Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Prodiscus' Kai Vesa Briefly Describes 2015 US Strategy

The following details my brief email exchange with Kai Vesa (26442) of Finnish disc golf manufacturer Prodiscus.

"I'll contact more resellers this year and try to get Prodiscus more known, and for sale there," Vesa replies to the point, when I first ask him about his expansion into the US market and referring to his often beloved discs.

"Maybe a few new US players will join the team, at least talented women would get a spot if anyone is interested," he states genuinely but with some slight loss in translation. I understand what he means though. The sport is growing without women in certain divisions, so it was nice to hear Kai pursuing female sponsorship candidates right from the start of the conversation.

That's the total sum of what I could get from Kai. Like the level of Prodiscus inventories in the US, he leaves us wanting more. I've asked him for further details, so look for a future update to this article when he responds.
Premium Jokeri

Produscus Discs:

The feel and comfort players find in the plastic blends are almost as important as their flight characteristics. Offered in Basic, an aptly named base plastic; Premium, similar to Innova's Champion blend except gummier out of the box; and Ultrium, a Star-like plastic that feels incredibly smooth to the touch. Prodiscus' discs don't remain in-stock for many US retailers for very long. Although their base plastic line-up seems to be readily available on-line, their Premium plastic models can be more challenging for players to get their hands on. On the course, I've only seen players throwing the Jokeri and, Prodiscus' newest putter, the Ultrium Sparta, but in looking over their distance, control, and mid-range drivers, one can imagine at least a few touring pros might be in the cards. In addition to the Jokeri and Sparta, the company also offers: Legenda, Salidi, Laseri, Respecti, and Midari molds.
Ultruim Sparta

International Reach:

Prodiscus was the Title Sponsor of the 2014 Baltic Sea Tour. An annual series started in 2009, whose main mission is said to, "Promote disc golf sport in Baltic countries, encourage more players to compete, and of course to create the highest level competition in the region," according to balticseatour.eu. In this, the company has been successful in showcasing the sport in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the tiny-disconnected part of Russia on the Baltic coast called Kaliningrad. A four countries, make up the region immediately south and east of Finland. Neither Prodiscus' nor Baltic Sea Tour's websites indicate if sponsorship will remain the same for 2015.
Ultruim Jokeri

About Kai Vesa:

Kai lives in Nokia, Finland. A PDGA member since 2005, he competes mostly in the Masters Division, and achieves some first and second place finishes every season. In 2014, Kai placed second in the Prodiscus Open Karkkila, only bested by Helsinki's top Masters pro Ville Piippo (27555). In the 2014 European Masters tournament, Kai finished 98th in the Men's Open Division.

For more information, view prodiscus.fi

Images of discs were taken from infinitediscs.com, one of the few US on-line retailers with Prodiscs discs currently in-stock.

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