Motodom
is the name we affectionately use when referring to our homeland around
the headwaters of
the Missouri River, in Bozeman Montana. Coincidentally, this area was one of the main objectives that the Lewis and Clark expedition set out to "DISCover" in 1803. |
Today,
this area is as magical as the day it was first viewed by the expedition,
in 1804.
In this
area, the three rivers named by Lewis & Clark; the Gallatin, Madison,
and Jefferson, each come flowing out of their respective mountain ranges to
join up in one place, and give birth to the Missouri River.
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Along the way, a small group of us became very proficient with Frisbee flying discs, and started sharing this knowledge with others.. both in the way of informal disc golf courses, and through informal teachings to the youth of the area. Promoting a sort of "Frisbee Fundamentalism," this involved not only teaching good Frisbee disc throwing technique, but also using the flying disc as an instrument for better health, and to promote good attitudes towards our fellow residents, and the world. |
In this area during the 70's, the flying disc took root in the hearts and minds of young people. Like many others around the country at that time, we began to pioneer our own informal disc golf courses, both in the community and in the mountains. |
Pics from our first School Assembly |
Around
the time of the new millennium, nearly 30 years after we started playing with
the disc, we made a decision to get serious about spreading Frisbee disc
throwing information to youth. Our first step was to team up with Montana PBS, to produce the acclaimed throwing instructions video, Heave H.O.E. (Heaven On Earth). Then we went on to develop an acclaimed school assembly program to capture the hearts and minds of youth, and to teach them the many ways that they can enjoy throwing a flying disc. To boot, we also put together a 10 lesson PE class activity unit which incorporates the video to transfer excellent throwing knowledge to today's youth. Instructions they need to successfully play the popular Frisbee sports; Ultimate, Disc Golf, and Freestyle. This has also grown into our working in school PE classes, as specialty PE teachers. |
Pics from our first School Assembly |
Last of
all, we envisioned a place in our community where people of all ages could
come to enjoy the flying disc together. During the last 30 years, there
have been times when the powers that be, have shut down existing disc golf
courses in Bozeman, because they were in conflict with other park users. In this, it became clear that the local disc golf community needed someone to provide leadership in order to establish a true community disc golf park. This is what we aimed to provide, and indeed, this is what we have accomplished for all to enjoy. In the years from 2000 on, we have worked together with the City of Bozeman to spearhead the development of Rose Park Flying Disc Center and Professional Disc Golf Community Course! This involved extensive grant writing, architectural design talent, general contracting experience, and overall great public relations. All resulting in a $500,000 donation, and two grants totaling $150,000! (Not to mention 21 acres of prime Bozeman city land, worth a cool $2 million!) From the outset of this project, we wanted to make sure we developed something which could literally be used by all ages. In this new light, we designed into the project a couple of unique features. One that we call, a "youth golf course," and the other we call a "throw and catch circle." The youth course, is designed so that children can throw their Frisbee discs at short range targets which are blended into a picnic area, in the spirit of a miniature golf course. This way, parents can sit and relax, while keeping an eye on their children as they play on the youth course. Inside of this design, we have carved out the throw and catch area, for people of all skills to come meet up and learn to throw together. We teach the children of the county to come and throw here, and explain to them that they are to encourage new players who arrive at this location to join in and improve together. We look forward to meeting all sorts of people here, who are either from Gallatin county, or traveling through Bozeman, including you and your family. Enjoy! |
Rose Park
(21 acre) Community Disc Golf Course and Flying Disc Center Rose Park Flying Disc Center and Youth Frisbee Golf Course |