A funny thing happened when Jordan Alway started getting more involved in the Calgary disc golf community. He gained a whole bunch of new friends — and lost a whole bunch of weight.
Like many new to the sport during the recent player boon, Alway discovered disc golf early in 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
He and a buddy started chucking discs for something to do and they played through the summer and fall.
Then he started a relationship, which lasted through the winter months and took him away from playing regularly.
“Then we broke up so I was like, I need something to get my mind off of this, and at the time we broke up I was 290 pounds,” he said during a round at Park96, one of the few private courses in Calgary.
So the 32-year-old started hitting the course once again with gusto, and pretty soon not only was he playing better, he was feeling a lot better too.
“I’m fluctuating between 220 and 230, in just a year,” he said with a smile.
“I started playing (at Park96) just by myself a lot. Then I was noticing I was losing weight. I tried to get out every day. It was probably by August (2021) I was down to 240 pounds and thought, ‘this is awesome’ and kept it going.”
As the weight came off, Alway felt better, which made it easier to get out.
“My joints aren’t as sore, I don’t have to wear a knee brace anymore, my shoulder isn’t as sore anymore,” he said.
And he has lofty goals for himself.
“My goal now is to do tournaments. The big goal is I want to be able to play competitively, in the MPO eventually. That’s a next-year milestone.”
Along with playing in events, Alway has also started putting them on.
After helping behind the scenes at a few events last year being mentored by experienced CDGC members, Alway is tournament director of the Spring Equinox at Park96, a C-Tier PDGA sanctioned event happening April 23, part of the Chrysalis Trilogy.
“I just enjoy the sport so much, it gives me something to do, I get to meet all these great people,” he said of his motivation.
Because it’s at a private course, the chance to play Park96 proved popular and the tournament filled up just minutes after registration opened earlier this month
That was a relief for Alway, who’s put “hundreds” of hours into organizing it, around an already busy school schedule as a graphic design student.
“It’s all volunteer work,” he said. “I get friendship out of it, the people I’ve met, and pride I guess. I just really enjoy it.”
He’s also putting his graphic design and media skills to use as the creator of Local Breakdown Disc Golf, along with fellow CDGC member Ryan Bonner.
The pair create video maps of area courses using a drone, which they also use to film players’ form while throwing to help with improvement.
The CDGC is looking for more great members like Jordan who want to get involved and give back to the game by helping organize events. We have an ambitious goal of growing to 1,200 members in 2022 and want to have leagues, events and tournaments available to everyone.
We provide the mentorship and direction, you provide the passion. If you’re interested in getting involved, send an email to calgarydiscgolfclub@gmail.com
