2024 Kansas City Disc Golf Board of Directors Nominees
Below are the 4 candidates that have self nominated themselves for a 2 year appointment on Kansas City Disc Golf’s Board of Directors starting January 1st, 2025. Ballots will be sent to the email addresses of all active members on November 18th. Voting will remain open until December 1st, with the results being announced on December 3rd.
Thank you to all of the candidates who are running for this year’s elections. Your willingness to step up into this role is appreciated by everyone in the community!
Cade Garrelts (KCDG #1116)
| PDGA # | 40910 |
| Education | OTTAWA UNIVERSITY, Bachelor of Arts, Information Technology (Cum Laude) |
| Occupation | Owner, FlightPlan Disc Golf |
| Year of Birth | 1975 |
| Phone | (913) 961-3977 |
| cade@flightplandiscgolf.com | |
| Disc Golf Experience | Began playing in 1993 at Crestview Park in Topeka, KS. Current Kansas PDGA State Coordinator. Tournament Director for numerous KC events, including the Midwest Amateur Championships and KCDG Club Championships. KCFDC/KCDG League Director & Course Coordinator in Olathe, KS for 10 years. Previously served on Board of Directors for the Kansas City Flying Disc Club (KCFDC), now the Kansas City Disc Golf Club (KCDG). Vice President for the Kanza Disc Golf Club (KDGC) in Ottawa, KS. Previous Course Director for the Kansas City Wide Open. |
| Professional Experience | 2023 – Present: Owner, FlightPlan Disc Golf 2021- 2024: Manager, Programming & Video Content for a broadband & cable TV co. 2019 – 2021: Marketing & Communications Coordinator for a cable TV cooperative. 2014 – 2019: Programming Account Manager for a cable TV cooperative. 2011 – 2014: Center Manager for a nationwide printing & shipping company. 2010 – 2011: Account Manager for a custom-build computer wholesaler. 2001 – 2010: Sales Manager for a computer component wholesaler. |
| Platform | For the past 20 years, I have been involved with Kansas City Disc Golf in some regard. During that time I served as League Director in Olathe for 10 years, a KCFDC Board member for 2 years am currently serving as the Kansas PDGA State Coordinator… etc., etc. I am passionate about our sport and I have dedicated the better part of my life to it. My platform is simple: I will continue to devote my time and talents to making Kansas City the best Disc Golf city on the planet! |
Jake Sumners (KCDG #2050)
| PDGA # | 191764 |
| Education | Associate of Science, Highland Community College Credit Underwriting Training, various Banking Institutions Accounting Coursework, Johnson County Community College |
| Occupation | Credit Analyst, Commercial Loan Department, Arvest Bank |
| Year of Birth | 1978 |
| ducklamp@protonmail.com | |
| Disc Golf Experience | In January 1999 I returned to my hometown of Manhattan, Kansas after playing soccer at Allen County Community College on a scholarship for a year and a half. That summer, some friends of mine invited me to play an object course on the Kansas State University campus. I was a soccer player, and only played a few times a year (if at all) for a very long time. Over time, though, disc golf became a growing side hobby of mine. Eventually, I had a small bag, a few discs of my own, and with those opened the path to a journey so many of us have been on. The joy and amazement at achieving those first few proper throws that just start to take your imagined path. Those meditative solo rounds when life has you overwhelmed. Meeting a course or a total stranger (but not, really) and offering each respect, and receiving it in kind. For me, disc golf is an exercise in respect. Respecting the course, respecting your card mates, and respecting yourself. I’ve had too many injuries playing soccer and in 2020 I had to stop. Since then, I’ve been playing a lot more disc golf. I signed up for my first disc golf tournament in May of 2021. I’ve been hooked on competing against the course with others ever since. |
| Professional Experience | The work that I do is prepare credit memos on behalf of relationship managers for submission to various loan committees. I attended these committee meetings weekly. Whether I work on a memo for a few days, a few weeks, or more, I’m familiar with the amount of preparation and level of professionalism required for a concise, productive meeting. Volunteer for the 2024 Diva Spring Feeva. Volunteer for the 2024 DGPT Q Series Kansas City Wide Open. Volunteer for the 2024 Kansas City Flying Disc Challenge. Volunteer for the Shawnee Mission Park Disc Golf League (substitute). Volunteer for the 2023 DGPT Silver Series Kansas City Wide Open. Past board member of the Arvest Bank Annual Charity Putt Putt Golf Tournament which raises money for the Harvesters Community Food Network. Experience as the groundskeeper of a multi-practice medical facility in Manhattan, Kansas. The groundskeeper position was through the maintenance department, and I assisted on a multitude of maintenance projects. In the summer of 1997 some friends and I worked at Wildcat Creek Sports Center helping to finish the project before their Grand opening. We laid sod, laid concrete sidewalks, helped finish some bridges, and I mowed the greens. |
| Platform | In a word, my platform is communication. I was fortunate enough to not have facebook for a majority of my life. Once I became a member of the Kansas City disc golf community, I quickly realized I needed to create an account in order to find out the goings-on of our community. As we all know, it is difficult to search and find what you were looking for on facebook. My goal as a board member will be to shift more communication about the Kansas City disc golf community happenings back to our club website and periodic email newsletter (perhaps quarterly). These e-mail newsletters will include board minutes, club initiatives, membership information (new members, 5yr/10yr/15yr/etc. member acknowledgements, totals, calls for assistance from the board, club events, etc. Our club website will have information about course maintenance that has taken place, plans for the next months’ maintenance and requests for assistance from Course Directors, as well as what day league is starting up and what time from League Directors. Having accurate club and league information in a centralized, easy to access location on our website will provide a professional, accessible path for welcoming new members to our community. But how do we get folks to use our website more, and facebook less? My idea is to have all official KCDGC Course and League Director communication exclusive to our website. To be clear, our main facebook page will always exist and should always exist. It is easy for folks to share photos/videos on that platform. Having just the one facebook page will centralize our Greater Kansas City community to help it feel more like just that, a community. One channel for the social side of things, and our club website as the central spot for all official communication. I would like our one facebook page to have post with a link to the website pinned at the top stating that all official Club and League announcements and details are on our website. I would also like the courses in the forum on our website to be reorganized and the font size increased; generally improving the forum user interface. Users of the forum would also be required to register using their real names. As this forum becomes more utilized and an important part of our community, it is important to build trust and that is much easier when folks know who is who. To me disc golf is an exercise in respect. Respecting the course is a responsibility we all share, and it is championed by our club’s greatest asset, our volunteers. One goal of the bulletin is to increase membership and volunteerism. Regularly providing our community more familiarity with the course directors, and ways in which club members may contribute can achieve this goal. It is also important to measure what we want to improve, which is why membership totals are important to communicate. Recognizing new members helps welcome them into our club and encourage others to join. I have just had a taste of the rewards that come from volunteering my time back to the sport we all love. I’m excited to give more, and eager learn from those who have given so much. Today I ask for your vote so I can continue to contribute in ways that will positively impact our community. |
John Thompson (KCDG #1535)
| PDGA # | 78157 |
| Education | Raytown South High School US Navy Hospital Corpsman (Medic) Emergency Medical Technician (MO) |
| Occupation | Dental Consultant |
| Year of Birth | 1970 |
| Phone | (816) 916-3997 |
| kcjt10@gmail.com | |
| Disc Golf Experience | I discovered disc golf the day after my 40th birthday (2010); since then my obsession with the sport has taken me all over the world as I currently travel and plays as a Pro Master. My later-in-life discovery of the sport is at the heart of my passion for the Club’s mission of promoting the sport to all of those in the KC Metro area. |
| Professional Experience | 1990-1994 US NAVY/Marine MEDIC 1994-1998 Firefighter /EMT Raytown MO 1999-2024 Dental Sales Consultant 2022-Present Wysocki Foundation President BOD 2022-Present KCDG BOD |
| Platform | If re-elected I will continue to focus on the following aspects of the Club’s Mission: Club Course Maintenance, development, and sustainability projects. Volunteer development and organization. Youth program support and education. |
Greg Utz (KCDG #831)
| PDGA # | 50650 |
| Education | Technical Schooling |
| Occupation | Infrastructure Engineer (I.T.) |
| Year of Birth | 1987 |
| gregutz@gmail.com | |
| Disc Golf Experience | 2003 – Started Disc Golf 2005 – Learned how to Drive a disc 2006 – First KC WIde Open volunteer 2012 – KCFDC Board of Directors 2012 – KC Wide Open Intermediate Champion 2013 – Started running WaterWorks League (Summer and Glow) …Still chugging… |
| Professional Experience | 2001 – Tech Support 2007 – On-Site Tech Support 2009 – Systems Administration 2013 – QA Testing / Tech Lead 2016 – Systems Engineer |
| Platform | The premise is simple. Kansas City Disc Golf needs help. We’re only as good as the work we put in. For me, it’s time to get back in the game. I want to focus on League Coordination and improving our Technology. I’ve been on the Board before. You’ve probably seen me running leagues. It’s time to stop typing and start doing. |
