Walking into the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest off of Barnes Road, the sound of clinking chains echoes in the air. It may not mean much to the unsuspecting listener, but it is a sweet sound to the frisbee golfer. It means that their frisbee found the basket.
Last Saturday, Martha’s Vineyard hosted their annual frisbee golf tournament — the Vineyard Social V. This year was marked by a record turnout for the competition — almost sold out. There were eighty-nine players, ranging from professionals to intermediate frisbee golfers.
The frisbee golf gods must have been pleased with the turnout, as the weather provided a shining sun and slight breeze, a perfect condition for players of every level.
Scattered throughout the forest, the golfers geared up for the round, practicing their aim and getting their throwing arms ready.
At the sound of the horn, each group of five teed off at their respective hole simultaneously, and the discs went flying.
This year’s tournament featured the new red nine hole course (which many players were not familiar with), creating an even field for Islanders and visitors alike. The landscape of the course was also altered earlier this year as many of the dead trees had been cleared that had once acted as a natural obstacles for the frisbee golf players.
The frisbee golf course on the Island started over ten years ago and has been growing ever since. There are now twenty-seven holes or baskets that make up the Riverhead Frisbee Golf Course.
West Tisbury’s Matthew Lozier commented on the dedication of the volunteers and how “the local boys do a real good job at maintaining the low impact the course has on the environment even though more people are using the forest to play.”
Frisbee golf combines the scoring and principles of conventional golf with the art of throwing a frisbee. The object is to throw your frisbee into the basket with as few shots as possible. Each hole ranges from 175 to 470 feet, with white and blue tee boxes. The “expert” blue tees are the farthest away from the basket, creating more difficulty. The white tee boxes are used most often, as they are for regular, intermediate level play.
The game is a sport for everyone, young and old, male and female, novice and professional. Dave Boliver, a Pro Master Division player from Cherry Valley, aptly sums up the game as a “fantastic sport and it’s really good for you. It’s like Wheaties.”
The first round of play included the new red nine holes and holes ten through eighteen off of the white tee box. It took roughly two and one half hours to complete.
Justin Smith from West Tisbury, one of the youngest players, competed for the first time after only being introduced to the game a couple of months ago.
“It’s cool to be here to meet new people. You learn a lot from them,” he said, as he enjoyed a break for lunch.
A highlight for everyone was the lunch provided by Jim and Kim O’Connor from Chefworks Catering. People were still talking about the food well after the event.
After lunch everyone gathered to participate in the Ring of Fire, a contest where everyone throws their Frisbee at the target at the same time in the hopes to have the last frisbee sitting in the basket. Chris Byrne from Boston was the lucky winner, and the new proud owner of a portable DISCatcher.
Play began for the second round on the eighteen blue tee boxes.
Jeff Wiechowski from Albany, New York commented on how tricky he found the course, “I think I used all my good throws on my practice round.”
This year’s tournament attracted players in every division, from as far away as Bangor, Maine and some as young as thirteen. The Vineyard Social V marked the unofficial inaugural kick-off for the New England Flying Disc tournament circuit.
J.C. Vermyck, one of the tournament organizers, summed up the day. “Another year, best weather, reached our peak of almost ninety people. Been accepted by the NEFAites as a must see tournament.”
The final tally combined the two scores from both rounds to determine each division’s winners.
In the end, there was a three-way tie in the professional division that led to a play-off. Billy Dunne ended up the victor in the professional division with a combined score of 109 (52-57), followed by Matt Medeiros, also at 109 (46-63), and Aaron Ala, scoring 109 (54-55) as well.
The Pro Master (players over 40 years) leaders were Daniel Marcus with 109 (51-58), Dave Boliver at 119 (59-60) and Rick Belheumer at 123 (59-64).
The Pro Grand Master (players over 50 years) winners included Bradley Arnall at 122 (59-63), Davis Johnson at 124 (62-62) and Rick Williams at 126 (63-63).
The advanced division accounted for the most entries, with some pretty impressive scores. Jim Conroy from Vermont was able to edge out everyone with a score of 112 (53-59), followed by John Tserpes at 116 (55-61), and a three-way tie for third at 117 each for Ian Warner (55-62), Bob Direnzo (58-59) and Rob Tatro (58-59). Islanders Jake Gifford (58-60) and Paul Cotton (54-64) made a good show with 118.
Advance Masters (players over 40 years) winners were Karl Molitoris with 114 (53-61), Paul Sullivan at 123 (57-66) and Jim Sharp, also at 123 (59-64).
Intermediate honors went to Derek Brausakis, scoring 126 (63-63), D.J. Kaeka with 128 (61-67) and Mael Drew at 132 (62-70).
Advanced women had a showing of 140 courtesy of Michelle Ala (61-79). In the intermediate women’s category, the best scores were Nicky King with 133 (67-66), Tara Chenevert with 141 (73-68) and Katie Guissi at 145 (76-69).
Comments
Comment policy »