Welcome to the introductory column of Lizard Tales: Unauthorized. My thanks
go to Brian Sullivan, DiscLife.com's webmaster/editor/big cheese for giving me a
chance to start a column. I'm hopeful. We will see.
Today's column opens with an autobiographical interview conducted by Liz,
the official spokes-lizard.
Liz: Hi Folks! Welcome to the show. Our first guest is Mark Ellis. Mark,
welcome to the column.
Mark: Thanks Liz. Happy to be here.
Liz: Can you tell us what this column is about?
Mark: The title gives some insight. I will be writing a series of
articles on a variety of frisbee related topics. Although I sit on the Board
of Directors of the PDGA, this column is not an official voice of the PDGA,
it is just my opinion.
Liz: What is all this Lizard stuff? Are you really a lawyer?
Mark: Yes, I am a real lawyer. I have been in private practice for almost
20 years. I have an office in Livonia, Michigan and specialize in criminal
defense.
Liz: So you are the guy who locks people up?
Mark: Nope, I am the guy who gets them off the hook. The corporate alter ego of my
law firm is actually called Lizard Lawyers Limited. We formed this
corporation for certain legal, tax and cost efficiency reasons. The name
goes back to a softball team we all played on for many years known as the
Lizards.
Liz: So if you don't work out in disc golf we can just give you back to
softball?
Mark: Nah, softball is not a good lifelong sport. The injury rate is too
high for old folks like me.
Liz: Old as in what?
Mark: 45 and tickin'. If I ever gave up frisbee golf the next best sport I
have found is racquetball. There are huge carryover skills from racquetball
to frisbee and vice versa.
Liz: Do you have a problem with the term "disc?"
Mark: No, not at all. I really like discs. They occasionally return the
favor. More to the point, I like both terms quite well. And I tend to be
irreverent to the things I hold dearest.
Liz: Let's finish the intro column with the compulsory frisbee resume.
Mark: Sure. I am newly elected as PDGA Communications Director. Immediate
past three-term Competition Director. I sit on the Rules, Amateur and Pro Tour
Committees. I have served as a Tournament or Course Director for three World
Championships, including last year's combined Pro/Am Worlds. I have run a
few Supertour Tournaments (Discraft Great Lakes Open 95' and 96', Flying
Lizard Doubles 97'). I play a lot and attend tournaments as regularly as I
can get away with (twenty or so a year). I am registered with the PDGA as an
Advanced Amateur and have maintained Amateur status (it's just a
philosophical thing) but play in Open or Pro Master divisions.
An area of particular interest of mine is tournaments. Playing in them,
preparing for them, administering them and even formatting them will no doubt
be the focus of future columns.
I do not promise to respond to e-mails (although I might if they are
adequately entertaining). You may direct feedback to lizard@disclife.com.
Thanks to Tony Kroes for putting together the Lizard logo for this column
and my wife, Kitten, for the original Lizard artwork.
and his official spokes-lizard
