I am not sure what to do about this...

My mistake and a bigger DB...

 

This is a smattering of stuff that has been keeping me up at night…am I out of line?

 

Understand that our club president sent him an e-mail at 12AM the night of (about 2 hours
after the fact) and called him first thing in the morning.  The club helps sponsor the league. 

 

What would your reaction be? 

Original stlouisdiscgolfclub.com post:

Yesterday was a blast! As always, it is a lot to handle and stresses me out quite a bit, but it is all done.

Everything went off as planned...other than one mistake I made. Everyone that
played yesterday got to shoot at a CTP on Hole 11. It was the Gateway Super
Bonus CTP package - thank you Dave! Dave Mac donated a starter disc set (3
discs and a mini) and pair of tye dye shorts for the CTP. This was an extremely
juicy CTP all on its own. He also offered to sell the basket that was used on
this hole (a brand new Titan Portable 24) to the winner for $150 (retail $299).
So, in essence, it was a 50% off coupon for the basket. Don Heiple won the CTP.
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of awarding him $150 ($79 in merch and $71 in
cash), when in fact he was not supposed to receive anything other than the 50%
off coupon. I think the stress of the day had caught up to me and I made a
MAJOR mistake. So, basically, unless I can get Don to very graciously return
the merchandise and cash, the league/course is going to be out $150. If anyone
knows how to contact Don, could you please call him and let him know about the
situation. I would REALLY appreciate it.



As far as everything else goes, Aaron Walther won the 1-Disc Challenge Pro
Division with a 42(-12) and Ryan Gorman won the AM Division with a 50(-4). The
disc was a Gateway G7i/Element with a sweet custom Neil Brown stamp. There were
17 CTP flags out on the course as well...pretty sweet!

 

And after the club president talked
to him with no hint of compromise…

__________________________________

 

Don,



I am not sure why you are unwilling to come to some form of compromise. I made
a mistake. This mistake needs to be rectified. I was fully anticipating
compensating you for your hassles. You have to understand that this is coming
out of my pocket...the club does not extend me any financial indiscretions. You
really need to think about where I am coming from and the amount of effort that
I put towards disc golf in general. I volunteer countless hours, donate
countless amounts of giveaways, absorb other leaguers financial issues, and
deal with various assorted other problems on a regular basis. Your inability to
work with me and the club is a literal kick in the teeth. Needless to say,
unless you can find a little kindness in your heart, I will not be able to
allow you, or Todd, to play in the JB Doubles. It is a public park, so you are
always welcome to play...just please try to avoid showing up on Tuesdays (or
Thursdays, Fridays, weekends, and any other day).



Please call me if you feel the need to discuss this any further. Remember that
this is a sport built on a much larger scale of volunteerism than most others.



Greg D'OH

_________________________________

 

Greg,

As I explained to Chris you guys
approached me with the offer I didn't ask you for it. I think it is really
unfair of you to expect me to give everything back especially when Chris had me
sign a paper stating that I was paid for the coupon so I couldn't go back on
the deal. As you stated JB is a public park but you then "suggest"
that I not show up there on anyday. If this is some sort of threat against my
person or my property I will immediately call the police if there is any hint
of trouble at JB park. I will be keeping this email just in case as evidence of
the threat if there is any trouble. Please cease to contact me further.

Thanks,

Don

____________________________________

 

After a few testimonials
on my behalf, here is a reply…

Josh,


I really do appreciate the kind words. Thanks for offering to help out with the
situation. Before I take you up on your offer, I do want to give Don a chance
to work with the club and I on coming to some form of compromise. I know the
term is over-used, but this whole situation is a matter of principle. Chris and
I realized our mistake relatively quickly after the fact. Chris sent him an
e-mail immediately upon arrving at home and called him first thing in the
morning. When Don returned the call later that afternoon, his response was
nothing short of selfish and rude. Because of his attitude, I can only come to
the conclusion that he knew he was getting more than he was supposed to and was
taking advantage of the situation to begin with (hence him taking off
IMMEDIATELY after getting paid). We contacted him quickly enough that it was
not a matter of the plastic already being thrown or the money already being
spent. I am not sure that he realizes how much volunteer effort it takes to
make this sport actually happen. He seems to think that we should absorb the
cost like a Wal-Mart would. The $150 of merchandise and money represents a
WHOLE lot more than its face value...it represents countless volunteer hours
and countless compromises on my part that you can't put a value on. All I want
is for him to work with us. At the moment, it honestly feels like a kick in the
teeth.

________________________________

And my final transmission…

_________________________________

Don,



Sometimes a mistake is made. Sometimes individuals need to step back and look
at it from a different point of view. We are a volunteer organization. I am
sorry that you saw it as an irreversible situation, when in fact it is nowhere
near this way. It only backs up the testimonies from several other,
non-involved, individuals that you sometimes rub people the wrong way. Maybe
you are what they say you are. Sorry to see you go. Have fun, buddy...I will
never contact you again. There are plenty of other courses for you to play. No
threats will EVER be issued, but your presence at JB will probably not be very
well received. I hope you enjoy your 6 discs and $71 enough to compensate for
your loss of St. Louis
disc golf as a fun and carefree activity.



Greg



P.S. "If this is some sort of threat against my person or my property I
will immediately call the police if there is any hint of trouble at JB park. I
will be keeping this email just in case as evidence of the threat if there is
any trouble." Do you honestly think
I would do anything remotely close to this? You must be a...

[mr ed]

Try not satisfying everyone,keep the game simple.Everyone loves prizes,but to put yourself in a stressfull situation is not healthy.Stick with your original plans,put aside any extra prizes/swag for another time/league night when you recieve extra.

Sometimes little packages mean more when they are not expected.

Why try to outdo the original plan,stick with the planned event.Less is sometimes better.Put this behind you,get some sleep.Everyone does burn out eventually.

battles are won/lost,don't be a casulty.best of luck with the continuation of running your league.Peace.

 

[ROBEY the one.]

Your mistake, call it a tax on stupid and move on.

[Jeff Nichols]

Hindsight is Always 20/20... Greg, I think you are the ONLY one that will know what is the appropriate response for the situation. I understand asking for insight (I have run some different sports leagues, but never a DG league/club) and I understand things can, and Will, happen that make it tough on you. Whether it is Your mistake, or someone else's. It REALLY sucks. I am sorry this situation arose for you whether it was Your mistake or not. 

 

I just want to say that I don't think (I hope anyway) that anyone here is questioning your integrity or devotion to disc golf. The question was asked and some people just have a more blunt approach to answering. I may be wrong, but I hope not. 

 

I applaud you on your efforts and for having the guts to fess up to your mistake. It is hard to ask for help when you have made a mistake, especially when your the person at the reigns that everyone else looks to for the answers. I hope this gets resolved in some sort of civil matter for ALL parties involved.

 

 

[Jim Coonradt]

I feel your pain. Running a league is always a pretty thankless job and there are always plenty of detractors. I don't really have any advice for your situation but I do understand your frustration.

 

I have run some part of our local league for the past three years and although I love playing and don't mind running the show, it isn't always easy and lately I have been feeling a bit burned out on it. I applaud your efforts.

[Greg D'OHogne]

Thank you Jim!  I appreciate your well thought out response.  I just need to quit picking at the scab/scratching the poison ivy rash...