Under normal circumstances, Emporia would have several thousand people in and around town either taking part in the Glass Blown Open disc golf tournament or watching the festivities. Obviously, coronavirus has ensured these are not normal times.
For Dynamic Discs, which had to cancel both GBO and the Pro Disc Golf Association’s Junior Worlds later this year due to COVID-19, the past few weeks have been “weird.” Owner Jeremy Rusco says the announcement was devastating for staff, players and Emporia as a whole. However, he says interest in disc golf has grown during the pandemic.
Events Coordinator Doug Bjerkaas says disc golf is now “stitched into our identity.”
Dynamic Discs has organized a virtual disc golf tournament involving a beer fest discussion, interaction with top players via Zoom, a virtual museum exhibit and — yes — tournament play through mobile gaming.
Looking ahead, the Junior Worlds will return to Emporia once COVID-19 concerns have eased, although that may be next year or 2022. Emporia was also in line to host PDGA Worlds next year. That could still take place in 2021 but it could push to 2022. Smaller local events are expected once things get back to normal.
