Role model - Jessica Weese Interview
There are so many people who are young and coming up in the sport of Disc Golf. As the sport gets bigger there will be a lot of competition and these young players will be the best for years to come. One of these young players is Jessica Weese. Jessica has some serious accomplishments in 2017 like placing second at both the USWDGC and Ledgestone open and being considered the world putting champion for the year. Those are some serious wins for being 22 years old. She is an amazing story to tell and she was kind enough to share it with me! Enjoy!
We start our journey in Disc Golf at different ages and experiences. Jessica’s story is unique and has its own path. She told me “I would go throw with my mom when I was younger, I got hooked at 11 years old.” 11 is a young age for disc golf, I mean I know there are 8-year old’s doing it now, but 11 is still young. Being that young and as dedicated as she is, she needed a support system to keep her going. She told me “my mom believes in me more than anybody, I call her the Disc Golf mom, I couldn’t be more thankful.” Having her mom at her side she went on to conquer Disc Golf slowly but surely, starting with turning pro at age 16.
When she was 16 she decided to go pro. That is a huge leap for someone that age but it took off in the right direction for her. She also got her first sponsorship as well, she told me “I got an offer from DGA but decided to turn it down, Innova was my goal and I wanted to reach it.” I am surprised that she turned down a company at such an age because she knew she could get better. Well, she eventually did. As she says, “I talked to the team manager for over a year and they had to watch me play to make sure I was legit.” It is amazing what you can accomplish by setting yourself some goals and aspirations, Jessica is the perfect example of that. Along with Innova Jessica told me that “I am sponsored by adidas outdoor and it is so amazing to be sponsored by both companies and I feel so honored.” She is truly an inspiration and shows that with enough dedication and a strong mentality, you can achieve your goals.
As always, I want to know what people’s favorites are when it comes to their course and Disc. Whether it be a dart or an eagle, Milo or La Mirada, I am always curious about what people say. To know surprise, I was intrigued to hear about her favorite Disc. Jessica told me that her favorite disc was “Star Vulcan more than anything, maybe some KC pro rocs too.” A Vulcan is a disc that does not get as much love as some others, but, I am glad that she chose it. However, her course is a favorite amongst pros “I have to say that my favorite course is Milo in Portland, OR.” No surprise there, that course is amazing and is well liked amongst touring pros and locals alike.
When I talk to the people I interview, I try my best to get all sorts of questions to them, so you know more about them. One of my favorites is asking them on how they help to grow the sport. Jessica’s response is one of my favorites and it shows a true test of her character. Jessica told me that “I love doing school clinics, basically where I get to show a whole bunch of kids what I love to do.” Clinics are an important stepping stone in the growing sport of Disc Golf. So, having a pro who enjoys the process is so exciting and makes me happy to see the sport being grown at a young age. She also told me “I like doing it because the future of the sport is in these kids and in these clinics.” Which is a thought that I had never imagined before. The sport itself is in the hands of the young kids being shown it every day, and it is great to see a person like Jessica with so much experience trying to get the kids in the right direction. It is more than growing a sport, but growing good character and active kids as well.
I am always looking for more advice with my game and I want everyone to get advice as well. Each person has something new to bring to the table and Jessica has some great advice to give. The advice that Jessica gave to me is “I would go contact your local pro, play with better players. By playing with better players you sponge off them and begin to critique your own game and improve by playing with them.” Which is so simple and so easy to do for playing. Everyone wants to play, and I am sure your local pro will want to play with you if you ask them nicely. It is so simple, but people are afraid of hurting their egos and feel like they are not good enough to play with pros. When in reality, we all want to play and do not care how good you are.
To end all interviews, I want to know one last thing about the person I am talking to. I feel as though I always talk about Disc Golf when sometimes people want the world to know something about them that is not related to the sport itself. When it comes to Jessica, she wanted people to know that “I make disc golf jewelry for both men and women, it is a little side hobby that I do.”
I want to thank Jessica for taking the time out her day to let me talk to her and learn about her and her career. Her story is amazing, and she is truly an inspiration and someone to model after for her mentality and dedication. Look out for her in 2018 as she says, “I wont be touring by myself, big things in store and I have set high goals.” I am excited for the next year to see how much she grows and where she goes. As always, follow her on all forms of social media and if you would like to support her you can buy her touring disc by following this link: https://dgustore.com/jessica-weese-champion-rocx3.html?SID=8hdh7dpjg5iat31j3otdmk2jk6 Look out for more on the way very soon!
Picture credit goes to Jessica Weese