PDGA TD School | Episode 16 | Mid-Event Suspension
Learn how to handle mid-event suspension and event cancellation like a pro with the PDGA TD School. This episode dives into the critical topic of contingency planning, providing Tournament Directors with essential guidelines to maintain the integrity of their competition despite unforeseen challenges. PDGA-sanctioned events often face weather-related issues, including lightning strikes, which can pose significant risks to players. To ensure player safety, TDs must be aware of the 15-mile safety radius around a tournament location and know when to suspend play. Understanding how to react to severe weather conditions, such as tornadoes, is also crucial. The PDGA's Tournament Director Training program has provided valuable insights into these critical topics, helping aspiring and experienced TDs develop essential skills for managing mid-event suspensions and cancellations. By watching this episode, you'll gain a better understanding of how to prepare for worst-case scenarios and keep your tournament running smoothly despite unexpected events.
Watch PDGA TD School Episode 16: Mid-Event Suspension rules explained by experienced officials and players at a top-tier tournament.
Watch on YouTubeVideo Transcript
Welcome back again to our TD School video series, part of the PDGA's Tournament Director Training program. In this episode we're going to talk about some things that no tournament director ever wants to have to deal with. Mid-event suspension and event cancellation guidelines. Because sometimes bad things happen on tournament day and as a TD, it's always better to be prepared. So let's begin. Prior planning is essential for a tournament director to quickly and confidently deal with event delays or cancellations. A TD should already have carefully considered their event's format, location and types of issues that are likely to arise and have formed multiple contingency plans to ensure that the integrity of the competition is maintained. Specifically, these plans should be designed to ensure a final result where all competitors within each division have played the same total layout. Events with larger field sizes and spectator galleries should consider using apps or tools to engage in proactive detection and provide early warning. TDs must prepare players with the protocol for leaving the course in the event that play must be suspended, and for these larger events, having a person or persons other than the TD assigned to monitor weather conditions is a best practice. PDGA-sanctioned events generally continue during wet weather conditions. However, TDs need to be aware of potential conditions that could put players in harm's way. These dangerous conditions could include lightning. Lightning is particularly dangerous for disc golfers, especially since we walk from lightning rod to lightning rod as we play a round. Lightning can strike within 10 miles of a storm, so it's good for TDs to observe a 15 mile safety radius around a tournament location during the event. Any lightning strike within 15 miles will suspend play. Play is to be suspended for 30 minutes after the last strike within 15 miles and can resume thereafter. Other severe weather concerns include tornadoes or high winds and the downed power lines and tree branches left in their wake; flooding, extreme heat or extreme cold and air quality hazards. The PDGA has developed a list of resources to help TDs prepare for dangerous weather conditions. Links to things like smartphone lightning apps, flood maps from the US, Canadian and European government agencies, severe weather warning websites, and online worldwide air Quality Index readings are available via the PDGA website. Aside from weather and...
