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PDGA Player of the Decade

It was disappointing to see that men were voting for male Player of the Decade (Klimo leads) but not the female (Reading leads). I voted for both, figuring they were each the most qualified. Took time to read the profiles to confirm my inclinations.

I liked that profiles were available to let us, the members, determine who was most qualified by criteria such as longevity, rating, dedication to the game, number of tournaments played, and so on.

If you're a PDGA member and haven't cast your ballot, please do so. This is an important event and we are privileged to have a voice.

Tags: Decade, PDGA, Player, Vote, of, the

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Permalink Reply by Brandon Swanson on April 24, 2010 at 10:05pm

The women are really impressive. I hope the group of elite female players continue to grow. I voted for Des because she rocked most of this decade...just untouchable. Valarie is incredible and I predict she will be the next player of the decade, but I'm glad to see others stepping up to the challenge such as Angela Tschiggfrie, Sarah Stanhope, Liz Carr, Nicole Frazier, and Liz Lopez. Sorry if I neglected anyone from the short list.

In 15 years my daughters (4 &3) will be on that list! If they want to be of course. I'm not going to make them play disc golf and certainly don't want them to form their sense of worth around it. But a part of me hopes that they want to participate in tournies with their dad. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Charles on April 24, 2010 at 10:13pm

Brandon, you assembled a great list of the upcoming women to watch in disc golf. I've had the privilege of seeing them play at tournaments and yes, Des dominated in this decade. Love what you said about your daughters! In our women's league (Lansing MI) our youngest member is 9 and she rocks. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

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Permalink Reply by Brandon Swanson on April 24, 2010 at 10:47pm

I got to watch Val and Des at the Majestic a few years ago. They both had such a professional demeanor to them. It was clear their confidence was clearly an asset. As I watched Val warmup putting, I thought, "Wow, I'm not even close to that level."

Unfortunately, there are hardly ever female competitors around here. There are none at leagues at all. Maybe we need to start and promote an all women's league. If I were a woman, I'm not sure I'd feel very comfortable at leagues with all the guys. They aren't bad guys, but some can be rather crass at times.

How did your women's league come about?

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Charles on April 25, 2010 at 7:16am

I can summarize that question in two words: Erin Oakley. She's a local pro that tried to start a women's league years ago with her sister but it didn't fly. Five years ago she tried again and this time it took off. I was her first member (I'll be 68 in Sept. and had just started playing when the league came along).
I wouldn't be where I am without the league! We have a blast every week.
We now have anywhere between 10 and 18 women who might show up on Monday night. We also have our own tournament, Disc Girls Gone Wild, now in its fourth year, coming up in mid June.
Erin has put women and disc golf on the map in Michigan.