Wendy Boettcher, of Drakes Branch, is no stranger to the rush of the tournament.

Boettcher juggles between her position delivering papers for The Gazette and competing on the professional level in disc golf.

Boettcher has been with the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) since 2005, playing on the Open Women Division and the Masters Women Division.

“I was first introduced to disc golf around 2002 by co-workers that played on a private 9 hole course they had set up,” Boettcher said. “I played very scarcely until I joined the PDGA in 2005 and began competing in sanctioned tournaments.”

Boettcher’s ability has prompted her to compete in tournaments across Virginia and Maryland, competing in events in Gaithersburg, Appomattox, Fredericksburg and Richmond. She competed in 17 tournaments in 2017.

“I started playing disc golf professionally at the end of 2010,” Boettcher said. “In 2011, I stopped playing until my children got older, and I just started playing again, competitively at the end of 2016. I played a full tournament schedule in 2017, competing professionally.”

Boettcher said she does not yet compete at the level of a national touring professional, but said she aims to compete in a National Tour tournament.

Boettcher will compete in her first tournament of 2018 in February at the Betty Queen Open in Louisa.

“Over the winter, I have played in a few unsanctioned events and am currently involved with a group intending to start the Farmville Disc Golf club,” Boettcher said. “We will be meeting this Saturday … to get things going with an official club, as we are a group that have been competing together around Farmville’s courses to see if we could get an actual club going in this area.”

Boettcher said she has also explored the idea of bringing disc golf course activities to area schools.

Boettcher said she has worked for the Gazette since July 2016, “delivering the papers to a portion of the county every Wednesday.”

She said she has lived in Drakes Branch since 2013.

“My husband and I bought property there in 2007 and are building our home there,” Boettcher said.

For those who enjoy or are looking to pick up disc golf, Boettcher said they have a lot of options in the area. “There are actually 67 disc golf courses within an 80 mile radius of Drakes Branch,” Boettcher said.

“The first ever disc golf course in a Virginia State Park was installed last year at Staunton River State park in Halifax,” Boettcher said. “There’s Edmunds Park in South Boston, a newly installed 18 hole course on Longwood University’s old ball golf course in Farmville, Hampden Sydney College has a 9 hole course, and Appomattox has an 18 hole course at the county park.”

Boettcher said in additional to the little shortage of options for disc golf, she enjoys the tranquility that comes from living in the town.

“My favorite thing about living there is how quiet it is,” Boettcher said. “It’s not a very busy town and I enjoy the peace and quiet.