By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
The Hays High class of 2016 is honoring the memory of late classmate Triston Werth with a new memorial disc golf course at Hays High School.
The project, led by 2016 graduates Alexis Gonzales and Braydyn Meredith, was recently approved by Hays USD 489 Superintendent Ron Wilson after weeks of planning and fundraising efforts.
“We should do something to honor Triston Werth,” Gonzales said of the original Facebook post that sparked the idea. “He passed away a year after we graduated. He was such a good kid.”
What began as a suggestion to create a scholarship or donate equipment quickly evolved into a larger community effort after Meredith connected Gonzales with members of the local Flying Bison Disc Golf Club.
“Brayden messaged me on Facebook and said, ‘I have a whole disc golf course for us,’” Gonzales said. “It kind of just spiraled.”
Gonazales said the memorial course will be built behind the baseball and softball fields at Hays High School near the outdoor classroom area. Gonzales also said the location includes trees and a pond, making the setting ideal for disc golf.
The course is being fully funded through donations, sponsorships and a GoFundMe campaign (which is linked at the bottom of the article). Gonzales said all basket and tee-post sponsorships have already been claimed.
“We are going to completely give it to the school district,” Gonzales said. “They do not have to pay for anything, and all the funds that we raise will go right back into the disc golf course.”
Additional sponsorship opportunities for benches and other course features are still available.
Gonzales said the goal is to raise $15,000 and, after one week of fundraising, the group has reached about $13,000.
Werth, who graduated from Hays High in 2016, passed away in 2017 following an accident while on vacation in Mexico.
Gonzales said Werth was known throughout the school for his personality and ability to connect with others.
“He was just the funniest, nicest guy,” she said. “He was a jokester. He was always playing pranks. He just had a way of bringing everyone together.”
She said that even students outside Werth’s close friend group felt connected to him.
“He was the type of person that you just wanted to be around because he was always just so light and fun,” Gonzales said. “He left a huge hole in our community when he passed away.”
Disc golf was chosen because of Werth’s passion for the sport. Gonzales said he regularly played at Frontier Park and participated in tournaments with friends.
“Triston loved playing disc golf,” Gonzales said. “He did that all the time in his free time.”
Gonzales said she hopes the project grows into more than just a memorial. Plans for the course include possible annual tournaments in Werth’s memory, future scholarships for Hays High students and opportunities for the course to be used by physical education classes, school clubs and community events.
The course will also be open to the public.
“I just hope that it brings everyone together in memory of Triston,” Gonzales said, “and that they remember the why behind it.”
To donate towards the Triston Worth Memorial Disc Golf Course, click here.
