The Better Life: The Windy Mini

While I have previously stated that I am not the type of person who makes New Years resolutions, there are areas in my life that need to be improved. The inspiration for my self improvement comes from two places my sister Cassie's Project Seventh Day and the desire to be a better "me" for my baby when he/she arrives this summer. I don't have a grandiose plan of loosing 50 pounds and becoming wealthy in six months (although healthy living and financial stewardship are both areas I would like to improve). The idea isn't focused specifically on a set number of areas I want to improve. There are no lists or categories, I just want to be better. Some of the things I write about may seem silly and others serious but the goal for everything is improvement.

While I don't exercise in a gym or on a basketball court often (in large due to two reconstructed ankles and a bum knee) I do enjoy the sport of Disc Golf on a regular basis. Disc Golf has similar rules to golf but instead of hitting a ball one throws a disc. For the past year and a half I have played twice a week, on average. Abilene has a respectable number of individuals who play the game and form the Abilene Disc Golf Association (ADGA, of which I am a member). The group host on large professional tournament in the summer known as the Wild Hair but also hosts weekly mini tournaments (Known just as Minis). While over the past year and half I feel that I have gained some knowledge and skill level I am not as good as many of the locals who play in the weekly Minis. The fear of playing poorly and embarrassing myself in front of others has stopped me from participating in the events. I recently made the decision to try to play in at least one tournament a month to challenge myself to improve my game, as well as surround myself with and get to know people who are better than I am, in hopes that some of their skill or knowledge might rub off. My first tournament was Saturday.

Knowing I wanted to play in the Mini at Cal Young Park, (one of three and my least favorite DG course in the area) Geoffrey and I practiced in 17mph winds on Friday. FYI - when you are participating in a sport that involves throwing disc shaped projectiles into the air wind speed will make a difference. By the time we reached the back 9 we stopped counting our scores that were painfully high. On Saturday morning the 17mph winds had been replaced by 25mph winds, a condition that usually keeps me indoors and away from a DG course. But determined to play in my first tournament I drove to Cal Young and signed up.

On the fourth Saturday of the month the Mini is always doubles (two man scramble). Two pools are established consisting of A (good) and B (not so good) players; I am in the B pool. An A player and a B player are selected at random to establish teams. My teammate is a big guy named Brent. Brent is currently ranked #4 in the ADGA and his skill levels greatly exceed mine. His game was good, mine was awful, (due in part to the wind) and there were moments where I threw embarrassing shots, but the guys I was playing with were kind and had suggestions for improvement. Our game ended with our score one up (due in no part to my efforts) and we came in 6th (which isn't as impressive when your realize that there were only 12 teams playing). The day was fun, frustrating at times, but I feel like I am a little better at DG for it.

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