The Midwest Invasion, Part 5: GLIDE
Mike Batka, Owner of Glide and USWDGC Tournament Director
Time is a funny thing, at least here in the Midwest. From around November to April each year, the days creep along as autumn and winter dredge on. Some of us are stupid and/or brave enough to face the cold and get out there and play disc golf anyway, but for many, it is a painstakingly long wait for the Earth to tilt on its axis towards to the sun and bring us those sweet ‘100 days of summer’. But then suddenly time shifts, and it seems the minutes just fly by. For me, And maybe it’s a post-pandemic thing, but I can’t believe it’s already June, and in just a couple short weeks the United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships comes to Madison, WI in what is sure to be the largest women’s event in the history of the sport. And as we get closer to that historic weekend, I too get closer to the people making this vision a reality. This week I caught up to Mike Batka, owner of Glide Disc Golf, and Tournament Director for the USWDGC to share what he’s doing to prepare.
Mike has Wisconsin in his blood; he graduated from UW-Madison in 1997, and he first started playing disc golf while living in Milwaukee back at the turn of the century in 2000. Mike says, “My first ever round was a Rogers Lakewood Park in Valparaiso, IN.” He joined the PDGA in 2002 (#20983) and began running sanctioned events in 2004. In 2008, Mike moved back to Madison to open Glide, a “brick and mortar destination for locals, as well as disc golfers throughout the Midwest.” Situated across the street from Hiestand Park DGC, he has seen great success with the business.
As a leader in the community, Mike has been part of some of the biggest events in this region. I asked him what it takes to run these events. Mike says, “B and C Tiers are typically just tournaments, but Majors and A Tiers often fall into the ‘event’ category.” That means a lot more work with more responsibilities and moving parts, but Mike has a great support team of volunteers and staff that help make his events run smooth. His track record of success is exactly why he was tagged to run the USWDGC.
Wisconsin has been known for having a very strong female presence in the sport, going back even before the recent surge in growth. Mike says, “Wisconsin overall has a very strong disc golf scene, but there is also a trend that I have termed ‘middle school dance syndrome’, the idea being that no one is brave enough to step out onto the dance floor, but once the first few people get out there, everyone else will follow. I think some women are more inclined to play in a tournament if they know that other women will be competing. Of course, the pandemic threw some gas on the fire in the past couple years as well.
As the USWDGC draws closer, I asked Mike about his thoughts on this event. “We’re excited to have an historic field for this year’s event. We’re putting in a lot work every day right as the event approaches. That said, it won’t be perfect. Our goal is to build on the previous USWDGCs, pass off the baton and hope to see a bigger and better in 2023 and beyond.” No doubt that he and his team’s efforts will bear fruit, and we’ll all look back after it’s in the rearview and know that Mike was an essential part of that success.
Tune in next week as I catch up with Sarah Cahill, social media Director for the USWDGC and the PDGA.
