MSt High School Demonstrations...

[Hoey]

After doing a bunch of these now, I feel we're starting to finally get some sort of rhythm down. I'll typically bring 4-5 Baskets, 60+ beginner friendly loaners, lids, ctp flags for "tees," along with a whole bunch of enthusiasm, and we're ready to have some fun.

Typically, we'll have the area the size of a baseball field to work with, and up goes a temporary course in a counter-clockwise fashion. After going over the basics of how to grip a disc, and the different types of shots (not forgetting the mandatory wicked beat up Epic throw), the students form a line, and everybody gets a turn to throw it as far, and in some cases, as high as possible. Students then form evenly sized groups and try their hand at playing a disc golf course. Some just go through the motions, some really seem to have a good time with it, and there always seems to be a small percentage of students who could kick all our butts in the future if they chose to stick with it.

So far we've hit:
*David Prouty High School (Spencer) ~100 students
*Oxford High School (Oxford) ~120 students
*Leicester High School (Leicester) ~65 students
*Doherty High School (Worcester) ~90 students


So I thought this thread would be a good reminder to go out there and practice your Pozzy's... because there could be a good crop of youngsters ascending the ranks in our future.

 

[Camgolfer]

This is great to hear. I have wanted to something like this. How much did it cost you to get all of this going?

 

[Hoey]

Tough to say Cam... we took out some stock of our 150 (New) Warriors, which is a neat little disc btw... we've always had these baskets hanging around the front of the house for practice putting, so I'll usually bring 2 Mach Lite's, a Traveller, and a DB5... if I can get the truck, maybe a Mach V as well, because they make me drool. Wow... ramble I guess... I guess I'm trying to say it worked out well because we just had all this stuff lying around anyway. You could replace baskets for Tone-Poles or some other kind of object to shoot at... I suppose if you don't count the baskets, there's probably about $280-$300 (?) worth of products in my car when I roll up to the school, when you count the discs and lids... which is the bare minimum for holding a demo.

 

[RHINESEL]

Thanks to Hoey, Jason, and the whole Marshall St. "team" for making this stuff happen. Great way to reintroduce the youth to nice clean wholesome fun!

 

[skinner21]

great work. This is something I have been thinking about doing in the area, but I don't have the resourses (yet). The best I have been able to do is to get the local high school gym classes out there (I know the teacher). So now instead of going to the bowling alley once a week, they go discing!

 

[Hoey]

That's a great start Skinner! Every little bit helps! Besides, how much more fun is disc golf than bowling anyway? Go bowling when it rains!

 

[Hoey]

Assabet Valley was such a great time today... students were well behaved, and again I think nearly everybody had a really good time! 5 classes for about 140 kids... and much more manageable class sizes. Teachers were really into and steered the students into the right direction... mainly, keeping behind the person who throwing.

(can you only edit your posts once here?)

 

[discgolphinmafaukner]

This sounds like a great way to grow the sport! I wish I had been exposed to disc golf at an earlier age...

 

[Hoey]

same here faukner... same here. One kid goes, "I love this! Too bad I got to wait till I'm older though, cause I'm too young." To which I had to reply.

"Umm, no. you get good now and whip all our butts when you get older."

 

[skinner21]

why would he think he had to wait until he was older?

 

[Hoey]

good question...

 

[jivedude]

Because he wasn't old enough to buy beer?

 

[Hoey]

Updated to include Millbury Jr/Sr High School today. Another great bunch of students. Again, amazed to see some throw surprisingly far like it's no big deal.

Excited also for the fact that a disc golf club shall be created here in the coming days...

Here's the updated list:
*David Prouty High School (Spencer) ~100 students
*Oxford High School (Oxford) ~120 students
*Leicester High School (Leicester) ~65 students
*Doherty High School (Worcester) ~90 students
*Assabet Valley Regional Tech. High School (Marlborough) ~140 students
*Millbury Jr/Sr High School (Millbury) ~120 students

 

[tmahan]

I've been approached by a local HS who wants to include disc golf as a 'section' this spring for their gym classses after the rest of their mandatory program (Health, fitness goals, drivers ed) are finished. I'd like to hear more about what worked or didn't work.

 

[Hoey]

Here's what I've been doing.

Showing them proper grip for the different types of shots before I demo them in a field... BH,FH, Thumbers/Tommies, Big right to left/left to right, and BH and FH rollers. I have enough loaners (which happen to be 150 Warriors) for each of them to stand along a line spread out, and toss them. I usually bring about 4-5 portables, we split them into groups, and have them try a temp. course out on their own... I'll make sure everything is running smoothly, that they get it, answer any questions, and give tips out when I feel it would help.

We did try to incorporate a putting game in with it, but it seems they have more fun just chucking discs with some of their classmates.

Then see if there's any interest in forming a disc golf club at said school.

It's been a pretty solid gameplan thus far.

 

[billnchristy]

We got my wife's son playing when he came down for the summer. He went back up to Philly and the high school he started at installed a 9 holer...how sweet that must be!

 

[Jimb]

The gym teacher at the school where my wife teaches at part time had to resign about three weeks ago. So my wife took on the class. She asked me about doing a demo this spring and they have some nice land around the church and school.

I was really happy when she brought home the huge curriculum book... It has newly added chapters including... Disc Golf. Plus the cover is of a couple guys huckin' plastic. Sweet.

I have two InSteps and two SkillShots and am planning on taking an afternoon off of work this Spring to do it. It will only be two classes so it should be pretty simple. Plus a lot of the kids know me from seeing me around.

And if all goes well, I'm going to see if I can get the first course put in near the Cumberland, MD area.

 

[Hoey]

First post updated to include Quabbin Regional High up in Barre, MA. A couple of 84 minute classes with about 25 students in each... the perfect mix of time and number of students. Got to nurture the already talented students, while helping and encouraging the students that were having a harder time with it.

Some great talent up there... starting to really believe we're all in a lot of trouble (at least locally) if these students really decide to pick up the sport.

By my calculations, that's roughly 685 students so far.

Yup, that's a toot.

 

[Hoey]

And that's awesome by the way JimB... if there's any way I can help, please let me know!