🎊 New year, new contracts
$200M Payout, DG ASMR, and Course Records
Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter whose resolution is to play more disc golf. I’m 3 for 3 already.
Email Read Time: 4 Minutes & 17 Seconds
If you missed last week, then I got you: McBeth Called His Shot
Let’s get into it.
Contracts Watch
There are 3 certainties in life:
1/ Death.
2/ Taxes.
3/ Innova still has one of the best teams.
Buckle up. Here are all the recent moves made:
🚨 NEW 🚨
Innova finalized its roster and retained its top 10 players
Eveliina Salonen, Henna Blomroos, & Garrett Gurthie: 3-year extensions
Joel Freeman, Jennifer Allen, Ohn Scoggins, & Kat “flying solo” Mertsch: 2-year extensions
Hailey King, Philo Brathwaite, Bradley Williams, Nathan Queen, Jessica Weese, Emily Beach, & Holly Finley: 1-year extensions
Clash Discs brings a handful of big names onto the team. Like TSA, these pros will throw a mixed bag
Eric Oakley, James Proctor, Erika Stinchcomb, Scott Withers
Lone Star Disc slowly completing its Infinity Gauntlet with 4 more signings
Lisa Fajkus - The Tour veteran left Innova after 7 years
Robert Burridge - The PDGA Rookie of the Year left Innova
Deann & AJ Carey - Using her 4 years with Innova as a “stepping stone,” Carey believes she and her husband found their forever sponsor
Maria Oliva traded in her Innova wings for a 1-year deal with Thought Space Athletics and Tour Series discs
Sai Ananda - The silent killer that no one talks about will tour full-time with Westside Discs on her back. Typically only playing a few events a year, she always shows up (7th @ USWDGC ‘22, 8th @ Worlds ‘21)
Stacie Rawnsley had to unexpectedly part ways with Innova but found a new home with Kastaplast
Chandler Fry - Extended with Discraft (1 year, team-level downgrade like Callaway)
Christine Jennings - The 2019 PDGA Rookie of the Year is dropping all her sponsors and taking a full-time position with the DGPT
Dustin Keegan is ending his time with Discmania to focus more on Uplay’s operations
Jon Nicholson - On Dec 1st, he began a 25-day Instagram giveaway but abruptly stopped after Day 9. With no warning weeks later, he announced he’ll never tour again and had forfeited his Tour Card and DD sponsorship. Touring aside, he plans to continue his DG Prescription podcast and have clinics as a “Stokely Method” instructor
AWAITING ANNOUNCEMENT
Left DD: Valerie Mandujano, Mason Ford, Holyn Handley, Paige Shue
Left Innova: Anthony Barela
Left Discraft: Austin Turner
Left Discmania: Simon Lizotte
Plastic
Sponsored by Powergrip USA… A PRETTY GOOD disc golf shop.
👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: New Year Sale
Start the year right with new plastic from Powergrip USA. Now through Sunday (1/8), use promo code NEWYEAR23 for an instant 23% off (some restrictions).
In honor of all the player moves, here are some recs that pros are immediately bagging post-switch:
From Innova to Kastaplast, Stacie Rawnsley
Joined the Berg (1|1|0|2) gang and uses it for easy approaches
Uses the Kaxe (6|4|0|3) for anything under 300ft
Replaced her TL with the Lots (9|5|-1|2) that has more glide
Putts with the Reko X (3|3|0|2) in K3 plastic
And Deann Carey easily found Lone Star Disc replacements for her Innova go-to’s
Known for her Valkyrie shots, she found its replacement with the Lariat (9|5|-1|1)
Switched out her beat-in Wraith for the Nimitz (11|5|-1|3)
Uses the Bull Snake (3|2|0|4) for BH approaches
Uses the Copperhead (3|4|0|2) for FH approaches
Random Triples
1️⃣ The DGPT is hosting its inaugural DG industry conference days before the All-Star competition (2/15-17). If you have >$600, then fly over to Tucson, AZ to learn from the best in course design, e-commerce, and marketing.
The Pro Tour believes this event will bring the sport’s best minds together for collaboration, networking, and growth. Who knows, maybe the next Latitude64 will be born here.
Back in June, the Swedish manufacturer was bought by venture capitalist firms to the tune of 2B Norwegian crowns (~$200M). The price tag was shared by PDGA Europe’s Partnerships Manager - Michael Bui - on The Nick & Matt Show.
2️⃣ For the 6th time, both Paul McBeth & Paige Pierce won the PDGA Players of the Year. Before you whip out your pitchfork, you need to remember how the PDGA does these awards.
There are no votes, just a completely objective measurement of points. What matters is how many events you play, how well you place, and the level of the event (Major, Elite, A-Tier).
Bottom line: Pierce & McBeth performed better at Majors than Wysocki & Tattar, which the PDGA views as more important.
3️⃣ There’s nothing more relaxing than watching a man and his dog play disc golf in serene conditions. Join Isaac Olson and his border collie, Luna, on their daily routine.
I clicked on this video with zero expectations. 6 minutes later, I wanted nothing more than to continue watching Luna spot discs and have Isaac read me bedtime stories.
Meme of the Week
Thanks for reading today. Get out and get your 1st ace of the year!
- Charlie
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