Vision Meets Reality
Last week, I returned to Konopiště, a magical castle park that brought back so many memories. But this time, it wasn’t just a walk down the memory lane. This time, I won the Konopiště Open for the first time. And not only that, Mauri Villmann, also from Estonia, took down the MPO title. It was a historic moment for Estonian disc golf. That feeling? Unforgettable.
Konopiště isn’t just a beautiful location, it’s a legendary course in European disc golf, known for its long layout, fairytale setting and the deep history it holds in our sport. The first time I played there was in 2017, during the Disc Golf World Tour. It was organized by the visionary Jussi Meresmaa, who along with his team is now behind the upcoming World Championships in Finland. Something truly exciting to look forward to!
But let me take you back for a second to that 2017 event. Being part of that World Tour stage wasn’t easy. Spots for women were extremely limited, and my rating at the time was only 872. I had to wait for the very last registration stage to open and hope that not too many women would commit to the trip, so I might have a shot. Back then, our home club Chilli Disc Golf was covering our entry fees. I still remember Silver Leetma and my now-husband whose name is also Silver, filling out all the forms and sitting by the computer, waiting for the clock to hit the exact moment so he could press “enter” and make sure I got in. Fortunately I did!
Looking back, it’s wild to think about all the little things we had to do just to be part of the big events. What I didn’t know then was that all those little sacrifices - the late-night registrations, the budget flights, the shared hostels were building something inside me. Not just a career, but a sense of purpose and resilience.
While in Konopiště last week, I had the chance to join a meet-and-greet with Jakub and Niklas, where we talked about the early days of our professional disc golf journeys. It’s so easy to look at someone’s life or career and only see the present, the accomplishments, the status, the big moments. But everyone starts somewhere. Each of us in that conversation had worked “regular” jobs in the beginning just to fund our dream.
For me, it took five years before I got my first paying sponsorship. Before that, it was just gear support, but I never let that stop me. I kept traveling all over the world, kept showing up, and kept pushing forward. For years, I spent every euro I earned. Saving was impossible. We’d search for the cheapest ways to travel and stay in places we’d probably skip today. But we made it work.
And then, life surprised me. In 2022, I signed a big contract - something I couldn’t have imagined when I was struggling to scrape together travel money. Over the last three seasons, I’ve experienced so much success, built meaningful partnerships and grown beyond what I thought was possible.
It feels almost magical, how life unfolds when you just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Even your wildest dreams can take shape, if you keep going.
Today, it’s no longer about proving myself. It’s about honoring the journey, staying connected to why I started and sharing this path in the hopes that it inspires someone else. But the beautiful thing about all of this is that there is no destination in life to reach, you can always have even wilder dreams, bigger visions and it still tastes as sweet and magical. So I’m still dreaming, still learning, still growing. And for that, I’m deeply grateful.
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