“Don’t call it a comeback!”
LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
"To give anything less than your best, is the sacrifice the gift."
- Steve Prefontaine
It's not a comeback, this is it. No encores, even if you scream til your lungs are sore. The last couple weeks have been an emotional roller-coaster for me, from the highs of getting a shot to try out with the 'A team', to the lows of finishing a craptacular last place in the "fast heat" sprints in the last tryout. This time last night, I drafted an email to my blogging idol asking him if he'd except me in his men's league this summer.... in case I didn't get offerred a roster spot.
About 8pm tonight, I got a call from captain Sandra offerring me a coveted spot on Fish. The relief I felt was amazing. I accomplished one of my three ultimate goals for 2009...but have lots of hard work ahead of me in to accomplish the second of going to nationals with Fish. Luckily, I'm going to have some great team-mates to help me acheive goal #2.
Since this is the last entry, I have to thank a bunch of people for helping me improve. If they don't get around to seeing the entry before I archive the blog...it'll just give me more incentive to thank them in person.
Gav, Julie, Jer, and Sandra: Thank you for giving me a chance to play with and learn from such an amazing group of people. For giving me an opportunity last year at Regionals, I owe all of you a debt I could never repay.
BigFish 2008 Team-mates: Thanks for accepting me as part of the team, even when I wasn’t last year. I don’t play ultimate to make friends, but I’d be willing to go to war for each and every one of you. Love you guys.
My Family: Thanks for understanding when I tell you that I can’t make an event cause I’m playing frisbee. I know I’m not the most consistent son, brother, or uncle, but I thank god for you every day.
Workout Partners: You guys push me to be better than I am. Thanks to you I’ve set so many PBs in the gym this year, that I would have lost count if not for my purple workout journal ;-)
KJ / Michelle / TK: Without you, I wouldn’t have made the roster this summer.
Dave Foley: Best damn physiotherapist in Ottawa.
The Hammers: You guys let me do whatever I wanted this winter, even in games where it cost us. Hope you had much fun developing as I did.
Coach Boss: Your tips were awesome. Good luck with Stella this summer.
Captains Stu and Cory: Without you, I never would have played smart enough to get offered my spot on the practice roster last summer.
Coach Gord: Every time I flick, and it isn’t a huge O/I blade, I owe it to you.
Unofficial Coach GLUM: I know you yell because you care, and I thank you for caring enough to yell at me so often.
Mahatma – Thanks for continuing to give me opportunities that I don’t deserve.
Statuesque Spence & Man crush Reza: Thanks for tips....and the fuel. Vendetta! ;-)
Marko: Thanks for the laughs…
Poached Motelers – Thanks for letting me experiment on the field last summer. We’re going to MOTHER-f-ing kick ass this summer!
Urban Sprawlers – Thanks for letting me try crazy stuff on the field. Best wishes this summer. Go Grapes!
Employees of the Month - Not sure I've ever had as much fun and learned as much as when I played with you guys. Thanks for the good times.
The Finishing Movers: Thanks for reminding me that frisbee is about having fun. If given the opportunity to play with any of you again, I’d jump at it.
Pistol Pete – Two years ago you taught me how to backhand without traveling. I owe half of my game to you. You’ll always be my handling idol.
Sparkles – Thanks for pushing me in the gym. I admire your work ethic more than you’ll ever know.
Mr Two Pointer – You’ve been my measuring stick on the ulty pitch for the past year. If I’ve made any progress in closing the gap, blame yourself!
G-star – As much as P-Star has shaped my physical game, you have shaped my mental game. I have no idea what I’ll do this summer when you’re gone…it scares me.
Before you accuse me of being emo, I’d like to say “Atoadaso!” I might be in over my head this summer on the Fish roster, but I love challenges…and can’t wait to prove myself every practice, every point, every game, and every tournament. There won’t be any next times, since this is the final entry of my ultimate blogging journey, but I wish you all happy hucking!
James King
May 5, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
C’est Fini!
“If you stumbled across this blog by chance, you might want to consider hitting the 'Back' button before continuing. Consider this your first, last, and only warning...proceed at your own risk.”
Purple Nurple – April 12, 2008
Just over a year ago, I decided to start writing about my experiences playing ultimate frisbee in Ottawa. After over 100 entries, a stint of competitive frisbee, two URL changes, dating a team-mate, playing through injuries, pissing off a coordinator, a tournament victory, one fake Rambler, and captaining my first team...I’ve decided to stop. Although I have plenty of reasons, I’ll stick to the top few.
1. Lack of time
One of the great things about my blog when no one was reading it, was that I could hammer out an entry in 10 minutes. As more people started to visit, the time spent editing grew accordingly. Couple that with a job that’s got me thinking of dropping league altogether, along with other important commitments, and I just don’t have enough hours in a day to do an entry or two every week.
2. It’s not as much fun
Back around October, writing entries started to feel like work. Coincidentally, that was about the same time that playing ultimate started to feel like work. If you look back, one of my “personal goals” every time I listed them, was to keep frisbee fun. I have enough stresses in my life without ultimate being one of them. I can’t imagine the last few months of entries have been fun reading, since I didn’t have much fun writing them.
3. The blog has run it’s coarse
An income statement tells you what happened to a company fiscally over a 1-year period. If you can read between the lines, you get a great idea of the fiscal health of the enterprise. Similarly, those of you who have tracked the blog for a while can figure out much of what has happened to me on and off the field starting last April. Admittedly, I like the idea of stopping now, with tryouts days away…leaving some of my readers in suspense ;-)
4. It’s time for a fresh start
For those of you who have logged onto LeagueRunner lately, you’ll have noticed that your teams from last summer are gone (unless you’re returning). Although it was a bit of a shock not to see ‘BigFish’ on my list of teams, I love the idea of having to work my way back. This year, tryouts are a do-over for me, with limitless opportunities if I can step up…
5. I don’t have much to write about, nor do I plan to.
As awesome as they’ll be this summer, I’m debating dropping my Monday night league team so I can stay late at work more often. Without a league team, and considering I’d never write publicly about comp practices, that leaves me very little frisbee-related matter to blog about. Plus, for those who haven’t noticed, I’ve tried to stop using names of people in here. I like to think of it as protecting the innocent from guilt by association ;-)
I think that’s enough reasons. My short-term plan is to keep the blog up for a few weeks, and then archive it somewhere where I can review it in the future. I might post with the results of tryouts, but don’t promise anything.
I’ll pre-empt a few questions, by telling you:
A) Yes, I do have another project planned, but your chances seeing it are about the same as me hooking up with one of my many “man crushes”.
B) I stand behind everything that I said in this blog. Have I made some mistakes? Hell yes…who doesn’t?
C) No, I won’t tell you which team-mate it was.
D) I don’t harbor any ill-will toward unwanted visitors / readers. The amusement of their viewing patterns (even the ones who find my writing “painful”) more than makes up for the unwanted increase in traffic.
Looking back, it’s crazy how this evolved from something for my amusement, to a site that now receives several hundred views a week. Even though I’ve employed a number of measures to avoid popularity, I would like to thank my readers for all the feedback they’ve given me. As mentioned in my 100th entry, I’ve met some incredible players through this blog, and more importantly, incredible people. Thanks to all of you.
As for regrets, I don’t have any. If I’ve said something that’s offended you, get me back on the field. I hear vendettas are huge in OCUA ;-) Plus, despite a nasty flu that’s hampered me the past week, I’m in awesome shape right now and can’t wait to hit the grass this summer.
I thought about ending with the track-list for my summer ulty CD, but instead, am going to suck it up, and leave myself open for a few parting shots by posting “my” latest ultimate parody song. All criticism should be directed to the lanky, wobbly-throwing, purple-loving geek - James King. If you have compliments, I’ll have to tell you offline who deserves them :P Happy hucking!
Bids
(To 'Kids' by MGMT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnDF3TNYiBM&feature=related)
You laid out
Got turf burn on your knees from it
Making your team so proud
Cheering you ever so loud
They like to watch you flying
Snatching discs out of the air
No time to think of consequences
[Chorus:]
Control yourself
Or you’ll be scarred for life from it
Arthritic knees you never wanted
You’ll be haunted
[Repeat chorus]
The praise is sincere
The applause makes you shiver
A disc is released
Crying out for a sick bid
The memories fade
Like looking through frisbee goggles
Decisions to layout are made
A heavy price is paid
But you guessed it wouldn’t hurt a lot
I guess not
Purple Nurple – April 12, 2008
Just over a year ago, I decided to start writing about my experiences playing ultimate frisbee in Ottawa. After over 100 entries, a stint of competitive frisbee, two URL changes, dating a team-mate, playing through injuries, pissing off a coordinator, a tournament victory, one fake Rambler, and captaining my first team...I’ve decided to stop. Although I have plenty of reasons, I’ll stick to the top few.
1. Lack of time
One of the great things about my blog when no one was reading it, was that I could hammer out an entry in 10 minutes. As more people started to visit, the time spent editing grew accordingly. Couple that with a job that’s got me thinking of dropping league altogether, along with other important commitments, and I just don’t have enough hours in a day to do an entry or two every week.
2. It’s not as much fun
Back around October, writing entries started to feel like work. Coincidentally, that was about the same time that playing ultimate started to feel like work. If you look back, one of my “personal goals” every time I listed them, was to keep frisbee fun. I have enough stresses in my life without ultimate being one of them. I can’t imagine the last few months of entries have been fun reading, since I didn’t have much fun writing them.
3. The blog has run it’s coarse
An income statement tells you what happened to a company fiscally over a 1-year period. If you can read between the lines, you get a great idea of the fiscal health of the enterprise. Similarly, those of you who have tracked the blog for a while can figure out much of what has happened to me on and off the field starting last April. Admittedly, I like the idea of stopping now, with tryouts days away…leaving some of my readers in suspense ;-)
4. It’s time for a fresh start
For those of you who have logged onto LeagueRunner lately, you’ll have noticed that your teams from last summer are gone (unless you’re returning). Although it was a bit of a shock not to see ‘BigFish’ on my list of teams, I love the idea of having to work my way back. This year, tryouts are a do-over for me, with limitless opportunities if I can step up…
5. I don’t have much to write about, nor do I plan to.
As awesome as they’ll be this summer, I’m debating dropping my Monday night league team so I can stay late at work more often. Without a league team, and considering I’d never write publicly about comp practices, that leaves me very little frisbee-related matter to blog about. Plus, for those who haven’t noticed, I’ve tried to stop using names of people in here. I like to think of it as protecting the innocent from guilt by association ;-)
I think that’s enough reasons. My short-term plan is to keep the blog up for a few weeks, and then archive it somewhere where I can review it in the future. I might post with the results of tryouts, but don’t promise anything.
I’ll pre-empt a few questions, by telling you:
A) Yes, I do have another project planned, but your chances seeing it are about the same as me hooking up with one of my many “man crushes”.
B) I stand behind everything that I said in this blog. Have I made some mistakes? Hell yes…who doesn’t?
C) No, I won’t tell you which team-mate it was.
D) I don’t harbor any ill-will toward unwanted visitors / readers. The amusement of their viewing patterns (even the ones who find my writing “painful”) more than makes up for the unwanted increase in traffic.
Looking back, it’s crazy how this evolved from something for my amusement, to a site that now receives several hundred views a week. Even though I’ve employed a number of measures to avoid popularity, I would like to thank my readers for all the feedback they’ve given me. As mentioned in my 100th entry, I’ve met some incredible players through this blog, and more importantly, incredible people. Thanks to all of you.
As for regrets, I don’t have any. If I’ve said something that’s offended you, get me back on the field. I hear vendettas are huge in OCUA ;-) Plus, despite a nasty flu that’s hampered me the past week, I’m in awesome shape right now and can’t wait to hit the grass this summer.
I thought about ending with the track-list for my summer ulty CD, but instead, am going to suck it up, and leave myself open for a few parting shots by posting “my” latest ultimate parody song. All criticism should be directed to the lanky, wobbly-throwing, purple-loving geek - James King. If you have compliments, I’ll have to tell you offline who deserves them :P Happy hucking!
Bids
(To 'Kids' by MGMT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnDF3TNYiBM&feature=related)
You laid out
Got turf burn on your knees from it
Making your team so proud
Cheering you ever so loud
They like to watch you flying
Snatching discs out of the air
No time to think of consequences
[Chorus:]
Control yourself
Or you’ll be scarred for life from it
Arthritic knees you never wanted
You’ll be haunted
[Repeat chorus]
The praise is sincere
The applause makes you shiver
A disc is released
Crying out for a sick bid
The memories fade
Like looking through frisbee goggles
Decisions to layout are made
A heavy price is paid
But you guessed it wouldn’t hurt a lot
I guess not
Friday Light Nate 2008 / 2009 Recap
“What’s your finishing move?”
- An unknowing chump
“Oh, oh, oh…..cocksucker!”
- One of my favorite Friday team-mates, with my handling idol sprawled across his lap.
Although Finishing Move might not have been the top team in league, I’d be willing to bet we had the most fun. Below are a few things I’ll remember about the season.
To captain or not to captain?
Captaining was a totally new experience to me, and I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, I had the league’s best co-captain to do all the work for me. I’m forever thankful to G for giving me the opportunity to captain, and then guiding me through the season. Since G could write a book on captaining, all I had to do was show-up and pretend to know what was going on. One of her best pieces of advice to me was that once you’re a captain, you have to take your game for granted, since your role is to make sure everyone else is playing well, getting lots of touches, and enjoying themselves. G’s consistent, awesome game always was a given. On the other hand, when I was having an off night, I had to do my best to hide it in order to continue to portray a confident image for the team.
The hardest thing about captaining for me was picking handlers on the line. Being an over-analyzer, I’d worry about offending people who I knew wanted to handle, but had to balance it with having a couple solid handlers back. I found a little trick early on, that by calling horizontal, I could give one more person an opportunity to handle.
Will I captain a team again? Probably not anytime soon. Not to say it wasn’t a positive experience, it’s just not where I’m at as a player at this point in time.
Late Night vs Open?
Since I had a very positive experience playing Friday late night the year prior, I signed up again back in September. This was long before rumblings of the open program practice / scrimmages came to my attention. As soon as I found out a couple of Fishes and friends were playing open on Fridays, I kind of regretted committing to late night instead.
Looking back, I’m glad I stuck with the late night. Not only was the captaining a great experience, but there was at least 1 match-up on every team that really challenged me. As much as I don’t like to name drop in here anymore, some of the toughest matches were Lucky, AlCo, Edwin, Reade, Devin (veteran lefty), BJ, Pete, and of course the king of all obvious mismatchfor me – Mike “3” Davidson. Holy shit did he make me run the two times I played him.
Assuming the $40 increase to late night is approved, and the open program continues with their BFP sessions, I have little to know idea what I’ll do next winter.
The Caliber
On some nights, I thought the caliber of play was equal to that of Wednesdays. Every team supposedly had 1 or 2 weaker players, but a lot of these individuals were athletic 3s and 4s who genuinely wanted to improve. To offset the weaker players, each squad also had a couple of comp or masters players to guide the team. It’s worth nothing that beside the list of ‘match-ups’ above, the caliber of women players was outstanding. There was a great mix of BFC, BF, Stella, and Scarlett ladies, along with some very strong league players.
The A&L
A big part of Friday late nights was the post-game socializing at the A&L. Having only went out a handful of times last winter, as a captain this year, I sucked it up the great majority weeks and went out for a post-game bevie. Although I probably wasn’t as ‘mingly’ as I should have been with other teams, for a quiet guy, I think I did alright. Met some new people, got to know some acquaintances better…good stuff.
The Team
Since I gave a brief overview of my IID team, pre-shuffle, might as well say a few things about the Finishing Movers…
G – Best co-captain ever. A star on and off the field.
Super-sub Pete – Best super-sub (with BBQ sauce)
McKegger – Amazing handler, fucking intense D, and cool guy to boot.
Dmo – Holy under-rated batman. Got as many run-through D’s as any guy in the league.
Derek the Gator – If I had his hands when it comes to catching high swill, I wouldn’t keep on getting cut from…everything! :P
Andrew ‘Midnight Runner’ – One of the few people who I’d gladly trade legs with.
Big John – If Arrested Development knows what’s good for them, they’ll put him on the A team this summer. Loads of potential.
Axel – Quietly is one of the most consistent players I’ve ever met. I can see how he shares a field with GLUM Ford on Mondays and lives to tell about it.
Don Kung Fu Fighter – The solid handler / on field captain that I needed to help me. So much respect for him.
Hello Jessie – Improved the most, since she wanted it the most. Can’t wait to call her a team-mate this summer.
Casey (not Jackie) – One of the ladies who could play comp in a second if she wanted to commit to it.
HaasofD – A defensive goddess?!
Lily-hammers – I love her energy. Too bad about her injury.
All in all, I had a great time, with a fantastic group of people. As for next year, I’ll worry about that when the time comes. In the meantime, feel free to ask me about my Finishing Move ;-)
- An unknowing chump
“Oh, oh, oh…..cocksucker!”
- One of my favorite Friday team-mates, with my handling idol sprawled across his lap.
Although Finishing Move might not have been the top team in league, I’d be willing to bet we had the most fun. Below are a few things I’ll remember about the season.
To captain or not to captain?
Captaining was a totally new experience to me, and I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, I had the league’s best co-captain to do all the work for me. I’m forever thankful to G for giving me the opportunity to captain, and then guiding me through the season. Since G could write a book on captaining, all I had to do was show-up and pretend to know what was going on. One of her best pieces of advice to me was that once you’re a captain, you have to take your game for granted, since your role is to make sure everyone else is playing well, getting lots of touches, and enjoying themselves. G’s consistent, awesome game always was a given. On the other hand, when I was having an off night, I had to do my best to hide it in order to continue to portray a confident image for the team.
The hardest thing about captaining for me was picking handlers on the line. Being an over-analyzer, I’d worry about offending people who I knew wanted to handle, but had to balance it with having a couple solid handlers back. I found a little trick early on, that by calling horizontal, I could give one more person an opportunity to handle.
Will I captain a team again? Probably not anytime soon. Not to say it wasn’t a positive experience, it’s just not where I’m at as a player at this point in time.
Late Night vs Open?
Since I had a very positive experience playing Friday late night the year prior, I signed up again back in September. This was long before rumblings of the open program practice / scrimmages came to my attention. As soon as I found out a couple of Fishes and friends were playing open on Fridays, I kind of regretted committing to late night instead.
Looking back, I’m glad I stuck with the late night. Not only was the captaining a great experience, but there was at least 1 match-up on every team that really challenged me. As much as I don’t like to name drop in here anymore, some of the toughest matches were Lucky, AlCo, Edwin, Reade, Devin (veteran lefty), BJ, Pete, and of course the king of all obvious mismatchfor me – Mike “3” Davidson. Holy shit did he make me run the two times I played him.
Assuming the $40 increase to late night is approved, and the open program continues with their BFP sessions, I have little to know idea what I’ll do next winter.
The Caliber
On some nights, I thought the caliber of play was equal to that of Wednesdays. Every team supposedly had 1 or 2 weaker players, but a lot of these individuals were athletic 3s and 4s who genuinely wanted to improve. To offset the weaker players, each squad also had a couple of comp or masters players to guide the team. It’s worth nothing that beside the list of ‘match-ups’ above, the caliber of women players was outstanding. There was a great mix of BFC, BF, Stella, and Scarlett ladies, along with some very strong league players.
The A&L
A big part of Friday late nights was the post-game socializing at the A&L. Having only went out a handful of times last winter, as a captain this year, I sucked it up the great majority weeks and went out for a post-game bevie. Although I probably wasn’t as ‘mingly’ as I should have been with other teams, for a quiet guy, I think I did alright. Met some new people, got to know some acquaintances better…good stuff.
The Team
Since I gave a brief overview of my IID team, pre-shuffle, might as well say a few things about the Finishing Movers…
G – Best co-captain ever. A star on and off the field.
Super-sub Pete – Best super-sub (with BBQ sauce)
McKegger – Amazing handler, fucking intense D, and cool guy to boot.
Dmo – Holy under-rated batman. Got as many run-through D’s as any guy in the league.
Derek the Gator – If I had his hands when it comes to catching high swill, I wouldn’t keep on getting cut from…everything! :P
Andrew ‘Midnight Runner’ – One of the few people who I’d gladly trade legs with.
Big John – If Arrested Development knows what’s good for them, they’ll put him on the A team this summer. Loads of potential.
Axel – Quietly is one of the most consistent players I’ve ever met. I can see how he shares a field with GLUM Ford on Mondays and lives to tell about it.
Don Kung Fu Fighter – The solid handler / on field captain that I needed to help me. So much respect for him.
Hello Jessie – Improved the most, since she wanted it the most. Can’t wait to call her a team-mate this summer.
Casey (not Jackie) – One of the ladies who could play comp in a second if she wanted to commit to it.
HaasofD – A defensive goddess?!
Lily-hammers – I love her energy. Too bad about her injury.
All in all, I had a great time, with a fantastic group of people. As for next year, I’ll worry about that when the time comes. In the meantime, feel free to ask me about my Finishing Move ;-)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
IID 2008 / 2009 Recap – One Man’s Perspective
“I recommend biting off more then you can chew to anyone,
How can I call myself “emo” without once referencing the top selling emo record of all time? ;-) Clearly, I learned a lot both on and off the field this season in Wednesday night intermediate. Since only iid-iots repeat their mistakes, feel free to avoid my bounty of blunders by incorporating some of the lessons learned below.
1. Tryouts – Play to your strengths
The feedback “ou should have cut more” bothered me since it was obvious. Even though it was apparent to an evaluator who barely knew my game, it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. One of the big differences between good comp players, and good league players, are that the former are specialists, while the latter are generalists. I’d argue that the same distinction applies to advanced and intermediate players. Advanced is a ‘do’ league, while intermediate is a ‘try’ league. If there’s a next time, I’ll remember not to focus on making my “competition” look good.
2. Don’t worry, be happy
I played the first five or so games with this huge chip on my shoulder that I was too good for IID. After a disastrous game against the Corny Kiddies, I snapped to the realization that there were players on every team who were “too good" for IID. Every game after that, I made sure to match up against those standout players, to try my best to stop them. Oddly, when I gave up on IAD, I started having a lot more fun…
3. Have fun!
This is as controversial as I’ll get in this post: IID is more fun than IAD. Given my decision making with the disc, there was no chance I would have got to handle all year on the flip side of the iron curtain. Similarly, I can’t imagine my “Nurplettes” would have supported me in the big league, nor would my team had purple night. The fact that Marko’s sole shot at me was the quality of my parody songs…is nothing compared to some of the shots he took at friends and aquaintenances in advanced. Even when I was sick or having a bad game, the smiles of my team-mates and opponents always brought me up. The fact that my favorite picture from the season (below), doesn’t contain a single frisbee, speaks to the importance of keeping things light.
4. I’m still a huck-star ;-)
Much of the ‘offline’ feedback I get about my blog is that I’m too hard on myself. To those individuals – here’s the paragraph you’ve been waiting for. When my team was clicking this winter, and we were pretty fucking dominant for a large stretch of the season, I was a big part of it. Don’t get me wrong, Giddy-up and DGo were the main reasons we went undefeated in the second half of the regular season, but my contributions were substantial. Those of you who know me are aware I mentally keep track of stats. There were nights I’d play a direct role in over 50% of my team’s goals. However, we seemed to do better when that figure was around 33%…so I point-shaved accordingly (just kidding) :P Speaking of stats, there was one night in particular where I got around 10 Ds…
5. Pick your area to improve…then do it!
I considered defense my biggest weakness heading into this winter. As indicated above, I tried to pick challenging match-ups for myself each point. Getting burnt a few times early in the season gave me all the motivation I needed to try harder to improve. Between KJ’s workouts, Michelle’s classes, and the tips I picked up at the Stella/Phoenix clinic in the winter, I’ve found my defense is much stronger and more consistent.
6. Never take it for granted.
I played all 20 games of IID this year. That’s double the number I did last year. I’m thankful my body held up (with the exception of game 20…which was rough given a flu). There’s this great guy on my Friday team who tried out for IID this year, but didn’t make it. He would have benefited more in terms of development than I did. Even though I bitched and moaned about not getting picked for the “old boys club”, I was lucky to have a spot in a great league. Especially since it most likely won’t be around in FCS again next year *sigh*
There you have my re-cap of my second winter of IID. There’s a summer team-mate of mine who said after four winters of the league, there’s nothing more they could learn. Given their game (which is awesome), I wouldn't argue with them. However, I’m under no delusions that another winter wouldn’t benefit me. I’m going into comp tryouts much more confident in my handling ability (thank-you IID), in much better shape (thank you IID, KJ and workout partners), and with no glaring weaknesses (thank you IID)…rather than my host of mental issues ;-) Bring on winter #3 of IID! Until next time, happy hucking!
I certainly do.
I recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any time,
Feel free.
Throw it down (the caution blocks you from the wind),
Hold it up (to the rays),
You wait and see when the smoke clears.
You live, you learn
You love, you learn
You cry, you learn
You lose, you learn
You bleed, you learn
You scream, you learn”
Alanis Morissette – You Learn
Alanis Morissette – You Learn
How can I call myself “emo” without once referencing the top selling emo record of all time? ;-) Clearly, I learned a lot both on and off the field this season in Wednesday night intermediate. Since only iid-iots repeat their mistakes, feel free to avoid my bounty of blunders by incorporating some of the lessons learned below.
1. Tryouts – Play to your strengths
The feedback “ou should have cut more” bothered me since it was obvious. Even though it was apparent to an evaluator who barely knew my game, it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. One of the big differences between good comp players, and good league players, are that the former are specialists, while the latter are generalists. I’d argue that the same distinction applies to advanced and intermediate players. Advanced is a ‘do’ league, while intermediate is a ‘try’ league. If there’s a next time, I’ll remember not to focus on making my “competition” look good.
2. Don’t worry, be happy
I played the first five or so games with this huge chip on my shoulder that I was too good for IID. After a disastrous game against the Corny Kiddies, I snapped to the realization that there were players on every team who were “too good" for IID. Every game after that, I made sure to match up against those standout players, to try my best to stop them. Oddly, when I gave up on IAD, I started having a lot more fun…
3. Have fun!
This is as controversial as I’ll get in this post: IID is more fun than IAD. Given my decision making with the disc, there was no chance I would have got to handle all year on the flip side of the iron curtain. Similarly, I can’t imagine my “Nurplettes” would have supported me in the big league, nor would my team had purple night. The fact that Marko’s sole shot at me was the quality of my parody songs…is nothing compared to some of the shots he took at friends and aquaintenances in advanced. Even when I was sick or having a bad game, the smiles of my team-mates and opponents always brought me up. The fact that my favorite picture from the season (below), doesn’t contain a single frisbee, speaks to the importance of keeping things light.
4. I’m still a huck-star ;-)
Much of the ‘offline’ feedback I get about my blog is that I’m too hard on myself. To those individuals – here’s the paragraph you’ve been waiting for. When my team was clicking this winter, and we were pretty fucking dominant for a large stretch of the season, I was a big part of it. Don’t get me wrong, Giddy-up and DGo were the main reasons we went undefeated in the second half of the regular season, but my contributions were substantial. Those of you who know me are aware I mentally keep track of stats. There were nights I’d play a direct role in over 50% of my team’s goals. However, we seemed to do better when that figure was around 33%…so I point-shaved accordingly (just kidding) :P Speaking of stats, there was one night in particular where I got around 10 Ds…
5. Pick your area to improve…then do it!
I considered defense my biggest weakness heading into this winter. As indicated above, I tried to pick challenging match-ups for myself each point. Getting burnt a few times early in the season gave me all the motivation I needed to try harder to improve. Between KJ’s workouts, Michelle’s classes, and the tips I picked up at the Stella/Phoenix clinic in the winter, I’ve found my defense is much stronger and more consistent.
6. Never take it for granted.
I played all 20 games of IID this year. That’s double the number I did last year. I’m thankful my body held up (with the exception of game 20…which was rough given a flu). There’s this great guy on my Friday team who tried out for IID this year, but didn’t make it. He would have benefited more in terms of development than I did. Even though I bitched and moaned about not getting picked for the “old boys club”, I was lucky to have a spot in a great league. Especially since it most likely won’t be around in FCS again next year *sigh*
There you have my re-cap of my second winter of IID. There’s a summer team-mate of mine who said after four winters of the league, there’s nothing more they could learn. Given their game (which is awesome), I wouldn't argue with them. However, I’m under no delusions that another winter wouldn’t benefit me. I’m going into comp tryouts much more confident in my handling ability (thank-you IID), in much better shape (thank you IID, KJ and workout partners), and with no glaring weaknesses (thank you IID)…rather than my host of mental issues ;-) Bring on winter #3 of IID! Until next time, happy hucking!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Week 20 Picks
"I wonder how's it gonna be, when it goes down?
How's it gonna be, when your not around?"
Third Eye Blind - How's it Gonna Be?
It's bittersweet to write the last set of IID predictions for the year. Bitter since Wednesday night ultimate won't be the same after the FCS Dome management vowed to jack up costs 50% next year (if OCUA decides to committ long-term). Sweet since I'm tired of writing predictions and taking flack for my blog. Since the wrestling theme proved popular last week, and because I had three annual reports waiting for me in the mail tonight, this week's theme will be equally easy 'numbers'.
Ocho by 8 over Threezerburn
In what I erroneously predicted would be the championship game, expect the offensive juggernaughts of Ocho to cruise to an easy win over the Chow-less Threezies. Why you may ask? Even an iid-iot for life knows that 8 > 3. Further justification can be found when accounting for Ocho's 13th man, who's coaching prowess is unsurpassed in IID ranks. Plus, Ocho's Laysoutfrequently looked mighty impressive last week wowing his oppoents with his 24-inch calfs. In the Threezie's defense, their highest LeagueWonder ranked player is out of action in what can only be described as a sock-related accident.
Cup to out rank Army
When all the IID marbles are on the line, expect Cup's 4 girls (Mush will be there in spirit) to shine like the former and future comp players they are. I'd even go as far as to venture that Cup wins with 25 points (a number that will be "flipped" this summer on a BF jersey). Keys to victory for the Cup will be controlling their '8' (does that make him twice the player as Chow?), and captain '7' leading the way like he has for the past 2 weeks. Well into his Carlsberg years, Downtown Dave Brown had a great quote last week about the Army having 12 weapons. Although this is true, I'm expecting a misfire tomorrow night, something that never happens to Army's Matt-snap Thomas when he's taking pictures.
Grey on universe over 2x12s
Assuming age is more important than beauty when it comes to frisbee, count on Grey to inch out 2x12s in what will be the closest game of the night. Grey has four of the most-underanked '5' women in the league, while 2x12s has 3 fairly ranked 5s, and 1 awesome MC ;-) As you can probably guess, I'm also a huge fan of the 2 best captains in IID (with all due respect) when it comes to developping their players. It's been an up-and-down season for 2x12s, and I think their best chance of an upset will be using their towering 6'4 Tree and my soon-to-be summer team-mate Poulitdown (and his 20+ inch vertical) to their gravity defying limits.
Hammers to throw 24x more swill than Kiddies
Despite bribing the Almighty Mahatma (make sure to thank him when you see him tomorrow night) with 2 chocolate chip cookies last week, he threw the 7th place 'chumpionship' game in the 12am timeslot. Ah well, considering my favorite kiddie has a milestone bday to celebrate, and MamaFish devised a 100% fool proof (...but is it Nurple proof?) plan of wearing purple garb this week ("purple > black > red > blue > white "), both teams are bound to have fun. My 'lucky 25-cent peice' is on at last 1 side bet, 5 or more potential quotes of the week, and too much slagging for the game's two equally sexy CMAs to count.
Predicted Quote of the Night:
"Yo 55! 25 is making you look like RPA v1.0 out there!"
- 24
There's 39 minutes of my life I will never get back :P I'm off to hit my tub of ice cream and box of Oreo cakes in an attempt to gain back the 8lbs I lost over Easter...damn 24 hour flu! Until next time, happy hucking!
How's it gonna be, when your not around?"
Third Eye Blind - How's it Gonna Be?
It's bittersweet to write the last set of IID predictions for the year. Bitter since Wednesday night ultimate won't be the same after the FCS Dome management vowed to jack up costs 50% next year (if OCUA decides to committ long-term). Sweet since I'm tired of writing predictions and taking flack for my blog. Since the wrestling theme proved popular last week, and because I had three annual reports waiting for me in the mail tonight, this week's theme will be equally easy 'numbers'.
Ocho by 8 over Threezerburn
In what I erroneously predicted would be the championship game, expect the offensive juggernaughts of Ocho to cruise to an easy win over the Chow-less Threezies. Why you may ask? Even an iid-iot for life knows that 8 > 3. Further justification can be found when accounting for Ocho's 13th man, who's coaching prowess is unsurpassed in IID ranks. Plus, Ocho's Laysoutfrequently looked mighty impressive last week wowing his oppoents with his 24-inch calfs. In the Threezie's defense, their highest LeagueWonder ranked player is out of action in what can only be described as a sock-related accident.
Cup to out rank Army
When all the IID marbles are on the line, expect Cup's 4 girls (Mush will be there in spirit) to shine like the former and future comp players they are. I'd even go as far as to venture that Cup wins with 25 points (a number that will be "flipped" this summer on a BF jersey). Keys to victory for the Cup will be controlling their '8' (does that make him twice the player as Chow?), and captain '7' leading the way like he has for the past 2 weeks. Well into his Carlsberg years, Downtown Dave Brown had a great quote last week about the Army having 12 weapons. Although this is true, I'm expecting a misfire tomorrow night, something that never happens to Army's Matt-snap Thomas when he's taking pictures.
Grey on universe over 2x12s
Assuming age is more important than beauty when it comes to frisbee, count on Grey to inch out 2x12s in what will be the closest game of the night. Grey has four of the most-underanked '5' women in the league, while 2x12s has 3 fairly ranked 5s, and 1 awesome MC ;-) As you can probably guess, I'm also a huge fan of the 2 best captains in IID (with all due respect) when it comes to developping their players. It's been an up-and-down season for 2x12s, and I think their best chance of an upset will be using their towering 6'4 Tree and my soon-to-be summer team-mate Poulitdown (and his 20+ inch vertical) to their gravity defying limits.
Hammers to throw 24x more swill than Kiddies
Despite bribing the Almighty Mahatma (make sure to thank him when you see him tomorrow night) with 2 chocolate chip cookies last week, he threw the 7th place 'chumpionship' game in the 12am timeslot. Ah well, considering my favorite kiddie has a milestone bday to celebrate, and MamaFish devised a 100% fool proof (...but is it Nurple proof?) plan of wearing purple garb this week ("purple > black > red > blue > white "), both teams are bound to have fun. My 'lucky 25-cent peice' is on at last 1 side bet, 5 or more potential quotes of the week, and too much slagging for the game's two equally sexy CMAs to count.
Predicted Quote of the Night:
"Yo 55! 25 is making you look like RPA v1.0 out there!"
- 24
There's 39 minutes of my life I will never get back :P I'm off to hit my tub of ice cream and box of Oreo cakes in an attempt to gain back the 8lbs I lost over Easter...damn 24 hour flu! Until next time, happy hucking!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Week 19 Predictions
"Know your role and shut your mouth!"
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (and what my team-mates, captains, coaches, and possibly coordinators think when I open my mouth)
While making my foolish picks last week, I missed out on using last weekend's Wrestlemania XXV as a theme. In retrospect, I feel like a total jabroni. Below are my wrestling inspired picks for this week. If you don't like the picks, I got but two words for you...(they rhyme with "huck it")...
Kiddies over 2x12s by submission
Rumor has it that IID's heavyweight champion of handling was held up by his adoring fans on the way to FCS last week, thus thwarting Corn's chance of topping Ocho. If he can make it to the game on time, and because team manager Bo saves energy when he signs his efficient autographs, expect Corn to pummel 2x12s into submission. True wrasslin fans know that 2x12s deserve to lose, for not choosing the superior name "24 Inch Pythons".
Ocho to piledrive Army
Ocho, managed by the intermediate version of Bobby "The Brayn" Heenan, will pull out the win over Army, even if their captain Morthongs has to throw salt in Downtown Monty Brown's eyes. Wednesday night's version of Steph and Triple HHH, Mr & Mrs Bush will do all they can in a losing effort, stopping short of pulling out a sledge hammer and taking care of business. For the ladies in attendance, count on Grey Laysout to perform his infamous 5-minute flexing routine to celeberate the win.
Hammers to pin Grey
"Let me tell you something mean Ginn(e) - That junoir Pyper you have on your roster is bad news! Although he grew a little since last year, the fact he's so skinny proves that he hasn't been saying his prayers, taking his vitamins, and working on his huck. And another thing, with her firey red hair, Deefense can Waite reminds me the Fabulous Moolah...a real she-devil! So let me ask you something Grey - Whatcha gonna do when the wrath and fury of the 24-handed Hammers run wild on you?!?!"
Threezerburn to bodyslam Cup in the main event
Can the Mikey Wimpreck-like fairy tail of Cup continue against the mighty Threezies? Since the good guy always wins in the last match of the evening, and because Chow is the IID "Prototype" (selling all the Navy t-shirts and ulty e-zines), the odds are stacked against the Cuppies. Furthermore, I wouldn't put it past Prouxl to sunset flip Hello Jessie for retribution before exclaiming "I flipped that bitch." One can only hope everyone's favorite referree Mahatma sticks around to avert full out battle royale...
Predicted Quote of the Week:
Because your Sable impression always cracks me up...
"All the men want to see me, and the women want to be me."
Since it's a wrestling themed night, blood shed is inevitable. If it hasn't happenned by the third game, not to worry, instead of blading, I'll just lay out elbow first and get the red fountain flowing...for the 3rd week in a row. In words of the alter-ego (Cactus Jack) of my favorite wrestler (Dude Love), have a nice day!
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (and what my team-mates, captains, coaches, and possibly coordinators think when I open my mouth)
While making my foolish picks last week, I missed out on using last weekend's Wrestlemania XXV as a theme. In retrospect, I feel like a total jabroni. Below are my wrestling inspired picks for this week. If you don't like the picks, I got but two words for you...(they rhyme with "huck it")...
Kiddies over 2x12s by submission
Rumor has it that IID's heavyweight champion of handling was held up by his adoring fans on the way to FCS last week, thus thwarting Corn's chance of topping Ocho. If he can make it to the game on time, and because team manager Bo saves energy when he signs his efficient autographs, expect Corn to pummel 2x12s into submission. True wrasslin fans know that 2x12s deserve to lose, for not choosing the superior name "24 Inch Pythons".
Ocho to piledrive Army
Ocho, managed by the intermediate version of Bobby "The Brayn" Heenan, will pull out the win over Army, even if their captain Morthongs has to throw salt in Downtown Monty Brown's eyes. Wednesday night's version of Steph and Triple HHH, Mr & Mrs Bush will do all they can in a losing effort, stopping short of pulling out a sledge hammer and taking care of business. For the ladies in attendance, count on Grey Laysout to perform his infamous 5-minute flexing routine to celeberate the win.
Hammers to pin Grey
"Let me tell you something mean Ginn(e) - That junoir Pyper you have on your roster is bad news! Although he grew a little since last year, the fact he's so skinny proves that he hasn't been saying his prayers, taking his vitamins, and working on his huck. And another thing, with her firey red hair, Deefense can Waite reminds me the Fabulous Moolah...a real she-devil! So let me ask you something Grey - Whatcha gonna do when the wrath and fury of the 24-handed Hammers run wild on you?!?!"
Threezerburn to bodyslam Cup in the main event
Can the Mikey Wimpreck-like fairy tail of Cup continue against the mighty Threezies? Since the good guy always wins in the last match of the evening, and because Chow is the IID "Prototype" (selling all the Navy t-shirts and ulty e-zines), the odds are stacked against the Cuppies. Furthermore, I wouldn't put it past Prouxl to sunset flip Hello Jessie for retribution before exclaiming "I flipped that bitch." One can only hope everyone's favorite referree Mahatma sticks around to avert full out battle royale...
Predicted Quote of the Week:
Because your Sable impression always cracks me up...
"All the men want to see me, and the women want to be me."
Since it's a wrestling themed night, blood shed is inevitable. If it hasn't happenned by the third game, not to worry, instead of blading, I'll just lay out elbow first and get the red fountain flowing...for the 3rd week in a row. In words of the alter-ego (Cactus Jack) of my favorite wrestler (Dude Love), have a nice day!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Week 18 Recap
"If I played left-handed, on one leg, with my eyes closed, and only handled..."
- My favorite "old boys club" member explaining what it might take for Mahatma to allow them to sub on the fun side of the curtain.
"Rumor travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth."
- Will Rogers
Two great quotes; one from the week I missed, and one for the week that mercifully ended. Before I forget, vendetta, vendetta, vendetta! (If I have time in the next two weeks, I was thinking about inserting popular search words and names in random archived entries...purely for my own amusement). Onto the ramblings...
- I learned an important lesson from Monday's workout: No matter how much stronger I've got this winter, I won't try to keep pace with someone who's naturally stronger than me.
- Instead of taking it easy on Tuesday, I proved my stupidity by pushing myself through an arm workout that left me spent for Wednesday's game. Clearly, I'm an iid-iot for life.
- The high-light of Wednesday wasn't the playoff game (that rather sucked), but was bumping into GLUM Ford on the bus and shooting the shit with him from Bank to Billings. He had this hilarious quote that I shared with a few of you, and kept me thoroughly entertained with his thoughts and anecdotes.
- As for the game, as (foolishly) predicted, we lost to Girls/Cup. They played a smart, physical game, and really ramped up their intensity. My sincere congratulations to the victors...
- Low-light: After hearing about one of my team-mates blaming himself for the loss, I almost laughed, knowing full well that my throw-aways, decision-making, and allowing my man to burn me for two scores more than equalled the margin of defeat. Ultimate is a team game, but reality is that I didn't step up when my team needed me to lead. Sorry guys.
- High-light: *scratching head* Developing a close and personal relationship with the turf at FCS before it most-likely gets pulled up next fall when Melynk gets his f-ing downtown soccer stadium?
- It's that time of year when countless rumors fly around about who's playing what, who's trying out, what the captains are looking for, and the like. As the the second quote this week indicates, I'm not a fan of rumors (although I don't mind the ones linking me to ulty hotties who are clearly out my league), but did hear an interesting one about a superior blogger (and player) starting an Open team. Giving 20 extra guys from Ottawa a chance to show their stuff could only be a good thing.
- Limped through Michelle's class on Thursday. If only my "competition" was there so that I could have showed them up on the t-sprints/agility ladder/everything ;-)
- We lost on Friday to the first place team that we had defeated the week before. As a captain, I was very proud of the fact that we never gave up, and faught til the last point had been thrown (<- highlight). Low-light was taking the game a little too seriously...afterall, this is Friday night ulty.
- After having a BFC-er break me with a beauty scoober for a score, I asked the best trick thrower/catcher I knew to teach me to scoober today. In less than 5 minutes, he had me throwing some respectable swill, that I plan to try out this Wednesday.
- Feel better after today's workout. Didn't push quite as hard, and am closing in on squatting my body weight (next week???).
One of the few important frisbee-related things I did this past week was fill out my tryout application. The three boxes in the 'Preferred Position' question were tricky...and I'm currently regretting not asking one of the captains a question before hitting 'Send'. Ah well, c'est la vie. Until next time, happy hucking!
- My favorite "old boys club" member explaining what it might take for Mahatma to allow them to sub on the fun side of the curtain.
"Rumor travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth."
- Will Rogers
Two great quotes; one from the week I missed, and one for the week that mercifully ended. Before I forget, vendetta, vendetta, vendetta! (If I have time in the next two weeks, I was thinking about inserting popular search words and names in random archived entries...purely for my own amusement). Onto the ramblings...
- I learned an important lesson from Monday's workout: No matter how much stronger I've got this winter, I won't try to keep pace with someone who's naturally stronger than me.
- Instead of taking it easy on Tuesday, I proved my stupidity by pushing myself through an arm workout that left me spent for Wednesday's game. Clearly, I'm an iid-iot for life.
- The high-light of Wednesday wasn't the playoff game (that rather sucked), but was bumping into GLUM Ford on the bus and shooting the shit with him from Bank to Billings. He had this hilarious quote that I shared with a few of you, and kept me thoroughly entertained with his thoughts and anecdotes.
- As for the game, as (foolishly) predicted, we lost to Girls/Cup. They played a smart, physical game, and really ramped up their intensity. My sincere congratulations to the victors...
- Low-light: After hearing about one of my team-mates blaming himself for the loss, I almost laughed, knowing full well that my throw-aways, decision-making, and allowing my man to burn me for two scores more than equalled the margin of defeat. Ultimate is a team game, but reality is that I didn't step up when my team needed me to lead. Sorry guys.
- High-light: *scratching head* Developing a close and personal relationship with the turf at FCS before it most-likely gets pulled up next fall when Melynk gets his f-ing downtown soccer stadium?
- It's that time of year when countless rumors fly around about who's playing what, who's trying out, what the captains are looking for, and the like. As the the second quote this week indicates, I'm not a fan of rumors (although I don't mind the ones linking me to ulty hotties who are clearly out my league), but did hear an interesting one about a superior blogger (and player) starting an Open team. Giving 20 extra guys from Ottawa a chance to show their stuff could only be a good thing.
- Limped through Michelle's class on Thursday. If only my "competition" was there so that I could have showed them up on the t-sprints/agility ladder/everything ;-)
- We lost on Friday to the first place team that we had defeated the week before. As a captain, I was very proud of the fact that we never gave up, and faught til the last point had been thrown (<- highlight). Low-light was taking the game a little too seriously...afterall, this is Friday night ulty.
- After having a BFC-er break me with a beauty scoober for a score, I asked the best trick thrower/catcher I knew to teach me to scoober today. In less than 5 minutes, he had me throwing some respectable swill, that I plan to try out this Wednesday.
- Feel better after today's workout. Didn't push quite as hard, and am closing in on squatting my body weight (next week???).
One of the few important frisbee-related things I did this past week was fill out my tryout application. The three boxes in the 'Preferred Position' question were tricky...and I'm currently regretting not asking one of the captains a question before hitting 'Send'. Ah well, c'est la vie. Until next time, happy hucking!
Friday, April 3, 2009
V for....
Vendetta, vendetta, vendetta!!!!! Lol
My "new readers" and their searching habits crack me up. The same individuals make me wonder if their employers pay any attention to how much time they're spending on the Intraweb. Seriously though, thank you. After a hectic week, I needed a good laugh.
- J
My "new readers" and their searching habits crack me up. The same individuals make me wonder if their employers pay any attention to how much time they're spending on the Intraweb. Seriously though, thank you. After a hectic week, I needed a good laugh.
- J
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Foolish Playoff Predictions
"Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish."
- Quintilian, De Institutione Oratoria
Fellow fools, allow me to present my unwise picks for week 18.
2x12s to crush the Army
Fresh off their second half domination of the Hammers last week, bet on Salmon's 12 to best Army who will come out shooting blanks. Expect forum frequenter Steve to display his flawless rules knowledge (demonstrated against UnMarkable Hardenup last week with a Mule-esque contest call on an obvious non-foul) to outmatch rules no-nothing RPA v 2.0 who is often overheard exclaiming "I mizzunderstood da rulez". For those ulty players with only one shiny nickel to bet, place it on Downtown Dave Brown not hucking the disc further than 10 yards.
Grey to outrun, outjump, and outlast Threezerburn
With four masters players on their roster, Grey will use their youthful legs and boundless energy to physically dominate the slackers and potbellies on Threeze. In a personal message to yours truly last week, Threezie Chow explained that his summer plans consisted of a measily four nights a week of league play, weight lifting, and limited cardio conditioning. He'll never make it on the cover of an ulty e-zine if he keeps up that pathetic excuse for training. Threezies' only chance at victory rests with their 'broken' striker who has been known to pick up older men from the sidelines.
4 Girls One Cup to use short passes in beating Hammers
"Big Simon" will use his famous short-game to lead his faithful followers past the happless, hopeless, happy-hucking Hammers. Count on the never-sarcastic Hilary Juff to remember his socks, and return the Thorlos to a downcast, dumper on the Hammers. The Hammers will be their usual lethargic selfs after following DGo's advice regarding consuming pre-game Big Macs and taking naps. Oh, and Hello Jessie will NOT have a unique celebration for every goal she catches.
Corny Kids to dismantle Ocho
Having fresh legs after a short day's work, Pistol Pete (who's not my handling idol) will run circles around the oldies on Ocho. Speaking of Ocho, how is it that a certain health-nut coordinator let a team be coached by an undedicated, unstrategic, unfit mentor? One would alsmost feel bad for Ocho if they didn't have the distinct privledge of always wearing red shirts (clearly a superiour shirt color to purple).
Quote of the Week:
The slow, clumsy, uncoordinated female wanna-be striker on Hammers.
"I'm sorry from dropping that easy pass guys. Have I mentioned that I hate playing for this team!"
Since I have tonnes of energy after an easy quarter end at work, I thought about rambling on the ultra-important urine steam flip. However, since I care so much about my critics and their opinions of the quality of my writing, I've decided to sign off. Until next time, depressed dumping!
- Quintilian, De Institutione Oratoria
Fellow fools, allow me to present my unwise picks for week 18.
2x12s to crush the Army
Fresh off their second half domination of the Hammers last week, bet on Salmon's 12 to best Army who will come out shooting blanks. Expect forum frequenter Steve to display his flawless rules knowledge (demonstrated against UnMarkable Hardenup last week with a Mule-esque contest call on an obvious non-foul) to outmatch rules no-nothing RPA v 2.0 who is often overheard exclaiming "I mizzunderstood da rulez". For those ulty players with only one shiny nickel to bet, place it on Downtown Dave Brown not hucking the disc further than 10 yards.
Grey to outrun, outjump, and outlast Threezerburn
With four masters players on their roster, Grey will use their youthful legs and boundless energy to physically dominate the slackers and potbellies on Threeze. In a personal message to yours truly last week, Threezie Chow explained that his summer plans consisted of a measily four nights a week of league play, weight lifting, and limited cardio conditioning. He'll never make it on the cover of an ulty e-zine if he keeps up that pathetic excuse for training. Threezies' only chance at victory rests with their 'broken' striker who has been known to pick up older men from the sidelines.
4 Girls One Cup to use short passes in beating Hammers
"Big Simon" will use his famous short-game to lead his faithful followers past the happless, hopeless, happy-hucking Hammers. Count on the never-sarcastic Hilary Juff to remember his socks, and return the Thorlos to a downcast, dumper on the Hammers. The Hammers will be their usual lethargic selfs after following DGo's advice regarding consuming pre-game Big Macs and taking naps. Oh, and Hello Jessie will NOT have a unique celebration for every goal she catches.
Corny Kids to dismantle Ocho
Having fresh legs after a short day's work, Pistol Pete (who's not my handling idol) will run circles around the oldies on Ocho. Speaking of Ocho, how is it that a certain health-nut coordinator let a team be coached by an undedicated, unstrategic, unfit mentor? One would alsmost feel bad for Ocho if they didn't have the distinct privledge of always wearing red shirts (clearly a superiour shirt color to purple).
Quote of the Week:
The slow, clumsy, uncoordinated female wanna-be striker on Hammers.
"I'm sorry from dropping that easy pass guys. Have I mentioned that I hate playing for this team!"
Since I have tonnes of energy after an easy quarter end at work, I thought about rambling on the ultra-important urine steam flip. However, since I care so much about my critics and their opinions of the quality of my writing, I've decided to sign off. Until next time, depressed dumping!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Turfed
"Everything falls apart,
Then I get to try to put it back together
Everything falls apart,
And you can count on that like you can count on bad,
Bad weather again"
Dogs Eye View - Everything Falls Apart
It’s been a while since I wrote anything outside of predictions/recaps, but I experienced a situation that warranted a post. Plus, knowing that more talented players read these ramblings than I ever, I thought I could leverage your vast degree of ultimate knowledge.
The Situation:
The Hammers were rolling against 2x12s, up by 8 points with 20 minutes to go in the second half….when the wheels fell off. I’ll give 2x12s credit for taking advantage of our collapse, but it was OUR collapse. About half of our team has played competitive frisbee, there are lots of veterans (I’m probably the low person with less than 3 years of experience), and Giddy-up and DGo are two of the top players in the league. Yet, we completely fell apart, even with our coach directing us from the sideline.
The Outcome:
2x12s rolled off 9 points in a row, went ahead by 1, we scored, they responded, and we luckily got the final score on a brutally ugly last point to tie.
My question:
What do you when your team implodes for no apparent reason?
Possible Solutions:
1. Time-out: One of our captains smartly called a time out after our opponents rolled off 3 or 4 points. Our coach was very calm, explaining a possible solution to get the disc moving again, we collected our breath…and went right back into sucking like a supped-up Hoover.
2. Yelling: One of the (good or bad?) habits I picked up from a Fish elder last summer was trying to fire people up by yelling at them. Although this works on me, I don’t seem to have the touch for screaming at others. Not that I didn’t try it last night…
3. Pointing Out the Obvious: We were forcing backhand (tricky to perform when you’re accustomed to forcing flick), and we kept getting beat on the force side. Although I didn’t think of it at the time [insert slow joke here], we probably should have changed the damn force.
4. Blame Game: Particularly ineffective when accompanied by #2…trust me.
5. Encourage Team-mates: The thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t do enough to remind certain individuals that they were awesome players, and to just play their game.
Other Solutions???
This is where you come in. I’ve never been part of something like that, and would like to avert it in the future. Help?
For those who would suggest leading by example, although that might be possible for you, I’m not quite at that level yet. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. Until next time, happy hucking!
Then I get to try to put it back together
Everything falls apart,
And you can count on that like you can count on bad,
Bad weather again"
Dogs Eye View - Everything Falls Apart
It’s been a while since I wrote anything outside of predictions/recaps, but I experienced a situation that warranted a post. Plus, knowing that more talented players read these ramblings than I ever, I thought I could leverage your vast degree of ultimate knowledge.
The Situation:
The Hammers were rolling against 2x12s, up by 8 points with 20 minutes to go in the second half….when the wheels fell off. I’ll give 2x12s credit for taking advantage of our collapse, but it was OUR collapse. About half of our team has played competitive frisbee, there are lots of veterans (I’m probably the low person with less than 3 years of experience), and Giddy-up and DGo are two of the top players in the league. Yet, we completely fell apart, even with our coach directing us from the sideline.
The Outcome:
2x12s rolled off 9 points in a row, went ahead by 1, we scored, they responded, and we luckily got the final score on a brutally ugly last point to tie.
My question:
What do you when your team implodes for no apparent reason?
Possible Solutions:
1. Time-out: One of our captains smartly called a time out after our opponents rolled off 3 or 4 points. Our coach was very calm, explaining a possible solution to get the disc moving again, we collected our breath…and went right back into sucking like a supped-up Hoover.
2. Yelling: One of the (good or bad?) habits I picked up from a Fish elder last summer was trying to fire people up by yelling at them. Although this works on me, I don’t seem to have the touch for screaming at others. Not that I didn’t try it last night…
3. Pointing Out the Obvious: We were forcing backhand (tricky to perform when you’re accustomed to forcing flick), and we kept getting beat on the force side. Although I didn’t think of it at the time [insert slow joke here], we probably should have changed the damn force.
4. Blame Game: Particularly ineffective when accompanied by #2…trust me.
5. Encourage Team-mates: The thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t do enough to remind certain individuals that they were awesome players, and to just play their game.
Other Solutions???
This is where you come in. I’ve never been part of something like that, and would like to avert it in the future. Help?
For those who would suggest leading by example, although that might be possible for you, I’m not quite at that level yet. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. Until next time, happy hucking!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
A-Toad-A-So x 2!
"Nothing hurting. Nothing sore. No one suffers anymore.
The doctor's found a simple cure.
Just in time.
All these things if I were King would all appear around me.
The world will sing when I am King.
The world will sing when I am King."
Great Big Sea - When I Am King (and possibly my new theme song???)
After picking all four games correctly last week, the disc slinger saying the predicted quote, and winning enough purple candy to make my stomach ache in a side bet, I’m an even happier hucker than usual. With the last week of the regular season upon us (hip hip…), might as well see if I can continue my hot streak. Onto the quick picks.
Threezerburn over Cup
Although I said Cup would start a winning streak this week, after finding out their first round opponents in the playoffs, I’m less enthused with the prospective streak.
*Side ramble: A 1/8 playoff game…seriously? Maybe a few intra-game trades would make the contest more competitive (i.e. one happy hucker for another?).
Ocho inching out Army
In the game of the night, my money is on the strong team play of Ocho to overcome the uber-talented individuals on Army.
Corn to run over Grey
With better attendance, their primary handler coming off a huge win / domination last Friday, and IID’s most attractive CMA poised to strike, the kiddies will bounce back from last week’s setback.
Hammers to nail 2x12s
Player-for-player, I think 2x12s have the most talent in the league. Given their record, something is clearly not clicking for them. Although I’m confident that Salmon will resolve whatever ails 2x12s, it won’t happen til after this week.
Predicted Quote of the Week:
A Hammer explaining an overthrown disc:
“It was the steroids in those genetically modified strawberries last week!”
With the playoffs approaching, if you find yourself taking your game too seriously this week (or ever), I recommend you print off a copy of PMo’s latest forum post to keep you laughing. Although I don’t particularly enjoy playing against him, he’s quickly becoming my favorite frisbee humorist. Until next time, happy hucking.
The doctor's found a simple cure.
Just in time.
All these things if I were King would all appear around me.
The world will sing when I am King.
The world will sing when I am King."
Great Big Sea - When I Am King (and possibly my new theme song???)
After picking all four games correctly last week, the disc slinger saying the predicted quote, and winning enough purple candy to make my stomach ache in a side bet, I’m an even happier hucker than usual. With the last week of the regular season upon us (hip hip…), might as well see if I can continue my hot streak. Onto the quick picks.
Threezerburn over Cup
Although I said Cup would start a winning streak this week, after finding out their first round opponents in the playoffs, I’m less enthused with the prospective streak.
*Side ramble: A 1/8 playoff game…seriously? Maybe a few intra-game trades would make the contest more competitive (i.e. one happy hucker for another?).
Ocho inching out Army
In the game of the night, my money is on the strong team play of Ocho to overcome the uber-talented individuals on Army.
Corn to run over Grey
With better attendance, their primary handler coming off a huge win / domination last Friday, and IID’s most attractive CMA poised to strike, the kiddies will bounce back from last week’s setback.
Hammers to nail 2x12s
Player-for-player, I think 2x12s have the most talent in the league. Given their record, something is clearly not clicking for them. Although I’m confident that Salmon will resolve whatever ails 2x12s, it won’t happen til after this week.
Predicted Quote of the Week:
A Hammer explaining an overthrown disc:
“It was the steroids in those genetically modified strawberries last week!”
With the playoffs approaching, if you find yourself taking your game too seriously this week (or ever), I recommend you print off a copy of PMo’s latest forum post to keep you laughing. Although I don’t particularly enjoy playing against him, he’s quickly becoming my favorite frisbee humorist. Until next time, happy hucking.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Weekly F'n Recap
"F is my favorite letter as you know."
Kathleen Edwards - The Cheapest Key
After discussing with a team-mate how frequently we both drop F-bombs on the field when things go wrong (see Wednesday), I decided to go with the above quote. Here's my memories of a busy week of frisbee.
- Threw outside for the first time this year last Sunday. Although my throws were crap, it felt great to get out of the damn dome.
- Sparkles and I met with KJ on Monday to get our last plyo-heavy workout that will carry us through to tryouts. I’m pretty comfortable with all of the exercises, but still need some coaching on form (“Clench…unclench”)
- I overdid it during my own weight workout Tuesday. On the bright side, the increased bulk seemed to pay off (see below for info on my bizarre personal streak).
- As predicted, the Hammers beat an undermanned Corn squad 27-13ish on Wednesday. It was 9-9, and then, well, we really started to roll off points.
- Personal high-light, and this will sound weird, but while having a sucky game, I realized at about 15-11 that it didn’t matter. Most of my team-mates (InVinceable, Rigid, HelloJessie, DGo, Giddy-up (as always), and MamaFish) were playing “shit hot”. It’s nice to be able to take a step-back when you’re having a bad game, and let your team-mates do the heavy lifting.
- High-light #2: Winning the sidebet!
- Low-light: Bad decisions (throwing directly into the hands of Pete, getting stalled down, f-ing up a number of dumps with one team-mate, etc.). Although not quite as spectacularly awful as the first time we played Corn, the timing couldn’t have been worse with new Fish captain Nikkster roaming the sidelines.
- On a happier note, I have an amusing personal streak going of leveling opponents in 3 straight games. The latest victim of my 160 pounds of fury was Ocho-er Morthongs who I ran over on a Berkley cut. In all seriousness, being more aggressive is some excellent advice I got post-IAD-cut.
- Here’s wishing Juffy a speedy recovery from rolling his ankle. On the bright side, a sprained ankle is much less serious than a broken ass ;-)
- Was interested to read that a 5km run might be part of the Open tryouts. Although aerobic fitness is important, KJ wrote an excellent article on how distance running and ulty aren’t compliments (quite the opposite). However, if the 5km is to improve pacing for players who play every point, that makes sense…as long as the risk of injury and likely slower resulting pace on the field is taken into consideration.
- Went through 2 sets of KJ's new workout on Thursday, just to get the form and appropriate weights nailed down. Squatted 20 pounds more than my previous PB.
- Despite the presence of a super-sub who accounted for a quarter of our points, Finishing Move lost to Vince/Reade's team on Friday night by about 5 points. It felt a lot closer than 5 points to me, but my co-captain had an interesting philosophy to explain the reasoning behind the loss.
************
Deep Ulty Thought: "The amount of awesomeness you can give to ultimate in a week is capped at 10 [using the infamous TK scale]. If you use up all your awesomeness on Wednesday, you can't expect to dominate on Friday when you're all out."
************
- Personal high-light: Even though I was exhausted (very long day at work), I played well. Our opponents didn't really have anyone who could run with me.
- The exception, and low-light was one of the worst points of my indoor ultimate season. I had three drops on very catchable passes, and then fell over on defense. At least my IID coach got a kick out of me tripping over my own feet.
- Saturday went through 3 sets of the new workout, and then tossed for a half hour outside. My calfs were burnt afterwards, but on the plus side, my throwing was marginally better than the week before.
How to cap off such a busy week of frisbee? How about going to a Great Big Sea concert last night with six ulty peeps who together would form a hell of a 3/4 line. Had a blast, got some jumping in, and hope I didn't do any damage to my hands with all that clapping. Afterall, I've been told my "good hands" are my only asset ;-) Until next time, happy hucking!
Kathleen Edwards - The Cheapest Key
After discussing with a team-mate how frequently we both drop F-bombs on the field when things go wrong (see Wednesday), I decided to go with the above quote. Here's my memories of a busy week of frisbee.
- Threw outside for the first time this year last Sunday. Although my throws were crap, it felt great to get out of the damn dome.
- Sparkles and I met with KJ on Monday to get our last plyo-heavy workout that will carry us through to tryouts. I’m pretty comfortable with all of the exercises, but still need some coaching on form (“Clench…unclench”)
- I overdid it during my own weight workout Tuesday. On the bright side, the increased bulk seemed to pay off (see below for info on my bizarre personal streak).
- As predicted, the Hammers beat an undermanned Corn squad 27-13ish on Wednesday. It was 9-9, and then, well, we really started to roll off points.
- Personal high-light, and this will sound weird, but while having a sucky game, I realized at about 15-11 that it didn’t matter. Most of my team-mates (InVinceable, Rigid, HelloJessie, DGo, Giddy-up (as always), and MamaFish) were playing “shit hot”. It’s nice to be able to take a step-back when you’re having a bad game, and let your team-mates do the heavy lifting.
- High-light #2: Winning the sidebet!
- Low-light: Bad decisions (throwing directly into the hands of Pete, getting stalled down, f-ing up a number of dumps with one team-mate, etc.). Although not quite as spectacularly awful as the first time we played Corn, the timing couldn’t have been worse with new Fish captain Nikkster roaming the sidelines.
- On a happier note, I have an amusing personal streak going of leveling opponents in 3 straight games. The latest victim of my 160 pounds of fury was Ocho-er Morthongs who I ran over on a Berkley cut. In all seriousness, being more aggressive is some excellent advice I got post-IAD-cut.
- Here’s wishing Juffy a speedy recovery from rolling his ankle. On the bright side, a sprained ankle is much less serious than a broken ass ;-)
- Was interested to read that a 5km run might be part of the Open tryouts. Although aerobic fitness is important, KJ wrote an excellent article on how distance running and ulty aren’t compliments (quite the opposite). However, if the 5km is to improve pacing for players who play every point, that makes sense…as long as the risk of injury and likely slower resulting pace on the field is taken into consideration.
- Went through 2 sets of KJ's new workout on Thursday, just to get the form and appropriate weights nailed down. Squatted 20 pounds more than my previous PB.
- Despite the presence of a super-sub who accounted for a quarter of our points, Finishing Move lost to Vince/Reade's team on Friday night by about 5 points. It felt a lot closer than 5 points to me, but my co-captain had an interesting philosophy to explain the reasoning behind the loss.
************
Deep Ulty Thought: "The amount of awesomeness you can give to ultimate in a week is capped at 10 [using the infamous TK scale]. If you use up all your awesomeness on Wednesday, you can't expect to dominate on Friday when you're all out."
************
- Personal high-light: Even though I was exhausted (very long day at work), I played well. Our opponents didn't really have anyone who could run with me.
- The exception, and low-light was one of the worst points of my indoor ultimate season. I had three drops on very catchable passes, and then fell over on defense. At least my IID coach got a kick out of me tripping over my own feet.
- Saturday went through 3 sets of the new workout, and then tossed for a half hour outside. My calfs were burnt afterwards, but on the plus side, my throwing was marginally better than the week before.
How to cap off such a busy week of frisbee? How about going to a Great Big Sea concert last night with six ulty peeps who together would form a hell of a 3/4 line. Had a blast, got some jumping in, and hope I didn't do any damage to my hands with all that clapping. Afterall, I've been told my "good hands" are my only asset ;-) Until next time, happy hucking!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
March 18th Picks
“I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
- Mark Twain
With a perfect week of picking behind me, it’s time to get back to what I do best – screwing up. Although no monumental blunders are anticipated, given my history, I wouldn’t bet against them...*thinking of other influential people to call "tools"*.
Hammers over Corn
This is shaping up as a battle of the league’s two top handlers. In one corner, the pride of Peterborough will be slinging discs to lucky team-mates who he transforms into all-starved cutters. In the other corner, DGo will throw fire to red-hot receivers all game long. The difference will be a top secret Hammers super-sub, who has GUARANTEED me at least 3 different scoring celebrations.
Ocho in a nail-biter against Cup
In their last two games, Cup looks like a vastly improved team (in no small part due to one disc-duffer who has made a strong case for a recall). However, my prediction is that Cup goes on a winning streak that starts next week, instead of against the well-coached Ocho. To the cuppers and cuppies who read this, I truly hope you prove me wrong and start your streak against Ocho.
Army in a cake walk over 2x12s.
Even with their standout player / “good driver” slowed by groin issues (my advice: stop pulling it), Army’s on a roll lately. On the other hand, despite a multitude of talent, 2x12s can’t seem to break out of their current slump. Army should win this one convincingly, especially if their pretty-picture-taking hucker hooks up with the Shocker.
Threezerburn to outlast Grey
As much as I respect Grey and their awesome coaches, Threezerburn has a more exciting style of play. As a defender, and even a spectator, the Threezies have proved their good nature by throwing their patented break-side skubers at my request. The only reason I hesitate to choose the Theeze to win in a blow-out, is that there’s a junior player on Grey who will undoubtedly distract she-who-mustn’t-be-thrown-to.
Predicted Quote of the Week:
During Hammers/Corn match by the disc-slinger after one of his many assists:
“That’s why they call me Pistol!”
(while blowing imaginary gun smoke off his fingers)
If I seem more focused than usual tomorrow, it's because I have an important side-bet to win...not to worry though, I won't be point-shaving (sorry Andrew). Until next time, happy hucking!
- Mark Twain
With a perfect week of picking behind me, it’s time to get back to what I do best – screwing up. Although no monumental blunders are anticipated, given my history, I wouldn’t bet against them...*thinking of other influential people to call "tools"*.
Hammers over Corn
This is shaping up as a battle of the league’s two top handlers. In one corner, the pride of Peterborough will be slinging discs to lucky team-mates who he transforms into all-starved cutters. In the other corner, DGo will throw fire to red-hot receivers all game long. The difference will be a top secret Hammers super-sub, who has GUARANTEED me at least 3 different scoring celebrations.
Ocho in a nail-biter against Cup
In their last two games, Cup looks like a vastly improved team (in no small part due to one disc-duffer who has made a strong case for a recall). However, my prediction is that Cup goes on a winning streak that starts next week, instead of against the well-coached Ocho. To the cuppers and cuppies who read this, I truly hope you prove me wrong and start your streak against Ocho.
Army in a cake walk over 2x12s.
Even with their standout player / “good driver” slowed by groin issues (my advice: stop pulling it), Army’s on a roll lately. On the other hand, despite a multitude of talent, 2x12s can’t seem to break out of their current slump. Army should win this one convincingly, especially if their pretty-picture-taking hucker hooks up with the Shocker.
Threezerburn to outlast Grey
As much as I respect Grey and their awesome coaches, Threezerburn has a more exciting style of play. As a defender, and even a spectator, the Threezies have proved their good nature by throwing their patented break-side skubers at my request. The only reason I hesitate to choose the Theeze to win in a blow-out, is that there’s a junior player on Grey who will undoubtedly distract she-who-mustn’t-be-thrown-to.
Predicted Quote of the Week:
During Hammers/Corn match by the disc-slinger after one of his many assists:
“That’s why they call me Pistol!”
(while blowing imaginary gun smoke off his fingers)
If I seem more focused than usual tomorrow, it's because I have an important side-bet to win...not to worry though, I won't be point-shaving (sorry Andrew). Until next time, happy hucking!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Mid March Week Recap
"Why do you have a diary?" – Michael Scott
"To keep secrets from my computer." – Dwight K Shrute
With respect to my last set of predictions: a-toad-a-so! Pretty sure that’s my first (and likely last) week of perfect predictions.
- Monday’s workout was low-key, with most of the usual suspects still sore from Snowplate…or from confusing kilograms with pounds.
- I went into Wednesday’s game prepared for a hard test, that didn’t materialize. With a full line-up, we got off to a quick start, and cruised to a 24-17 victory.
- No personal high-lights or low-lights, as I basically did what I needed to do to help my team win.
- Odd play of the day: After a timeout, we put our two ladies in the endzone and I was just outside with the disc. I think Grey tried to set up a clam D, but it left our girl at the front of the stack wide open. How open was she? Even I couldn’t screw up that pass.
- Non-personal high-light of the night: The uber sheikh, tres advanced, fashionable garb that was captured on film ;-)
- Thursday’s class was…sparsely attended. My over-matched, pom-pom-less partner had the misfortune of losing [edited at the request of the pom-pom-less partner] five of six [taking a washroom break mid-sprint probably wasn't the smartest idea] our head-to-head sprints :P
- Finishing Move beat PowerThirst 19-15 last night to help ensure we finish top four and have a chance at the hotly contested Friday night title.
- High-light was the challenging match-ups. There are 3 guys who I like trying to D on that team. One seemed a bit tired (post-Sudbury-soreness-syndrome?), but the other two gave me all I could handle.
- Low-light, hmmm, I didn’t have a lot of fun. Purely my fault though.
Sometime last week, or possibly the week before, I found out that I’m no longer on Urban Sprawl (my former Friday summer team). It’s probably for the best, as I wouldn’t be in town enough to make it financially worthwhile. Even though it was frustrating last summer, it’ll be hard to leave behind that group of people. On the bright side, I think US will be better off without their happiest hucker’s inconsistent attendance. Plus, they'll face more consistent opponents which should help their development. There’s a couple of Friday teams who’ve asked me to jump ship in the past, so maybe I’ll sub for some of them…
Lastly, I’m happy to report that my traffic is finally starting to die down and level off. I can’t promise the entries will be less bland, but I do have some nicknames I’ve been itching to try out ;-) Until next time, happy hucking!
"To keep secrets from my computer." – Dwight K Shrute
With respect to my last set of predictions: a-toad-a-so! Pretty sure that’s my first (and likely last) week of perfect predictions.
- Monday’s workout was low-key, with most of the usual suspects still sore from Snowplate…or from confusing kilograms with pounds.
- I went into Wednesday’s game prepared for a hard test, that didn’t materialize. With a full line-up, we got off to a quick start, and cruised to a 24-17 victory.
- No personal high-lights or low-lights, as I basically did what I needed to do to help my team win.
- Odd play of the day: After a timeout, we put our two ladies in the endzone and I was just outside with the disc. I think Grey tried to set up a clam D, but it left our girl at the front of the stack wide open. How open was she? Even I couldn’t screw up that pass.
- Non-personal high-light of the night: The uber sheikh, tres advanced, fashionable garb that was captured on film ;-)
- Thursday’s class was…sparsely attended. My over-matched, pom-pom-less partner had the misfortune of losing [edited at the request of the pom-pom-less partner] five of six [taking a washroom break mid-sprint probably wasn't the smartest idea] our head-to-head sprints :P
- Finishing Move beat PowerThirst 19-15 last night to help ensure we finish top four and have a chance at the hotly contested Friday night title.
- High-light was the challenging match-ups. There are 3 guys who I like trying to D on that team. One seemed a bit tired (post-Sudbury-soreness-syndrome?), but the other two gave me all I could handle.
- Low-light, hmmm, I didn’t have a lot of fun. Purely my fault though.
Sometime last week, or possibly the week before, I found out that I’m no longer on Urban Sprawl (my former Friday summer team). It’s probably for the best, as I wouldn’t be in town enough to make it financially worthwhile. Even though it was frustrating last summer, it’ll be hard to leave behind that group of people. On the bright side, I think US will be better off without their happiest hucker’s inconsistent attendance. Plus, they'll face more consistent opponents which should help their development. There’s a couple of Friday teams who’ve asked me to jump ship in the past, so maybe I’ll sub for some of them…
Lastly, I’m happy to report that my traffic is finally starting to die down and level off. I can’t promise the entries will be less bland, but I do have some nicknames I’ve been itching to try out ;-) Until next time, happy hucking!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Picks for March 11th
“A-toad-a-so, a-toad-a-so, a-toad-a-so!”
Ricky – Trailer Park Boys
Since my prognosticating accuracy seems to be peaking as the indoor season draws to a close (yay!), thought I’d pad my stats with some quick picks. Plus, after I predict all four games correctly, I can officially say “a-toad-a-so!"
Army to march past Threezerburn.
With Army riding high after a huge win over the Kiddies last week, and one female Threezie being frozen out by her team-mates, my shiny nickel is on RPA v 2.0 to lead his squad to victory.
Hammers to inch out Grey.
With recent pick-up Wing, the well-coached Grey guys and gals will be a huge challenge. However, a message today from a high energy team-mate confirming she’s 100% gives me confidence in predicting our victory.
Kids over Girls & Cup.
As much as I want to see the purple pom-pommed one and her red team snap their losing skid, it’s just not going to happen against IID’s most proficient disc-slinger.
Ocho by less than 8 over 2x12s.
When two well coached squads go at it, it’s usually the team wearing a jersey color closest to purple that I pick to win. If an ink truck tipped over close enough to FCS, Ocho would be assured of victory.
Predicted quote of the week:
*During the latter stages of the Army/Threeze classic when Threeze is matching up on defense*
“Oooh, you’re cute. Do you play Junoir?”
- The blonde girl who no one throws to.
Even if I picked your team to lose, make sure to give it 100% tonight to prove me wrong. Best case scenario, you end up on a short list of names that no longer need to be inter-remediated. At worst, you can drown your sorrows with homebrew and Jalapano chips. Until next time, happy hucking!
Ricky – Trailer Park Boys
Since my prognosticating accuracy seems to be peaking as the indoor season draws to a close (yay!), thought I’d pad my stats with some quick picks. Plus, after I predict all four games correctly, I can officially say “a-toad-a-so!"
Army to march past Threezerburn.
With Army riding high after a huge win over the Kiddies last week, and one female Threezie being frozen out by her team-mates, my shiny nickel is on RPA v 2.0 to lead his squad to victory.
Hammers to inch out Grey.
With recent pick-up Wing, the well-coached Grey guys and gals will be a huge challenge. However, a message today from a high energy team-mate confirming she’s 100% gives me confidence in predicting our victory.
Kids over Girls & Cup.
As much as I want to see the purple pom-pommed one and her red team snap their losing skid, it’s just not going to happen against IID’s most proficient disc-slinger.
Ocho by less than 8 over 2x12s.
When two well coached squads go at it, it’s usually the team wearing a jersey color closest to purple that I pick to win. If an ink truck tipped over close enough to FCS, Ocho would be assured of victory.
Predicted quote of the week:
*During the latter stages of the Army/Threeze classic when Threeze is matching up on defense*
“Oooh, you’re cute. Do you play Junoir?”
- The blonde girl who no one throws to.
Even if I picked your team to lose, make sure to give it 100% tonight to prove me wrong. Best case scenario, you end up on a short list of names that no longer need to be inter-remediated. At worst, you can drown your sorrows with homebrew and Jalapano chips. Until next time, happy hucking!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Snowplate Recap
"....Who are we?" - Our fearless leader
"Blue Phoques!" - Ottawa's entry in Snowplate '09
So as not to spoil any suprises in a future episode of Ultimate Canada Magazine, I'll keep this recap quick and dirty. Although I struggle with "quick" in many of my entries, "dirty" should be easier given various conversations this weekend at Snowplate.
Hammer'd Ho's & Joe's 11, Blue Phoques 3
("...you'd have two feet of my cock in your ass." - Aussie Bitch)
At 9:40 on a Saturday morning, after a 5+ hour drive the day before, and very little sleep due to snorers distributed evenly in the teams' rooms, Blue Phoques got off to a slow start against the third ranked team in the tournament. Despite their name, Hamilton's squad wasn't as hammer'd as we had hoped. The Phoques had difficulty keeping in an upright position in the soft Sudbury powder, and were only able to connect with one yellow panted striker for three goals against the tournament's #3 ranked team.
Blue Phoques (less two women) out scrimmaged MAGMA (with two blue strikers)
( "Where are my pants?" - Easy E)
Kitchener's entry had trouble rounding up the necessary two females needed to field a team, so Blue Phoques ended up distributing our assets to MAGMA so that we could find our snowfeet, so to speak. Even though this wasn't our most instense effort, the Phoques seemed to channel our inner-seals and got used to playing disc in the snow. The high-light of this game was clearly two beautiful bids from a team-mate who I have NEVER seen layout before. The snow volcano that MAGMA prepared post-game can only be described as "epic".
Blue Phoques 11, IceHutSluts 3
("...he sent my washed, but undried sock to my work in a ziplock bag." - Last Minute Pick-up)
We played phoque-ing fantastic against one of Sudbury's entries into their hometown tournament. It was one of those games where the every point felt like it was played down wind, you end up with the disc on each layout, and everyone plays their best. High-light involved two purple pom-poms, a sports bra, and a Sudbury boy who forgot how to count stalls.
Blue Phoques 11, SUPA Stars 6
("I mizzunderstood da rules." - South Park)
In every tournament, you ultimately have to step up and beat a tough team who wants to upset you. Sault Ste Marie's entry went up 5-4, before the Phoques officially stepped up their game. There were a couple of questionable calls, but the SUPA Stars showed class in always helping us out from the snow, and playing a spirited game til the horn sounded. In an original Spirit game, SUPA hid the spirit prize on their team mascot and chose two of our players to find it.
***Insert debauchery here***
The Sharks 11, Blue Phoques 0
("...an enema with 2 litres of dark ale." - Sin Cities)
Having held our 7th seat on day one, after a flash freeze over night, and with the lost hour the previous evening, the Phoques were in tough in our first game on Sunday against the #2 ranked team in the tournament. The London squad had a World Junoir and plenty of Mustangs on their team, and used the youth to their advantage. The Phoques' first day philosophy of "lay out for everything", gave way to the much smarter strategy of "lay out for nothing...or risk breaking your body on the icy snow." Sadly, we just didn't get started in this game.
Blue Phoques 2, Hounds on Ice 0
("Flip that bitch!" - Robo-Chicken)
"Blue Phoques!" - Ottawa's entry in Snowplate '09
So as not to spoil any suprises in a future episode of Ultimate Canada Magazine, I'll keep this recap quick and dirty. Although I struggle with "quick" in many of my entries, "dirty" should be easier given various conversations this weekend at Snowplate.
Hammer'd Ho's & Joe's 11, Blue Phoques 3
("...you'd have two feet of my cock in your ass." - Aussie Bitch)
At 9:40 on a Saturday morning, after a 5+ hour drive the day before, and very little sleep due to snorers distributed evenly in the teams' rooms, Blue Phoques got off to a slow start against the third ranked team in the tournament. Despite their name, Hamilton's squad wasn't as hammer'd as we had hoped. The Phoques had difficulty keeping in an upright position in the soft Sudbury powder, and were only able to connect with one yellow panted striker for three goals against the tournament's #3 ranked team.
Blue Phoques (less two women) out scrimmaged MAGMA (with two blue strikers)
( "Where are my pants?" - Easy E)
Kitchener's entry had trouble rounding up the necessary two females needed to field a team, so Blue Phoques ended up distributing our assets to MAGMA so that we could find our snowfeet, so to speak. Even though this wasn't our most instense effort, the Phoques seemed to channel our inner-seals and got used to playing disc in the snow. The high-light of this game was clearly two beautiful bids from a team-mate who I have NEVER seen layout before. The snow volcano that MAGMA prepared post-game can only be described as "epic".
Blue Phoques 11, IceHutSluts 3
("...he sent my washed, but undried sock to my work in a ziplock bag." - Last Minute Pick-up)
We played phoque-ing fantastic against one of Sudbury's entries into their hometown tournament. It was one of those games where the every point felt like it was played down wind, you end up with the disc on each layout, and everyone plays their best. High-light involved two purple pom-poms, a sports bra, and a Sudbury boy who forgot how to count stalls.
Blue Phoques 11, SUPA Stars 6
("I mizzunderstood da rules." - South Park)
In every tournament, you ultimately have to step up and beat a tough team who wants to upset you. Sault Ste Marie's entry went up 5-4, before the Phoques officially stepped up their game. There were a couple of questionable calls, but the SUPA Stars showed class in always helping us out from the snow, and playing a spirited game til the horn sounded. In an original Spirit game, SUPA hid the spirit prize on their team mascot and chose two of our players to find it.
The Sharks 11, Blue Phoques 0
("...an enema with 2 litres of dark ale." - Sin Cities)
Having held our 7th seat on day one, after a flash freeze over night, and with the lost hour the previous evening, the Phoques were in tough in our first game on Sunday against the #2 ranked team in the tournament. The London squad had a World Junoir and plenty of Mustangs on their team, and used the youth to their advantage. The Phoques' first day philosophy of "lay out for everything", gave way to the much smarter strategy of "lay out for nothing...or risk breaking your body on the icy snow." Sadly, we just didn't get started in this game.
Blue Phoques 2, Hounds on Ice 0
("Flip that bitch!" - Robo-Chicken)
In what could best be described as an intense effort, our captain stepped up to single-handedly beat the #1 ranked team heading into the tournament. Toronto's Zen/pick-up squad simply didn't stand a chance against the starry-eyed wonder! The Phoques officially beat our seat finishing 6th!
Long-story short, this was a tonne of fun, and would have been even better had the weather stayed nice on Sunday. Exactly the kind of March break every ultimate player deserves :)
Also last week:
- The Hammers continued our run beating an energetic Threezerburn squad. DGo stepped up and dominated at the handling position.
- Finishing Move benefitted from super-subs (especially my "replacement" / major upgrade) and outpaced SNL by 1.
- My high-jacked former blog got shut down. It seems the Blogger folks weren't as impressed as I was with the hours the imitation Rambler put into digging up my old entries.
Despite sporadic and intentionally bland (or blander?) entries as of late, my trusty hit counter tells me I'm having a hard time getting rid of the OUHA faithful. As a further effort to lose you, here's a link to one of my favorite ulty blogs . My hope is that you'll get lost in the links, and forget about me. Until next time, happy hucking!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tourney Recap & Quick Picks for Week n+2
"Today I offer all myself to this, I'm living for my dying wish,
I give it all, now there's a reason, there's a reason, to give it all."
Rise Against - Give It All
Decided on the above quote since it's passionate...and I've had a hard time with that lately. Since the Spring Shootout (SS) tournament is already a bit hazy in mind, here's a quick recap.
- The tourney was well-organized, and the level of competition was awesome.
- Yes, I got my ass kicked, but not as badly as I predicted.
- My team went 0-3, but losing to an Alexander-stacked squad, Green’s team, and a Phoenix D-line heavy team was nothing to get down about.
- We did sub-on-the-fly during our last two games, and it was draining. With 7 guys on the field, non-stop action, and only 3 subs, breaks on the sideline were brief. Thanks to a couple of blog readers and ulty peeps for the great advice of subbing when on O.
- High-light was making one of the Phoenix D-line guys curse when I caught a high disc that he expected to D. After that catch, when he was marking me, I did a decent job as decoy in an effort to take him out of the play.
- Secondary high-light was the re-establishment of the King Connection for a few scores! Whoever’s keeping track of my supposed ‘man crushes’ should probably add my fitness guru to the list.
- Low-light is the physical toll playing 3 games against open guys took on my body. My wrists, shoulders, chest, groin, and right ankle have ached ever since Saturday.
- Stuck around and caught the all-star game at the end. There was this kid in a blue shirt that made some spectacular bids.
In case you were wondering whether or not to try tomorrow night at FCS, here are my quick picks for the week.
* Ocho over Grey. Props to Ken for a well-deserved re-call to the big league, but Grey will miss him against a well-coached Ocho squad.
* 2 x 12s in a nail-biter over 4 Girls, 1 Cup. It'll be close, but 4 Girls, 1 Cup super-striker will be saving herself for her second game of the night.
* Hammers over Threeze. I'm hoping the magazine cover will go to Chow's head, and he'll forget about marking me ;-)
* Corn on universe over Army. RPAlex made a beautiful end-zone D in the SS, but his opponents will all be carbo-loaded on corn which will let them squeek out a win.
* Predicted Quote of the Week:
"Tsk, tsk....running Seattle is always a challenge for you IID players."
- Mr. SOTG
Before I forget, if any of you have tips about playing ultimate in the snow, feel free to send them my way before the weekend. Until next time, happy hucking!
I give it all, now there's a reason, there's a reason, to give it all."
Rise Against - Give It All
Decided on the above quote since it's passionate...and I've had a hard time with that lately. Since the Spring Shootout (SS) tournament is already a bit hazy in mind, here's a quick recap.
- The tourney was well-organized, and the level of competition was awesome.
- Yes, I got my ass kicked, but not as badly as I predicted.
- My team went 0-3, but losing to an Alexander-stacked squad, Green’s team, and a Phoenix D-line heavy team was nothing to get down about.
- We did sub-on-the-fly during our last two games, and it was draining. With 7 guys on the field, non-stop action, and only 3 subs, breaks on the sideline were brief. Thanks to a couple of blog readers and ulty peeps for the great advice of subbing when on O.
- High-light was making one of the Phoenix D-line guys curse when I caught a high disc that he expected to D. After that catch, when he was marking me, I did a decent job as decoy in an effort to take him out of the play.
- Secondary high-light was the re-establishment of the King Connection for a few scores! Whoever’s keeping track of my supposed ‘man crushes’ should probably add my fitness guru to the list.
- Low-light is the physical toll playing 3 games against open guys took on my body. My wrists, shoulders, chest, groin, and right ankle have ached ever since Saturday.
- Stuck around and caught the all-star game at the end. There was this kid in a blue shirt that made some spectacular bids.
In case you were wondering whether or not to try tomorrow night at FCS, here are my quick picks for the week.
* Ocho over Grey. Props to Ken for a well-deserved re-call to the big league, but Grey will miss him against a well-coached Ocho squad.
* 2 x 12s in a nail-biter over 4 Girls, 1 Cup. It'll be close, but 4 Girls, 1 Cup super-striker will be saving herself for her second game of the night.
* Hammers over Threeze. I'm hoping the magazine cover will go to Chow's head, and he'll forget about marking me ;-)
* Corn on universe over Army. RPAlex made a beautiful end-zone D in the SS, but his opponents will all be carbo-loaded on corn which will let them squeek out a win.
* Predicted Quote of the Week:
"Tsk, tsk....running Seattle is always a challenge for you IID players."
- Mr. SOTG
Before I forget, if any of you have tips about playing ultimate in the snow, feel free to send them my way before the weekend. Until next time, happy hucking!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Week (n+1) Recap & Priorities
“Ultimate, girlfriend, family, job, God.”
Kenny Dobbins explains his priorities (1989)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbKUL3Bfbew
For fun, list the five most important things in your life. If ultimate is number one, I suggest you call your mother, immediately followed by a psychologist. On with the recap?
- Due to the some family and work stuff, didn’t get around to making picks this week. Did get around to upping the weight on the ‘revil rows’ bar to a PB of 100 lbs on Monday.
- Wednesday’s game went better than I would have predicted. Although Downtown Dave Brown broke me at will all night long, my Hammer-happy team-mates managed to outgun the Army by a final score of 25-20. Considering we started late, timeouts were called, and there were plenty of turnovers, the 45 combined points were a reflection of the high-potency huckers and speedy strikers on both squads.
- Here’s an odd observation and the motivation behind this week’s quote: the less I care about frisbee, the better I seem to play. Two Wednesdays ago, I was so exhausted by the time I stepped on the court for the late game, I went through the motions, and cruised to my best game of the year. This past week, I wasn’t thinking as much as reacting, but the reactions were pretty accurate. I’m sure there’s the equivalent of the ‘point of diminishing returns’, where if I don’t care at all, I’ll start sucking…but, I have yet to reach it.
- The one exercise that stood out at M24’s class, was this 'toss a ball up in the air while lying on your back, and stand up to catch it'. Although there’s probably a technique to it, my only goal was not to take out any participants, small trampolining children, or their parents. A quick tip – if you ever see me lying on my back with a ball in my hand, you might want to clear a 10 meter radius and call the ‘up’.
- There was one player I was a little leery about sharing the court with this winter. While hesitant, I had this theory that our games would be complimentary. After 12 or 13 weeks, I’m at the point where I do everything I can to be on the field with him. His throws make me look like a better cutter, and I know we share the same ‘Look long (stall 3) then short (stall 4), then dump’ philosophy, which allows me to be an effective handling partner with him.
- Friday's game went well, with the exception of a 10 minute stretch during which FM couldn't buy a goal. Our team ended up losing by two points. Given the subs we're lining up for next Friday, and the fact that FM will be without their happiest hucker, I think the squad will pull off the upset of the top ranked team.
- Today was mini-workout day (2 instead of the usual 3 sets), in order to save some energy for the ass whooping that I'm gauranteed to get tonight. Thanks to the Fish four who all managed to make it out for what felt like an early morning workout.
- High-light of the workout came in the car on the way there when I received a brown peice of paper with "MGMT Ripoff" on it. To my literary / song critics: you might want to stockpile some venomous slags for use in the next week (or so) when the collaboration is complete.
If ultimate was at the top of your list, there’s still hope for you, as Ken Dobbins ended up a success away from the bizarro-world of frisbee (http://kenneth44.blogspot.com). (Alternatively, someone could have hi-jacked his blog, and tried to imitate him....nah, who'd be immature enough, and be willing to put in that much time just to prove they were an I(A)D-iot?) It’s entertaining to read how he went from the most intense player, to one who’s sole goal is to have fun on the field. Along the same lines, I’m going to keep up my ‘don’t think, just play’ philosophy, and see how it pans out. Until next time, happy hucking!
Kenny Dobbins explains his priorities (1989)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbKUL3Bfbew
For fun, list the five most important things in your life. If ultimate is number one, I suggest you call your mother, immediately followed by a psychologist. On with the recap?
- Due to the some family and work stuff, didn’t get around to making picks this week. Did get around to upping the weight on the ‘revil rows’ bar to a PB of 100 lbs on Monday.
- Wednesday’s game went better than I would have predicted. Although Downtown Dave Brown broke me at will all night long, my Hammer-happy team-mates managed to outgun the Army by a final score of 25-20. Considering we started late, timeouts were called, and there were plenty of turnovers, the 45 combined points were a reflection of the high-potency huckers and speedy strikers on both squads.
- Here’s an odd observation and the motivation behind this week’s quote: the less I care about frisbee, the better I seem to play. Two Wednesdays ago, I was so exhausted by the time I stepped on the court for the late game, I went through the motions, and cruised to my best game of the year. This past week, I wasn’t thinking as much as reacting, but the reactions were pretty accurate. I’m sure there’s the equivalent of the ‘point of diminishing returns’, where if I don’t care at all, I’ll start sucking…but, I have yet to reach it.
- The one exercise that stood out at M24’s class, was this 'toss a ball up in the air while lying on your back, and stand up to catch it'. Although there’s probably a technique to it, my only goal was not to take out any participants, small trampolining children, or their parents. A quick tip – if you ever see me lying on my back with a ball in my hand, you might want to clear a 10 meter radius and call the ‘up’.
- There was one player I was a little leery about sharing the court with this winter. While hesitant, I had this theory that our games would be complimentary. After 12 or 13 weeks, I’m at the point where I do everything I can to be on the field with him. His throws make me look like a better cutter, and I know we share the same ‘Look long (stall 3) then short (stall 4), then dump’ philosophy, which allows me to be an effective handling partner with him.
- Friday's game went well, with the exception of a 10 minute stretch during which FM couldn't buy a goal. Our team ended up losing by two points. Given the subs we're lining up for next Friday, and the fact that FM will be without their happiest hucker, I think the squad will pull off the upset of the top ranked team.
- Today was mini-workout day (2 instead of the usual 3 sets), in order to save some energy for the ass whooping that I'm gauranteed to get tonight. Thanks to the Fish four who all managed to make it out for what felt like an early morning workout.
- High-light of the workout came in the car on the way there when I received a brown peice of paper with "MGMT Ripoff" on it. To my literary / song critics: you might want to stockpile some venomous slags for use in the next week (or so) when the collaboration is complete.
If ultimate was at the top of your list, there’s still hope for you, as Ken Dobbins ended up a success away from the bizarro-world of frisbee (http://kenneth44.blogspot.com). (Alternatively, someone could have hi-jacked his blog, and tried to imitate him....nah, who'd be immature enough, and be willing to put in that much time just to prove they were an I(A)D-iot?) It’s entertaining to read how he went from the most intense player, to one who’s sole goal is to have fun on the field. Along the same lines, I’m going to keep up my ‘don’t think, just play’ philosophy, and see how it pans out. Until next time, happy hucking!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I'm flaterred Marko, but you're not my type...
Yo Newbies,
Yup, I’m the guy who bitched about being cut from IAD. After practicing twice a week all summer, competing in multiple tournaments and playing on some strong league teams, I mistakenly thought that I deserved a spot on center court this winter. While being disappointed, I apparently called the coordinator a “tool” in one of the post-cut entries. Even though I subsequently apologized to him, Marko my mistake justified sending you here to laugh at my emo-ramblings.
As explained in a message to my dream coordinator / man-crush (because obviously mentioning him a couple of times makes me gay…which is apparently an insult), the only two ways I thought people could find my blog were from a link off my Facebook site or through a friend. After installing a hit-counter in early February, I quickly realized that despite specifying I didn’t want the blog to be searchable by search engines, it had been. The kind folks on the Blogger technical support team have assured me that this issue has been resolved.
Three points are worth noting.
1. A multitude of ultimate players in Ottawa, Canada, and around the world have better blogs. These sites are authored by superior players, writers, and commentators of the game. I highly recommend you leave, and use one or more of these other resources.
2. I know of about 20 to 30 friends who read my blog. Having to explain why the URL changed to these individuals isn’t worth my time.
3. One of the benefits about getting older is that you care less and less about what others think of you. Being comfortable in my own skin, I couldn’t give two fucks about what Marko thinks of me.
Honestly, there’s a strong temptation to take a shot back at Marko. Instead, I’ll admit that I was always a fan of his writing, his game, and the fact that he contributed to the development of the league. Since my hit-counter showed that many readers enjoyed searching my blog, I can assure you there’s an older entry that confirms the previous statement.
If you want to stick around, I don’t care enough to stop you. Be warned that I’m far less controversial and entertaining than Marko makes me out to be. I’ll even agree that my ultimate parody songs pale in comparison to such memorable ditties as ‘Happy Feet’ (which I often hum to myself when a travel is called). Who knows, maybe you’ll see me on the pitch at some point in the future, where you can witness firsthand how much I suck.
- James
P.S. Although initially disappointed, I’ve come to truly enjoy my second winter of IID. Not only do I play on a kick ass team with experienced captains, a knowledgeable coach, and many IAD-caliber teammates, the athletic competition on every opposing squad is preparing me for next summer. More important than all of that, I'm having fun...which is what ultimate is all about.
Yup, I’m the guy who bitched about being cut from IAD. After practicing twice a week all summer, competing in multiple tournaments and playing on some strong league teams, I mistakenly thought that I deserved a spot on center court this winter. While being disappointed, I apparently called the coordinator a “tool” in one of the post-cut entries. Even though I subsequently apologized to him, Marko my mistake justified sending you here to laugh at my emo-ramblings.
As explained in a message to my dream coordinator / man-crush (because obviously mentioning him a couple of times makes me gay…which is apparently an insult), the only two ways I thought people could find my blog were from a link off my Facebook site or through a friend. After installing a hit-counter in early February, I quickly realized that despite specifying I didn’t want the blog to be searchable by search engines, it had been. The kind folks on the Blogger technical support team have assured me that this issue has been resolved.
Three points are worth noting.
1. A multitude of ultimate players in Ottawa, Canada, and around the world have better blogs. These sites are authored by superior players, writers, and commentators of the game. I highly recommend you leave, and use one or more of these other resources.
2. I know of about 20 to 30 friends who read my blog. Having to explain why the URL changed to these individuals isn’t worth my time.
3. One of the benefits about getting older is that you care less and less about what others think of you. Being comfortable in my own skin, I couldn’t give two fucks about what Marko thinks of me.
Honestly, there’s a strong temptation to take a shot back at Marko. Instead, I’ll admit that I was always a fan of his writing, his game, and the fact that he contributed to the development of the league. Since my hit-counter showed that many readers enjoyed searching my blog, I can assure you there’s an older entry that confirms the previous statement.
If you want to stick around, I don’t care enough to stop you. Be warned that I’m far less controversial and entertaining than Marko makes me out to be. I’ll even agree that my ultimate parody songs pale in comparison to such memorable ditties as ‘Happy Feet’ (which I often hum to myself when a travel is called). Who knows, maybe you’ll see me on the pitch at some point in the future, where you can witness firsthand how much I suck.
- James
P.S. Although initially disappointed, I’ve come to truly enjoy my second winter of IID. Not only do I play on a kick ass team with experienced captains, a knowledgeable coach, and many IAD-caliber teammates, the athletic competition on every opposing squad is preparing me for next summer. More important than all of that, I'm having fun...which is what ultimate is all about.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Week 12 (?) Recap
"I've seen better days, I've been star of many plays.
I've seen better days and the bottom drops out. "
Sublime - I've Seen Better Days
Since I now have the reputation for being emo, might as well live up to it with those lyrics ;-) After mistakenly drinking a cup of coffee today (what was I thinking?), at half-past-midnight, I have just enough energy to write my 10 minute weekly recap.
- With OC Transpo service restored (more or less, 19 times out of 20, as long as you don't have to get anywhere fast), the starry-eyed one joined s-cubed and I for a Monday workout. We were one gunslinger away from reuniting the fab-Fish-four!
- I did another running interval workout on Tuesday. Afterall, when Glum Ford tells you to work on your 1st step speed in the winter, you do it!
- Wednesday was kinda tough, but it ended well. Having been bullied as a child (you'd be suprised at how many people pick on the tall kid as a way of proving how tough they are), it doesn't really phase me.
- As for the happy ending, at the risk of sounding conceited...I played my best game of the winter on Wednesday :) How awesome was it? Even Mahatma broke down and complimented one of my throws *haha*. Better yet, my team seems to have found our grove, and beat the top ranked team in round one, in order to establish ourselves as the top ranked team in round two.
- Thursday I ran 5 sets of 4 x 15 seconds with 30 seconds between reps, and about 3 minutes between sets. It was a hell of a workout.
- Friday's game was frusterating. With 8 guys, it was hard to get in a grove. With only 2 girls after the first couple of points, well, they must have been exhausted. My decision making was awful, and our team just had an off night in general. We'll bounce back next week.
- Hit up the intermediate clinic Saturday morning. Got some excellent advice about stepping more to the side on my backhand hucks and BF throws. With A. Corey, K. Crump, Bryce, and Mr. Callaghan, they had a all-star crop of instructors. There was a wide range of players there, including two very advanced women, and a tall guy (Tower?) from IAD who I've played against a few times before. In the post-clinic scrimmage, my black team won!
- I always feel that I get my money's worth in clinics, and this one was no exception. The defensive positioning and strategy portion, although short, was well worth the $20 fee by itself.
Damn, that took me 12 minutes...2 more than allotted. As long as I'm in OT, I'm thinking of a new goal for the summer. Even if I fall short, at least I'll have given it a go. Not something I'm ready to share quite yet, but....I"ll keep you posted. Until next time, happy hucking!
I've seen better days and the bottom drops out. "
Sublime - I've Seen Better Days
Since I now have the reputation for being emo, might as well live up to it with those lyrics ;-) After mistakenly drinking a cup of coffee today (what was I thinking?), at half-past-midnight, I have just enough energy to write my 10 minute weekly recap.
- With OC Transpo service restored (more or less, 19 times out of 20, as long as you don't have to get anywhere fast), the starry-eyed one joined s-cubed and I for a Monday workout. We were one gunslinger away from reuniting the fab-Fish-four!
- I did another running interval workout on Tuesday. Afterall, when Glum Ford tells you to work on your 1st step speed in the winter, you do it!
- Wednesday was kinda tough, but it ended well. Having been bullied as a child (you'd be suprised at how many people pick on the tall kid as a way of proving how tough they are), it doesn't really phase me.
- As for the happy ending, at the risk of sounding conceited...I played my best game of the winter on Wednesday :) How awesome was it? Even Mahatma broke down and complimented one of my throws *haha*. Better yet, my team seems to have found our grove, and beat the top ranked team in round one, in order to establish ourselves as the top ranked team in round two.
- Thursday I ran 5 sets of 4 x 15 seconds with 30 seconds between reps, and about 3 minutes between sets. It was a hell of a workout.
- Friday's game was frusterating. With 8 guys, it was hard to get in a grove. With only 2 girls after the first couple of points, well, they must have been exhausted. My decision making was awful, and our team just had an off night in general. We'll bounce back next week.
- Hit up the intermediate clinic Saturday morning. Got some excellent advice about stepping more to the side on my backhand hucks and BF throws. With A. Corey, K. Crump, Bryce, and Mr. Callaghan, they had a all-star crop of instructors. There was a wide range of players there, including two very advanced women, and a tall guy (Tower?) from IAD who I've played against a few times before. In the post-clinic scrimmage, my black team won!
- I always feel that I get my money's worth in clinics, and this one was no exception. The defensive positioning and strategy portion, although short, was well worth the $20 fee by itself.
Damn, that took me 12 minutes...2 more than allotted. As long as I'm in OT, I'm thinking of a new goal for the summer. Even if I fall short, at least I'll have given it a go. Not something I'm ready to share quite yet, but....I"ll keep you posted. Until next time, happy hucking!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
