Player Profile: Shawn Pitts

The Midwest Invasion is over, and while I could write about that for another twelve blogs, I won’t. It’s time to focus on others in our community that are doing great things in the sport, and this week I reached out to Shawn Pitts from ParKings Disc Golf Club. He is also sponsored by Wicked Aces Disc Golf Team, DiscDot, Within Range, Lucky Disc Golf, and ChainShark. He wears many hats and it’s a mystery how he can do everything he does. Like so many in our communities, it is his passion that drives. Shawn was born in Rolling Meadows, IL and currently lives in Grayslake with his wife, their pug Milo, with a baby on the way due in October this year.

His journey in disc golf started like so many of us. “I discovered disc golf around my junior or senior year in high school through some of my friends. We used to play ultimate frisbee almost every night during the summer and one day they told me they were going to play disc golf. I joined them and then got hooked”, he says. Casually, he’s been playing since around 2006, and began competitive disc golf in 2017.  Shawn says, “When I moved back home from college, a few friends of mine from high school helped reignite my passion for disc golf as we got a trophy made that would put on the line each time we went out and played. We had a blast giving each other a hard time on bad shots and trying to take down our one friend who would constantly beat us by 5-8 strokes every round. Playing rounds like that really ignited my drive to do more than just play the sport. I wanted to start running a club or even run a tournament. I did not know then that I would get as hooked as I am now and do as much as I do.”

His transition from player to organizer happened as part of the recent explosive growth over the last couple years. Shawn recalls, “In the fall of 2020 I met up Danny Park to begin a new club called ParKings. Since then, we have run three sanctioned tournaments with the 4th and 5th on its way in October. The ParKings Classic II as well as partnering up with a local women's club Ladies of the North to run an all-women’s tournament, ParQueens.” Shawn and his team have also run two unsanctioned tournaments call King of the North that is a doubles tournament that is run in the winter. They also have plans to run a few fundraising tournaments to help put money into our local home course and other courses in the area. Shawn says, “On top of those tournaments we also run a Friday and Saturday, handicap sanction league where we have seen the growth of our club increase dramatically in the last two seasons. Last season we saw about 105 tags sold from April-October, and this year we have already sold over 120 and we are only halfway through the season!”  With the growth of disc golf, there has been an exponential increase in clubs in the area. There are a few notable clubs in the area like Birdbrain and Disc Golf Chicago where Shawn gets inspiration to be a TD and promoter. “These two clubs are run by some amazing people that have helped grow the sport the right way, as well as plant the seeds for the next generation of players,” Shawn says. “Seeing what these clubs are doing is something that I would love to be able to be a part of and help them grow and promote this amazing sport and expand on it.” Shawn has seen success in his efforts because of his approach to his events. His goal is to promote the growth of the sport. “I work hard to make sure everyone that comes out to play have an amazing time and want to come back for more”, Shawn says. “I try to make sure that every penny is spent towards player packs or payouts for the players as I personally do this for the enjoyment of others”. And he is cognizant of the ladies’ side of things. His last two tournaments paid out 100% of the FA divisions, which is a progressive and unique way to promote more women in these events. He’s planning on a junior’s clinic this month, where every kid that signs up will receive their own putter donated from Dellwood Disc Golf. Shawn is very excited about this clinic saying, “Hopefully this will be a spark for these kids to want to continue playing and learning this sport. To me this is one of my pride and joy accomplishments because we can help introduce the next generation to this amazing sport. As a kid, I would have loved to have had this type of opportunity when I was younger to pick up this sport early to give me the chance to be as good as some of these young kids coming out and playing now a days are.” In short, Shawn is going above and beyond in every way possible to raise the bar.

All of this would certainly be a plateful for any of us, but Shawn is also a high school teacher and baseball coach! The man is a machine! Shawn says, “I currently teach high school special education for behavior and emotional disability students but also currently coach freshman baseball. I will be stepping away from coaching this next season which will feel odd to me as I have been a coach in some way or form since about 2015. In my career I have coached high school football, wrestling, baseball, and boys’ volleyball. On top of coaching middle school wrestling, girls club volleyball and when I was in high school myself, I was coaching youth football and playing high school football at the same time. For me coaching has always been a passion because I am able to help shape and mold student athletes into better citizens and help them grow individually. I have been in contact with many of my former athletes and it always amazes me to hear how they are doing post athletics as well as in their life. I take this passion into disc golf and wanting to help grow the sport the same way I helped mold student athletes when I was coaching. I look at the junior clinic that we are running this month as another opportunity to coach kids in this amazing sport.”

Shawn’s years of coaching and molding children will now come together as he and his wife welcome their first child in October. Shawn says, “It is extremely exciting to know that I have a baby boy on the way. Hopefully the wife doesn't see this, but I am hoping that the baby comes just after the due date as myself and ParKings are running two tournaments right around the due date!” That is sure cutting things close, but Shawn has a great support team that can help should he be called away. “It will be an exciting new chapter in my life and hopefully he will grow to love the sport as much as I do”, Shawn says. In fact, baby already has a set of mini putters and drivers waiting for him in Shawn’s garage.

You must be wondering by now, how does he handle all this and keep a balanced life? Shawn breaks it down saying, “This has probably been one of the most difficult things to do. Between balancing my work life (writing Individual Education Plans, IEPs), running weekly leagues/tournaments and being home to spend time with my wife and complete tasks around the house has absolutely been tough. I will say I am truly blessed to be with my wife because she puts up with a lot from me. There have been countless nights where I am sitting on the computer putting together flyers or hole sponsor signs or having meetings with the ParKings crew to go over tournament stuff, where I would normally be hanging out with her. She has been my rock in those hard times trying to balance and keep my sanity with managing my time. I will say for those that are or will be first time tournament directors, make sure you take time away from the planning to be with your family for some time each night because otherwise you will drive yourself crazy trying to make sure everything is planned right. I would also say the key to helping keep the balance of work, family and disc golf is make sure you have a good group of guys/girls helping support you running the club. I would not be able to do all of this without the support of our other club leaders in ParKings helping do some of the tasks that need to get done as one person can't do it all on their own.” I’ve said it before, ‘it takes a village’, and in Shawn’s case, this also rings true.

All of this might drain a lesser man, but not Shawn. How does he stay motivated? He says, “Honestly just hearing the feedback from members in the community before, during and after events that we put on has kept me going. Just the other day one of our female players that comes to all our tournaments and many league events told me how great we are doing for making sure the females feel included and able to have a good time playing with other male players out there. Comments like those or how great our tournaments are, are truly want motivates me to continue doing what I do. It makes all the stress of making sure events are done to its best of its abilities worth it.” Flattery, as they say, will get you everywhere.

In closing I asked Shawn about any advice he has for potential new tournament directors. He says, “If you ever want to experience what TD life is like, find your local club or TD and see what you can do to help. We are always looking for people to help, if it’s as spotters on the course (most underappreciated position) or helping to make sure player packs are handed out. It truly is one of the most amazing experiences that you could experience in disc golf. Get out and help support your local clubs or tournaments if you can!” Experience is the best teacher and getting involved on a TD level can help you learn about what it takes to run an event or league and give you a solid foundation to build from. Thank you, Shawn, for all that you do, you are a pillar in the disc golf community.