04/07/2025
This weeks SDG player profile belongs to none other than Joel Pankratz.
When did you start playing?
I started playing in 2021 at 30 years old: I started playing the same year as Brandon Redekop; it was the same year James Conrad threw the Holy Shot and won World's; I started at the same age as Kris Roach when he started disc golf; my prospects look good. 😎
What do you enjoy about the sport?
Not putting; that may be why Brandon and Kris play MPO and I'm still MA2. 🤷 There's just some sort of endorphin that gets released with the backhand motion for me; I will even get a similar result if I set up the cable machine at the gym to simulate weighted throws. And then there's the "oh yeah" I get when I know I timed everything right and got the perfect snap on the whip; hyzer-flips are fun!
Favorite disk?
This is a hard question; probably whatever disc I'm throwing at the moment. My favorites to throw though? Kastaplast Berg, MVP Reactor, Streamline Lift; that's my ideal starter pack.
Favorite course?
Local: William A. Reid or Crickle Creek
Ever: Badlands DGC in Wayne Alberta, host of the Lost Egg Tournament
Do you know about the sdg board?
Yes, I served on the board as Director of Communications in 2024. I'm still getting emails btw. 😂
What improvements would you like to see?
Can the board do something about the weather? Or more courses? I don't know which is harder: changing the weather or convincing a committee to put in a course...
Do you know where your membership fee goes?
Not every specific dollar, but generally, yes. Operating leagues, tournaments, pop-up courses, course maintenance, etc. all costs money.
Any goals for the year?
The goal last year was to achieve a 900 rating before Easton Kuemper 😉 but I burnt out and went the wrong direction. This year, there's still a chance! I'm coming, Easton!
Oh, and I'd like to be the premier disc dyer in Saskatchewan (maybe even the prairies).
Is there a tournament or event you would like to play or would recommend?
LOST EGG!!! Always the Lost Egg! Closer to home though? I love the NADGT series of tournaments and try to play as many of them as I can.
Is there a course on your bucket list?
Not particularly... I'm not really a course player. I'd rather play a great game at a boring or familiar course (this doesn't happen often enough 😅) than feel like a newbie on a great course where I don't know the lines. That said, the Badlands DGC during the Lost Egg ought to be on every golfer's bucket list. 🤫