Disc Golf Committee

Charlie Mead (GBR)

Chair

Responsibilities: Policy Issues, Parasports

Board member: 1985, 1994-2002, 2016-present

Current term ends: 2020

Charlie Mead has rich experience as a player, administrator,and tournament organiser of all disc sports since 1980. He has held World Overall titles, and European and British Titles in Disc Golf in Open, Master, Grand Master and Senior Grand Master Divisions, and he was awarded the Steady Ed Headrick Trophy for representing and developing Disc Golf in 2013. In 2024 he was elected to the World Disc Golf Hall of Fame. Still playing actively he attempted to defend his 6th European Championship title in Hungary in 2023 – and though unsuccessful he still enjoys the sport as much as ever! He has now been Chair of the WFDF Disc Golf Committee for 8 years and has overseen the growth of the WFDF World Team Disc Golf Championships and Continental Team Disc Golf Championships as well as the WFDF Disc Golf World Rankings which are used to select teams for The World Games (TWG) . After a hiatus of 23 years Disc Golf in back in TWG and will be a competitive sport in Chengdu China in 2025. Charlie was the first UK Flying Disc President (1981), first European Flying Disc Federation President (1982), first WFDF President (1985- 1989), Chair of the WFDF Ultimate Committee and Board member (1994-2002), and he is currently International Coordinator for the British Disc Golf Association (BDGA). Charlie has been the Tournament Director for the WFDF Overall Championships and TD for four WFDF World Ultimate Championships as well as WFDF TTD for 11 other events. Outside of his disc career, Charlie is currently an independent consultant providing localized community-based psychological support to children in need. He received a BA (Hons) from Keele University, and Masters degrees in both Child Psychology and Educational Psychology from Birmingham University. Charlie lives with partner Maggi on their farm in Devon, UK.

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Bernd Wender (AUT)

Responsibilities: WFDF World Championship Events

Committee member: 2017-present

My name is Bernd Wender, I live and work for an international IT company in Vienna, Austria. My first contact with disc sports dates back to 1985 when I was a student. I joined the Viennese Ultimate team "Scheibenkleister". In the beginning of the Nineties I played the European Ultimate Championships in Colchester. There I bought my first golf disc, a Cobra, from Charlie Mead, just to lose it in the middle of a big tree on the first day. But the disc golf virus has caught me. We played a lot in Vienna and the surroundings and began to travel to disc golf tournaments. Weilheim and Munich were great places to play these times, but there was not so much activity in Austria, so I lost touch. After these years of stagnation the Austrian disc golf scene came back to life again in the beginning of the new Millennium. I rejoined and started to play tournaments on a regular basis. In 2005 I went to the EC in Finland. From that time I played every EC, acting as the captain of team Austria. In 2008, Brian Hoeninger asked me if Austria wants to become a PDGA affiliated country. We agreed, and he asked me to be-come PDGA country coordinator. In this role I was member of the joint PDGA / WFDF committee that was established to plan for the first disc golf team championship. I am also member of the EC advisory committee that reports to the European disc golf asso-ciation. On National level, we founded the Austrian Disc Golf Association in 2010 which is affiliated to the Austrian Frisbee Association (WFDF member). My role in the association's board is International Coordinator. Furthermore, we are a founding member of the European Disc Golf Association. As a player, I am still active on National and International level in the grandmaster division where I could win two Eurotour events, the 2015 Konopiste Open and last year's Strudengau Open. I look forward to my new role in the WFDF disc golf committee where I will work together with Charlie on developing team events on regional, National and International level.

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Bruno Gravato (POR)

Responsibilities: Spirit of the Game

Committee member: 2019-present

2010-2017 - Ultimate and beach ultimate player and coach (2015/2016) 2013-present - treasurer and board member for APUDD (Portuguese Flying Disc Association) 2013-present - volunteer/staff at many world and continental ultimate and beach ulti-mate championships (ECBU 2013, WUCC 2014 and 2018, WJUC 2014 and 2018, WCBU 2015 and 2017, WUGC 2016, EBUC 2019, etc) 2014-2017 - TD for all the Portuguese Ultimate and Beach Ultimate National competitions 2015-2018 - member of WFDF's Beach Ultimate Committee 2016-present - Disc Golf regular player 2017-present - PDGA active member 2017-present - chair of APUDD's Disc Golf Committee and TD for all Portuguese DG national competitions 2017 - staff/volunteer at WTDGC 2018 - PDGA certified official 2018 - represented Portugal at EDGC

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Craig Sheather (CAN)

Responsibilities: Continental Disc Golf Development

Committee member: 2020-present

Current term ends: 2022

Craig has been a player, provincial and national administrator, tournament director, and promoter for the sport of disc golf since 2000. He has help both national and provincial masters titles, been captain of Team Canada and his home team, Mundy Park Disc Golf Club, he still players often and competes in MP50 for the most part. Disc golf keeps him busy as the Chair of the Canadian Disc Golf Association, member of the WFDF Disc Golf committee, the PDGA Seniors Committee, and the Tournament Director for the British Colombia Open. In the past he was the President and board member of the British Colombia Disc Sport Society for many years. Currently he is most interested in pursuing activities that advance the international game, extend the reach of disc golf globally, and athlete evaluation and development. Most recently Craig retired from his executive role at YMCA BC after 33 years of leadership in the not for profit sector. He plans on travelling the world, playing disc golf, and helping advance the sport where he can.

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Leonard Muise (USA)

Responsibilities: Sustainability and Equality

Committee member: 2017-present

I’m honoured and excited to be part of the WFDF Disc Golf Committee. I've been involved in disc golf since starting a Frisbee club at my community college in 1982, which prompted a road trip to the Huntington Beach course. Since then, I've been intensely dedicated to one or two roles at a time: competitor, tournament director, event producer, or course design-er -- save a long middle period where I only played occasional casual rounds. My resume includes: • Competitor: 8 PDGA MPO titles (1985-1990); 38th place PDGA Worlds MPO (1990) ; 2nd place WFDF Open (1991). • TD / Event Producer: 1988 WFDF Overall; 1991-1993 NorCal Disc Golf Series; 2016 St. Jude Disc Golf Charity Invitational; many demonstrations and clinics. • Course Designer / Co-Designer: ~20 temporary layouts (1985-2017); 7 permanent courses installed (2007-2016); 5 permanent courses under development (2017). Field Events/Other: US Open Accuracy title •1986); US Open Discathon title (1987-1990); top 10 US Open Overall (3-4 times 1984-1990); California State DDC title (1991); 24-Hour Pair Record (1986, 1988). • Organizations: PDGA Member #3974, PDGA Certified Official, Disc Golf Designers Group, founder and/or member of many local disc golf clubs. Presently, I'm fascinated by the arc of the sport's development. I’m wondering how WFDF might have long-term impact in these areas -- in order of my current interest: • Course design quality, safety, and standards • Cultural and economic evolution of free disc golf vs commercial disc golf • Golf disc technical standards • Equality and diversity • Successful international (nation-vs-nation) competitions • Developing technical bids -- did I hear someone say “Olympics"?! • Target technical standards I live in Hayward, California with my wonderful and generous wife and 9-year-old daughter, who support/tolerate my disc sports passion. Professionally, I'm a technical project manager for inter-net and software companies.

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Maria Buitrago (COL)

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Sara Nicholson (USA)

Responsibilities: Women in Sport and Equality

Committee member: 2018-present

I am an experienced promoter with a demonstrated history working in community outreach, re-cruitment, and event planning. I have 20 years working in program development and implementa-tion through Americorps, Parks and Recreation, and disc golf companies, clubs, and organizations. I received a BA in Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1999 and worked as a rec-reational counselor for children in youth homes and shelters following graduation. I started running disc golf charity events and women and youth clinics in 2010. In 2013, I combined my two passions (supporting women’s health charities and encouraging more women and girls to play disc golf) and founded Throw Pink. Throw Pink has raised over $50,000 through community outreach, merchandise sales, and events spanning two countries and 15 states. Since our first Throw Pink event in April of 2014, we have made connections for disc golf promotion and sup-port with 21 non-profits centered around women’s health initiatives. I’ve been running women’s competitive disc golf events since 2011. During my tenor with the PDGA, I assisted with 20 events annually including two world championship events. I worked for the Professional Disc Golf Association as Memberships Manager from 2011-2015, then as a program consultant from 2015-2017. During my time with the PDGA, I helped revamp the women’s committee, start the Women’s Global Event, the largest PDGA event for a single demographic in history, and increase female participation in organized disc golf events. In 2016, I assisted in landing disc golf on the National Day Calendar. There is now an official National Disc Golf Day every year. Along with continuing the development of the Throw Pink program, I currently work for Innova Disc Golf in the Sales and Customer service department helping to grow the game through course development and promoter growth and outreach. I started playing disc golf competitively in 2008. I have 38 career wins including an Amateur United States Women's Championship title in 2012. I reside in Rock Hill, SC and have two cats appropriately named Parker and Birdie (Park the disc to get your birdie).

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  • Perth

Sue Summers (AUS)

Responsibilities: Women in Sport and Inclusion

Committee member: 2019-present

Sue Summers is a flying disc sport enthusiast and keen disc golfer. She started playing disc golf in 2015 after four years playing ultimate, which had rekindled her love of playing sports after a long break. Sue represented Australia in ultimate at the World Ultimate Club Championships in 2014, and in disc golf at the World Team Disc Golf Championships in 2019 and 2022. Sue’s primary areas of focus on the Disc Golf Committee are gender equity and inclusion. An active member of the disc golf community in her hometown of Perth, Western Australia, Sue has been on committees for FEAR ultimate club, Perth Disc Golf Club and Australian Disc Golf, and is currently on the Mundaring Disc Golf Club committee. Sue began running disc golf tournaments in 2021, starting with a local edition of the PDGA Women's Global Event. Her 2021 single-gender event attracted the most female players to date at an Australian disc golf tournament (37 women and girls) and kicked off a popular local social women's group. Sue and her husband Ken are tournament directors for the 2024 World Team Disc Golf Championships at Mundaring, Perth, Western Australia. Sue attained a bachelor’s degree in Sound from Murdoch University, and runs her own business in music services.

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