PDGA Elections

[smitty]

If you are a PDGA member, please make sure you vote. You should get an online ballot and it only takes a few minutes to complete. Make sure you research the candidates a little and don't vote on just name recognition. The names that you know might not have the best interest of disc golf in mind. These people will be making decisions that will/could change disc golf. Prime example "hey, lets charge people who aren't members $10 to play our events".

Here is a link to the candidates statements:
http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/201 ... ements.pdf

My opinions on the candidates:

Avery Jenkins: One of the top players in the world and disc golf is his job. Probably going to do what he can to bring more money into the Professional side of disc golf. Notice his statement is all about playing disc golf.

Cale Leiviska: Once again, a guy that really relies on disc golf for a big portion of his income.

Jack Lowe: Td or Co-TD of 2 worlds. President of KCFDGC for a few years. PDGA Marshall since 2003. Often has a my way or it wrong approach to dealing with people.

Dave Nesbitt: Very successful businessman. Has been very active in the PDGA even out of his "home" local.

Theo Pozzy: Has been on the board in the past and did a good job. Has been off the board for a few years and is ready to get involved with the PDGA decision making again.

Micheal Purkis: Not of a lot of PDGA experience and hasn't been involved PDGA wise in any "Big" disc golf experiences.

[iqbal]

In defending Jack Lowe, the host hotel at the worlds, one of "the most expensive in KC", was the best venue ever for a world championship. Rooms were half price and many people paid less. 5 star hotel at a 3 star price. Smitty seemed to be having a pretty good time when I saw him playing drunk mini golf at two in the morning.

He was president of the KC club for about 7 years. When he first started there were a handful of courses in KC. Now there are so many they've lost track. He's as good a candidate as any. If he just blows smoke, how did he turn KC into the Mecca it is? If anyone is guilty of blowing smoke it would be Smitty. Nice smear campaign.

[Schoen-hopper]

There is something to be said for experience.

I don't know much about Cale other than he is a fierce competitor.

Avery seems like a real good guy. But isn't he best buddy's with Feldburg? Maybe if Dave had support, he'd go against the grain more. Haven't really heard how it's been going with him on the board.

[mrsenortyler]

I've seen a lot of Jack's posts on the PDGA site recently, and he is pretty opinionated. He doesn't seem to think much of people to who don't see things his way.

But I did really enjoy staying at the Westin for World's. We got the room for $60 a night I think.

[iqbal]

Rooms were $109 a night for this years am worlds, located in the middle of nowhere Ohio. Quick, find out if that person is running for the board so we can spread more gossip.

[smitty]

Iqbal is right. I shouldn't have made my negative opinion of Jack so evident. The Westin was fun for sure. It may have been the perfect location to take in many of the extras that a Worlds has to offer. People who paid $60 a nite for a room before taxes, parking, etc. All booked using expedia or hotwire or one of the other companies that deal in getting rid of unused rooms.

I did edit my post above so it wasn't such an attack on Jack. He does do good things for disc golf in KC. Don't know that I give him as much credit as Iqbal does, but he deserves credit for making KC a better place to play.

Thanks Iqbal for once again pointing out my faults. I am sure it is an easy job, and I am glad you keep track of me.


So remember to vote for the candidates you think will do the best job representing the views of all PDGA members. Don't vote for them because you have heard their name.

You also don't have to vote for 3 candidates. I voted for only 2.

[jack]

I am very opinionated, I always have been. I also like to engage in conversations that others don't always like.

I would have loved to have had a host hotel that was $70/night, but safety of players was not something that I could compromise.

I do have a know-it-all attitude on the discussion boards, but rest assured that demeanor is not how I react in social situations. IT is very easy to type in a discussion room about how you can pontificate, and I konw I cross many people's lines from time to time.

I appreciate the fact that everyone has a chance to vote. I think that it is in the best interest of everyone to know a little about who they are voting for. I am not about to start a campaign against anyone, as a few of the people that are running I have some concerns about heading the national body of our sport.

I will say this though, I listen to otehrs and gain insight into situations more than most. My ability to run my own business in the past (had my own IT consulting firm for 3 yrs, no not me as an IT nerd, but more helping others gain work, and making money on their hard work) as well as working with Fortune 50 companies has afforded me the chance to see many ideas that work and don't. I'll stick to my guns as an opinionated individual, but I am also adaptable enough to know that sometimes the otehr ideas are better.

If you seriously think that my decision to have a host hotel that my hope was to change some of what people expect at worlds was a bad decision, that is your choice. My choice for the venue was to make it easier on the player to not have to leave/want for anything outside of the venue. Anything you needed was available, and for me having those option available made more sense than saving ~$20/night which is about waht it would have been.

It also goes to the core of our sport. If our sport continues to not patronize the areas that we haev these big events so that our impact is felt, we will continue to not see outside interests develop within the sport. I am particularly upset with this years world team for not having a host hotel, and securing the information for future World's TD's to work with.

I was able to identify that out economic impact to the Kansas City area was close to $2mil.....Here is what happened this year in the middle of Ohio...
http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/ar ... mic-fizzle


Not good press for our biggest event of the year, I think that it should change, and the way that the PDGA currently handles the worlds is something that I would like to help see in a better position for clubs to host.

Smitty is right though, just vote, make it count, and if you have any questions about me or my style, don't diminish it by the trivial drool that I spill in chat rooms, its a personification not the true me, those that know me are aware, those that don't ask, I'll be more than happy to share..I do after all like to type for my own benefit!

[scarpfish]

I was able to identify that out economic impact to the Kansas City area was close to $2mil.....Here is what happened this year in the middle of Ohio...
http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/ar ... mic-fizzle

Yeah, that's not good press, but its also a crappy and misleading article. Ahh, what passed for journalism these days.

Did you happen to read the attached comments? It might explain the Bucyrus residents disappointment a little better. I also started a discussion thread about that article on the dgcoursereview.com forums, and a few people who attended chimed in.

Its worth noting:
- Bucyrus was a satellite location for Am Worlds. The main hub of Am Worlds was in Marion, 20 miles to the south, which was also a better location for players to stay in respect to travel time to the courses.
- Downtown Bucyrus was from what I heard a big time construction zone which I'm sure steered some traffic away from there.
- The Advanced Men's division (approximately 40% of the field) did not play the Bucyrus course.
- Two of the courses were located at state parks (both to the south of Marion) where there was camping available for about 1/4 of what the Bucyrus Holiday Inn Express was running.
___________________________________

But I digress. Anyways, I have not received an e-mail from PDGA with ballot instructions. This is two years in a row this has happened (and they wonder why voter turnout dropped last year). Note, I am getting the PDGA's newsletter, so I don't think its an issue of my e-mail bouncing unless its coming from another domain. Anyone know who I need to contact at PDGA to get this rectified?

[mrsenortyler]

Yeah that's pretty interesting. Thanks for the insider info, Scott.

Also, thanks Jack for shedding some more light in on your viewpoint. Good to know all available information when voting something like this, or anything for that matter.

[Schoen-hopper]

But I digress. Anyways, I have not received an e-mail from PDGA with ballot instructions. This is two years in a row this has happened (and they wonder why voter turnout dropped last year). Note, I am getting the PDGA's newsletter, so I don't think its an issue of my e-mail bouncing unless its coming from another domain. Anyone know who I need to contact at PDGA to get this rectified?

Two years in a row I have found my PDGA ballot instructions in my junk mail. Don't know why it goes there, but you might check your junk. That sounded wrong...

[jack]

thnx for the spam info, thats where mine was at......