A champion for Women in Disc Golf- Sarah Hokom Interview
There is a movement of women growing in the sport of Disc Golf. Each year more join and it is a wonderful sight to see. One of the household names amongst women Disc Golfers and Disc Golfers in general is Sarah Hokom. She throws for Legacy discs and is an amazing person to talk to. Giver her story a read and enjoy!
Starting and staying in this sport can often be difficult. But, Sarah has found a way to stay in the sport for 11 years and running. She told me “I was first introduced in the fall of 2007, in MO at Coil Ridge Disc Golf course.” From that point onward, she continued to play locally and compete with the people around her. After awhile she explained “around the summer of 2008 I worked my way into sanctioned and bigger events.” As she continued to go to bigger events, she got to be where she is, as one of the top players in the women’s division within the sport. However, she didn’t get there without inspiration. Inspiration comes in many forms and Sarah’s comes from within the sport itself. Sarah explained to me that “I am inspired from the women in this sport who continue to play better and better.” Competition seems to be the biggest motivator to continue to play and that follows suit with Sarah. She also told me that “the sport itself keeps you going.” I couldn’t agree more with that statement; the sport is as competitive as you make it. So, if you choose to be at a level like Sarah, the sport itself is inspirational.
Sponsorship is something that players want to strive for. I, like many, are not sponsored so I always want to know about what it is like and how it feels. Sarah was happy to tell me her feelings and reactions to be a sponsored Disc Golfer. She started off with saying “it is very helpful, working with a group helps especially a large group that I have within my own team.” You are not alone when you are sponsored, you have a whole team to back you up and surround you. Sarah gets the benefit of having a huge team to help support her and work with her and she is very thankful for that. As I previously stated Sarah throws for Legacy Discs. When talking about her sponsor she told me “it is a very passionate group and very diverse, not a lot of top players but a lot of Disc Golf heads.” Which may sound like a negative, but it shows that they care about the sport as well as the brand. Not one or the other. She also told me “we all communicate remotely, and I have contacts all over the country, it really connects to the grass roots of the sport.” Which shows a lot about a brand and how they want to work, it excites me seeing a brand that wants to be connected so deeply to the grassroots of the sport itself.
Having a favorite course and disc are some things that are hard to say if you haven’t thought about them before. But, Sarah was quick to answer them and had these answers in her back pocket waiting to be said. When it comes to her favorite disc, she had two discs in mind. Her favorite discs are “the outlaw, it is something I rely on heavily especially on an open course, in the woods I love the patriot which is like a stable leopard, thing hits gaps like no other.” I don’t know my Legacy discs, but, I know those two discs are some of the best ones. I couldn’t think of two better discs for her to have as her favorite. Her favorite course is one that I would love to try if I ever get the chance to. She told me “The Beast in Waco, TX is my favorite course. It has every variant (Wind, Water, Woods, OB, etc.) it is challenging but fair, the player that wins will have a full spectrum of skills.” The beast is truly a test of a player’s skill, it really is what the name implies. Having such a challenging course be your favorite really shows the competitive spirit of Sarah.
Getting to know Sarah through our conversation made me realize that she truly cares about this sport and wants the sport to grow from within and will help out any way she can. She told me “I am all over the country. So, I walk to people about the sport and encourage them in all ways that I can.” As a touring pro she constantly travels and through that she has made time to talk to people while playing and interacting with them. While on the course she gives out advice to players who are struggling or who ask her. So, naturally I wanted to know some of that advice. She told me “you have to practice but appropriate practice. Throw shots over and over, perfecting different parts of your game. I know that game is very social but, you have to find time to play by yourself and throw multiple shots.” Those words of wisdom are very strong, and I couldn’t agree more with what she said. Taking the time to throw multiple shots and be alone is so key and may not be as much fun but could be the key to strengthening your game. With her talking and traveling, there is one thing she tries to grow as well, women within the sport. She explained to me “I try to make women in Disc Golf more attainable and bring the topic to the fore front of the sport.” It is not a surprise to see that there are far fewer women in the sport compared to men. Sarah is trying to bring that topic to the light and get more women into the sport of Disc Golf.
Often the toughest question I ask the people I interview is what I think is the easiest to ask. It is simply, is there anything else you would like people to know about you that they may not? Easy as that, just talk about anything you want. Well, not everyone has an answer for that. But, Sarah did and wanted everyone to know “I am a pretty serious competitor, I am not very talkative during and before rounds. I am pretty friendly and shy after rounds. Feel free to talk to me after a round has ended, I don’t want to lose my mental state. I love to talk to people and talk about Disc Golf.”
I would like to thank Sarah Hokom for taking the time out of her day to answer my questions and for letting me ask them in the first place. If you would like to know more about Sarah you can find her Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/sarahhhokom/ and her Instagram at @sarahhokom. Look out for more coming soon!
Picture credit goes to Sarah Hokom