Disc Golf & the Awakening of Spring

Trafton B.

February 22, 2010 - 11:57 PM

Truth be told, this story actually happening one weekend ago, but considering the recent weather and atmosphere around Eugene I feel like very much so still relevant.

Last weekend, amidst a crazy weekend of studying for midterms and desperately trying to catch up on sleep, I found the time to play the first round of disc golf since the beginning of winter. Saturday morning, noticing a glimmer of sunlight my roommates, Steven, our friend Chris and I drove over to Westmoreland Park around 18th and Chambers to toss 9-holes while we could.

I didn't go so far as to wear sunglasses like my playing partners, but the weather was fair enough to be outside in shorts and a light jacket. Spring was in the air without questions, but rest assured we discovered quickly that the ground still belonged to the winter rains.

As soon as we arrived at the course we were met with sopping wet grasslands and puddles that went on for days. The first tee box had to be two-thirds submerged and while waiting to tee off, we noticed some gnarly oil slicks in the standing water. I couldn't track the pollution to any source (ironic considering that I needed to study for a Water Pollution Policy exam), but then Chris came through, referencing a geography course where he studied a local waste facility that was pegged for not lining their waste pits up to code regulations. Undeclared major beats Environmental Studies, bummer.
Anyways, wintery conditions made disc golf a different experience compared to the summer time games I recalled from too many months ago. We would drive to Dexter Lake to play a full 18-holes in t-shirts, flip flops and Arizona ice-teas. No, today was more of a battle to stay upright against slippery wetlands and wishing that I'd worn books instead of white sneakers. Steven didn't even last through the first hole before he ate it. As a group it took us until walking through the third fairway to just keep our feet dry. I think I started playing better once I stopped laughing about the playing conditions.

It was still a fun round of course. I think Steven said it best when he compared winter disc golfing to indoor track. "No one is a professional indoor track athlete, they just doing it to get in shape for spring." This weekend was even more reminiscent of springtime, too.

The cherry tree outside of our kitchen window began blossoming light pink flowers. The sun snuck through the clouds long enough to bring back the hammock on our porch in the afternoon. It didn't last as long as I would have preferred, but it did recharge my batteries after a long, long week of classes. It gave me something new to anticipate; something to look forward to.

Spring term is a time when students' days often entail more time outside than inside. Sun bathing, riding bicycles and intramural softball on the weekends. It's a time when everyone finally has an excuse for procrastinating, because who can do homework before the sun goes down, really?

There just isn't enough time spent outside in a students' lifetime, and it is nothing short of unjust. Consider this:

Life isn't about working and only playing when you have a free moment. Life is about finding the balance between the two, so that both are optimally enjoyable.