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Disc golf season winds down with tournament

A Smithers resident defended his title during the annual disc golf tournament Ranger Park over the weekend
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A player tosses a disc during the 10th annual disc golf tournament at Ranger Park Saturday.

A Smithers resident defended his title, winning the annual disc golf tournament for the sixth year in a row at Ranger Park over the weekend.

Jamie Cramer took home the championship during the 10th annual disc golf tournament, the last of the season.

“It was a matter of staying consistent and not making any mistakes and that’s what it came down to,” said Cramer. “Some of the other guys struggled and I was just able to keep an even keel.”

Cramer has played on the course several times, but it was the eighth hole that helped him take the lead.

“There was about a 25-foot putt that I was able to save par and that one kept me up. I think if I missed that one, it would have derailed me a bit,” he admitted.

Having won the year-end tournament for the past six years, Cramer said his strategy is simple.

“Just avoiding mistakes and keeping it even and sometimes maybe not taking the chances when I should,” he laughed.

Isaiah Sinclair took home the top prize in the youth category, Melissa Storie won the female category while Ken White won the amateur category.

According to Ben Anderson, the president of the Bulkley Valley Disc Golf Association, though the season is winding down, he has seen a lot more people taking up the sport.

“I’ve played approximately 140 games this year and I’ve seen more people this year than I have over the last three years,” he said. “It’s nice just to have people who have very different styles of [play] and people are really getting used to the course and I think that their games are elevating.”

Anderson said the ability to access the course and purchase discs from local stores has also encouraged more people to play.

In the coming months, Anderson said the association will turn its attention to getting the proposed Skilhorn course in Telkwa approved.

The roughly 1.6-kilometre, nine-hole course is currently in the application process with the Nadina-Skeena Parks Recreation District Recreation Sites and Trails B.C. If all goes according to plan, Anderson hopes they will be playing on the course by next season.

“We’re fairly enthusiastic, so we’re hoping to get the process rolling more,” he said. “The government wants to know that when the course is done, it will be there, it will be maintained and that people are going to play it. Right now, we’re just building support for the Skilhorn disc golf course.”

If people would like to comment on the course, email bulkleyvalleydiscgolf @gmail.com.