Once again I have put off writing about my last tournament. This time it is not because I am processing but simply because it was so blah it hurt. The 2014 St. Patty's Day Meltdown took place as per usual at Edora Park in Fort Collins, CO. This this the tournament that I won as a Rec player way back in the day and usually marks the start of the Colorado Disc Golf season. There have been many different TD's throughout the years, but it has always been a good time.
This year it was simple and straight forward. There was one added hole the first two rounds and an additional two added holes the final round. This was the first tournament of the year for me in Colorado and the first time I have played this tournament in the MPO division. One thing that you can count on for this event is some of the strangest conditions you have seen and this year was no different. Perhaps you have seen videos online of the Glass Blown Open in Emporia, KS? Great tournament but it almost always has wind. Well, the first two rounds were played on Saturday and the wind compared to, if not surpassed, the wind that has been seen at GBO. At one point I heard a rumor that the top MPO player and eventual winner was hoping the TD would move the second round to Sunday and have two rounds on Sunday just so that we could play in more reasonable conditions.
Honestly it wasn't that bad. And in the first round I actually played fairly well and ended up in the middle of the field tied with some of the better players and not that far behind the best scores from the first round in the wind. The second round felt a bit better but was not as good on the score card. This seems to be my game right now, play what feels like a good round only to see the score on the card be bad or not what was hoped for. Sunday brought nicer conditions and lower scores. I already had the knowledge that I would not finish last because someone had dropped out of the tournament the day before in the wind. I still found myself on the bottom card and honestly a little frustrated about that. Then most of the guys on my card started playing really well. I kept pace with them until the last 5 holes where I took four fours and a five. I even had some great shots in those holes only to squander opportunity after opportunity. It was the biggest collapse I have seen myself take in over a year. And of course, if not for our friend who dropped out, I would have been last.
There was so much to learn from this tournament, most of which included making mental adjustments based on conditions. Choosing the right disc and playing safe was way more valuable than you might think. Additionally, I learned that you really cannot beat yourself up mentally when you make a bad shot because ultimately you will mess up the next one as well. You need to pay more attention to the details in the conditions and make good choices based on that. So much of this game is mental and I think with two poor performances under my belt, now becomes the time to refocus on the mental preparation for tournaments. I have begun reading a book called Mind Games and look forward to what it might be able to offer in this realm.
Up next, Phenix Disc Golf is hosting a one day event at Badlands DGC. The schedule gets busier and busier from here on out and I only hope that I can turn things around. There has been promise in the practice rounds, and I have found a good way to practice putting at home but I still need to make sure I am taking the time to do that. It is not as easy now that I have a roommate.
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