PDGA Elections

[Todd Andrews]

Hello All,

If you are a current PDGA member you will shortly be receiving a ballot for the upcoming PDGA Board of Director elections. If you would like to get more information on the upcoming election, please visit this link (http://www.pdga.com/2009-pdga-elections).

I would also like to encourage you to vote for me and the other incumbents; Ron Convers, Jr. #9648, Robert W. Decker, CPA # 17745 and Juliana Korver #7438. Together, we have worked very hard to further the sport of disc golf, but there is still a lot more to accomplish so please send all of us back to the Board. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them here or you may contact me at the address below.

Regards,

Todd Andrews PDGA# 13590
todd(dot)andrews(at)orsdiscgolf(dot)com

[TYVEK]

Hello All,

If you are a current PDGA member you will shortly be receiving a ballot for the upcoming PDGA Board of Director elections. If you would like to get more information on the upcoming election, please visit this link (http://www.pdga.com/2009-pdga-elections).

I would also like to encourage you to vote for me and the other incumbents; Ron Convers, Jr. #9648, Robert W. Decker, CPA # 17745 and Juliana Korver #7438. Together, we have worked very hard to further the sport of disc golf, but there is still a lot more to accomplish so please send all of us back to the Board. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them here or you may contact me at the address below.

Regards,

Todd Andrews PDGA# 13590
todd(dot)andrews(at)orsdiscgolf(dot)com


Hi Todd, i was curious about how much disc golf you actually play? and how does it compare with how much you used to play in the past?

[Jester]

Hi Todd, i was curious about how much disc golf you actually play? and how does it compare with how much you used to play in the past?

Ouch!:puke:

[Sam]

Can we get that two minute warning thing worked out like we discussed? Rather than have that be the cessation point for... uh... performance enhancing drugs... maybe we could make it like a "last call". You now have two minutes to finish that beer.

Or add a four minute warning so we know that we only have two minutes left to consume.

Come on, Todd... do it for the players. :laughing:

[TYVEK]

Can we get that two minute warning thing worked out like we discussed? Rather than have that be the cessation point for... uh... performance enhancing drugs... maybe we could make it like a "last call". You now have two minutes to finish that beer.

Or add a four minute warning so we know that we only have two minutes left to consume.

Come on, Todd... do it for the players. :laughing:

You could Totally get momentum behind this if you were on the board! you should run for one of the board positions Sam!! :trophy:

[Bullseye]

You could Totally get momentum behind this if you were on the board! you should run for one of the board positions Sam!! :trophy:

The only place Sam would get votes is on... Survivor: Milo McIver


The tribe has spoken.

[chris7graham]

The only place Sam would get votes is on... Survivor: Milo McIver


The tribe has spoken.

EPIC LAWLS:shocked::biggrin2::explode::eek:

[Sam]

That's probably about right. :laughing:

[Todd Andrews]

@ Tyvek
I have been playing for almost 30 years. I do not play as much as I used to (nor as much as I would like to) due to injuries, job commitments, running events and other obligations. When I was younger, unmarried and unemployed I used to play everyday (go figure). At the moment I have committed to working to better disc golf from the administrative side and hope to be able to play more in the future.

@ Sam
I think you need to look again at your question and figure out if there is someone else that would be more advantageous for you to talk to. :whistler::cheers:

Regards,

Todd

[ChUcK]

I forget- do we get to read statements written by the people running for office before voting? I'd like to see what Feldberg wants to bring to the BOD, see if it's saucy enough to convince me to vote for him instead of Todd. Any politically correct insider information?

[all2common]

Daveburg, going on what he accomplished as State Coordinator, seems to be somewhat of a flake.

[Todd Andrews]

@ChUcK

Candidate statements should be released shortly. I too will be interested in what Dave has to say.

Todd

[Bullseye]

I forget- do we get to read statements written by the people running for office before voting? I'd like to see what Feldberg wants to bring to the BOD, see if it's saucy enough to convince me to vote for him instead of Todd. Any politically correct insider information?

A few highlights of his time as State Coordinator...

One year he forgot to send an OR state rep to USDGC.
The next year he nearly did the same thing, but someone hounded him until the rep was specified.

Other than that, I really can't think of anything.

I'm not trying to dog on Feldberg. He's a great golfer and no one can deny that, but that doesn't necessarily translate to other areas where a different set of skills might be needed.

As a current member of the PDGA BOD and a key member of the obviously successful OR Series team, Todd Andrews has already dedicated a considerable amount of his time to our sport. I for one would like to see him have the opportunity to continue with the momentum he has built up during his first couple of years on the PDGA BOD.

Vote for the guy... if he screws up... we can fire him next time :biggrin2:

[TYVEK]

my question was to get some basis on why to vote for Mr. andrews. i am not going to vote for somebody just because they ask for it. i want it to be for somebody that has a disc golfers perspective in mind and not just administrative stuff.

Todd seemed way to much like a puffed up poitician to me at the BSF, so i wanted to see if he plays much any more. i am sure he did at one point.
that is why i asked the question in the first place.

thank you for your answer. i look forward to reading your statement when they are released for voting.

[keys]

i want it to be for somebody that has a disc golfers perspective in mind and not just administrative stuff.

These are not mutually exclusive. He's been playing for almost 30 years. I think Todd has a pretty good handle on a disc golfer's perspective. Someone has to handle the often boring and time consuming administrative stuff. I doubt a touring pro can really make that kind of time commitment.

[Matt B.]

my question was to get some basis on why to vote for Mr. andrews. i am not going to vote for somebody just because they ask for it. i want it to be for somebody that has a disc golfers perspective in mind and not just administrative stuff.

Todd seemed way to much like a puffed up poitician to me at the BSF, so i wanted to see if he plays much any more. i am sure he did at one point.
that is why i asked the question in the first place.

thank you for your answer. i look forward to reading your statement when they are released for voting.


Any idea what you "seemed like"? People can "seem like" a lot of things. Todd's a little puffy, sure, but I wouldn't hold it against him. Plus, I like the looks of his dog..if that IS his dog, and not just an obvious ploy to get votes. That dog looks a lot like my old dog, and on that basis, plus the fact that Todd Andrews seems like he has just the right amount of puffiness - he is getting my vote. Congratulations Todd!

[Todd Andrews]

@ Tyvek

Sorry to hear that you thought I "seemed way to much like a puffed up politician". If you had attended any Oregon Series event in the last 8 years and talked to me there you may have thought otherwise. I would be more than happy to post my candidate statement, but I was kind of waiting until the rest were posted.

In 30 years of golfing I have been a recreational player, an amateur player and a Tournament Director. I try to take all of these user groups, including the pros, into consideration when making decisions about what is best for the sport of disc golf.

Regards,

Todd

[Todd Andrews]

Matt,

Thanks again buddy. That is indeed my dog Maggie Mae. She chases squirrels and cats, but not plastic discs.

Todd

[olydiscgolf]

A non-disc golfing dog? Not on my BOD!HEHEHE

[Sam]

Getting down on Todd because he comes off as a puffed-up politician would be like getting down on me because I speak my mind. (Am I helping, Todd? :D )

Seriously... I have no reason to vote against Todd and he will be receiving my vote. Thanks for all that you do, Mr. Andrews. :cheers:

[TYVEK]

i didnt make a decision yet on who i will vote for, but i know that it wouldnt be right of me to base it only upon my impression of him at the BSF. thats why i asked the questions that i asked. i want to get a better feel of what he is like. and what he has been doing and will do to promote the sport.

yeah it might have sounded rude the way i put the question, but it was straight forward and legitimate in my eyes. i would not vote for dave just because he is a world champion, i want to see what he has to say before i make my decision. i also recognize that Todd may have been a little more uptight because it was a NT event.

the one thing that initialy turned me off was the fact that He came up to the microphone at the players meeting and just started asking people to vote for him. that is where my "politician" comment came from. i dont know Todd, the first time i heard of him was at the BSF so i dont have any history to base a decision on, thats why i am asking questions.

[Todd Andrews]

Candidate statements will be released this week on PDGA.com and they will also be available with your ballot. Hopefully they will incite a more lively discussion when they come out.

I suppose I should have told a few jokes before asking for anyone's vote at the BSF, but most of the ones I know are not appropriate for that venue.:laughing:

Regards,

Todd

[Todd Andrews]

Candidate statements have been posted on the PDGA website.

[Shaolintrained]

Looks like you've got my vote, Todd.

[ChUcK]

Considering how one of the issues I see raised most is the poorly-worded Rulebook, this statement by Feldberg makes me cringe:

"...I would like to pursue a more of the behind the scenes involvement in the PDGA."

I'm sorry, but the barrage of qualifications listed by Dave makes me want to vote for him less. Being a World Champ makes not a successful politician. Besides, if Dave was on the BOD his play would go down the toilet, and who else will be the perfect foil to Nikko's ass-ness? I'd rather see the players play and the thinkers think.

Todd, I like all of the issues you mentioned along with plausible solutions. I wrote my first sentence above before reading your statement, and it seems like you have a firm grasp on the real issues of disc golf. Word. At the risk of asking you to spill your guts on a silly forum, how would you implement the requirement of PDGA Official for all pros?

[Scott]

I was kind of hoping that Dave would win me over with a brilliant statement. It didn't happen. Instead, all we got was, "I'm Dave Feldberg. Please vote for me. Did I mention that I am Dave Feldberg?"

[Todd Andrews]

how would you implement the requirement of PDGA Official for all pros?

ChUcK,

It would be pretty simple really. Certified officials are tracked just like current PDGA membership. So, just like the requirement to be a current member at certain tournaments you would be required to be a certified official in order to play pro at certain tournaments. We will be moving toward making the official's tests available on-line soon so it should not be an issue with becoming an official at the last minute.

Regards,

Todd

[ChUcK]

ChUcK,

It would be pretty simple really. Certified officials are tracked just like current PDGA membership. So, just like the requirement to be a current member at certain tournaments you would be required to be a certified official in order to play pro at certain tournaments. We will be moving toward making the official's tests available on-line soon so it should not be an issue with becoming an official at the last minute.

Regards,

Todd

I like the idea of this wicket for professional competition (at what, A-tiers and above? B-tiers?) but at the same time I think it risks cheapening the title PDGA Official. What if there was a separate 'rules knowledge' test that pros had to pass? Even if it was the same exact test with a different title, it would still create a distinct difference between competitor and event marshal. This could be beneficial down the road, when Wiggins Jr. and Spencer are battling for a cool million in cash, to have actual, differently certified Event Marshals on the course instead of just some Pro that has nothing better to do.

[Todd Andrews]

PDGA Marshals already have to demonstrate a higher level of rules awareness before they can marshal an event. I do see where you are going with this though and I will take it into consideration.

[ChUcK]

You know, I think I knew that but oh, how unused knowledge goes by the wayside.

Well, I don't mean to put you through the wringer, Todd. You've got my vote in the bag (and had it last election, too). Thanks for being patient with my questions.

[Mystjava]

I am going to throw one question into the blender here:

What are ways that PDGA and it's BOD can do to implement/encourage disc golf for those who are deaf, blind, disabled, mentally challenged, and so forth?

(I personally would love to see subtitles on some of the pdga videos, transcripts of the radio shows and more show of those who are interested in working with the challenged groups.)

[Trozzle!!!]

I cant really picture blind disc golfers, but im sure there are some. I havent heard of any. Im sure the PDGA and the BOD would easily work with all disabilties, since they are becoming more and more mainstream now.

["Over the Hill" Bob]

I was kind of hoping that Dave would win me over with a brilliant statement. It didn't happen. Instead, all we got was, "I'm Dave Feldberg. Please vote for me. Did I mention that I am Dave Feldberg?"

Isn't that what Todd did at the BSF? :laughing:

Bob

[Scott]

Isn't that what Todd did at the BSF? :laughing:

Bob

Maybe so, but his candidate statement was a little more in depth.

[Jester]

I cant really picture blind disc golfers, but im sure there are some. I havent heard of any. Im sure the PDGA and the BOD would easily work with all disabilties, since they are becoming more and more mainstream now.

I have a buddy who is legally blind and is a pretty good golfer. He can see light and dark and the outlines of baskets.......He does need some help finding his disc from time to time though.

[Chuck Kennedy]

We just need the disc golf version now...
http://www.switched.com/2009/06/25/mecha-golf-machine-hits-the-links-helps-disabled/

[ChUcK]

I have a buddy who is legally blind and is a pretty good golfer. He can see light and dark and the outlines of baskets.......He does need some help finding his disc from time to time though.

Do you ever slip a Roadrunner into his hand when he asks for his Xcal?

[Jester]

Do you ever slip a Roadrunner into his hand when he asks for his Xcal?

I haven't tried that yet but that is a great idea! Honestly though, he only carries three discs so it is hard to put one past him.

[Todd Andrews]

I am going to throw one question into the blender here:

What are ways that PDGA and it's BOD can do to implement/encourage disc golf for those who are deaf, blind, disabled, mentally challenged, and so forth?

(I personally would love to see subtitles on some of the pdga videos, transcripts of the radio shows and more show of those who are interested in working with the challenged groups.)

Mystjava,

I think that as the organization grows we will need to be able to address these issues. The best way to do this would be to form a committee that could advise the BoD on these matters. Perhaps someone from the Deaf Disc Golf Assn. would like to take this on? If there is an interest in this I will bring it up at the next BoD meeting on July 1st.

Regards,

Todd

[LJ Jubner]

I find all the Dave bashing interesting. Back in 2001 when Dave first moved to the NW. Most of the ones posting here were "over the moon" with a world class player as the State rep. And you have to admit when both he and Avery moved WEST to Oregun they put us on the DG Map. One thing Dave does bring to the table is connections. Todd has Conan offered you a guest slot? Another thing Dave brings to the table is marketability something we desperately need. Climo is a great champ but those ears will never fly.

[Matt B.]

I find all the Dave bashing interesting. Back in 2001 when Dave first moved to the NW. Most of the ones posting here were "over the moon" with a world class player as the State rep. And you have to admit when both he and Avery moved WEST to Oregun they put us on the DG Map. One thing Dave does bring to the table is connections. Todd has Conan offered you a guest slot? Another thing Dave brings to the table is marketability something we desperately need. Climo is a great champ but those ears will never fly.

Sponsors are not paying attention to the marketability of the PDGA BoD. Marketability as a player, yes. That's got nothing to do with being on the BoD. If someone underperformed in one position, it's clearly not "bashing" to point that out when they apply for a position with more responsibility.

Gee, I wonder if we could find any examples of personal grudges resulting in "bashing" in the NW disc golf scene internet universe? I'm sure there's no connection here.

[LJ Jubner]

Sponsors are not paying attention to the marketability of the PDGA BoD. Marketability as a player, yes. That's got nothing to do with being on the BoD. If someone underperformed in one position, it's clearly not "bashing" to point that out when they apply for a position with more responsibility.

Sponsors look at everything and everybody. All of the time

Gee, I wonder if we could find any examples of personal grudges resulting in "bashing" in the NW disc golf scene internet universe? I'm sure there's no connection here..

If I really wanted to bash someone it would be about committing to run a series then backing out at the last minute because WE/I are burnt out. It seems to me that if someone says they are burnt out in one area dose it not stand to reason that they might be burnt out on the whole thing? If not how soon will it be before they burn out?

[Magilla]

I find all the Dave bashing interesting. Back in 2001 when Dave first moved to the NW. Most of the ones posting here were "over the moon" with a world class player as the State rep. And you have to admit when both he and Avery moved WEST to Oregun they put us on the DG Map. One thing Dave does bring to the table is connections. Todd has Conan offered you a guest slot? Another thing Dave brings to the table is marketability something we desperately need. Climo is a great champ but those ears will never fly.


Wipe off your chin, Jub.
Theres something white & globby hanging from it..............

:laughing:

[LJ Jubner]

Now Mags Thats not very nice!!!!

[Bullseye]

Sponsors look at everything and everybody. All of the time

.

If I really wanted to bash someone it would be about committing to run a series then backing out at the last minute because WE/I are burnt out. It seems to me that if someone says they are burnt out in one area dose it not stand to reason that they might be burnt out on the whole thing? If not how soon will it be before they burn out?

JubJub,

If this is in reference to the OR series, I have to wonder if you ever bother to THINK about the crap you're writing beforehand? Yeah, they certainly have some kind of nerve... allowing something trivial... you know.... like a divorce... to get in the way of all of the tournaments they were helping organize for people in the NW.

[TYVEK]

JubJub,

If this is in reference to the OR series, I have to wonder if you ever bother to THINK about the crap you're writing beforehand? Yeah, they certainly have some kind of nerve... allowing something trivial... you know.... like a divorce... to get in the way of all of the tournaments they were helping organize for people in the NW.

Actually Jub is talking about the washington state series. the night before walla walla, the series organizer said he was done and not doing the series this year. a handfull of people in different parts of washington grouped together to make the Washington State Series happen this year. yeah it sucks for both of our states to have State Series on the brink of collapse, but people came together to make them happen.

[Scott]

I'm having a little bit of a problem following Jub's line of thought that links the problems of either of these series to the current candidates for the PDGA BOD.

[Bullseye]

Actually Jub is talking about the washington state series. the night before walla walla, the series organizer said he was done and not doing the series this year. a handfull of people in different parts of washington grouped together to make the Washington State Series happen this year. yeah it sucks for both of our states to have State Series on the brink of collapse, but people came together to make them happen.

Actually, I am pretty damned sure Jub WAS talking about the OR series. I've heard this exact same BS spiel before in another thread he infected.

[essjay]

I'm having a little bit of a problem following Jub's line of thought that links the problems of either of these series to the current candidates for the PDGA BOD.


Maybe that's the problem... :laughing:

[Tim]

Actually, I can see where Jub is coming from (I think). His comments could be pointed towards both series, as they both hit some rough ground this year. As to correlation between the series and BOD, wasn't Todd part of the ORS staff? I don't think its an out of line concern, that if someone got burnt out on managing the series that they could get burnt out on PDGA BOD stuff.

[Scott]

Maybe that's the problem... :laughing:

Yeah, I thought that as I was typing. Follow his line of thought? Hell, I'm usually happy to even detect it!

[LJ Jubner]

Actually Jub is talking about the Washington state series.

Actually, I was talking about Ore. But your conclusion is correct. In both states people have stepped up to try and make it happen again (for the benefit of all of us). Thanks Mags, Paul Wright, Andrew and all the TD's for your continued support and efforts.

Jeff, I am sorry Todd got divorced. Wait, it was the Bells who got divorced. So I am really not sure why Todd decided to bow out at the same time? I do feel confident he will express his motivation to us.

Scott, It provides insight to his level of commitment.

Anyway, Dave is not perfect, far from it but I was addressing Dave's postives and NOT others negatives. Besides it not like they are running against each other? Right?

[Scott]

Anyway, Dave is not perfect, far from it but I was addressing Dave's postives and NOT others negatives.

Isn't it Dave's job to address his positives? That was my only complaint (I didn't mean for it to come across as bashing) - that Dave's short candidate statment only said that he wanted the job but didn't really address why he would be a good candidate.

The other four candidates listed very tangible examples of changes they would like to institute.

[LJ Jubner]

Isn't it Dave's job to address his positives? That was my only complaint (I didn't mean for it to come across as bashing) - that Dave's short candidate statment only said that he wanted the job but didn't really address why he would be a good candidate.

And you should ask him why he wants the position. Maybe there needs to be a way to submit Q's to candates. Special thread on the national forum


.The other four candidates listed very tangible examples of changes they would like to institute.

Double edge sword. Good to have answers but might be bad to have too defined of an agenda. I know it sounds weird but to be to focused on to few ideas/problems is not what we need right now. We need a broader vision.

[Scott]

Double edge sword. Good to have answers but might be bad to have too defined of an agenda. I know it sounds weird but to be to focused on to few ideas/problems is not what we need right now. We need a broader vision.

Sorry, a little to broad for this voter. Dave's statement left me with this thought: If he's only going to devote about five minutes to his statement, how much time and energy is he going to devote to the position?

[ChUcK]

Isn't it Dave's job to address his positives?

If it's only the job of the candidates to talk about their own positives and negatives, then what the hell are we doing here discussing candidates? Are you saying that people aren't allowed to freely discuss their views of the candidates?

The majority of the people on this forum want Todd, not Dave. That doesn't give you the right to tell Dave supporters to shut up.

[Scott]

If it's only the job of the candidates to talk about their own positives and negatives, then what the hell are we doing here discussing candidates? Are you saying that people aren't allowed to freely discuss their views of the candidates?

The majority of the people on this forum want Todd, not Dave. That doesn't give you the right to tell Dave supporters to shut up.

Hold up - I didn't mean it that way at all. Not one tiny bit.
Discussion is great. Dave's supporters are 100% entitled to say anything they please.

My point was that we should be hearing this from Dave, as well. That's all.

[Todd Andrews]

Hello All,

Quite a lively discussion we are having here. Woo Hoo!!!

@Jub
After years of running tournaments, helping out with the ORS, being involved on a national level (BoD, Disciplinary Committee, IT Committee), working full time, remodeling my house and just living life, yes, I did get a little burned out. Something indeed had to give and since the Bellingers decided to step away from running the series, it seemed like a good time for me to do so as well. So sorry to disappoint you Jub. The reasoning behind my decision was that we had built up the Series to a point where it was sustainable enough so that it could carry on without us. So far, this seems to be the case. By dripping the Series workload I can now focus a lot more attention on improving things on a national level. If I was burned out on working to improve the PDGA I would not be running again.

@all,
I laid out a bunch of my priorities in my candidate statement, but there are a lot more things working in the background as well. Please notice that the other incumbants have different agenda items that they are working on and they all have merit. This variety of perspectives is truly a good thing for disc golf.

This past year has been very productive and some of the initiatives that we have been working on will be announced shortly. I appreciate everyones support, but please vote for all of the incumbants so that we can carry on with what we are doing.

Thanks again,

Todd

[Jim J]

I appreciate everyones support, but please vote for all of the incumbants so that we can carry on with what we are doing.

Good idea.

I really like the improvements that the PDGA has made with respect to information provided on the website, searchable player databases and forming partnerships with corporations to take advantage of the buying power of PDGA members. Lots of other reasons too.

I'm happy to vote for Todd and the rest of the incumbents. They seem to be making a positive difference. This goes for our state coordinator as well.

[ChUcK]

I misunderstood what Scott meant. I thought he was telling Jub to keep quiet. Posting before coffee, I guess. He's right- Feldberg did zero to convince people that he had anything to bring to the table except a world championship.

I suppose it's possible that Feldberg would be a productive member of the BoD. I'd rather see him keep practicing and giving the other touring pros some healthy fear, pushing them to even greater feats of disc golf awesomeness. Besides, it's more appropriate for someone in the autumn of their career to start thinking about politics.

Climo/Schultz 2012...I'd vote for them. Maybe they'd rechannel some Defense funding towards city parks...like a measley billion. That'd be sweet.

[LJ Jubner]

Todd thanks for your candor. I am not surprised you burned out 8-10 events per year x 9 is a hell of a lot of golf events. It's good to hear your remaining energy will be focused Nationally. One good thing about Dave on the BOD is people seek him out with projects and ideas instead of us chasing them

Again it's not like they are running against each other.

[Todd Andrews]

Todd thanks for your candor. I am not surprised you burned out 8-10 events per year x 9 is a hell of a lot of golf events. It's good to hear your remaining energy will be focused Nationally. One good thing about Dave on the BOD is people seek him out with projects and ideas instead of us chasing them

Again it's not like they are running against each other.

Jub, all members of the BoD are easily reached and we would all love to hear what the members are thinking and what we can do to make the PDGA and the sport better. I fielded quite a few questions at the last GNO that I passed along and I always solicited comments during player's meetings.

Regards,

Todd

[LJ Jubner]

For sure dude.

[zippyboy]

Todd, thanks for taking the time to come on here and answer some of the questions and concerns we've had. I have found this thread to be pretty interesting, and have been following it as it develops. :cheers:

[Scott]

I just checked the PDGA discussion forum expecting to see a similar thread covering questions from all candidates, but found nothing. :confused:

[Scott]

I just voted - it took all of ten seconds.

Please don't forget to vote!

[Mystjava]

I did my vote last night - right after I got the email from PDGA! Whoot! Thanks to everyone who's put in for working with PDGA and the state coordinators! Way to go!

[ChUcK]

Done and done.

I wonder if my write-in votes for the four ninja turtles will receive any supporters...

just kidding, Todd!

[snap7times]

Mystjava,

I think that as the organization grows we will need to be able to address these issues. The best way to do this would be to form a committee that could advise the BoD on these matters. Perhaps someone from the Deaf Disc Golf Assn. would like to take this on? If there is an interest in this I will bring it up at the next BoD meeting on July 1st.

Regards,

Todd


Am reading each post by post, i'll answer this one right away, Kent Schafer, the president of DDGA, is by far the best contact person to advise PDGA on certain subjects. As for the west coast, that would probably be me...
One of the first steps is putting subtitles on the videos, I have emailed flyingdiscmagazine plenty of times, kinda hard to understand what Ken and Dave are saying on their oh so wonderful instructional video.. pfllttt... Avery requested his first family documentary to be subtitled, props to that brother!

[snap7times]

okay, just read the whole thing... I voted before reading this thread... Before I voted, I told myself to put my "supervisor who is hiring" hat on, which means, the longer and more interesting candiate statement is, the better. Sadly we know which one went in the can first. Dave has too many actual physical commitments that committing to a BoD through phone and email dosent seem to be up his alley. I would know, we had a heck of a hard time getting ahold of him to approve the National championships in 2007. However, after reading the other statements, it was clear that there were obvious front runners for the position and that those with computer expertise would excel at being a BoD. Both Juliana and Todd have made it clear that they are interested in listening to DDGA and myself in the past so they both were my top two choices, especially after reading both their outstanding statements. Hopefully both will magically be on the BoD...

[snap7times]

ahhhhhhhh... just finished trying to watch the minnesota majestic videos, why dosent someone just kick me in the head over and over again. Those interviews were painfully LONGGGGG and of course might as well put dancing monkeys behind them cuz they are impossible to understand. I should demand PDGA give me some of my membership money back if they gonna deny me access to understanding anything in every single video they make.. hint to Todd ;)

[Chuck Kennedy]

Here's the Majestic Final 9 as a highlight reel in under 7 minutes (no interviews): http://picasaweb.google.com/cgkdisc/MyVideos#5350381022340776482
Click the View HQ Video link in the upper right corner if your connection can handle it. I was just messing around with my new HD camera to see what it could do.

P.S. Apparently the PDGA didn't pay for those three 1-hour videos. They were donated to the PDGA by Clash productions to show what they could do in extended format.

[Todd Andrews]

Am reading each post by post, i'll answer this one right away, Kent Schafer, the president of DDGA, is by far the best contact person to advise PDGA on certain subjects. As for the west coast, that would probably be me...
One of the first steps is putting subtitles on the videos, I have emailed flyingdiscmagazine plenty of times, kinda hard to understand what Ken and Dave are saying on their oh so wonderful instructional video.. pfllttt... Avery requested his first family documentary to be subtitled, props to that brother!

I just brought this up before the BoD tonight and we would love to have you guys help to form a committee. If you would be so kind as to come up with an appropriate name for the committee and contact information for those that may be interested in being involved, I will forward that information to the Executive Director.

Regards,

Todd

[snap7times]

You got PM

[snap7times]

Here's the Majestic Final 9 as a highlight reel in under 7 minutes (no interviews): http://picasaweb.google.com/cgkdisc/MyVideos#5350381022340776482
Click the View HQ Video link in the upper right corner if your connection can handle it. I was just messing around with my new HD camera to see what it could do.

P.S. Apparently the PDGA didn't pay for those three 1-hour videos. They were donated to the PDGA by Clash productions to show what they could do in extended format.

If I can subtitle my little amateur videos, so can anyone else, I love clash videos, but if they gonna do outrageously long interviews, be nice for some subtitles, which don't take long to do... Just asking for some progress...

[Mystjava]

I agree! It is easier for me to read the subtitles. It will not only help the deaf and hard of hearing, but it will help out the other folks too who might have difficultities understanding what is being said.

[LJ Jubner]

I just checked the PDGA discussion forum expecting to see a similar thread covering questions from all candidates, but found nothing. :confused:

I guess that means we here in the NW are ahead of the curve again.

I am not sure how dvd subtitles and the pDGA elections tie together.

[snap7times]

It's something that the BoD can push for equal accessibility for all it's members... there are plenty of members that cannot understand the audio portions of the videos that are put out. There has been at least one Deaf PDGA member at 90 percent of the NT's and supertour's this year; we, the DDGA, have pushed for our members to be PDGA members as well, but this is a major complaint among those members, is the lack of accessibility to the audio portions of videos. If the PDGA makes some sort of effort to get the ball rolling on this, the mass will follow; or we hope they do.

Food for thought, there are almost 30 million American citizens with hearing loss. The largest age group with hearing loss are senior citizens, I'm sure they would like to follow disc golf online, especially with their children and grandchildren in the sport.
In 1993, the law passed saying that all tv's bigger than 13 inches and all movies above a certain budget amount must have caption in them. That was 16 years ago. We have made amazing bounds in technology since then.
Ok, Deaf studies class is over... go play some disc golf!

[LJ Jubner]

Maybe another thread titled

What would you like to see done Nationally? would be a better venue for this type of conversation.

[Greg_R]

Is there still a strong push from the touring pros (MPO & MPM) to increase their payout percentages at the expense of other divisions?

[Todd Andrews]

Is there still a strong push from the touring pros (MPO & MPM) to increase their payout percentages at the expense of other divisions?

That might be a good question for Dave. I know that the NT committee is looking at some changes to propose to the BoD, but we have not seen their proposal yet.

Regards,

Todd

[LJ Jubner]

Is there still a strong push from the touring pros (MPO & MPM) to increase their payout percentages at the expense of other divisions?

I am not sure how this can be accomplished Maybe they (Open ) should just pay a higher entry fee. It seems to me They (Open) get all of the added cash anyway so....

[Flash]

I am not sure how this can be accomplished Maybe they (Open ) should just pay a higher entry fee. It seems to me They (Open) get all of the added cash anyway so....

How the added cash is distributed is up to the TD's unless it is an NT event!
At the NT events the added cash must be a minimum of 3 to 1 for all Open divisions vs age protected divisions.
PDGA NT Added cash Calculator (http://www.pdga.com/documents/national-tour-payout-shares-calculator)

Again the TD can change this number to be anything greater than 3 to 1. Also the TD sets the entry fee for theses events but has guidelines provided by the PDGA for a good pay structure. The pay structure encourages a higher entry for the Open Divisions.

[papatart]

Is there still a strong push from the touring pros (MPO & MPM) to increase their payout percentages at the expense of other divisions?

The correct answer coming from any truthful pro player is, "Of course we want to increase the money we get." I will tell you that this would be my answer also. I would also like to get more from the PDGA for the fact that I PAY more to the PDGA.

Todd, that is one that I have never figured out and have never heard a good answer on. Why do pro level players pay so much more for their PDGA membership than the Amateur level players do? I have never seen any additional perks for the pros, or did I just miss the executive lounge at all the A-Tiers and above for pro players only?

Oh yeah, stirring the pot......

Later,
Scott Papa

[Todd Andrews]

The correct answer coming from any truthful pro player is, "Of course we want to increase the money we get." I will tell you that this would be my answer also. I would also like to get more from the PDGA for the fact that I PAY more to the PDGA.

Todd, that is one that I have never figured out and have never heard a good answer on. Why do pro level players pay so much more for their PDGA membership than the Amateur level players do? I have never seen any additional perks for the pros, or did I just miss the executive lounge at all the A-Tiers and above for pro players only?

Oh yeah, stirring the pot......

Later,
Scott Papa

Scott,

Two words: National Tour!

Cris and I have been working on putting together an accounting of the benefits received by either camp. There is definitely more money spent by the PDGA that directly benefits the pro divisions. Although, some may couch those things by saying that it eventually benefits disc golf in general. It all comes down to your personal perspective. If you really want to press this you may not like the outcome, but who knows?

Regards,

Todd

[LJ Jubner]

Silver spoons cost money! and what a buffet, Ice carvings , Both Champagne AND Chocolate Fountains. The Michelin 5 Star treatment.

Maybe it's the Granders club, 1000+ or higher, so I will never see it.

[Chuck Kennedy]

The PDGA spends $15,000 to $20,000 on the Pro side of Worlds with cash, time and travel expenses for the staff that helps run and marshal the events. That's in addition to the National Tour. Until recently, the Pro Worlds video/DVD did not recoup the $25,000-$30,000 invested in production. I remember Peter Shive being surprised when he looked into how the $25 differential between pros and ams times 2500 pros was being spent and agreed the pros got services equal and more to their added contributions depending on how the DVD did.

[LJ Jubner]

So Scott It kind a feels ponzi-ish. You invest your money, we will leverage it and whether it works or not, either way the Pdga gets paid. The good news is When (not if) any or all worlds is held in Georgia, at least some of the overhead will go down cause it will be a home game.

[papatart]

The PDGA spends $15,000 to $20,000 on the Pro side of Worlds with cash, time and travel expenses for the staff that helps run and marshal the events. That's in addition to the National Tour. Until recently, the Pro Worlds video/DVD did not recoup the $25,000-$30,000 invested in production. I remember Peter Shive being surprised when he looked into how the $25 differential between pros and ams times 2500 pros was being spent and agreed the pros got services equal and more to their added contributions depending on how the DVD did.

Okay, so what I am getting out of this is that the pro's are paying for the services of the staff to run pro worlds. I'm good with that as I enjoy my World's experience as one that is professional and well run. Does the PDGA not also help with the AM Worlds or is that onus strictly upon the hosting club. While I have volunteered a week of my time to help in an Am Worlds (Grand Rapids, 1997) I was not a major player in it so I do not know how much the PDGA is involved.

As for the production of the DVD, I did not know that the PRO money was earmarked for that. I wonder if the pros were solicited for their opinion on that what their answer would be. I also wonder if we were to look at the purchasers of said video, how many of them would be those pros. I am guessing that not very many pros purchase that video.

Bottom line, it sounds like we are (A) paying for the running of Worlds, (B) putting more money in the pot for Worlds and (C) paying for the initial cost of producing the Worlds video. For me, (A) is totally acceptable if the Ams have the same deal, (B) is averagely acceptable as we keep on just putting more of our own money in the pot to play for and (C) is questionable based on output and quality. If every pro player in the Worlds comp got a copy for their memory of event, then I would totally buy off on that (hey, it could be another piece of a players pack that would actually have relevance to what the player has partaken in).

ah, meandering thoughts on a Saturday morning when I really should be writing the next instructional column.....gotta go!

Later,
Scott Papa

P.S. Damn, I forgot (D) Supporting the National Tour. This I am not crazy about. If I want to sponsor an event, then let me make that my own personal decision. I don't like sponsoring events that I don't get to choose. As it is, I have basically personally STOPPED sponsoring all events because the answer to getting more money in disc golf is not taking more money from other disc golfers. You want the spotlight on your club and course with a National Tour event, then raise money from local or national sponsors (ala Keen) to reach that end. Don't just take money from your own constituency. That sounds way too much like taxation......

[Chuck Kennedy]

Todd and Chris have a better handle on the National Tour funding. It's my understanding that marketing, promotion and a National Tour were the desire of pro members from surveys of pros 5-7 years ago. That's why there's a marketing director, marshals, PDGA staff help and funding toward those goals to boost the profile of the sport and potentially the pockets of the touring pros. Whether that money has been well spent and should continue is for the Board to decide with ongoing feedback from all pros, not just the best.

With regard to Worlds, the PDGA supports the Ams at pretty much the same level per member as Pro Worlds. But that event gets completely funded from the entry fees and sponsorship so some years the PDGA makes a little money on that event after expenses simply due to the retail/wholesale differential and shared profits from higher sales (per person) of Worlds merch to ams. So the ams who attend and support it thru purchases actually fund the Am Worlds each year to at least breakeven or better. Pro Worlds comes close to breakeven once you include the $15-20K support from the PDGA or it would either lose that much or just pay out only 100% versus at least 125% each year like it has for several years.

[killa]

Where can one see minutes from past BoD meetings? IMO, this is the best way to get an authentic feel for incumbent candidates.

[Chuck Kennedy]

http://www.pdga.com/organizational-documents

Then click on the link under PDGA Board of Directors called PDGA Board Minutes and Motions