⚖️ Natalie Ryan v. PDGA comes to a temporary head

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter where Mother’s Day brunch is followed by a round of Mob Golf.

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If you missed the off-week recap, then I got you: Gatekeeper’s Story

Let’s get into it.

WILL SHE OR WON’T SHE PLAY?

The Natalie Ryan v. PDGA/DGPT/1000 Rated Productions story is a lot like the Energizer Bunny… just when you forget the lawsuit is ongoing, it pops up and keeps going & going & going.

To catch you up to speed, here’s DiscGolf.law’s timeline for the lawsuit against PDGA’s transgender policy:

FEB 22nd - Ryan’s lawyer initiated a complaint against the 3 parties. Supposed settlement talks began between Ryan & the PDGA/DGPT to find a resolution out of court

MAR 22nd - Ryan’s lawyer found the settlement talks unproductive and assumed it won’t come to a conclusion

APR 10th - The PDGA is served with court documents by Ryan’s attorney, and the official deadline for the defendants’ response began

MAY 3rd - Ryan’s lawyer filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to require her to play in the OTB Open

MAY 8th - The PDGA filed a response of hundreds of pages against the restraining order. Arguments include:

• Ryan’s lawyer waited too long to file

• Their transgender policy is “science-based”

• There are other sports that have similar policies

• She can still compete within the event but in MPO

• Additionally, a document titled "Stockton Declaration of Women's Professional Disc Golfers for Women's Rights and Protection of the Women's Category in our Sport" was signed by 33 FPO players including Catrina Allen, Kat Mertsch, Eveliina Salonen, Kona Montgomery, and the list goes on and on

MAY 9th - Ryan’s lawyer provided a response to the PDGA’s response with 2 points:

• It’s in the Public Interest to allow Ryan to play this weekend

• In the state of CA, Ryan is a woman and should be eligible to compete in FPO. She’s being discriminated against for being transgender

MAY 10th - The injunction hearing was held, and its results have not been made public yet

MAY 12th - OTB Open starts with or without Natalie Ryan in the field

These back-and-forths are only just the beginning of a long and tumultuous lawsuit. Being one of only a few transgender lawsuits, there will be lots of outside attention with likely a few protests sprinkled in (like at the 303 Open 4 days ago).

OTB OPEN

PREVIEW (5/12-14)

The cross-country trek is over, and the real grind can begin. There are 20 straight DGPT events from now until the conclusion of US Women’s on September 24th.

We’ve finally entered the West Coast Swing consisting of 4 events (2 Elites & 2 Silvers) starting in Stockton, CA. With primo Cali conditions, the pros will attack Swenson Park for the 3rd year in a row.

Held in high acclaim, this Leonard Muise design has been regarded as a great example of courses on ball golf properties. It plays hard, incorporates water features, and feels refreshing amongst other hybrid designs.

With the flat landscape and low ceilings, lace up your skates and prepare for the roller derby. This course is no birdie fest.

LAST YEAR RECAP

MPO/ 🥇Simon Lizotte (-20) 🥈Calvin Heimburg (-18) 🥉Aaron Gossage (-17)

The 2nd most beloved disc golfer won his 1st big event in 4 years. The new dad showed flashes of his past self with “Simon Lines,” big putts, and a level head to close it out.

It was a joyous occasion for not just the dads out there, but for everyone. After the win, Lizotte proved it wasn’t luck and went back-to-back at Portland Open two weeks later.

FPO/ 🥇Paige Pierce (-11) 🥈Natalie Ryan (-7) 🥉Juliana Korver (-3)

It was going to be a runaway victory with Pierce having a 9-stroke lead into Sunday. She almost faltered by letting Ryan catch up, but her experience prevented Ryan’s 1st Tour win.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

The Swedish superstar - Linus Carlsson - will finally make his 2023 debut after waiting for his sports visa to the US. He’s now fully committed to touring for the next 5 years and hopes his elongated off-season will pay dividends this weekend.

As for FPO, the course couldn’t be better suited for this rising star…

SHOP TROPHIES AT POWERGRIP USA

Last year, OTB Open presented well-thought-out trophies to Lizotte and Pierce. They were beautifully dyed MVP Servos that were quickly tossed aside by both winners.

Now that Lizotte is sponsored by MVP, it’s the perfect time for his trophy to take flight. Be like the German Wunderkind and shop at Powergrip USA.

Grab your own MVP Neutron Servo (6.5|5|-1|2), Lizotte’s Fission Proxy, and other GYRO discs today. Or use promo code POWERDAYS15 for 15% off other non-sale discs sitewide.

RANDOM DUBS

1️⃣ Just last month, the DGPT whiffed hard on their April Fools’ joke. But now there’s some real movement towards the Olympics.

For the 1st time in 24 years, disc golf has been added to the 2025 World Games. It’s essentially for sports that don’t make the Olympics (flag football, tug of war, etc.) but can also be a stepping stone.

While this is exciting, the chances of top pros attending in 2025 will be low. Regardless, global attention can only propel growth worldwide.

Going down this road opens up the ever-looming topic of drug testing. The DGPT has had discussions and could implement a program for 2024 or after.

On The Nick & Matt Show, DGPT CEO - Jeff Spring - explained they’d work with the PDGA and a 3rd party for recommendations on testing conditions. With “hippie culture” so ingrained in our sport’s roots, many are concerned about this direction.

What’s the real performance-enhancing drug - Adderall or THC? In the words of Drew Gibson, “Anyone’s really not making too much money to be told what they can or can’t do with their free time.”

We’ve got another chicken and egg situation - sport legitimacy and money.

2️⃣ The Inaugural PDGA Women’s Disc Golf Week starts in two days (5/13). It’s “designed to celebrate women and girls in DG and to encourage as many women and girls to participate.”

For these 7 days, our smallest demographic will enjoy these benefits:

• Non-member fee waived ($10) for all gender-based divisions at C-Tiers

• 20% off a new PDGA membership (entire month of May)

• Mystery boxes to 50 random PDGA women who played a May event

Help do your part and encourage the women and girls in your life to sign up for an event this month.

MEME OF THE WEEK

It’s time to revisit one of the best memes from last year… OTB Open and Drew Gibson created this beautiful moment that will forever be remembered.

Thanks for reading today. Get out and shoot for the stars this weekend!

- Charlie