For Truman State seniors Taylor Heisson and Dane Bossert, <\/span>disc golf has transcended from an average sport to one<\/span> t<\/span>hat is strengthening their friendships and studies. <\/span><\/p>\n The two friends are involved in many things together, including a religious small group, the Ultimate Frisbee team, and the Health Science program at Truman. Disc golf has become an important part of their college experience. Heisson explains that he loves the challenge the sport presents.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou can always improve and there\u2019s plenty of courses around,\u201d Heisson said. “The sport is very variable, each time you go out to play it could be a completely different scenario.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Along with the disc golf-themed church small group they lead, Breaking Chains, they also hosted a beginner-friendly tournament for their Health Science 440 Capstone project. Titled “Living the Course”, the tournament was scheduled for Sunday, October 6, at Rotary Park and welcomed people of all ages and skill sets. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re focusing on leisure, physical activity, and spending free time doing something active,\u201d Bossert said. \u201cDisc golf mostly involves walking, but also it\u2019s sociable. This gives people a marked goal, something to focus more on, during their leisure time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n They hope that through this tournament more people in the Truman community will be exposed to the sport and pick it up in their free time. To fund the tournament, they connected with Donny Powell, a local businessman, course designer, and the self-proclaimed \u201cvoice of disc golf\u201d in northeast Missouri. <\/span><\/p>\n Powell is in charge of the local disc golf leagues and owns a disc golf shop. He also serves as the event coordinator for the NEMO disc golf club. Like Bossert and Heisson, he also found his love for the game back in college. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was finals week and my brain was fried,\u201d Powell said. \u201cA friend of mine suggested that we go disc golf and at first, I thought that sounded stupid, but we went out and he mopped the floor with me and I had a real problem with that. I decided that I was going to figure out how to beat him…and so I did.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Now married and with kids, Powell says the longevity of disc golf allows people of any age to stay active. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYour body is not going to function at the level it functions when you were 19 to when you\u2019re 40 unless you do a lot of work, so this allows you to be competitive,\u201d Powell said. \u201cLow risk, low impact, low cost.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Powell began transforming the local disc golf community four years ago when he moved to Brashear, MO, about 20 minutes east of Kirksville. Along with organizing tournaments to raise money for worthy causes, such as, \u201cPlaying for Polio,\u201d Powell keeps in close contact with the Kirksville Parks and Rec Department to work on adding new courses around town. Although his plans to build courses at Thousand Hills State Park and Kirksville High School fell through, Powell has designed courses in Memphis and Shelbina, Missouri, and has hopes for designing more. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve met with Rodney Sadler, with the Kirksville Parks and Rec department,\u201d Powell said. \u201cHe\u2019s told us of a couple of different properties we could put 9 hole courses, so we\u2019re in the phase of how we can get the money together. As long as I\u2019m here, I want to keep popping up courses so that this place has five to six, even ten courses within a half-hour drive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As Powell works towards setting up more beginner-friendly courses in the area, his disc shop 3one7 Discs located on the site of Anderson Computer Consultants LLC in Kirksville allows people to begin or add on to their disc collection. The store\u2019s mission coincides with Powell\u2019s goals: \u201cWe are a small company looking to make a big impact for the sport of Disc Golf in North East Missouri.\u201d Accessibility to equipment is fairly inexpensive and he wants to make this clear to everybody. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI would start people with one disc and that would be a mid-range, based on plastic level, that would determine durability mainly, so the least durable $9 to $10, at the most $18 to $20,\u201d Powell said. \u201cYou can just start with one and it’s no big deal. You can start for $10 and you can legitimately do it as long as you can walk up a hill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Not only do people have access to the 19-hole course at Rotary Park any time of day, but disc golf courses can be found across the state of Missouri and all over the United States. The sport can be enjoyed anywhere from the flatlands of Kansas to the higher altitudes of Colorado. <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/detours\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/10\/image_6483441.jpg\")
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