Check out this recent Interview that we did for Movemodo, a company that does Video Game reviews for the Sony PlayStation Move Gaming System. The Sports Champion Video Game is a collection of six competitive sporting activities that features Disc Golf as an event!!! – Player Interview by Christopher Ingram

When PlayStation Move launched there was one game that truly showed off its impressive 1:1 controls: Sports Champions. The game featured multiple sports, each using Move in its own unique way. One of the sports stood out from the rest, and that was Disc Golf: the precision and accuracy of Move was able to transform the controller into a disc, bringing the sport to life in the virtual world with great success. The superb disc physics allowed players to throw shots however they desired: forehand, backhand, rollers, etc. without even touching a button, but rather by simply swinging their arm just as they would on the course.

Here at Movemodo we enjoy the sport of Disc Golf not only in Sports Champions, but also on the actual course as well. We were lucky enough to recently compete against a few Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) World Champion Disc Golfers in a Disc Golf Tournament in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and while we didn’t stand a chance against them in a competition, we did get to see their amazing skills in action on the course. As the day dwindled to an end, we learned that they were not only champions on the course, but on the Move as well.

So just how good is the disc golf in Sports Champions? Well we asked none other than 2009 World Champion Avery Jenkins to find out.

Firstly, can you please introduce yourselves, and give our readers some insight to each of your accomplishments in the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA)?

My name is Avery Jenkins and I am a Touring Professional Disc Golfer that Travels all over the World playing in Disc Golf Tournaments in the US and abroad. I am the 2009 Disc Golf World Champion, 3X United States Distance Champion, 2004 Japan Open Champion and 2000 PDGA Rookie of the Year. I truly love Disc Golf and I do all that I can to make this one of the best Sports out there.

It’s a goal of mine to make Disc Golf a Mainstream Sport in the years to come. It has the potential to be something great, it’s just going to take some time and a lot of hard work. Players need to realize that we need to take this sport seriously because if we don’t no one else will either, it’s all on us taking it to the Next Level.

As World Champion disc golfers, how accurately is the sport represented in Sports Champions with PlayStation Move?

I believe that the Sports Champion Game represented Disc Golf very well in the simple concept of how the game is played and how the discs fly. One of the most interesting attractions of Disc Golf is the fascination of the flight of the flying disc and the ability to manipulate/control a disc in ways unlike other sports played with a ball. The PlayStation Move allows the player to have this control of the disc, releasing at various heights and angles in order to progress down the fairway toward the basket. I can’t wait for the next version of this Disc Golf game is hopes that it increases in ways of realistic graphics, making you feel like you’re out on the course.

Disc Golf in Sports Champions is brutally difficult on the Gold/Platinum levels, and we’ve heard that you were able to 3-Star the entire game! Did this offer a significant challenge to the World Champions, or was this simply a practice day at the park?

Well to be honest, it did take a while to beat the entire Disc Golf Video Game at the 3-Star Level on every level but we eventually did it. I think that most difficult part of the game was the Challenge Modes and Valarie was definitely the best at those. I think that the game produced enough challenge for those that don’t play Disc Golf everyday and it took lots of practice rounds to beat some of the Platinum Level players that rarely missed a shot.

Now that you’ve completed the disc golf in Sports Champions, do you think PlayStation Move is the perfect tool for bringing gamers a full disc golf title that offers real courses, disc, etc.?

I think that is the natural progression of popular games such as this to evolve, to get better with each and every version. I would love to see the game use the same Discs (Drivers, Mid-Range and Putters) that we use and hopefully play some of the very same Disc Golf Courses that we play on the PDGA Tour. Eventually, it would incredible to have them create realistic PDGA Professional Players, such as us to be included in the game as well. So we can only wait and see……

Not only are you all World Champions in your sport, but also advocates in bringing the sport of disc golf into the mainstream. Do you think that Sports Champions has had an impact in bringing new players to the sport?

I really think that this game has given the sport of Disc Golf some great exposure by including it with the collection of sports on Sports Champions. I would be excited to know if a Disc Golf game such as this brought Gamers out to the Disc Golf Course to check out the real-life sport that we play for a living but it would not surprise me at this point. I know that the more public awareness that Disc Golf receives, the more people will be interested in what it is and hopefully want to try it out. Also in this time of the economic downturn, the affordability of Disc Golf has appealed to the mass of people looking for a reasonably priced recreational activity to enjoy outdoors with friends and family.

Are there any other PlayStation Move games that you enjoy outside of Sports Championship?

To be honest, the only other game that I have played on the PlayStation Move is Bocce on the Sports Champion Game. We vowed that we would not play another game until we successfully beat the entire Disc Golf Game with 3-Stars at every level. Now that’s dedication.

Lastly, is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

“When a Ball dreams, it dreams it’s a Frisbee” – Dr. Stancil Johnson PDGA #009

Sports Champions YouTube Video: Click Here!!

Special Thanks to Christoper Ingram and James Newton at Movemodo for the chance to talk about the (so far) most realistic disc golf video game ever, and hopes that such games will introduce new people to the sport. Interviews such as this and multiple positive exposures will boost Disc Golf into the mainstream. I am looking forward to the future of Disc Golf Video Games in years to come.

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The 2011 Asia Open International Disc Golf Event took place on February 19-20 in Taipei, Taiwan at the very challenging Hsintian Riverside Disc Golf Course. The Tournament hosted 51 Professional Players from all over the World from the US, Australia, Finland, Korea, Thailand, China and Japan. The Tournament Director, Kuan Chen, organized this PDGA event for the 3rd time in the past 6 years, as he plans on hosting the event every other year at various locations throughout Asia in years to come.

The Asia Open is a 160 – Class event where all players had to use Discs that weighed 160 grams of less. Not to mention that this year’s weather for the tournament was less than ideal with very wet, muddy and rainy conditions throughout the weekend. It was not only tough for the competitors due to the weather conditions but it was also difficult adjusting to the lighter weighted discs made it extra challenging.

David Feldberg and I quickly separated ourselves from the rest of the field on Saturday with a -21 and -23 respectively in the continuous rain throughout the day. We were throwing some incredible drives in some serious weather and continued to push each other throughout the first two rounds. On Sunday, Feldberg started to create some separation as he shot a Course-Record 46 (-14) to increase his lead to 4 strokes going into the Semi-Final 9 and Final 9. I quickly responded in the Semi-Finals gaining momentum, shooting a 23 on the 9 Holes and cutting the lead to only 2 strokes going into the Final 9, with both of us possibly shooting some of the highest rated light weight Disc Golf ever in PDGA History as I averaged a 1062 round rating and Feldberg averaged a 1074 round rating throughout the first 3 rounds of the event.

During the Final 9, there was no change in score through the first 4 holes with 5 holes to go, until I birdied the 5th hole to close within 1 stroke of Feldberg. The whole tournament came down to the stretch on hole #6 where I threw two perfect shots reaching a long 720 ft (220 meter) Par-4. On the same hole, Feldberg’s drive found trees on the right side of the fairway off the tee and his heroic second shot sailed OB as he forced going for the birdie. I kept the pressure on by making birdie on the holes #7 & #8 to increase the lead to 2 strokes. On the Final Hole, we both scored pars on the long Par-4 with a drop-in putt to claim my 1st Asia Open Title and first win of the 2011 Season.

In the Women’s Open Field, Valarie Jenkins, #1 in the World competed against Taiwan’s #1 Ranked Women, Chia-fan Chen. They keep the scores close on Saturday, but Chia-fan held a 2 stroke advantage for the day. Chia-fan played consistent through the rain and wind, and in the Semi-Final round she increased the lead to 4 strokes. Chia-fan played amazing golf throughout the against Valarie, but nerves go the best of her in the Final 9. Valarie gained 3 strokes back during the 9 holes but it was not enough to offset her play during the weekend. Chia-fan solidified her 2011 Asia Open Title by smashing a 60-foot putt on the final hole to clinch the Championship.

Men’s Open

1st Avery Jenkins – 193
2nd David Feldberg – 195
3rd Manabu Kajiyama – 213
4th Jussi Meresmaa – 219

Women’s Open

1st Chia-fan Chen – 220
2nd Valarie Jenkins – 222
3rd Su Mei Yang – 233

Special Thanks to Kuan Chen with EZ Flying Discs, Mark Molnar with Disc Golf Values and Innova Champion Discs for their sponsorship and support of the 2011 Asia Open!!!

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Although 2010 was by far not my best year, it was definitely the most fun that I have ever had on Tour still relishing my 2009 World Championship Title, as I continue to be the Face and a Fixture on the PDGA Tour. I played in 24 PDGA Sanctioned Events with 7 – Top 5 Finishes and 1 Win at the Forsyth County Open SuperTour event in Georgia with a $2000 first prize. I also have several strong finishes at the Skylands Classic, Sunshine State Shootout and Brent Hambrick Memorial Open National Tour Events. I placed 4th at the United States Doubles Championships with good friend and long-time Disc Golf Doubles Partner, David Feldberg. I was also a part of the NorCal Championship Team at the NorCal vs. SoCal Team Invitational Championships.

As far as other stats, I shot 2 course records including a Final Round at Fountain Hills during the 2010 Memorial Championships National Tour Event in Phoenix, AZ shooting a 44 (1080 rating) to get back on the top cards. I also shot a course record during the Final Round of the Forsyth County Open SuperTour Event in Atlanta, GA shooting a 50 (1057 rating) in the downpour rain to force a 3-way Playoff with Ken Climo and David Feldberg. I won the Sudden Death Playoff on the 2nd Hole with a drop-in Par Putt for the Victory. The 1090 Final Round Rating at the 2007 Memorial still remains my highest rated round in my career.

I continue to train throughout the season, not only for Disc Golf but for Distance contests as well. I participated in the 2010 Big “D” in the Desert this Fall in Primm, NV setting my Personal Distance Record at 705 ft (216 Meters). I also tried for the World’s Longest Aerobie throw and launched a throw that measure 951 ft (290 Meters), but still well short of the 1083 ft (330 Meter) World Record set by Erin Hemmings. I also strive to set a World Record for “The longest throw to a Dog Catch” that will potentially appear in the Guinness Book of World Records.

It was also an exciting year with the debut of my very own Allen & Ginter Topps Rookie Sportscard appearing in Sports Card and Hobbie Shops all over the Country. The Topps Allen & Ginter Series is a tribute to the first tobacco manufacturing firm that created and marketed the 1st cigarette cards for collecting and trading. These cards were inserted to stiffen the cigarette packaging and to advertise the cigarette brands. Beginning in 1875, the Allen & Ginter tabacco produced the first cards featuring hand painted cards of current Baseball Players, as well as other inserts featuring athletes in other sports. They even featured non-athletes including Indian Chefs, Boxers, Actors/Actresses and US Presidents. The early Allen & Ginter cards that were produced are considered to be some of the most valuable sportscards ever made.

Since 2007, Topps has issued a revival of the Allen & Ginter trading cards. These cards feature the same hand painted cards for current baseball players, as well as inserts featuring World Champion athletes in other sports. But this is not only my Rookie card but a Rookie card for the sport Disc Golf as well. This Sportscard has gotten lots of exposure for Disc Golf since its release and it is a definite Sports Collectible to keep for years to come. I have been collecting Sportscards for several years when I was younger and have acquired thousands of sportscards from my Uncle growing up. I am very excited and honored after all of these years to finally have my very own Sportscard.

I also just recently got unanimously elected to the PDGA Board of Directors to aid in the development and evolution of Disc Golf throughout the World. It is very important for players to give back to the sport that they love and I have the experience to really make a positive change for Disc Golf as this sport continues to grow. I ran for the PDGA Board in order to better the sport through increased involvement in the PDGA process and ongoing operations, I have developed great communication with the PDGA and its members throughout the years of traveling with correspondence at the grassroots to professional levels of the game. With more players being exposed to this sport every year, it’s just a matter of time before we really make an impact in the media and the entire Sports World. It has truly become a passion of mine, I believe that I have what it takes and know that I will do an outstanding job to make it better for the sport that we all love.

I took part in several Disc Golf Instructional Clinics before many of the PDGA National Tour Events. I was also part of a Huge Disc Golf Clinic with a significant attendance of 150+ players at the 2010 Amateur World Championships in Marion, OH. When I am back in Santa Cruz during the off-season, I help with Coaching the Univ. of California – Santa Cruz Disc Golf Team and attend practices with several local High Schools that participate in the Santa Cruz County Disc Golf League.

In 2010, it was the release of the Avery Jenkins Signature Series Innova Star Destroyer that was placed in full production in the late Spring and sold more than 25,000 Worldwide. It is an Incredible Distance Disc and It’s my go-to Long-Range Driver that has a predicable fading finish. It has incredible speed & amazing downrange glide that enables it to cover lots of ground for maximum distance. If you haven’t put one in your bag yet, I highly recommend that you do so if you want to throw far!!!

Also, I have been working with Santa Cruz Community Television on a Monthly Disc Golf Show called “DiscMasters”. It is a local cable-access television program that exposes the community of Santa Cruz to the fast growing sport of Disc Golf and informing them about the upcoming Disc Golf World Championships at De Laveaga. I am also involved in a few Disc Golf Videos such as a “Disc Golf Instructional DVD” with teammate David Feldberg that will release in the early Summer, along with other Disc Golf Documentaries including “Chains the Movie” which will debut at the World Championships and “Team Jenkins – The First Family of Disc Golf” which will release sometime in the winter of 2011.

I look forward to maintaining as a member of the Innova Star Team, I will continue to help contributing to the process of making the Players a more unified Team as we work to make Team Innova a presence in the Disc Golf World. I also do my best to be a Role-Model for the other players on the Team, both on and off the course.

This off-season, I have been helping to improve the local Santa Cruz and Monterey Courses for the 2011 Disc Golf World Championships in Santa Cruz, CA this Summer. I have provided Course Layout/Design assistance and contributed to helping gain Sponsors and Fund Raising for the event. I helped in the labor efforts of building new Tee-Pads and Retaining Walls at the Historic De Laveaga Disc Golf Course, I have also helped to partially re-design the Oaks Disc Golf Course in Monterey in preparations for the World Championships. It is a lot of hard work but it is really going to make a difference when it all comes down to it, we are trying to set the standard for all Disc Golf World Championships that follow in years to come.

Goals for 2011.

- Win another Major Disc Golf Tournament
- Play my best at every Event that I attend
- Bring Disc Golf to the Mainstream Media
- Promote all of my Sponsors to the best of my ability
- Travel the World playing the sport that I love

In the 2011 Season, I plan to travel and play more than ever, and have scheduled to play around 30+ Tournaments and traveling extensively throughout the US, Europe and Asia, with my 1st tournament of the year taking place in Taipei, Taiwan. I will be playing ALL of the PDGA National Tour and Major Events throughout the 2011 Season as I continue to be a Disc Golf Ambassador and spokesman for the sport during my travels.

I am proven to be one of the most dominant players in the World and I continue to be a model as a Professional Disc Golf athlete. I am a highly marketable player and individual as I have given my life to the sport. It’s been a passion of mine for over a decade and I will continue to promote Disc Golf as one of the best sports on the planet. I am looking forward to another exciting and successful season on the Disc Golf Tour, I will do my best to make the most of it every single day.

Thanks to all my friends, family and travel companions throughout the year that have made my world travels possible and my disc golf dreams a reality. Here’s to an incredible 2011 Season!!!

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Only available for sale online at www.KEENFootwear.com – $110

A variety of Disc Golfers have tested the MILO in all weather conditions. It provides excellent grip properties, asymmetrical lacing and reinforced toe bumper. Perfect for all weather and all terrain. They debuted at the 2010 United States Disc Golf Championships, as all of the competitors received a pair of Milo II’s in their Players Package!!!

And most important – they are also available in a women’s specific model – made on a women’s specific inner shoe last to provide better fit for women.

- KEEN DRY Waterproof Membrane – 100% Waterproof in rainy conditions
- Anti-Bunch Asymmetrical Flex Lace System – Tight/Comfortable Fit
- Super Durable/Reinforced Upper Material – provides foot protection
- S3 Heel Support Structure/ Reinforced Heel Cup – More support and less debris
- Multi-Directional 3 MM Lug Outsole for Traction
- Removable Metatomical Tri-Density Footbed
- Reinforced and More Durable Shoe Side Welding and Thicker Gage Stitching
- Aluminum Top Eyelets for extended wear life

KEEN has been a generous sponsor to the Master’s Cup and Beaver State Fling Disc Golf National Tour Events, as well a Major sponsor to this year’s United States Disc Golf Championships. They want to see the sport of Disc Golf grow in popularity and increase the number of players worldwide. Please help support the companies that help to support Disc Golf!!!!!!!!!!

“By far the Best Disc Golf Shoe that I have ever played in and they even more durable than ever before. They are extremely comfortable, provide great traction and keep your feet dry all day long. These shoes are the Real Deal!!!!!” – Avery Jenkins #7495, 2009 Disc Golf World Champion

Available – November 15th, 2010
Want to buy them – www.keenfootwear.com
Want to put them in your store – info@keenfootwear.com

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In 1875, Allen & Ginter produced the first cards, commonly referred to as “baseball cards”, featuring hand painted portraits of elite sports players. Although baseball was the most common sport showcased, Allen & Ginter opened the eyes of the world to other sports as well. They even produced non-athletic cards of Indian Chiefs, Actors/Actresses, and US Presidents. In 2007, Topps decided to bring the historic trading cards back into circulation in the Topps Allen & Ginter Sportscard Series.

Disc golf’s 2009 World Champion, Avery Jenkins, was contacted by Topps to be featured in the 2010 revival series. Jenkins was honored to receive this opportunity, not only for his career, but for the future of disc golf. “It’s incredible to know that thousands of people will be introduced to disc golf,” Jenkins explains. “It’s these multiple exposures of our sport to the general public that will get us noticed in the years to come.”

Jenkins met with a Topps representative at World Disc Sports in San Jose, CA for an autographing session of 200+ mini cards. Once signed, they were sent back to Topps to be inserted into framed cards. There are several versions of Jenkins’ Topps Card:

• Base/Common Card
• Mini Allen & Ginter Card – Base, Black Border and A&G Ad Back, No Number (50), Bazooka Backs (25)
• Framed Autographed Signature Card in Blue or Red Ink
• Framed Sports Relic Card
• Framed Silk Mini Card – #’d out of 10
• Framed Printing Plate Card – #’d out of 1
• Framed Wood Mini Card – #’d out of 1

Jenkins has given a few hundred of these cards away to his family, friends and sponsors who have supported his career over the years. While he is fond of all varieties of the cards, his favorite is the Silk Card. Topps took the image used on the mini cards and printed it on silk to make a cloth silk version. All cards print the same image in various ways in multiple Sportscards.

One of the most unique cards is his “relic” card. A relic card contains a piece of personal fabric, such as a jersey, pants, ball, etc., preserved as a token of memorabilia. But in this case, Jenkins’ relic cards contain 5/8” squares of plastic! “I sent Topps a stack of 5 red Avery Jenkins Star Destroyer discs as well as my blue Champion Firebird that I used to win the World Championships.” When asked how difficult it was to part with the disc used to secure his win, he stated, “It was totally my idea. I didn’t want to put the disc away in a box to never be thrown again. I wanted to make the disc a very special piece of sports memorabilia contained within the card; a true piece of disc golf history.”

In July, Jenkins immediately purchased three boxes when the cards were first released. He was pumped when they arrived but shattered to discover that his boxes didn’t contain a single one of his disc golf rookie cards. He quickly adopted the excitement behind the “thrill of the hunt”. He has since purchased several of his cards online and now safely says he possesses each version.

Jenkins continuously sees the growth of interest in the disc golf when he checks his mailbox. “I have been sent dozens of letters containing cards to be autographed…the cards come with thoughtful, inspirational handwritten letters. Many write that they have never heard of disc golf before and are very interested in playing and learning more about the sport.” Jenkins says some letters are from father/son teams collecting together, some are teachers saying they are distributing the cards to their students who are doing well in school, and others are already avid players wanting to grab a piece of history by owning the first disc golf card ever produced by a major sportscard company.

You can purchase these cards at Sportscard and Hobby Stores all over the world. The Autograph and Disc Relic cards have a $40 book value; however, many have sold on eBay for $60+ on various listings.

Good luck in your search for an Avery Jenkins Disc Golf Rookie Card!

Complete PDGA Interview at PDGA.com: Avery Jenkins Interview – “Topps Rookie Card”

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World Disc Golf Champ Talks About His Sport and the Allen & Ginter Experience

On a yearly basis, Allen & Ginter introduces collectors to a host of interesting and intriguing world champions outside the realm of baseball. One of 2010′s most interesting inclusions was that of world Disc Golf Champ Avery Jenkins. For those unfamiliar with Disc Golf, you may have heard it called by a different name, Frisbee Golf. We were fortunate enough to talk with Jenkins about his sport, how and when he found out he was going to be in 2010 Allen & Ginter, and what the relic and autograph collecting process was like.

1. To those unfamiliar with disc golf, what is it exactly?

Disc golf is played much like traditional golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, however, players use a flying disc, or Frisbee®. The sport was formalized in the 1970′s, and shares with “ball golf” the object of completing each hole in the fewest number of strokes (or, in the case of disc golf, fewest number of throws). A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target which is the “hole”. the hole can be one of a number of disc golf targets; the most common is called a Pole Hole® an elevated metal basket. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed. The trees, shrubs, and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer. Finally, the “putt” lands in the basket and the hole is completed. Disc golf shares the same joys and frustrations of traditional golf, whether it’s sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway. There are few differences, though. Disc golf rarely requires a greens fee, you probably won’t need to rent a cart, and you never get stuck with a bad “tee time.” It is designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, male and female, regardless of economic status.

2. How would a person interested in disc golf get involved in the sport?

Disc golf can be played from school age to old age, making it one of the greatest lifetime fitness sports available. Specially-abled and disabled participate, giving them the opportunity to take part in a mainstream activity. Because disc golf is so easy to learn, no one is excluded. Players merely match their pace to their capabilities, and proceed from there. The Professional Disc Golf Association, with a member base of 40,000+, is the governing body for the sport and sanctions competitive events for men and women of every skill level from novice to professional. Permanent disc golf courses are found in countries worldwide.

The ongoing fitness boom finds more and more people taking up recreational activities in an effort to improve health and quality of life. Disc golf provides upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic exercise, and promotes a combination of physical and mental abilities that allow very little risk of physical injury. Concentration skills increase by mastering shots and negotiating obstacles. Players of limited fitness levels can start slowly and gradually increase their level of play as fitness improves. Scheduling is also flexible; a round takes one to two hours, and may be played alone, eliminating the difficulty of scheduling tee times. And as in traditional golf, disc golfers find themselves “hooked;” increasing the likelihood of frequent participation. Disc golf offers year-round fitness, even in rain or snow. Perhaps the greatest attribute of the sport is the expense – or rather, the lack of it. A professional quality disc costs less than $15, and it only takes one for basic play.

3. What drew you to Disc Golf in the first place?

Growing up in Hinckley, Ohio, I have been around disc golf my entire life. My mother, Sharon, has won 3 World Championships (’92, ’94 and ’98) and my father, Leroy, has won many NT Titles and is credited with instilling in me the love for the game. My sister, Valarie, is also a touring professional disc golfer and is currently the 3X Women’s World Champion (’07, ’08 and ‘09). After throwing my first disc at the young age of 7, I began playing disc golf recreationally and in tournaments sporadically as a kid. I first joined the PDGA in 1992 as a Christmas gift from my parents, but it was not until after I graduated from high school that I developed an intense passion for the sport and set out to build my life around it.

4. What kind of accolades have collected as a member of the PDGA tour? What is the PDGA’s version of a “Major”?

I have won over 40 tournaments on the Professional Disc Golf Association National Tour including 3 PDGA Major Tournaments – 2004 Japan Open in Tokyo, Japan, the 2006 Players Cup in Crystal River, FL and the 2009 Disc Golf World Championships in Kansas City, KS/MO. I have also been nominated 4 times for Player of the Year 2006 -2009 and also considered to be one the farthest throwers in the World, ranking in the Top 10 longest throws ever recorded.

The PDGA Majors consist on the 4 Largest Tournaments in our sport, where the best competitors/players in the World attend. You are considered to be one of the Best Players in the World if win any of these events.

5. Who are the big names on the PDGA tour besides yourself?

Valarie Jenkins – 3X World Champion, 3X Player of the Year
Nate Doss – 2X World Champion, 2005 US Champion
Ken Climo – 12X World Champion, 5X US Champion
Barry Schultz – 2X World Champion, 3X US Champion
David Feldberg – 2008 World Champion, 2005 US Champion

6. How and when did you find out that you would be in 2010 Allen & Ginter?

I was contacted over the Winter by a Sports Marketing Company about the opportunity to have a Card included in the 2010 Allen & Ginter Sports Card set. I was really excited to finally have my own Topps Rookie card so I sent them several photos to choose from in order to find the best picture to fit such a Sports Card.

7. What was the process like in terms of autographing your cards?

A Topps Representative was sent to the World Disc Sports Disc Golf Store in San Jose for a public signing. I signed 200+ Mini cards in about an hour and had plenty of time to sign discs for fans that attended the Topps signing to show their support.

8. Your relic card is a short-print because of the high quality “throwing disc” inside the card, how does the “relic” collecting process work?

I sent Topps a stack of 5 Red Avery Jenkins Star Destroyer Discs to use for the Relic cards as well as my Blue Champion Firebird that I used to win the World Championships in 2009. They cut the Discs into 5/8″ inch squares and placed the pieces into the Relic Cards that were then randomly inserted into packs.

9. How exciting is it to get the exposure for both yourself and the sport from Allen & Ginter?

I think that it is pretty incredible to have my own personal Sports Card. Its a dream to have an actual Topps Card and to be included in the 2010 Allen & Ginter set along with all of the Major Baseball Stars and other World Champions of various sports. It’s a true honor.

10. How much luck have you had collecting your cards?

I started by first buying 3 boxes of the 2010 Allen & Ginter Baseball Cards and didn’t find any of my cards in 72 packs of cards that I had opened. So I have been buying a majority of my cards off of eBay, local hobby shops and Sports Card sites. I an trying to acquire as many of my personal cards as possible, including many personal Relic, Auto and Silk Cards in the set. I have collected lots of my Common/Base card to sign and give away to Friends, Family and Disc Golfers at local courses all over the country.

11. Did you collect cards before this? If so, what kind?

I collected sports cards when I was younger and it all started when my Uncle gave me his sports card collection from the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s. I collected a lot of Baseball, Basketball and Football Cards from the late 80′s and early 90′s and still have all of my cards stored at my parents house in Ohio.

12. Any closing thoughts or comments that you would like to convey to our readers?

I am trying to collect several my personal cards and I am very interested in acquiring more Disc Relic, Red Ink Autographs, Silk Cards and Common/Base Cards. Please contact me at Aviar7495@aol.com if you have connections to any of these cards.

To learn more about the sport of disc golf and Avery Jenkins, visit his official site: http://www.averyjenkins7495.com/

Complete Cardboard Connection Interview at CardBoardConnection.com: Avery Jenkins Interview – “World Disc Golf Champ Talks About His Sport and the Allen & Ginter Experience”

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The 2009 Season has undoubtedly been my best year ever, and it keeps on getting better. I played in 32 PDGA Sanctioned Tournaments with 23 top 5 finishes and 8 wins (25% Winning Percentage), including winning my first World Title at the 2009 Professional Disc Golf World Championships in Kansas City, KS/MO. I won the US Doubles Championships with my good friend David Feldberg the weekend before the USDGC to become the 2009 United States Doubles Champions. I also won 3 Supertour Events at the High Plains Challenge, the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open and a repeat win at the Veterans Park Open. I had 9 2nd Place finishes and kept my cash streak alive by cashing in every tournament that I played in the 2009 Season.

This year’s World Championships were incredible. It was the World Championships that I have been waiting nearly a decade for because Kansas City has some of the best courses in the country. It was my time to show the world what I was capable of, and I did just that. This year’s World Title was made extra special because I won alongside my sister, Valarie, and we became the first siblings ever to win World Titles. And better yet, we did it the very same year with our parents in attendance. I have wanted to win Worlds ever since I started playing when I was 7 years old. The World Title is something that can never be taken from me and I plan to continue to be a great ambassador of the sport. It was truly an amazing moment in my life!!!

I also had the chance to travel to Europe this Summer to play the Tali Open in Helsinki, Finland, my 3rd European Open in Tampere, Finland, and the Croydon Cyclone in London, United Kingdom. Team USA, consisting of Nate Doss, David Feldberg, Ken Climo, Valarie Jenkins, Carrie Berloger and myself, won our 3rd consecutive Presidents Cup Trophy against a strong Team Europe.

I finished in the Top 10 in all Majors throughout the Year with a 1st at the World Championships, 9th at the European Open and 10th at the United States Disc Golf Championships. Those finishes extended my Career Top 10 Finishes to 18 in 29 Major Events as these tournaments get more and more competitive every year. This 2010 Season is going to be a big year for the PDGA Major Events as I will be defending my World Title in Crown Point, IN this summer.

As far as other stats, I shot 8 course records including an opening round at Blue Valley (11,049 ft) shooting a 53 (1079 rating) to start off the World Championships, besting the old course record by 4 strokes. I shot some amazing Sunday course records of 54 (1069 rating) to best the previous record by 3 strokes at the Tali Open in Helsinki, Finland, and a 53 (1066 rating) on the Knob Hill long to long layout to come from behind to win at the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open. I also shot Course Records in 3 consecutive weeks that resulted in a 3-win Tri-fecta at the Lilac City Open, the Zoo Town Open and the High Plains Challenge, which included back to back course record rounds of 50 (1049 rating) at the Pessimist and a 47 (1053 rating) at the Optimist courses in Fort Morgan, CO. The 1090 Final Round Rating at the 2007 Memorial still remains my highest rated round in my career.

I also won 3 Long Drive Distance Contests and set a few Distance Records in the process. I won the Minnesota Majestic and Vibram Open Distance contests, along with setting the Minnesota State SuperClass (Large Frisbee) Distance Record at 96.11 M (315′4″). I also set the United Kingdom Distance Record at (198 yds) 594 ft and the Japanese Distance Record at 183.08 M (600′ 8″) en route to winning the 1st Annual Iron Arm Distance Challenge in Miramisoma City, Japan this past December.

I finished the year winning one-fourth of my events played and claiming $30,232 (2nd in PDGA Cash for the 2nd year in a row) in earnings. I played tournaments worldwide and repeated as the points leader winning 2009 PDGA Points Title with 19,915 points. I am currently ranked 4th in the World with a 1029 Player Rating, which ranks at 10th in PDGA Ratings as I enter into the 2010 disc golf season.

In the off-season, I made the move from Eugene, OR to Santa Cruz, CA as I needed a change of scenery and some better winter weather. I had lived in Oregon for 7 years and continued to live there after graduating from the University of Oregon in 2007. It was a great place to live while I was there,but after graduating there wasn’t much still keeping me there. Plus, the weather during my off-season was too rainy during the winter months. I love everything about Oregon, and in my opinion, it is still one of the best states in the country for what it has to offer: the outdoors and great summer weather.

At the end of November, I packed up all of my stuff and made the move down south to Santa Cruz for the next step in my long life; a change that I needed at the time, a change for the better. I moved into a small house with my sister Valarie and good friend Nate Doss, making for an easy transition to a new environment, living less than a mile from the ocean. A house full of World Champions; I lived with David Feldberg for 7 years previous to this but this has to be the most World Titles sharing the same household.

This surf city is incredible; it has amazing winter weather that only gets better throughout the Spring into Summer. It has a good Disc Golf community and history with the World Class Disc Golf Course – DeLaveaga DGC. It has been called “Frisbee Town, USA” and they definitely live up to the name with their unbelievable interest in Disc Golf, Ultimate, Freestyle and Overall Disc Games along with the new development of the Santa Cruz County Disc Golf League to promote High School Disc Golf. This is the place where I needed to be and I am grateful that I am able to live in paradise; nothing compares to the West Coast.

I also did lots of Off-Season training this past winter and at this point I am proud to say that I am in the best shape of my life. I concentrated most of my training to heavy weights and the P90X Program, which involves a lot of body weight exercises, jump training and stretching. It has made me stronger and more flexible than ever before, because Disc Golf is an athletic sport and it pays off to train hard in the off-season. I also included a bit of running and bike riding to add a cardio component to really get in shape. It will definitely pay off as the season progresses, as I become more reliant on stamina, strength and endurance. As the competition in this game increases, it helps to stay in good shape to stay ahead of the rest.

I also recently acquired my first Signature Series Disc from Innova – one of my favorite drivers – the Avery Jenkins Star Destroyer. I am proud to receive such an honor of having my own disc, it has been a goal of mine forever. They are scheduled to be produced in the Spring sometime around late April and early May. Trust me, I will be sure to send notification when they are to be released and in full production.

In the 2010 Season, I plan to travel and play more than ever, and have scheduled to play around 30+ tournaments across the US, Japan and Europe. I might also make the trip to the Australian National Championships this year; it might finally happen and it will be my first time to visit that country and continent. It is bound to be an amazing year and it will be great to share the passion I have as I will be representing the sport more than ever before. As the current and reigning World Champion, I now realize my responsibility to my title and the sport. It is hard to get to the top, but even harder to stay at the top and I intend on being at the top for a long time to come. I am looking for another Major Win this season and fully intend on defending my World Title with everything that I have this year.

Thanks to all my friends, family and travel companions throughout the year that have made my world travels possible and my disc golf dreams a reality. Here’s to an amazing 2010 season!!!

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First I will start off by saying that I have been waiting a decade for a World Championships to be hosted in Kansas City. They showcase some of the best courses in the country and it is centrally located which gives more players the opportunity to attend. I was very prepared and focused to play well; it had been my best season to date and I wanted to make it all worth it. I came into this World Championships the most mentally prepared than any Worlds before. This was my year; it was my turn to win.

The 2009 Disc Golf World Championships started off at the Blue Valley Disc Golf Course, which is deemed to be the Longest Disc Golf Course in the world, measuring 11,049 feet with a par 66. It is a challenging course with multiple Par 4′s and 5′s throughout its rolling hills and well-manicured fairways. I really like the design of the Blue Valley course and really appreciate that the course designers incorporated many par 4’s and 5’s as well throughout the course. That is something that I have always believe makes a total course, when there are several holes that require 2 to 3 excellent placed shots in order to score well on certain holes. It offers the same concept and intentions as golf and I believe that it will soon be the standard in course design in our sport. It is by far my favorite course that we were playing at this year’s Worlds because it was difficult to play for most and it fit into my strength of really airing it on almost every hole, allowing me to play very aggressively throughout the entire course.

It was a rainy, overcast day with the feeling of excitement in the air. I had the opportunity to watch players start out with the earlier tee times, as I got a late morning tee time giving me plenty of time to play some warm-up catch with Nate Doss in the parking lot. We also got the chance to throw some holes on a smaller 9 hole course that was installed on the property perpendicular to the massive Blue Valley Course, with some great up and down hill shots to get the feel of the elevation before heading for our rounds.

I was really excited to start this year’s Worlds, it had been my best season thus far and I really wanted to make a statement with a strong finish, looking to best my 3rd place finish in 2006. I was looking forward to the round but wishing that the rain would eventually let up; it’s not like I needed any other factors to contribute to an already taxing round on one of the most challenging courses in the world. I was just looking for a break in the weather.

In the 1st round I had a slow start with par on the first 2 holes and was looking for something exciting to happen to get me fired up, waiting for such a moment is sometimes self initiated to really get things going. I blasted a pair of huge uphill shots on hole 3, getting a 50 foot uphill look for an eagle 3 on the difficult par 5 that I was more than prepared to hit. I smashed the huge eagle putt to get rolling and the feeling of taking over this round hit me. I continued to birdie the following long downhill par 4 and then experienced a birdie putt spit-out on Hole 5 due to the wet chains – it was a putt that would have stuck on a dry day. I shook it off and realized that I had well over 100+ holes to go in this week-long competition.

I then continued to birdie a majority of the holes throughout the first 14 holes to get to 10 under, making lots of big drives and long putts as the rain started to dissipate. It was all clear sailing from there on out. I smashed chains for Ace on the 400′ downhill Hole 15 which lead to a drop-in birdie. I was really feeling it this round, and it was time to finish in style. I scored an easy par on Hole 16 and a routine birdie on the par 4 Hole 17 with a solid upshot to the pin. On the tee of 18, I tried to forget how I was shooting and what score I was actually at, which was not the easiest thing to do at this point. I threw a massive drive over the trees that set up another giant shot up the hill on this long par 5. It was now time to make a critical decision, but it was not a time to get greedy after playing such an aggressive round, so I made the smart play of laying the next shot up for the stress-free birdie to finish the round with a New Course Record of 53 (-13). I believe that that Course Record will stand for a long time.

It was exactly the statement that I wanted to make in the first round of Worlds, putting me exactly where I wanted to be – on top of the Leader Board to start. I relished the fact that I just shattered the old Course Record by 3 strokes and still felt that I could have shot better, even though the conditions were less than ideal, but it didn’t seem to affect my strategy for play on that course or my shot execution throughout that round. A few strokes at minimum, but that round still bested the rest of the field by 3 stokes overall, making it known that I was there to play, with Coda Hatfield sitting in 2nd shooting a 56.

The 2nd Round was an early 8 am start held at Rosedale Park, and it would be the only time that we would get to play this course as well. The Rosedale Course consists of wide open fairway shots for the most part with some woods, but what made the course challenging was that it was designed on a prominent elevated bluff that features steep drop-offs that punished errant shots. It was not the most difficult course in the World Championships, but it is a course that you have to score well on in order remain in a top position in the tournament. Plus we only got to see this course once and had no chance to get redemption on any of the holes if we missed them.

It was a slow start as it was very early in the day, and the long grass was completely soaked from all of the rain from the day before. The wet conditions also lead to many of the putting greens that were in the woods being surrounded by a slippery mud that seemed to cover the entire area around the baskets. I was driving great but only capitalized on a few birdies on the wooded front of the course. I picked up the pace a little on the wide-open back 9, where there was more opportunity to score. I finished by scoring birdie on 3 of the last 4 holes to shoot a 49 (-5), which was the 3rd hottest score, with a 47 by both Doss and Ulibarri being the best of that round. I was satisfied with my mediocre round knowing that it didn’t hurt my starting position as I increased my lead to 5 strokes after 2 rounds heading into Thornfield.

The 3rd round was held at the Thornfield Course way South of Kansas City – a newly designed private course that was installed just for Worlds. It was a challenging course with a great mix of wooded and open holes; it had lots of tight, long drives off the tee followed by very technical putting greens. It had a variety of some par 4′s and 5′s that made the play a little more difficult, but it also had a few holes where it was almost better to opt to throw over the top of the trees instead of trying to take on the unreasonable fairway. It was again one of the courses that we would be only playing once, meaning that you had to play it great the first time because it was going to be the only time.

We had a late afternoon tee time starting at 2 pm, giving the players a lot of time in between our morning rounds at Rosedale – maybe almost too much time for most. It is sometimes difficult to get going again where you left off the morning round even hours later that same day, but it was Worlds and I needed to bring it at this course. I got the pleasure of playing with my good friends and past World Champions – David Feldberg and Nate Doss – and my good friend Paul Ulibarri. We were all looking to put on a show. I was on fire out of gates, picking up birdies on several of the early holes on the front. I really thought that I was starting to separate myself from the pack when I chased down a huge 70′ footer for Eagle on Hole 5 soon after watching Doss knock down the same putt from about a foot to my left. The entire group scored an Eagle on the hole and we were all looking to play exceptionally well this round. I made another huge 50′ footer for birdie on the extreme hyzer around the corner on Hole 13 and scored birdie on 2 of the final 5 holes to finish with a 50 (-10) for the round. I increased my lead to 7 strokes after the first 3 rounds and felt great about my first 2 days of the World Championships.

It was an amazing feeling to be in the lead by 7 strokes, but I tried not to really think about the magnitude of the event. I just wanted keep extremely relaxed when not playing and keep to my game plan that got me to the position that I was at. Its difficult not to think about the end result, but in reality, the tournament was not even at the halfway point. I knew that if I played the aggressive game that I know how, I would be tough to beat throughout the week.

The 4th round commenced at 8 am the next morning at one of my favorite courses in the country, Waterworks, not because of the length or difficulty of the course but because it has such a unique layout. This course is described as having many trees with lots of elevation changes, some of it quite extreme. It has a good combination of long, open holes and short, accurate ones. Waterworks is a beautiful park with stunning skyline views of downtown Kansas City and the Missouri River. I really enjoy playing this course because it offers lots of opportunity to score and rewards some uphill power drives; thankfully we would have another chance to play this course during the Semi-Finals round as well. It is definitely one of the marquee courses that we played during the World Championships and has always been a staple to many of the KC Wide Open tournaments of the past.

I also love the start of this course off Hole 1, and in my opinion it is the best starting hole in Disc Golf. It is a giant sloping hole over a valley with the basket sitting down to the left on an extreme downhill grade at about 550′ with the beautiful cityscape of downtown Kansas City in the backdrop. I started the round by throwing a tremendous shot and skipping down to the pin settling about 35′ feet away. I nailed the downhill death putt to start off the morning the right way. I was ready to really get things going as I shredded the front 9, shooting a dominant 5 under par to extend the lead. I showed no signs of letting up on the elevated back of the course, and I really took control of the round. I shot a 4 under with a bogey on 14; it was only my second bogey of the tournament. This was one of my best rounds that I have ever shot at Waterworks to finish with a 45 (-9) for the hot score along with Josh Anthon off the 2nd Card. I played great throughout the round and again extended my lead to 9 strokes after 4 rounds, and there was no looking back at this point….or so I thought.

The 5th round was our first round at the Cliff Drive course. I had actually practiced that course more than any other course that we would play throughout the week at Worlds. The course plays around the old municipal reservoir and is one of the highest points in Kansas City. It features a great mix of long open shots and some technical wooded holes, and this course also has lots of Out-of-Bounds areas on the Back 9. It’s a challenging course but it all comes down to throwing the shots when it counts most. The round was supposed to start at 2 pm that afternoon, so we made sure that we got there at least an hour before to get in some warm-up holes. But due to a back-up on the course that afternoon, our round was postponed until 4 pm which actually meant that we arrived 3 hours before our round even started.

The waiting around that afternoon didn’t help with my focus and meant that it had been over 5 hours between the end of our first round in the morning and the start of the second round that day. I was definitely prepared for that course, but on the first 9 holes of the round my shots didn’t seem to pan out for me. I felt that I was trying so hard not to lose strokes when I had been playing to gain strokes on the field in previous rounds. I tried to keep it together on the longer second half of the course where I got the chance to open up on some distance shots, but I didn’t capitalize on some of the shorter holes coming down the stretch. It was definitely a lack of concentration, and I realized that I was not as focused as I had been in previous rounds due to the length of the day and the heat.

I approached the tee of Hole 17 thinking of ways to salvage that round, trying to forget about the total lack of focus and to stop trying to play off other players’ shots. Hole 17 is one of the most difficult holes on the entire course; it requires a perfectly placed drive and a very skillful upshot coming into an extremely slanted green with a drop off hill to the left leading straight to OB. I watched all 3 players before me throw some long roller shots down the hill ending up in great looks at the approach to the pin. I decided after watching their shots that I would divert from my original game plan and opt for the roller shot as well, but my shot took a few errant bounces and took an immediate right, rolling straight out of bounds. I was then left with about 180’ to the pin, and I went with a forehand shot and had the misfortune of having my approach shot hit next to the basket and taking a long roll down the hill OB. I then missed the putt and carded a 6 on the hole, my largest score of the entire tournament, giving a few of the players on my card 3 strokes on that one hole.

Out of frustration I missed the following upshot on Hole 18 to bogey out the round and scoring by far my worst round of the World Championships (What was your score for the round?). I soon realized that some other players, besides the ones on my card, had made incredible moves to the top cards as Josh Anthon made up 7 strokes during that round and Matt Orum made up 11 strokes on my lead by shooting a Course Record 45 (-9). I still remained in the lead by 2 strokes, making it even more of a highly-contested event from there on out.

That round proved to be the most crucial round of the tournament, a round that made me realize how truly bad I wanted to win despite giving up a sizeable lead to the rest of the field. My good friend and current World Champion, Dave Feldberg, had told me a story following that round how he had also lost the lead during the 2008 World Championships during the 5th round as well and still went on to win despite having to overcome such disappointment. I took that story to heart, and was not going to let that one round affect my play the rest of the tournament.

I tried to shake that round, but I only became angry when I thought about giving up such a lead to the rest of the field, because 2 strokes is not as comfortable as the 9 strokes that I began the round with, knowing that I had to play that very same course the next morning. I had another long talk with Nate Doss after the round, and he tried to calm me down telling me that I now had two choices at this point: I could let that round affect the rest of my tournament and let it quite possibly cost me the World Title, as it was exactly what the other players chasing me wanted to happen, or I could come out the following day and play like the Champion that I knew that I was, proving my power and strength to the entire field. I chose the second option as I knew that this battle was far from over, and I was sure that I wanted to win more than anyone.

As I came out for the 6th round the following morning, I was ready to fight for what was rightfully mine. It was another early 8 am start out at the Cliff Drive course, where I still had thoughts of what had transpired the previous round and was not about to let that happen again. I needed to score on many of the holes that I had let pass me by the previous afternoon. These were not difficult holes, but it was challenging to get putts on some of the holes sometimes. Although I had a better start to the round, Josh Anthon was making every putt that he faced. It soon became a very close battle between Josh and me, with Matt Orum right on my heels. After holding the lead for the entire tournament, Josh soon tied it all up on Hole 8. Josh then took the lead on the very next hole with a Birdie on Hole 9. I then tied him up with a Birdie on Hole 10 and regained the lead on Hole 12. We continued to trade off the lead through a series of holes on the back, and Josh regained the lead yet again on Hole 15. He was playing great and gained another stroke on Hole 16 before finishing with an amazing 46 (-8). I finished the round with a 50 (-4), which was 6 strokes better than the previous round, but Josh ended up edging me out by 4 strokes on the round to take a 2 stroke lead in the tournament.

Again, I felt disappointed that I had given up the lead because I wanted to win from start to finish, but no one ever said that it was going to be easy. It was going to be a battle until the end, and I was more than ready to take it on. It was our only round of the day before having to play the Semi-Finals at Waterworks the following day, so we went back to house to relax for the afternoon. As I sat back in the hot tub trying to contemplate how I was going to retake the lead, I realized that I needed to get back out there and practice. Nate and I waited until the late afternoon heat slightly dissipated, presenting an ideal afternoon for a practice round out at Waterworks. We went out there and threw multiple shots on every hole for the entire round, which gave me the opportunity to really dial in many of the shots on the holes that I would be playing the following morning.

The 7th round, which happen to be the Semi-Final Round, began early Saturday morning at Waterworks – the same course that I had played well at the first time through in the 4th round shooting a 45 (-9) and had diligently practiced the afternoon before. This was going to be the round for me to regain the lead and take back control of this tournament. I played very conservatively to start, just keeping pace with Josh as he was still carrying over his great play from the previous 2 rounds, and his putts were still on point. I was definitely very aware of where I was in the match between us, but didn’t let it really affect my play. I got 1 stroke back on him in the first 5 holes leading into Hole 6, where Josh made an errant drive that kicked immediately right down a steep embankment. This was probably the most challenging hole on the entire course, not because of the length of the hole, but because it was sometimes difficult to make it down the fairway without getting in trouble. Josh was experiencing just that as his disc landed way down the hill on the right side of the fairway with nothing left for a shot as he attempted to pitch back to the fairway for an open 3rd shot. But not this time. It took him 2 shots to make it back to the fairway and another to get to the green, giving him a 25′ to save a 5. He missed the putt wide left and his putter fortunately came to rest on the side hill and avoided rolling back down the hill. He dropped his putt in for 6, while I played the hole perfectly, carding a 3 to go from back by 1 stroke to in the lead by 2 strokes. The tides had turned at just the right moment, and now it was time to take control.

We continued on as I capitalized on many of the holes that I had practiced the day before, scoring a few birdies on the remaining holes on the front, but Josh kept pace throughout that stretch. The battle continued onto the back as I really started forcing some huge shots in order to score. We traded off birdies until he made an amazing throw on the epic Hole 14, absolutely parking the hole for birdie. He then birdied 3 straight coming down the stretch to finish the round, while I continued to miss putts on that same stretch of holes, to give him again a 1 stroke lead going into the last 2 holes. I didn’t panic in any way and knew that I would have another opportunity to get back in this match.

I sat back and watched as Josh took the tee on Hole 17, only to witness the door swing open as he pulled his tee shot wide right into the street OB on the drive. I quickly took advantage of the situation by driving a shot to land uphill from the hole and hitting a downhill 25’ footer for birdie. As he surrendered 2 strokes and bogeyed the hole, I regained the lead. I am very much a believer in the power of momentum, especially during a battle such as this, and I felt everything change dramatically. Going into the Final Hole 18 of the Semi-Finals, which is an extreme uphill shot, I knew that I needed to take full advantage of my power and reach this hole to finish the round. I smashed the drive off the tee, leaving me a difficult uphill 18’ footer. He threw his tee shot short on the hill and missed his putt for birdie to finish. I took my time, knowing that this putt could make all the difference, took a deep breath and sank the putt to take a 2 stroke lead shooting a 46 (-8), taking all the momentum going into the Final 9.

So I had over 3 hours to prepare for the Finals as every division had to play their Final 9 on the very same course that they had set up at Blue Valley that I would be playing later that day. I wanted to get to there early just to calm my nerves a bit and give me ample time to stretch and warm up before the Finals. Nate, Val and I definitely walked the entire course hours before the Finals started just to be prepared for many of the holes that we never played during any of the previous rounds. We were unfortunately not allowed to throw any of the holes because there were other divisions playing their Final 9’s at that time. But the Final 9 layout seemed really basic and not too difficult, so I really didn’t need to throw the holes in order to know what to throw.

The Final 9 had been set up in such a way so as to incorporate the first 3 holes on the Blue Valley course, the next 5 holes being very short holes, and the final hole finishing at the main stage where the Awards ceremony was to take place. It was very spectator-friendly layout with lots of room for a gallery to navigate without being in the way of the players on a majority of the holes. It was a layout with a large variance between really long Par 4′s and very short holes, all holes where there could be a great change in scores. It was going to be a battle until the end.

Val started her round with a 16 stroke lead over Des Reading going into the Finals. Reading then had a 12 stroke lead on Nicole Frazier for 3rd. Valarie had more than secured the win throughout a phenomenal week of play and was playing a Victory Final 9 where she could really show off her skills to the crowd. She gained 9 strokes during the Semi-Finals shooting a 1017 rated round and she averaged an amazing 992 rating throughout the previous 7 rounds, a round rating that dominated the entire Women’s field at the World Championships. She ended with a 14 stroke win in route to her 3rd Consecutive World Title remained the Best Female Disc Golfer in the World. It was now my turn to hold up my end on the deal and win as well. It was my turn.

The Men’s Finals started soon after Valarie dropped her last putt. I couldn’t believe how excited I was to play in another Worlds Final 9, my last one having taken place in 2006 in Augusta, GA. My idol and newly inducted Hall of Famer, “Crazy” John Brooks announced this year’s Finalists, Josh Anthon, Cale Leiviska, Matt Orum and myself. I could feel the intensity building and the rush throughout my body as the names were announced as we all stepped out on the teepad of the first hole of the Final 9.

I started with a tremendous drive on the 803 ft Hole #1 just to get the nerves out, but threw my upshot wide on the approach. I lost a stroke to Josh on the very first hole as he threw an amazing approach to score a birdie 3. We then both scored par on the 2nd hole to keep my lead at 1 stroke. I then took advantage of the distance of Hole #3, which measured 696’ and played uphill the entire way as I made a huge second shot and hit a long 30’ footer for 3 as Josh struggled to score a 5 on the hole. I then regained a 3 stroke lead. It was the start of the Final 9 that I had hoped for, and I believed that I was just going to take a victory lap into the final 6 holes.

I remained in the lead by 3 strokes as we both scored par on the next hole across the water, and I was feeling like I had this tournament all wrapped up at this point with just 5 holes remaining in the event. Unfortunately, things from that point on did not go as well as planned when I chained out for birdie on the short uphill Hole #5 while Josh got a stroke back on that hole. I somehow changed my game plan at that point in the match, electing to throw the next downhill straight shot a bit short instead of opting for the high percentage sidearm spike shot that would have carded me a birdie on that hole. I took another par as Josh continued to birdie that hole as well, cutting the lead to 1 stroke yet again. I seemed to lose focus quickly at this point, but it didn’t seem real. In my mind, there was no way I was going to lose, no matter how many holes he birdies. It was still my time.

I then left the next drive short as well and missed the putt out of pure frustration as Josh birdied to tie me up going into the last 2 holes of the Final 9. I lost the lead as Josh had just reeled off 3 straight unanswered deuces on the shortest holes of the Final 9; it was too unreal that I had let this happen. I could have birdied those holes blindfolded. The stage was now set in front of a gallery of 1500+ spectators and it was all coming down to who wanted it the most. We both birdied the short uphill shot on Hole #8 as I nearly missed hitting the basket for Ace to really finish in style.

The last and final hole of the Final 9 was a long 480’ across an asphalt road with an island green, the awards stage to the left side of the island and the basket in the center for all to witness the final putts. It was the hole that I wanted to birdie so very badly, but unfortunately left the shot short right side, only to toss up a last chance birdie effort in hopes to win in regulation as Josh made his par putt to stay tied. I walked off that hole more pumped than ever, screaming “Let’s Go!” I wanted to end this battle as quickly as possible.

We both walked back to the starting hole and commenced a playoff, only the second playoff for a Men’s Open Title in PDGA History. It was going to be a show for the ages. We made our way to the teepad followed by an increasing number of spectators; the gallery increased to 2000+ as we walked by Tournament Central. I told Josh before we started the playoff, “Whomever wants it the most and deserves it the most is going to win today!” I wanted this more than anyone the entire week; I wanted this more than anyone in the World.

This playoff for the World Title was the most intense battle in Disc Golf that I have ever been a part of, yet the pressure seemed to turn into a deep feeling of intensity. We both started out with pars on Hole #1 as I threw what seemed to be an errant upshot which nearly stayed in bounds – I thought that I may have lost the tournament when I shanked the shot wide right. But fortunately, it stayed in play somehow. We both squandered opportunities on the first hole to win, so we proceeded. I made a good shot on Hole #2 leaving me a downhill 35’ foot putt for the win, and Josh threw his drive wide right and was forced to lay up on the treacherous side hill green. The thought of winning rushed over me as I contemplated just ending the tournament right there, right then. I looked over at Feldberg and asked him if I should run this putt, but got back a simple shake of the head which signified an obvious “No.” I took his advice and laid up the putt, to the obvious disbelief of many that watched. But because of there was a great possibility on a missed putt of hitting and rolling away, there was still a chance of losing and it just wasn’t the time for such action. I also didn’t want to take that chance, especially considering that we were going into the next 2 holes which happened to be the longest holes of the Final 9. I liked my chances, plus Josh had taken a bogey 5 on Hole #3 the last time, so the pressure was placed on him at that point. We both played the next hole well; I missed a long Eagle putt and we both carded easy birdies on the difficult uphill hole.

I could feel the intensity kick up a notch as I seemed to be almost running the course, always ready to throw the next shot. We both threw decent shots on Hole #4, leaving Josh with a routine approach which he placed about 20’ to the right while I had a really demanding approach around a group of trees between the basket and me. It was the moment of truth, this is what I might consider the most clutch shot that I threw the entire Final 9. I asked my father and caddy at the time what I should throw, especially in the conditions of a left to right crosswind and everything on the line. It was a demanding shot either way, but I didn’t like the chances of throwing the hyzer shot to the right under some branches with a crosswind that could push the shot to the ground short of the basket. The sidearm route was definitely the longer and more difficult of the two options, but it had the left to right crosswind helping to bring the shot back to the basket. We agreed that I should throw the sidearm – which I barely threw around the trees and almost hit the basket from my angle – as it skipped 20’ uphill looking back down toward the basket. We both hit our important birdie putts and moved to the next hole.

The next hole, Hole #5, is a low ceiling uphill shot that played around 300 ft with the elevation and wind conditions at the time. I threw my Blue Champion Firebird high and wide right but it fell short of the pin, and I could not believe how it seemed to drop right out of the air. Josh stepped up and threw a very similar shot but slightly lower that never faded back toward the basket as it drifted right to about 40 ft. pin high on the side hill.

It seemed as if every shot increased with importance as the playoff progressed. It was coming down to it; I could just feel it. I could not bear to watch as Josh lined up his long uphill putt and sailed his putt chain high, left side with no chance of going in.

I then approached my disc, which seemed to be a lot further away from the basket than when I saw it from the tee. It was about an 18 – 20 ft. slight uphill putt. I stepped away from my lie and took a deep breath, because I knew that this was my time. After 140 holes throughout the week, it was my chance to end the playoff. I gained my composure as I started to go through the motions, envisioning myself in the back yard putting, just making this same putt like I have done thousands of times before. I was just trying to make everything else disappear, the distractions and the people, and it was just the basket and me at this point.

I promised myself that I had to commit everything that I had to this putt, extending and reaching for that basket. I remember everything up to the point when I released the disc, and it was about half-way to the basket when I knew it was in. Time had frozen for that split second, and when everyone erupted, I let it all out right there as I let out a victorious roar. Val came running up and was the first to hug me as she leaped into the air and I caught her. Feldberg and my father were next, as I hugged them both at the same time. My mother could not stop screaming as she ran in circles beating on my arm. I picked her up and twirled in place, giving her the biggest hug that I could give. She is a Three-Time Disc Golf World Champion herself and knew just how it felt at this very moment. I could feel the emotions from everyone that got to witness and experience everything that Josh and I had just displayed. It is a World Championship that will be remembered for years to come.

It felt so surreal. I couldn’t believe that it was all happening at that moment. It was something that I have dreamt about since I was young, to become a Disc Golf World Champion. It made it extra special to win alongside my sister Valarie to become the first siblings to ever to be World Champions. She said during her Victory speech that she would give all her World Titles to see me get this one this year; that meant so much for me to hear that and know how badly she wanted to see me win. It meant a lot to me that my family and friends could be there with me, to support me throughout the week and celebrate victory in the end. It is something that has changed my life from that day forward, because it was my turn and I believed that I could win no matter what went down throughout the tournament. I knew that I was going to win the entire week because I wanted it more than anyone out there. It was my time and I knew it all along.

I had been told since I was young that I was destined to win a World Title. So many people truly believed it, and yet it took me years before I could actually realize it. I have had all the skill and all the ability to win; it was about putting that all together to make it happen. I really think the main reason was that I believed I could do it and I played fearlessly the entire week because I wanted to win so badly. I wanted to be a World Champion more than anything, and it was meant to happen through sheer will and determination.

Some think that winning the World Championships is everything, but winning the Worlds this past year is just a stepping stone for things to come. Because great things happen to great people and to those who want it most, with all the passion that they contain. You just got to believe.

Thanks to Pete Cashen for putting up the entire crew throughout Worlds. Thanks to my idol, “Crazy” John Brooks for inspiring me to play my best. Thanks to the amazing tournament staff that made the 2009 Worlds so incredible. Thanks to all of my Sponsors whom have always supported me and that make it possible to do what I love for a living. Thanks to Valarie for being an unbelievable sister and seeing the greatness in me long before the actual result; it meant more than anything for us to win the World Championships together. Thanks to my parents, Leroy and Sharon, whom have shown me the way, throughout life and in Disc Golf, I am grateful for everything that they have given and taught me. Thanks to all my friends and family that have supported me throughout the years and helped to make this dream of mine a reality.

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This Part 2 of my interview with Disc Golf World Champion Avery Jenkins – Interview by Steve Pease

When your dad taught you to play, what did he tell you to focus on and learn first?

I learned a lot about the game from my father, he first taught me a lot about sportsmanship and integrity that this sport requires to be played in its truest form. He also taught me the proper technique through hours of playing catch in the backyard with the Frisbee and countless rounds of Golf at our Local Course – Roscoe Ewing Park in Medina, OH.

He told me to focus on the result of my actions and to envision making the shot or putt even before releasing the disc. It has proved successful when I could already picture the disc going into the basket moments before actually making that putt, when you can envision it happening, it will happen. You have to be confident in your skills and abilities, with that trust you can accomplish great things.

Do your parents still play tournaments?

My Parents, Leroy and Sharon are still very active in the Disc Golf scene and have been playing tournaments all over the country for the past few decades. They having been playing since the Mid-80’s and still play as much as possible when not taking care of our Home Course, Roscoe Ewing Park in Medina, Ohio. They are both now retired and travel the country on permanent vacation, playing lots of Disc Golf courses, camping at National Parks, Taking Bike Rides and visiting amazing Micro-Breweries.

Also note that we are the only family that I know of, that travel all over the country and at this point only play Disc Golf for a Living. No other family in the entire World can say that they do what we do, to that extent. We take great pride and feel very honored to share in something so special with the entire Team Jenkins.

Everyone wants to throw bombs like you do. What are your top tips for throwing longer?

I attribute my success and ability of throwing far to my body size and strength along with my technique, release timing and power. Many things contribute to the perfect throwing style and I believe that technique and speed pose to be the most important of all.

The advice that I would give to anyone looking to increase their throwing distance would be gripping the disc with a tight, firm power grip along with developing a great technique that utilizes their strength and timing. I think that throwing is best learned from lots of throwing in the field and repetition of the technique that produces the best results. The technique of Distance throwing is not the easiest thing to explain in writing and is best shown on video or “How To” Disc Golf DVD’s.

One complete throwing tip that I would give someone to increase their distance would be to concentrate on their speed of the arm, reaching back in a straight line, pulling across your chest and always following through your shot.

Do you throw a hyzer flip on your long drives? How do you get the timing right doing that?

I think that you are asking if I throw flip-up hyzers for my long drives. I do not necessarily throw flip-up drives because of the inconsistency and unpredictability of the flight patterns compared to straighter angle shots. I throw more straight lines than anything when it comes to throwing drives and release angles, with very little disc angle movement during the flight. Meaning that I throw flat angle shots with intended hyzer, straight and anhyzer angles, not relying too much on the disc flipping up or flipping over on flight patterns during drives.

The timing is everything when throwing; it’s all about the split-second release that determines the power and accuracy of the drive. It is developed through years of experience and excessive amounts of time spent throwing in the field. It takes lots of repetitions to get down the timing and the overall feel of the disc to gain total control of its flight. So hit the practice fields if you really want to increase your distance and solidify your throwing technique. Practice doesn’t make perfect – perfect practice makes perfect.

With you and Dave Feldberg being such good friends, does it make it hard when you are competing against each other so much? Or does it make it better?

It actually makes it better to have us competing against each other throughout the years, because we really step up our play on the course knowing that we can always do better. Over the years of competition we have always tried to play our best in all events and tried to reach the upper echelon, elite status together. We have always been there to support each other on/off the course and in Life in general. He has definitely set the standard for consistency that I tried my best to follow in route to many of my successes/accomplishes in Disc Golf. I in turn set the pace for Major International Wins by setting the stage by Winning the Japan Open in 2004 that he later won in 2008.

He did the same by winning his very first World Title in 2008 as well, and I was by his side to watch his victory, saying to him after I congratulated him during his win that “It looks like you got there first, now its my turn next.” And I did just that as he encouraged and supported me the entire week as I went on to Win my first World Title at the 2009 Disc Golf World Championships in Kansas City this past summer. We have been best friends for over a decade and have gained great respect for one another, as we continue to be two of the Best Disc Golfers in the World

I want to thank you again Avery, for taking the time to do this interview. I wish you all the best on having a great season in 2010, and I look forward to seeing you at the Minnesota majestic in June when you come to Minnesota.

Complete Part 1 Interview at Examiner.com: Avery Jenkins Interview Part 1

Complete Part 2 Interview at Examiner.com: Avery Jenkins Interview Part 2

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Interview with Disc Golf World Champion Avery Jenkins – Interview by Steve Pease

This interview was something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while; I am honored to be able to share it with you now. Avery Jenkins comes from a disc golf family, his parents were both Disc Golf Champions and his sister Valarie Jenkins is a 3X and current World Champion. Avery is the current World Champion and the current U.S. Doubles Champion with his partner Dave Feldberg.

There are a lot of guys who say that they want to play pro disc golf. Can you give us an idea of how hard it is to get into, and what is a typical week like for you in the heart of the season?

You have to realize that playing Professional Disc Golf is not as easy as it may look. Players like myself that play for a living, as Professionals will tell you that it’s a struggle from weekend to weekend. We have to play our best in order to stay on the road and there is little room for error. You have to win tournaments or place consistently at the top in order to remain on the Road, and have some great sponsors that pay the way. You have to play your best, or even better than that sometimes in order to make it.

A typical week includes a lot of travel from Tournament Location to Tournament Location each and every week all across the US and sometimes Internationally. Leaving very little time in the middle of the week for Rest and some time to Practice the Course that you will be playing the next weekend.

For me it includes lots of phone calls to family, friends & sponsors, writing blogs and doing video blogs, finding a place to stay for the weekend, training when possible and of course practice when given the chance. Always making time during the week for fun adventures along the way.

So I challenge any players that think that they’ve got what it takes to make it as a Professional Disc Golfer, you need to bring it if you intend to make it.

If you had to pick a course as your favorite in the U.S. Which would you pick?

Milo McIver Disc Golf Course in Estacada, Oregon just outside of Portland and host to the annual Beaver State Fling PDGA National Tour Event. It is my favorite course for the fact that it has a great variety of holes from tight, accurate wooded holes to wide-open bomber holes. It has 36 Disc Golf holes with a great mix of Par 3’s, Par 4’s and Par 5’s on both courses. It challenges every part of a players game, powerful and controlled drives setting up accurate upshots followed by clutch putting throughout the entire course.

Milo also has limited distractions for the fact that the course is isolated within an Oregon State Park, leaving you surrounded by lots of trees, manicured fairways, large mountains and a beautiful river. This course has a great layout and design due to the hard working Portland Rocs Disc Golf Club; I wish that every course was like Milo McIver. I highly recommend that any player that has the chance, make sure that you play this course.

My favorite course and the one I play the most is Blue Ribbon Pines in East Bethel MN. What do you think of BRP?

Blue Ribbon Pines is very well taken care of and is one of the most manicured courses that I have ever played due to the hard work of the entire Jordan family. It has well designed Tee pads that are built up with beautiful stone and rock teeing areas on many of the holes. It has a great mix of tight wooded to open fairways throughout the 27 holes of this course.

It has some great holes that are very difficult including Hole #4, #6 and #19 in the Minnesota Majestic layout but lacks other challenging holes. It has a lot of 200’-300’ holes that are considered to be very easy when played with Pro Level players during the National Tour Event. I really like to see that beautiful course with a demanding 18 Hole Pro Course layout with the addition of a few more Par 4’s and 5’s to offer more of a challenge. Overall, most players consider it a good course.

Do you have any superstitions that you do or don’t do before every tournament?

I am big believer in Karma and all that it entails. I like to think that superstitions are the reasons that a lot of things happen in Disc Golf, and especially in Life. I have certain superstitions of how I prepare for tournaments, what I wear, what discs that I throw and how I approach the course before playing an event.

A few examples are I don’t throw yellow discs or discs that are under-weight. I also make sure to walk through mandatories and walk around all out–of–bounds areas on the course. Don’t ask why, I just do those things. There are also certain ways that I prepare for a tournament, days and even hours before the start of the event. Those are just a few things that I am superstitious about while playing tournaments and Disc Golf in general.

What would you recommend the average player spend their practice time on? On a percentage, what would you say they should spend on driving, approach, and putting practice?

Driving 33% Approaching 33% Putting 34%

A little more time dedicated to Putting, but every aspect is as important as every other aspect. The Drive sets up everything else that is to follow on every hole. A Solid Approach Game always makes the difference between pars and bogeys. The Putt is everything in Disc Golf, just like in approaching, because it can really make the difference between Winning and simply put, not winning.

This is Part 1 of the interview; part 2 will follow in the next article.

Complete Part 1 Interview at Examiner.com: Avery Jenkins Interview Part 1

Complete Part 2 Interview at Examiner.com: Avery Jenkins Interview Part 2

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