Paul Wadsworth
Coffee Vice Ltd
World Champion at 8
What were you doing at 7 and 8 years of age? At this age most are finding their way through school, meeting friends, watching cartoons and dreaming of lollies. Very few can add a World Record and a World Champion title to their resume.
Little Miss Discgolf, a.k.a. Sarah, has a gift. A gift, not just a talent, but a gift. She has the drive of a seasoned pro and the dedication to match. Having the will to win or be the best is one thing but the ability to execute and do it so ruthlessly sets her well apart from her peers and, to be honest, many other athletes.
One year ago we made the decision to attend the PDGA World Discgolf Championships in Peoria, Illinois. This was a massive undertaking, and one I wasn’t sure we could do due to the cost. In stepped the amazing community here at The BFD, who kickstarted a Give a Little and invested personally in her journey.
It was a massive undertaking. We sold part of our business and scrimped and saved at every turn. I sold off much of my sport memorabilia. It wasn’t too hard to let go as I knew this was for someone who deserved to have a crack at the world title.
Finances aside, we spent 15½ hours in the air from Christchurch to Houston. From here we would spend a week travelling up to Peoria and playing various courses along the way. Our first hurdle was the rental car company that fleeced us for an additional $1300 on top of what we had paid. These guys are just crooks and it really put a strain on our already tight budget…. but I digress.
The trip to Peoria saw us go through Austin, Dallas, Oklahoma to Emporia where we were hosted by a major disc brand who took us out to a couple of championship courses to throw at. We then headed to Des Moines where Sarah was a guest of several of the pro women and the Pro Event.
Then it was on to Peoria. She was nervous but super excited. We knew that there were several players capable of matching her and we talked about the PLAN. Throw straight, upshot and putt. We talked about the fact that the person who makes the fewest mistakes will win. There was no need to try and throw far on every hole and risk getting into trouble.
Round one was very steady and had very trying conditions. The smoke from the Canadian fires started to come in and it really affected you. Fortunately, we got the round completed and she had a 3-shot lead. The next day was cancelled because of the smoke. The schedules all got shuffled and our day 3 became day 2. This was a long course with lots of hills. Sarah was near flawless as she shot +5 for the round while her closest competitor shot +14. This was the buffer we needed especially as we dodged active tornado warnings. On day 4 both girls shot +7 as our plan was to match not push.
Final day. This was going to be huge. An 18-hole round in the morning in stifling heat and then a 9-hole final and one of the toughest courses on the planet. Sarah shot +1 which was 1 better than her closest competitor giving her a 13-shot buffer leading into the forest at Northwood.
Northwood is thick with trees, poison ivy and so I was told later, snakes! The gap on hole one off the tee was no more than 5 m; up she stepped and pured the gap leaving her a 10 m putt for birdie. This was the best drive of any player in the finals series so we laid up and took an easy par.
This first hole set the tone for what has become her best round of discgolf ever. Sarah finished even par with 2 birdies and 2 bogies. This was the best round for 8 y.o. boys and girls, 10 y.o. girls and 12 y.o. boys and was 2nd best for 12 y.o. girls. The gallery following grew with every hole she played and there was a massive crowd watching as she stepped up to the tee for her very last drive of the tournament. This was the 27th hole that day in 35°C heat. She blasted her longest throw ever, 80 m, pin high and some 20 m more than the others on the card. A simple upshot led to a drop-in par, huge cheering and tears of absolute joy from Mum, Dad and brother, plus many just watching.
She had done it, WORLD CHAMPION and with the best scoring ever in this division at any world cup. In 2022 it was won with +51, some 31 shots more than Sarah achieved in 2023.
She was spent. So how does one celebrate winning a world title at 8? She found the swings and just sat swinging for twenty minutes on her own. So fitting really, her mental capacity to focus and be in the zone is exceptional, the swinging was her release.
There are so many from here to thank and the virtual hug is to be spread far and wide. They say it takes a village to raise a child, it took an amazing community to raise a world champion trophy…. THANK YOU