Cd'A disc golfer ranked best in the state

Jared Person won the "Discs Across the Kootenai" for the second year in a row this past June, his name etched in the trophy that commemorates the disc golfer who hurls his disc the farthest across the Kootenai River during the Timberbeast Challenge annual disc golf tournament.

He tied the event last year with Christian Dietrich, one of the Pacific Northwest's best disc golfers, though Person said he still cannot believe the trophy lists both their names for last year's contest. Even though the two of them represented a handful of the players to successfully toss their discs across the river, Person's had traveled the farthest.

"Myself and the entire gallery and the guy with the money said I won," Person said. "Christian, being the lawyer he is, somehow talks me into saying it was a tie. I don't know how he talked me into that. So I tied for 'Distance over the Kootenai' last year."

Person told the story with a laugh, but he got his revenge this year (and not at "Discs Across the Kootenai," though his victory this year meant he became the first Open player ever to win the contest outright). He defeated Dietrich at the Crazy Horse Open in Bozeman, Mont., a particularly sweet victory for Person since he said he had finished second to him "half a dozen" times over the past five years.

The victory encapsulates a transformative year for Person, who said he has found more success in disc golf tournaments this past season than any other time.

"I'd say this year has been my most consistent year in terms of not making major mistakes," Person said.

Person has cashed in every event he has played this year, winning two tournaments in that span.

He shot -14 to win Spokane's City Championships by one stroke on July 19. His success carried over to the Crazy Horse Open the following week, where he shot -16 and defeated Dietrich by one stroke.

Person almost lost the tournament when he bogeyed hole 16 in the final round, letting Dietrich close the gap to one stroke. Person followed up with birdie on 17. On the par 4 18th hole Person said he decided to "just lay it out there and go for it." He said he "pured" the drive, throwing it about 500 feet.

"I actually got to lay up a 15-footer for the win, which is really cool," Person said.

Person said he has enjoyed competing against Dietrich, with whom he has developed a good rivalry.

"It's always fun to play against him because he's won a national tour, he's competed on the big scene and been successful," Person said. "So around here when you're playing tournaments you're kind of like basing like how you're playing as how well you're competing against Christian Dietrich."

The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) ranks Dietrich as the 50th best disc golfer in the world.

"If Christian went on tour, he would be top 20 in the world every single time there was an update," Person said. "He's a lawyer, why's he gonna go on tour?"

Person is currently the highest-rated disc golfer in Idaho. The PDGA does not provide handicaps for players, however their rating system helps disc golfers gauge how well their skills compare to other players. Ratings help disc golfers determine how well they have played in sanctioned competitions in comparison to the Scratch Scoring Average (SSA) of the course layouts played [a "scratch" golfer is one with a zero handicap]. Players who average the course layout SSA will have a rating of 1,000.

So how good is Person's 990 rating? According to the PDGA, only 5.2 percent of its roughly 18,500 members in 2012 had earned a rating of 980 or higher, which makes him one of the elite players of the game.

Person said he owes a lot of his success to Team High Country, a local disc golf company that sponsors him and other local disc golfers.

"So much support comes out of those guys," Person said. "Heading out on the road they're hooking me up with Frisbees and encouraging me and all kinds of stuff. Those guys are legit."

Team High Country co-founder Josh Fish shared similar sentiments about Person.

"Jared is by far one of the leaders of the team," Fish said. "He holds everything together, that's for sure."

Fish said he had the idea of starting Team High Country when working a job with Person in Kalispell, Mont. Person said he admired Fish's disc collection, and Fish offered to sponsor him and get him any disc he wanted in exchange for any unused discs he had laying around.

"I felt that if I was able to get him the discs that he needed to succeed that eventually someone would pick him up," Fish said.

Fish said Person eventually introduced him to Nick Kynett, who owned High Country Customs, a sticker company. Fish and Kynett join together to form Team High Country Disc Golf, a self-described team of disc golfers looking to expand the sport by hosting fundraisers, tournaments and clinics.

"We like to get people started in the sport and make sure that they got what they need to succeed and keep going," Fish said.

It looks like it's working. This past June, Person took sixth place at the Zoo Town Open, a prestigious disc golf tournament held annually in Missoula, Mont. Person trailed the eventual champion Nikko Locastro, who the PDGA ranks as the seventh best disc golfer in the world, by two strokes after the second round; he posted an identical score to Locastro in the first round.

"Any time you're playing with the top-level competitors, one of two things happens," Person said. "It's either you get nervous and you start playing your normal game, or you get hyper-focused and you start playing really well. In Zootown I was stoked because the later happened."

Despite his strong play, Person threw his disc OB when he slipped and fell on hole No. 13 in the third round. Instead of laying up, he said he decided to aim straight for the basket. He said it "did not go well."

He eventually carded a six for the hole. His third round score of 59, the highest score for that round shot by all the players that finished in the top 10, cost him an opportunity to play with Locastro in a special final round for the top five golfers.

"It was my only mistake the entire weekend," Person said.

Still, Zootown wasn't a complete disaster for Person. He received an email from Prodigy Discs, one of the major manufacturers of disc golf equipment and apparel, which expressed its interest to "discuss sponsorship for 2016." Since then he has played with the company's discs exclusively (he said about 60 percent of his bag featured Prodigy discs before they contacted him) and has won two tournaments in that span.

"I already like their plastic," Person said. "It's just like icing on the cake that they said something."

Fish said Person's temperament has changed over the years. As a result, he is starting to see more success.

"It was a big part of his learning curve," Fish said. "He used to be an angry SOB every time he didn't make a shot."

Person has undergone a number of changes. He quit drinking alcohol six months ago, and he has been dating his girlfriend Amy for almost a year (she's currently building him a disc golf trophy case). Fish said such changes have helped Person become a better disc golfer.

"He wanted to put himself in a position to succeed and he's doing that, which is awesome and huge for him," Fish said.

Person's success did not have a typical beginning. He started playing the sport in 2000 when a couple of his friends asked if he wanted to go frolfing with them. They gave him a couple of discs and his passion for the sport started. He said the now-defunct disc golf course on North Idaho College really strengthened his love for the game since the beginner-friendly course offered numerous opportunities for birdies.

After playing casually for seven years, Person decided to join the PDGA in 2007. Since he did not know anything about divisions, he competed in the open field, the one reserved for professionals, when he entered the Corbin Park Open. He placed fourth and qualified for a cash payout, a feat he would not replicate until winning the Farragut Open five years later.

"I needed a little time to hone my skills," Person said.

He would build on his Farragut victory in 2013, where he would place first in three tournaments: the Kooky Noosa Challenge, the Down River Re-Open and the Cherry Hill Open. He also placed third in the Spokane City Cup that year. Last year he won both the Farragut Fling and the General Store Open.

Despite his success, Person has played less disc golf this year. He said he averaged two rounds a day last year, though he only manages to play three rounds a week this year due to his busier work schedule as a tile setter.

Person said he is excited to compete in the Rocky Mountain Disc Golf Championship in Bozeman Aug. 22-23. He said he looks forward to competing against Dietrich again, in addition to Darrell Nodland, who he called "the best disc golfer you never heard of."

"There's going to be some stiff competition for sure, but I really love those courses, so I think I got a chance," Person said. "I'm coming in there with a lot of confidence because I just won there."

Person's coming off his worst finish of the year. He placed eighth in the Continental Classic in Helena, Mont., an event he almost skipped when he injured the finger he uses to throw forehands. He said he hopes it heals in time for the Rocky Mountain tournament. Regardless, Person plans to be a force in this sport for a long time.

"I love disc golf," Person said. "It's super fun, and it's something I plan on doing forever."

So what exactly is disc golf? Some people claim it is the fastest growing sport in this country, even if you won't see many tournaments featured on network television. Idaho's highest-ranked disc golfer, Jared Person, offered this advice for beginning players interested in learning how to play.

1) "Go throw until your arm hurts. Every day if you can, especially if you're young," Person said. He recommended beginners go to a field alone and throw a ton of shots because repetition makes you a better disc golfer.

2) Make note of the disc's flight characteristics. Person said, "It doesn't really matter what Frisbees you have, every Frisbee does something. You just need to figure out what it does and whether it fits your game."

3) Learn about grip and mechanics through online research or talking to experienced players.

4) Throw about 100 putts before every round. Person said, "If you can throw a dart at a dart board and hit it you can throw a Frisbee at a basket and hit it."

5) Play with people who are better than you. If there's a pro willing to play with you every once in a while, take advantage of the opportunity.

6) YouTube is your friend. Person said the service was not available when he was learning the sport, and he said the Internet offers unparalleled insight into the throwing styles and strategies of the game.

Now that you know how to play, where can you watch some of the best players complete? Person said he does not think disc golf coverage will make its way to television any time soon.

"I don't know if it will ever get to PGA status," Person said. "I don't see Lexus and Barclay's getting down with disc golf any time soon," Person said. "Still, as far as making it big, this year has been especially great. ESPN's 'SportsCenter's' Top Ten has had disc golf on it on three different occasions now, which is pretty legit."

Person said the sport has enjoyed increased exposure through the growing popularity of online streaming services that help disc golfers follow professionals in the sport they love. Person said this footage will help the sport grow.

Person said, "We got the Michael Jordan already. Paul McBeth is tearing it up."

Name: Jared Person

PDGA #: 29708

Favorite Local Course: Farragut

Current North Idaho Disc Golf Club bag tag: 1

On the future of disc golf: "You've got a lot of guys who are so close to being way better than me. They're younger and they've grown up with the game, so their bodies are growing into it."

Jared Person said North Idaho offers some wonderful disc golf opportunities. These are his favorite local holes:

Cherry Hill - Hole 15 (deep position) - "You got to think about executing a good shot."

Corbin Park - Hole 2 - The area's most photographed hole in disc golf is "very picturesque." Hole removed for summer play.

Farragut - Hole No. 6 (Wreckreator) - "It's the one hole I can throw as hard as I can in the area."