4D = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY,AUG.19,2002
FEATURES
5D
Disc golf a cheap sport gaining fans
Alix Greenwell, an employee at Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, 802 Massachusetts St., said disk golf was similar to regular golf except the player throws a disk instead of swinging a golf club at the ball.
Sport expandable with skill level many courses in area
Students with a limited budget have an alternative to more traditional sports.
By Jay Pilgreen
Kansan staff writer
Sunflower also offers an assortment of accessories, including gear bags, mini-markers to establish where the disc has fallen, practice baskets, rule books and the Professional Disc Golf Association disc golf course directory.
"It's not very physically challenging, but you are outside," Greenwell said.
The Lawrence course, located in Centennial Park, near the intersection of Ninth and Iowa streets, is free to play.
Alix Greenwell, an employee at Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, 802 Massachusetts St. , said disc golf was an easy sport to learn.
Greenwell said players needed two discs, called a driver and a putter. Discs sell for about $8 to $20.
The sport is similar to golf. There are 18 holes, each with a tee box and a basket to represent the hole. A player throws a disc from the tee box at one end of the course, then continues throwing from the spot the disc lands until he or she puts a disc in the basket and the other end. Scoring is also similar to golf. There is a par for each hole and the player with the fewest throws wins.
Nick Schmidt, Denver senior, started playing the sport his sophomore year.
Schmidt said he took up the sport because it was cheap and allowed him get some exercise. He said that after a few times he considered it a hobby.
"It's a sport you can do at your own
pace," Schmidt said. "It's not strenuous."
Schmidt said he played once a week. He said a full round took about an 1 1/2 to play.
an 1/2 to play.
Since starting, Schmidt said he had bought an additional mid-range driver to add more versatility to his game. He said for a player of his experience, three discs were average, but some more experienced players would carry five or more.
Greenwell said there was room to
advance in skill and technique. She said players had the option of playing competitively.
"There are leagues also." Green-well said.
wen saat.
The Kaw Valley Disc Golf Club, in Centennial Park, offers weekly league play as well as events throughout the summer for players who wish to compete. Information about schedules and memberships can be found on its Web site, www.kawvalleydiscgolf-club.homestead.com.
Contact Pilgreen at editor@kansan.com
Chris Jones,
Lawrence sophomore,
enjoy the time he spends as a Big Brother volunteer to David Dhlhausen.
Won was on a waiting list for years before being matched up with Jones.
Schmidt said he had never competed, but preferred to play for fun and exercise.
"Get a friend who knows what they're doing," Schmidt said. "It makes it more fun."
Players can also find courses at Rosedale Park in Kansas City, Kan., Prairie Center Park in Olathe and Crestview Park in Topeka.
John Nowak/Kansan
Big Brothers Big Sisters looks for volunteers
By Todd Smith
Kansan staff writer
Growing up, Chris Jones wished he had an older brother.
had an older brother. Jones, Lawrence sophomore, decided to make this wish a reality for a child in Lawrence by becoming a volunteer for Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Douglas County.
Jones is a Big Brother to David Ohhausen, an incoming freshman at South Junior High School.
His mother, Kyndol Ohlhausen,
said David was on a waiting list for
a year before he was finally matched up
with Iones.
with praise.
Vicky Leitnaker, case manager for Big Brothers-Big Sisters, said the major reason for this waiting period was because there were so many boys and so few male volunteers.
"There are many single mothers who would like to have a male role model for their boys," she said.
"Statistics show that longer term
Leitmaker said male students who wanted to volunteer should try to commit to at least one year.
matches are the ones that more significantly impact and improve a child's life." Leitaker said.
lire. Lemain could make Exceptions could be made for college males in a program called First Friends, she said.
College males could be matched for six to nine months. The program also allows them to continue a match after a summer away, Leitmaker said.
Most of them chose to mentor for more than a year, she said.
Jones said he would be a Big Brother to David until Jones finished college.
college.
Leitnaker said Big Brothers Big Sisters depended on students because at least half of the matches made in the program were volunteers from KU.
She said students who wanted to get involved should attend informational meetings held at 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays and noon Wednesdays at the Big Brothers Big Sisters office, 211 E. 8th St. Suite G.
Contact Smith at editor@kansan .com.
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