Disc Golf Pioneer Des Reading Takes the Helm as PDGA's Youth and Education Coordinator

Des Reading has left an indelible mark on the world of disc golf, with a career spanning two decades, over 200 wins, and four PDGA World Championship titles. As she prepares to take on her new role as the Professional Disc Golf Association's (PDGA) youth and education coordinator in April, Reading is excited about the prospect of spreading the game she loves to a wider audience.

Reading's achievements are nothing short of impressive. A five-time United States Disc Golf Champion and influential figure in the sport, she has spent years conducting clinics for educators at physical education conferences and training thousands of people through her innovative Educational Disc Golf Experience (EDGE) program. EDGE is the first standards-based disc golf curriculum, designed to introduce the game to schools nationwide.

The PDGA's Executive Director, Joe Chargualaf, sees Reading as a natural fit for the new position. "Des was an outstanding candidate among 57 applicants," he said. "She has the perfect blend of experience as a professional educator and a renowned disc golfer." Chargualaf notes that attracting more youth to the sport is one of the PDGA's top priorities, and Reading's expertise will play a key role in introducing disc golf into school systems and youth programs.

Despite her success with EDGE, Reading decided to leave the program behind, recognizing that the opportunity to shape the PDGA's whole system of youth outreach was too good to pass up. "This isn't about me – it's about us," she said. As a long-time partner with Innova Discs, Reading will also be parting ways with her sponsor, but she emphasizes that she is not retiring from competition.

Reading plans to use her new role to network with existing youth-based disc golf organizations and empower their missions. Her first step will be to create an active database of available youth or educational offerings, which will serve as a foundation for the PDGA's future direction, programming, marketing, and promotional materials. The position is a natural extension of Reading's roots in education: she and her husband Jay first started an after-school disc golf program in Texas over 15 years ago.

The new role brings Reading full circle, much like when she moved from Iowa to Texas to pursue her own disc golf dreams and eventually found a way to share them with others. "In the end, I moved to pursue my own disc golf dreams, then I found a vehicle to share it with everyone else," she said.

With Des Reading at the helm of the PDGA's youth and education efforts, the future of disc golf looks bright. As she takes on this new challenge, Reading is once again driving forward, this time as the leader of the organization that has become her new home.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/des-reading-evolution