Discs abandoned at Cape Henlopen State Park donated to schools

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

It might not be treasure buried in Cape Henlopen State Park, but there is a disc golf course. And at a park that’s harder to get into during summer than Bushwood Country Club, quite a few visitors leave their discs behind. Prince Kemmerlin, the founding member of the inclusive disc golf club Saltwater Stampede, has been playing the sport his whole life.

“I’ve taken over the lost and found at Cape Henlopen State Park. In doing so, I had to try to return discs to people. Those who did not elect to come get their discs asked to donate,” Kemmerlin said.

Kemmerlin had heard Cape Henlopen High School’s physical education program had recently acquired six portable baskets. He also knew of the three baskets in George H.P. Smith Park, near Lewes Elementary. He chose to give the discs to the two schools, hoping to plant seeds for the game to grow locally.

“It’s an individualistic sport like ball golf and wrestling where there’s no one else to look to but yourself to get better and do better. It’s you versus the course, but, there’s also team play,” Kemmerlin said.

The discs will help Cape Henlopen High School’s physical education teacher Candy Brown as she teaches her students different ways to remain active.

“We recently, this fall, added disc golf to our program because we want to have the kids be aware of what things they have like that around here and available to them,” she said. “Particularly for kids who live farther away from Lewes, they may not realize that we have two courses here. We have enough for half of a class currently, and then hope to build on it over the coming years.”

Brown hopes they’ll eventually have enough discs for a full class to participate all at once and get kids interested in the local courses. She added that disc golf is a sport they can participate in for the rest of their lives, not just when they are young and spry. 

“Over your lifetime, when you stop moving, generally speaking, your quality of life will deteriorate,” she said. “The kids learn there’s walking, camaraderie, and friendly competition.” 

Kemmerlin also stopped by Lewes Elementary to make sure the kids had a chance to play the sport at an even younger age.

“The biggest thing it does is it gives us more options for the kids to explore,” Lewes Elementary physical education teacher Ben Ashby said. “They get to know what they like and what they dislike. Even if you just find one kid that likes it, it opens up more options for them to do later in life.”

Ashby said it’s important for his students to find a hobby or sport they like so when they get older it keeps their focus on healthy habits. He believes something like genuinely engaging in disc golf can give them structure and keep them out of trouble.

Kemmerlin said if the kids pick up the sport, they not only have the baskets at George H.P. Smith Park, but also two courses in state parks to enjoy.

“Cape Henlopen State Park is a unique course,” Kemmerlin said. “It’s sandy, with dunes, and it's quite a trek. It’s a hard walk, short course, but the difficulty of the walk and the layout make it a very individualist course in itself.

“There’s also Killens Pond, which is about 25 minutes north in the Felton area. Fantastic course and one of the best in the state. Heavily wooded, but a nice, easy, great walking gameplay.

“If you head about 40 minutes south, there’s Trap Pond, which is another great course. Those are the top three courses in the state, in my opinion.”

Anyone willing to donate sports equipment to Cape Henlopen High School may email Candy.Brown@cape.k12.de.us. 

To donate to Lewes Elementary, email benjamin.ashby@cape.k12.de.us.

Anyone interested in Saltwater Stampede may find its Facebook page or email pkemmerlin32@gmail.com.