Blog
I think I'm finally getting my stuff together for the year! Over the last few weeks I've been avoiding planning the rest of my tour and I'm not one to function well without a plan. But NOW I've got a really good idea of how it's all going down. First off I'm insanely happy to say that I'll be able to see my 2 favorite people (the Erik/c's) at plenty of events throughout the season. That fact alone puts my mind at ease more than I thought it would. This tour is happening a lot differently than I had planned and although I'm more than okay with plans changing, it's been a little intimidating- mainly the thought of living out of a car for months on end. What I've figured out though is I can rely on this huge support system out on the road and that it's growing every single day. I have a few stops on the tour so far that I will be "stationed" in the same area for weeks at a time, and in familiar places which I'm excited for. Namely I will be in the Washington/Oregon area for up to 3 weeks and perhaps up to a month and a half in Minnesota/Wisconsin. There's one more set of tournaments that puts me in Texas for 3 weeks, which is mostly uncharted territory for me. I'll figure that out when we get closer to April. Leg #1: My first leg of tour: Feb 13 Show Low Freeze - Show Low, AZ Feb 20-21 38th Wintertime Open Pro - Pasadena, CA Feb 25-28 2016 Gentlemen's Club Challenge - Las Vegas, NV March 2-4 28th Memorial Championship - Scottsdale, AZ March 12-13 Daniel Boe Memorial - Escondido, CA March 18-20 St. Pattys Classic - Sacramento, CA I also Keep gettingThe Whale Biz Things are going GREAT with the Whale Sacs business! I have a few opportunities to be a vendor at a few tournaments around the US. I've also branched into doing large orders for tournament players which will quickly get my name out into the Disc Golf world! Also, something I've wanted to do since the day my logo was designed, I have Whale Sacs Putters! I have to say it's something I'm ridiculously proud of. Now that I have succeeded with my first year of business, my mind is racing with other entrepreneurial ideas, and also other ways to make an impact in the Disc Golf community. More on that to come but I have a big idea for an organization that can make a huge difference! I also keep getting shout outs from Terry Miller on SmashboxxTV - Disc Golf's weekly podcast for sport related info. Women's Disc Golf Outreach
We did it! We officially are a registered Non-Profit Organization! The Charity can now start taking donations that are tax deductible to the donors and we can grow our cause exponentially! In the last month specifically, we've seen a big increase in women's participation in the area and I know it will continue to grow itself while I am out on the road. I'm sad to say my time in Tucson is almost up (for now), but I'm thrilled for the next chapter and I will continue to be involved with the charity while I'm out competing. Please visit our website and if you can make a donation to better women's disc golf, THANK YOU! In closing, my life is better than ever, and it was already wonderful. Disc Golf has given me a chance at being truly happy and independent and I am forever grateful. I have a dream that when I have the ability, through my business or otherwise, that I will be able to give back to this sport tenfold what it has given to me. Love and frisbees, Tina P.S. I'm working on re-vamping this blog to be an all around information hub for all the things I'm doing (Tina's Life Plan if you will): Beginner Disc Golf tips Rving/Road Tripping Financial Advice Growing the Sport for Women Owning a Business I'll make an announcement when it is finalized! First off, I want to say that I am incredibly thankful for my current situation and I am not trying to complain about it. However, I HAVE developed a problem of sorts with my work habits.
Last year I decided to work my butt off so I could pursue my dream of becoming a professional disc golfer. I was completely okay with pulling 15 hour days with 9 of that being my full time job and the rest being side jobs and the Whale Sacs biz. Now it's 2016 though, and I succeeded in getting myself financially and situationally in the right place to be living that dream (though I struggle with calling myself a professional golfer, more on that later) and those 15 hour days haven't worn off. It is a fact that most of my "work time" is spent doing things I like, including sewing, networking, web design, marketing and some disc golf events for the charity. There are, however, plenty of pieces that fry my brain but I have this terrible habit of waking up at 6 am work work working and then boom it's 10:30 at night and I have barely taken a break. I'm productive as hell, but I don't think it's really healthy anymore. Last week I had a minor "melt down"- very very minor, but it happened either way. I was hoping to get out of town for the weekend because that's pretty much the only way I allow myself to take a day off. That didn't end up happening and it hit me harder than I expected (how little I let myself relax on a weekly/monthly basis). My girl Erika used to joke and send me examples of "how to relax" but it's not really a joke anymore. Something I will work on. I never as a kid, or high school student, or college adult pictured myself as a workaholic, frankly I didn't like working very hard at most things. But here I am, filing my first "Self-Employed" tax return and disc golfing and working with an amazing charity to grow the sport and I'm almost as stressed out as I was working at the bank. But here's where I turn it around. Remember that amazing sport? The one where you go to a field or a course and throw frisbees as hard as you can? The one that is better than any therapy I could have ever gone to? Disc golf can be such an amazing healer. The day of my baby melt down, I remembered around 4pm that I hadn't gone and thrown yet. I went to the course - now a mile and a half from my house and I threw a round at Santa Cruz DGC by myself. I started off grumpy and frustrated with life but a few holes in (and with some help from Mr. Eric reminding me I'm always happy), all of a sudden, I was on top of the world again. My drives were connecting, I was throwing further than ever before, smashing putts like none other and parring holes from the long tee pads with drop in putts. Smiling, skipping, happy happy happy. I guess what I'm getting at is this sport has saved me so many times and I really don't know what I would do without it. This passion is what fuels my need to #GrowTheSport. I want the world to understand how healing and positive it can be. I want everyone's struggles to melt away the way it can for me. It's simply magic. Ok ok, I'll get off my soap box now. Thanks for listening if you are and even further, for understanding. Last note, remember when I said "more on being a professional disc golfer". Well I'm in a weird transition where I am completely living that Pro Golfer life, and finally starting to play like one. Everything I do for a job (or otherwise) has to do with disc golf and people outside of the PDGA consider me a professional golfer...so what about on the inside? I'm currently signed up for 3 open events in the next 3 months, I'm registered as an amateur player and plan to play mostly AM events this year. People keep referring to me as a pro and I always feel the need to correct them. Generally I just say "all I do is disc golf, but I'm still playing am events". What do YOU think? Golf lately has really started to feel like my comfort zone. I've had some chaotic days and everything around me is changing but then I get out on the course and there's this calm unlike anywhere else. As my game continues to improve, my competitive rounds are feeling more and more comfortable and I just know this is what I want to do for the long-term foreseeable future.
I competed in the Maricopa Meadows A-tier the weekend before last (see the PDGA article HERE) and although my competition beat me by a size-able number, I still came in second and am mostly proud of it. Considering I popped a rib out of place earlier that week, I preformed as best I could and my putting really saved the day. This tournament was a great start to 2016 and I'm optimistic that it'll only get better as the year moves on. I've since recovered from my injury and feel better than ever, more confident and more smooth with my throws. My #2 best friend/boyfriend (Yes Erika, you're still winning) drove 6 hours from California to support and caddy for me. I don't think I would have made it through that tourney without him, especially since I packed my bag pretty heavily for 2 days of 27 holes! A huge thank you to him for that, it means the world to me. We were hosted by local hero's Javier and Amyjo, the warmest and most inviting people I've met in years. These two are part of this amazing disc golf community where a complete stranger can reach out for a place to sleep for the weekend and not think twice about it. I don't think I will ever get over how tight-knit disc golf is. It's such a remarkable family to be a part of. Speaking of accommodations, I've started to plan my 2016 tour and have found hospitality for every single event on my first 5 week leg. I have a lot to of pieces to figure out before the end of March (when that leg is over), mainly where I will live, how I will live and how I will sustain my life as a full-time disc golfer. I have had so much support through my Whale Sacs business, and as long as that continues to grow, I may be set up for this year. Next up, Whale Sacs stamped putters, visiting shops while on tour, and some more promotional items to really #spreadthewhales. New for the business, Terry Miller - The Disc Golf Guy is hiding an easter egg (whale logo) in each of his Video Blogs, if you spot the Whale Sac first, you win one! It's a fun way to reach the public and who doesn't love giveaways?! I can only hope it will help grow the business, which in turn helps me tour. I will continue to work as I have, and have faith that the rest will fall into place. In the mean time, I'm working hard to grow the sport for women, working hard to better my own game and working hard to stay true to myself and maintain as much happiness as possible. Keep smiling, keep breathing, keep throwing frisbees. Tina Oh. P.s. I GOT MY FIRST ACE LAST WEEK with my Discmania MD3! HAPPY! What a great couple weeks. I was out of Tucson for a majority of last month but I’m happy to be back for the start of this year. I’ve been training, a LOT and I think I’ve figured out many crucial parts of my game! To catch up, I spent 2 weeks in California for the holidays, in Ramona/San Diego and back in Rancho Cucamonga. We golfed every day except Christmas day (even then, I brought a putter to Disney World), either at a handful of local courses or doing field work. Somewhere in there, a few things clicked like never before. It was kind of like boot camp for me. I’m happy to say my skills have grown exponentially in the last 2 months and I’m starting to shoot even and negative scores more often than not. I truly (finally) feel like a great golfer, and that’s pretty rad. Also, my putt feels EASY! What?! I never in my life thought I’d be able to say putting was easy!!! Having these past few months off to focus on training has brought my game up to a level I hadn’t expected to reach already. I knew I’d get there some day, but to be here now is insanely exciting! I know that I have a lot of work to do still before I feel ready to play in the Open division, but at this rate, I have faith that it will happen this year! Other updates, I may take a job for a few months after the Memorial winds down, just to build a better foundation to tour this summer. I’ve accepted this, and I refuse to work year round but a few months in the spring will be a fine sacrifice. There’s a strong possibility I will be relocating to CA after my leg in Tucson is over, likely March or so before it gets too hot here. Which, by the way…it has NOT been Arizona here the last few weeks. Feels a lot like Portland without the constant clouds though there has been plenty. It snowed last week, not to far from where I live and most days haven’t gotten much over 50. I’ll still take it over Wisconsin winters, but just waiting for it to warm up again! Lastly, today I’m moving out of my spot in the desert. The long, though beautiful drive has started to wear on me and getting closer to town is a must for my sanity. It can certainly get lonely out here. SO…considering disc golfers are all amazing people…I am moving my rig to my friend’s house that’s about 5 blocks from our local course - Santa Cruz River Park. There’s also a field a block away to do all the field work I want. I’m excited for this change and it will save me a ton of money too! Another beautiful part of living the RV life, if you don’t like where you are, MOVE! Competition: I played in a Tucson Disc Golf Club tournament this weekend against 110 competitors. It was a great warm up for 2016’s first sanctioned event that I’m playing next weekend - Maricopa Meadows. I played in the intermediate men’s division and came out 7th in a field of 23. Considering the state of women’s disc golf at this point, there are very few tournament’s I’ve been able to compete against that many players. It was a killer experience and I may do that again in the near future. I guess the beauty of my placement is that just a few months ago, the scores I put up would have felt amazing! But since I’ve come so far with my practice, I know I could have played much much better. Regardless I’m very pleased with how I played. On a separate, but related note, Tucson is dolphinately finding a cozy home in my heart. This tournament weekend really solidified that these are my family, my people, my supporters and I couldn’t be happier about it. There’s a strong possibility that a place doesn’t feel like “home” until 1 day consists of at least 3 people yelling “WHALE SACS” when I walk by…a strange measuring stick, I know, but it makes me feel like I belong. I had so much support at this tournament, from some messages on Facebook, the Tournament Director, my boyfriend (of course), and every one of the locals. I am so fortunate to be a part of this scene. I’ve been surrounded with so much positivity and it rubs off on others, and seeing that flame burn like it does inspires me. I posted something Saturday morning before the tournament about staying positive and I’m happy to say I did that regardless of how I played. Sure that can be hard most days when you miss a putt or shank your midrange shot out of bounds and take a 5 on a hole you know you can get a 2…but these last two days were so easy. I have to honestly admit it had virtually nothing to do with me. It had almost everything to do with the positivity that surrounded me. I don’t think I could have been in a bad mood (I guess I could, but I’d have to try so hard!). Positivity is contagious. I encourage all of you to feel the energies around you, in life, in golf, wherever, and strive to be that positive light for both yourself and everyone else. It really can make all the difference. Then one day turns into 3 and then a week and before you know it, you’re living your every single day as the happiest you’ve ever been. Life can be a total dream, but you have to let it be. I’ll end my preachy-ness here. Love Life, Love Disc Golf, The Whale Sacs Girl I was answering some interview questions with Mr. Bill Richardson this week and we touched on what it's like living in a trailer. We did a little "Whale Sacs Cribz" segment. I then realized I hadn't yet posted about all the perks of my RV life inside Elizabeth Trailer. It's something dolphinately worth touching on!
Affordability Affordability is pretty self explanatory I think. I used to rent a $750 apartment to myself, with $120/mo in utilities to heat and light the place, etc. and that was CHEAP for Portland. I gave up apartment life and got myself a 15 year "mortgage" with an insanely low interest rate and monthly payment. I don't mind telling everyone what kind of money I'm saving by owning an RV. YES, I do have debt on my house, though I'd always suggest buying with cash if at all a possible. Elizabeth Trailer is a brand new $33,000 27' Travel Trailer that I paid $19,000 for (I'll help you negotiate if you ever get yourself a trailer!). But the payments are nothing like what you'd pay on a 19k car loan. I pay $150/month, most of which goes directly to principal. There are other costs of course, mainly finding somewhere affordable to park it. In Portland, I had a friend that let me rent their driveway for another $150/month, still keeping my living expenses down. The sky is really the limit for where you can park your house. If you're willing to spend the time searching, you might even be able to find somewhere you can work off your lot rent. Affordability 2.0 This second form of affordability came as a pleasant surprise to me. Although my house is probably too big for just me, I still have very little space compared to your everyday apartment. I'm also annoyingly organized, so clutter just isn't an option. What does this translate to? I never go shopping. Ok, ok, I buy food, and business items (and occasionally dresses) but other than that, I don't need anything because I don't have room for it. It's a blessing in disguise, but I've grown to like it. It saves your family and friends money too cause they KNOW you don't have room for things :D Mobility/Freedom My house is on wheels. That's the whole point, right? I can move it wherever I want. What I didn't fully understand until committing to this life is that it plays into every big decision I have to make, but makes it a much smaller, less stressful decision. "Could you move to California?" of course I could. "Could you spend a few months in Tucson?" sure thing, be right there. "Don't like Arizona?" Nope, just gotta pull my big suitcase/house somewhere else.* I can take a job anywhere, or not take a job, in the middle of nowhere for a month or for a year or anything I want, with little hassle. That kind of freedom is immensely liberating. I'm a much happier, much less anxious person because of it. *I actually love Arizona, point is that if I didn't, I could leave in a heartbeat. Simplicity Although this word simplicity could apply to everything I've written prior, what I mean here is the fact that I have purged my un-needed belongings. I've purged a few times since originally moving in too! I feel like "things" really do become such a focus for humans. You have a big place, you fill the big place with things and that's supposed to make you happier, right? I certainly went the other way with this, and am much much happier now. I got rid of all the doo dads and thingers and fancy whatever's and I now have what I need. I have dishes and food and clothes and toiletries, a practice basket, too many frisbees, a few things for entertainment and that's about it. No clutter. It's actually a freeing feeling getting rid of all that stuff you thought you needed, and I could probably get rid of more and be just fine. I realize this life isn't for everyone, and that families might complicate the system (though I think a traveling family is about the coolest thing I've ever heard of) but I think there are a million keys to my new happiness that all dwell inside Elizabeth Trailer and the life she's given me. I seriously encourage every one of you to at least consider what a more simple life could do for you. If it's not for you, I get it, but I truly believe a large part of my undying happiness comes from my lifestyle. The beauty of it all, you can always go back... Love, simplicity, frisbees, Tina I'm behind! Mostly because I've been having too much damn fun!
life is good. Really good. I spent a week in Portland surrounded by my favorite friends and disc golf courses and some pretty cold weather. I think I somehow managed to bring the sun with me from Arizona though! It only rained the night I got in, then blue skies the rest of my trip. I was able to play a handful of Portland favorites: Blue Lake Pier Trojan Lunchtime Champooeg All of which I played pretty poorly I might add but I am still recovering from my back injury. It's getting better slowly...and thanks again to everyone who has reached out, thank you for caring!!! :) I'll likely have a few weeks of "rehab" before I'm back to my normal self. This one really did a number on me but I'm determined to get back to healthy as quickly as possible. My Thanksgiving, although completely unorthodox was pretty perfect. I played a round of golf in the morning with great people, then hung out at my friend Mat's house by myself, re-watching about 20 disc golf videos from past tournaments. Specifically 2014 Disc Golf Pro Worlds - Portland - the footage that changed my life. I was watching Ohn Scoggins make every. single. putt. and remembered I drive through Los Angeles (where she lives) to get back to Tucson so I shot her a message to play a round. It didn't hit me until later, but she's a huge part of why I decided to take this living-for-disc-golf path, only 1.5 years ago, and now I'm playing casual rounds with her in California. I can't tell ya'll how happy that makes me. Anyhow, later Thanksgiving evening, my good friends brought me turkey and a bunch of pie and we watched MORE disc golf videos together and it was completely perfect. Thanksgiving successfully spent with family. I left a little early from Portland and spent a few more days in California on the way back home. Also... Perfect. The weather is stellar, the people are amazing and the courses are a blast. I'm playing with some new Discmania frisbees from Eric and I'm REALLY impressed. I haven't dabbled a whole lot outside of Innova and a few latitude discs but I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. I got to play the world's first permanent course Oak grove in Pasadena, CA with Ohn , Erin White, Jamie Hadley (see photo and video) and a really cool guy I forget the name of. It was such a fun crew to play with. Also, after sunset, I got to play a completely lit 18-hole disc golf/ball golf course near Los Angeles. We need one of those everywhere for winter golf! I am back home now grinding away on charity and Whale Sacs items that have fallen behind in the last two weeks. But speaking of both, Women's Disc Golf Outreach AND Whale Sacs were featured on the PDGA women's Facebook page last week! They were generous enough to do a fundraiser for WDGO, and then featured Whale Sacs for their "by women for women" disc golf companies segment. Everything else is just as good as it has been not a lot else to update but it sure has been a fun two weeks fun and much needed. **Side note. I wrote this yesterday while in Tucson, but somehow found myself in San Diego for a day. My life is crazy and I like it that way. I'm writing this while laying on my back because it kills just to sit up.
And that sucks. If you followed me on Facebook at all, you'd see I had a somewhat disappointing week. That's not to say it wasn't still amazing (because it really really was), however there was definitely some disappointment. Here's a little history on my health: As I've mentioned before I have a broken vertebrae. It's the one as far down as possible and they call it a spondy (spondylolisthesis but that looks too much like my last name so we'll stick with spondy) and apparently it happened when I was a kid. I used to wake up and feel crippled every single day in my early twenties, until I was about 25. I have since found the right chiropractor who recognized that it was a break and not just scoliosis. It took me eight or nine months of rehab to feel like a normal, healthy-ish 25-year-old. I have since been incredibly happy simply because I'm not in that kind of pain every day. I can't tell you how thankful I am to have found the solution. However, this last week, after changing my throwing form, and not stretching enough, I pulled or squished or injured something, and wasn't able to finish a tournament for the first time in my competitive career. It's a really frustrating thing for me and something I am still mentally struggling with. I'm 27 and in a ton of pain, feeling like my body is 70. Understandably, I'm not so happy about that. BUT I pulled out of this tournament, and it was the right decision, and I can't believe the kind of responses I got from my friends/family. Very quickly in times like these I am reminded how spectacular my support system is, and also how kind and caring the disc golf community is. People I've spent only a few hours with extend their advice and "get better's" and have been checking up on me since the injury. I'm so lucky to have those kinds of people in my life, and so so many of them. I'm constantly blown away by this family. Ya'll are the best. I truly mean that. As for last week's goings on there wasn't a whole lot because I was hurt, but: - We launched the website for Women's Disc Golf Outreach, created by yours truly. If you hate it, let me know. ;) - I did play one round of 27 holes at Buffalo Ridge for the AZ state championship, and played my best golf possible for a solid 10-12 holes before my back started to be too much...it's something... - Packed my things and drove to Rancho Cucamonga, CA to hang with the Discmania crew and caddied a bit for my new favorite person, Eric Oakley. SoCal Championships were this weekend, and I got to watch a lot of great golf at La Mirada. p.s. California is rad. - Finished the 15 hour trip to Portland, OR where I am currently typing and awaiting my chiropractic appointment. Then I'm here for Thanksgiving and back down south next week where it's 75 degrees and sunny. I love being able to travel as much as I do. My life has really fallen into place and I'm so thankful that I can say I'm truly happy with everything happening in my life. Even the bad parts bring out more good...that...is a truly wonderful thing. Not a lot of photo's this week except Buffalo Ridge, Eric and his new pet Scyther, and of course the AZ sunsets. Yesterday was the 1 month marker of arriving in Tucson! I can say somehow that it's taken forever and also flown by. Time is funny like that. I feel like I could potentially be all over the place with this week’s post since so many things came and went but I'll do my best to be simple. My favorite moments: - Played in the snow, then later that day, climbed some desert hill in shorts and a tank top in 65 degree sunshine. - Got a cactus stuck in my leg that looked exactly like Herbie (yes, this is a favorite moment ;) ) - Had a very successful Ladies League, new friends and my first #1 bag tag! - Attended our first charity board meeting with all members. It's really exciting to talk about next years goals and this years accomplishments. - Got some props on the Smashboxx podcast (HERE) by my girl Zoe, as well as a big shout out for Women’s Disc Golf Outreach. We’re starting to get some attention and it’s really fueling my passion for my work here. - Modified my golf run up and added a ton of power/distance. Yay learning! - Sat at a bar with my best friend teaching dudes how to throw a forehand flick using a pizza pan - And lastly, had a long bonfire discussion on men vs women, form vs force in disc golf with my best friend which will be the topic I will run with. But FIRST! Bonus video... I'm not very good at hood, but I tried. [If you don't frisbee, you may want to skip this]
I’ve watched a ton of disc golf videos this week. Form form form, distance distance, confidence. I’m streaming some Mellow Yellow Challenge @ Solitude videos, watching men park 800 foot downhill shots for a 50 foot putt. I snapped a little bit and just (to my friend) yelled “I WANNA THROW 800 FEET!”. Yeah it’s downhill but it was the beginning of a huge discussion on why don’t I, and why don’t “we” as women (most women)? I have a few theories, and please, I’d love your input since no one is right and I want to crack the code! Men vs Women I’m a lady. I get complimented on my form all the time and I always say “that’s all I have.” I’m a little girl with comparatively small muscles but there are still small men out there, that aren’t putting in training time, throwing 200+ more than I can without much effort. So why? I’m passionate, I’m taking the time to learn, I’m not convinced that I CAN’T throw that far…or am I? I have a theory that there’s a lot of simple subconscious going on here that’s keeping me from throwing even 500 feet. Considering I choke while competing (for seemingly no reason) and can’t throw shots I KNOW how to make, I feel like there’s definitely something there. There are 2 sides to this that Erika and I discussed. 1. How far do we ladies NEED to throw? What I have works for me and I can keep up with my division throwing 315 feet... I think there’s a stigma in the sport right now, but it’s mostly due to lack of competition. Let’s grow the sport to 50/50 women/men and see if 315 feet will do me any good. I think not. 2. How far do we think we CAN throw? This is a tricky question that I'm sure is different for everyone but I'm guessing we're working inside a box. Paige Pierce is our prime example, and a damn good one, but look at the men's field with Amateur players still tossing 600 feet. Anyhow, I don’t want to settle where I am, I want to learn, and I want to be a big arm no matter my gender. So that cover’s a small portion of men vs women…how about form vs force, very similar but different? Form vs Force I’m the first to admit I’m not the most ladylike lady I know. I’m crude and like getting dirty and play with the boys better than I do with the girls in most things…but I’d still describe myself as dainty. I have a small delicate frame and I care about not breaking my body. Granted I have a history of literally being broken (a vertebrae to be exact) so this may apply to me more than others. But as my friend Erika and I discussed; day 1, you put a frisbee in a girls hand and she tosses it gently with only her arm (I take full responsibility for generalizing). Now do the same with a boy and he throws it as hard as possible putting everything into it. I think this is a huge factor in women’s learning curve in disc golf. Maybe if I’m more willing to sacrifice that daintiness/caution that I play with, I’ll figure it out. Being somewhat wreckless might be a good thing in disc golf. I have a lot of work to do, but little mental blocks like this seem to be my main struggle at the moment. Sorry to get so technical but frisbeelife will do that to a person and 6 hour frisbee conversations are my favorite. I’m planning on doing a "beginner tips for women" series, hopefully sooner than later. I’m super analytical and I love teaching. Even while not being the BEST golfer myself, I understand golf and frisbees plenty. So my first tip (videos to come) is analyze your throw. Have a friend film you and dissect it. Watch a few pro videos online and see what you’re doing differently, or see if there’s some tiny piece of advice you can apply, one thing at a time. It’s crazy how much can improve by putting your foot in a different place, or moving your thumb over or using the tee pad differently. But in the wise wise words of Tim Skellenger, “Just try everything, if it doesn’t work for you, don’t do it. But try it.” That’s not a direct quote but it’s the idea. Also shout out to all you pros that keep throwing SUPER helpful advice my way. I feel like I’m in frisbee college and I love it. You know who you are, and I really appreciate it! Next up: AZ State Championships in Phoenix, AZ this weekend! Immediately driving up to Portland, OR to see my other disc golf family Stop in Rancho Cucamonga, CA Eat a ton of turkey. Continue being really happy! Love and frisbees, ya'll, Tina Last note: check the side bar for new goodies. Video's links to other things frisbee/Tina This might be one of my lengthier posts, it's been a rough one. I feel like I was doing great last week. Lots of things were trying to take me down but I tend to be able to see things in a positive light and get over it. But, a girl can only handle so much before losing it. This week was a huge mix of great's, bad's and god dammit's. Monday started out with that doctor's appointment for my hurty foot, then a flat tire (replaced the other 3 too), then one of my worst rounds of golf - tournament or otherwise, and now a cracked windshield I'll have to replace. Somewhere in there I broke a little. Money money money!
Money stuff is much harder to deal with than it was when I had full time income. Knowing that I'm running off of a smaller budget in savings makes these unexpected expenses a lot more scary than they were before. I know I'll be fine, but frankly I didn't budget for an extra $700+ of expenses for my first month of "unemployment", and I absolutely let it get to me. Saturday I played the Phoenix Ladies Open in the pro division and I played on a card with my BFF...and Catrina Allen, for a player as new as me, she's a little intimidating. I'm a low rated player even for the advanced field and I had a hard/impossible time shaking that from my brain during the first round. Anyone who has seen me play wouldn't recognize me either and it was somewhat heartbreaking for me. Frisbees are my life right now and it's such a heavy/unpleasant feeling when I can't preform even close to where I can. The bigger let down to me though is my poor attitude. I pride myself for being the positive energy on the course despite missed putts and bad drives, but after 12 holes of the same disappointment, every throw, I let myself get down and that's where I stayed. Erika pointed out to me that my face, after a bad drive, shows all of those other things I'm dealing with. There was way more going on in my head than just golf. I'm learning to play with that pressure and it will get better but it's a longer road than I thought and I have to be okay with that. Here's where I turn it around as usual. This weekend taught me a lot that I don't think I would have figured out if things went differently. For that I am thankful. Erika reminded me I've got a lot more going on than just that field that day. And that I'm a new golfer. I've got a lot of the mental side to work on, and that's my next focus. But outside of that, I'm a business owner, I'm following my dream and I want to be an inspiration to other women and that is WAY more important to me than one tournament. Why are we so hard on ourselves? To touch on the brighter notes, two of my favorite people were here in Arizona with me last week. Zoe Andyke and Erika Stinchcomb (mentioned above). They both played amazingly this weekend and it's so much fun to watch. It was incredibly nice to have some of those Pacific Northwest vibes down here. That'll hold me over until Thanksgiving for sure, when I go back to Portland to visit. I do miss home but I can finally say I'm settling in well. I do love it here, I love where my house is, and I'm starting to feel more of a part of the community. The mountains are beautiful and the weather is really pleasant. I'm in Flagstaff, AZ right now and it's supposed to snow, then we're heading back to Tucson and it will be 80 degrees again...how cool is that? Aaaaaaand I get to keep Erika until Saturday! Happy. Thanks again for all of your support, and for joining me on my journey! It's been a whale of a good time so far. Please enjoy this giant photo album from this week. This last week has been another interesting one, but more of an internal battle than anything. I've got to admit, although I'm thoroughly enjoying my new lifestyle, I've struggled with parts I didn't think I would. I've worked full time for 8 years, with disc golf and Whale Sacs on the side. I'd say I easily put in 13-14 hour days, sometimes more with those 3 things. Now? I wake up when I want, I golf when I want, work when I want, wherever I want...sounds TERRIBLE right? Don't get me wrong here, I'm incredibly thankful and enthusiastic that this is my life now, however it hasn't come without a struggle. Change can be hard. I've lost a ton of sleep the last few weeks and found my biggest transition to overcome (other than missing my favorite people) is giving myself a damn break for NOT working 13 hours per day. I had grown accustomed to working my ass off. I'd wake up at 4:30 am, sew some whale sacs, go to my banking job for 8 hours, putting practice on my 1 hour lunch break, then on to league for 3 hours after that, and quite possibly finish up the night with some more sewing or working on my website. It's so nice knowing there's time for the things I enjoy now but I'm still feeling the weight of my previous life pushing down on me. I finally had a chat with my sister and said "I think I need to stop being so hard on myself." and that's really all it took to get myself to take a breather. We all deserve a break from our own criticism. Breathe. I've adjusted quite a bit more since last week and am settled into a new and beautiful location in my RV Elizabeth Trailer. Today on the way into town I got a flat tire, and what went through my mind was this: "Well that's annoying...but I'm not in a hurry...dang, I wish I had my practice basket while I wait for AAA" And that's about it. Life has lost a ton of stress, and that...is fantastic. (P.s. if you've been waiting to buy a Whale Sac, now would be a great time ;) ) I'm really really happy. On a related happy note, I shot one of my best rounds, in a very very long time yesterday- 1 under par, with a possibly fractured foot might I add. It's amazing what happens when you convince yourself that you're good at what you do. Hopefully I can keep up with that this weekend at the Phoenix Ladies Open! There are more than 80 women competing at this event, that's so rad! As for the charity, we have some really exciting things a-brewing. We have a website to release in the vert near future, we're discussing ladies coverage and women's insider stories for the 2016 Memorial Championships and we're working on an event aimed towards local women's ultimate teams. I can't wait to get deeper into the planning for this (likely January). Wish me luck at the Phoenix Ladies Open this weekend! And also to my home girls Erika Stinchcomb and Zoe Andyke!!! They're flying down here to compete in Open with me this weekend! Love for everyone, Tina I've taken up drawing for disc stamps. It's a scorpion...not a lobster...OR a crab...
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Author
Tina Stanaitis - Professional Disc Golfer (#68076), Entrepreneur, Full Time RVer, and Dream Follower Extraordinaire!
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