University of Texas Tower
Tread Lightly
RECEIVED Fri., Aug. 15, 2003
With all of the athletic alternatives in this city, it is difficult to determine which would be suitable for the title National Sport of Austin. Running and biking definitely would have a large voter turnout, as would soccer and golf. Smaller parties of rowers, swimmers, and climbers could leverage their numbers to swing a vote (or walk out in protest).
Sports, by their nature, do not harm their natural surroundings. Those that are harmful to their environs, like the thousands of runners circling Town Lake, make it necessary for the city to intervene. Trails are layered with gravel, pools are closed for "inspections," and car lanes are altered to secure safe travel for bikes. This intervention, however necessary, is disheartening in that it removes bits and pieces of what was once a pure sport setting.
Lately, I have been very worried about the natural surroundings of the sport I am a constant participant in. The disk-golf courses inside and outside Austin's city limits are some of the finest in the country; however, they too may need city intervention in the near future.
Playing Seawright this past Tuesday, I couldn't help but notice the effect that our combined foot traffic has had on the playing field. Like cattle that consistently use one trail, the course is suffering from overuse, and erosion is killing many areas that were once pristine.
And this is our conundrum. Disk golf should always be played in a natural setting, without trails or grooming; however, at the same time we are destroying this natural setting by not taking simple precautions to prevent the erosion of our playing fields. Therefore, I propose a new voluntary rule for all of us disk golfers who would like to keep away the pavers, groomers, and looming green fees: Tread lightly.
Sports, by their nature, do not harm their natural surroundings. Those that are harmful to their environs, like the thousands of runners circling Town Lake, make it necessary for the city to intervene. Trails are layered with gravel, pools are closed for "inspections," and car lanes are altered to secure safe travel for bikes. This intervention, however necessary, is disheartening in that it removes bits and pieces of what was once a pure sport setting.
Lately, I have been very worried about the natural surroundings of the sport I am a constant participant in. The disk-golf courses inside and outside Austin's city limits are some of the finest in the country; however, they too may need city intervention in the near future.
Playing Seawright this past Tuesday, I couldn't help but notice the effect that our combined foot traffic has had on the playing field. Like cattle that consistently use one trail, the course is suffering from overuse, and erosion is killing many areas that were once pristine.
And this is our conundrum. Disk golf should always be played in a natural setting, without trails or grooming; however, at the same time we are destroying this natural setting by not taking simple precautions to prevent the erosion of our playing fields. Therefore, I propose a new voluntary rule for all of us disk golfers who would like to keep away the pavers, groomers, and looming green fees: Tread lightly.
Rad Tollett
