Keeping it in the Family

For the last few years it has been pretty obvious to me that there are numerous families in this sport. Based on the number of responses I got from my initial sibling inquiry, I already know that whatever I write here will be lacking in full brother/sister representation. I want to cover all the families in ultimate, from A to Zipperstein but I cannot and have decided to narrow it down to three sets of siblings that I think tell three interesting yet very different stories. These families are the Valdivia's, the Titcombs, and the Ambler's and I think each story is more fascinating and inspiring than the next.

Hector and Rodrigo Valdivia

First I wanted to write about the Valdivia's. These two brothers are one of the most spirited and committed sets of ultimate players I have come across. The older of the two, Hector, has mainly been a defensive threat and D-line handler for both Wisconsin and Johnny Bravo. He has consistently been a composed player that has not only generated turns on defense but also has been responsible for anchoring his teams' D-line offense.

In contrast, Rodrigo has had a very different sort of contribution to his ultimate teams. According to Hector, Rigo's role has been "team heart always. The spirit of the team. Workout coordinator for Wisco and Bravo, developed the core of the Hodags' current athletic program and drive". Considering that Wisconsin is arguably the most conditioned team in the country, that is saying a lot.

The two are part of the Valdivia family who immigrated from Mexico City (where both were born) to Wisconsin. The entire family is made up of ultimate enthusiasts who have routinely "played summer league in Madison with father and sis - and won the whole thing." Hector started out playing ultimate for the Hodags as a freshman in 2000. Rodrigo would follow 2 years later and when I asked Hector what influence he had on Rodrigo's choice to play he told me, "my desire to have 7 players at practice influenced it, his desire to do everything I did cemented it". As the two grew as players so did Hodag ultimate. They made the finals at nationals in 2002 (Hector's junior and Rodrigo's freshman years) only to fall to the epic Stanford 2002 team. The following year would be all Wisconsin and the two brother's would take part in a truly unifying family experience. I asked them what moment represented the core of their brotherhood connection in ultimate and Hector told me:

Semis and finals in Austin natties '03, watching [Rodrigo] make play after play over JV, Wiggins, etc. I couldn't get enough of watching him come into his own as a rockstar.

After graduating from Wisconsin, Hector made the first of many Hodag migrations to Boulder. Rodrigo would play 3 seasons without his older brother in Madison but he would follow his brother to Colorado. Once they were united again, Hector's role as "role model, advisor, training partner, and strategist" would continue and considering that both are hard core flatballers, they "are in each other's lives fully." Rodrigo told me that his decision to move to Boulder was influenced by his brother because he "invited me to be a part of Bravo, pressured me to leave and be away from parents and to make my own mark on the world." I think this is a fantastic set of circumstances. You have one brother guiding another to make good life choices, with ultimate as a backdrop. I suppose this transition is infinitely easier when you are getting your brother to saddle up with as good a program as Johnny Bravo.

However, like what happened in 2003, these two brothers must once again part ways. After several years in Colorado, Hector has decided to quit his teaching job and move back to Wisconsin for school. While it may be difficult to say goodbye to his older brother, Rodrigo will now have a chance to continue his own development apart from his blood. He told me:

We will miss him but [I] plan on making my stamp in the city outside of his influence, we work well together because we're so different, we complement styles. I am going to to have to make it on my own, as he did for the last 4 years.

As a little brother, I can say that the influence and guidance offered by an older sibling is extremely invaluable. However, without the freedom to utilize those lessons, a continued state of adolescences ensues. I am sure that Hector's departure is hard on Rodrigo but it will also give him the chance to develop on his own. What better way to use the lessons that big bro has offered? In this light it seems that Hector's departure is bittersweet and I am sure they will both become stronger in each other's absence. Lastly, I will say that I think these two have it made because in 3 years of playing together (2 college, 1 club), they made the finals 3 times and won it all in 2003. When I asked Rodrigo about this he simply said "No beating that. We love each other till the end."

The Titcombs

This 5-some of ultimate enthusiast has really set the bar for not only playing ultimate but also for business ventures in our sport. They are the folks behind 5 Ultimate, and despite their incredibly unique names, have offered a product that has been endorsed by the best in the game.

In researching my familes of interest, I realized that something along these lines had already been done with the Titcombs. Rather than get redundant, I thought I would take this opportunity to recognize a fellow ultimate media entity, The Ultiverse. Josh has been doing a great job offering a product very similar to mine but in a different way. He did more or less the same thing that I would have done and rather than write about it here, I thought I would just promote his interview with the Titcomb family. Great work Josh.

I do want to say that I was really impressed with their TiV party. I hear great things of how they dodged some difficult legal bullets. I am not sure what I can/should say here, but I will say that if what I heard is true and I think it is, I am extremely impressed and my hats off to some crafty disc players.

Gwen and Tenise Ambler

The last pair of family flatballers are the reason I had this "siblings in ultimate" article idea in the first place. One of them happens to be a good friend of mine and the other has been a huge inspiration to me and is a staple in the development of fans in this sport.

Gwen is the older of these two sisters and went to Stanford for undergrad back in 1999. As a former soccer and basketball player in High School, Gwen searched for athletics in college and lucky for her, Stanford Superfly had just come off their 3rd National Championship in a row. As a taller player she quickly developed into a deep threat but she worked on her throws, especially with her little sister Tenise, in the Winter and over break. She made the finals at college nationals 3 of the 4 years she was at Stanford, winning it all her senior year (2003). Soon after playing college ultimate she decided to play with the local club team, San Francisco Fury, in 2001. In her 8 years with Fury she has played almost every position from deep cutter to D-line handler and has won 3 national titles, including last year, earning Fury a bid to World's in Vancouver.

Gwen encouraged Tenise to play ultimate, at first by making her throw during breaks. However, the main drive appeared to be when Tensie "recognized that I was having more fun playing ultimate in college than I had playing either [basketball or soccer] in high school", two sports that they both played in their teens. Like her big sis, Tenise decided on an ultimate powerhouse for undergrad and attended UCSD. Her ultimate career was accelerated quickly with a national title her freshman year (2002) and repeat appearances at nationals in 2003 and 2004. She has also been very active in the Women's club scene playing for Boulder's Rare Air and San Diego Safari. Her primary role has been D-line handler which combines her speed as well as her disc skills and exceptional throws. Despite the fact they have always played on different teams, sharing ultimate has been been a great experience for the two for many reasons, one being that it is a "perfect way to see each other on a regular basis while we live in different cities".

The main reason why I have been interested in this family is because of a single game that these sisters played against one another in the Spring of 2002. Unlike the Valdivia's, Gwen and Tenise have always played high level ultimate on different teams and never was this difference more prominent than the Women's College Finals 6 years ago. Gwen came into this game the experienced junior. She had played in the finals the previous year in Boston but had lost to Georgia's HoDawgs. Tenise was the big eyed freshman who was playing in her first college nationals. Rather than heighten the emotion in this tumultuous experience by lining up on one another, they made a pact:

We made an agreement not to guard each other that year. We figured there was no need to add that extra competition to our teams' rivalries. That pact has actually persisted for the most part through our entire ultimate careers.

Expectations were high for Stanford who had upset Colorado in a come-from-behind 17-15 win in semis. The finals would start off exciting with UCSD up a single point 8-7 at half. However, the second half was all UCSD and they rattled off 8 straight points and won 15-7. I find this game to be incredibly interesting because the "young and dumb" (no offense) freshman little sis came into big sis' world and took the golden disc. Tenise tells me that the entire situation was more overwhelming than anything else and she only realized how epic the situation after it had come and gone. "It was my first year playing ultimate, we were in the finals, I was playing against my sister. It was just a lot for an 18 year old to grasp." In contrast, Gwen told me that:

Our dad was there watching and he kept saying how it was "win-win" for him during the finals. However, in some ways having her win made it harder for me because I felt like she was able to just fall-into a medal that I had been working so hard to get but hadn't.

Gwen would have her chance and won Nationals the following year. She has also dominated in the club scene but she is incredibly proud of her sister. She tells me that her proudest moment came when she saw her sister earn and win her team's MVP in Sarasota back in 2006. Despite going head-to-head for most of their careers, they have only suited up with each other once. However, as far as a more permanent playing situation, this is what Gwen had to say about it:

I keep trying to convince Tenise to move up north so that we can play together, but she always responds that I should move to San Diego instead where the weather’s better. I would love to play together more, but so far the only chance we’ve had was at club Trouble in Vegas in 2006. Miranda Roth and I put a women’s team together for the tournament of a bunch of players that we had played against in college and wanted the chance to play with for a change. Of course, Tenise was my number one pick. That was a lot of fun, so I’m hoping we get to repeat it more often in the future.

Closing Thoughts

My brother and I have had a mixed relationship over the last 20 years or so. We used to hate each other and now we get along great. Sports has always been a unifying force in our lives and his influence is one of many reasons why I have chosen to play and write about ultimate. I don't need to encourage anyone out there to get their little brother or sister to start throwing a disc around but I can say that those that share a sibling bond in ultimate are extremely privileged. While I may not have an actual sibling that plays, my cousin Alex has more or less been a little brother to me his whole life. His decision to play ultimate has meant a great deal to me and one of my proudest moments was seeing him come out to Wildwood to play for my team. Nothing made me happier than to see him dominate on the field and at the party. My teammates were skeptical about having a newcomer on the team but after the first day they were all as happy to see him there as I was. After winning our division my team captain, Jake, gave Alex the team trophy and that was an emotional experience I still cannot put into words. We now share many friends in the ultimate community and I always love talking about him with those mutual friends that I come across. Nothing has meant more to me than to play with him and I look forward to more of those experiences. I love you Al and it has been a great honor to cleat up with you.

just my thoughts

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