Click here for the Results of Thursday BYOP Doubles

If you have any pictures or videos you would like to share, please contact Kent - wirelesskent@gmail - so we can link your photos/videos and give you credit.

15 JUL 2009
09:19 P.M. CST

Click here for Results of Wednesday Random Doubles

14 JUL 2009
09:55 P.M. CST

Click here for the Final Results

13 JUL 2009
10:11 P.M. CST

"Hey, I've got a question. Did that really just happen? It's over already! I was expecting time to stand still for an eternity, the way it should for those priceless moments that you can't replace. But it never does. Heck, this tournament wouldn't have reached a conclusion if time didn't march right on. And it's only because of time that I can look back on the week with the kind of affection that I normally reserve for the best times of my life. The National Deaf Disc Golf tournament belongs in those hallowed archives and I want to take a moment to tell you why.

The fun began when the players descended upon the city of Springfield one by one until droves of deaf disc golfers were swarming the parks in anticipation for the best tourney of their lives. Over 100 competitors were expected and they could be seen practicing on the courses up until the event.

Most fortunate were those who came and experienced the full package of playing in the weekly Springfield Disc Golf Club leagues on Wednesday, the bring your own partner doubles on Thursday, and the whopping 4-round singles tournament on Friday and Saturday. News stations came and gawked, which drew locals to the event like moths to a lamp. One local was quoted in his amazement to find that the baskets were not deer feeders!

Due to sheer size, we made the last minute decision to split the courses and volunteers. This was done to ensure maximum output for the players to compete and minimize backups. Definitely a fun problem to have as this was history in the making.

The players had so much fun at the various locations such as the hotel, pool, campground, and the player's party on Friday night at the Pizza Machine restaurant where two six-foot diameter pizzas were devoured by the hungry crowd. The parents and children had so much fun that they even asked to go back on Saturday night!

The long distance competition showcased the finest limbs in the nation. First, David Tomlinson of Texas eeked out a throw of 385 feet to claim 3rd place. Then, Dan Burton of Wisconsin and Jeremy Farnsworth of Iowa riled up the crowd with a head-to-head shooting spree. Dan pulled with all his might in defense of his crown, launching a bomber that spun for 415 feet, but it wasn't enough to contend with Jeremy Farnsworth and his bazooka arm which unleashed an amazing 435 feet of hangtime! The choice of disc to get that much distance was the star wraith.

Due to nightfall and the length of the driving competition, there was no putting contest or 50/50 ctp. As a result, the prizes allocated for those events will instead be donated to VT10 with hopes to put on an even better show! Yes, $280 will be mailed to VT10.

To avoid a lull in the crowd at 8:45pm as the awards ceremony approached, there were misc t-shirts, minis, and discs scattered into the crowd from the main stage. Talk about an adrenaline rush! The adults were clambering over themselves under the shower of free merchandise, and the juniors didn't have a leg to stand on. Note to future tournament-givers: Set juniors aside from adults so they can stand a fighting chance!

Each division winner won trophies, varied from quality collectible discs to picture frames featuring candid shots of themselves during the weekend. The ceremony closed with hoots and hollers as Justin Ashton from Texas was awarded back to back championships for Open Men and fireworks blazed in the night sky above.

Justin had an exciting comeback in the final nine as he canned some lengthy putts to upstart the local player and tournament director, Kent Schafer. Congratulations Justin!

A newcomer on the scene for the women division raced to the finish and claimed her 1st ever nationals title. Will she try to repeat at VT10?

For the master's division, an old stalwart who had the taste of the 1st ever open division championships came back from a long hiatus and won his respectful division. He was also the 1st person to ace in Deaf Disc Golf Nationals back in 2001 and the 2nd person to snag chains on Hole #6 at Douglas Park to a tune of $104 dollars!

Daniel Sweet of Texas made an incredible comeback in the fourth and final round to emerge as victor of the Amateur division. Be sure to look out for Daniel among the big boys next year!

Many thanks to Tournament Director Brad Dow for taking the time to help run a pool on Friday before he left to go to Wisconsin for his mother-in-law's funeral on Saturday. David "Tree" Robson was able to take his place to ensure the split course show would go on. The weather teased us at every twist and turn with clouds and one 5 minute shower on Wednesday afternoonbut nary a drop was spilt on our competitors and we were blessed with hot, sticky humid weather that was barely offsetted by the hundreds of gallons of water distributed on both courses. How about them water cooler, folks?

Huge props to the MacMurray College for sending out four student interns to gain more experience interpreting for the Deaf. Ricky Rogers, Jenna Buck, Ina Ayala and Chelsey Lapinski. They spent over 30 hours in 3 days soaking up the experience of a lifetime as they mingled with over 100 deaf players, fans, and family from 25 different states. If you are looking for future interpreters to assist in your events, I personally recommend Ina and Chelsey! They went out of their way to learn deaf + disc golf.

For the people fortunate enough to witness the 9th Deaf Disc Golf Nationals, memories of IL09 will live for a very long time. A multitude of thanks from DDGA to everyone involved with this tournament, all of the volunteers, parks staff, local law enforcement, the city mayor, news stations, and especially Jim Trotter who went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that this experience mirrored as closely the dream that we all had of a perfect disc golf adventure."

11 JUL 2009
11:55 P.M. CST

Click here for Day 1 Results

10 JUL 2009
05:15 A.M. CST

ARE YOU READY FOR SPRINGFIELD??

When the dust settled and the clock read 6:45 p.m. Central Time Thursday July 9, there were 99 total registrants to battle for the glory that is IL09. The players pack was fat, the courses were long, and the sun was in full force. Over 25 states were represented as far as Maine and Washington. White circles were painted on the holes to show just how serious this competition is going to be. Record attendence with the Junior division setting the pace with 10 entries. Every National Men's Open Champion is in attendance to set up an epic battle to the finish. Some of the names to watch out for are: Dustin Warren, Robin Johnson, Shannon Lally, David Tomlinson, Justin Ashton, Nathan Boyes, Rob Huizar, Dan Burton, and Ricky COrnish III. Will a new face emerge as the victor? Time will tell as 35 Open Men take each other on. For the Open Women division, Brandie Aguado will be going for a three-peat against 7 other Open Women. Wish her luck as she faces stiff competition from Carrie Driscoll and Ronda Johnson. How about the Amateurs and the Masters? Wow, 99 players. History in the making! Good Luck ladies and gentlemen!

As for the Bring your Own partner doubles, we had a total of 22 teams paying $40 each for a total of $880 in the cash. $420 for 1st place and $80 for 4th place to earn last cash. You do the math! There were four ladies who created the Women's division for free as they competed for bragging rights. The first round was best disc on the long long blue tees. The team of Robin Johnson and Nathan Boyes raced out ahead with a 53. Several teams had 54, 55, 56 and it was going to be a hot contest to see who would come out of the woodworks among those ties. The second round had us playing the SHORT red tees with Alternate modified. For those of you who are unaware of alternate modified. Alternate Disc means whoever throws 1st cannot throw 2nd, so.. in reader's term. Me - You - Me - You - Me - You in taking turns to throw a disc. With the modification in place by the Tournament Director, the Alternate takes place on every tee. The teams had to decide on each hole who would throw first. Makes me wonder if any team had same 1 person throwing 1st on every hole? With this format, Jeremy Farnsworth and Dain Sivak entered the picture with a 52 and tied the leaders to create a sudden death. Not to be outdone, there were three teams tied for 4th place. With time a factor and the need to open up the Player's Meeting, A short 150 feet CTP hole was created to showcase each competitor's sudden death chance in front of a large deaf audience. The three teams that tied for fourth: David Smothermon + Ricky Cornish III, Rob Huizar + Justin Ashton, and Scott Kendziorski + Michael Maffucci. After 6 thrown approaches, Rob Huizar and Michael Maffucci were the two closest to the pin. A quick measurement produced Michael Maffucci's throw to claim 4th place and $80. Oh yea, 3rd place was done by the spectacular shifting and the cruise control of Dan Burton and Kent Schafer. Talk about a shocker, not expecting to be in the money and boom. The alternate modified sure put a double whammy on the competition with a lot of Out of Bounds in the picture.

Friday July 10 marks the opening of the singles round. Good luck to the competitors!

The Director has offered his opinion of the best food and drinks in Springfield. We have also created a page for those of you who fancy the Tourism side and will have the time to explore.

This event could not have been made half of what it is without the support of our sponsors. Please show your appreciation by visiting their website, writing them a letter, and/or approaching them in person so that they know their contribution was not in vain.