The PDGA Summit 2000 was held April 20-22 in San Jose, California, which lies just south of San Francisco. Most of the group flew in a day early to shoot a couple of rounds at Delaveaga, one of the world’s coolest courses. How else are you going to start a disc golf powwow? We shot some Lizard Games, and cash was reported to be leaving my wallet and entering that of a certain Competition Director. I did have the satisfaction of nearly acing the 500-some foot “Top of the World” hole, but otherwise the vets schooled me. Great course, can’t wait to play Dela again.

Getting in a day early meant we had to find our own lodging for the first night, but local resident and PDGA Commissioner Jim Challas was happy to help us find floor space. I got lucky and scored a couch, but the victory was soon dampened by the not-so-peaceful presence of Dan Reese and Mark Ellis on the floor nearby. The pair were apparently rehearsing for a world class snoring recital, in D major I think. SNERRRRRK! Tip: never share a room with these guys unless you’ve got earplugs.

Next morning we shook loose and headed to the summit hotel, getting to work before check-in. The conference table was quickly strewn with papers, pens, water glasses, pastry crumbs, and of course a number of mini discs, occasionally flung with pinpoint accuracy at any speaker who was asking for it.

It’s traditional to invite several key non-Board members to the summit, and this year’s guests included the enthusiastic company of Chuck Kennedy of Minnesota and Roger Smith of Illinois, who have been working on the cool new Ratings system, and Rich Hart -- another Minnesotan -- who was hired this spring to help with marketing and sponsorships. All were excellent additions to the discussion.

I’ve served on organizational boards before, typically attending meetings that are stuffy and uncomfortable. Not this one. While most everyone wore a collared shirt (with the exception of the casually cool Rick Rothstein), the atmosphere was light in a ‘tilt your chair back’ kinda way. Cut a fart if you want, what the hell. We’re here to get things done, regardless of how you smell. Rage on.

Thursday was a marathon session. By the end of the day we were all hot, sticky, and dazed from the jumble of issues that had been discussed. Agreement came easy on some issues, less so on others. I was impressed by the fact that, despite the strong opinions and personalities present, there was never a cross word or raised voice. When battles arose, they were civilized skirmishes as opposed to all-out war. Go figure. Of course the potentially ugly disagreements were handled quickly and efficiently by Dan “Stork” Roddick, whose calm, level-headed diplomacy served to keep everyone’s attention focused and tempers from flaring to the point of no return. Thank you Stork, you are a treasure of the game.

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