Ace Story

River Roderick stood at the tee box Sunday at the 10th hole of the Desert Fox Disc Golf Course at Paul B. Johnson State Park watching his dad's first shot bounce just off the basket.

River said his dad had "gotten hosed" and that he'd ace this one for him, said Dale McVeay, president of the Hub City Disc Golf Association.

And just like that, River stepped up, let fly and watched as his yellow disc dropped right into the basket.

"I just stepped to the tee box, threw it and it curved up, a nice big curve," River Roderick said. "It just went into the chains."

The feat was especially great considering that River hasn't even started kindergarten yet.

"His face was like, he couldn't believe it," said Rebecca Roderick, River's mother, who was there along with other members of the Spin Crazy team that competes on Sundays at Johnson State Park.

"It seemed like the whole park just stopped. Guys in a couple of boats started cheering for him, some friends who were playing behind us started cheering him on. It was a great moment."

It isn't quite official yet, but once the certification process is complete, River Roderick will take his place in the Professional Disc Golf Association record book as the youngest player ever to hit a hole-in-one.

The previous youngest ace was recorded by 8-year-old Nathan Sofinowski of Lewisville, Texas.

It's fitting that this kid should be the one to etch his name in the record book. The family, which makes its home in Petal, is a big part of the disc golf community, and the budding sport is a big part of their lives.

"We always go out and play on Sunday," Rebecca Roderick said. "That's our family day."

Chad Roderick discovered disc golf a few years ago, then brought his wife into it and they drew their son into the game.

"He was being pushed around that course before he could walk," said Rebecca Roderick.

Or as River puts it, "I was walking the course before I could walk."

Sunday, the Spin Crazy team, of which River is a member along with his parents, was playing the Desert Fox course as part of a group of about 25 players.

The 10th hole is the course's signature hole, known as the water hole because it lies on a peninsula that juts into Geiger Lake. Chad Roderick's first shot came close to going in, but rattled off the chains and fell away.

"River's mastered the fine art of smack talk," McVeay said. "It's very strange to hear it from a 'lil guy standing 3-feet, 6-inches tall and weighing in at a hefty 45 pounds. And he was talking smack with us about it.

"We're all going to have to eat crow for a while."

Part of the incentive was purely financial.

"He asked us, 'What will you give me if I make an ace?'" said Ransom Jones, another member of the Spin Crazy team. "I told him I'd give him five dollars, and everybody else said they'd pitch in.

"He turned it loose and about three-quarters of the way, you could see it was going in. He turned around and it looked like he'd seen a ghost."

After getting his Wraith disc autographed by everyone present, River collected the promised payoff, then went out and bought a new disc.

"That one's going in the shadow box," Rebecca Roderick said.

Disc golf isn't the only thing River does well. He skateboards at a high level and he's a crackerjack T-baller.

"This kid is amazing at everything he does," Jones said. "He rides a skateboard like a 15-year-old and when he swings a bat in T-ball, he doesn't hit the tee. He hits the ball, he can catch and he can throw."

Right now, though, disc golf is River's first love, and he's already making a name for himself. He's competed in one tournament already, and once he gets a little older, he'll likely be a regular on the regional circuit.

"He actually throws it further than kids twice his age," Jones said. "On a good day, he can throw it 150 feet."

So, whether it is in disc golf, baseball or some other yet-to-be-determined activity, the chances are pretty good you haven't heard the last of River Roderick
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Wow......a 5 year old gets a hole in one. That little dude just set the bar pretty damn high. Just for the record, I haven't come close to one yet. The basket was on this little peninsula between two swamps by the way.