When former Deaver resident Matthew Sorenson was a child, he started his debate career with his first-grade teacher Mrs. McCreary over the pronunciation of the word diplodocus, a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaurs known from the Late Jurassic in North America.

Even at that young age everyone could see Matt’s unlimited potential. His uncle Raymond Cooley predicted Matt would be president one day. He was only 5 years old at the time. His parents, Mark and Ramona Sorenson, were proud of their little "chatterbox."

Sorenson didn't disappoint. He studied at Northwest College before graduating from the University of Wyoming's law school with a juris doctorate. He married his high school sweetheart, Jenny, in 2001. They were married in the Pryor Mountains at a family ranch Aug. 18, 2001, and were later blessed with two beautiful children, Avery and Colin.

He was said to have loved nothing more than his wife and two children. But disc golf followed closely behind.

While he loved all outdoors activities, including rock climbing, disc golf captured Sorenson's imagination. 

Becoming a lawyer in Gillette, he played regularly and had volunteered to help design and build Gillette's disc golf course at Dalbey Memorial Park. The 18-hole course circles the fishing and recreation park, created by damming Donkey Creek.

Tragedy strikes

Sorenson was leading a climb up the Sundance route on Devils Tower on June 2, 2017, when one of his  anchors came loose from the rock and he fell. He didn't fall far, but he hit his head on the cliff and died soon after, his father said.

The loss was a shock to family and friends. By 2018 his contributions to the Gillette club led to naming the course the Matthew Sorenson Memorial Disc Golf Course. That same year, as the Memorial Day holiday approached, the extended Sorenson family started a small "family" tournament in Deaver. Each year the event grew as the annual parties became more popular.

Eventually the family decided to open the 10-hole unsanctioned tournament at Deaver Park to the public and now it plays an important part of the area's summer season, serving as a warm up for an annual memorial tournament in Gillette each year. The Sorenson family also sponsors the charity event, scheduled this year for Aug. 8.

"This is something Matthew absolutely loved, and he wanted families to play," said his mother Ramona. "He'd be so pleased."

The May 25 event was likely the largest gathering of disc golfers in Big Horn Basin history, with more participants traveling to the tiny town than organizers had room for on the sign-up sheet. Friends came from Gillette and extended family traveled to Deaver to celebrate Matthew's life.

A large stack of prizes awaited the top finishers in three categories; novice, intermediate and experienced. Top prizes were reserved for children participating in the contest, however, the adult players were extremely jealous of the humongous Nerf Super Soaker earmarked for the top youth player. All were invited to join in a family picnic prior to the tournament, adding to the special family feeling of the event — especially for those attending the tournament for the first time.

Despite the sadness surrounding the loss of Matthew, the event was filled with joy and happiness surrounding family friendly competition.

Profits from the first year of the Gillette event went to help financially assist Matthew’s two children. Since, the family has chosen other worthy causes to support and are currently planning to create a foundation to handle the charity event's business and gifts. A large portion of previous profits have been donated to educators in crisis, in honor of Jenny, an English teacher in the Campbell County School District.

One family goal is to make the temporary course at Deaver Park permanent. So far, "it's been like pulling teeth," Mark said.

A growing sport

Growth may be slow in Wyoming, but the disc golf industry is expected to grow into a $1.4 billion industry in the next decade, according to a report by Business Research Insights.

"Disc golf is one of the fastest emerging activities in outdoor recreation," the report states.

The value of the game is high, considering only a handful of courses charge to play in the U.S. and players can buy enough discs to compete for as little as $15-$20. The activity is particularly attractive to those not interested in traditional team sports and is being taught in Powell schools.

In the game, players throw inexpensive flying discs at a basket with hole lengths between 175-1,200 feet per hole. Other rules are like traditional ball golf.

Disc golf was introduced in the U.S. in the 1970s, years before tens of multi-million dollar disc golf companies had started producing Professional Disc Golf Association certified discs. The first modern discs were first created and marketed in 1983 despite the association forming in 1976. Until disc production ramped up, players used original Wham-O Frisbees, which were named after a Connecticut pie company and first offered in 1957.

Northwest College installed the Dee Havig Disc Golf Course in May of 2021. Biology professor Jay Dickerson spent seven years lobbying the college to install a course. It grew from nine to 18 holes in the years that followed. There are now more than 40 courses in Wyoming, but Havig is the only course in Park County, despite efforts to build one in Cody and at Sleeping Giant Ski Lodge.

The newest course in the area is on Red Lodge Mountain. Players pay a fee to ride the ski lodge's chair lift to the top and then play back down through thick, heavily treed holes as well as through mountain meadows full of gorgeous wildflowers.

The fee can be avoided by simply walking up the mountain. Opening day is planned for Friday, June 19. The third annual Throw Down at Red Lodge Mountain tournament is schedule July 11.

Rumors of a possible course at Sleeping Giant have been circulating since HMH Capital of Dallas made it known they are interested in building a summer attraction at the failed ski facility. HMH representative Brent Hargrave confirmed the possibility in an interview with the Tribune in February. Skiing facilities are looking into diversifying services due to diminishing snowfall totals in the area.

In Powell, rounds at the NWC course are free and the college has loaner sets of discs available to students. The course has changed several times due to construction projects, but Dickerson has worked hard to use the entire campus, with the first two holes next to the Frisby Building on the campus' south side and finishing near Cabre Gymnasium.

Powell's Rec Department has rental baskets for private use at Homesteader Park.

Before Matthew's death, few in his family played disc golf. His sister, Julie, never played with Matt, she said. "But I do now," she said with a big smile.