Interview

Daniel "Stork" Roddick

His Background

FDC: What got you interested in playing with a disc?
Stork: Well, we got started playing when my dad got me a Pipco Flyin’ Saucer for my fifth Christmas. That was (gulp) 52 years ago. The amazing thing is, that after all those years I still find it fascinating. It’s a very rare day of playing that I don’t learn something new. That’s something special.

FDC: Your most memorable disc moment?
Stork: Wow, that’s tough. There have been so very many great memories. Let’s go at it by listing a few semi-finalists, OK? In no particular order and no guarantees of accuracy, but…
-Tom Kennedy winning the $50,000 Disc Golf Tournament at Huntington Beach – an electric gallery
-First seeing Victor Malafronte throw his “macho sidewinder” at the IFT Guts meet in Michigan- jaw dropping
-At the same meet, seeing Alan Blake of the Highland Avenue Aces do multiple tips on the guts disc before catching a return throw- new horizons
- Tyler’s play with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Ultimate- SLO Core Rules!
-Freestyling with Spyder Wills at Laguna Beach- an electric connection
-Knocking on Irv Kalb’s dorm room door in answer to an ad for the Rutgers Ultimate Frisbee team- pivotal
-Any number of matches at IFT- Battles of the Titans
-Some of those US Open discathon finals with Carlos/ Leonard/ Tony dueling it out.
-Staff meetings of the WFC and US Open team when we were really on top of it- gratifying. Over the years, I was blessed with incredible staff support; both volunteer and working with me full time. Nothing could have been done without them.
- The distance monsters from Sam, Frank, Max, Stoke, Christian, Peter- amazing
- Crazy John’s tooth delay- dentalriffic
-Seeing Jim Palmeri go from a joke to a world-class player- amazing
- Playing DDC with Scott Stokely when we were on our game- Team Two Meter
- Watching Glassboro win the World Ultimate title and the particular way they got there- relentless
- Evan David and Cory Basso playing to Earth Wind and Fire at Indian Summer and so many more favorite freestyle memories- delicious.
Well, this is crazy, there are a hundred more at this level that come out as fast as I can say them and then there are three times that many that would take some thinking, but are just as tasty. Now I’ve got lots of people thinking that I don’t remember the really cool moment that they were involved in, but I do… really! I’ve just been so fortunate to have so many wonderful moments. Which one is the very best? I guess it has to be when I unwrapped that little package under the tree in 1952.

FDC: Did you ever have a mentor or someone you really looked up to?
Stork: Yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to have lots of generous and supportive people around me throughout my whole life. My mother and dad have been great teachers and friends to me and I continue to learn from them. I can’t list all the people who have helped me here because I’d miss so many and then I’d feel bad about that. I will say that the person who has inspired me most in the development of disc sports is Junah (formerly Tom) Bodá, who now lives in Hawaii. He is one of the most insightful people that I have ever met. At a critical time in my life and career he opened up my mind to many, many things and dramatically changed my view of the world. He’s an amazing guy.

FDC: Where did the nickname “Stork” come from?
Stork: Semi-long story here.... I’ll try to compact it some.
- Rutgers plays Princeton in the first college ultimate game 103 years to the day on the same spot that Rutgers played Princeton in the first college football game. For full details see Ultimate- The First Four Decades
It’s a super intense game with a giant crowd that is really into it.
- I’m doing pretty well and catching a lot of floaters in the end zone, mostly from Irv Kalb.
- I go out of the game and in a few minutes, we start to hear a chant of “Stork, Stork, Stork, Stork…” We have no idea what that means.
- I go back in and up goes the cry of “Yeah, Stork’s back!” They were calling for me!
- We win the close game and it’s an incredible thrill for all of us. The nickname stuck.
- A couple of years pass and Irv and I win the World Freestyle Championship in the Rose Bowl. We start to do some pro demos and one of them is for the 76ers in Philly.
- After our half time demo, a PR guy for the Sixers comes up to Irv and me in the locker room and says, “Hey, that was great guys! You blew them away. I’m so glad you could come. And… by the way, do you know how you got your nickname, Stork?”
- This gave me some pause, but I said, “Yes, I got it from the first college game against Princeton.” He said, “No, I mean do you know exactly how you got it?” I said, “Apparently not. Enlighten me.”
- He says, “Well, our frat house at Rutgers was right across the street from the parking lot where you played the first game. We were all up on the balcony, screaming our heads off. When you started to catch all those goals, I said to the brothers, ‘Hey, that dude’s like a giant stork out there. That should be his name.’ So, when they took you out, we all started chanting ‘Stork, Stork, Stork.’ Soon the whole crowd took it up. Then, in the second half we painted up the sheet that read ‘The Hell With McGovern, Stork for President!’ So, I’m the guy who named you the Stork!”
- Irv and I were amazed. It was a great story and I’ve been “The Stork” ever since.

FDC: What is your favorite throw?
Stork: Irv “Dr. I” Kalb taught me this one. It’s called the ‘in-flip.” Start out with the disc in an overhand wrist flip grip. That in itself is probably alien to most readers now. Anyway… begin the motion of a normal wrist flip, but then don’t release the disc, but rather bring it across your chest and then back out over your upper arm kind of like a thumber. However, the disc is pulled out and the grip remains full fan as it was for the wrist flip. Done correctly as Irv does and I attempt, it’s a beautiful and smooth release that almost always catches observers by surprise.
Close second is the triple fake behind-the-back throw of Victor Malafronte, which appears to be a normal backhand but then is taken full circle around the back and released from there. It’s a true eye fooler when done well. Victor’s the master. I pretend.

FDC: What do you think it will take for the public to realize the talent and athleticism that disc player’s posses?
Stork: Ha! Well, in a world where Jerry Springer, Howard Stern and Ashlee Simpson are thought of as cultural icons, I’m a bit pessimistic. In general, we seem to have a taste for crap. That said, I’m not sure that it really matters that “the public” doesn’t get it. Special things may just be for special people and maybe that’s best. The sense of having discovered something out of the mainstream has been part of the fun. I’m not really sure if it would work as well if we had Monday Night Ultimate. I know that makes me sound like a curmudgeon, but it’s just a sociological reality. Ask old time snowboarders or skaters if things have changed since the sport hit the big time. I’m not saying it would be all bad, but it would be different. If we become conventionally popular then that’s as it is and mavericks who want alternatives will just go and invent something new again. It’s all good… I guess…

FDC: What disc sport do you most enjoy playing now? Why?
Stork: Man, these are tough questions. In the right situation, I really do love them all… really. That’s the main appeal of disc sports to me. There are so many different propositions. So this is like taking that Kuder Preference Test in school to see what career you should pursue. They always asked, “ Would you rather play chess or fly a kite? I never could answer that and the teacher didn’t appreciate that I wrote, “It depends how the wind is blowing.” Anyway… in my current state of agedness, I guess my best day of play would be… coop freestyle on the beach with smooth wind and the right group of players who are really into fully cooperative play. Then… a few holes of golf on the best sections of the Aspen course with partners who are mostly about seeing the disc fly forever. Then… some games of ddc with old friends who mainly want to trash talk as much as play. And then… some highly competitive gollum wlth my buddies (and my kid) who all think they own me, but they don’t. That hard-fought game never really ends up with a final score anyway. Throw in a big hot tub and some beers at the end with all those folks and it’s a good day. Maybe fit for some ultimate, discathon and MTA the next day.

FDC: What disc sport do you most enjoy watching? Why?
Stork: Damn, they just keep getting harder, don’t they? I’ve had so many thrills watching disc sports. Close competition in ultimate or ddc or golf is just so good. Seriously… conventional sports just don’t often measure up. I’ve also had some great moments watching field events, especially SCF and discathon, which incidentally could be a fabulous Olympic event. But, when it’s all said and done, it’s hard to beat the granddaddy of disc sports for sheer tension and nail-biting excitement. A guts match between two hard-throwing teams that are dug in to catch as a team just can’t be beat. It’s primal and it’s art. The guts players are the rock stars of disc sports. I know, I know, guts could be on the ropes and may not even survive, but if it doesn’t, it won’t be because it’s not a great game; it is.

FDC: You have seen a lot of changes in disc sports. What do you feel has been the most positive influence?
Stork: Hmmm. The most positive influence? I guess that the most encouraging thing to me is that players appear to be willing to step up and keep the games as their own. I don’t know how long that can last, but I hope that players themselves will continue to direct the development of our sports. So many other games are controlled by people who don’t play. I hope we can continue to avoid that.

FDC: How do you want the disc world to remember “Stork”
Stork: I don’t have many aspirations in that regard. I doubt if future players will actually remember me at all, but that’s to be expected. It’s already happening. I doubt very much if our young PDGA World Champion, Nathan Doss has ever heard of me, but I’m a big fan of his. That’s as it should be. Of course, I’d also be surprised if the NBA star, Dwayne Wade knows who Hank Lucetti was, even though he introduced the running, one-handed shot. Dwayne doesn’t have to know about him. He just plays the game. It’s satisfying enough that future players will continue to enjoy some of the play that I helped create. That’s enough immortality for any of us.

FDC: What advice would you give to the next generation of disc players?
Stork: Don’t be too eager to imitate the more-established sports. Some of the best aspects of our games are somewhat fragile and can be easily lost if we’re too eager to emulate the big guys. For me at least, disc sports have been a wonderful vehicle for self-expression, personal development and athletic challenge. I particularly like the fact that we’ve keep older people interested in our sports. Lots of games are great for 18-year olds, but when we get 65-year old folks out there going at it with all they’ve got, I think we’ve done something. My dad’s athletic life was over at 45, when we started master level overall competition. He’s still going strong now at over 80 and he’s had 35 more years of fun. I’m proud of that.

FDC: What drives you to continue to promote disc sports with the passion that you do?
Stork: It’s always fun to celebrate the best among us. At their best, they can inspire and enlighten us. But the real lifeblood of our sport is the fun that we have with each other while we play at all levels. That’s what keeps our sports going. My personal guideline for decision-making concerning our sports is a test question. “If we do this, will it make it better to be a player of our games?” If the answer is yes, then we should probably figure out a way to do it. I hope that the next generation will continue to figure out ways to make it better to be a player.