As head of competitive sport at SDA, what was your weakness or strength last season?
Firstly, it was great to welcome three new tournaments to the circuit – the weekend in Samnaun was simply brilliant. And the European Championships gave Switzerland two medals – Paul Francz won gold and Karin Rubin bronze. The lowest point for me was missing the day of the CS final.
Are you happy with the new points system that has also been introduced? Will it also be applied next season?
The points system worked well, with suspense lasting right to the end in some categories. The formula was perfected by Emile Barbe. The function distributes points on a regression basis, according to the number of players. The points system will be maintained for 2024, with a few minor adaptations. For example, a victory in the Swisstour final on the Gurten should now earn 250 points. We are currently examining whether the regression curve can also reflect the difference in throw from one ranking to another.
Well, you’ve already broached the subject. Apart from the adaptation for the final, will there be any other adaptations for the 2024 season?
The novelty certainly lies in the 3-day format with one round per day for the CS and Swisstour finals, which has already been commonplace for a long time at the major European tournaments. Similarly, the separation of the CS doubles as a separate tournament will certainly lead to an upgrading of this event (venue and date still open, probably in late autumn).
The 2024 season will kick off in Meggen on a golf course. The tournament sold out within minutes. Surprised?
By staggering entries according to ranking, TD Dave Hüsler wanted to attract as many participants as possible. Once registration was open to all, things went very quickly. I’m delighted about that, of course, because it shows that demand for new tournaments is strong. However, we took precautions and discussed the possibility of expanding the field of participants in advance, should demand be high. Being able to play disc golf on a golf course is a novelty in Switzerland, and the Meggen site is magnificent.
Do you have a personal highlight for the coming season?
I’m looking forward to many more highlights and I’m particularly looking forward to the start of the season in Meggen. The 2024 season is a qualifying year for the 2025 European Championships, and many great tournament experiences await me. I’m also particularly looking forward to the CS in the beautiful Engadine. And maybe there’ll be one or two more surprises in store; at the moment, there are lots of projects in the pipeline and the number of players* involved is growing all the time!
