Ulibarri Displays True Sportsmanship

[tallpaul]

^^^^^This is partially true; especially for the younger ones. On the other hand; guys like Barry Schultz, who have made it a career; are forced to hunker down at every tourney; because they need to place very well....simply to survive. Barry was known for many years as the nicest guy around. His rep has declined somewhat in recent history; I think, partially, because he has to be on, every second; just to make a very limited amount of cash.

 

[zenbot]

The open bracket is reserved for professionals, or in other words people who think it is not just a "game" but a sport that should be recognized. Maybe to AM1,2,3, rec etc... it could be just a game.opcorn:

This isn't the sport versus game debate argument. It's about sportsmanship. You argue that it diminishes the validity of disc golf as a sport. In my eyes it only illustrates that winning isn't everything. Some people have a higher moral fiber and understand that ultimately it's about fun and fair play.

Homebody felt that his opponent clearly made the shot. He didn't tell him, "That was in. Go ahead and mark it." He flubbed his shot. That was a decision he made and it didn't affect anybody but himself.

There are countless other stories where somebody did, what they felt, was the right thing at the expense of their own victory. This is the only instance, I've seen where the person who took the high road was accused of diminishing the validity of the sport.






Would I have blown my shot? OH HELL NO!

 

[tallpaul]

The non-exclusivity of disc golf is what I personally have loved about the sport. To be a pro; or to put this in more general terms; to be a division one player in any sport; means; these days; that you have probably begun to play at about the 3rd grade and have been playing with good coaching, 3 to 5 nights a week, right up until the time you enter college....usually year round these days/even "out of season" for your sport. I won't even go into the discussion that you must be 6'7" to play almost any sport at a high level now.

Where does that put kids/parents who simply aren't that interested; or can't afford to do join traveling/club teams? They are SOL. Though, it the body type fits, I'm fairly sure accommodations can and will be made. All of this training means you will be a "monster beast"; intensely focused on your sport, by the time you reach college.

*I know this seems out of context for this thread; but bear with me....*

 

[garublador]

That was a decision he made and it didn't affect anybody but himself.

And so far it seems to have had an overall positive effect.

God forbid people view our sport as one where fun is encouraged. I'd hate to think that people might think that our top pros actually enjoy themselves. I say we force our pros to wear business suits and anytime they smile they get docked a stroke. This is a serious profession, not a sport to be enjoyed!

 

[tallpaul]

The disc golf pro tour is becoming more like this than, I personally, would really like. You will have, of course, noticed the younger/more athletic disc golfers coming on the scene in recent years. Our sport is becoming very focused orientated, just like the others. Though, I think most of these guys are good kids in general.
However, that kind of focus has led to many instances of calling foot faults and such. These rules infraction callings are of course discussed elsewhere, and I don't really want this thread to veer in that direction. My point is; disc golf is also becoming a sport in which any advantage that can be gained; needs to be explored. (This is somewhat like the thread related to the jr. high football trick play.) This is also an area where players like Barry, mentioned above, Nikko, Feldberg, and others have resorted to many of these, what I call, "shenanigans." They would simply call it competitive edge, that is needed to succeed at a high level. PDGA site threads would simply say that "RULES NEED TO BE ENFORCED." My point is; that at the pro (and other) levels, this is becoming the norm; and it is entirely the opposite of why I gravitated to the sport in the first place.

Paul U. showed the opposite side of this; and thus, I gave him applause.

 

[dgaficionado]

I wasn't there to witness it but from the descriptions of the drive and knowing that course well, that anhyzer into the opening of the trees on the final hole (actually hole #1) was a remarkable shot. I imagine that's the sort of competitive effort Ulibarri wanted to put his skills up against for the title and payout (shared or not) as opposed to taking advantage of Gurthie's fluke bounce out.

 

[Triflusal]

And so far it seems to have had an overall positive effect.

God forbid people view our sport as one where fun is encouraged. I'd hate to think that people might think that our top pros actually enjoy themselves. I say we force our pros to wear business suits and anytime they smile they get docked a stroke. This is a serious profession, not a sport to be enjoyed!

I mean, why in the world would you even try to get involved in this sport if your intentions were to have fun?! It sickens me!!!

 

[Terry C]

And so far it seems to have had an overall positive effect.

God forbid people view our sport as one where fun is encouraged. I'd hate to think that people might think that our top pros actually enjoy themselves. I say we force our pros to wear business suits and anytime they smile they get docked a stroke. This is a serious profession, not a sport to be enjoyed!

Fun should definitely be encouraged throughout disc golf. I dont think top pros are playing merely for fun though. I think they compete because they have an unstoppable drive to be the best. They compete to win because they want to be the best at what they do. They want to win money (although not much) and thats a factor too. I dont see how a supposed professional golfer intentionally missing his shot to be Mr nice guy helps any up and coming disc golfer have more fun, and or how this "lets just goof off cause it dont matter" kind of aloof attitude is supposed to make our sport seem legitimate. People constantly complain about disc golf not being taken seriously and then something like this happens in the pro ranks and the general attitude about it is "oh well, its only throwing frisbees, fairplay, rules and such aren't very fun so lets just have fun and F it!!"

Paul U messed up and he got what he deserved, 2nd place.

 

[kinfolkfan]

Colluding is messed up b/c it doesn't encourage people to play their best and defeats the purpose of competition.

This sums it up as far as I am concerned.

 

[zenbot]

That's just, like, your opinion, man.

 

[zenbot]

I guess the real moral of the story is if you're going to throw the game don't make your missed putt that obvious.

 

[Terry C]

There are different kinds of disc golfers, Rec players (lets have fun woohoo!!) AM1 AM2 AM3 players (lets have fun whoo!!) and then there are professional players who want to win and take it seriously. Dont generalize and lump all these types of disc golfers together.

 

[kinfolkfan]

That's just, like, your opinion, man.

That is why I said "as far as I am concerned".
:thmbup:

 

[tallpaul]

I am in the camp that doesn't necessarily want to see disc golf taken seriously. This is only partially true...what I don't want to see are some of the things I spoke about above. To me, being Bobby Knight (showing my age ) 100% of the time, is not the way to go. But, Terry, you'll be happy to know that I see every indication of it.

Regarding lumping players together....Bobby Knight has become the norm long ago in the advanced field as well; and is quickly finding it's way into lower/and aged divisions.

 

[zenbot]

There are different kinds of disc golfers, Rec players (lets have fun woohoo!!) AM1 AM2 AM3 players (lets have fun whoo!!) and then there are professional players who want to win and take it seriously. Dont generalize and lump all these types of disc golfers together.

The above post is a generalization.

 

[garublador]

Fun should definitely be encouraged throughout disc golf. I dont think top pros are playing merely for fun though. I think they compete because they have an unstoppable drive to be the best. They compete to win because they want to be the best at what they do. They want to win money (although not much) and thats a factor too. I dont see how a supposed professional golfer intentionally missing his shot to be Mr nice guy helps any up and coming disc golfer have more fun, and or how this "lets just goof off cause it dont matter" kind of aloof attitude is supposed to make our sport seem legitimate. People constantly complain about disc golf not being taken seriously and then something like this happens in the pro ranks and the general attitude about it is "oh well, its only throwing frisbees, fairplay, rules and such aren't very fun so lets just have fun and F it!!"

Paul U messed up and he got what he deserved, 2nd place.

You're totally ignoring the context of what happened. There was no money on the line. They both felt that they should split the top two prizes evenly because they both scored the same. The reason he missed the putt is because he wanted to win by being a better golfer, not because GG was unlucky. It wasn't pity, it wasn't to be nice, it's because he wanted to win or lose because of skill, not because of an unlucky bounce. He then lost because GG apparently busted out a massively awesome drive, which had to be fun for the spectators to watch. The only thing on the line was the pride of winning which he apparently didn't feel he would get if he won that way.

Have you ever watched a professional skateboarding, BMX or inline skating competition? Many of them have (or had, I haven't watched in a while) the format where they only count 2 out of 3 runs. Sometimes the winner will be decided before the person has a chance to finish all 3 runs. Many times that person will put together a run or bust out some tricks that would be bad strategically if they were in a different position, but is more fun to watch. Some of the sports where this happens are Olympic events and their top pros have lucrative sponsorship deals and make really good living by acting exactly the same way Paul U. did.

 

[Terry C]

This sums it up as far as I am concerned.

amen brother, as much as I hate to agree with Frank *gags bad taste out of mouth*

That's just, like, your opinion, man.

I appreciate your opinion aswell Zenny. *wipes tear from his eye*

 

[garublador]

I guess the real moral of the story is if you're going to throw the game don't make your missed putt that obvious.

Why not? His sponsor has it posted as the top news on their page with the title, "Ulibarri Displays True Sportsmanship." The fact that it was obvious is apparently working out as a big plus for him.

 

[garublador]

This sums it up as far as I am concerned.

But it's not collusion.

 

[zenbot]

Why not? His sponsor has it posted as the top news on their page with the title, "Ulibarri Displays True Sportsmanship." The fact that it was obvious is apparently working out as a big plus for him.

*fade to barbed-wire fence with Innova logo*

*camera zooms in to corner office window beyond fence*

Dave Dunipace: (shouting on telelphone) I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT SPORTSMANSHIP! YOU BETTER FIND A WAY TO SPIN THIS!!! 2nd PLACE IS THE 1ST LOSER!!!

*slams down phone*

Dave: (to self) Damn hippies.

*downs glass of scotch and pours another*



*fade to newspaper twirling, stops showing this headline*

"Ulibarri Displays True Sportsmanship"