Unstable Discourse - A Disc Golf Podcast

Season 5?  Really?  

The guys took a short break and now they're back at it baby!  They kick it off with special guest, good friend, and fellow tournament director Mike Apostolou to share with us some of the latest and 'greatest' PDGA rule changes.  While there are many, they try and tackle the most important and controversial revisions.  They discuss their opinions and predict whether or not they will make an impact on typical tournament play.  Also revealed is the crews' latest and greatest idea - a fantasy disc golf league the details of which must be heard to be truly appreciated.  

Sean is super excited about his log, and Alex just wants to poke everyone in the eye.  Ryan is looking forward to peepee pants, and Jason blindly stumbles into a commanding lead in the crews' new venture.

Alright, all you nerds, dust off the D12s and make your your wizard robe still fits - it's the episode you've been anticipating since last spring!  Sean, Alex, and Ryan finally embark on their quest to save the Deucer from the smoke monster in the epic conclusion of Dellwood and Dragons!  

Recorded in front of an audience of some of the podcast's most die-hard fans, the Trio makes their way through Trinity Links disc golf course.   Right from the start, they're hit with a barrage of surprises that make the journey an unforgettable one.  

Alex might just have loaded dice, and Sean has forgotten the lyrics to every song he's ever heard.  Ryan can't stand drinking plastic, and Jason goes through some life changes that need to be seen (and heard) to be believed.  

It's that time again, and the crew gets introspective with another season recap.  Jason Takes command as they're put on a timer to try and cram in as many highlights from each episode as they can remember.

Sean and Sheila share a fired up, and Alex surprises everyone with overflowing holiday spirit.  Ryan will get a chance to prove he wasn't grown in a lab, and Jason finds out that he may have a future in the Japanese game show industry.  

The guys sit down for some real talk on a subject close to all their hearts - substance abuse and addiction.  Their guest, Mike Ferreira, has recovered from substance abuse disorder and been sober for 6 years, largely to the rediscovery of disc golf, the sport itself, and its community.  He gets into his struggles, experiences with substance abuse, and his long and winding path to recovery and what he can do to help.  Mike is in the early stages of starting a recovery and support disc golf club, and has big plans to grow the club into a non-profit organization that will aid those in the sport and outside it using disc golf as the path to heal and rehabilitate. 

Alex gets lost in pimple-popping videos, while Sean turns into a radio host from 1943.  Ryan has planted a flag on the nerd planet, and Jason can't help but feel sparkly.

The guys put together an episode that has been a long time in the making.  Disc golf legend Scott Stokely hops on the mic and makes himself at home at Callahan Acres.  Stokely shares candid stories, opinions and life lessons that are larger-than-life but also humblingly human and relatable - his entrepreneurial successes and failures, his beginnings with disc golf, and his commitment to bettering himself and others through the sport.   He takes them behind the making of his autobiography 'Growing Up Disc Golf' and the evolution of Blue Power Disc Golf which promotes disc golf for individuals with special needs and their families.

Alex can't decide whether he's completely off smoking, while Sean gets misty-eyed about the Delly's.  Ryan is learning how to 'catch'em all', and Jason compares his nose to horror-movie villans' backsides.  

Alex returns and makes the group whole again, as Jason takes the reins in a sequel to the Season 2 fan favorite vodka-shot trivia!  Continuing on in the Halloween spirit, he tests the crew's knowledge of horror movies past and present.  With everyone's favorite mystery vodka shots as the buzzers, in this game, everyone's a loser!  The yuck faces were ever present.

Sean gets in touch with his feelings, and Alex embraces the 'anxiety' nickname given to him while he was away.  Ryan divulges his still-present fear of Freddy Kruger, and Jason has a bathroom story that needs to be heard to be believed.  

The podcast is down a man, as Alex is sick with Covid.  The show must go on, however, so the 'Deucer steps in as the crew embraces the spookiest of seasons and discusses their own top 10 disc golf nightmares.  They reveal a lesser-known real life story about 'Dead Man's Cave', the now defunct dam behind the Canyon's hole 17 long tee pad.  Also, Sheila has just recently returned from her trip with the girls to Sandy Point.  While on their trip to disc golf heaven, Stu (Sandy Point's infamous groundskeeper) gave  them a tour of the supposedly haunted Lakeview cabin and gives them several first hand accounts of strange happenings.  

Sean is finally ready for it all to wind down, and Sheila mistakenly trusts her husband with scratchy lottery tickets.  Ryan won't shut the f$&k up about the shed, and Jason may finally be done with Starbucks and manicures.  

They actually did it!  The crew drove down to the Destination-Penetration course winner and world famous Idlewild Disc Golf Course in Burlington, Kentucky.  They spent two full days taking in the intense and incredible disc golf that the greater Cincinnati area has to offer, as well as consuming some of the area's finest 'chili'.  They stopped at 'The Nati', famed midwest disc golf shop, and were able to convince owners Jason Kerl and Adam Jones to sit with them for an impromptu episode that is one of their best ever.  Set up just outside their shop amongst the background of Mt Airy's hole 1, they step away from the normal format and get into all things Cincinnati disc golf - what it takes to keep things rolling in the area, relationships with parks and the city, and the trials and tribulations of being a TD, past and present.  

Sean immediately makes two new best friends, while Alex can't wait to get back to the hotel hot tub.  Ryan feels validated as a broke TD, and Jason is sore head-to-toe from diving into the deep end in his first official full round of disc golf.  

On this episode, the guys bring in Disc Golf Chicago's own Eric Savoie and Kevin Derrick to discuss their role in bringing disc golf to the city.  Their persistence with the park districts to be formally recognized as a viable and sustainable solution to preserving nature and allowing city-goers to enjoy green space is truly inspiring.   They get into all the events and tournaments they have run, and how they have turned into park district supported/funded programs for children and adults alike.  Also, they mention what is in store for the future of the community and their organization.  

Alex plans to film a wedding for the first time, while Sean's PTSD resurfaces as he's reminded of events past.  Ryan just can't get behind Mexico's aliens, and Jason can't even figure out how to say our guests' names.  

Welcome to the back 9!  The guys are back at it after three months of a crazy summer.  They bring in long-time-talked-about friends Donnie Longtin and Joe Roppo to discuss exactly what is so special about Sandy Point Disc Golf Ranch and Resort.  Furthermore, they delve into the importance of having an annual trip like this with your friends and what it can mean for your mental health throughout the year.  They go HARD into the traditions and procedures that they have cultivated to make the trip so nerdy and special.  

Sean got a new cock, and Alex tells the story of getting superpunched as a kid.   The Deucer blows everyone's mind with a surprise offering.  Ryan is STILL building the shed, and Jason has finally gone off the alien deep-end.  

Reinvigorated by some hot rounds in a sanctioned tournament, Sean and Ryan lead the discussion about the player experience.  Sean gets into re-igniting the competition fire after being in the thick of things and taking down the old man division.  Ryan touches on taking tournament play for granted and the player observations (good and bad) he noticed while competing.  Reimagining the TD/player balance and what will be done in the future to elevate the player experience are also discussed. 

Sean confesses to a short-lived minecraft obsession, while Alex probably will never go to a concert again.  Ryan builds a shed, and Jason gets a taste of his own trivia medicine.  

The guys bring in one of the OG Season 1 guests, and first lady guest, Amy Laskowski to the CAB.  They talk all things ladies disc golf - events happening around the area and around the world.  They also ask about changes in women's disc golf since Amy's first appearance on the show 3 years ago.  Most importantly, they shout out a whole gang of local ladies that deserve to be recognized.  

Sean is moments away from getting cancelled, and Alex doesn't want a gusty breeze revealing his hot dog.  Ryan may or may not have a giant hole, and Jason knows the difference between an alligator and a crocodile.  

The guys bring in friend, disc golfer and cannabis connoisseur David Cope to the mic to get the latest with the Fox Valley Metro Disc Golf Club, and to get serious about the role cannabis has and should play on and off the course.  David has experience as a long time professional budtender and hosts a live Youtube show called 'Peace, Love and Cope'.  He gives some invaluable insight and knowledge about this unfortunately stigmatized plant.   They discuss some of the ways cannabis can/should be used on the course, but also medically as a viable treatment and as a very powerful symptom and pain reliever.  David surprises everyone with some nuggets from shows past and proves that he has been keeping up on the UD episodes.

The guys also finish the Destination Penetration bracket, but things got very real with a twist!

Sean geeks out about a different podcast, and Alex doesn't really care what happens, as long as he gets to go camping.  Ryan will never trust another guest of the show, and Jason pulls back the curtain to his maniacal mind and forces the guys to play a game he just made up while sitting in traffic. 

The guys have transported back from the lands of fantasy.  They return to the CAB joined by guests Patrick Haaker and Jason Allen - teachers that have started and successfully sustained disc golf clubs in their respective local schools.  They offer up their knowledge and experience in what it takes to get disc golf into students' hands.  Startup costs, bureaucracy, travel and time are discussed.  Patrick and Jason also talk mushrooms, cellphones, the lack of cellphones, and they join the guys for the 2nd round of 'Destination Penetration'.

Sean is excited about Callahan Acres projects, while Alex reminisces about the repercussions of passing notes in class.  Ryan takes a ride on the nostalgic movie train and Jason has suddenly become interested and aroused by the Civil War.  

The wait is over, NERDS!  The guys bring the immediately hyped disc golf RPG back to Callahan Acres for the conclusion of the first ever play-through.  Gandolf the J and the Deucer had oh-so-much-more in store as the back 9 lay before them.   Peril and fortune lay behind every tree and under every rock on their path.  Who will reign victorious?  Strap in, grab a case of Mt Dew Code Red, listen in and find out!

After an unexpected, but riveting adventure of a lifetime, the guys come back to reality for a more traditional episode.  They talk destination courses, and the Deucer set them up with a sweet-16-style bracket with the top free courses in the world.  Complete with uDisc stats, landmarks, and local attractions, the guys had to work their way through to see which course come out on top.  They also get into local course stats (thanks again to uDisc) and reveal some surprising and encouraging numbers.

Sean is excited to have to remember how to play disc golf again, and Alex can't wait to tell the world how humble he is.  Ryan received plans to build an upscale Las Vegas hotel/casino, and Jason might have to resort to eating insects.  

The UD universe as we know it has been thrown into chaos as Jason and the Deucer turn the normal format on its head.  Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, and in only 4 days time, devised what can only be described as the GREATEST TABLETOP GAME OF ALL TIME.  Complete with color coordinated dice, custom printed playing cards in sleeves, as well as a table full of snacks and a full case of Mt Dew Code Red, no effort was spared, and no detail was left behind. 
The game was a mystery and unfolded before Sean, Ryan and Alex as they set out  on their journey playing a round of disc golf at the Canyons.  They faced many an obstacle, and encountered many Dellwood characters - some well known, some soon-to-be known, and all unforgettable.  Follow along as this tenacious triumvirate navigates their way though what is sure to be the adventure of a lifetime, or at least a good few Thursdays worth.  

The guys bring in returning guest, first guest of the season, friend of the show, and birthday boy Dana Vicich to get into some of the most interesting and controversial issues in disc golf history.  They talk the real talk about Simon Lizotte leaving Discmania and hear from Dana a bit of what it was like from the inside.  They also outline the rapidly evolving Gannon Buhr vs. Prodigy lawsuit and what it might mean for disc golf going forward.  Dana brings everyone up to speed on the new exciting Discmania S-line releases and they even take a walk down memory lane as they bring up Dana's former sponsor Vibram and their resurgence into the game.

Alex refers to himself as 'Hot-dog-fingers' for a good portion of the episode, and Sean is excited about some new 'swingers' show on netflix.  Ryan is jealous of Dana's pellet grill, and Jason finds a new silent way to eat potato chips.

The guys are back baby!  Sluggishly crawling out from their hibernating stasis, they decided to get started on a new season.  At their home in the ever improving CAB, things get rolling quickly as they tackle a topic disc golfers annually deliberate - renewing PDGA memberships.  What do you get for your money?  What happens when you don't renew?  Is the PDGA doing enough and what could they do to sweeten the pot?  They also give some details on some new, but certainly not widely known, PDGA rules and regulations.  There's also much talk about artificial intelligence and how easy it will become to create content like... this.... podcast... wait.... no...

Meanwhile, Sean wants to start peddling night lights, and Alex still has scars from a 7pm bedtime.  Ryan is fed up with the misinterpretation of groundhogs day, and Jason wants to tell us about (...you're going to need to sit down for this one...) the GREATEST SHOW OF ALL TIME.

The guys sat down to wrap things up with a nice bow, and admittedly late enough that it could be given away for Christmas.   It was a whirlwind of a season, but they managed to stick to their ol' tried and true format.  As is tradition, they recap the season by doing a quick synopsis of memorable moments from each episode.  

Sean cries over holiday moments past and present, and Alex cries over having to eat Slawdawg advent chocolate for 24 straight days.   Ryan cries while listening to his new home theatre setup, and Jason cries because it happened, not because its over.