Throw Pink and USDGC: A father-daughter journey

“We either put ourselves out there in life’s arena, or we become the consequence.”

Des Reading said this at the 2022 Throw Pink Women’s Disc Golf Championship clinic. When she spoke those words, my daughter instantly turned to me and hit me with a sheepish grin.

I hadn’t spoken the sentiment as eloquently as Des, but I had been saying the same thing to my daughter in many different ways for a good while. In fact, this was the main reason I planned a father-daughter trip to Rock Hill, S.C. in the first place …

My daughter, Sarah Weissman

To begin, let me tell you about my daughter Sarah.

She is genuine and wears her heart on her sleeve. Against my advice, she got a tattoo at 18 with the name of my deceased mother on her back shoulder – what was I supposed to say to that? As you can probably tell, she’s clever. Now at 22, there are more tattoos. I find that I have grown to love them because, as sappy as it sounds, I love her – and THAT is who she is.

Sarah enjoys music and wins every time we play “Name That Tune.” She’s freaky-fast. Seriously, if you ever run into her, challenge her to a couple of rounds. Her favorite singer is some British guy named Harry. And yes, she has his “TPWK” motto tattooed on her body.

Sarah loves musicals. I’m not sure which one she would say is her favorite – maybe “Bright Star.” She gets giddy every time we go see one together. I enjoy seeing her excitement first-hand. She loves live performances. She’s a romantic, too. No wonder she’s a fan of musicals.

And it’s not just musicals – her favorite movie is “Rocky.” And “Rocky II.” And “Rocky III.”  And “Rocky IV.” And probably the sixth one, too – but not the fifth. She’s a sucker for the underdog who does whatever it takes to win against all odds. So when she picks up a stray pup with a broken leg and then fundraises to get the thing the care it needs, it’s not surprising.

Oh! And she’s literally the BEST female air hockey player in the world …

Yes, that’s a thing.

She was the tournament director for the last two World Air Hockey Championships. Simultaneously, she was running the event, while also competing – it was exhausting.

I think that’s what’s burned her out as of late. And why I found it imperative to help her renew a zest for both life and sport. She hasn’t outright mentioned it, but I’m her father – it feels like she’s in search of a more balanced mind. I care for her, and I can understand that …

Can you tell I’m a doting father?

Back to disc golf …

I’ve played the sport since 2010, and I absolutely love it. We have taken many vacations to disc golf locations over the years. We used to go to Selah Ranch at least once a year, meet up with a few friends and let the kids drive us around in golf carts as we played the beautiful courses.

Even though I’ve loved disc golf for years, my kids never found it all that appealing. Yes, they’d throw a few discs on family vacations, but none of ‘em ever “caught the bug,” so to speak.

Realizing Sarah had been struggling a bit as of late, searching for more meaning and direction in life, I started thinking how perfect disc golf could be for her. With a proper mindset and realistic goal-orientation, disc golf can build resilience, self-confidence and focus …

It’s done as much for me, at least.

As a female champion in air hockey, Sarah’s exhibited these qualities before, but the emotional side of competition is easier to endure in air hockey than it is in disc golf. If you think about it, there’s so much back-and-forth in the game – there’s very little time to think. In the midst of continuous action, competitors reach a flow state fairly quickly.

In disc golf, on the other hand, the mental battle is drawn out and slow, giving players a long enough internal challenge that it pulls at the loosest strings in the psyche. Finding “the zone” becomes extremely challenging. That’s the type of contest I believed Sarah needed to yank herself out of her rut – to build more focus and self-confidence.

Getting her motivated to play, though …

THAT proved to be a challenge.

Rock Hill: The perfect disc-golf destination

When I learned more about the one-two punch of the 2022 USDGC and Throw Pink Championship, I knew I’d found what I was looking for. I purchased a pair of “Gold” passes, made travel arrangements and asked Sarah to join me on a father-daughter disc golf journey.

She loves to travel; it was an easy sell.

Loaded into the family car, we left from our home in Houston on a Tuesday. After a brief stop in Baton Rouge for a quick nine holes, we arrived in Rock Hill late on Wednesday. Our hotel had practice baskets in the field outside, if you can believe it. We settled in, made our plans for the tournament(s) and crashed for some much-needed rest.

The event itself was a disc golfer’s dream …

Vendors, live music, food trucks, big-screen viewing and every disc known to mankind – we’d died and gone to disc-golf heaven. But best of all, each day, we were able to follow the greatest male and female disc golfers in the world.

We stood right next to Paul McBeth and Kristin Tattar as they attacked supremely challenging holes. For me, it was awe-inspiring. And even better, it was clear Sarah was finally starting to see the beauty of the game of disc golf for the first time.

The 2022 Throw Pink Clinic

On Saturday, Sarah took part in the Throw Pink Clinic: A half-day event designed to welcome new women to disc golf. It was a spectacle. Massive, pink tents were everywhere. “Know Your Lemons” signs were easy to spot. There was also plenty of swag for participants.

To kick off the clinic, Reading gave a brief presentation on the history of disc golf. It was during her speech that she challenged the women in attendance to “put themselves out there” and to not “be the consequence” of failing to try something new – the message struck a chord with Sarah.

During the clinic, the ladies rotated through a series of stations on putting, approaching and driving. For Sarah, the most impactful part came from learning how to drive a golf disc from Kat Mertsch and Jennifer Allen.

It was awesome to see Sarah properly execute an X-step – a MAJOR milestone for her. And the look of self-confidence in her eyes when she finally got her timing down was priceless. She even carded her first-ever birdie. Bravo to the entire Throw Pink team for an unforgettable experience. For both me and Sarah, it was the pinnacle of our time in Rock Hill.

When all was said and done, en route to witnessing Gannon Buhr and Catrina Allen’s impressive wins, we’d walked around Winthrop Gold eight total times. Somehow, it didn’t feel like enough.

Putting a bow on our adventure

On the drive home, we discussed courses, disc types, flight numbers, battling wind, the Pro Tour and a host of other things – pretty much EVERYTHING disc golf. Using her smartphone, Sarah even found a local women’s league and joined. She also started talking about getting involved with local event promotion, which is right up her alley.

For as much as I had to say, I instead chose to listen. I felt happy for Sarah. I know firsthand what disc golf can do for a person, as it’s greatly helped improve my life. It felt good knowing my daughter had a positive experience with the sport – she won’t soon forget our trip.

The memories that matter most

One FINAL note which shouldn’t go unnoticed …

Sarah’s maternal grandmother died of breast cancer. Furthermore, her aunt (my wife’s sister) is a breast-cancer survivor. I think Throw Pink resonated with Sarah in a way that extends far beyond women helping women get involved with a new hobby – WAY beyond that …

I rarely see Sarah wear pink.

For a solid week, though, she immersed herself in the color. Perhaps this was a way of her connecting to women in our family who have battled breast cancer. Much like Rocky Balboa, Sarah is a fighter. Be it at an air hockey table, out on a disc golf course or going head-to-head with whatever crazy challenge life cooks up …

Sarah’s going to come out on top – and I couldn’t be more proud.

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