The Glass Blown Open started its third day on Saturday early at the Emporia Middle School. Dynamic Discs hosted a one day C-tier tournament for 4 divisions of juniors. With players as young as 8 years old, the GBO Juniors Challenge showcased some of our sport’s future stars. The tournament had all the trappings of a sanctioned PDGA event with player’s packs for all and trophies for the winners. The event even saw an ace by 12 and under division player, Aiden Guy. It was Aiden’s first ace ever and it not only came during a tournament, it earned him an on camera interview with DD’s very own Bobby “Cool Daddy Slick Breeze”.
Much has been said about the younger generation of disc golfers. Not only are the juniors playing earlier and earlier in life, but the average age of the open level players seems to be dropping as well. Their youth and power have people taking notice as they win tournaments and make names for themselves. Because of this, sometimes it’s easy to forget about the players that have been around for a while. Saturday at the GBO gave the disc golf world a reminder of one of them as Cam Todd upset youngsters Paul McBeth and Ricky Wysocki, the first and second ranked players in the world. An open level player since 1997, Cam put his years of experience to use to win the 2016 Glass Blown Open by one throw.
In the Masters division, JohnE McCray continued his string of wins by edging out another legend, Patrick Brown, by 2 throws. While JohnE has been playing in Masters as of late, it’s not uncommon to find him giving the youngsters a run for their money in the open division as well. Players like JohnE and Cam are proof that wisdom and experience can compete at a very high level. Our sport isn’t just about who has the biggest arm. There are many facets of play and very often that leads to the more experienced players having an advantage.
For a full recap of play by Cam, JohnE, and FPO champion Catrina Allen, see the PDGA’s in depth coverage or watch a replay of the live Smashboxx coverage available here.
With the competition at an end, it was time for the traditional finale of the GBO, the block party. Pros and ams of all ages came together to celebrate another record setting Glass Blown Open. In front of the Dynamic Discs store, the coveted glass blown trophies, the namesake of the GBO, were awarded to the winners. Vendors from all over the country displayed their wares. The top pros from Latitude 64, Westside Discs, and Dynamic Discs were all on hand to sell and sign limited edition signature plastic. To cap off the night, the putting contest champion was crowned. Pro player Matt Dollar proved he was the best putter at the GBO winning his title in front of a loud and boisterous crowd of onlookers.
As people milled around on the street, reminiscing about the memories they had created over the last week, we couldn’t help but notice all the smiles. Everywhere we looked, people were happy and laughing. Plans were already being made to attend next year’s event. New friendships had been made and old ones strengthened. The disc golf community is truly a special group of people. We are honored and privileged to call all of you our family. We thank each of you for visiting us here in Emporia. We look forward to those of you that couldn’t make it visiting us next year. As we put another Glass Blown Open in the books, we feel our own smiles growing along with yours. What an amazing few days it has been.
Author
Tim Steward
