The Midwest Invasion, Part Two
The United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships will be held this summer in Madison, Wisconsin. Many anticipate that this will be the largest and most prolific women’s disc golf tournament to date. They have already reached a milestone of 100 FPO registrants, and every other division is either full or filling up fast. The Midwest Invasion is coming, but what got us to this historic moment? Years of hard work and dedication to growing the sport from women all over the country. Last week I highlighted two of the legendary women leading the charge in the Midwest, Jenny San Filippo and Amy Laskowski. This week I visit one of my favorite ladies in the game, who is doing amazing things in the Southeast US region.
In 2020 just before the pandemic madness began, my wife and I were on a trip to play the inaugural Crosswinds Open in Pooler, GA. It was the first time we met Valerie Williams, sole proprietor of Wicked Aces, a rapidly growing company making a huge impact in the region. More on this next week, but after the event, we travelled to Atlanta, GA for my work conference, and Alyssa reached out to the local ladies’ league there, and a bright young lady volunteered to provide transportation for Alyssa, and her name was Sierra Buford. She recalls that fateful day, “I had never been out with the Atlanta women before, but Alyssa posted on the page asking to play so I responded! I picked her up from her hotel, went to play with the gals, and we quickly became friends through our love of the sport, especially the women’s side.” Since that day, Sierra has really committed to growing the sport for women. I caught up to her this week to share her story.
Sierra holds a leadership position within the GaLs, aka the Atlanta Women’s Disc Golf club. Sierra says, “I got involved in the disc golf community about a year after I started playing, and for me, once I met the women in the sport, everything changed. I quickly became involved in the organizational and volunteer side of the sport and in the past 2 years I have been the Tournament Director for five sanctioned women’s events (with 2 more on the horizon), countless supergroup rounds, holiday parties, travel tournaments, and unsanctioned fun as well as traveling all over the country to play myself.” Sierra recently graduated and she has found a career that allows her to work remotely, a perfect job for a traveling disc golfer!
So, what drives Sierra’s passion for this game? “I love the sport, but more importantly than that, I love the people. I can often be found running across the course to introduce myself if I see a woman I’ve never met before. I really found my niche in this leadership role and because women are still a very small percentage of the total population of disc golfers, advocating and creating a space for women has become what I enjoy most”, she says. Anybody who has met Sierra can attest to her genuine kindness and willingness to share her knowledge of the game.
I asked her about what is coming this summer, and how she feels this will impact the ladies’ side in the long run. Sierra says, “I am excited to see what this summer will bring with the biggest USWDGC in history (over 300 women competing!) and although this is a huge step in the right direction, we need to remember that the biggest struggle we have is not getting women out to play a round or two but retaining those women for years to come. The way to do this is by creating a welcoming, kind, fun, and safe environment that women will always remember and want more.” Sierra is serious about retention, as evidenced by her upcoming event in Atlanta, GA, the “GaLs Mingle & Mimosa”, a unique and exciting experience that focuses more on participation than competition. The idea came from another GaLs member, Katie Hudgens, aka HorseCourse Girl on social media, and her and Sierra made it a reality. She explains how it works, “We will camp together on the course Friday night, wake up Saturday morning and then play a ridiculously fun round of disc golf, followed by brunch and an epic raffle & games session. THIS is where we feel the sport really grows and we really see women not only coming out for that one round, but then joining us for each event we host thereafter.” This fun and unorthodox approach to promoting the sport is partially responsible for what is coming to Madison in July. This type of thinking is why Sierra has been universally welcome during her travels. She is exactly the kind of ambassador the sport needs to help retain and encourage women to keep at this wonderful game of ours.
How can you do what Sierra is doing in your communities? Well Sierra was kind enough to provide these bullet points on how you can encourage and support women in disc golf:
As a TD, create separate divisions (Including more than just FA1) and allow divisions of less than 3 to play in tournaments.
Support women owned businesses - sponsor tee signs, go to store openings, buy items for your events through women owned businesses (Empowered Disc Golf, Ladies First Disc Golf, Wicked Aces Disc Golf, and Throw Pink are great resources).
ASK your local women what they want! What would get them out more? How can you support them in their endeavors to grow the women’s side of the sport?
Partner together with a local woman to host an event! Sanctioned or unsanctioned.
Be a resource for your local women. Getting started is the scariest part and if we know we have someone to reach out to with questions it’s more likely we will put ourselves out there to start something new (whether a local league, or casual meet ups).
Disc golf takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master, and when you create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages growth and learning, then you make it comfortable to pursue the game in your own way. Women like Jenny, Amy, and Sierra are the new driving force that are setting the standard on how to grow women’s disc golf. I look forward to seeing each of them in Madison in July. Next week we continue this series, where I will catch up to Valerie Williams who just opened a brick-and-mortar store in Savannah, GA. Stay tuned.
