R-Ogre
Double Eagle Member
Errybody talking about Paige but Paul also not doing too much
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Paige Pierce #29190
- Thread starter DiscFifty
- Start date
Is Paul washed?
Hrmmmm, well this IS the Paige Pierce thread.
The odd thing about this discussion is that Paige is still rated 973, despite her struggles in placing high in tournament standings.
Paige will be remembered as the greatest of her era regardless of what she does going forward. However, I'm not sure we can give her a pass by saying she's just not having fun anymore. It's easy to have fun when you're on the podium every tournament, are the face of the FPO, and are pursued by sponsors. Now the competition has picked up and winning doesn't come as easy. She doesn't need to prove anything, but I'd really enjoy seeing her buckle down and give Kristin a run for her money instead of disappearing into the background. Once Paige is fully healthy I'll be really interested in seeing if she can find that competitive edge again.
DatRedDude
Eagle Member
Is Kristin apart of Paige's era or in her own era?
VictorB
* Ace Member *
Paige is a bit older than Kristin, even though she started playing much earler in life. So having them as part of the same era is debatable at best.
I think that extrapolating who would be better with regard to either same age or same playing experience is a fun question to contemplate. Will Kristin fall off a bit as she pushes into her 30s more? Would Paige have been as dominant if Kristin had the same experience level?
One of the many things I always admired about Paige Pierce was her form. I always thought she had an almost perfect, flawless throwing form, one so smooth that it just didn't seem to put any amount of stress and wear on her body. Maybe it's just me, but that seems to have slipped just a little bit. Now Kristen on the other hand is a little puzzling. I think her forehand looks a little herky jerky, but man, the power she generates from it is astounding! Paige has always been perfectly at ease in speaking and communicating with her fans, no one else any better. Kristen is a formidable competitor, such focus and being mentally "in the game" at all times. She also is very gracious, honest, and humble in her interviews. Both are a pleasure to observe when they are on their game!
I think Kristin is the new era. Paige dominated a decade, very few athletes can claim that. It's natural if Paige is dropping off with age, I just don't want to say she's not having fun anymore and that's why she's not winning. If it's injuries/getting older, that's natural. If it's just digging deep for the desire to compete, I hope we get to see that soon.
She's a year older, which is less difference than between most dominant competitors in DG.
Big Nasty
Birdie Member
Whats the story here? I was wondering what happened to her. She seemed like an talented up and comer and then disappeared.
This is her reasoning according to an article in Ultiworld:
"I am going to be taking at least several months off from the disc golf tour," she wrote. "I've had some on-going struggles with what my plans are for the future with disc golf and life in general. While dealing with some of these issues I feel like I have lost my desire to play, which makes it very hard to compete at the highest level. I'm hopeful that by taking a step back for awhile I can regain that fire that drives me to be one of the best."
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2019
- Messages
- 1,576
I'm a Lefty and started following Heather three years ago, and we both hail from Tennessee. When she was on coverage, I always watched rooting for her, and eyeing her form. Not many lefties on tour, and I think the only FPO lefty I'm aware of.
She played great, and won what I think is called the Mid-Western Open? At Harmony Bends, and I think one other tournament I'm not remembering the name of. Heather always seem to be sleep walking thru tournaments, and no fire lit within her. IMO a great talent, that might have the switch in the on position on an occasion.
When I read her statement last year this is what leaped out at me "on-going struggles", "dealing..with issues", and "regain that fire". That tells me a lot about Heather, I think its internal, not external. I have an opinion, but I won't share that here. There's another player whose Instagram posts I've read a few times, and that person seems to be heading in the same direction, I won't name the player. Both of them remind me of others that I had face to face time with and will leave it at that.
I think Heather could be done; she didn't even renew her PDGA membership for this year when I checked a few months ago, and her facebook page had been silent. I hope I'm wrong and she comes back.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2009
- Messages
- 15,729
I'd like to see the girl in purple back too.
But ultimately, I hope she's happy, able to work through whatever issues she needs to, and makes whatever decisions are best for her.
I like the depth of the MPO and FPO fields, and the fact that so many people can "bring it" any given week.
I also get that tour life isn't for everyone. Can't blame someone for giving it a shot, then maybe deciding that, when all is said and done, it's not for them after all.
Bottom line: I want to watch players who really want to be on tour. Not players who feel like the need to be on tour.
But ultimately, I hope she's happy, able to work through whatever issues she needs to, and makes whatever decisions are best for her.
I like the depth of the MPO and FPO fields, and the fact that so many people can "bring it" any given week.
I also get that tour life isn't for everyone. Can't blame someone for giving it a shot, then maybe deciding that, when all is said and done, it's not for them after all.
Bottom line: I want to watch players who really want to be on tour. Not players who feel like the need to be on tour.
Nick Pacific
Eagle Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2013
- Messages
- 991
I am pretty sure she's really young, like around 21 or so at most. I'd wager a guess that the grind of living in a van traveling around the country with people who aren't really in your peer group probably got a little ho hum and boring, especially for someone that young who is barely outside high school.
We forget how important socializing and peer groups are to young people, especially young single people who haven't formed families yet is. The tradeoff is this though - you're only young once, and FPO is exploding, a lot of money to be made out there, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, if you pass on it now and try and come back say 5 years down the road, it's going to be infinitely much more difficult as the girls are only going to continue to improve and get better.
dehaas
* Ace Member *
I know all of us ams fantasize about being able to play dg for a living, but the reality is it's a job just like anything else.
Now yes, they're able to choose that as their preferred career path but they still have to weigh pros and cons like we all do at our day to day jobs.
I think you'll see this burnout more now as you're seeing insane talent at the high school age going straight to the DGPT. These kids are really good and are used to winning everything, and now have to balance the grind of tournament practice, travel, being away from friends and family, and financially making ends meet. Some are probably more committed and others might have more financial support from family but at the end of the day they still have to determine is what I'm putting in worth what I'm getting out of it. At this point you've pretty much gotta be going all in, which is a big commitment given how deep the fields are getting.
You hear McBeth say things in interviews that imply he treats it as a job. Yes the dude loves playing dg but understands he's built his brand and doesn't have to be out there grinding for scraps every weekend.
Now yes, they're able to choose that as their preferred career path but they still have to weigh pros and cons like we all do at our day to day jobs.
I think you'll see this burnout more now as you're seeing insane talent at the high school age going straight to the DGPT. These kids are really good and are used to winning everything, and now have to balance the grind of tournament practice, travel, being away from friends and family, and financially making ends meet. Some are probably more committed and others might have more financial support from family but at the end of the day they still have to determine is what I'm putting in worth what I'm getting out of it. At this point you've pretty much gotta be going all in, which is a big commitment given how deep the fields are getting.
You hear McBeth say things in interviews that imply he treats it as a job. Yes the dude loves playing dg but understands he's built his brand and doesn't have to be out there grinding for scraps every weekend.
Paige is one year older. Kristin just discovered disc golf much later in life, and she has a school-aged child. Paige was winning her second Worlds when Kristin started playing.
I beg to differ. I don't think it is a job like everything else. In most everything else the average performer can find a way to make a decent living without being elite of elite in his/her chosen field. To all but the top/elite on the pro tour (maybe 25 people total), it is a body-difficult grind. In addition to inability to take weekends off, they are selling discs & gear, and monetizing social media, couch-surfing, etc. -- everything they can to make/save bucks.
I came to that inflection point in early 2009. And if I was the same kid coming to the same inflection point in 2023? I would absolutely make the same decision I did. The financials have changed at the tippy-top, but not enough through the rest of the field. Having a plan for later in life is still going to be a huge priority for most of us.
And I'm not even saying I'm special, having that inflection point. With the National Tour situation as it was composed in 2009 I absolutely could have made it at the rate I was improving (arriving at 990s and rising, rating hadn't dropped in over 2 full years)...... but there were probably thousands of people who were better disc golfers than me around that time who had made the same decision I did.
Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
An interesting life story is made up of recognizing inflection points and making timely choices. The choice won't always turn out better than the other one (how would you know?). But the point is to not drag out the decision and have the uncertainty mess with your head longer than necessary.
Where you actively touring at that point on the national level? How many NT level tournies did you play? That must have been an amazing experience.
I knew people who were playing alot of tournaments and winning money, but they were spending way more than they were making (entry fees, gas, car, food, etc. ). It was similar to the player at the slots who wins big once or twice, only to realize, or not, that their losses far outweighed their wins.
