BG AMS!!! April 12, 13, 14

[rnance7]

Maybe this year they will have water coolers at the courses....last year=no water

[horsmanm]

yea he kinda blew up at the end. he was like top 3 for most of it

Originally Posted by jobwilson

And Paul finished something like 16th. If Paul was a "pro", he would have won.

Now Nick Phillips in 2011... he had already gone pro, but was okay because of rating. That's what I have the problem with. I think once you accept cash, your days of playing am should be done. None of this, "Well, you accepted cash, but..." stuff.

[mashnut]

Originally Posted by rnance7

Maybe this year they will have water coolers at the courses....last year=no water

I've never gone to any tournament expecting them to provide water. I have two bottles in the bag and a jug in the car to refill. If they have water on the course, that's a nice touch, but counting on it or being disappointed that it's not there seems a little petty to me.

[mashnut]

Originally Posted by TOURNEYPLAYER

you guys can sugarcoat it all you want. but lets call it what it is. why is DG the only sport that encourages people to play against inferior competition for fear of losing to better players. funny stuff.

Sure, let's kick out all the 980+ players from MA1, push them into pro where they're not going to be all that competitive, and just let them drop out of playing tournaments because they don't have a division to play in. Then we can be mad at the 970-979 rated players for being at the top and kick them out too. When we're done with that, the 960s rated players will be ruining things for everyone by being the highest rated in the field so let's get rid of them...

[horsmanm]

Originally Posted by mashnut

Sure, let's kick out all the 980+ players from MA1, push them into pro where they're not going to be all that competitive, and just let them drop out of playing tournaments because they don't have a division to play in. Then we can be mad at the 970-979 rated players for being at the top and kick them out too. When we're done with that, the 960s rated players will be ruining things for everyone by being the highest rated in the field so let's get rid of them...

Rating mean nothing. Im 977, compete as a pro and I actually compete and not donate.

[gdub58]

Originally Posted by 1978

I just find that I enjoy playing with Am's way more, and I also find that I am disappointed by top level pro players way more than I wish to be.

Its harsh but if your skill/intelligence cap for rating is 940. Sorry, no ones fault but yours. Up until my last event last year I was beat by like 40 players with an average rating of 960 or so. Its a dumb arguement or discussion. The difference between a 990 player and a 950 player is 4 strokes/round. Really? You can't handle a 4 stroke scoring spread. People use the 970 rating as a cap... thats 1.5 strokes...lol. Get over it. Stop throwing for bird on every hole, and lay up a putt or 2. If you played with me you would find my skills very underwhelming. I just play smart and within my skill level and let others fall apart.
There are 30 more reasons that I will continue to be classified as Am, but this discussion will never end so why type them out. You will always have the 940 rated player jealous of the 941 rated player. Make events trophy only, I'll still play Am in majors.

Good explanation. I agree that by the numbers there is only 4-5 throws/round between you and the average Advanced player, just as there is only 4-5 throws/round between you and the world's best pros.

I respect your decision and was just curious what your thinking was. As I said, I got tired of hearing all the yapping from people (much like what has been posted by some here), but it seems different in the age-protected divisions because there's only two choices - open or advanced. Can you imagine how much grief you'd get if that was the case overall and you were playing in an Am division with Intermediate and Rec - rated players along with those in Advanced?

[steven2361]

Originally Posted by horsmanm

Rating mean nothing. Im 977, compete as a pro and I actually compete and not donate.

Then why did you have a problem with Paul playing with his 990 something rating?

[KenTyburski]

Originally Posted by holly7845

973 and you're still playing am? Is that still fun? If i were you, I'd skip the am tourney's and step up a notch to the Open division, but that's just me.

Yes, I am. Yes, it's still a hell of a lot of fun. And I have. It was nice meeting you at Deep Creek Dreams back in August, by the way.

For me, I enjoy disc golf no matter what. It's about getting out and doing something I enjoy and I happen to be pretty good at (just not great, yet). There are a few pieces to my competitive puzzle, some grounded in goals, and some in reality. Realistically, I haven't been able to get in the practice I need to become competitive at the Open level. Maybe I'm not destined to cash at the Open level. But that doesn't mean I still can't enjoy not winning. I played my two most recent tournaments in Open, and I will be playing another one in January. At these last two tournaments, I would have won Advanced by 8 and 3 throws, respectively. Instead, I finished 14 and 4 throws out of the Open cash, respectively. My average round ratings for both tourneys were at or just above 973, so it's not like I shot poorly. But my level of play isn't consistently high enough (yet) to crack into the strata of the guys like MJ, Koling, Schwebe, etc., that I would end up playing in Open around here every week. So instead of gaining plastic I don't need, I donated to the pros. Does that bother me? Eh, a little. It's not like I have unlimited resources as a schoolteacher, so at least "breaking even" with plastic has been nice. But I'm not all hurt over it. Played a round each with Jeremy Koling, Terry Gallops, and Barry Schultz over those two tourneys, and had a pretty good time. Even learned a little.

After what was, for me, a pretty successful Am Worlds in Charlotte, I decided to make a goal for myself. I didn't start playing until 3 years ago; I'm 38 now. I would like to improve my game and play at a consistently high enough level to have a legitimate shot to win Am Masters at Worlds in my 40th birthday year (2014). If I get far better before then, maybe I decide to officially make the jump sooner. Who knows? But that's what I had in mind. After that, we'll see. Chastise me if you want for it.

So no, I'm not just puttering around in MA1, and I've got goals. I've enjoyed meeting people and making a name for myself around my area for playing. My colleagues ask me about my latest disc golf ventures all the time. In fact, I'd love it if someday this little hobby of mine helps to get the girls I teach interested in and playing disc golf. I'm slowly building up support for a course here on campus, so I can host some tournaments. Maybe I'll offer disc golf as an afternoon activity in the fall. So maybe my goals will change.

Honestly, I appreciate the commentary, and I know Mark does, too. The questions and suggestions make sense, but alas, it's nobody's business but ours. Thanks to some of you for understanding that it has very little to do with "feeling good" about winning or taking home a bunch of plastic, or about being butt hurt for "donating" to the pros. I love playing Am tourneys. There are more of them and they're cheaper to enter. I find the aura to be more relaxed and more fun. And there are plenty of excellent Ams out there with whom I like to compete.

Ultimately, I've got a job - a good one that I love. I'm actually still in my classroom after a night of required holiday events, study hall, and getting ready for exams this week. So at the moment, I really don't have enough time to try to be a professional in something else. Maybe that will change tomorrow.

[KenTyburski]

Originally Posted by 1978

If you played with me you would find my skills very underwhelming. I just play smart and within my skill level and let others fall apart.

I've been underwhelmed by Mark many times. And most of those times, he beats me.

[KenTyburski]

And even with all that being said, chances are 3 to 1 against that I won't be able to play because of some required school functions that weekend. Bless all of you who have more free weekends than I do during the academic year.