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What effect did last year’s Worlds, where you placed 2nd, have on your motivation for this year?

After finishing second I realized that I could really compete. The sound of “World Champ” really had a huge appeal.

hough, you never had a commanding lead, it was a wire to wire victory (if I added the numbers correctly, you were never not at least tied fro the lead after each round). Though he ended up 4th, it looks like Greg Brooks was your closest persistent rival after he posted that 47. Briefly, relate any key shots or holes during the semi-final round that propelled you to the win. (Going into that round, you led Greg by 2, Jack by 5, and Mark by 7.) You came out that round with a fairly commanding 5 throw lead.

Actually, I was two shots back after the second round and was knocked off the lead card. That got me really motivated to shoot well and come back and go into the lead. I met Greg Brooks at Am World Doubles earlier this year. He’s got all the shots. I felt he was a better player than me but he had a couple bad holes that did him in. Greg just wasn’t on his game in the semi’s. If I remember correctly, we were pretty close the whole round. Then, after I took a 4 on #15, I thought, “I’ve got to bare down and finish these last six holes strong.” (We started on #4) I deuced 5 of the last 6 holes.
Jack Wood was the sneakiest player out there. He’s never the longest off the tee, or the closest to the basket, but the guy is a putting machine. He never missed. If he had a putter in his hands, you could count it as in. He’s so smooth and never gets into trouble.
Mark Hauser is another smooth player. He’s gotten second now three times. He’ll be back and be tough to beat. I’m lucky I had the lead I did or else either Mark or Jack could have beaten me.

Name: Mark Steddom

Hometown: Davenport , IA

Home Course: Middle Park in Bettendorf , IA

Date of Birth: 8/2/54

Married? If so, spouse's name: Not married at this time. But I do have a lovely girlfriend, Julie, who I neglect far too often by playing in tourney’s.

Children's (if any) names and ages: Trisha 23, Marshall 18, and Mackenzie 15 (They live in sunny Florida )

Occupation: I’m an Area Consulting Engineer for Roche Diagnostics. I provide second level support for our chemistry analyzers.

How many years at this job? I’ve worked for them for 22 years. They’re a great company to work for.

Prior to disc golf what other sports (if any) did you play? I played bowling and ball golf. I averaged around 220 at my best and was a 7-9 handicap.

If any of these were organized sports, what level did you attain? Bowling came naturally to me and I was able to compete locally at a pretty high level. Golf was just for fun.

How do you discover disc golf and when? My girlfriend, Julie, and I were looking for something that both of us could do. She had a coworker say that disc golf was fun and anyone could play. It also didn’t cost much to start. So we gave it a try and I was hooked.

When did you begin to compete (first tournament)? It was at a little mini tourney that Jay and Des Reading put on. I believe that was 3 years ago. (2004)

How many other Worlds Championships have your played in and what years? My first Worlds was last year, 2006.

Besides winning the worlds this year, describe any other competitive highlights or achievements? While playing in the 2006 Am Worlds I met Gary Camp. We hit it off and decided to play Am World Doubles together earlier this year. We played real well together and managed to win that.

Name any people who helped you discover disc golf and/or helped you become a a better player? Describe what they did for you? Without a doubt, it’s my buddy Joe. He’s Julie’s brother and he moved here roughly a year after I started playing. He picked the game up quickly and we played together after work almost every day for the first couple of years. Also, our area has a ton of really talented players. Just being around and playing leagues with these great players has helped tremendously.

How did you prepare for this Worlds? I played a local C-tier tourney a couple of weeks before going to Worlds and managed to win the Adv Masters Division. The week before Worlds it rained here almost the entire week so I was a bit anxious to get some practice in at Worlds.

What kind of bag did you carry at the Worlds. I used the Gateway Tour bag. It holds a ton of discs.

What were the primary discs that you used? Include model name, type of plastic, and weight.

Drivers:
Sirius Orion LF 167 & LS 166 (These were my “go to” drivers. I quit using almost everything else. They just felt so good in my hands and I knew I could count on them to go where I wanted.) Pro Wraith 170 (beat), DX leopard 173 (slightly beat), DX Leopard 168 (beat), Star Wraith 167, ESP Surge 168, Star FL 170

Mid-Ranges:
Champion Coyote 176, Star USDGC Roc 180, Q-Sentinel 180, Champion Whippet 175

Putters:
Star Big Bead Aviar 175, Star Aviar 173

Others:
Z-Flick 150 Class (it’s my thumber disc), Champion SL 174 (main sidearm disc)

Which course did you enjoy the most at Worlds and why? They were all wonderful but Brown Deer was the most challenging.

What was your least favorite and why? There really wasn’t one.

What did you like most about these worlds? Getting to play with some of the guys from last years Worlds and playing with some new guys. Our division is great. We all encourage each other to play well. I love seeing great shots and I saw a lot of great shots this year from guys like Greg, Mark and Jack. (the final 9 group)

Any constructive criticism for these worlds? Everything went really well. It was well organized and things ran on time. It would have been nice to have been able to stretch it out over more course.

Who are your favorite pro player(s) and why? Jay and Des Reading because they are from here. They are super people who have done so much for disc golf, especially being the driving force behind the EDGE program for schools. Johnny Sias is another favorite of mine and a great player. We email back and forth and he’s helped me with my putting, big time!

What are you disc golf goals for next year? Being 53, I worry about injuries. Just trying to stay healthy is my biggest goal.

What are your disc golf goals 5 years from now? That’s too far ahead for me to think about. I’d like to see more 50+ players. It’s hard to compete with these young pups.

If you were to attend next year's Pro-Am-Junior Worlds, what division would you play? Grandmaster. I love playing with these guys. And every year there’s a new crop of guys that turn 50.

Feel free to add anything else you may want to say. It’s been a wonderful year. Last year, every sanctioned tourney I played in I took second. I’m not complaining mind you, second is great, but it was starting to bug me. This year has been completely different. It all started with winning World Doubles.
God has blessed me very much in my life. I am truly grateful for all of his kindness.