Award to presented first night of Spring League play on March 17
Doubles play resumes Jan. 2 in Cumberland
* Western Maryland Disc Golf Facebook page
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* Previous disc golf coverage:
Dec. 26 … Dec. 19 … Dec. 12 … Dec. 5 … Nov. 28
Nov. 27 … Nov. 21 … Nov. 14 … Nov. 7 … Oct. 31 … Oct. 24
For AlleganyPlayground.com
FROSTBURG — Bill Shreve and David Warder are first and second, respectively, in the first-ever Western Maryland Golf Fall/Winter Doubles League race for Most Valuable Player.
The Fall/Winter Doubles League plays from Oct. 24 through Feb. 27, 2022. The award was created with the approval of league Commissioner B.J. Lewis and is sponsored by AlleganyPlayground.com. The award will be presented on Thursday, March 17, which is scheduled to be the first night of Spring League play.
Clockwise from top left: Ethan Shreve, David Warder, Bill Shreve and Scott Mallery are currently the top contenders among 17 athletes in the first-ever Western Maryland Disc Golf Fall/Winter Doubles League race for Most Valuable Player.
There have been nine weeks of competition since league play began Oct. 24, and there remain nine additional weeks scheduled on Sunday afternoons over the next two months. The location varies, but is generally at Central Assembly of God in Cumberland about 75 percent of the time and at Mile Lane Disc Golf in Mount Savage the rest of the time.
The MVP award is intended to reward excellence, yes, but the race for it also recognizes those who show up to support Western Maryland Disc Golf and each other on a regular basis. Athletes must participate in at least eight of the 18 scheduled weeks in order to qualify for official scoring.
At the halfway point, the 45-year-old Shreve, of Cumberland, sits atop a list of 17 athletes that have completed at least one round of Doubles League play this season with 35 points. Shreve leads based on the strength of playing in eight of the nine scheduled weeks and five times has at least tied for a share of the win. Shreve also earned extra points for throwing an ace on Dec. 5.
Warder, 31, of Eckhart, also threw an ace — on Nov. 7 — and has amassed 28 points over six weekends of play. Warder’s point total is bolstered by two wins and four second-place finishes.
Scott Mallery and Ethan Shreve are tied for third place in the MVP standings, only five points behind Warder. Mallery, 53, of Mount Savage, has played in five of the league’s nine weeks this season. Each time, Mallery has placed either first or second. The younger Shreve, 18, of Cumberland, has played seven times and has placed in the top three in competition six times.
The MVP standings through Dec. 26. Nine weeks down, nine weeks to go.
The purpose of the creation of the award, and announcing it now, is three-fold:
- First, the league hopes to encourage players who have been consistently coming out to play to continue to do so;
- Second, players who have come out only a few times, or less, are hopefully motivated to play regularly to earn more points; and
- As it is only the midway point, the race can still go to anybody — including someone who, through Dec. 26, might not have played a single round.
Points are not only for the local elite players. Kevin Spradlin, one of the worst players in the league (finishing Summer 2021 league with the second highest tag number) is currently in seventh place with 19 points. Spradlin, 42, of Frostburg, has played all nine weeks and is fortunate enough to have been paired with a better player on at least four occasions that earned a share of points for a top-three finish on a Sunday afternoon.
Other than bragging rights, the MVP winner will receive a modest award (no cash value), to be presented on Thursday, March 17, on the first night of Spring League play.
Breaking down the numbers
Scoring is like this:
* 5 points for a win (or shared win);
* 4 points for second place;
* 3 points for third place;
* 2 points for an ace;
* 1 point for participating in league play each week.
As it is doubles league, members of a winning team each earn five points for win, including when play is converted to modified doubles.
For ties, all players get the highest number of possible points — that is, if two two-person teams tie for first place, four players earn five points each towards their MVP point total. While official sports scoring would traditionally make the next eligible place be third place in such a scenario, the league has decided instead to award second and third place. The idea is to maximize the available points earned by each player.
For contrast, please see the image of the entire MVP points list and note that four point levels with two or more athletes. For example, Scott Mallery and Ethan Shreve are tied for third with 23 points apiece. There is no difference whose name appears first — they have the same number of points at this point in time. As they are tied for third, the next available spot on the MVP points list is fifth.
There is no duplication of points for place-finish and participation. A player can, however, earn seven points in a single afternoon by winning (five points) and throwing an ace (two additional points). Of course, if a player happens to throw a second ace, then that player (if on the winning team) would earn nine points, and so on.
Players do not have to be a member of Western Maryland Disc Golf to earn MVP points. Players are automatically added to the MVP points list at the completion of a round of Doubles League play.
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