Posted by Chris LaSonde on April 27, 2008 at 10:14:27:
In Reply to: 4/26 race in Langan Park posted by Jim Mather on April 25, 2008 at 10:44:00:
As an athlete with a foot (so to speak) in both camps, I wanted to make a comment about the Saturday morning juxtaposition of the Young Life 5K and the disc golf tournament at Langan Park.
The bottom line for me has always been that people enjoy what they are doing while at the same time attempt to avoid passing judgment on what others chose to do. It was therefore gratifying to see so many smiling faces early on Saturday morning from two groups both making use of our local parks in different but equally valid ways.
If I had gotten there a bit earlier I might have signed up and run the 5K as a warmup for my day of disc golf, but as it was I took time out from loosening my arm to cheer the runners at the finish line.
The only fly in the ointment of an otherwise perfect morning was the gentleman who was broadcasting a running commentary interspersed with music over a sound system located near the finish line. With many disc golfers warming up on the first tee immediately adjacent to the finish line, it was perhaps inevitable that his attention would fall on them at some point. There was a good deal of commentary directed towards the disc golfers, some of it innocent. Other comments, however, were downright thoughtless and demonstrated a a streak of mean spiritedness not appropriate to the atmosphere. Specifically, I took exception to comments such as "cigarettes and beer ... what a sport" delivered in a sarcastic tone of voice. This comment was predicated in part on the fact that one young man (who had been playing disc golf for less than three months) had lit a cigarette before teeing off. I am not sure where the beer part of the comment came from, unless it was just prejudice, because there was no alcohol in sight ... in fact, I saw none all day long.
Having played disc golf for more than 15 years on the professional level, I know that disc golf has a certain image problem. As former president of the Mobile Area Disc Golf Association (MADGA), I worked hard within the disc golf community to raise awareness among disc golfers about the image they project and about being ambassadors for the sport.
I know for a fact that disc golfers regularly police themselves, picking up trash, cutting back overgrowth that the city can't get to and trying to be good citizens and park stakeholders. I know that before the recent redesign of a Langan Park Disc Golf Course, necessitated by the Tennis Center expansion, MADGA sought out input from the running community to ensure that the new layout would not impinge on potential course layouts.
I realize that endeavor-wise, running and disc golf are miles apart. But they share the common ground that they are both peopled by happy, active citizens who are outdoors in a green space caring about each other and enjoying their time at play. Just as I would never dream of standing at the finish line and laughing derisively at anyone walking to the finish line in their first race or anyone running slower than an 8-minute pace, I would ask that the community so well-represented by the Port City Pacers reserve judgment on those participating in other uses of the park ... or at the very least, keep their opinions to themselves
Chris LaSonde