"The qualities of a great man are vision, integrity, courage, understanding, the power of articulation, and profundity of character."
- Dwight Eisenhower
One of the things I enjoy most about playing ultimate is the characters I meet. There are OCUA members whose personalities make a lasting impression on you (for better or worse). Since I'm currently waiting for indoor to start up, or for someone to foul RPAlex or forum frequenter Steve in an imaginative and controversial way, I thought I'd map some of the local characters that I've come across in Ottawa's ultimate community to the 8 character types in my favorite ulty book Ultimate: The Greatest Sport Ever Invented by Man.
Engineer
There's quite a number of possibilities here, but an obvious example of the engineer character in Ottawa is Ahmad. His job title scares me, his education impresses me, and the way he explained flicking into a head wind to me wreaked of nerdiness ;-) I get the feeling he's one of those guys who could break down the mechanics of his (beautiful) throws to a level that would impress any PhD.
Athlete
Again, there's a multitude of individuals who one could imagine playing any other sport they chose. Instead of picking an obvious male (TK, Geofford, anyone on Phoenix), I'll select Paula of Stella fame. With her build, it's natural to picture her dribbling a basketball, chasing a soccer ball, or spiking a volleyball.
Permanent Grad Student
I can think of five examples of this player type coming from a Monday night rec league team I used to play on. It's almost too easy, as people who are reluctant to enter the "real world", are apt to fit in the "surreal world" of ultimate. I'll just put down the first name that popped into my head when I read about this category: Christine. Which will only mean something to two or possibly three of my faithful readers.
Rec Leaguer
When I think of the typical rec leaguer, I think of someone who almost has competitive skills, but is content slugging (or is it "slagging"?) away in league play three or four nights a week instead. Also important in this category, is that the person has to sincerely care about league play. For this reason, I'm going with my favorite OCUA forum poster, and dedicated volunteer – DMO.
Oddball
It's important to note that the description of this player is quite positive. Yes, they're quirky, but they tend to kick ass everytime they step on the field. Their ability to pick up with high-level teams is also paramount. Even though he bares a striking resemblance to the "Local Oldster" picture in the book, out of respect, I'm giving this title to Mr. Webb.
Local Oldster
MHJ. If anyone needs an explanation, just read the OCUA forums or talk to the man, the myth, and the legend for yourself. You'll be glad you did.
Greenie
And the OCUA player most likely to be living "off-the-grid" is: Craig. Having had the pleasure to play with and be tutored by the Greenie, I can assure you that he was my runner-up pick as the "Oddball" as well. One of the few pleas I'll ever make in this blog: buy a few discs from this guy. If I see him waving at me one more time when I pull into UPI, I just might lose it.
Partner
Someone who is dragged to the ultimate field by their significant other, but secretly enjoys the sport. The idiot from my Wednesday fall team jumps to mind, but instead of giving him the positive publicity (?!?!), I'll go with Darcy from my Monday team who accompanies her husband Chris to the field, but can always hold her own. The fact she's a former comp player is evidence that their two kids are bound to be ulty superstars!
If you agree, disagree, or are baffled by any of my picks, feel free to direct your complaints to your local Member of Parliament. I guarantee they're as likely to care about your opinion as I am ;-) Furthermore, I beg you, if you happen to bump into RPAlex or forum frequenter Steve, make sure to give them some far fetched scenario that will trigger an imminent post in the rules forum. It'll give me material for my next entry. Until next time, happy hucking!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Last Week of Falltimate
"Time, you've had more than your share of mine
I'm a criminal with no crime
Sing like a bird that is now released
Like an angel with clip-on wings
Yeah nothing that's etched in stone
See I'm already who's already gone."
Collective Soul - General Attitude
Instead of using a complimentary quote from Mehmet about a bid made during today's game, I decided to pull out the best opening line of any Collective Soul song (my favorite group). The first two lines reflect how I feel about the whole IID/IAD thing right now. It's over, it wasn't worth the time and energy I put into overanalyzing it, and I'm moving on. With the last week of fall ultimate behind me, and the FCS dome still in storage, this could be my last weekly recap entry for a month or more. Against my better judgement and an aching groin, I decide to pack as much ulty as possible into the last week of falltimate.
- On Monday, Employee of the Month shut up (well, not so much, there was even more sideline taunting than usual) and ran (more so the ladies than the fellas) in beating Shut Up and Run 15 – 9. After the frustrating game against Cruisin', this contest was much more fun due to EoTM having almost two full lines of players, and looking to enjoy our second last game of the fall.
- Personal high-light was the first half. You won't hear me say this often, but I was very satisfied with my level of play, especially given how sore I was feeling. If memory serves, I caught 4 goals as EotM jumped out to an 8-6 half-time lead.
- Personal low-light was the entire second half. I contracted a bad case of the dropsies, and proceeded to bungle 3 relatively easy goal catches. If that wasn't bad enough, after being strongly encouraged by the sideline (read: heckled), I tried for a "wetback" over an unsuspecting defender. As Tron acutely pointed out to me after my ill-fated attempt, you need a receiver in order to get a wetback. Note to self: Ensure Aggie knows what you're going for on the endzone line. Luckily, the other team found the attempt humorous.
- Tuesday got off to a great start when I received a reply from Carl with feedback about my IAD tryout the week prior. He gave me five points to work on, but one really resonated with me. Apparently when I defend, I'm leaning instead of hunching, my base is too narrow (which takes me longer to change directions), and my head is focused on the person I'm guarding, as opposed to being on a swivel. This is something I'll focus on improving in winter league play.
- On the plus side, Carl commended me on my decision making which didn't make him cringe. Since last winter was all about making better decisions, that comment made me happy.
- Tuesday's KJ approved workout was productive. I increased the weight in the push-ups-to-rows by 3 lbs up to 15 lbs, and then squeezed out 2 more push-ups-to-rows on my third set (yay 12!). Sadly, it's now too cold to enjoy a post-workout gelato *sigh*.
- Wednesday was a pretty crappy day. Although I was happy to find out a couple of friends made IAD, as my October 22nd entry indicates, I was upset after discovering my own fate. I'm reminded of the words of a scholar, intellect, and poet "That which does not kill me, only makes me stronger" (K. West).
- While I was still angry on Wednesday, I joined DVC for their second last game of the season against Slappy Butts…a team they apparently had some Spirit issues with in their previous encounter. On a freezing cold night, I turned the anger into energy, and lit up Slappy Buts for 2 goals, and 3 assists. Oh, and I played shutdown D. Not bad considering DVC lost 15-9.
- High-light of the game came courtesy of the Almighty Mahatma, who was having a rough night. After dropping the disc near the end zone, the Great Kamastura carefully kneeled down, and proceeded to spank the disc! Once my laughter subsided, I couldn't help but wonder if the nickname "Disc Spanker" is taken?
- Low-light was back-talking a team-mate who felt the need to repeatedly tell me to "run" while he was on the sideline, doing what he does best, standing stationary. From anyone else on DVC, I'd happily oblige and run to/from the disc as directed. This idiot is only on the team due to his partner, and is by far the laziest player I've ever met. Plus, he caught me on a bad night.
- As my October 24th entry indicates, things got better on Thursday. My new favorite ultimate parody song broke me out of my rut. Then I "officially" got accepted into IID Wednesday via email from the disc spanker himself.
- We did 45 second reps at Thursday's KJ…no wait…Michelle class. Without my two BF team-mates, I was left to dominate the wall-sit (3 minutes), push-up ladder, and contra-planks. I've already signed up for the next five week session of classes that will consist of circuit training.
- The strangest part of Thursday was an email I got from Reza containing Spence's feedback on my tryout (Spence evaluated me). The first two points made sense (I have good hands and my defense was hot/cold), but the third point was ridiculous. It was almost laughable, and goes against the whole "team" concept of ultimate. Since it doesn't warrant repeating, my "personal vendetta" goal for next summer is to play Spence and thread him like a needle with a series of crisp throws to team-mates (ones who will actually lay out and strike deep) to work it up the field for a point.
- I lifted for about 30 minutes on Friday, before going out and seeing Wes's band play at Philthy McNasty's. Wes plays the base as well as he plays the cup...which is saying something given his defensive prowess.
- EoTM's last game of the season against the Outlaws was...wet. The captains decided on a 10 point game, which EoTM took 10 - 8 to finish the season strong.
- High-light was that it was fun. Yes, both teams tried their best to win, and Michael made this ridiculous bid on a pick call to come up with a disc, but it was just nice to get in the last game of the year with a lot of Fish and friends.
- Low-light, hmm, I probably threw it away more times than I'd care to admit.
- Sunday DVC won our last game of the year 15-12 over the Rump Shakers (or something like that). As rainy as it was on Saturday, it was windy on Sunday.
- Since it was so windy, time to blow my own horn: as indicated in the introductory paragraph, I made I sweet bid to come up with a pass (mis)thrown by the Almighty Kamasutra to keep possession on an upwind point that we ended up converting. I should really start paying Stu royalties everytime I come up with a disc on a layout.
- On the flip side, I told the same annoying team-mate to "shut-up" when he was trying to direct me from his semi-permanent pulpit on the sideline. As much as I enjoy playing with his partner, his cheap calls, poach D, and lazy hucks really piss me off.
With that, fall season is officially over. Both of my teams ended up top 5 on their respective nights, with EotM probably placing 4th or 5th, and DVC up around 3rd. Taking a step back, my OCUA team last fall ended up third last on Monday nights (they were dead last without me this year), and my PROUF team last year won one game (they were in the bottom ten on Monday in OCUA this year). Things have really changed in terms of the caliber of ultimate that I'm playing. Every mistake I make (mental or execution) is magnified on teams on which I have to challenge myself to keep up with my peers. It's on higher caliber teams like this where I'll inevitably learn the most from my team-mates and competition.
All in all, it was a fantastic fall season. As much as I'm looking forward to the friendly confines of indoor at FCS, I really need a few weeks to stretch and strengthen my sports hernia to get it ready for 20 weeks of indoor games. Enjoy the fall colors! Until next time, happy hucking!
I'm a criminal with no crime
Sing like a bird that is now released
Like an angel with clip-on wings
Yeah nothing that's etched in stone
See I'm already who's already gone."
Collective Soul - General Attitude
Instead of using a complimentary quote from Mehmet about a bid made during today's game, I decided to pull out the best opening line of any Collective Soul song (my favorite group). The first two lines reflect how I feel about the whole IID/IAD thing right now. It's over, it wasn't worth the time and energy I put into overanalyzing it, and I'm moving on. With the last week of fall ultimate behind me, and the FCS dome still in storage, this could be my last weekly recap entry for a month or more. Against my better judgement and an aching groin, I decide to pack as much ulty as possible into the last week of falltimate.
- On Monday, Employee of the Month shut up (well, not so much, there was even more sideline taunting than usual) and ran (more so the ladies than the fellas) in beating Shut Up and Run 15 – 9. After the frustrating game against Cruisin', this contest was much more fun due to EoTM having almost two full lines of players, and looking to enjoy our second last game of the fall.
- Personal high-light was the first half. You won't hear me say this often, but I was very satisfied with my level of play, especially given how sore I was feeling. If memory serves, I caught 4 goals as EotM jumped out to an 8-6 half-time lead.
- Personal low-light was the entire second half. I contracted a bad case of the dropsies, and proceeded to bungle 3 relatively easy goal catches. If that wasn't bad enough, after being strongly encouraged by the sideline (read: heckled), I tried for a "wetback" over an unsuspecting defender. As Tron acutely pointed out to me after my ill-fated attempt, you need a receiver in order to get a wetback. Note to self: Ensure Aggie knows what you're going for on the endzone line. Luckily, the other team found the attempt humorous.
- Tuesday got off to a great start when I received a reply from Carl with feedback about my IAD tryout the week prior. He gave me five points to work on, but one really resonated with me. Apparently when I defend, I'm leaning instead of hunching, my base is too narrow (which takes me longer to change directions), and my head is focused on the person I'm guarding, as opposed to being on a swivel. This is something I'll focus on improving in winter league play.
- On the plus side, Carl commended me on my decision making which didn't make him cringe. Since last winter was all about making better decisions, that comment made me happy.
- Tuesday's KJ approved workout was productive. I increased the weight in the push-ups-to-rows by 3 lbs up to 15 lbs, and then squeezed out 2 more push-ups-to-rows on my third set (yay 12!). Sadly, it's now too cold to enjoy a post-workout gelato *sigh*.
- Wednesday was a pretty crappy day. Although I was happy to find out a couple of friends made IAD, as my October 22nd entry indicates, I was upset after discovering my own fate. I'm reminded of the words of a scholar, intellect, and poet "That which does not kill me, only makes me stronger" (K. West).
- While I was still angry on Wednesday, I joined DVC for their second last game of the season against Slappy Butts…a team they apparently had some Spirit issues with in their previous encounter. On a freezing cold night, I turned the anger into energy, and lit up Slappy Buts for 2 goals, and 3 assists. Oh, and I played shutdown D. Not bad considering DVC lost 15-9.
- High-light of the game came courtesy of the Almighty Mahatma, who was having a rough night. After dropping the disc near the end zone, the Great Kamastura carefully kneeled down, and proceeded to spank the disc! Once my laughter subsided, I couldn't help but wonder if the nickname "Disc Spanker" is taken?
- Low-light was back-talking a team-mate who felt the need to repeatedly tell me to "run" while he was on the sideline, doing what he does best, standing stationary. From anyone else on DVC, I'd happily oblige and run to/from the disc as directed. This idiot is only on the team due to his partner, and is by far the laziest player I've ever met. Plus, he caught me on a bad night.
- As my October 24th entry indicates, things got better on Thursday. My new favorite ultimate parody song broke me out of my rut. Then I "officially" got accepted into IID Wednesday via email from the disc spanker himself.
- We did 45 second reps at Thursday's KJ…no wait…Michelle class. Without my two BF team-mates, I was left to dominate the wall-sit (3 minutes), push-up ladder, and contra-planks. I've already signed up for the next five week session of classes that will consist of circuit training.
- The strangest part of Thursday was an email I got from Reza containing Spence's feedback on my tryout (Spence evaluated me). The first two points made sense (I have good hands and my defense was hot/cold), but the third point was ridiculous. It was almost laughable, and goes against the whole "team" concept of ultimate. Since it doesn't warrant repeating, my "personal vendetta" goal for next summer is to play Spence and thread him like a needle with a series of crisp throws to team-mates (ones who will actually lay out and strike deep) to work it up the field for a point.
- I lifted for about 30 minutes on Friday, before going out and seeing Wes's band play at Philthy McNasty's. Wes plays the base as well as he plays the cup...which is saying something given his defensive prowess.
- EoTM's last game of the season against the Outlaws was...wet. The captains decided on a 10 point game, which EoTM took 10 - 8 to finish the season strong.
- High-light was that it was fun. Yes, both teams tried their best to win, and Michael made this ridiculous bid on a pick call to come up with a disc, but it was just nice to get in the last game of the year with a lot of Fish and friends.
- Low-light, hmm, I probably threw it away more times than I'd care to admit.
- Sunday DVC won our last game of the year 15-12 over the Rump Shakers (or something like that). As rainy as it was on Saturday, it was windy on Sunday.
- Since it was so windy, time to blow my own horn: as indicated in the introductory paragraph, I made I sweet bid to come up with a pass (mis)thrown by the Almighty Kamasutra to keep possession on an upwind point that we ended up converting. I should really start paying Stu royalties everytime I come up with a disc on a layout.
- On the flip side, I told the same annoying team-mate to "shut-up" when he was trying to direct me from his semi-permanent pulpit on the sideline. As much as I enjoy playing with his partner, his cheap calls, poach D, and lazy hucks really piss me off.
With that, fall season is officially over. Both of my teams ended up top 5 on their respective nights, with EotM probably placing 4th or 5th, and DVC up around 3rd. Taking a step back, my OCUA team last fall ended up third last on Monday nights (they were dead last without me this year), and my PROUF team last year won one game (they were in the bottom ten on Monday in OCUA this year). Things have really changed in terms of the caliber of ultimate that I'm playing. Every mistake I make (mental or execution) is magnified on teams on which I have to challenge myself to keep up with my peers. It's on higher caliber teams like this where I'll inevitably learn the most from my team-mates and competition.
All in all, it was a fantastic fall season. As much as I'm looking forward to the friendly confines of indoor at FCS, I really need a few weeks to stretch and strengthen my sports hernia to get it ready for 20 weeks of indoor games. Enjoy the fall colors! Until next time, happy hucking!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Better Now
Feeling a lot better about the IAD letdown. It's partly some tryout feedback I got from Reza that was totally against what I stand for, it's partly a short conversation I had with the Almighty Mahatma, it's partly knowing I'm not the only Fish that didn't make the league, but the majority of me feeling better has to do with the ditty below. It easily replaces Marko's "Happy Feet" as my favorite ultimate parody song EVER!
SO WHAT
Na na na na na na na, na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na, na na na na na na
Got rejected from IAD
I don't know what to do
Burning my cleats seems pointless
Playing soccer would too
I got a brand new Reza doll
And will voodoo it todnight
I wanna stick him with pins
He'll never again throw right
Na na na na na na na
He'll never again throw right
Na na na na na na na
Regret playing ulti all right!
So so what?
I'm still a huck star
I got my hot throws
I don't need Reza
And guess what I'll have much more fun
And when the game's done
I'm gonna show you tonight
All my stats, my layouts
Coz i'm rockin'
So so what?
I am a huck star
I got my sweet cuts
Light up IID tonight
Uh, check my flow, uh
I give and go off the pull but
My teammate turns it over, shit!
I guess i'll go get a hot D
Back on O, sure to score
After the win will head home
On the sly as Nurple
Maybe get in trouble
if i Slag Rigid in recaps
Na na na na na na na
Rigid will start a fight
Na na na na na na na
But i'll break him all night!
So so what?
I'm still a huck star
I bail on stall four
I don't need Reza
And guess what
I'll have much more fun
And when the game's done
I'm gonna show you tonight
All my stats, my layouts
Clad in purple
So so what?
I am a huck star
I can throw breakforce
Light up IID tonight
I've got the throws
I've got the cuts
Will make them see
Who they passed up
Week after week
I'll give my all
Great layout bids
Sweet endzone scores
So so what?
I'm still a huck star
I'm turf burnt ev'ry week
I don't need Reza
And guess what
I'll have much more fun
And when the game's done
I'm gonna show you tonight
All my stats, my layouts
Coz i'm Nurple
So so what?
I am a huck star
Sky you ev'ry time
Light up IID tonight
No no no no
Don't need IAD
Oh, you will seeI
'm gonna show you tonight
Run around, stall you down
Coz' i'm rockin'
So so what
I am a huck star
Left all on the field
Lit up IID tonight
Ba da da da da daaaaaaa!
Although I can't disclose who wrote this for me, I've promised to repay them with the recap to end all recaps this winter. I think that I'll leave the below entry up as evidence of temper tantrum :P It might come down later this winter, but who knows. For what it's worth, I used some of that anger to light my opponents up something feirce. You'll have to wait til the recap to find out about it ;-) Until next time, happy hucking!
SO WHAT
Na na na na na na na, na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na, na na na na na na
Got rejected from IAD
I don't know what to do
Burning my cleats seems pointless
Playing soccer would too
I got a brand new Reza doll
And will voodoo it todnight
I wanna stick him with pins
He'll never again throw right
Na na na na na na na
He'll never again throw right
Na na na na na na na
Regret playing ulti all right!
So so what?
I'm still a huck star
I got my hot throws
I don't need Reza
And guess what I'll have much more fun
And when the game's done
I'm gonna show you tonight
All my stats, my layouts
Coz i'm rockin'
So so what?
I am a huck star
I got my sweet cuts
Light up IID tonight
Uh, check my flow, uh
I give and go off the pull but
My teammate turns it over, shit!
I guess i'll go get a hot D
Back on O, sure to score
After the win will head home
On the sly as Nurple
Maybe get in trouble
if i Slag Rigid in recaps
Na na na na na na na
Rigid will start a fight
Na na na na na na na
But i'll break him all night!
So so what?
I'm still a huck star
I bail on stall four
I don't need Reza
And guess what
I'll have much more fun
And when the game's done
I'm gonna show you tonight
All my stats, my layouts
Clad in purple
So so what?
I am a huck star
I can throw breakforce
Light up IID tonight
I've got the throws
I've got the cuts
Will make them see
Who they passed up
Week after week
I'll give my all
Great layout bids
Sweet endzone scores
So so what?
I'm still a huck star
I'm turf burnt ev'ry week
I don't need Reza
And guess what
I'll have much more fun
And when the game's done
I'm gonna show you tonight
All my stats, my layouts
Coz i'm Nurple
So so what?
I am a huck star
Sky you ev'ry time
Light up IID tonight
No no no no
Don't need IAD
Oh, you will seeI
'm gonna show you tonight
Run around, stall you down
Coz' i'm rockin'
So so what
I am a huck star
Left all on the field
Lit up IID tonight
Ba da da da da daaaaaaa!
Although I can't disclose who wrote this for me, I've promised to repay them with the recap to end all recaps this winter. I think that I'll leave the below entry up as evidence of temper tantrum :P It might come down later this winter, but who knows. For what it's worth, I used some of that anger to light my opponents up something feirce. You'll have to wait til the recap to find out about it ;-) Until next time, happy hucking!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Still a Rock Star
Warning: I doubt the below post will stay up for long. I'm just pissed right now...it'll pass. Without going into details, October has been a shitty month for me....November can't come fast enough. So ya, the below is just me being angry and immature.
"I'm sorry to inform you that your application to IAD was not successful."
- Reza
"So, so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And I don't need you
And guess what
I'm having more fun
And now that we're done
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright, I'm just fine
And you're a tool."
Pink – So What
The above lyrics go out to Reza, and accurately reflect my thoughts after getting his "You didn't make the cut" email. If this entry comes back to bite me in the ass at a future date, so be it. One of the nice things about having a blog, especially one that is now reasonably well hidden (thanks again Jon) is that you get to vent when things don't go your way.
"So, so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves"
Seriously, so what? I'm still a competitive ultimate player (aka a "rock star"…hell, BigFish beat Rock Star *haha*), which is more than I can say for half the players in IAD. This brings me to my primary criticism of IAD – since one of the goals of OCUA is to support their competitive program, why wouldn't you want competitive players playing at the highest level during their off-season? Instead, IAD has plenty of Reza's buddies who I've bested in various games throughout the summer and fall. How did I best them? My rock moves of course ;-) Let's see any of them complete a field length flick, play hard for seven games in two days, or sky a taller defender for a point at Regionals.
"And I don't need you"
Sharpe gave me some great advice on stuff to work on this winter, one of the BF captains told me where to focus to improve, and KJs classes are going to have me in such awesome shape come next spring, I'll be kicking IAD players' asses when it counts…at tryouts and tournaments.
"And guess what
I'm having more fun"
I plan on busting my ass in IID and on Fridays this winter, But since I won't be in IAD, I'm guaranteed to have more fun than by playing in Reza's old boy club.
"And now that we're done
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright, I'm just fine"
Now that IAD tryouts are over, and I didn't make it, I'm gonna show Reza and everyone playing on Wednesday night at FCS just how much I improved this summer. There were nights when I was healthy last winter that I was pretty dominant in IID. This winter, I'll prove I'm better than "alright" or "just fine"…I'm going to make a run at being this year's Ahmad of IID.
"And you're a tool."
No elaboration required.
As mentioned before, even though I wanted and hoped to be playing IAD this winter, the realist in me expected to be playing IID. Having said that, with a little extra fuel, I'm super fired up to get winter ulty underway. I know I'll have some good company in IID (a couple of Fishes come to mind). Plus, I know that next year, I'll have to totally dominate at tryouts like G did in order to get my ticket stamped for the big league. Until next time, happy hucking!
"I'm sorry to inform you that your application to IAD was not successful."
- Reza
"So, so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And I don't need you
And guess what
I'm having more fun
And now that we're done
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright, I'm just fine
And you're a tool."
Pink – So What
The above lyrics go out to Reza, and accurately reflect my thoughts after getting his "You didn't make the cut" email. If this entry comes back to bite me in the ass at a future date, so be it. One of the nice things about having a blog, especially one that is now reasonably well hidden (thanks again Jon) is that you get to vent when things don't go your way.
"So, so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves"
Seriously, so what? I'm still a competitive ultimate player (aka a "rock star"…hell, BigFish beat Rock Star *haha*), which is more than I can say for half the players in IAD. This brings me to my primary criticism of IAD – since one of the goals of OCUA is to support their competitive program, why wouldn't you want competitive players playing at the highest level during their off-season? Instead, IAD has plenty of Reza's buddies who I've bested in various games throughout the summer and fall. How did I best them? My rock moves of course ;-) Let's see any of them complete a field length flick, play hard for seven games in two days, or sky a taller defender for a point at Regionals.
"And I don't need you"
Sharpe gave me some great advice on stuff to work on this winter, one of the BF captains told me where to focus to improve, and KJs classes are going to have me in such awesome shape come next spring, I'll be kicking IAD players' asses when it counts…at tryouts and tournaments.
"And guess what
I'm having more fun"
I plan on busting my ass in IID and on Fridays this winter, But since I won't be in IAD, I'm guaranteed to have more fun than by playing in Reza's old boy club.
"And now that we're done
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright, I'm just fine"
Now that IAD tryouts are over, and I didn't make it, I'm gonna show Reza and everyone playing on Wednesday night at FCS just how much I improved this summer. There were nights when I was healthy last winter that I was pretty dominant in IID. This winter, I'll prove I'm better than "alright" or "just fine"…I'm going to make a run at being this year's Ahmad of IID.
"And you're a tool."
No elaboration required.
As mentioned before, even though I wanted and hoped to be playing IAD this winter, the realist in me expected to be playing IID. Having said that, with a little extra fuel, I'm super fired up to get winter ulty underway. I know I'll have some good company in IID (a couple of Fishes come to mind). Plus, I know that next year, I'll have to totally dominate at tryouts like G did in order to get my ticket stamped for the big league. Until next time, happy hucking!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Recap - Too Much Ulty???
"If you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple..."
Daniel 5:16
Is it possible to have played too much ultimate in a week? As I write this, my body is saying 'yes', while my mind is saying 'no'. Below is my lengthy recap of the week's events.
- Since I covered the IAD tryout in another post, the only new piece of information is that my groin, right foot, and right hand hurt extremely badly the days following the tryout. It's depressing how one night of intense ultimate can bring so many dormant injuries to the forefront.
- Although Carl hasn't written me back with feedback about the tryout, my informal network of evaluators / co-tryoutees / ultimate peeps seem to be under the impression that I had a 'solid' to 'impressive' tryout. This of course makes me question the people I associate with ;-)
- Tuesday's KJ-approved workout was quieter since:
A) The drilling in my gym at work has decreased; and
B) The creator of the 'iPurple' workout journal was absent *sigh* sigh.
- Wednesday I picked up with DVC again and had an interesting night. During the prolonged warm-up, I threw hard and long flicks with a team-mate for about 20 minutes. With no wind, and coming off tryouts, my flicks were beautiful. During my first point, after getting the disc on a hard cut, I threw a 20 yard flick to one of my ex-comp team-mates, only to have the flick go extreme O/I, float, and get D'd by a group of defenders.
- High-light of the game was helping DVC win against a very talented Montego Bay Lobsters squad 15 – 12 to temporarily claim first place on Wednesday nights. Our opponents included BF-er "Salmon", one of the famed Casey and Jackie combo (even though I played with them, I get them mixed up), and one of my personal handling heroes, he of the sweet lefty flick, he who enjoys hucking even more than I do, he who can break me at will – Kris "Kross" Korpinen. Sadly, MBL sub Glenn didn't make it out. I'm glad he didn't since…
- I sucked <- Low-light of the game. Apparently, after warm-up my flick abandoned me to visit my sister and nephews near-by in Barfhaven. I also missed 2 easy passes (one sky, one flick that hit me in the belly-button). Oh, and I stopped counting throw-aways at 5....because despite the popular 80s tv show title, 5 is enough!
- For those of you who are saying "I'm sure you weren't that bad", let me give you two pieces of information.
1. DVC had 5 men (including myself) and 3 women, and I didn't have one goal or assist. Therefore, I was totally useless on O.
2. Mehmet was having an equally awful game, and after hearing him call himself a "wuss" for not jumping / moving for an easy point since he had two girls around him, I resisted the urge to slag him simply because I knew he'd have so much potential material to respond with.
- Given how sore my groin, wrist, and foot were, I wasn't sure about going to KJ's…no wait, Michelle's (<- that's her name…I think) class on Thursday. Wanting to get my money's worth, I went, and was glad I did. High-light of the class was doing 55 (yah 55!) push-ups while teaming with Michelle and BF-er Sandra. Low-light was barely lasting 2 minutes on the wall sit, and having Sandra totally show me up on that and the step-ups.
- On Friday, I rested. Well that's not entirely true, I lifted for about a half hour.
- Saturday morning, I played in one of the closest games I've ever been a part of, as Employee of the Month won on universe point against Cruisin 16-15.
- Low-light of the game was that Cruisin seems to bring out the worst in a EotM. They gave us a 5 for spirit last time we played, this time we traded 7s with them. The sad thing is, Cruisin is such a good match-up for EotM, since they're fast and do a lot of things unconventionally. Their rules knowledge is definitely lacking, but I enjoy playing them for the competition they provide.
- High-light of the game was....hmmm....trying a lay-out D. No, I didn't get it, but I'm glad I gave it an effort since it was for an important point in our end-zone. I don't think twice about laying out on offense (actually, I got a pretty sweet layout grab that very game), but I have to remove that "do you really want to layout?" filter on defense.
- Sunday morning I picked up again with DVC, but we lost with an uninspired effort by a score of 15-8 to Sweet: Fall.
- Low-light was that the DVC just wasn't sharp. We were creating lots of turns on defense, but our passes, catches, and strategy were a tad off all day.
- High-light was that I got a little redemption after a bad game on Wednesday. I caught 3 or 4 goals, and had a couple of D's to boot. My flicks weren't great, but I only tried two long ones before I stopped throwing them.
On that note, I'm going to take a nap since I'm exhausted. DVC offerred me a spot on their roster for the rest of the season, but I'm not sure if I'll take them up on it. Granted, it's basically just 2 more games, but I'm so tired and sore right now, I really need a break. Not that I don't love playing with Chris and Mehmet, but, it's tough when your body is telling you to stop, and they don't ever seem to have any more than 5 guys out at a game. Decisions, decisions. Until next time, happy hucking!
Daniel 5:16
Is it possible to have played too much ultimate in a week? As I write this, my body is saying 'yes', while my mind is saying 'no'. Below is my lengthy recap of the week's events.
- Since I covered the IAD tryout in another post, the only new piece of information is that my groin, right foot, and right hand hurt extremely badly the days following the tryout. It's depressing how one night of intense ultimate can bring so many dormant injuries to the forefront.
- Although Carl hasn't written me back with feedback about the tryout, my informal network of evaluators / co-tryoutees / ultimate peeps seem to be under the impression that I had a 'solid' to 'impressive' tryout. This of course makes me question the people I associate with ;-)
- Tuesday's KJ-approved workout was quieter since:
A) The drilling in my gym at work has decreased; and
B) The creator of the 'iPurple' workout journal was absent *sigh* sigh.
- Wednesday I picked up with DVC again and had an interesting night. During the prolonged warm-up, I threw hard and long flicks with a team-mate for about 20 minutes. With no wind, and coming off tryouts, my flicks were beautiful. During my first point, after getting the disc on a hard cut, I threw a 20 yard flick to one of my ex-comp team-mates, only to have the flick go extreme O/I, float, and get D'd by a group of defenders.
- High-light of the game was helping DVC win against a very talented Montego Bay Lobsters squad 15 – 12 to temporarily claim first place on Wednesday nights. Our opponents included BF-er "Salmon", one of the famed Casey and Jackie combo (even though I played with them, I get them mixed up), and one of my personal handling heroes, he of the sweet lefty flick, he who enjoys hucking even more than I do, he who can break me at will – Kris "Kross" Korpinen. Sadly, MBL sub Glenn didn't make it out. I'm glad he didn't since…
- I sucked <- Low-light of the game. Apparently, after warm-up my flick abandoned me to visit my sister and nephews near-by in Barfhaven. I also missed 2 easy passes (one sky, one flick that hit me in the belly-button). Oh, and I stopped counting throw-aways at 5....because despite the popular 80s tv show title, 5 is enough!
- For those of you who are saying "I'm sure you weren't that bad", let me give you two pieces of information.
1. DVC had 5 men (including myself) and 3 women, and I didn't have one goal or assist. Therefore, I was totally useless on O.
2. Mehmet was having an equally awful game, and after hearing him call himself a "wuss" for not jumping / moving for an easy point since he had two girls around him, I resisted the urge to slag him simply because I knew he'd have so much potential material to respond with.
- Given how sore my groin, wrist, and foot were, I wasn't sure about going to KJ's…no wait, Michelle's (<- that's her name…I think) class on Thursday. Wanting to get my money's worth, I went, and was glad I did. High-light of the class was doing 55 (yah 55!) push-ups while teaming with Michelle and BF-er Sandra. Low-light was barely lasting 2 minutes on the wall sit, and having Sandra totally show me up on that and the step-ups.
- On Friday, I rested. Well that's not entirely true, I lifted for about a half hour.
- Saturday morning, I played in one of the closest games I've ever been a part of, as Employee of the Month won on universe point against Cruisin 16-15.
- Low-light of the game was that Cruisin seems to bring out the worst in a EotM. They gave us a 5 for spirit last time we played, this time we traded 7s with them. The sad thing is, Cruisin is such a good match-up for EotM, since they're fast and do a lot of things unconventionally. Their rules knowledge is definitely lacking, but I enjoy playing them for the competition they provide.
- High-light of the game was....hmmm....trying a lay-out D. No, I didn't get it, but I'm glad I gave it an effort since it was for an important point in our end-zone. I don't think twice about laying out on offense (actually, I got a pretty sweet layout grab that very game), but I have to remove that "do you really want to layout?" filter on defense.
- Sunday morning I picked up again with DVC, but we lost with an uninspired effort by a score of 15-8 to Sweet: Fall.
- Low-light was that the DVC just wasn't sharp. We were creating lots of turns on defense, but our passes, catches, and strategy were a tad off all day.
- High-light was that I got a little redemption after a bad game on Wednesday. I caught 3 or 4 goals, and had a couple of D's to boot. My flicks weren't great, but I only tried two long ones before I stopped throwing them.
On that note, I'm going to take a nap since I'm exhausted. DVC offerred me a spot on their roster for the rest of the season, but I'm not sure if I'll take them up on it. Granted, it's basically just 2 more games, but I'm so tired and sore right now, I really need a break. Not that I don't love playing with Chris and Mehmet, but, it's tough when your body is telling you to stop, and they don't ever seem to have any more than 5 guys out at a game. Decisions, decisions. Until next time, happy hucking!
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