1.) Your fixation with Frisbees started not with disc golf but with ultimate Frisbee. In what year did you start playing Ultimate Frisbee? What year did you start playing disc golf?
Fall of 1986 for ultimate & late 1999 for disc golf. Technically, my sister and I used to throw a Wham-O Frisbee in our back yard for hours on end when we were pre-junior high.
2.) What are 3 simple things a new player can do on the course to improve their game?
Most of the things I would recommend to a new player to improve their game are off the course activities: play catch; throw all your discs in a big open field with different angles so you know what they do naturally, before you try to steer them; and on the course, relax & give yourself a break. We are playing disc golf, usually in lovely places, so relaxing and enjoying the round usually leads to more fun than putting pressure on oneself.
3.) Who is your favorite movie star from the 1980’s?
So many. I loved the Brat Pack – Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen…
and Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller was the smart aleck’s smart aleck.
4.) You have found yourself in a few “final 9” rounds that determine the winner of a multi-round tournament, these rounds often have a gallery and a little added pressure. What do you like to do before the start of those rounds to relax and take your mind off of those 9 holes?
I love to play a good game of catch – where I can run around a bit. I also like to hang a bit with friends I might not have seen as much during actual tournament play. I find listening to music helps, and will usually throw on some Bad Religion, Green Day, Rise Against, etc. If there is a ton of time, I try and see some of the other women’s divisions if they are still playing; there are a lot of terrific women out there on the course these days 🙂
5.) Are you a wizard? We understand if you can’t reveal this information. However based on some of the lines your throw and putts you make, we can see that you are magical.
If I am, I have yet to find my magical superpower (not for lack of trying). Though (to dork out for a second), I tend to be more of a ranger than a magic user in RPG adventures.
Sorry to disappoint, but spending 20 years throwing to a moving target through moving defenders (and being obsessive about ultimate), as well as 50-50-50 warm up drills is more to credit for that than any wizardry. (50-50-50 was where we partnered up and had to complete 50 consecutive throws of forehand, backhand and overhead. A drop or mis-throw reset the count to zero.)
6.) Whether you are a wizard or not, who is your favorite wizard?
Gandalf
7.) If Discraft said you could only play with 3 discs, which 3 discs would you choose?
Z 150 Flick,Glo Buzz, 150 ESP Avenger (though I would add my Crank as disc 4).
8.) If you could have an official beer of disc golf, what beer would that be?
Piece Brewery Dark & Curvy Dunkelweiss
9.) If you could choose any fictional character as your doubles partner, who would you choose?
It is a close race between Ender Wiggin and Aragorn, son of Arathorn.
10.) We (Ladies First Disc Golf) are grateful for you, and your kind soul. Who in disc golf are you thankful for?
So many people, from whom I have learned so much. Amy Dubrioullet-Cooper, for starting me on this crazy adventure in disc golf; Nancy and Mike Glass for their constant support and encouragement, as well as all of my teammates on the many teams I played on; Elliot Fu and Jordan Halpern for always being willing to throw with me;
Lisa Warner for befriending me when I was a new golfer; Des Reading, Juliana Korver, and Elaine King for being so amazing / inspirational / encouraging when I first started, and for blazing the trail for all of us following in their footsteps; Erin Oakley, Val Jenkins, and Jenny San Filippo, and so many other women who are constantly bringing more women into the game and doing all they can to encourage the growth of the women’s game; and finally, all the women with whom it has been my privilege to throw plastic.
Also, Discraft has been an amazing sponsor for me since 2003 – their plastic has been so consistent for me that it has allowed me to constantly improve my game. Pandamonium has been keeping me looking sharp since 2014.
