Mark Dembowski always planned on running cross country in college until injuries and COVID forced him to give up on his goal.
That’s how he discovered a new passion — disc golf.
In his second year as president of the UToledo Rocket Disc Golf Club, Mark Dembowski, a junior studying chemical engineering, has worked to promote the sport in the Toledo area, including being interviewed for a 13 ABC feature story.
“When COVID hit in 2020, my friends and I didn’t get to see each other all that much,” Dembowski said. “The one thing we could do is go outside. We tried disc golf and immediately fell in love with it.”
Now a junior studying chemical engineering, Dembowski is in his second year as president of the UToledo Rocket Disc Golf Club.
“I’ve played or practiced or thought about the sport every day probably for two years,” he said.
Tony North Jr., associate director of Recreational Services, has worked alongside Dembowski for the last two years and is not surprised at how quickly the student transitioned into a leadership position.
“From his commitment to his professionalism, he has shown himself to be an individual who enhances any organization that he’s a part of,” North said. “Mark carries himself in a way that he’s sure about who he is and what he’s doing. That directly impacts his ability to lead a team, his peers and Rocket Disc Golf.”
Every year the club has sent at least one team to the national championship, but Dembowski has his eyes on a national championship title in 2022.
“It has been the goal ever since we were founded in 2018,” Dembowski said, “but I think we have a good chance to do that over the next few years. We can definitely make some noise and help to build up the younger students.”
Dembowski said the cornerstone of the club is helping the local community and getting others involved in the sport.
As part of its latest project, UToledo Rocket Disc Golf Club’s reached out to local sponsors to help improve signage at its local course, Ottawa Park.
Dembowski
Once the signs were installed at the beginning of summer, Dembowski was interviewed for a 13 ABC “Finds in the 419” feature story on the UToledo club and the sport.
“I wasn’t that nervous because it’s something that I’m passionate about,” Dembowski said of his TV appearance. “It felt natural to be there to answer questions about our home course and a project we have worked on.”
The club brings the sport to the youth by hosting disc golf clinics in local elementary schools.
Dembowksi has been a driving force behind the continued effort of Rocket Disc Golf’s annual charity tournament.
This year, the event, named Chain Don’t Break, will raise funds for a foundation started by the parents of former member Mason Bloom, after he lost his battle with cancer in the spring.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t know him that well because he was in the club kind of before my time and wasn’t really active when I came,” Dembowski said. “But his slogan was ‘chain don’t break.’ So that’s what we’ve named the event, and we run our club with that kind of mentality, too.
“You don’t stop moving just because something bad is happening. I love that perseverance. He was definitely a symbol of perseverance.”
