Taking a club to a whole new level

The Portland State Disc Golf club is more than just an average club. It helps build courses, competes in various tournaments and is even sending a team of four down to the Collegiate Disc Golf Championship in mid-April. The club is currently ranked second out of the Oregon series, which includes other schools such as Oregon, OSU and Western. President of the club senior Tony Skrivanek and team leader junior Alex Bernstein discussed the club and the sport that they love.

The Vanguard: Who are you? What do you do?

Disc Golf:[We’re] a group of students who got together to have a competitive team. We’re playing against other schools in Oregon, and we’re competing down in nationals. We’re just hoping to get more people from PSU out to play disc golf and teach people if they want.

V: What is the history behind the club?

DG:The club started a few years back, but the guys kind of fell into bad standing with the rec clubs… so I went in front of the rec club counsel and proposed that we restart the club… so [rec] let us start it back up again. We’ve been around for about two years now.

V: What events has the club sponsored or competed in?

DG:Last year we helped and competed in a tournament set up by some international community development students [who] were trying to raise some money for a trip to Uganda for some CD work over there. The tournament was at Milo McIver State Park, and we’re going to do the same thing again this year, but this time we’re going to fundraise for our club.

V: Is the club a part of a larger organization?

DG: Right now we’re mostly just PSU rec, and we’re loosely organized with the other schools for the Oregon Series, but we don’t have a governing body that we are a part of…this is our first year of doing the Oregon Collegiate Series, so we’ve just been working with other club leaders to get the ball rolling.

V: How many members are there?

DG: We have about 30 people on the list, about 20 active members, but eight to 10 competitive members. It’s about half and half [between] casual and players who are competing.

V: Where, when and how often do you meet?

DG:We try to get together and practice twice a week. We meet usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning or the early afternoon, and we vary on everyone’s schedule…but ideally, we meet twice a week. Usually it’s up at Pier Park up in St. John’s, its kind of the closest and best course that we have. We also carpool for students who need rides.

V: How do students join?

DG:Go to our website and fill out the paperwork. The best way is probably e-mailing [email protected], and then we take it from there.

V: What have you done recently?

DG:We’re doing a series with three other schools: Western, Oregon and OSU. We’ve competed in two events and our third one is this Sunday. Then we have a fourth one, and then finals…we did some community service projects. We helped build a course, essentially. L.L. “Stub” Stewart State Park in Buxton. We participated in a five-weekend clinic with Dave Feldberg, who is the best in the world, and our club has a chance to work with him. He likes what we’re doing here.

V: Does the club have any quirky anecdotes, or stories to tell?

DG:Every time we go out is a blast, that’s why we do it.

V: Do new members need to have experience?

DG:No, not at all!

V: What’s coming up for the club?

DG:On April 3, it’s a disc golf clinic and tournament. There is going to be a 14-person shuttle and we’re going to take people from PSU over to beautiful Estacada and teach people, if they want, basic skills and techniques of disc golf, and then play in an 18-hole tournament. There will be prizes and snacks for people.

V: What do you want the PSU community to know about the club?

DG:We want them to know that we exist. Let people know that we’re here, and we’re willing to help people. Also we are sending people to the Collegiate Disc Golf National Championship in South Carolina. We’re sending a great team out there. And we’re stewards of different courses too, we’re all about growing the disc golf community.