Fellow Golfers,

As a candidate for the 2011 board of directors, I would like to take a moment to familiarize you with who I am.

Many golfers know me from my dealings as an admin on DiscGolfReview.Com's forums, through the TalkDiscGolf.Com website, or as a disc golf promoter under the nomenclature MrDiscGolf and the regional disc golf tour I promote. My dedication to a disc golf lifestyle has consumed much of my time as I enjoy helping grow the sport I love.

My daily function, managing a division of the bank, has taught me many critical functions dealing with internal and external challenges. I am often involved in difficult situations that have no clear cut answer, and yet through compromises and concessions have a proven record of satisfying everyone involved.

For the past year and a half I've been on the board of directors for a non-profit agency that focuses on affordable housing and first-time home ownership. Being on the board has allowed me to understand the top-down view of a non-profit organization and how each position attributes to it. My time on the board has been quite educating as to how non-profits should be operating, and what it takes to make one successful.

As I continue to promote this great sport which we all love, I can only thank you for your time to learn more about me. I welcome any questions that you may have.

Thank you for your consideration,

Mike Solt
#32429

hi mike,
i know at least a little of your efforts in dg and would tend to vote for you based upon that, however, in your candidates statement you put forth the idea that there should be a minimum mandatory players pack amount for c tiers. what is your justification for stripping tournament directors, who on a weekend to weekend basis literally ARE the pdga to most players, of one last vestige of their freedom to run their events in the best manner they see fit? (as a td i have run events for years including several a-tiers, at this point i will run nothing but c-tiers because i simply do not like the pdga telling me how to structure my events from afar- it seems to me that more how-to formulas for td's running events will eventually serve to bring the best to the level of the mediocre and create homogenized events across the board.)

thanks,
john biscoe

Hi John,

I've heard many praises of your events and I commend you for the great stuff you do.

The minimum player pack notion is more to address sandbagging. The tier guidelines need to be revisited and revised. Would a $5 playerpack for a C-Tier make a difference for someone to attend, probably not...but for some it may. While there is no 'best' method for preventing sandbagging, it needs to be addressed. I know divisions are dictated by 'ratings' but i've personally viewed player's that 'throw' an event which seems to keep them in a specific division.

I've talked with some peers about the "Gangloff" sliding scale for entry and that, while could be confusing to keep straight, seems to really be a good alternative to straight divisional entries.

You are right...rewarding mediocrity is counterproductive and takes away from the sport. After running a slew of events this year....there is some work to be done on our current system. And it's a very important part of why I want to be involved with the PDGA at a board level.

-mike

is sandbagging really such an issue that you feel it takes precedence over many other things the PDGA is in dire need of repair?
The ratings system stops sandbagging. if your rated 934 and playing in INT youre not sandbagging (although i personally would feel that person should move up). sandbagging appears to me as a regional issue and generally related to the TDs of that area. there has been several areas that have really addressed this issue and fixed it without the added rules.
i think you would be far better off with offering better incentives for bumping up. Maybe like if you play ADV you can either take the "am cash" or take half that amount in real cash. i guarantee that alot of people would bump up for that option (me included).
also, eliminating sandbagging might be counter-productive to membership increase. alot of sandbaggers play for plastic and plastic alone. taking that away from them might drive them away.
i would say the majority of players are trying to reach a level where they get cash not 'am cash'. so how about bringing that to the AM level?

is sandbagging really such an issue that you feel it takes precedence over many other things the PDGA is in dire need of repair?
The ratings system stops sandbagging. if your rated 934 and playing in INT youre not sandbagging (although i personally would feel that person should move up). sandbagging appears to me as a regional issue and generally related to the TDs of that area. there has been several areas that have really addressed this issue and fixed it without the added rules.
i think you would be far better off with offering better incentives for bumping up. Maybe like if you play ADV you can either take the "am cash" or take half that amount in real cash. i guarantee that alot of people would bump up for that option (me included).
also, eliminating sandbagging might be counter-productive to membership increase. alot of sandbaggers play for plastic and plastic alone. taking that away from them might drive them away.
i would say the majority of players are trying to reach a level where they get cash not 'am cash'. so how about bringing that to the AM level?

AWSmith,

While i focus on the sandbagging area, i agree with you and feel that our rating/am classification is skewed. Is there a perfect answer, no chance. However, I feel that in order to keep disc golf growing, there needs to be some changes. I think the changes are critical to help disc golf achieve more positive growth. I think you hit a key point about keeping the sport competitive on an am level while continuing to grow members.

In order to make changes, Amateur presence on the BoD is paramount.