Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma I’ve always been a city boy. Never really went camping, never been hunting, and didn’t catch a fish until I was in college. I know that’s hard to believe but I literally don’t think I went fishing more than 3 times growing up. So going on tour full time in an RV was a huge culture shock for me since I’m used to being in a routine in Tulsa. It was the only city I felt comfortable in but I was stocked and ready for a new journey. Here are some things I’ve learned on tour so far.
1. Meal Prepping is Essential
When you’re living in a RV with three people and there’s limited resources, it gets stressful quick when that tummy starts rumbling. Always having something already cooked in the fridge that you can just pop in the microwave is key.
2. Find Fun Activities For The Down Time
The GK Pro team heavily relied on the Zepher (catch frisbee) during the down time on tour. If we got stuck in the RV for too long we’d just hop out and play catch for an hour. Occasionally if we have enough space, we'll set up a temp course using random objects as the basket. It’s fun, we get some exercise in, and it keeps our sanity.
3. Touring Pro Rollers Are Ridiculous
I’ve always been impressed watching pros on YouTube throwing rollers over 500 feet but seeing it consistently in person is just a whole different sight. It amazes me how they can get it down on the perfect angle every single time. For most casual players, throwing a roller in the woods isn't exactly in their arsenal but for pros it's no big deal. It truly blows my mind.
4. Staying Connected With The Players
Creating a relationship with the players is the key to our growth for the future. We’ve had the privilege of working and hanging out with many of the players, which has helped us with more content ideas. It’s cool to see just how normal they really are after watching them on YouTube for years. It was awesome getting the opportunity to play multiple rounds with 2018 World Champion Gregg Barsby.
5. The European Scene is Strong
Both the MPO and FPO field is getting more competitive each year and I think a lot of it has to do with the increasing number of European players joining the tour. Henna Blomroos is a rising star in the FPO field and Oskari Vikstrom is an absolute beast in MPO. Both are great young players from Finland. Not many people in the U.S. know Oskari yet but I’m telling you, he’ll win a World Championship at some point in his career. We got the privilege of filming a doubles round with him so go check that out on YouTube.
So far the tour life has been everything I expected and more. It’s very surreal being around disc golf greatness 24/7 and going to courses I never thought I’d play. Hopefully we can get back on tour ASAP because we’re going insane over here during this quarantine.