beginning and when I finally got to hole 17, decided that I’d make another attempt at disc recovery.  In my mind’s eye was that image on Danny’s phone of the spider web.  Still, I forged my way forward into the overgrowth.

 

The night before, as we abandoned our search, and as I was walking toward the basket I looked back at the place where I thought it might have entered the brush.  I began my search there last night.  It was a little earlier than it had been the night before and I was hoping that extra light might help me locate my Mamba.

After fighting my way in, I looked just a bit farther than we had gone the night before, and there it was, down in a very dark, dense area.  There were greens leaves all over the floor of the bushy area, and my light blue disc was quite visible. I had to crawl over and under some fallen limbs that were completely surrounded by vines, but bit by bit I inched my way toward the prize!

After inching back the way I came, I was ready to take my second throw on the hole and you can be sure, I threw that Mamba.  It went exactly where I was aiming for and was so pretty flying through the air.

Oh, Mamba!  I’m so glad you are back in my bag.  I missed you!  

A Thorn in My Flesh!

For many people this is their favorite time of the year.  The air is crisper, drier, and cooler.  Those qualities are wonderful, to be sure.

However, this is also the time of year when sandburs are at their worst.  What is a sandbur?  To quote the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension website:

“Field sandbur (grassbur) is a summer annual grassy weed that can be found in home lawns, sports fields, parks and along roadsides. This weed is especially adapted to dry, sandy soils but can be found growing in other types of soils as well. The big problem with this weed is the sharp, spiny burs that are part of the inflorescence. These burs can be painful and are difficult to remove from clothing material. Field sandburs (grassburs) generally start germinating in late spring and will continue to germinate until late summer or early fall months. This weed will continue to grow until the first hard frost or freeze occurs in the fall.”

In other words, they hurt like heck!  They are pesky weeds, that stick to clothing, shoes, (socks!) and even a disc golf bag. 

There are certain holes at Bill Frederick Park (BFP) where they are prolific and that makes hunting for a stray disc hazardous in the fall.  Sometimes you come out of the weeds with those darn burrs sticking all over your shoes, socks, and clothing. 

When the weeds begin producing the seed pods, they are green and especially sticky.  However, the thorns on them are not yet super sharp, and while removing them from clothing is annoying, it isn’t terribly painful.

At this time of year, with a hint of Fall in the air, the burrs turn dry, hard, and especially sharp.  You know when you have them on you, the pain of those sharp thorns is unmistakable.

Yesterday I threw a disk too far to the right on hole ten and had to go searching for it in a weedy, bushy area.  When I came out (without my disc), there were several of those despicable things stuck to my shoes.

No matter how hard you try to get them off without getting stuck, invariably one of those sharp points will pierce your skin.  Sometimes I carry a needle-nose pliers in my bag just to deal with them.  Once they are attached to your clothing, it takes a while to get them off.

The other day, as I was on my way to work, I kept feeling that familiar pain in my side as I was driving.  It felt like I had a burr in my clothes, but I had been nowhere near the disc golf course.  I was driving on a toll road so there was no way to check, but the pain and sting was very familiar.

When I got to work, and got out of the car, I removed my sweater, and there it was!  Inside my sweater, poking into my side.  How in the world did it get there, I wondered.  Then I opened my trunk and reached in to remove my computer bag, which was right next to my disc golf bag.

There they were!  Stuck to the bottom of my disc golf bag.  Clearly, I had managed to brush my clothing against the bag as I placed my computer in the trunk before leaving for work.

Sandburs?  I curse you!

I May Be Addicted…..

…to Disc Golf!  A few weeks ago when my son, Danny, and I made the commitment that we were going to attend the 2014 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships, we decided on a plan of action including practice, putting, aerobic conditioning, and weight training.

At this point, we have stuck to that plan.  To be sure, Danny needs less training and conditioning than I do.  But he does need to continue to refine his game so that he can post a great score in 2014. My goal is to get stronger and throw father, and become WAY more accurate with my putting.

There are some days when I spend a lot of time thinking about the things I want to work on with my game.  Some nights I even wake up dreaming that I am on the disc golf course.  I get up and pick up a disc that is handy on my dresser and walk through the steps of the drive.

I work in a building with long, narrow hallways, and sometimes I sort of dream about taking one of the discs on display in my office and just throwing them as far and straight as possible down those halls.  If everything wasn’t brand new, with fresh paint, I might just be more than just tempted!

After when, when I can finally get out to the park, I can’t wait to throw that first disc, to watch it fly down the fairway, and land just where I was planning for it to come to rest.

In the evening, after practice, I watch videos of some of the pros teaching us how to throw a perfect backhand, or flick. 

Danny always says to me, “Work on one thing at a time.” While I try to do that, I’m just not satisfied!  I want to do it all.

When daylight saving time is over and we turn our clock back an hour, our home park will be closing two hours earlier every day – at 5 PM rather than the current time of 7 PM.  I think I may go through withdrawal if I am unable to practice for five whole days.

I have four weeks left until that time comes, and so for the next few weeks, I’m afraid I’m just going to be a clock watcher – waiting for 4 PM to come so I can head home, and to Bill Frederick Park.

Want to join me?

Rainy Day? I Laugh at You!

Yesterday, I cheated Mother Nature.  When I left work, I glanced at the skies to check my chances of playing some disc golf.  All day we had bands of rain come through the city.  They may have been remnants from Tropical Storm Karen, bringing an ever-changing landscape, sunny, cloudy, heavy rain, cloudy, sunny, and back again.

By the time I got to the disc golf course, dark heavy clouds were approaching from the west.  So, some throwing in the field seemed to be the order of the day.  I worked on flicks (a sidearm throw), which, since I can’t throw a flick very far, were the perfect choice.  Retrieving 26 discs isn’t nearly as daunting as picking up 26 drives.  My flick range is probably 70 feet maximum, and I tend to throw a bit wildly, especially when I first begin, until I start to get in a groove with the unfamiliar throw.

I threw all the discs out, and threw them back to the starting place twice which was just about the amount of time it took for those black clouds to get to the point where they were swirling overhead.  Wisely, I decided to put the milk crate container of discs in my trunk and focus on just two discs, in a grassy area near where I was parked.

Other golfers on the course began heading in for the day as the clouds got denser and the wind began.  I remained outdoors, throwing my two discs back and forth in the grassy area near my car.  At one point, it was obvious that the sky was just about to let loose so I threw one more time.  By the time I got to my disc, down came the rain.  It was a quick run to the car, and I got in just as a huge deluge began.

The sky above me actually seemed less threatening, and farther to the west, there were actually some blue patches.  I decided to wait it out.  It was about 15 minutes from the time when Danny normally gets to the park and I estimated it would take just about that much time for the storm to pass over.  A few minutes later Danny called, figuring that I had left the park by then.  I told him my plan and he decided to stop by to see if the rain was over.

Shortly before I saw his red truck drive up, I got out of the car and returned to that grassy spot nearby and practiced a few more flicks.  When I saw his bright red Ranger approaching, I knew that we would have a great time playing, in spite of the heavy rain just moments before.

We each took a rag from my trunk to wipe our discs before each throw.  When the discs land in sandy soil, it generally doesn’t affect the next throw, unless, of course, it has been raining and the sand is wet.  Then it seems to cling to the disc which easily can affect one’s throw.  Wiping the disc down with a rag before throwing is somewhat annoying.  On the other hand, it is good to practice that habit because if it begins to rain during tournament play, you have to be able to cope with that task in addition to remaining focused on the game.

We decided to stay close to the parking lot and chose several holes that were within range:  1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17 and 18.  That was sort of a weird, random set of holes, but we were never that far away in the event that the rain suddenly returned.

So by the end of the night, I’d been able to practice flicks, practice some long drives, as well as play 11 holes of disc golf.  As I drove from the park, I looked up at the sky and felt as if I cheated Mother Nature.  She had come to spoil my evening, but I worked around it, and had a great time in the process.

Sunday Joy!

After a less-than-successful disc golf outing Saturday, I was not all that enthusiastic about playing disc golf on Sunday.  My body was aching from many days of training, and I was a bit tired.  I figured that I’d perhaps spend Sunday putting, lifting weights and doing some other form of exercise.

When we got home from church I was helping my daughter unload her car with the variety of equipment and toys she brings for her boys when she comes to visit us on Sunday.  In the back of her van was her disc golf bag.  “Oh!”  I said, “were you wanting to play some disc golf today?”  Carole replied, “Maybe…” in a half-way enthusiastic sort of way.

I knew that if we went to play we would be taking her two boys with us, as there was no one else at home to watch them.  Her oldest used to follow us all over the disc golf course, stirring up the ant hills and throwing sticks in the water, but hadn’t gone in quite a while.  The baby, who is nearly 10 months, has never gone with us when we played disc golf, so that was going to be an adventure. 

Shortly after noon, as we were beginning to get lulled into a half-awake, half-asleep state of lethargy, when I said, “Let’s all go to the park!”  We all got ready, climbed into the van with disc golf bags, stroller, cooler of icy water, some toys and a bottle of icy cold water for the baby.  We told Anthony that he would be in charge of pushing Aiden around in the stroller, knowing full well that it would be nearly impossible to do that without help because of the sandy soil.

We decided to play the back nine of T-1, and headed out.  Anthony knows the course well from being with us so often, so when we threw our drives from the tee pad, he ran ahead to find where they landed.  After our second throws, Anthony ran ahead to the basket and picked up each disc, throwing each soundly into the basket. 

Normally, this would not be a good thing, of course, but it was a hot, sunny day, and if Anthony wanted to participate by throwing our putts for us, all the better.  We pushed Aiden from one shady spot to another on the course, but still near the end he was getting warm.  While the rest of us were out-right sweating. Although he doesn’t drink much water, I think the cool bottle tasted good to him after being in his stroller for a while.  

We pulled down the mosquito netting to keep bugs out of and toys and pacifier in the stroller.  I even gave Aiden a disc of his own to play with in the stroller.  He had fun with it. 

It was a quick, but interesting trip.  The nine holes took us about an hour and it was good to just be doing something outside, physical, and fun for everyone.  The trip also renewed my love of throwing discs.

What felt even better was jumping in our pool when we got home!  Goodbye sweat, sand and exhaustion!  And afterwards it was time for all of us to take a nap.

Bummer Saturday

 The weekend brings the promise of free time to do all those things that can’t get done during the week due to the routine of work, maintaining a home, and having a family. 

Sometimes I have in my head all sorts of plans to get caught up in our home office, do a project around the house, enjoy the grandkids, and of course extra time to play disc golf.

Saturday morning is when our handicap league plays.  This past weekend, I was so looking forward to getting on the course and having a great time in competitive play. 

To start the morning, I brewed a pot of coffee which was a treat that I don’t get during the week.  It’s always peaceful to be able to sip the coffee, catch up on some personal email, check my online bank balances, and have a relaxing start to the day.

About an hour before handicaps, I headed over to the disc golf course so that I could practice some drives in the field, and have some putting practice before the start of competitive play.  When I first started playing handicaps, I didn’t take this step because it seemed I only had the strength for so many throws in one day, and I figured I’d eventually get warmed up anyway. 

Now I try to get in some practice throws because I’ve seen that it does make a difference to warm up the muscles, and clear out the cobwebs in my brain before I start to play.

So, after all that, I was READY!  It was going to be a good day.  I’d been playing well all week, throwing farther than I did the week before, and the week before I had a great week.  This particular Saturday we were playing all of T-1 (Original course) from the long pads. 

The long tee pads aren’t that much farther than the short ones, but in some cases, there definitely is a different “look” such as bushes, or trees that don’t come into play on the short pads.  What is generally the greater problem for me is that the added distance of anywhere from 20 to 80 feet makes a big difference since I don’t have a long throw to begin with.  But I’d been practicing those long pads all week and felt I was ready for the challenge. 

On my very first throw, I stood on the pad, imagined my throw, imagined my run up, picked just the right disc for the weather conditions, and began.  BAM!  It landed right into the tree just to the right off the tee pad.  How in the world did I do that?  I haven’t hit that tree in months.  

Shake it off, Lynda.  It’s just one throw.  I finished the hole with a 5, two over par.  Normally, I can guarantee a four, and sometimes, if everything goes just right, I have been able to par it.  Not that Saturday, however.

On to hole two.  This is one of my favorite holes because I have learned the best way for me to throw my drive off the tee so it will soar and hold its line down the fairway.  Again, I stood on the tee pad, began my run up, and threw.  I executed fairly well, but still the disc landed far short of where I was hoping to land it – where I’d landed all during the week prior.  

The approach shot from there was just a bit trickier because there were trees that would be in my normal flight path.  I let that throw leave my hand just a bit early, which made my disc again land shorter than normal.  The throw from there was an attempt to place my shot within easy putting distance to the basket….again, without the success I had anticipated.

My fourth throw had landed under – not quite under, but close to – a large bush not far from the basket.  As I approached that disc to take my fourth throw, I realized that it was possible but extremely unlikely that I would hit the basket on that throw.  But Danny has been encouraging me to try those shots.  So again, I took my putter and threw with everything I had to get to the basket.  As soon as it left my hand I KNEW it was going to be a great shot.  The arc looked perfect to hit the basket and save bogey. 

Up, up, up it went around the bush, clearing the tree branches, and down, down it came, BAM!  Right into the chains of the basket, and out!  Are you kidding me?  Everyone on my card sort of groaned knowing that it would have been a great recovery. Once again, I left a hole that is almost always a three or four with a five.

From there, things got no better.  It seemed on every throw I was just a bit off.  My timing must have been off, or perhaps I was more tired than I realized.  It was a struggle the whole way.  I missed a few more putts that hit the basket or the pole under the basket, and managed to hit a few more trees along the way.  At some point, I decided to just enjoy the morning, and not worry about the score – but that mental diversion didn’t work either. 

It wasn’t until hole 17 that I finally showed up to play the game.  I had a beautiful drive, great approach shots and a great putt.  Hole 18, I made it across the gully on my first throw (which I’ve only recently learned to do) put had an approach shot that landed in a bush, making what should have been a simple putt much more difficult. 

I don’t really know what happened to my game that morning.  I didn’t feel like I was distracted, or overly concerned.  It became clear pretty early on that this was not going to be a stellar round for me.

Later that afternoon I watched the final round of the USDGC, from Rock Hill, SC.  This prestigious tournament is played on the extremely tough Winthrop Gold course.  The course isn’t all that difficult on a typical day, but the way the holes are laid out during the USDGC there are narrow fairways, with hazard areas, and OB areas both of which garner the disc golf a penalty stroke.  I was watching the best of the best in the sport of disc golf.

A young man, Will Schusterick, was the two time defending champ of the USDGC.  He’d had a difficult first round, but by the time he got to hole 17 on the last day of the championship, he was in the lead – and on his way to a three-peat win.  

Hole 17 had something else in mind.  It is a 249 foot hole from the tee, with a large OB (out of bounds) area in the middle of the fairway, leading up to the island green.  Will had the championship in his grasp.

Then, he threw is first drive to the green.  It went just a slight bit too far to the right and lightly brushed the leaves of the nearby tree.  That slight interference was just enough to prevent the disc from reaching the green.  

On this particular hole, if you don’t make the green, you have to throw again from the tee, with the addition of a one stroke penalty.  So, on his second try, Will was shooting from the tee for his third stroke, and BAM!  He brushed those tree leave again!  He did the same exact throw, landing once again short of the green. 

On his third try he made the green, but it was too late.  Even a 65 foot putt dead into the basket couldn’t help him now.  He made that putt, but the championship was out of his grasp.  The two errant tries, and the accompanying penalty strokes put him well out of the lead.

Watching this unfold, made me realize, and remember…… sometimes, things just don’t go right for us.  Will Schusterick, though very young, is a seasoned pro, and he made a mistake, twice, and lost the championship.  I just lost handicaps on Saturday.  A lot less was at stake for me.  Watching the end of the tournament renewed my joy of the sport, as well as my respect for those who make great throws, time after time. 

It’s now 285 days to Worlds.  Hopefully, I won’t have many like Saturday!