Eternal Echoes

Week 8 of 8 at The Fort Buenaventura’s Blue/Gold Mix unfolded beneath frosty spring skies—temperatures stubborn at 42°F, a brisk 16 mph wind kicking up whispers through the trees, and the sense that everything, from every thrown disc to every shifting shadow, was tinged with the theme of “Eternal Echoes.” Forty competitors gathered for this season finale, each hoping the fortune woven in these woods would brush against them just once more. The baskets—yes, I’m still convinced they hum with secrets, but more on that another time—stood waiting as the final ascent began. 🥏❄️

In the MA4 division, Stephen Dunton braved late surges from Earl Taylor and David Freeman, emerging victorious at +3. The drama began at hole 1, where Dunton and William Fetzer were locked in tandem—twin climbers edging up the same treacherous ledge. A cascade of lead changes kept the snow swirling through hole 4, but it was Dunton’s par-save on 18, nerves steeled like an explorer facing the snowy void, that preserved victory. Taylor’s birdie on 16 nearly changed the story, but the mountain, as they say, only echoes back what you shout into it. 🌲⛓️

Turning to MA2, Jason Ramon seized the lead on the very first hole and never once glanced over his shoulder. At –3, Ramon’s pace was as methodical as a Yeti tracing cryptic patterns through fresh snow. Eric Derieux offered a fleeting challenge after hole 3, but a bogey on 7 left him adrift in the wind. Ramon’s unwavering parade of pars into the closing stretch felt inevitable—a masterclass in steady resolve. “As the great Yeti once said, ‘The disc flies true, but the heart wanders,’” or so it’s written on a cave I once got lost in. 🧊📊

For FA1, Britlie Silvester stood alone atop the peak. Her +16 was a personal best, and her consistency never wavered—even when the woods traipsed with memories of past slips and stumbles. There was no need for late heroics or last-minute drama; sometimes the mountain simply opens a hidden pass, and you stride through unopposed. “The basket is but a mirror of the soul,” as one of my old guides used to mumble—clearly, Silvester’s reflection was unwavering under the chill. 🥏🏆

MA40 saw Jared Shimanek claim victory at +2. Greg Jenson held an early lead drawn away like footprints in fresh snow, while Riley Thurgood tied things up on hole 3 before slipping behind after par stumbles on 4. It was Shimanek’s upshot—a birdie in spirit if not in statute—on 14, paired with Thurgood’s bogey on 15, that sealed the fate. Sometimes the Yeti gifts you momentum; sometimes it just whistles in the woods and keeps wandering. 🧭🌲

In MA1, Darin Hamblin delivered a performance worthy of legend, scorching the course at –7. An eagle on the notorious hole 12 propelled him into a lead by hole 4, and he never relinquished it. Nicholas Champ and David Turner finished at –4, valiant but chasing shadows. Hamblin’s late birdie on 18 shut the door in style. Let’s just say I haven’t seen an eagle like that since the Yeti tried to teach me how to throw on a mountainside, using boulders instead of discs. 🔥🎯

Elsewhere, Brett Buttars tamed the wind and chill better than all in MP50, notching a steady +1 for the win. In MA3, Sean Hayden captured victory at –1 with a final-hole birdie surge, outpacing Devin Creson whose fiery mid-round start fizzled under the weight of bogeys on 4 and 9. Meanwhile, in MPO, Brock Shepherd finished at –5, taking back the division lead on 12 and clinging to it as Brady Spinti and Robert Gordon saw early hopes undone by nasty bogeys. And for MP40, Scott Belchak outlasted William Bauer, seizing command on hole 12 after both slipped on 4 and 9—a finish heavy with par, showing the quiet power of endurance. 📈💨

Throughout the event, legends were made and records tumbled: eagles by Hamblin and Turner on hole 12—a true test of courage—set the tone for epic feats. Personal bests blossomed all over the card, names like Silvester, Turner, Derieux, Creson, Freeman, Fetzer, Belchak, and Bauer echoing louder than any mountain mist. Turner and Ramon soared with –57 rating points above their norm, while Freeman and Hamblin soared above the clouds with performances well past expectation. Tricky holes 9 and 14 gave up their rare birdies, and Austin Taylor landed the day’s sole feather on hole 10. The wind may have howled, but so did the stories left behind. 📊⛰️

The week’s back-and-forth mirrored the Frostbite Seekers’ own saga in “Eternal Echoes.” Each clutch finish and lost lead was another whisper in the caves—a cryptic message waiting to be deciphered. If you listened close enough, you could almost sense the Yeti’s presence in the timbered hush and sudden gusts. Or perhaps it was just the wind playing tricks, trying to remind us that every revelation leaves another riddle in its wake. 🌠🌬️

As final standings and payouts come into focus, congratulations ring out for all who braved wind, cold, and the ancient mysteries lurking in each shadowy fairway. Week 8 closes the season, but the legend climbs ever onward. Soon, new mountains will appear on the horizon, and with them, new secrets longing to be uncovered. Until next ascent—may your discs fly true and your heart never tire of the pursuit. 🏆❄️