Listening to a Derek Rose interview on Chicago sports radio, I remembered this:
Dec 5, 2009.
I was watching the Chicago Blackhawks play the Pittsburgh Penguins with increased interest. During the second period, I was asked why I am not watching the Chicago Bulls host the Toronto Raptors and this is how the conversation went (my words first and every other time):
"The Blackhawks have a good chance to win the Western Conference and are playing the defending Stanley Cup champions. This can be a finals preview."
"Why are you not watching the Bulls game during commercials?"
"I don't want to miss anything right now. The Bulls are not even a .500 ball club and right now have no interest for me."
"You are not watching them because you are racist."
"If the Bulls had a good chance to make the finals and the Blackhawks were struggling, I would be watching the Bulls."
"That's wrong. You could watch both games and could switch right now during commercial. You're just being racist."
"Fine. I'll put on the fucking basketball game "*changes channel* "THE BULLS ARE DOWN THIRTY!" *changes channel back*. "HAPPY?"
The Blackhawks won the game 2-1 in OT and that summer won their first Stanley Cup title in almost 50 years. The Bulls lost their game 110-78 falling to 7-13. They did make the playoffs as an 8 seed and lost in the first round.
Friday, February 14, 2020
Friday, December 27, 2019
The Looney World
Catching my eye in the gaming room at my first true sci-fi converntion, Capricon 2002, was a card game based on historical events where players needed to change history to match their character's timeline. It was called Chrononauts and I soon purchased a copy.
Over the years, I have purchased multiple games and game supplements from the makers of that game, Looney Labs. Andy and Kristin Looney found and operate the company and I have had the pleasure of seeing and talking to them at a couple of conventions where they were a guest of honor.
Their must popular game is a card game called Fluxx and over the years, there have been multiple versions of the game many based on movies and TV shows which they were able to make after getting licensing permission. I believe I now own six different versions among the two dozen plus that have been released over the years.
Recently, I was able to get a copy of Jumanji Fluxx at a game store which is the deluxe version of the game with 7 additional cards as opposed to chain store versions which only sells the basic version. I knew to get it at a game store since it was referenced in the monthly email I get from Looney Labs themselves.
When Looney Labe first produced games, they were only available in game stores as opposed to major retail outlets so it makes sense that the versions sold at game stores would have more for the same price. Other companies have done the same thing as well with their games.
Since Jumanji Fluxx has a game mechanic that applies once the deck needs to be reshuffled (unlike any the other versions), having 7 extra cards changes this version of the game more than any of the previous ones and when my daughter got the regular version of the game on Dec 25th from her mother, I explained that and showed her the website.
Today, I got an angry text message from her mother calling me a liar who then refused to look at the website I referenced. Reminds me of similar encounters with Trump supporters.
Over the years, I have purchased multiple games and game supplements from the makers of that game, Looney Labs. Andy and Kristin Looney found and operate the company and I have had the pleasure of seeing and talking to them at a couple of conventions where they were a guest of honor.
Their must popular game is a card game called Fluxx and over the years, there have been multiple versions of the game many based on movies and TV shows which they were able to make after getting licensing permission. I believe I now own six different versions among the two dozen plus that have been released over the years.
Recently, I was able to get a copy of Jumanji Fluxx at a game store which is the deluxe version of the game with 7 additional cards as opposed to chain store versions which only sells the basic version. I knew to get it at a game store since it was referenced in the monthly email I get from Looney Labs themselves.
When Looney Labe first produced games, they were only available in game stores as opposed to major retail outlets so it makes sense that the versions sold at game stores would have more for the same price. Other companies have done the same thing as well with their games.
Since Jumanji Fluxx has a game mechanic that applies once the deck needs to be reshuffled (unlike any the other versions), having 7 extra cards changes this version of the game more than any of the previous ones and when my daughter got the regular version of the game on Dec 25th from her mother, I explained that and showed her the website.
Today, I got an angry text message from her mother calling me a liar who then refused to look at the website I referenced. Reminds me of similar encounters with Trump supporters.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
An Alt-Right Christmas
About twenty years ago, I was at my parents house and the movie Holiday Inn was on TV so I was watching it with my father. I had no idea the movie was about a dinner theatre at a barn which only did performances on holidays but went along with the premise.
After the New Years Day show, I was surprised that the next holiday show was on Lincoln's Birthday. Since MLK was 13 in 1942, the third Monday in January was just another day and Presidents Day was not established until 1971, Lincoln's birthday was the next one chronologically but would have expected it to be skipped since Valentines Day was 2 days later.
There was a female singer with the cast who was moonlighting at the Holiday Inn and there was a problem since someone with her regular job was there on Lincoln's Birthday so they came up with a "solution" to do the performance but disguise her identity:
http://www.criticalcommons.org/Members/sammondn/clips/holiday-inn-abraham-scene/view
This used to be on you tube but was taken down for obvious reasons. Knowing White Christmas was performed later in the movie, every time I would hear that song, I would parody it from the point of view of someone whose meaning of white based on what his character did earlier in the movie does not appear to be snow .
Following the unexpected results from the 2016 presidential election, many started marching celebrating that they were going to "Make America great again". The term Alt-right was coined to soften the description of those referenced as white extremists, fascists, and Nazis.
My parody of the song White Christmas changed based on that where in the first line the words "a white" was changed to "alt-right" and three years ago today I posted that to FB mentioning that if someone with more musical talent and ability wants to use that idea to go ahead.
The next day, multiple time Logan Award winner Chris Mezzolesta sent me a private FB message with complete lyrics to a montage of parodies from the "alt-right" perspective called "It's an Alt-Right Christmas." I was floored by how quickly this was done and with being referenced in the second line of the song.
A little over a week later, this video was created which mentions me in the credits:
https://youtu.be/WHrtn6EBn9k
I even saw this posted on Funny or Die.
After the New Years Day show, I was surprised that the next holiday show was on Lincoln's Birthday. Since MLK was 13 in 1942, the third Monday in January was just another day and Presidents Day was not established until 1971, Lincoln's birthday was the next one chronologically but would have expected it to be skipped since Valentines Day was 2 days later.
There was a female singer with the cast who was moonlighting at the Holiday Inn and there was a problem since someone with her regular job was there on Lincoln's Birthday so they came up with a "solution" to do the performance but disguise her identity:
http://www.criticalcommons.org/Members/sammondn/clips/holiday-inn-abraham-scene/view
This used to be on you tube but was taken down for obvious reasons. Knowing White Christmas was performed later in the movie, every time I would hear that song, I would parody it from the point of view of someone whose meaning of white based on what his character did earlier in the movie does not appear to be snow .
Following the unexpected results from the 2016 presidential election, many started marching celebrating that they were going to "Make America great again". The term Alt-right was coined to soften the description of those referenced as white extremists, fascists, and Nazis.
My parody of the song White Christmas changed based on that where in the first line the words "a white" was changed to "alt-right" and three years ago today I posted that to FB mentioning that if someone with more musical talent and ability wants to use that idea to go ahead.
The next day, multiple time Logan Award winner Chris Mezzolesta sent me a private FB message with complete lyrics to a montage of parodies from the "alt-right" perspective called "It's an Alt-Right Christmas." I was floored by how quickly this was done and with being referenced in the second line of the song.
A little over a week later, this video was created which mentions me in the credits:
https://youtu.be/WHrtn6EBn9k
I even saw this posted on Funny or Die.
Monday, December 2, 2019
Not qualified
During the home stretch of the 2018 season, I realized that I was closing in on the 500 point mark which would qualify me for the 2019 Amateur Worlds and was able to reach it on a day my right knee barely allowed me to finish.
For 2019, the idea of getting to the 500 point mark was not part of the plan from the beginning as my trip to the Amateur Worlds was planned to be "last in a lifetime" and Orlando in late July 2020 does not seem too great. As I compare my results to 2018, I noticed the played schedule was similar:
Though MA3 played at the IOS Rockford event the same day, that division played one of the two rounds on a different course than MA50+ did and the scores can't be compared.
There was going to be a second chart showing the mathematical chance of me not winning an event in 2019 but made it invalid by winning my last event of the season which was the first ever win at a sold out tournament.
Other than playing bad from March through July, there are other reasons I had significantly fewer points than in 2018.
Fewer opponents in many events in 2019. (including the one I won).
Playing the major injured on courses that I was not familiar.
Playing all but one tournament in an age protected division.
I realized there are four possible ideas to get to the 500 point mark from 2020 to 2023 to qualify in MA55 for future worlds events and I want to post them here for future reference just in case.
The first thought is to get better. Duh. The question is how much can I reasonably expect? In an October event, those who were in my group were impressed by my putting from distances up to and including 50 feet. However, due to a bad stretch of six holes of the 36, my score was exactly what a person with my rating was expected to get.
Looking at every rated round in 2019 I figured out how many more points I would have earned had I been 2 shots better every round, which could be done with better health and smarter play. Including three second place results that would have become wins, two shots better per round in many events would have still only moved me up one position in the standings (including the major where I placed 53 out of 58) and with one additional event played after the original post, would have reached the 500 mark..
With 4 wins in five MA50+ events including one A tier and a B tier IOS event, the idea of having a game worthy of a second Am Worlds would become plausible especially being among the youngest in the MA55 division.
Play in large events out of the area. The closest ones would be the Bowling Green, KY event in April, the Masters in Columbia, MO in May, and the Peoria event in August all having an MA55 division where I would be among the youngest there. Any of those would require a multi day hotel stay and be expensive.
Play events in non age protected divisions. Points per player are the same in MA3 as in MA50 and MA55 and there are usually 3-4 times the players if not more as well as beginners. Most of my events had an MA3 division where I could compare my scores and I would have easily reached 500.
Though the concept of MA3 would work, playing a full schedule in MA3 would be more difficult personally as my opponents would be younger (including the 11 year old who won an MA3 event I was in by 6 shots beating me by 24) as well as being able to throw a disc much farther than I can.
Though tobacco, alcohol, and weed are used by players in age protected divisions, it is far more frequent and far less courteous in MA3 and with recreational weed becoming legal in Illinois in 2020, it might be worse. My last three events (2 B tier and one unrated) not in an age protected group, I have seen 3 very drunk players (including one who after withdrawing from the event mid-round belched, cracked open a beer, and told me he had a soft penis) and 8 using weed. Since the smell of weed gives me a headache, I ask that it is used when I am not downwind of them but I usually end up in the wrong spot at least once anyway. At my last event, I mentioned to someone my displeasure with others using weed there and was reminded that I am "playing disc golf".
I have been told by another player who treats disc golf as a sport more than I do that I should not allow any of it and report it to the TD. I don't want to be "that guy" but if I might have to be that guy if I want to qualify for a future worlds events.
Play more rated league rounds. Since many leagues are treated as MA1, I get 2.5 points for finishing and 2.5 for any rated player that does not beat me. Since league play is generally cheaper, this would be a more financially prudent way to earn points.
Since the reconfigured Masters Worlds will be in Peoria, IL in 2021, getting to 500 points to qualify for the event will be worth the time and effort especially since how the 2019 worlds went for me.
For 2019, the idea of getting to the 500 point mark was not part of the plan from the beginning as my trip to the Amateur Worlds was planned to be "last in a lifetime" and Orlando in late July 2020 does not seem too great. As I compare my results to 2018, I noticed the played schedule was similar:
Though MA3 played at the IOS Rockford event the same day, that division played one of the two rounds on a different course than MA50+ did and the scores can't be compared.
There was going to be a second chart showing the mathematical chance of me not winning an event in 2019 but made it invalid by winning my last event of the season which was the first ever win at a sold out tournament.
Other than playing bad from March through July, there are other reasons I had significantly fewer points than in 2018.
Fewer opponents in many events in 2019. (including the one I won).
Playing the major injured on courses that I was not familiar.
Playing all but one tournament in an age protected division.
I realized there are four possible ideas to get to the 500 point mark from 2020 to 2023 to qualify in MA55 for future worlds events and I want to post them here for future reference just in case.
The first thought is to get better. Duh. The question is how much can I reasonably expect? In an October event, those who were in my group were impressed by my putting from distances up to and including 50 feet. However, due to a bad stretch of six holes of the 36, my score was exactly what a person with my rating was expected to get.
Looking at every rated round in 2019 I figured out how many more points I would have earned had I been 2 shots better every round, which could be done with better health and smarter play. Including three second place results that would have become wins, two shots better per round in many events would have still only moved me up one position in the standings (including the major where I placed 53 out of 58) and with one additional event played after the original post, would have reached the 500 mark..
With 4 wins in five MA50+ events including one A tier and a B tier IOS event, the idea of having a game worthy of a second Am Worlds would become plausible especially being among the youngest in the MA55 division.
Play in large events out of the area. The closest ones would be the Bowling Green, KY event in April, the Masters in Columbia, MO in May, and the Peoria event in August all having an MA55 division where I would be among the youngest there. Any of those would require a multi day hotel stay and be expensive.
Play events in non age protected divisions. Points per player are the same in MA3 as in MA50 and MA55 and there are usually 3-4 times the players if not more as well as beginners. Most of my events had an MA3 division where I could compare my scores and I would have easily reached 500.
Though the concept of MA3 would work, playing a full schedule in MA3 would be more difficult personally as my opponents would be younger (including the 11 year old who won an MA3 event I was in by 6 shots beating me by 24) as well as being able to throw a disc much farther than I can.
Though tobacco, alcohol, and weed are used by players in age protected divisions, it is far more frequent and far less courteous in MA3 and with recreational weed becoming legal in Illinois in 2020, it might be worse. My last three events (2 B tier and one unrated) not in an age protected group, I have seen 3 very drunk players (including one who after withdrawing from the event mid-round belched, cracked open a beer, and told me he had a soft penis) and 8 using weed. Since the smell of weed gives me a headache, I ask that it is used when I am not downwind of them but I usually end up in the wrong spot at least once anyway. At my last event, I mentioned to someone my displeasure with others using weed there and was reminded that I am "playing disc golf".
I have been told by another player who treats disc golf as a sport more than I do that I should not allow any of it and report it to the TD. I don't want to be "that guy" but if I might have to be that guy if I want to qualify for a future worlds events.
Play more rated league rounds. Since many leagues are treated as MA1, I get 2.5 points for finishing and 2.5 for any rated player that does not beat me. Since league play is generally cheaper, this would be a more financially prudent way to earn points.
Since the reconfigured Masters Worlds will be in Peoria, IL in 2021, getting to 500 points to qualify for the event will be worth the time and effort especially since how the 2019 worlds went for me.
Monday, November 25, 2019
The madman fixes the world of sports (part 5)
It has been 9 years since I made an entry in this aspect but I feel this one needs to be addressed as it is a problem with the three most popular professional sports in the US. That is tanking.
The same way that a person who wants to jump high needs to bend the knees and get low, it has become common for non contending teams to trade all of its decent players and stock up for the future with the hope of being a viable contender for a title in 3-5 years. When the Miami Dolphins did that before the 2019 season started and then had to face four teams in September that went 43-21 in 2018, the results became comical and people started thinking that NCAA or high school teams could beat them.
(After the bye the Dolphins have been competitive including a one point loss when they went for two with seconds left to go in the game while covering five straight and after winning their previous two are in third place in their division. Other teams that had Super Bowl aspirations when the season began and do not have 13 draft picks in 2020 including 5 in the first two rounds and have not won more games than they lost through the end of November are generally worse off.
There are two solutions that I see to remedy this. The first one is used in soccer leagues in Mexico and throughout Europe and that is relegation. However, that only works when there are multiple leagues for teams to be relegated and promoted and even if that was created in the US, allowing relegation would be changing the culture and that would not work. Granted in the English Premier League, 23 of the last 24 champions have been won by one of two teams from Manchester (United and City) or one of two teams from London (Arsenal and Chelsea) so maybe that is not the greatest idea for what works in the US.
What I am proposing is setting a minimum league standard based on wins. In the NFL, that would be 4. A team that goes 3-13 or worse should be penalized and this is how I would do it:
Slide teams that do not meet the minimum standard down the draft as such (order is based on wins by team):
Round 1: 4,3,5,2,6,1,7,0,8+
Round 2: 3,2,4,1,5,0,6+
Round 3: 2,1,3,0,4+
Round 4: 1,0, 2+
Round 5: as normal
This would make games among the bottom feeding teams far more interesting as it would create a desire to win by rewarding teams for winning as opposed to losing. This would also hurt teams that tank in the future.
A similar strategy could apply to the other three main sports in the US.
The same way that a person who wants to jump high needs to bend the knees and get low, it has become common for non contending teams to trade all of its decent players and stock up for the future with the hope of being a viable contender for a title in 3-5 years. When the Miami Dolphins did that before the 2019 season started and then had to face four teams in September that went 43-21 in 2018, the results became comical and people started thinking that NCAA or high school teams could beat them.
(After the bye the Dolphins have been competitive including a one point loss when they went for two with seconds left to go in the game while covering five straight and after winning their previous two are in third place in their division. Other teams that had Super Bowl aspirations when the season began and do not have 13 draft picks in 2020 including 5 in the first two rounds and have not won more games than they lost through the end of November are generally worse off.
There are two solutions that I see to remedy this. The first one is used in soccer leagues in Mexico and throughout Europe and that is relegation. However, that only works when there are multiple leagues for teams to be relegated and promoted and even if that was created in the US, allowing relegation would be changing the culture and that would not work. Granted in the English Premier League, 23 of the last 24 champions have been won by one of two teams from Manchester (United and City) or one of two teams from London (Arsenal and Chelsea) so maybe that is not the greatest idea for what works in the US.
What I am proposing is setting a minimum league standard based on wins. In the NFL, that would be 4. A team that goes 3-13 or worse should be penalized and this is how I would do it:
Slide teams that do not meet the minimum standard down the draft as such (order is based on wins by team):
Round 1: 4,3,5,2,6,1,7,0,8+
Round 2: 3,2,4,1,5,0,6+
Round 3: 2,1,3,0,4+
Round 4: 1,0, 2+
Round 5: as normal
This would make games among the bottom feeding teams far more interesting as it would create a desire to win by rewarding teams for winning as opposed to losing. This would also hurt teams that tank in the future.
A similar strategy could apply to the other three main sports in the US.
Friday, October 18, 2019
A choice was made
I had to decide to play in one of two events in Indiana and there were things both good and bad in each event and with the entry deadline looming, chose to play in the closer event in the same time zone even though there is not an age protected division that I would be competitive. However, there are a couple of 50+ players who will be in my division including the one who while having the same rating at an event in June shot the exact same score for both rounds as I did.
As I looked at the 14 player MA50+ division for the other event this morning (including the person who beat me in a playoff in 2016 and the person who won MA50+ at an event I finished third last year,) I saw a recently registered player who could have changed my mind.
A top FP50+ pro in the area is playing in the MA50+ division. She has played in multiple MA events in different divisions and only plays FP50+ in elite ones. Her rating is very similar to mine and I would have wanted to see first hand how she plays the game and how "Candace" would do against her.
There is a Chicago area 8 time major champion FP50+ player and in the events where we both play including the one on Oct 27, her scores are usually better than mine but I rarely get a chance to see her play as we are usually far from each other on the course.
I then remembered playing little league in 1978 on the mound against a female batter. Compared to others who pitched, I was not that good and only took the mound when the game was out of hand but was able to strike her out and said something along the line that she should not be in the league which coaches and parents were not happy to hear.
I then realized maybe that is likely why the next time I was at the plate the first pitch hit me. Never thought of that in the 41 years since it happened.
As I looked at the 14 player MA50+ division for the other event this morning (including the person who beat me in a playoff in 2016 and the person who won MA50+ at an event I finished third last year,) I saw a recently registered player who could have changed my mind.
A top FP50+ pro in the area is playing in the MA50+ division. She has played in multiple MA events in different divisions and only plays FP50+ in elite ones. Her rating is very similar to mine and I would have wanted to see first hand how she plays the game and how "Candace" would do against her.
There is a Chicago area 8 time major champion FP50+ player and in the events where we both play including the one on Oct 27, her scores are usually better than mine but I rarely get a chance to see her play as we are usually far from each other on the course.
I then remembered playing little league in 1978 on the mound against a female batter. Compared to others who pitched, I was not that good and only took the mound when the game was out of hand but was able to strike her out and said something along the line that she should not be in the league which coaches and parents were not happy to hear.
I then realized maybe that is likely why the next time I was at the plate the first pitch hit me. Never thought of that in the 41 years since it happened.
Friday, October 4, 2019
The price of Joy
I am sore, tired, and completely defeated. I really wished the 2018 version of me that qualified for this event was here this week and not the broken down fraud that is currently wearing a sweaty shirt with my last name on it...
This was posted to Facebook from the parking lot of Boulder Woods Disc Golf Course in Wellsville, PA after I finished my sixth and final round of the PDGA Amateur Worlds on July 26th. Five and a half days prior to this post, my attitude was different.
Though my right knee popped out of place in my sleep 48 hours previously, I was on my way to my "last of a lifetime trip" to the 2019 Disc Golf Amateur World Championship in York, PA.
The drive there was the most anticipated thing and due to Spotify. I had my tablet loaded with hours of music that has shaped my life and every time a song played, an awesome memory was rekindled. Multiple times on the trip my voice cracked being unable to sing along due to how emotionally powerful it was to me.
While delivering food in June with METV FM playing they mentioned a song that you may have missed before. Joy by Apollo 100. All of a sudden, I remember the awesome instrumental which I have likely not heard in decades. (I know it is based on a classical piece but this version is the one I enjoy.)
There was a special set list for my trip. It had the songs I played at the start of the trip and Joy. When I was about to get to Coyote Hills (the furthest west course of those used for the event) to get some practice, I turned on that song and it was rolling through my head the rest of the day.
The next morning, I had to head to tournament central to check in and just before I got there once again played Joy and the tune was running through my head as I got my swag for the event.
I knew going in the highlight was everything before playing and it exceeded expectations. The staff there congratulated me for being there and while wearing a shirt with a drawing of me on it, had a huge smile on my face knowing all I went through to get to this point especially after having to give it up four years previously due to a lie.
After getting a bag of small items (including a tick extractor which I actually needed the next day), multiple hats, discs, and shirts, I had one more line. The person asked my name and division and stated box #15. I then realized what was in the boxes.
The staff person sorted through the lime green shirts with the tournament logo and sponsors on it and found the one with my name and player number on it. For some reason I was expecting it to be missing or spelled wrong but it was correct. After barely being able to choke out "thank you" I rushed through the pro shop that players had to pass to exit to get to the car.
I had always thought the phrase "tears of joy" made no sense but it took over five minutes for me to compose myself to the point where I can drive a car to one of the courses to practice.
At a college auditorium that evening, I got my player badge with my name and had to post a picture of it immediately after sending grateful messages to many who helped me get there.
The next morning was round one. Joy was still running through my head after playing it just before I got to the course among the first there. It was still running through my head as I was energized at the start making multiple long putts to keep things going well.
On my twelfth hole, reality hit hard. The body said no and the next six holes featured shots I have never missed so badly before including one where while trying to stretch around a tree, the disc stayed in my hand instead of releasing and dropped six inches in front of me on the follow through.
The last 97 holes over those four days were not all bad and I actually hugged the 7 baskets I managed to get a birdie but it was mostly ugly play featuring moments when I had no idea where to aim not knowing where my disc was going to go. Between my talent gap to elite players and my leg, my 108 hole score was 101 worse than the person in first.
Through the frustration on the course and the pain off it which after the last three rounds kicked in on the walk back to turn in my scores as the adrenaline from the round subsided, the "Joy" I tried to keep in my head faded.
After making the FB post mentioned at the beginning, I changed out of my gear and started to head west. The plan was to drive until I was tired and then find a hotel for the night. After passing through four mountains, I came to a turnpike rest area to pee and get something to eat.
Though gimpy, I decided to not use the crutches I brought and hobbled into the building. After three paces inside, both legs seized up and if there was not a chair close by, I likely would have gone down. There were tears but they were not of joy. People asked if they should call an ambulance.
Eventually, I made it to the bathroom where I noticed my face was bright red and then got some food. I decided to get a hotel sooner rather than later and this time used my crutches to help me. The hotel staff was able to get me a handicap room due to the difficulty I had walking.
In spite of the pain medication I was taking, the idea of sleep seemed remote as it was not working at all. I needed all my energy to get out of bed to pee and after plopping on the bed, felt that I was done.
I did not want to return to reality. I did not want to deal with life anymore and most of all, I wanted the pain to go away. Then I realized there is enough pain medication my bag to accomplish those things.
I did not want to call anyone knowing that the response I get could influence my decision and not in the way most would normally think as my decision to continue needed to be mine and mine alone. I also did not want to worry anyone while I was three states away from home or have someone rush to my hotel room to "save me from myself".
Though tempted, I was so drained and the bag seemed so far away, eventually I did fall asleep. The next morning, my legs were somewhat functional and I managed to hide my discomfort at a family gathering on Saturday before returning home on Sunday afternoon. Once I got home, I could not stay awake for more than an hour until Tuesday morning. When others mentioned the Chicago area Weird Al concert from that Sunday which I missed, I realized ahead of time that I would unlikely be physically up for attending.
It took a couple stressful weeks to get back to normal thinking and though I remember the Joy experienced on the trip, I will never forget the price paid for it.
This was posted to Facebook from the parking lot of Boulder Woods Disc Golf Course in Wellsville, PA after I finished my sixth and final round of the PDGA Amateur Worlds on July 26th. Five and a half days prior to this post, my attitude was different.
Though my right knee popped out of place in my sleep 48 hours previously, I was on my way to my "last of a lifetime trip" to the 2019 Disc Golf Amateur World Championship in York, PA.
The drive there was the most anticipated thing and due to Spotify. I had my tablet loaded with hours of music that has shaped my life and every time a song played, an awesome memory was rekindled. Multiple times on the trip my voice cracked being unable to sing along due to how emotionally powerful it was to me.
While delivering food in June with METV FM playing they mentioned a song that you may have missed before. Joy by Apollo 100. All of a sudden, I remember the awesome instrumental which I have likely not heard in decades. (I know it is based on a classical piece but this version is the one I enjoy.)
There was a special set list for my trip. It had the songs I played at the start of the trip and Joy. When I was about to get to Coyote Hills (the furthest west course of those used for the event) to get some practice, I turned on that song and it was rolling through my head the rest of the day.
The next morning, I had to head to tournament central to check in and just before I got there once again played Joy and the tune was running through my head as I got my swag for the event.
I knew going in the highlight was everything before playing and it exceeded expectations. The staff there congratulated me for being there and while wearing a shirt with a drawing of me on it, had a huge smile on my face knowing all I went through to get to this point especially after having to give it up four years previously due to a lie.
After getting a bag of small items (including a tick extractor which I actually needed the next day), multiple hats, discs, and shirts, I had one more line. The person asked my name and division and stated box #15. I then realized what was in the boxes.
The staff person sorted through the lime green shirts with the tournament logo and sponsors on it and found the one with my name and player number on it. For some reason I was expecting it to be missing or spelled wrong but it was correct. After barely being able to choke out "thank you" I rushed through the pro shop that players had to pass to exit to get to the car.
I had always thought the phrase "tears of joy" made no sense but it took over five minutes for me to compose myself to the point where I can drive a car to one of the courses to practice.
At a college auditorium that evening, I got my player badge with my name and had to post a picture of it immediately after sending grateful messages to many who helped me get there.
The next morning was round one. Joy was still running through my head after playing it just before I got to the course among the first there. It was still running through my head as I was energized at the start making multiple long putts to keep things going well.
On my twelfth hole, reality hit hard. The body said no and the next six holes featured shots I have never missed so badly before including one where while trying to stretch around a tree, the disc stayed in my hand instead of releasing and dropped six inches in front of me on the follow through.
The last 97 holes over those four days were not all bad and I actually hugged the 7 baskets I managed to get a birdie but it was mostly ugly play featuring moments when I had no idea where to aim not knowing where my disc was going to go. Between my talent gap to elite players and my leg, my 108 hole score was 101 worse than the person in first.
Through the frustration on the course and the pain off it which after the last three rounds kicked in on the walk back to turn in my scores as the adrenaline from the round subsided, the "Joy" I tried to keep in my head faded.
After making the FB post mentioned at the beginning, I changed out of my gear and started to head west. The plan was to drive until I was tired and then find a hotel for the night. After passing through four mountains, I came to a turnpike rest area to pee and get something to eat.
Though gimpy, I decided to not use the crutches I brought and hobbled into the building. After three paces inside, both legs seized up and if there was not a chair close by, I likely would have gone down. There were tears but they were not of joy. People asked if they should call an ambulance.
Eventually, I made it to the bathroom where I noticed my face was bright red and then got some food. I decided to get a hotel sooner rather than later and this time used my crutches to help me. The hotel staff was able to get me a handicap room due to the difficulty I had walking.
In spite of the pain medication I was taking, the idea of sleep seemed remote as it was not working at all. I needed all my energy to get out of bed to pee and after plopping on the bed, felt that I was done.
I did not want to return to reality. I did not want to deal with life anymore and most of all, I wanted the pain to go away. Then I realized there is enough pain medication my bag to accomplish those things.
I did not want to call anyone knowing that the response I get could influence my decision and not in the way most would normally think as my decision to continue needed to be mine and mine alone. I also did not want to worry anyone while I was three states away from home or have someone rush to my hotel room to "save me from myself".
Though tempted, I was so drained and the bag seemed so far away, eventually I did fall asleep. The next morning, my legs were somewhat functional and I managed to hide my discomfort at a family gathering on Saturday before returning home on Sunday afternoon. Once I got home, I could not stay awake for more than an hour until Tuesday morning. When others mentioned the Chicago area Weird Al concert from that Sunday which I missed, I realized ahead of time that I would unlikely be physically up for attending.
It took a couple stressful weeks to get back to normal thinking and though I remember the Joy experienced on the trip, I will never forget the price paid for it.
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