Talking Disc Golf With Dave Feldberg

[JR]

Because Innova team members are allowed to throw Discmania Nikko is fine with replacing the Buzzz with flat MD2s. I saw him warm up his first throws of the day in 2010 in a tunnel at Järva, Stockholm and he threw almost each disc in his bag to putting range. That is hogs included. So i see no trouble whatsoever from skill point of view. If you park a short tunnel with hogs and max D discs as well as with putters...

[JHern]

Innova gives only plastic to players who are sponsored by them but who aren't "Star Team." They can, in turn, sell that plastic to raise money to afford to play in more tournaments. Josh Anthon once told me he can get something like 1000 discs a year, but he was one tier below Star team status. That's probably characteristic of what you get for being one of the top 5 players in the world, but without a top tier sponsorship.

Star team is sponsored on individual basis, and they negotiate sponsorship contracts. Some of the Star Team gets their entry fees paid for at some tournaments, but not all. Keep in mind that if Innova comes in as a big sponsor for a tournament, that they will often ask to have the entry fee waived for some of their players as part of the sponsorship package...so they probably get free or discounted entries at these kinds of events more than others. I think Star Team also gets help with travel expenses to some events (especially if being heavily promoted by Innova), but not all of them.

[A buzzz and a beer]

So example. John doe is sponsored on the team below Star. He gets 200 discs just for that sponsor. Then he gets another 50 per b-teir win, and 100 for A teir win. John doe wins a ton of tournaments and gets around 1000 discs that season. He then sells them for an average of $10 per disc out of his trunk. That equals an extra $10,000 for his expenses and stuff.

I think that is kinda how it works, and kinda what jhern was saying. I do not know for sure though.. this is just what i have gathered.

[jsun3thousand]

nonstopdiscgolftour2k12 brings home another win. nikko made a promise to himself and kept it by winning the gentlemen's club challenge. #pray4nikko-team star

[JHern]

So example. John doe is sponsored on the team below Star. He gets 200 discs just for that sponsor. Then he gets another 50 per b-teir win, and 100 for A teir win. John doe wins a ton of tournaments and gets around 1000 discs that season. He then sells them for an average of $10 per disc out of his trunk. That equals an extra $10,000 for his expenses and stuff.

I think that is kinda how it works, and kinda what jhern was saying. I do not know for sure though.. this is just what i have gathered.

Yeah, you have the approximate picture. But I'm not sure if lower tier sponsored players get bonuses for winning a tournament, paid from their sponsors. I think they only get a significant amount for wins if they are in the top tier of sponsored players. This is the stuff that's in a contract. I would be very interested to see one of these contracts.

[Pwingles]

I know a guy sponsored by innova, he gets 50 or 100 discs a year for " personal use" but he is not team star, either way 1000 seems like a lot unless your one of the guys with a sig disc or 2

[JHern]

I know a guy sponsored by innova, he gets 50 or 100 discs a year for " personal use" but he is not team star, either way 1000 seems like a lot unless your one of the guys with a sig disc or 2

When Josh Anthon told me about this 1000 discs sponsorship, it was back in 2009 or so. He wasn't a "Star Team" member back then, although everyone was expecting it. But he had spent much of that year as the #1 ranked disc golfer in the world (and in the top 3 otherwise). So this isn't just any schmuck. They didn't make him Star Team back then, but they did at least give him a shit load of discs.

The only thing holding Josh back is that he is hot-cold (streaky) and not consistent enough. When Josh is playing hot, he is arguably the best disc golfer in the history of the universe, and sets course records everywhere he goes. When he is playing cold, he is an average touring pro. Contrast this with Nate Doss, who almost never sets course records, but plays more consistently solid rounds and grinds it out over multiple days better than anyone else. Nate is a 3X World Champ. Josh is a 3X-in-a-row 2nd Place Worlds finisher. Still, not bad for a guy whose (left) shoulder was blown off by a shotgun when he was a kid (hence his nickname: Buckshot), and who has fought all kinds of crazy adversity to get to the top rungs of a competitive sport. Clearly, if Anthon ever gets over that hump, and takes the reigns, he will win Worlds many times.

PS...Josh Anthon holds the course record at Fountain Hills...maybe he'll break it again this weekend.