When Michael Downes began his Frisbee golf career at the age of 16, he never thought it would take him this far.
Downes and his team are the first Arizona squad to ever claim the tournament trophy in its 26 years of existence.
?The Southwest Invitational Tournament trophy has never crossed the California border in 26 years of the tournament,? Downes said proudly.
Downes, who is originally from Newark, Del., currently lives in Cottonwood and works in Sedona at a local resort.
The 32-year-old Verde Valley Frisbee golf star moved to Arizona in 2003 to attend Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
After getting his degree in parks and recreation management, Downes did an extra year of service in community and commercial development, which is the job he currently holds.
At the Southwest Invitational Tournament, which can compare to the Ryder Cup in professional golf regarding how it?s played, Downes needed to beat the best two players from the Santa Cruz team, which won the Southwest title in 2010.
The best two players also won the World Championships the last two years, meaning Downes had to basically beat the best players in the world to help his Arizona team win.
?It was something else. Those guys were good, and I played well,? Downes said.
With the 2012 World Championships scheduled for August in Charlotte, N.C., Downes can?t wait to participate.
?I?m actually heading on a plane this week to go there. My sister lives there and I?m going to play the course and see how well I do,? Downes said.
In Frisbee golf, or disc golf, participants use a Frisbee instead of a 9-iron and a little white ball.
Holes are generally 325 feet instead of 325 yards, and players need to throw a Frisbee into a big metal basket.
?When we were in San Diego, that tournament is brutal. We needed to play 60 holes the first day,? Downes said. ?Then we played 24 on day two.?
Downes plays his disc golf at Riverfront Park in Cottonwood.
?There are courses popping up everywhere around the country. It?s a big East Coast sport, but I think it?s growing everywhere now,? Downes said.
There are over 3,000 courses nationwide, and the sport is still growing.
?It was something special to win in San Diego earlier this month. We celebrated a team victory. I hope we can do the same in North Carolina in a few months,? Downes said.
the muppet movie mars rover mars rover trent richardson apple cup jewelry stores the firm
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.