Jefferson County Sends Three to Disc Golf State Championships

A year’s worth of hard work from the local disc golf club is already bringing some decorations for its walls. The Jefferson County Sharpshooters produced three state finalists for the 2011 Bluebird Championship Series, a multicity disc golf tour that concludes in Marshall, MO on Oct. 8.

Adrienne Pena, Rickie Wells and Danielle Amos each performed in several tournaments held around the region throughout the summer series created by the Missouri Park and Recreation Association (MPRA). After ranking in the top eight of their divisions in four tournaments around St. Louis, including Festus' West City Park in June, the three qualified for the regional championships at Wentzville’s Quail Ridge Park Saturday. There, they placed in the top three and will head to Marshall to battle finalists from three other regions around Missouri.

“We see soccer tournaments and football tournaments, but nobody had done a statewide disc golf tournament before, so that was our motivating factor,” said Brad Schmitt, MPRA’s sports section president and Des Peres’ parks and recreation director. The series began last year around central Missouri courses. It was coordinated statewide beginning in April 2011.

“(The MPRA’s) goals are to get people out and enjoy their parks and different recreational activities, and really the biggest goal is to improve residents’ knowledge of disc golf as a sport that can get them out and get them active,” he said.

St. Louis’ disc golf club, the River City Flyers, took to task the preparation of the region’s courses, using sister clubs such as the St. Charles Disc Golf Club and the Sharpshooters. Officially formed in January, the club coordinates maintenance and upkeep while coordinating tournaments and events at courses in Arnold City Park, Jokerst Park and the showcased West City Park.

The region produced solid turnout for professionals as well as amateurs, with a large showing statewide in the recreational division. Wells, a senior at Hillsboro High School, took first in the division with a 107 score over two rounds at Quail Ridge. Amos placed first in three of the four qualifying tournaments in the women’s novice division and again with a 138 at Quail Ridge.

Pena placed third in the Intermediate Amateur division, squeezing in after Shawn Spiker charged from a sixth-place first round to finish second overall. But two solid scores of 55 and 53 earned Pena the trip to Marshall by a comfortable three strokes.

“(The Bluebird Series) has been awesome,” he said. “Now that it has actually happened once, there’s already a lot of talk about it next year and a lot more people interested in it. It really just comes down to more exposure for the sport, just being out there and improving myself and the competition as well. If everyone else wasn’t as serious about it as I am, then it would be no fun.”