About a year and a half ago, Will set a pretty big goal for himself: he decided to (try to) qualify for the PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships.
"Invitations to the PDGA World Championships for Pro Masters, Amateurs, and Juniors are based on a current member meeting a published minimum number of points for their age-based division during the previous year’s PDGA Tour." Players earn points by playing - and doing well - in tournaments, and the number of points earned in each tournament depends on the course, the competition, and where the player places. Will started truly training, rather than just playing for fun, by playing local courses regularly, traveling with Tom to more difficult courses around the region, and putting at home (we have baskets in our backyard and garage) ALL THE TIME. Then he strategically chose tournaments, taking into account the difficulty level of the course as well as the size of the playing field and skill level of the competition, in which to compete. He threw himself wholeheartedly into this process, spending almost all of his time - whenever he wasn't focused on school or soccer - preparing in one way or another. He even started blending his worlds together, introducing both many of his soccer teammates and orchestra friends to the sport - he loved being able to practice while also spending time with his friends. (Disc golf is a great "active recovery" activity for soccer players!)
By the end of 2023, he had officially qualified.
I didn't think it was possible, but Will took his training up a notch in 2024. He continued to spend most of his "free" time on the course, and in the month leading up to the tournament, he played a round and practiced putting every single day and added in tournaments on the weekend.
This year's Worlds were held in Tulsa, OK. We arrived quite a few days in advance, so Will could compete in the distance throwing event (he placed 24th with a throw of 495 feet) and play all of the tournament's courses at least once before the preliminary rounds began.
Here's how the tournament was set up:
- Day 1 - preliminary round #1, POSTOAK (yes, it's supposed to be capitalized like that)
- Day 2 - preliminary round #2, Blackhawk
- Day 3 - preliminary round #3, POSTOAK
- Day 4 - preliminary round #4, Haikey
- Day 5 (morning) - semifinals, Blackhawk
- Day 5 (afternoon) - finals, POSTOAK
As you would expect at a world championship event, there were quite a few rules and regulations for players, "support personnel," and spectators. Will took responsibility for his own conduct on and off the course, and Tom, Hallie, and I - and our extended family members when they joined us - tried to stay on top of what was expected and required of us.
Players were allowed to have one official caddy with them on the course, and Tom took on this important role for Will. He had to wear a tournament-issued ensemble that we all teased him about, and he probably earned himself a few weeks of physical therapy as a result of carrying Will's HEAVY bag for five straight days, but I know that Tom considered caddying for his boy the role and honor of a lifetime.
Spectators were allowed to QUIETLY follow 30 feet behind the card (the card includes the four players and their four caddies). There are actually quite a few rules and courtesy behaviors spectators must follow, and while I won't go into them here, I will say that I was incredibly stressed - especially in the beginning - that I was accidentally going to get myself kicked out for a noise or procedural infraction.
This was truly a world championship. There were players from all over the United States (Hallie and I played the license plate game in the course parking lots and did VERY well) and from multiple other countries as well; off the top of my head I can remember Canada, Lithuania, Finland, France, Japan, Australia, Belize, Sweden, Norway, the Aland Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Phillipines.
I noted almost immediately - and received almost no evidence to the contrary throughout the tournament - that disc golf players are some of the best sports and kindest athletes competing today. I truly couldn't believe how genuinely supportive they were of one another, despite the fact that they were in competition for the same ultimate goal. Additionally, I couldn't believe how truly supportive the dads, most of whom were with the players as their caddies, were of their boys. On the baseball field, on the soccer field, on the basketball court, and in other athletic venues, I regularly hear parents rip into their kids when they don't play well...and even when they do play well. But on the disc golf course, all I heard throughout five l...o...n...g days of tournament play was encouragement and positivity. This was a high stress environment, and I watched a lot of kids struggle - I saw frustration, I saw anger, and I saw heartbreak. And every caddy/dad/mom responded with some version of, "I know you can do this. You've come so far. Just being here is an accomplishment. You should be so proud of yourself. I'm so proud of you. We're so proud of you." I'm tearing up just typing that out. It was powerful to watch.
Will's goal was to reach the semifinals, meaning he needed to finish in the top 40% of players. After a rough start on the first day and a bumpy second day, Will took it up a notch on days three and four and made it into the top 40% by the skin of his teeth. Once he'd made the semifinals, Will set a new goal: to finish in the top 50. He didn't want to stress about this new goal though - he knew he couldn't make the finals, so he had nothing to lose and could just play for fun. And fun he had, climbing nine spots from his preliminary rounds placement to finish 43rd. He can now say, at least for the next year, that he's the 43rd best junior disc golf player in the world. And Tom can say/has already been saying 😉 that he's the 43rd best junior disc golf caddy in the world. They're both wearing their titles proudly.
Thank you so much to everyone who showed up for Will along his journey: our extended families; Will's soccer teammates and coaches; Will's friends from school; my friends (especially Big Jenn Dog, May May, and Anne); Tom's disc golf and music friends, co-workers, and students; and Hallie's ballet instructor, Mr. John (who actually used to be a professional disc golfer, and whose purple Black Zombie disc golf polo Will is wearing in a bunch of the photos below). Additionally, Will had The Armory (our local disc golf store) community and our BCS community as a whole behind him, thanks to a great news piece completed right before we left for Tulsa and that ran the day before the competition started. Will felt the love and support, as did Tom and I.
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Here's a glimpse into Will's week! (Photos are in no particular order...)
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Words can't express how proud I am of you, kid.
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Stay tune for another post about the rest of our trip! (I know you're holding your breath to find out what else Tulsa has to offer... 😂)
