Nikko LoCastro intimidating a PDGA official at European Open '22

[davetherocketguy]

2 year suspension might be rough but my money is on Nikko is a trust fund kid. He'll be back with or without a sponsor on tour.

It's admittedly pure speculation but everything I've seen points to that. Either that, or the profits from his weed sales are spectacular.

 

[gammaxgoblin]

Not sure how the PDGA could prevent Nikko from being Nikko.

In some other professions and walks of life, when people act a certain way at work, they are mandated by their HR departments to attend various types of treatment/counseling. The one that comes to mind is anger management, which may be applicable in this case. I don't think it would be out of line for the PDGA to include stipulations that returning to sanctioned play requires successful completion of treatment of some kind.

 

[Streets]

I wonder if Nikko has ever been in a fight? He approaches the guy to get argumentative and invades his personal space. Fight or Flight should kick in for the official at this point. Nikko then places his hands behind his back while facing the official exposing every sensitive area (face, balls, gut, knees) that the official can use to easily drop him.

Just not a smart guy. In the past I've seen trust funds mentioned. If he is a trust fund kid, that explains a ton. He should stick to staring contests and never confront someone again. He's going to cross a guy that knows what he's doing some day.

I also recommend not going into an Indiana mall with mass shooting plans (or most places in Indiana). Highly likely your plans will end early and you'll get exterminated (as we've seen recently) saving taxpayers a ton of money prosecuting and feeding the mass shooter in jail. I tried to explain the gun situation / training in Indiana to Big Jerm on his facebook rant about gun control while he was broken down on the highway in rural Indiana. Good thing these guys can throw a disc well!

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Heh. Yeah I had to DQ my younger son at a swim meet. Coaches put him in a breaststroke race before he had learned to do the kick even remotely close to legally. He was not surprised to see Dad the stroke & turn judge walking over after the race.

Would have been nicer if one of the other judges had done the deed, but oh well.

Obviously, I don't have any (let alone the full) context of the situation, but my initial thought was...
Would've been nice if the coaches made sure he could perform that stroke before entering him for that stroke. :\ You don't just throw kids out there and tell them to do the best they can. Part of coaching youths is helping them develop the skills needed for them to actually do their best.

Then again... sometimes, chit happens, and someone might had to withdraw unexpectedly, or something like that. As long as he didn't take it too hard, and realizes he just needs to get that technique down, and that maybe, he wasn't ready to compete in breast stroke just yet.

 

[txmxer]

Obviously, I don't have any (let alone the full) context of the situation, but my initial thought was...
Would've been nice if the coaches made sure he could perform that stroke before entering him for that stroke. :\ You don't just throw kids out there and tell them to do the best they can. Part of coaching youths is helping them develop the skills needed for them to actually do their best.

Then again... sometimes, chit happens, and someone might had to withdraw unexpectedly, or something like that. As long as he didn't take it too hard, and realizes he just needs to get that technique down, and that maybe, he wasn't ready to compete in breast stroke just yet.

We went through the same thing at one of our meets this summer. My son did not DQ, but several of our young swimmers did.

Working with a bunch (40-50) of mostly 6 to 12 year olds on a summer swim team, not much opportunity to do one on one stroke work. They do get better over time especially if the parents will enroll them in a techniques class

 

[Monocacy]

Would've been nice if the coaches made sure he could perform that stroke before entering him for that stroke. :\

Yes, the coach (whom I liked and respected) admitted that was a "whoopsie."

. . . As long as he didn't take it too hard, and realizes he just needs to get that technique down, and that maybe, he wasn't ready to compete in breast stroke just yet.

Oh he did not take it hard. At all. The full context was we parents saying, "Pick whatever activity you want, but you need to do something besides play video games all summer."

Further context: He became a fairly decent swimmer within a few years. When I informed him that he could make the all-star meet if he knocked a second off his 100 free, his response was, "Why would I want to do that?" :doh:

To echo txmxer, DQs are not unusual for newer swimmers. I would always tell the kids, "Hey, nice swim! I had to DQ you because xyz, so ask your coach to work with you on that. But hey, nice swim!"

No one ever burst into tears or anything.

 

[zontar]

When I informed him that he could make the all-star meet if he knocked a second off his 100 free, his response was, "Why would I want to do that?" :doh:


)

oh man. I was TOTALLY that kid:|

 

[Hampstead]

 

[Jolt]

I might have missed it in the tread. .but Clash Discs has dropped Nikko, he is no longer on the team.

I was at a tournament this weekend and a guy sold disc, he had a stack of Clash Nikko discs to sell. .. feel bad for him

 

[gooberau]

I might have missed it in the tread. .but Clash Discs has dropped Nikko, he is no longer on the team.

I was at a tournament this weekend and a guy sold disc, he had a stack of Clash Nikko discs to sell. .. feel bad for him

Yes, it's all a bit sad for Clash. I may buy one of their discs now just to support them. I will really miss the advertisment were Nikko is growing the "Ginger" discs in his garden.

 

[CaptainAnhyzer]

We all gotta at some point. It takes some longer than others. I don't think I had my act together until I was 25.

:clap:

Took me til 37(got married). Took a few MORE years and moving to NY to dig outta the hole i'd dug. :doh:

 

[Puckstopper]

I don't think comparisons to other faster, much more physically rigorous sports (baseball, hickey or even tennis) is a good analogy. The much greater physical activity involved in those sports gets adrenaline pumping in a way that golf, disc golf, bowling, curling... simply doesn't.

Not saying people can't get emotional about these sports, or that there's no excitement/adrenaline, but the level of physical exertion just isn't the same, and that seems to ratchet things up considerably.

Good point. There's definitely a different dynamic in sports where you are competing directly against someone who's actions effect your outcome. For most of us, our primary opponents are the course itself and our mental reactions. I've certainly had moments of white-hot rage on the disc golf course, but it's always been directed inward and after a massive, self inflicted screwup. Much different than hockey, where a teammate ringing a shot off my mask in warmups or an opponent slashing at my gloves 2 seconds after the whistle has gone might elicit a confrontation/discussion. But to your point, it's far more common to get worked up on the rink than on the course. I freely admit to being a hothead, but I really can't imagine a scenario within the normal bounds of play that would lead me to treat someone that way.

 

[Puckstopper]

...missed the edit window and forgot to make my main point :wall::doh:

Anyone who's watched Nikko for the last few years shouldn't be surprised by this nonsense from him. Accountability and self-awareness just don't seem to be in his toolbox. Hopefully the PDGA does the right thing and hands down a stiff suspension with the opportunity for a minor reduction of the punishment for successfully completing a counseling program. I've personally always disliked Nikko's schtick, but I know there are quite a few folks who DO like him, so convincing him to get his head right (or at least right enough to know that confronting someone in this fashion is B.S.) is probably good for the game as a whole.

 

[Tyler V]

Nikko posted that he's taking a leave of absence from disc golf to work on his mental and physical health, to "get his mind right". I've never been a big fan of the guy but I hope he figures things out, for his sake and others that he's around on and off the course.

We'll see what additional consequences the PDGA give him, as he was probably going to have a leave of absence anyways incoming.

 

[Dingus]

You don't just throw kids out there and tell them to do the best they can. Part of coaching youths is helping them develop the skills needed for them to actually do their best.

I have no idea what the culture of swimming is like, but having the life skill to "dive into the deep end" is hugely valuable. Kids nowadays are conditioned to fear failure so badly that they miss opportunities that they feel they aren't ready for. Working with millennials, the hardest part isn't when they fail it is getting them to try something they could possibly fail at.

 

[ballgolfconvert]

In other words it's okay to violate the rules I agreed to abide by if no one is looking.

Brilliant.

Tell me this then. Have you ever exceeded 30 seconds to throw? If so, have you ever called the penalty on yourself?

We all know you violate this rule occasionally as do most disc golfers. Where are all the penalties those who play strictly by the rules have applied to themselves.

i will stand with the position it is not a penalty unless a host of conditions are met.

 

[dashiellx]

Tell me this then. Have you ever exceeded 30 seconds to throw? If so, have you ever called the penalty on yourself?

We all know you violate this rule occasionally as do most disc golfers. Where are all the penalties those who play strictly by the rules have applied to themselves.

i will stand with the position it is not a penalty unless a host of conditions are met.

The judge told Nikko he had been warned before. The time limit is in the rules. What more needs to be done before it can be enforced?

 

[davetherocketguy]

Tell me this then. Have you ever exceeded 30 seconds to throw? If so, have you ever called the penalty on yourself?

We all know you violate this rule occasionally as do most disc golfers. Where are all the penalties those who play strictly by the rules have applied to themselves.

i will stand with the position it is not a penalty unless a host of conditions are met.

I violate this rule? You know this how exactly?

Ahh yes baseless accusations from someone who does not play disc golf.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I have no idea what the culture of swimming is like, but having the life skill to "dive into the deep end" is hugely valuable. Kids nowadays are conditioned to fear failure so badly that they miss opportunities that they feel they aren't ready for. Working with millennials, the hardest part isn't when they fail it is getting them to try something they could possibly fail at.

Can't disagree with this. My point is, you got help kids develop the basic skills needed to do stuff. That's the very essence of coaching.

 

[kyflash]

I know you all have anxiously been awaiting my thoughts, so here goes.



2. The rule can be enforced better. The PGA Tour has to notify the players that they are on the clock before they can time them and access a penalty. Was Nikko notified? Sure didn't seem like it. i don't know if notification is required by the PDGA but if not, it sure should be. Surprises tend to result in much larger reactions so that should be taken into account when discussing further penalties.

.

The NFL doesn't notify offensive linemen that they are being observed for "holding"
The NBA doesn't notify the players that they are being timed for "24 seconds"

These are rules that are written. Don't enable more of this by the fact that it has been enabled in the past.