The 2009 Tauranga Xtreme
May 2& 3 2009

First time TD Andrew Taylor sums it up beautifully

The end of April saw disc golf competitors from around the country going to extraordinary lengths to prepare for the upcoming battle.

The Lost Tribes Des Cooper was walking 2 ½ hrs to work in the morning and 2 ½ hrs home again in an effort to increase stamina. Tauranga’s Karoline Jonsson had been attending every spin class on the schedule to give her that extra leg strength required for the challenge ahead and Hamilton Hornet Josh Smith had been working out his elbow with plenty of bending exercises!(?)

All of this training a vain effort to try and conquer the un-conquerable .. Tauranga Xtreme.

With a record turnout of 34 contestants it seemed there was plenty of cannon fodder for the course to devour. And devour it did.

"With no less than 9 DNF’s recorded before the final disc was thrown, not to mention the amount of plastic that was emptied into the belly of the beast."

It was heartening to see plenty of new faces in the ranks and it was obvious from the keen and eager expressions on their faces that they had yet to experience “The Knoll”. The Crusher of Confidence, the Pilferer of Plastic and Vanquisher of Victory!

After three torturous rounds of battle between man and landscape, the casualties were extensive with only the six strongest competitors left to contest for glory. The six were Super, and consisted of Mario Cerniar, Blair Joines, Dean Marshall, Brett Hailstone, Marty de Haas and Damien Peters.

It was up to these 6 brave souls to go back out there and challenge the course to one last battle, while the rest of us licked our wounds.

Mario led the charge and never looked back, powering into the first holes of the super six with scant regard for the course or his comrades in arms, when the dust settled it was Mario who held his head high in victory.

After ensuring the safe departure of all involved, before the setting of the sun, I embarked on one last sweep of the grounds, and I noticed that there were the shapes of several brave disc golfers hunting through the undergrowth trying to retrieve the weapons that the course had swallowed.

And now the beast must slumber until next year, when once again, we return to do battle with The Tauranga Xtreme.

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