Responding to a tweet on December 13th, Dana Vicich, veteran tour player for Vibram Disc Golf, confirmed a facebook message thanking him for his service was, "Real". Meaning, true. The note, copied from facebook, and posted by another twitter user contained the Vibram logo, and indicated Dana would be moving on for the 2015 season. "Huge thanks to Joey Lutz and Dana Vicich. You have been great ambassadors for VDG. It was great watching your game grow. Best of luck with Prodigy." For the only manufacturer of all-rubber discs, wishing Vicich and Lutz a fond farewell was as gracious as it was foretelling. But it does leave a hole in the Vibram bag, so to speak.
With the two highest prize earners for Vibram, and their points leader in 2014 leaving, will the company look to Mitch Sonderfan and Chris Shotwell to become the future national brand ambassadors, or will they seek new talent outside their current roster?
Will Vibram develop players capable of reaching the highest tier of national tour play, and how will this change affect their brand distribution and sales?
Mitch Sonderfan from Erie, Colorado and a PDGA competitor since 2001, made a nice showing in a number of events in 2014, Including 10th place in the Kansas City Wide Open. He also placed 40th in the larger field at the World Championships.
Chris Shotwell is from Fair Oaks, California and has been competing since 2009. He finished 5th at the 2014 End of the Trail Classic in Visalia as well as 6th at the King of the Lake in Kings Beach, Ca. His 24th place finish at the 2014 Memorial Championship might have been this year's highlight, given the high-level of play.
| Official PDGA 2014 Sanctioned Results | 2014 Averages | |||||
| Player | Tournaments | Points | Earnings | Points Per Event | Earnings Per Event | Dollar Points |
| Vicich #26228 | 19 | 11193 | $9,104.50 | 589 | $479.18 | 282,290 |
| Sonderfan #17998 | 19 | 6570 | $3,883.00 | 346 | $204.37 | 70,668 |
| Shotwell #41918 | 15 | 5118 | $2,310.25 | 341 | $154.02 | 52,550 |
| Lutz #45887 | 24 | 3723 | $6,847.50 | 155 | $285.31 | 44,259 |
| Brandt #27480 | 8 | 2030 | $970.00 | 254 | $121.25 | 30,767 |
| Mount #28051 | 18 | 3978 | $2,081.00 | 221 | $115.61 | 25,550 |
| Olse #19362 | 14 | 1855 | $1,813.00 | 133 | $129.50 | 17,159 |
| Miller #5521 | 20 | 1460 | $4,649.00 | 73 | $232.45 | 16,969 |
| McReynolds #20256 | 12 | 1935 | $1,217.50 | 161 | $101.46 | 16,360 |
| Smith #20578 | 9 | 705 | $1,304.50 | 78 | $144.94 | 11,354 |
| Walsh #11047 | 7 | 1030 | $433.50 | 147 | $61.93 | 9,112 |
| Wintrob #23857 | 6 | 620 | $508.00 | 103 | $84.67 | 8,749 |
| Hasnain #26242 | 16 | 2800 | $782.00 | 175 | $48.88 | 8,553 |
| Deitzel #14036 | 15 | 1278 | $836.00 | 85 | $55.73 | 4,748 |
| Dussault #9038 | 9 | 905 | $346.00 | 101 | $38.44 | 3,866 |
| Graham #6341 | 11 | 1086 | $105.00 | 99 | $9.55 | 942 |
| Boutin #38136 | 10 | 176 | $394.00 | 18 | $39.40 | 693 |
| Jack #36762 | 3 | 368 | $0.00 | 123 | $0.00 | 0 |
| Brown #45708 | 1 | 65 | $0.00 | 65 | $0.00 | 0 |
For more information, view vibramdiscgolf.com.
Yeah, bad news for Vibram Disc Golf, but glad to see Dana climbing the ladder.
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