Innova Champion Discs is a pioneer of disc golf equipment. Whether you’ve built your bag around a single manufacturer’s products or prefer to throw discs from a number of brands, Innova has undeniably had a massive impact on the discs you reach for round after round.
Feel free to bash on Innova all you like, but the Aviar, Roc, Firebird, Eagle, Teebird and Valkyrie have all served as the basic starting point for the discs around which you’ve built your game.
Innova set the standard for discs.
Everyone else is (largely) tweaking their molds and rebranding.
But the aforementioned Innova molds are old. The average release year for them is 1995. Feeling ancient yet? In 2007, however, Innova released something new: the Destroyer. Yet again, another disc golf standard. This time, for distance drivers – something all players want more of.
As popular as the “O.G.” Innova molds continue to be decades after their initial release, no one disc is as synonymous with the company’s success as the Star Destroyer. It’s for that reason that Innova’s top MPO talent has (almost) always had his name printed on the flight plate:
- No name, 2007 – 2008
- Avery Jenkins, 2009 – 2015
- Paul McBeth, 2016 – 2018
- Ricky Wysocki, 2019 – 2021
Rick’s now out at Innova, though …
After much deliberation I have ended my partnership with Innova Discs! #makinghistory
— Ricky Wysocki (@sockibomb13) December 31, 2021
And with that, a signature vacancy atop the Star Destroyer opens up.
Candidates include Gregg Barsby, Philo Brathwaite, Garrett Gurthie, Calvin Heimburg, Jeremy Koling and Nate Sexton. The problem for most of these golfers is that historical precedent makes it seem that at least one World Championship is requisite to getting the “Destroyer bump.”
That’s why Ken Climo’s name is on every stock Innova disc known to mankind, right?
There is one exception, though: Nate Sexton’s name (and a nifty little sword) is currently part of the stock Star X-Caliber stamp. He’s never won a World Championship. He holds no world records. He did win the 2017 United States Disc Golf Championship (USDGC).
Using either a World Championship or Major Title as a filter, we’re left with three Team Innova candidates from our original list who “qualify” for the much-coveted Star Destroyer spot …
As well as a few potential issues for each:
- Nate Sexton – Sexton won the 2017 USDGC. Sexton certainly throws a Destroyer, but he’s already got the Sexton Firebird. Along with the Star X-Caliber, having the Star Destroyer feels like it’d be a bit much, especially for a guy not known for distance.
- Gregg Barsby – Barsby won the 2018 World Championship. He throws a Star Destroyer. He bags a Star Boss. Neither of those are his go-to driver of choice. He’s better known for throwing Millennium’s Sirius Scorpius, which – surprise, surprise – bears his name.
- Jeremy Koling – Koling won the 2017 USDGC. He won it in three rounds, though, so does it really count? Jokes aside, via his work with JomezPro, Koling’s done enough for Innova that this could work. In recent years, though, he’s not been all that competitive.
If there was a clear-cut option for the Star Destroyer spot, Innova would go for it. Somebody like Jenkins, McBeth or Wysocki. But there’s not. The “Innova” name carries a great deal of clout in the annals of disc golf history, but don’t kid yourself – this isn’t a “pro-first” manufacturer.
Innova’s cheap. They can be, so they are. And they’re proud of it.
No royalties is a victory for the company, so get ready – “nameless” Star Destroyers are coming.
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Heimberg all day
Right, but man …
He doesn’t (yet) have the pedigree for that disc, you know?
Also, Innova’s FPO team is stacked – maybe one of them will get the bump?