The Battalion
MONDAY
August 1 2, 1 996
Page 3
&M football players took a break from two-a-days and spent
\Saturday morning autographing memorabilia for fans
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By Ross Hecox
The Battalion
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here were no bonecrushing tackles or thrilling
touchdown runs — in fact, no game was even
played. But fans who showed up at Kyle Field
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Gwendolyn Struve, The Battalion
Jered Harris, of College Station, watches sophomore wide receiv-
'er/defensive end Jason Bragg sign his football.
For an hour, fans were allowed to walk on the new grass
field, take pictures and receive autographs from Aggie coaches
and players. Hundreds of people, young and old, showed up for
the occasion.
“It’s a great opportunity to give something to the fans,”
Coach R.C. Slocum said. “We like to create an opportunity for
them to see the good young men of our program.”
Recorded music of the Aggie Band was played over the
speakers as anxious fans with pens in hand waited to meet
their favorite player or coach. Meanwhile, hundreds of children
ran and played on the new playing surface, throwing and kick
ing footballs with their fathers.
Terri Vogel, who came with her husband Jamey and son
Joshua, said it was a memorable time.
“This is very fun, especially for our son,” Vogel said. “It gives
kids a chance to meet the players, because otherwise they
wouldn’t. [Joshua] likes just getting to play on the field.”
Players scribbled on caps, shirts and footballs, and also posed
with teen-agers and grinning toddlers for pictures.
A&M strong safety Rich Coady said the event was enjoyable
for the players as well as the fans.
“Everybody on the team enjoys doing this,” Coady said. “It’s a
chance [for fans] to get face-to-face with us. We can just sit out
here and talk with them, and they can see us as people.”
Slocum said the event is beneficial to the players.
“I believe athletes do have a responsibility to be role models,”
Slocum said. “Sometimes this can get to be a hassle, but it’s a
chance (for the players) to relate to people. It helps them realize
that the true joy in life is giving.”
Coady said players need to be aware they have a strong im
pact on young fans.
“When I was a kid, it was a dream to get to meet players,”
Coady said. “You can tell it’s a big deal for them. A lot of times
we just feel like college students, but it’s more than that. They
really look up to us.”
Gwendolyn Struve, The Battalion
A&M coach R.C. Slocum shows Dustyn Pledger, of Bryan, how to gig'em after
autographing his football on Saturday.
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> Disc golf, a combination offrisbee and golf, has emerged
at Research Park and has gained a loyal following
AT |TSBfl B f Tom Day
in.Tx 776#|THE BATTALION
he scene at Texas A&M’s Re
search Park is a familiar one —
joggers hitting the pavement,
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ersession students studying, dogs being walked
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ELwjwg and kites flying through the air.
Pat James, The Battalion
Sacha Troxler, a senior environmental design
major, tosses a putter into the hole.
But hidden among the trees and behind
the ponds lies a different world — one that
is attracting more and more A&M students
— disc golf.
The up-and-coming sport’s popularity is
soaring, and the Research Park course on
West Campus is stormed by Aggies on a
daily basis.
“I’ve been playing a couple of months,”
Chris Hobson, a senior bioenvironmental
sciences major said. “I saw a disc golf course
in Austin and had an interest in it, so I
found out about the course here.”
Disc golf has the same rules and etiquette
of regular golf. Courses consist of the stan
dard 18 holes and tee boxes, and the land
scaping designs resemble those on regular
golf courses.
However, instead of swinging at a golf
ball out of the box,
players tee off by
throwing one of a
wide selection of fris-
bee-like discs. And
rather than shooting
into a tin cup buried
in a putting green,
players toss the discs
into a round,- metal
basket with a chain
serving as a back-
board device.
The Research Park course, set up by the
A&M Recreational Sports Department, is a
par-3 design where players use a variety of
discs. Like golf clubs, there is a disc for
every situation — long-, short- and medium-
range drivers and putters, all varying in
weight and dimension.
And like golf courses, the Research Park
course has its share of hazards for players
to overcome.
“You come across areas you’re not too
sure you want to be in.” Mark Ballenger, a
junior business major said. “Sometimes
your disc might land in real swampy, mud
dy areas and up in trees. The last time I
played, one got away from me and landed
"It's as fun as playing real golf, but
you can play a round in about an
hour ... as opposed to spending a
whole day playing golf."
: — CHRIS HOBSON
senior bioenvironmental sciences major
in the [pond].”
It is a common practice for disc golfers
to label their discs with their name and
phone number. Since proper disc golf eti
quette calls for players finding labeled
discs on the course to contact the discs’
owners, Ballenger is not ruling out recov
ering his disc.
“That’s one good thing about this sport —
people are pretty good about being honest
when they find discs,” Ballenger said.
Hobson said he was fortunate to recover
a lost disc.
“I had my name and number on it, and a
week later a guy called me and said he had
found it and I went and picked it up,” Hob
son said.
While people of all experience and skill lev
els play on the A&M
course, Ballenger said
he views his participa
tion as strictly a
leisure activity.
“Right now, I only
own one (disc), but I’ve
seen people out on the
course with a whole
bag of discs,” Ballenger
said. “It’s just some
thing to get out in the
open, walk around and have fun with.”
Hobson said he views the sport as a
challenge.
“You can challenge yourself to shoot lower
than what you ever have before,” he said.
Both Hobson and Ballenger said playing
disc golf has advantages over regular golf.
“It’s a lot easier for a beginner to go out
and be able to pick it up and start playing
right away,” Ballenger said. “The distances
aren’t quite as long.”
“It’s as fun as playing real golf, but you
can play a round in about an hour,” Hobson
said. “So if you have an hour to kill, you can
go out and play a round as opposed to
spending a whole day playing golf.”
Richard Bade, a senior environmental design major,
golf course at Research Park.
Pat James,
tees off
The Battalion
at the disc