Well Day 2 definitely did not go as planned. My goal was to get up after a good rest (since the previous night I slept only 2 hours in the after arriving at 5am from the airport). Unfortunately, I got to bed quite late and after hitting snooze on my alarm a few times, finally woke up at 10:22am, more than one hour past the starting time for disc golf. Going into the second round of disc golf, I was tied for 4th, 3 shots off the lead. However, the first time I play a course, I usually play it conservative and learn the lines and the distances. For the second round, I was going to play much more aggressive and was fully expecting to shoot in the 40’s. Because I slept in however, I ended up missing 14 holes of play and showed up for the final 4 holes. That meant I was assessed a penalty of Par + 4 for every hole I missed, giving me a total of 110 for the second round of disc golf. Ouch. This meant I finished dead last and makes it virtually impossible to win the Overall, which super sucks.
But, on the drive to lunch, I was doing a lot of reflecting and soul searching (as I do once the shock of the morning events wore off) and I realized that this is what I do. I fail and I learn and I get better. I cannot learn or get better on the same scale or level if I win. So as much as failing and losing sucks, I know that’s how I’ve been able to do the things I’ve done. So I don’t look at this morning as a disappointment as much as I do an opportunity to learn, and keep getting better, both as a player and an athlete.
Having that perspective helped me go into the afternoon with renewed energy, focus, and a positive mental attitude. Disc Golf was over and all that mattered was Discathon.
I was in a semifinal heat with my buddy Sam, who is a great frisbee player and Discathon competitor so I knew I would have to run a clean, fast race in order to have a chance at winning my heat. We had talked a bit and were expecting that whomever lost our heat would have a good chance at making the finals by virtue of having the next best time (the lucky loser we call them). Unfortunately Sam got tangled up after the second gate when his disc got caught in my feet as I was running and he wasn’t able to catch up. Discathon is a bit like the swimming portion of a triathalon, so as much as you try to keep your disc from hitting other players, sometimes it happens. I ended up battling Jasun the entire race and only near the final few gates was I able to pass him. I missed the final test too but luckily he did as well, otherwise he might have caught me. Since I won my heat, I automatically advanced to the finals.
I was nervous and excited for the finals as all 4 of the other finalists all had faster times than I had run in the semifinals which meant I would need to step up big time. As well, it was also exciting running against 3 former Discathon World Champions! I’ve admired all 3 for as long as I’ve been in the Overall scene (7 years) and they truly embody what it means to be a quality person, father, athlete, champion, and friend. Huge thanks to Conrad, Tom, and Jens.
I ran a very clean race, making all 3 test, and only getting caught up a few times with some poorly placed throws. In the end, I ran a 5:08, which was the second fastest time overall, behind the winner Jordan. Jordan led the race from start to finish so I’m pretty happy that I was able to stay so close to him. He is a professional ultimate player with the Tampa Bay Cannons of the AUDL so he is a very clean thrower, can run fast, and has endurance.
Although my day started off worst case scenario, it ended up pretty great!
I also got to have a delicious vegan dinner and talk frisbee with my good friends Rick and Juliana.
Congrats to Juliana for winning Disc Golf and Discathon in the Women’s Division and Sam for winning Disc Golf in the Open Division.
I’m looking forward to a more relaxed day as Day 3 is Accuracy and Escape (single player version of DDC). Will be getting a much better sleep tonight and setting a few extra alarms!
Real-time results will be posted online at http://www.conraddamon.com/overall/tournament.html?id=33.