😱 Anthony Barela signs with Discraft and Cale Leiviska leaves Prodigy!

Hello there! Tõnis AKA Disc Golf Fanatic here with another insight into the disc golf world.

First of all, Happy Holidays and a Merry Discmas from Estonia!

NB! If any pictures are missing or displaying errors, just click here to read the newsletter online!

Now, let’s get right into it!

Anthony Barela signs a 3-year contract with Discraft!

Discraft: “Over the past few years, Anthony Barela has proven his resilience and dedication to the sport of disc golf, navigating obstacles while turning them into fuel for his success. His hard work has culminated in multiple DGPT Elite Series victories, and his future looks brighter than ever!

With this new 3-year contract we are thrilled to create Anthony Barela’s first signature mold, a modified version of the Cicada! Specifically crafted to complement his powerful playstyle, this disc is bound to become a go-to choice for players seeking top performance.”

Check out the official announcement video here:

Cale Leiviska leaves Prodigy Discs!

The disc golf community was rocked by yet another shocking piece of news that none of us saw coming: Cale Leiviska is leaving Prodigy Discs after 12 years!

Here’s Cale’s announcement:

Cale Leiviska has been a cornerstone of Prodigy Disc for over a decade, both as a player and a major influence on their brand. His departure marks the end of an era for Prodigy. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes next and how it shapes his career moving forward.

Cale Leiviska has been a dominant force in the MP40 division and could be aiming to solidify his legacy there. His skill set and consistency make him a perennial contender in Masters-level events.

Focusing on MP40 might also align with his other passions, like course design, event organization, and the continued development of the Preserve Championship. He could even partner with another manufacturer to support those efforts, especially if they align with his vision for growing the sport.

But why did Cale leave Prodigy?

There are already plenty of interesting theories circulating, one of which suggests that he wasn’t chosen as the new CEO of Prodigy and decided to leave as a result.

Who is left after the Robinson brothers leave as well? NOBODY!

Buhr left. Mäkelä left. KJUSA left.

Isaac Robinson, rumored to be leaving. Ezra Robinson, rumored to be leaving.

So, here’s the Prodigy Core Team, the best of the best players sponsored by Prodigy. Cale left as well and Robinson brothers are rumored to be leaving. As you can see, there’s practically NOBODY left…

Let’s see how the new CEO, Will Schusterick, handles his new position and the immediate crisis he’s facing. The current situation feels like a sinking ship, and the whole company seems on the verge of going under. But I truly hope Schusterick can manage it and steer the ship in the right direction.

Continuing on the topic of players parting ways with manufacturers.

Nathan Queen and Innova have parted ways

Nathan Queen, mostly known as the underdog who won the 2021 DGPT Championship and cashed in a whopping $30,000 paycheck, is leaving Innova after 6 and a half years!

Here’s Queen’s announcement:

Randon Latta is rumored to be ‘quitting’ disc golf altogether?!

One of Randon’s friends randomly dropped some information on Reddit and said that Latta was also dropped by Innova. In addition, Randon got offered a dream job offer he couldn’t pass up.

So, which one is it? A ‘dream job offer he couldn’t pass up’? For a lot touring pro disc golfers, that phrase means touring and playing disc golf at the highest level.

In this case, I’m going to assume we will NOT see Latta on tour anymore, as it seems he got a ‘regular’ full-time job.

This is just the tip of the iceberg!

I’ve already said this in a previous newsletter. But here it goes again. This offseason is going to be wild! There are more than 80 MPO and FPO players combined whose contracts will expire!

So far, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to announcements. At the beginning of 2025, there will be a plethora of breaking news, some positive, some negative.

The 2025 Worlds in Finland will be the BIGGEST disc golf event ever held!

Here’s yet another example of why:

Ticket sales for the 2025 Disc Golf World Championships in Finland have shattered records! “An Event Like No Other,” says Jussi Meresmaa, the 2025 Worlds Tournament Director.

VIP ticket sales for the championships have soared past all expectations, with over €150,000 worth of tickets sold, several times more than last year’s European Open. 

Even a €15,000 luxury ticket package, which included VIP passes, suite accommodations, a private chauffeur, and more, has sold out. “It started as a crazy idea,” Meresmaa says. “What’s even crazier is that we sold not one, but two!”

Article by Frisbeegolfmedia, source – https://frisbeegolfmedia.fi/news/ticket-sales-for-disc-golf-world-championships-shatter-records-an-event-like-no-other/

How much disc golf is too much disc golf?

Think you play a lot of disc golf? Think again!

This UDisc profile and 2024 UDisc Replay (displayed below) belong to the LEGENDARY Michael Wright, who kept score for over 1,800 rounds on UDisc!

He snagged 21 aces, played 21,132 holes, took 4,703,670 steps, and spent 91,327 minutes playing—that’s 63 and a half days of pure disc golf in a single year! 🤯

Michael’s UDisc replay + UDisc stats for 2024:

How many rounds of disc golf have you played in 2024?

Is disc golf lacking “professional coaches”?

Estonian professional disc golfer Albert Tamm has partnered with Joonas Merelä, the coach of the Finnish National Team.

Who exactly is Joonas Merelä?

According to Mr. Merelä’s website, he is one of the first professional performance coaches in disc golf, basing everything he does on proven science. Be sure to check out Merelä’s Instagram here, it’s full of awesome training videos and much, much more – https://www.instagram.com/joonas_merela/

Joonas Merelä’s education includes:

• Orthopedic Osteopath (OOKK)
• Strength and Conditioning Coach (Atletica Training)
• Sports Medicine and Coaching (XAMK)
• Numerous additional trainings related to sports sciences, biomechanics, and sports injuries.

Future of Discgolf

Future of Discgolf – The 2025 edition is exclusively for players aged 18 and under. In addition to FJ15 and MJ15, there will be divisions for players up to 18 years old, with an opportunity to win a spot in the European Open 2026.

The week after World Championship in Finland 2025 will be very special for young disc golfers. With preliminary start at Tuesday, August 5, Åland will host its the first ever summer camp. Participants can expect a lot of fun activities, side events, clinics and possibilities to meet pro players. At the end of the same week, Åland Open will return.

Next big update will be on 10.1.2025!

Check out their site here – https://www.futurediscgolf.com/

Future of Discgolf time plan:

Future of Disccgolf qualifier dates:

Drama at the Arizona disc golf community

It seems that pro disc golfer Jordan Castro, PDGA #49431, has been accused of stealing money from the disc golf community.

Jordan Castro was also added to the PDGA Disciplinary Actions list in January 2024. He received a 12-month probation lasting until January 2025. The list can be found here – https://www.pdga.com/documents/disciplinary-actions

Jordan Castro posted this apology:

CHEAP DISCS?!

Looking for CHEAP discs? Check out What’s on Sale & Clearance Hot Deals here on Infinite Discs!

2025 DGPT season kickoff:

67 DAYS! (2 months + 5 days)

2025 DGPT season’s first event: Florida Open, Brooksville, FL, USA. From 28th February to 2nd March, 2025!

That’s it for this newsletter! If you haven’t subscribed yet, be sure to do so and share it with your disc golf buddies.

Share your thoughts!

Got any disc golf related hot takes, tips, pictures, memes, videos or anything else you’d like to share? Just reply to this email or send them over to info@discgolffanatic.com or message them to me through any social media platform (Disc Golf Fanatic).

Oh, and don’t forget to go out there and enjoy a round or two, because I definitely will!

I’ve played 597 rounds in 2024 so far!

Last Saturday, December 21st, was the winter solstice and the shortest day of 2024! For example, in Estonia, the sun was up for 6 hours and 3 minutes, with sunset at 3:20 PM. Long live glow disc golf!

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