YORKTON - For the first time since a trial run in 2001, the sport of disc golf returns to the World Games this August in Chengdu, China.
The event will be run as a mixed-double competition with 16 countries sending competitors including Canada who will send the tandem of Thomas Gilbert and Sofia Donnecke.
“It’s a huge honour, one of the greatest achievements in my disc golf career so far,” Gilbert, who hails from Toronto told Yorkton This Week in a recent MSN interview.
It is seen as a huge moment by Donnecke too.
“I think representing Canada is a whole new kind of take on disc golf for me,” she said, citing the World Games as “the biggest event” she will have participated in.
Gilbert said the opportunity to play for his country in China is pretty exciting, adding the venue is pretty unique.
“I’ve only once had a layover in China,” he said, adding he’s never had the opportunity to experience the culture. “I’m really excited to do that.”
As for the course it has been established in a huge city centre park specifically for the World Games.
“It’s going to be a pop-up course,” he said, meaning temporary tee pads and baskets will be used.
The course was given a trial run at a recent test event to get a better indication “of the style and flow of the course,” added Gilbert.
Donnecke said she is certainly aware the event is a showcase of sorts for disc golf with an eye to the Olympics, adding the team play format is great in terms of tense play to show the sport well.
“It’s a really exciting format,” she said.
Gilbert said he has been told there are 100 volunteers in place for disc golf “30 being on crowd control,” so he expects a significant gallery to be watching.
In many ways that is what the World Games are about with a roster of sports all trying to show through exposure they should be in the Olympic Games.
“I think it’s a great feeder stage to the Olympics,” said Gilbert, adding that is certainly a goal for the sport.
Since the event is something of a showcase for a dreamed of Olympic inclusion, countries are sending their best to China.
For example the US is sending the team of MPO #1 Gannon Buhr and FPO #3 Missy Gannon, while Estonia is sending Disc Golf World Rankings powered by UDisc #1 Kristin Latt (nee Tattar) and husband Silver Lätt.
In terms of the quality of players selected Gilbert said, “it definitely increases my expectation of how well I have to play to beat these guys.”
“Wearing that maple leaf adds a bit of weight to everything,” added Donnecke.
As for the big name competition Donnecke said it means they need to be ready for day one, citing when asked how they get to the medal podium “I think obviously to start off strong.” That will mean having a plan and working it on course.
Donnecke said it should help that she and Gilbert are familiar partners on a disc golf course.
“We’ve played as a team often,” she said, adding as a duo they won gold medals at a PanAm competition. “. . . We make a really good team. We have great communication and are supportive for one another.”
To get ready for the world Games Gilbert said the summer schedule of big events are such they make prime opportunities to fine tune the game.
The PDGA pro major European Disc Golf Festival is scheduled for Tallinn, Estonia July 17-20, and then it’s on to the PDGA Pro World Championships in Tampere and Nokia, Finland July 30 - Aug. 3., then it’s off to China.
“It’s going to be really nice to ride that into China,” said Donnecke.
Now it’s just waiting for the big event.
“It’s really a huge honour to represent your country at a sporting event of that calibre,” reiterated Gilbert, who said the focus will be of course to win a medal for Canada.
