My Second Take on Team USA

Now that team USA has been announced, I thought I would discuss some opinions on each player, but first I would like to congratulate each on such an accomplishment. We appreciate your efforts and look forward to seeing you defend our title.

Gwen Ambler - Excellent!! So glad she made the team. Lets just hope she doesn't get relegated to alternate status again. I don't watch too much women's ultimate, but one image that does pop into my head when I think of it is Gwen in the Club National Finals last year against Riot. This game will remain in infamy long after I stop paying attention to the sport (sorry Miranda), and Gwen was definitely very instrumental in the victory. I know from interviewing her that she has played every position for Fury, but as a deep in their zone, she completely turned the tables on Riot and took away their long game. Gwen is also a sterling role model for all players in this sport, myself included, and I'm really happy for her.

Sammy C-K - Another great selection by Greg and the rest of the crew. Sammy is such an amazing player but I also think that he is perfect to represent the red, white and blue. My first exposure to Sammy was back in 2003 at Beware-O, a hat tournament in San Mateo, CA. He was on my team, along with Greenough, and he made a play that I still can remember vividly. A game winning trailing edge layout chest high hammer goal from Josh. I was a naive young Squid at the time and didn't really know what I was witnessing, but the guy is just plain good. He, like Gwen, is a great role model in our sport. A veteran leader for Sockeye and never the source of any sort of controversy or poor sportsmanship. I really wanted MC on the team, but I think Sammy CK is a great choice.

Cara Crouch - I know of Cara because I have a few Texas friends and they all speak very fondly of her and Tank. Apparently, the consensus seems to be that they will produce the most talented Ultimate offspring ever. I for one don't really date women in Ultimate, but I am glad that some folks are going to produce some 2nd generation talent. I also like that Texas got some love when so many players were from Atlanta, Boulder, San Francisco or Seattle.

Deb Cussen - Now that the selections have been made, I need to start getting comfortable with previous Team USA members on the 2009 team. To make me feel better, I need to remember that winning Gold is the bottom line and considering the fact that Team Canada should be a considerable challenge, we really need the best from the USA and Deb is one of them. Her experience in Germany will be very important because she is a veteran handler and generating a consistent offensive game plan will be a major challenge. She saw the field more than any other female 4 years ago, playing in 94 out of 132 possible points. She also caught 3 goals and threw for one in the 15-14 Australia pool play game and got two more goals in the Gold medal game against the Aussies. She will be quite an asset.

Jolian Dahl - From what I hear, Jolian was the best tryout in Sarasota and from watching him over the last few years, I am not surprised. He seems to be a freak athlete with the fundamentals of a much squirrlier player. I'm not sure what kind of role he will fill on USA because he was a very solid leader for Mamabird, yet seemed like a role player for Bravo. He is one of 4 Bravo Team USA members and I'm sure like every JB-er from 2007, representing the US after missing the opportunity a few years back is something each will cherish.

Kathy Dobson - I'm not too familiar with Kathy but I do know that she has been a standout for Brutesquad for the last few years as well as the coach of BU's Ozone Pilots. In college she was All Region the first 3 years they had the award (her Junior, Senior, and 1st year Grad) and she made the Finals of College Nationals in 2003 with MIT. She has also helped Gwen out with iculimate.com. I was really surprised to see only 1 Boston Area player on Team USA, so she definitely has a lot of pressure on her to represent, but I get the feeling it'll just be another day at the office.

Liz Duffy - Once again, I wasn't too familiar with Liz before she was chosen, but in doing a little research, I am glad to see her on this very short list. For starters, she is a PhD-er like myself in Marine Biology at the University of Washington, not to mention a veteran Captain for Riot. Peripheral to Team USA, she is also representing the Red, White and Blue as a part of Ultimate Peace this April in Israel. Definitely a standout Ultimate player that will represent our country well, on and off the field.

Cate Foster - Another women's player I don't know a whole lot about but one thing I do really like about Cate is that she built herself a program at College of Charleston. One of the things I have noticed a lot among many elite players is that they have no idea what it is like to be in the trenches and don't appreciate how frustrating/hard it is to work with low numbers and shallow talent pools. Many criticize lack of organization and commitment, but they underestimate the challenges of building infrastructure. Her personality also seems to be a bonus and I look forward to seeing her do well in the coming months.

Cree Howard - Cree definitely has a lot of pressure on her with this selection because she is the only active college player on the team. I remember when Zip made the team in 2005 and he blew everyone away, both in the College sphere and at World's. I think this has the capacity to spring board her towards a possible Callahan opportunity, but Cal has only been so-so this year, which might not be enough to get her the award. Regardless, Cree is one of those privileged youths like Oscar Pottinger, who will have a full trophy case well before she is even old enough to buy a house to put it in. I am always wary how such a combination of youth and success can lead to ego issues, but considering the pool of sharks she is swimming in, staying humble this summer will not be tough.

Jared Inselman - My first exposure to Jared was at the College All-Star game in 2007. Before Nationals that year I totally thought the West would pwn because they had two Callahan winners (Richter and Miranda), Ted Tripoli and Ray Illian. However, to my surprise, the East wanted it more. I remember TG and Jason Simpson played well, but I also remember the guy with "UPenn" on his back having a great game. In reading up on him I also came across a write up about an amazing display of sprit in a hotly contested game against Sockeye at Club Nationals back in 2004. I loved reading Miller's Bill Braski-esk post on RSD about him and now with his Team USA selection, we are all curious to know if Mike's accounts are accurate. I'm hoping to see him wipe his butt with a live elk.

Beau Kittredge - So Beau made the team eh? That's interesting.

Chelsea Dengler Putnam - I first heard of Chelsea back in 2003 when she and Ben Wiggins took the Ultimate world by storm earning the Callahan Awards for Oregon. However, after finishing up school we haven't heard much from her. This isn't meant as a criticism, but more of a sign of respect because she has stuck it out with Schwa the last few years, despite a less than stellar performance at Club Nationals in 2005 (11th) and no return trips to Sarasota. She could have easily played for other programs out of state like Fury or Riot, as Chase-Sparingly Beckley and Gwen Ambler have done, but she has stayed with Portland and I respect that. I'm glad that she has this chance to showcase her talents at the World's level and I bet she is as hungry as any to earn gold for her country.

Jonathan Remucal - It's funny, I know of several players from the CUT class of '98, Roger Crafts, Sam Rosenthal and Mike Caldwell, but Jon Remucal never came up on the radar. I assumed that most Bay Area talent was either Cal, Davis, Santa Cruz or Stanford and it was a nice little bit of information. Regardless, this must be an amazing year for Jon. He started playing with Jam in 2005 and despite the fact that guys like Bart, Gabe, Idris, Safdie, Jeff Eastham, Kevin Cissna, and Damien Scott get a lot of attention, I'm sure Jon has done his part to finally earn a ring. Getting an additional opportunity like this must be a great feeling and I'm sure the honor is one he will take with great humility and respect.

Steven Roussie - I don't know a ton about Rouisse but I do know that he has been involved with Boulder ultimate for a decade. He was Mamabird's Callahan nominee back in 2001 and had 6 fantasy points (2 goals, 4 assists) in the National Finals against CUT that year. He is also from Amherst, MA and was a guest Counselor at NUTC back in 2004. I find it interesting that such a veteran was chosen over younger Bravo standouts like Richter, Tripoli, and Mac Taylor, but I suppose that is just a testament to his abilities. If I had to guess, he will probably fill the leadership role that guys like Namking, Deaver, and Kubalanza did four years ago.

Gabe Saunkeah - I remember when Gabe was an undergrad at Cal and since 2005 he has been a solid handler for Jam. However, one of the most striking examples of his abilities came to me during a game he wasn't even playing in. Last year in Sarasota, Gabe went down with some sort of injury, in Semifinals against Bravo I believe, and was unable to play in the Finals. During the Finals, I was in the crow's nest watching the game and reading off emails that were being sent in during the live broadcast. On more than one occasion, players like Nick Menzies and Oscar Pottinger (both from Furious), emailed in asking about Gabe's playing status. Given the fact that Jam has so much talent to pay attention to, I overlooked his absence, but apparently Furious' D-line didn't, a clear sign of well deserved respect.

Adam "Chicken" Simon - After playing pickup with/against Chicken the last month or so, I'm not surprised at all that he made Team USA. His skill sets are very diverse and there isn't much he can't do on the field. He can cut, play D, handle, the works and I think it will be very easy for Greg to integrate him into the Team USA game plan, not to mention the other team he coaches.

Dylan Tunnell - In taking a look at the roster, it is pretty obvious that Team USA is going to be hugtastic and Dylan is no exception. He is such a moose and much like Sammy-CK, Beau, Jolian, Jared and Seth Wiggins, he will be a tough matchup. I'm not surprised Dylan made the squad and given the effort he has put into Georgia and Chain Lightning (not to mention NUTC), it is nice to see him get this opportunity. However, I have two concerns with respect to the big guys on Team USA. 1) Will all of them make the team? You can't have an entire team of downfield players can you? I wonder if Bart, Jon, Chicken, Gabe, and Steve benefit or suffer from being a bit smaller than these guys and I wonder who's official spots on Team USA are safer. 2) Can this collection of monster athletes be sewn together just right? Team Canada's men are all over the place with smaller scrappy players guys like Oscar Pottinger and Alex Hughes as well as guys like Hassell and Ouchterlony who are taller and more graceful (well Hassel, anyway). I'm sure Team USA will be no different in the end, but it will make the alternate selections all the more interesting.

Bart Watson - Like Deb Cussen, I was a bit put-off by having former members on Team USA, but Bart is a very good choice. As far as I know, he is the only college player to make it to the College Finals with two different teams (Stanford 2002, Cal 2004) winning in 2002. In addition, he has been a staple for Jam since at least 2003 and his most recent title is just an indication of the determination and commitment he has as a player. Off the field he is equally respectable as a PhD student in Political Science at Cal. He made a fine US representative in 2005 and 2009 will be no different.

Alicia White - I was stoked to see Alicia White on the tryout list, not to mention the "made it" list for the same reason I liked seeing her win Gold in Vancouver, she's a fellow UCSD alum. Her last year as a Psycho was my first year as a Squid and I remember very clearly that she was heads and shoulders above everyone else. Now that she has a few rings/medals, it makes the awe I felt back then all the more real and I am really proud of her. Plus, she was always nice to me and let me into the RIMAC gym when I'd forget my ID.

Seth Wiggins - Like Sammy CK, my first exposure to Seth was at Beware-O in '03 and it wasn't pretty. I remember Greenough warning us about his antics before the game and in looking over at the sideline, I got the impression that he was just another cocky jock. However, over the last few months, my opinion of Seth has changed dramatically. He has been very friendly the few times I've met him and despite being on the other side of the Furious/Sockeye rivalry, was very reasonable and objective when we've discussed the finer points of the game. Like the Boulder group, it is interesting to see who made it from the Team USA/Sockeye crowd, and I'm sure he is ready for another shot at Gold.

Closing Thoughts

The next step in the process for Team USA is the selection of the 13 players that will go to Worlds and the 7 that will not. I know it sucks being an "alternate" but I suppose the main thing to keep in mind is that out of the hundreds of applicants and 80 tryouts, you were chosen. Such an accolade is something each of these players will carry with them the rest of their careers and while it might not get them a medal or a ring, there are literally thousands of players that would gladly be so lucky. As I have stated before, this honor should be met with a great deal of humility and respect and I think we will get nothing less. The selection process has been so intense this time around and everyone involved knows what is at stake.

Yeah and Yale won High Tide....siiiiick.

just my thoughts

match diesel

Baseball and Ultimate, Steroids and SOTG

Several times on this blog I have discussed how Ultimate and Basketball are similar but this time I would like to draw some parallels to Baseball.

For a few years now there has been a lot of discussion regarding spirit of the game, referees, observers, etc.. and despite the fact that this topic has inherent worth, things have gotten fairly diluted and now every time I see a SOTG or Refserver titled post on RSD, I just role my eyes. With that in mind I thought I'd try to put a slightly different spin on the topic as well as discuss Ultimate in a way I haven't before.

One of the ways I like to analyze Ultimate is to correlate it with sports that have much more scrutiny associated with them and recently I discovered a parallel between the steroid issues in Baseball and SOTG/Ref issues in Ultimate. I read this article on CNN.com and not only did it reinforce some opinions regarding the Great American Pastime, but some connections to Ultimate began to emerge. The opinion I am referring to is this "self-righteous/above the influence" thought process that some people in some sports have. In essence, the idea that a person can perform or compete in a sport and not fall victim to the temptations and short comings that "lesser" sportsmen succumb too in the absence of rigorous rule enforcement. Despite what many may believe is true, in my opinion, this is a complete fallacy. We are all human and given the opportunity and lack of vigilant authority we can and will buckle under pressure, it is just a matter of circumstance.

Baseball and Ultimate
In my mind, SOTG abuse in Ultimate and steroid abuse in Baseball are quite analogous. In the case of steroids and Baseball, the issue first began to surface when some very suspect characters came forward or were accused/tested positive for performance enhancing substances. Not surprisingly, the stereotypes associated with muscle bound roid-raged jocks was prominent with some of the first steroid casualties. Players like Jose Cansaeco, Ken Caminiti, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds were the first to be scrutinized because they were either too big, too good, too shady or some combination of each. In this case, the steroid debate was easy to articulate but sadly, one could stuff it in a drawer because these characters represented extreme cases of substance abuse and most people assumed they were outliers.

Much like this, abuse with regard to SOTG in Ultimate was very easy to identify and write off early on. I'm not going to name names, but I'm sure over the years we can all think of opponents or fellow team mates that had suspect or sloppy playing practices and despite the fact that we either hated what they did and/or wouldn't play in a similar manner, we could disregard them as being poor sportsmen. Perhaps they were inexperienced players or bitter old "has beens", but in either case, their transgressions were ignored because they either didn't matter as players or would snap out of it eventually. We were comfortable with the system and assumed the general body of competitive players weren't abusing the rules.

However, in Baseball, as home run records were being eclipsed and free agency became more and more prominent, the expectations and money associated with players drastically increased. Players were breaking records and signing $252 million dollar contracts, but such things came at a price, one's integrity. Steroid use started to show up (or always was) amongst Baseball's most treasured players and because the business is so valuable, pharmaceuticals like Balco began generating/distributing performance enhancing substances that didn't have obvious side effects and/or weren't easily detectable, such as HGH. Then, because there wasn't a rigorous system of testing, the temptation to exploit the system was massive. Pressure came from all sides: fans, competitors, owners, the press etc... and even players like Alex Rodriguez, Rafeal Palmero, Miguel Tejada, and Andy Pettite were abusing. These weren't jacked out monsters or ego maniacs. They were just ball players trying to compete, but just like Canseaco, Bonds, Caminiti, and Clemens, they broke the rules.

I'd like to say that Ultimate is different, but it isn't. There was once a day when the game moved at a snail's pace relative to today and with a fraction of the teams and commitment level, SOTG was probably all that was necessary to keep the game clean. There may have been a few outliers here and there that took a few liberties in order to win, but they were in the margins, at least I hope so. But just like Baseball, things change. With constant pressure to expand and expand, the number of teams competing has ballooned to several hundred in every division, a number that dwarfs team totals as recently as my first year playing.

In addition, with things like Ultivillage and Cultimate, the importance of the game has exploded. Not only are players hitting the gym 5-7 times a week and competing year round, but we as followers are watching highlight clips and discussing the game world wide. A sport that had a small following of hippies some 30 years ago has now become a lifestyle and everyone from students to professionals to families are involved.

But just like free agency and money, these kinds of benefits come at a cost. With so many people emotionally invested in this game, with so much pride and glory on the line, the level of scrutiny has not kept up and it is now clear (to me at least) that liberties are being taken at the highest levels by the best players. Maybe this comes as no surprise, but much like the steroid issue, the integrity of the game is at stake. With players sacrificing so much to succeed in a game that has become so competitive, rule enforcement is of the utmost importance. However, despite our efforts to maintain a self-officiated systems, National Champions, Gold Medalists, and Callahan winners are getting away with rule breaking and much like steroids in Baseball, continued neglect of this issue is the worst possible insult to the game.

An Ugly Realization

Before I went to Boulder last year I wanted to re-watch the College Finals from 2006 because I figured Florida and Wisconsin would meet again in the Finals and I wanted to see the '06 game again. This was a great contest between two of the best teams in the history of our sport but the piece of footage that jumped out at me had little to do with the actual rivalry between Wisconsin and Florida, and more to do with just how apparent rule breaking in this game is.

For those of you without the patience to sit through the 45 minute video, take a look at the final goal of the game, or better yet the replay at 42:10. Tim Gehret hits Kurt Gibson with a beautiful 30 yard hammer in the back of the endzone for the game winner. The Cinderella Story is complete, Florida is a first time National champ and not only are they National champs, they went something like 55-1 and Tim Gehret got himself the Callahan Award in the process.

But hold the phone, take a closer look at TG's feet. Look at his pivot foot, travel! Such an infraction may seem trivial but given the stakes of this particular game and the fact that this was the game winning assist, I couldn't help but think, "What if Ben Rothlisberger had stepped over the line of scrimmage when he hit Santonio Holmes in the Super Bowl?" Maybe it doesn't affect Ben's throw but I bet you anything a yellow flag comes out and voids the touchdown. The same could be said for Tim's hammer, but it wasn't because it really wasn't anyone's job to look.

The biggest goal of the entire year and he traveled and not only did he travel, he took a huge step to get a difficult throw off, i.e. the travel DID affect the play. To make matters worse, he was the best player on the best team and he broke the rules and got away with it. Maybe not on purpose, maybe he would have had no problem taking it back or apologizing or admitting it, but he did it none the less and reaped the benefits. But because our system of self-officiating has holes in it, much like the steroid policy (or lack thereof) in Baseball, players can and will take advantage.

Now one could make the argument that Wisconsin simply blew the call, but blaming the Hodags for missing this does not give me any solace and it just highlights the idea that future abuse like this can, and probably will, occur. I actually commend Wisconsin's defensive focus and given the gruelling conditions in Columbus that day, asking a player to play and remain so vigilant at the same time is unfair. A foul call, a strip, a stall count, these are situations where players interact directly and therefore spirit plays a factor, but in a situation like this, the simple lack of observation is abused and I believe the integrity of the game suffers.

In addition, one could also argue that steroid abuse in Baseball is an active choice and it appears that Tim's travel was unintentional, making him the source of unfair criticism. However, it is a slippery slope to plead ignorance and I believe Tim's culpability lies with the fact that he was attempting such a difficult throw. A breakside hammer is devastating in a man to man defense setting and keeping a sturdy pivot foot is one of the only restrictions a player must follow in a windless situation. Tim benefitted from sloppy execution and rather than being taken back, the goal was recorded and the game was over. Perhaps if it had been a slight toe drag on a back/forehand huck or not an assist (much less a game winning assist), the situation would be different. Never the less, the circumstances of the play speak for themselves and at a moment where scrutiny should have been at its peak, the integrity of the game was tarnished. What's funny is that despite the fact that this may seem like a meticulous critique, I am confident that a player of Tim Gehret's caliber would rather have had a whistle blown and had to score legitimately than win because of a lack of vigilance.

And what is paramount regarding this play is that this was the game that made it to TV. This was the game we used to showcase Ultimate to the rest of the World and the last play, the game winner, was a text book example of just how antiquated self-officiating in Ultimate is. How can we inspire people to pick up a disc when the very best that play it are able to take advantage of a flawed system? This wasn't a pickup game or a contest involving inexperienced players. This was one of the biggest games in our sport's history with two of the best college teams ever, facing off in the National Finals. Yet when the stakes were this high, when so many people were watching, when so much was on the line, the rules were broken and what's worse is that no one even noticed. When I saw this, I was embarassed to be an Ultimate player.

What is also worth mentioning is that I do not blame Tim Gehret or anyone else that commits a violation here or there, nor do I blame players for making suspect calls in tense game situations, I am guilty of both. Actions like these are simply an affirmation of one's humanity, their lack of perfection, it would be unreasonable for me to expect anything else. However, what I can expect, for both Baseball and Ultimate, is a rigorous system of rule enforcement that keeps a watchful eye on all of it's participants. What is the point of a rule if record breakers, MVP's, and National Champions break it? What kind of example, as a country that invented each sport, are we setting by tip toeing around such a blatantly obvious problem? MLB and the UPA have their work cut out for them, and it is up to the leadership of each sport to fortify the integrity of each game.

Action Taken

To address the steroid situation, MLB investigated performance enhancement abuse in Baseball with the Mitchell Report. Much to their dismay, not only were steroids abused in Baseball, the problem was everywhere. More players were using than anyone could have imagined and what was even more alarming was that if you could get a player to answer a question honestly, they'd tell you that steroid abuse wasn't all that rare or uncommon. What a black eye for the sport.

The equivalent to the Mitchell Report in Ultimate seems to be the Ultimate Revolution, a rigorous investigation on the UPA’s part with the purpose of evaluating the game and seeing where it could be improved. Topics from regional lines, to College Nationals bid allocation, to a more active role for observers, were discussed and there are plans through 2012 to utilize the information uncovered. I’ve already discussed a 20 team College Nationals format on this blog and am more interested in active observers.

To begin the implementation process, the UPA scheduled several experimental tournaments that will allow players to get a feel for what active travel and up/down calls from an observer will be like. Ultimately, there will be a vote sometime before Nationals involving qualified teams to determine whether or not they want this sort of role for observer at College Nationals. The vote will require a 60% supermajority, which could prove to be a sizeable percentage, leaving me with the fear that despite all the information available, there is still a chance that nothing will be done with regard to these sorts of rule abuses.

Much like with steroids in Baseball, despite the evidence and work being done, the power of the data has yet to actually be utilized. Alex Rodriguez has tested positive for steroids and self-officiating has been abused by the game's best, but neither MLB nor the UPA has proven to their constituents that one day things like this will not occur, or at least given us any confidence that such a goal is even possible. A vote seems like another bureaucratic hurdle against a more fair and strict system, but hopefully, the UPA members that are privileged enough to vote on this matter will see things my way.

With this in mind, I am posting this article on the eve of The Stanford Invite, one of the the most prestigious tournaments in our sport, and one of the tournaments on the experimental schedule. Considering the fact that most, if not all, of the 2009 National Qualifiers will be at this tournament, this is one of the most important weekends of the year. Their exposure to the possibility of active observers can and should give them the knowledge they will need in a few months when voting on this issue occurs. I for one hope each and every player is paying attention, because much like the Conference 1 issue, this is a vastly important decision that will be made by some of our sports youngest and most inexperienced participants.

Personally, I think, much like the instant replay issue in Baseball, a vote is simply unneeded, just implement active observers. Democracy is a great system but it isn't always necessary and can sometimes be inhibitory, especially when the voting population doesn't have the best interest of the sport in mind. Perhaps some, even most players (Ultimate and Baseball) want change, but I get the feeling that some may not. I doubt most players want to be guinea pigs and while they care about the sport at large, they care more about their own personal agenda. Once again, this is simply an articulation of their humanity and self-interest but such things present problems when objective and enlightened decisions need to be made. Luckily for us flatballers, the opinion regarding active observers seems generally favorable so I am optimistic about this vote and unlike baseball, I believe change can and will happen.

Closing Thoughts

I have a lot more to say with regard to this topic but it is difficult to articulate objectively and in a professional way. What I will say is that on practice fields and sports complexes across the country and world, we teach and play a game that is self-officiated. We all see the difficulties associated with this sort of approach, but we try and work around them. However, the paradox of our sport continues to rear it's ugly head. We cannot ignore the fact that this game has evolved into a lifestyle and as such we need to modulate our way of playing it. Without strict rules, abuse will occur and neglecting it just shows a complete lack of respect for the game. Our situation is no different than the issues with Steroids in Baseball, or even the current economic crisis. When so much is on the line, when there is so much to be won or lost, 3rd party observation and regulation is imperative, otherwise how can we trust the end result? How can we be sure our reality is strong and stable? Anyone's illegitimate success will ultimately lead to everyone's legitimate sacrifice.

I also believe that as we move in this direction, the distance between self-officiating and just plain officiating continues to shrink. It appears that the dam maintaining Ultimate's historic roots, preventing it from becoming mainstream, springs a leak once in a while and the bottle neck pressure has shifted once again. I remember a time when eligibility was a huge concern and now it is active observers. What will be next? And despite all our intelligence is there any way we can make progress without sacrifice or struggle? Probably not, but hey, remember it's just a game.

just my thoughts

match diesel

Some Actual Ultimate Discussion

I can't help it, I gotta talk some college disc. Here are some region to region discussions.

Northwest
Holy Cal! Wow, I suppose my Cal writeup came a year early. They are red hot right now with back to back tournament wins at Santa Barbara and Pres Day. I don't know what happened against Black Tide at Santa Barbara but their encore performance at Pres Day is very impressive. Way to go Choon. They came out this hot a few years back when they made Finals in '04 and I think they are #1 in the Northwest right now.

Outside Cal, Orgeon seems to be the other major NW contender. Their performance at TiV was very impressive but great Vegas performances have a tendency to matter a lot more in February than they do in May. I think Oregon is tired of being out of the Nationals discussion and I think Dusty is ready to end his career with Ego with a trip back to Columbus. Hopefully they get a shot against Cal at Stanford or Centex.

Stanford, eshk, these guys have been quite the wild card the last year or so. This year they turned a few heads by making the trek to Vegas and Ryan Thompson told me they did so because they wanted another tournament under their belt. Given the conditions and the fact that this was their first non-Kaimana February tournament since I've been paying attention, I'm not surprised they got worked. They did make Finals in Goleta, big surprise, and in doing so, proved that they've got the chops to compete in the Northwest, but also that Cal is legit in '09. They always seem to play well at home regardless of previous tournament performances, but then again Stanford Invite has 48 teams this year, so yeah, no idea whats gonna happen.

Outside these three, I've got nothing. LPC seems to make some noise at every tournament save Regionals, so I'm not surprised they've got a few big W's. UBC had a decent Vegas but they always seem to suck when the weather warms up. Hopefully they ditch the shants this year. Santa Cruz...I've gotta see it to believe it. Do something interesting at Stanford or you are going to be left out of any major Nationals discussion this year. More of the same with Davis. Decent SBI, decent Vegas, but not too many great wins to boast. I hope they get a chance to secure a few big wins at Stanford and potentially confirm who's who in the NW. Lastly, Washington... had Wisconsin played a little better, that W might have meant more, but oh well, the Sundogers, like everyone else, will have their chance to catch malaria, I mean earn W's, in Bum F$%@, Egypt next month.

Southwest
Big surprise, Colorado is good. Mac Taylor, Brian "Kibbles" Clarkson, Ted Phillips, Martin "Duke" Freeman, and Hylke Snieder are all ballers and will be the veterans that continue to dominate the SW region. They are going back to Stanford, which I like, but given the fact that the tourney is 48 teams this year, I have no idea what to expect. Most of the best teams will be in attendance, but predicting mactchups is impossible and given the question marks associated with the Hodags, who knows who will give Colorado a challenge? Carleton? Florida? Georgia? Regardless, I can't imagine anything less than another Regional title and trip to semis or better.

The rest of the Southwest is pretty tight with UCSB looking ok, when they actually compete as UCSB. Personally, I think outside the Fall, the whole UCSB-X thing is pretty weak, especially if their isn't a UCSB-Y. They handed Cal their only loss of the year which is commendable and they were one of the few SW teams to do well in Vegas. I'm getting tired of saying this, but Stanford will be a toss up, so I'm waiting until after Centex to make any sense of these gargantuan tournaments.

My squiddies are actually looking pretty stellar thus far, don't screw it up! Big wins over Claremot (loved that score) and Arizona, so they are no longer the pee-ons they have been the last 2 years. They got a big confidence win over UCLA but have yet to play SDSU so I think they still have a chance to slip. They also lost their only game against Black Tide this year but so far they are 9-0 in power/pool play so that's pretty sweet. Probably came out flat Sunday morning at SBI, so here's hoping they keep the Saturday night shenanigans to a minimum in the future. Regardless, with 3 bids out of the SW a return to Nationals for the first time since 2006 is definitely in the cards, but I'm sure they'd like to stick it to Tide in the Series and maybe even get a shot at Mamabird at some point this year.

Arizona, yikes, I was afraid they'd have some trouble without some of their 5th years. I don't think Austin Gregersen is on the team this year leaving just Erik Gafni as their primary threat and despite his talent (and enthusiasm) I think Sunburn's in for some trouble. They'll have their chances to rebound at Stanford and Centex, but I'm guessing Stanford will be another shit show and Centex will be brutal to a team that has lost a lot of it's depth.

South
Yeah, I'm still waiting for Texas to make an appearance. They'll be at Mardi Gras and Stanford so check back in a few weeks. North Texas, Texas State, still waiting for some clarity, sorry.

Central
Wow, Wisconsin feeling the fear a little bit eh? I had a feeling the 'Dags were in for some L's and now I'm waiting to see what they do in the face of some adversity. Animal and Foster are a great set of captains and I'm sure having Gaynor back for another year will help them remain confident. However, guys like Feldman and Geppert have never been in this situation with Wisconsin and a lot of people are interested to see how they handle it. I don't think Vegas is as indicative as some would like, because I get the feeling they opened their bench up in the face of some uber bad weather, but if they suck again at Stanford, the fear they once instilled in their opponents will be long gone.

Alright Carleton, way to not screw up my predictions. With only one loss against Colorado and the only team to beat Florida at Vegas, CUT is looking like this could be their year. They'll be another in the 8-10 bad asses at Stanford trying to solidify some sort of hierarchy and considering the fact that CUT usually peaks late, I'm sure we haven't seen the best the Northfield flatballers have to offer. Given the fact that they were ehh at Centex last year but still made Semis in Boulder, I'm not sure we'll know just how good CUT is until they potentially take the region back in May.

Considering the fact that the CN gets 20% of the teams at Nationals this year, the door is really wide open for a lot of teams. I was stoked to see Iowa take Warm Up and given last year's Universe finish against Wisconsin in Semis at Regionals, I will be paying close attention to IHUC.

Minnesota seems to be the only other team to jump out at me from the Central Region. They had a decent year last year with a great Centex, but so far they haven't done much. Hopefully they get a chance against Wisconsin at Mardi Gras and given the fact that the Hodags usually own Baton Rouge, a win over baby blue could be huge. Likewise, Mardi Gras will be Wisco's chance to get their demons sorted out before the wolves come-a-callin at Stanford.

Great Lakes
This region is going to be exciting. I've been a big Magnum fan since 2005 and with Will Neff as my pick for Callahan, UM will be a team to watch this spring. However, Notre Dame is hands down the team to beat in the Great Lakes. They had a great Fall and made the Finals at Queen's City Tune Up, while Magnum lost in quarters after taking their pool. Both Papal Rage (sort of) and Magnum will be in Louisiana this weekend so we'll have an idea of who's who in a week or so. Notre Dame doesn't have the rep to get into Centex or Stanford just yet, so they'll have to hope for some great games at Huck Finn, which is surprisingly loaded this year with Colorado, Wisconsin, Georgia and Michigan all coming out of the wood work. I suppose Fools Fest in Kansas wasn't good enough.

Anyway, I think Michigan has got the schedule to really test their squad and given their late-ish peak last year, it might be just the gauntlet they need to prepare for Regionals. Likewise, I think Notre Dame has a rough road ahead of them because they've got all season to lose their steam and they'll need to play as well in the Series as they are now if they want a crack at Columbus. Meanwhile, Ohio State is still very much a contender and after their experience at Nationals at home in 2007, I'm sure they are fired up for another shot at being the home town heroes in May. Bottom line, Great Lakes Regionals is gonna be sweeeeet.

Atlantic Coast
God damn it Florida, you were supposed to suck this year. What am I supposed to do with a 15-13 loss to Georgia but a tournament win at Vegas? I get the feeling like Stanford at Stanford, Florida just doesn't lose in Vegas. They've won the tourney 3 of the 4 years it has been in existence so who knows? I do know that Brodie seems to think that '09 is the new '06 which could mean another Stanford title, and given the fact it's not in Palo Alto this year (like 2006), he could have his senior year end up like freahman year. Anyway, I was very impressed with the way they finished out Vegas and hopefully we see another game against CUT at Stanford or Centex to see who's actually better. I'm not sure what kind of rotation they are using now that Cycle, Windham, and Gibson are gone, but success early is something Florida seems to be good at the last few years. Stanford Invite probably won't give us the answers we want, unless they win it all, so we'll have to wait until after Centex to see if they are title bound once again.

Alright JoJah!! My Athens boys are kicking ass this year and I love it. Maybe they came out flat against Iowa in the Warm Up Finals, but a split squad Mudbowl win and a dominating performance at QCTU is just what the doctor ordered. They took out Florida in their only meeting this year, which is actually a big deal because last year Florida had their foot on Georgia's throat wire to wire. I don't like that they aren't going to Centex (at least according to the score reporter), but considering the fact that they are on the Huck Finn badwagon, I'm sure we'll get an idea of whether or not Georgia is ready to pull a 2005 move and take back the AC by April. Regardless, I'm hoping for a Colorado/Georgia game in bracket play at some point (Stanford or Huck Finn) because fireworks always seem to fly between gold and red.

As for Virginia and Tennessee, ask me after Centex. Viriginia got a bid to the battle in Austin and Tennessee has a guarunteed game against Wisconsin in Baton Rouge, so the AC could have a few new faces this year. However, I still have no idea what to make of the NC crowd, and given the fact that things were fairly ambiguous up until Carolina Sectionals last year, I have no idea what to expect from NC State, UNC-Wilmington and UNC.

Metro East
Cornell is looking good early this year, especially with a close game against a juggernaut like Colorado. Pitt got themselves a few quality wins in Vegas as well with W's over Stanford and Santa Barbara. Delaware had a rough weekend in North Carolina and Maryland could be a contender, despite coming and going historically. However, despite all of this, things are still wayyy to early to tell in a region as volatile as the Metro East.

Huck of the Irish will be the first real opportunity we'll have to see most of the ME duke it out (save Pitt) and my guess is that Delaware will squeeze in between some of these teams, if not take them all by storm. Because the Centex team list isn't complete yet, I'm not certain which of these squads will be in Austin but I'm guessing most. Hopefully they all show because this region is usually quite the spectacle and I'd love more fuel for the Regional Prediction fire.

North East
Like the Metro East, much of the North East still has yet to come out of hibernation. Harvard had a great Vegas once again and Middlebury went 9-2 which is impressive but they never seem to make any noise when it matters. Tufts didn't do as well in the desert as they did a year ago but I'm sure A-Hole has got them focused for whatever tournaments they decide to go to. I like that Dartmouth is going down to Mardi Gras which should be all the competition they need to get the dust off the cleats. Perhaps they will do as well as Brown did at Warm Up and give some non-Regional teams a scare. My dark horse for the region is UConn because they have really come around as a program and even won a Fall Tournament (Coffee Cup). They have never made Regionals but this year could be one for the books. I'm sure Brown is unafraid though, considering the fact that they've taken the South NE Section every year since the beginning of time, but who knows? Everybody loves an upset.

Closing Thoughts
The main thing on my mind after looking at all this is that I really hope tournaments don't all become 50-80 teams. I mean having Vegas as the one early season tournament with a million teams is fine, but 48 at Stanford and Centex?! Not sure how I feel about this. As a NUMP voter, it gets hard to make sense out of a bunch of 9-6 scores and what not. It seems like 5-6 years ago players wanted to face off against teams across the country before Nationals but I wonder if it is beginning to be too much of a good thing. I like the 16-24 team tournament format with 3-5 pool play games, pre/quarters, semis, finals. When the bracket takes 30 minutes to even begin to understand, I lose interest quickly.

There was beauty in the distilled talent at Stanford and Centex because teams that were "in" felt a sense of pride and teams on the outside had a reason to play their hearts out in January. You know, the qualifier days? In addition, with the best teams heading off to their own special tournies, other events such as Southerns, Terminus, and Ultimax had their own 20-40 team showdowns and it was fun for all. Now with 48 teams at Stanford and Centex, I wonder if something is lost. Oh well, the new Stanford and Centex haven't even happened yet and maybe at the end of March I will be singing a different tune. Best of luck to all the teams and NO ONE GET HURT!!

just my thoughts

match diesel

My Take on Team USA

This Winter/Spring we will see one of the biggest events in our sport, the selection and preparation of Team USA for World Games in Taipei. I'm really interested in this series of events because I've been around long enough to see a few Worlds come and go and I also remember when Team USA had their fun back in 2005. From the looks of things, 2009 will be considerably different than a few years ago but the excitement and anticipation is ready and waiting.

Worlds?
So I've written about this a number of times, but it never loses it's importance. Worlds? Didn't we just have that last August? Yes but there are also 3 kinds of Worlds, each happening once every 4 years so there is a Worlds event 3 out of every 4 years.

WUGC ('00, '04, '08)- World Ultimate and Guts Championships is the World Cup of Ultimate. Each country is responsible for selecting one team to represent it's Nation. Some countries pick the winner of their country's National title (USA, Canada, and Japan) and others select an All-Star team to represent their Nation (UK and Australia). Either way, this is usually the best tournament from a team perspective. It has every division, Open, Women, Mixed, Masters, and Juniors (boys and girls) and there are usually a fair amount of teams competing. In Vancouver, there were 18 in Open, 15 Women, 12 Mixed, 10 Masters, 8 Junior Boys, 7 Junior girls for a total of 70 teams. I also think the team rivalries are the strongest here with USA (Sockeye) vs Canada (Furious), USA vs Japan (Open and Women), Australia vs Great Britain, etc...

World Games ('01, '05, '09)- This is a tournament that is more or less all the games that aren't in the Olympics, at least that is how it was explained to me. Each sport is given a certain number of players that can be present which drastically limits the number of competitors and the number of divisions. Also, Ultimate is only a small part of this Worlds event, unlike WUGC and WUCC, and because each sport is limited by participants, the Ultimate is Mixed. This tournament is probably the best from a player's perspective because it is such an honor to be selected. In the US there were hundreds of applicants for less than 20 final spots. The selection of the team is almost like American Idol, in that the hype and preparation for the tournament is probably more exciting than the tournament itself (or in the case of AI, their music career). Another major restriction for this tournament is that only 6 teams get to play in it, the top 5 finishers at WUGC and the host country. It is for this reason that the 5th place game at WUGC between Australia and Sweeden was such a big deal. Because the Aussies won 16-14 they get to go to World Games along with the other 4 semifinalists (Canada, USA, Japan, and UK) and Taipei.

WUCC ('02, '06, '10)- World Ultimate Club Championships is a bit weird. Some Nations send several teams, some Nations send one team and other Nations are only represented in some divisions or not at all. This tournament seems to be the most fun for players because the people that really want to be there are usually in greater numbers than people that should be there. For whatever reason, it does not have the draw of WUGC, so a lot of the best teams pass on the tournament (Furious, Sockeye, Fury, Riot, Jam, Boston, etc..) giving other teams an opportunity. This tournament will be in Prauge in 2010 and despite the fact that there is probably some sort of selection process, I do not know what it is.

Here is a website that discusses this in greater detail.

2005 vs 2009
In 2005, things were fairly different from this year. 4 years ago, the only selection criteria was an application process (no tryouts) which resulted in some interesting choices. For starters, without a tryout process, it seemed like the UPA wanted to give Open, Women's and Mixed representation. This made sense, but it was easy to see right off the bat that the team selection was going to be a bit more political, as opposed to strictly talent based. In addition, it seemed like service to the game was a big part of the selection process, which is fine, it just highlighted the idea that this particular Team USA had diplomatic goals in mind as opposed to just winning Gold.

Some of the roster choices in 2005 were easy to see and some not so much. Chase Sparling-Beckley and Josh Ziperstein made the team which seemed very appropriate because Chase had just won a club title with Sockeye and Zip the Callahan and College Title (Brown). Mike Namkung was the veteran captain which was also understandable given his experience with Black Tide, the Condors and Team USA (WUGC 2004). Will Deaver was/is a Bravo standout and given his role as Championship Director, it looked like he was a good choice for diplomatic reasons.

As for the woman, they were as strong as the men with Miranda Roth ('05 Callahan Winner), Deb Cussen (Riot, Club Champion '04), Angela Lin (Ozone), and Gwen Ambler (Stanford and Fury) but with Gwen came alternate issues. She, like Alex Nord, was an alternate for Team USA which at the time didn't make a lot of sense to me because few players in the game were as talented/decorated as Nord or Gambler. I don't think anyone including the participants were certain what alternates, if any, would make the Final team but in the end Nord and Gambler didn't go to Germany, which was more evidence that the team selection was fairly subjective.

Now many people will will quickly say that Ron Kubalanza or Dominque Fontenette deserved their spot on Team USA (and I even forget now who was on the team and who were alternates) but my only point is to just show that there were all kinds of players that were and were not on the team and this completely omits all the players that had their applications rejected.

With this background, I think the UPA is now more interested in selecting a team based not only on their on-paper accolades, but their full speed capabilities as well, hence the two tryouts. This is a huge step forward in the selection process of Team USA and is a major reason why 2009 will be so exciting as well as more objective.

The first round has already taken place with offers to 80 players or so and despite the fact that I know a few players that should be on this list and are not, I think the chosen few are fantastic and the whole process will be an experience each participant will never forget. The first tryout will be for West Coast applicants February 21st and 22nd at Cal State Northridge. The other will be the following weekend at the Polo Fields in Sarasota for the East Coast participants.

Former Members

In looking at the list, my first concern is that several players from the 2005 team are trying out again and that doesn't really seem fair to me. Considering the fact that only a select few can even tryout, seeing people like Jeff Eastham, Bart Watson, Mike Namkung, Miranda Roth, and Dominique Fontenette on this this list makes me kind of cringe. Players like Adam "Wormser" Bunn didn't even get a chance to tryout so in my opinion, giving spots to former Team USA representatives and not up and comers is a bit bogus.

I discussed the same argument when I wrote about Junior Worlds because there were several players from the Boys team in Vancouver that were on the Gold medal team in 2006. George Stubbs and Grant Lindsley had two chances to win Gold and I don't really think that is right, given the level of talent that was rejected and the fact that their closest game in Vancouver was 17-7. Because the 2009 Team USA will only have 15-20 players, it seems a bit unfair to give a roster spot to a person that has already filled the seat much less a tryout opportunity. Given the quality of players on the list, I think a Gold medal team could be selected without choosing any former members and I hope in the future there are restrictions on being selected more than once.

Who I want to see in Taipei

With that being said, I am kinda going back on my last point with this next one because the first person on my list for this team is Gwen Ambler. Seeing her as an alternate in 2005 sucked because I thought she deserved to go to Germany and despite the fact that I hoped she'd get a roster spot come tourney time, it didn't happen. She did just win a Gold medal in Vancouver but Taipei is more or less about being chosen by the UPA and there is no one that has put more into this sport than Gwen (male or female).

Another name that jumped out at me was Mike Caldwell. Mike represents the core of Seattle Sockeye's success the last 5-6 years and MC has been a fundamental part of the best team in the world for nearly a decade. Sockeye's example as a program has raised the bar in the Club sphere the way Wisconsin has in the College scene. Mike's role as Fish Captain, in my opinion, makes him a front runner to make Team USA and be chosen as one of the veteran leaders. Plus, I also think he got a raw deal in Vancouver because his wife gave birth the night before the Gold medal game with Furious. Now I know that this is a miracle of life and I am sure he loves his new child as much as his first, but I think his performance in the Gold medal game suffered because of it. I think a second opportunity to represent his country would be fitting and well received. Plus it'd make a great story.

Team Representation

Another issue that has come up with respect to Team USA is the number of tryouts that come from the same team. Johnny Bravo has quite a few, as does Sockeye, Jam, and Ironside. This makes sense though because they represent the best Open teams over the last few years and using Club experience as a major selection criteria is pretty objective and fair. The same could be said for San Francisco Fury, which makes even more sense because they are the most dominant team since the glory days of DoG.

However, the issue then becomes, who do you pick from these teams? Greg Connelly and whomever else is picking this squad, cannot pick 3 players from Bravo and zero from Ironside, or at least I don't think they will, so the question becomes, who gets chosen? Who do you pick from Sammy CK, Ben Wiggins, Mike Caldwell, and Seth Wiggins? I think the tryout process will streamline things but it will be a real challenge to figure out who you want handling, cutting, D-ing up, etc... If you pick a Bravo handler like Parker Krugg, can you pick a JB cutter like Mac Taylor? If you go for Dylan Tunnell does that mean Greg Swanson doesn't have a chance. I think this is the scariest case. Teams like Bravo, Ironside and Jam have made semis and finals but Chain has just made semis and isn't in the hightest tier of elite teams yet. Does that mean they can only hope for 1 player on Team USA and not 2? Once again, the tryout process will definitely help but it is still a dicey issue.

Along this Chain Lightning point, the issue of regional representation gets interesting. Ultimate hubs are in places like Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, and Denver, but what about guys like Tank and Muffin? Do you try and get players out of the South, Central, or Southwest (excluding Colorado)? Is that a selection criteria? Again, I think a tryout process streamlines things, but it will be really tough to pick 5 or 6 players (out of 20) from one region and completely pass up another one.

And what about Mixed? You have National champion players (or close to it) in the Smith brothers (Mischief), Kendra Frederick (Slow White), Mike Miller (Slow White) and Rusty Ingold-Smith (Slow White). Do they stand a chance? I am glad to see that a few tryout spots were offered to Mixed players and I wonder if their experience will help them in a tryout process that will require great skill across sexes.

With all of this to consider, the drama associated with Team USA is through the roof. The tryout event will definitely be a sight to witness/participate in because it will be one of the best showcases of talent since MLU back in 2006 and it will represent both Men and Women. The next round of selections, like the first, will say a lot about the players on the next list and more importantly, what kind of team the UPA wants representing the Red, White and Blue.

Closing Thoughts
The last thing to consider when looking at potential tryouts is their diplomatic skill and players like Ben Wiggins, BVH, and Gwen Ambler have a huge advantage because of their contributions as coaches and media sources. I'm not certain this will be a major selection criteria but it has me wondering. Players like Muffin, Seth Wiggins, and Tucker all have distinct personalities and I wonder how that will factor into player selection. I'm sure each tryout is humbled by this honor and will be on their best behavior but balancing personalities is a big part of building a team and will be important in defending our title.

In the end, this process is just exciting. Pretty soon we'll have an idea of who will be selected to the top 20 and following them through their preparation will be exhilarating. I remember when Team USA won Poultry Days 4 years ago and I was there when they beat Team Canada at Potlatch but lost in Semis to Vagabonds. However, they won Gold over Australia in 2005 and there is no reason why Team USA can't do it again in 2009.

just my thoughts

match diesel

Ultimate Peace

“Peace in the Middle East”. I think I first heard this saying when I was in second grade right around the time of our first venture into Iraq back in 1991. However, unlike cars, computers, house prices, minimum wage, and more or less everything else, not much has changed in the last 18 years. The cultural conflicts that have claimed hundreds and thousands of lives over the last two decades (at the very least) has remained terrifyingly constant and all we are left with is the lingering feeling that despite our advances as a species, there will always be violence.

However, recently there has been a collection of Ultimate players that have decided to take it upon themselves to take a proverbial stab at this conflict with a movement called Ultimate Peace, an Ultimate based humanitarian effort in the West Bank. I was touched by this act of good will and I thought I would discuss my take on the situation and why I think this idea is so important.

The hostility that has persisted in the West Bank has been terrible not only for the Jewish, Islamic, Israeli and Palestinian communities but for those of us that do not fall under any of these labels. For all parties, those entrenched in the conflict and those left watching on CNN, this persistent situation is exceedingly dismal and frustrating. Continual bombings, terrorist attacks and general violence are a constant source of remorse, pain, and fear regarding the future and what horrors wait in the winds, for what is a quandary that endlessly endures? It is like a ruthless hang nail with no finger nail clippers. A seemingly small problem without a foreseeable solution that manages to steal all of your focus. You go primitive with some picking and scratching but before you know it, it's worse than before. Ultimately you are driven insane because all you want is a solution, an end, a resolution, something other than continued pain and irritation, or in this case, violence and cultural warfare. However, without a change in strategy, nothing will improve.

But such a successful strategy in the West Bank is anything but straightforward. In moving from one extreme of this country to another, I’ve learned that my perspective of the world is a direct product of my surroundings. I am fortunate in the sense that I have had constructive exposure to the opinions and beliefs of chill Southern Californianis, liberal Northwesterners, high strung Northeasterners, gregarious Mid-Westerners, friendly Southerners, cultured foreigners and just about everything in between. Such exposure is vital in understanding the extraordinary complexity this world has to offer because without it, one cannot appreciate the beauty of how and why people are so different. This type of contact enlightens the mind so that one can begin to see why something can be evil to some, but common to others. Why something can be fantastic to one group but absolutely detested by another. Why an honor to one person is a tragedy to someone else.

Nevertheless, this sort of enlightenment requires a link, a common bond. Two opposite groups of people will not spontaneously understand one another without some sort of union. This may seem impossible, but if we are clever enough, there can always be a connection to find. People from Modesto, CA to Virginia, MN, to Newark, DE, to Statesboro, GA, to the United Arab Emirates can all unite under one umbrella, if we are smart enough to come up with a common theme. Maybe it’s a shared interest in The Big Lebowski, or being a product of a divorced family, or a mutual love for candy corn. The specifics are irrelevant but what is relevant is that when such a topic emerges, regardless of the differences we may have on the outside, we find an emotional connection. If only for an instant, we find a moment where we realize that “I”, so seemingly different from “you”, am actually not that different at all.

With this in mind, I’ve always been wary of the word “diversity” because it is such a dicey subject. It usually comes up when one demographic is trying to attract attention, resources, or opportunities away from a more dominant one. However, differences are not always good and when they are highlighted over and over, tension seems to materialize. When people are constantly reminded of how different they are from one another, it is no surprise that fear, aggression and distaste begin to surface. So I ask, is this the best solution? Is focusing on what makes us different the best strategy?

So with this background, I decided to write a little bit regarding Ultimate Peace, a very basic Ultimate clinic and tournament in Tel Aviv, Israel April 1st-5th. From what I can gather, it is more or less your garden variety Ultimate event, in a location that is anything but garden variety. The goal? To use the power of Ultimate to teach cooperation and understanding between under privileged youths and adults that are more or less sworn enemies at birth.

I find this idea to be compelling for many reasons. First off, unlike a lot of ideas, it is a short term project with long term goals. Not unlike starting a college ultimate team, making progress in this region will take time and effort and it all begins with simple, short term goals with a long term objective in mind. Rather than be short sighted and attempt to bring entrenched people together with cultural advocacy, legislation or played-out humanitarian action, Ultimate Peace is trying to turn future enemies into current friends. It won’t make every Israeli and Palestinian Facebook friends, it won’t end violence and suffering in the Middle East but it’s a start, it’s progressive. It is an action to bring enlightenment to a tortured group of people that need it. Perhaps in 20 years, a participant will sit in on a discussion regarding his supposed adversary and say “No wait! I played pickup with them and they're alright”.

Why is this important? Israelis are never going to convince Palestinians to forget their cause and vice versa. However, if an emotional connection between these two groups can arise, if only a handful of teenagers chasing a disc, the propensity to resort to violence lessens. If a stranger tosses me a flick while I’m walking through the quad, I am filled with curiosity regarding this new acquaintance and I don’t even know their name yet. Where did they play? Do they read RSD? How did they pick up a flick? And before I know it I’m asking “Wanna get a beer?”. Even if they are a Harvard grad, a right wing conservative, or a liberal extremist, I’m genuinely interested in getting to know them, and all because of a 175g piece of plastic.

And what is even better is that the bigger the difference between two people, the more satisfying this realization becomes. If I’m on Tybee Island and I see a 5Ultimate bracelet on a fellow bar patron’s wrist, no big surprise, I’m over it. But what if I saw that same bracelet on a Coliseum tour guide in Rome or a Sushi chef in Fukoka, Japan? WOW, would I be surprised and fired up to start asking some questions. The same could be said for any two groups of differing people, such as Jews and Muslims. But laying the ground work for this sort of connection takes time and intelligent investment, the likes of which Ultimate Peace is aiming for.

Another reason why this is such a good idea, is that it’s just plain fun. Ultimate is a good time. When I had turmoil in my life, 2 hours of practice on RIMAC field was just what I needed. I’m sure I’m not alone in this regard and who needs this sort of distraction more than conflicted youths in the West Bank? No seminar or history class or depressing TV program can deliver this kind of relief and the more a person needs it, the more they will hold on to it. This sort of activity has such lasting power because nothing drives a person more than the memory of a good time. I have countless friends and teammates that had their Ultimate fires lit because of a single week at NUTC and my personal interest in flatball hit warp speed after a few days in Corvalis back in May of 2005.

But a lot of us are privileged Westerners. Most of us knew we were bound for college and if we came across a game of pick up and liked what we saw, we were hooked. The same could be said for people who took up things like Rugby, Model UN, or Hashing. In college, opportunities to find a weird sub-culture were everywhere and most people picked up something they really enjoyed. But what about those that don’t have this chance? What about people that spend day after day just trying to stay alive? Can you imagine what kind of impact something “just plain fun” could have? It probably wouldn’t even matter what it was, it could be a bunch of people chasing around a piece of plastic. Wait, that’s exactly what it is. If it worked for soccer, why can’t it work for Ultimate?

So what’s the catch? None of this comes free and this organization needs help. Their goal is to raise $80,000 for the event and while this seems like quite a sum, I am reminded of Obama’s campaign and how much small on-line contributions helped him win the election. With paypal as a resource, the ease of donating far outweighs any excuse one can put forth for not helping out. 2008 was a tough year for most of us, including myself, but I put down my $25 and I did it while on a plane from JFK to LAX en route to Lei Out. If that doesn’t prove how easy it is to help, I don’t know what can. Come on flatballers, pull out your iPhones and use them for the best reason yet.

Now I hate evangelism and I get the same fundraising/donation chills that everyone else gets, but Ultimate Peace is not out to convert the world and they’re not asking for your life savings. All they want to do is spread the wealth, the wealth that is passion for this little game of ours. Odds are you’re a passionate Ultimate player like me, otherwise, why would you be reading this? And if so, take 3 minutes and help a cause worth helping. You’ll be in good company. The best from Sockeye, Riot, the Condors, Brute Squad, heck even former UPA President Mike Payne is involved. The very best people are not the ones that can, but the ones that can and do.

just my thoughts

match diesel

If Lei Out and Wild Wood were bars...

...Lei Out would be the micro brew joint with good looking women, $11 burgers and clean bathrooms while Wild Wood would be the underage dive joint with cheap food, cheaper beer, and more character than you can shake a stick at.

I recently hit the west coast for the Santa Monica Beach Bash and while I've grown accustom to the 12 degree weather and bitterness of the North East, I still had a banging good time in my old stomping ground.  Now that I have been to 2 of the best beach ultimate tournaments, I thought I would toss out a few opinions and share some of the spittle I managed to remember after a weekend with some of our sport's finest.

Lei Out vs Wild Wood

First off, I wanted to say that comparing these tournaments is really tough because they happen at exactly opposite ends of the year.  Lei Out seems to be around MLK weekend and WW is at the end of July, so a lot of comparisons are inherently biased or flawed.

With that in mind, I definitely believe that the competition at Lei Out is considerably better.  Considering that Wild Wood is in the middle of the club season, many elite players seem to avoid a binge-fest in the cesspool to end all cesspools.  I've seen guys like Holzer, Teddy, and Jasper (Ironside) in Southern Jersey but the level of competition seems to drop off considerably outside a few select teams.  To make matters worse, if you just go for the ultimate (which some people do for Lei Out and dodge the party), there really isn't much to do outside some major vicing in Wild Wood so I can imagine a lot of focused flat ballers passing it up.

However, because Lei Out is in the middle of winter (well sort of, if you call 80 degrees and a cloudless sky, winter) not only do you have a ton of west coast talent come out, but many east coast players make the trip out to Los Angeles.  Without even trying, I spotted a few recent National Champs like Damien Scott, Mark Humphrey and Mike Namkung, not to mention a slew of other talented flatballers in Seth Wiggins and Keith Monahan and those were just the west coast guys.  Texas was there in full force, not to mention my Sunburn buddies and a bunch of east coasters like BVH, Kendra, and Chicken.  

Despite the level of competition, Wild Wood does seem bigger than it's west coast counter part.  When walking up to the fields in Jersey, the amount of teams playing seems absolutely staggering not to mention the fact that there are something like six different divisions, unlike Lei Out which only has two.  Perhaps Wild Wood seems bigger because it straddles the pier in NJ, and Lei Out was just on the North side, but I got the feeling I'd seen a bigger beach tournament on the East Coast.

Another huge element to consider when discussing these two tournaments are the costs.  I want to say that one is definitely cheaper than the other, but when I think about it a little more, it's a draw.  Santa Monica's bar district is definitely not cheap (as evidenced by the $240 I dropped the first night) but the hotels by the beach are many and they don't shoot up their prices like the shaddy spots in Wild Wood do.  In addition, despite being in a relatively cheap spot in New Jersey with respect to booze and food, Wild Wood isn't near much else and traveling to and from is exceedingly difficult unless you are one of the "lucky" locals.  On the other hand, Santa Monica is right near LAX so getting into the city (regardless of where you are coming from) and getting to your hotel isn't tough, provided you dodge some MAJOR traffic.  But then again, a lot of folks have to fly into Lei Out which probably doubles your costs and driving seems to be the mode of transportation for most when going to the Wood.

As for the party, I think it's a matter of opinion.  The free Colt 45 was money at the Lei Out party (as was the fact that I was wearing my Colt 45 team jersey which got me a few more questions than I would have liked, but it's my own fault), but the bar was really crowded.  Maybe its because everybody goes and it is tough to fit 1,000+ people into one bar, but I don't recall Wild Wood being that densely packed at whatever that 2 story place is called.  In addition, I think the grungier feel of the Wood makes it easier to take it to the streets and I can think of more than one story regarding carnival game shenanigans and under the pier activities.  I heard that the Lei Out party was previously on the pier, but not this year, so I think the party debate is another toss up.

In the end, I think it would benefit all parties (east and west coast) to hit both tournaments.  I have a few friends that have done both and I think the consensus is that both are great in their own way.  Drawing conclusions the way one could between Santa Barbara vs Stanford Invite, TiV vs Pres Day, or Centex vs Southerns, isn't really possible with the Wood and Lei Out, so I think the best strategy is to just go to both.

Finals Week Hurricane

The name of my team was Finals Week Hurricane because when I was an undergrad we used to get hjammered after finals and hurricane around campus, ie drink and sing at people who were trying to study for their remaining tests.  It was always something I looked forward to and it was something that highlighted how much fun, yet how smart, we were at UCSD.  Well, at least I was.

Because I missed out on Potlatch (broken foot) I really wanted another shot at playing with my fellow squids/psychos.  I had to have jerseys made as well and despite 2 months of stressing over adobe illustrator files and failed attempts with 5Ultimate (damn you NW snow), I managed to get them printed through the tournament and everybody liked them.

In addition to trying to win as much as possible (which we did, 5-1) I wanted to have as much fun as possible such that all the other UCSDers that were scattered across other teams would wish they were on my team.  Outside maybe Bofa (Car Bomb) and Wormser (Mischief), I think I was successful.

Friday

I got into LAX around 530p and after some major traffic and dinner with Pajohesh, I found myself at a bar called "Q's".  Because it was in Brentwood it was pretty UCLA heavy, not to mention expensive.  After Kief, Boont, Duffy, Dibs, Amy, Katie, and Miles got to the bar, I proceeded to go agro.  One kamikazes turned into 4 rounds of them not to mention more car and Yeager bombs than I could remember.  I vaguely remember going with Kief and JAM to Mickey D's around the corner, but I definitely remember getting the $200 bill.  Yikes, good thing the bar keep was hot.

Anyway, after some lip singing "Red, Red Wine" into the lounge mirror for some added entertainment, we headed back to JAM's place and despite starting out clothed on his couch, I ended up wearing my Texas Lone Star Alum jersey for a pair of pants in Jonny's bed.  Oh well, he wasn't in it.

Saturday

After waking up a little dazed, I quickly realized I was in LA about to play a beach tournament with some of my better friends.  This got the blood flowing quickly as did the grande Americano and sausage P-diddy at the Bucks, thank god for the 10am start time.

Once we got to the beach, all I could think about were the jerseys and despite feelings of apprehension for any number of reasons, I got to frisbee central, they had received my check and they didn't screw up the threads.  SICK!!!  Now all I had to do was play ultimate.

Like most folks, this was also a time of "Oh hey (insert ultimate name here)!!!  Great to see you."  I quickly realized TUFF was in the house, not to mention my blood (Alex) who was playing for DTB, *wiping a tear away*.  I also got a chance to meet up with my team mates who didn't make it to the bar and before I knew it, game time was upon us.

Our first game was against Keith Monahan's team and it was probably a good thing that I was the only one that knew he was a national champ, because we played like they were any other team.  We all got the blood flowing and before long, we won something like 11-6.

After the game, I was handed a nice little pastry and despite the fact that I probably should have been a bit more conservative, I decided, what the hell?  This would prove to be calories that would cost me a few turnovers later in the day, but hey, it was tasty.

Second game was against a Santa Cruz alum team, and sorry Slugs, I really wanted to beat you guys.  We lost to UCSC wayy back at the Stanford Qualifier in '04 and UCSD lost to them at Vegas on DGP last year so I really wanted to win this game.  They took half and were up like 8-5 but we turned it around and beat them off an Elroy sky (one of many) 11-9 or so.  SICK!! 2-0.

Next game was a bit of a blur for obvious reasons, but we won easy, 11-4 I think.  In this game I still had this conception that I could cut but after dropping a bullet I decided I would wait for April to try and bust out of my handler role.  Anyway, my focus was returning by this point so I was ready for the final game of the day, which was against some Tufts alums, one of whom I knew from CT.

This game was fun because I was actually consistent.  They wanted to go to 13 because we had daylight, so we obliged.  I was a bit frustrated with the fact that I hadn't gotten a layout D yet so I was happy to take on a few more points to give myself another shot, and it paid off.

We pulled with a 12-4ish lead and I was covering some asian guy I think.  After a few cuts, TJ got the disc and sent a huck to my guy and we were both off to the races.  I was trailing by a little bit, but when the disc came, I sort of did a run/jump and macked the disc.  Now we all know what happens when you mack a disc on D in the endzone so I kept at it and made a nice little bid and grabbed my second effort in my opponents endzone.  I then popped up and sent a flick put the other way to Elroy for the game winner.  Going 4-0 is awesome.

Saturday Night

After leaving the fields we headed back and got some fish tacos.  I miss Rubio's.  After we each took showers, I pulled out the '08 WUGC DVD that I had brought and we watched the gold medal game I commentated on.  I said "phenomenal" wayyyy to much, but hey, I was excited.  The interviews were also cool and when watching my interview with Mike Grant, I couldn't help but think of Old School where Will Farrell does that debate thing and doesn't remember any of it.  I don't even remember talking to MG, I was so nervous/excited.  Maybe it's because all the blood in my head was elsewhere.  Oh well, it's on tape so I can remember it forever.

After dilly dallying for a while we finally made it to the tournament hotels/party.  I met up with my blood, Natali, Bjorn and a few others before hitting up the party and despite really wanting an alcohol alternative, I was denied.  God Damn it Natali!  They tried to pass off some Sparks Plus to me but I wasn't having it.  Sparks yes, Plus no.

But we made the party and picked up our free Colt 45's.  This party was definitely different than I was expecting because instead of dancing and drinking, I spent most of the night going booth to booth seeing who I could find.  I sat down with Chic from San Diego for awhile and before I knew it I was being whisked here and there by one Ultimate friend or another.  

I met Seth Wiggins in the bathroom line (yeah, a line for the Men's room, not cool).  I wasn't sure if he'd squash me (cuz he's huge) but instead he gave me some love and before I knew it we were tossing back some spittle while relieving ourselves.  I recall him talking about the #24 because we are both partial to it and I was wearing my colt jersey but all I can remember clearly was his ridiculously bushy goatee.  Oh well, it was fun.

Then I headed upstairs to meet up with some squiddies and in standing beside a booth I had a nice little interaction with Skip.  He walked up to me from the VIP lunge and proceeded  to sock me directly in the arm, for one of many good reasons I'm sure.  Then I looked at him and said, "You know I'm gonna get you back".  He kinda brushed me off and we partied jovially, but I would have the last laugh.

About a half hour later, I was walking up the stairs as he was walking down.  I was walking with a friend and made sure to look like I was conversing with them as Skip walked past and then FWAP!! a nice little love tap to the jewels.  He dropped quickly and said "Ahh, why there?" and I said "Because it hurts...I told you I'd get you back".  Now I should say that I don't mind being made a spectacle of, but I should warn folks that I rarely forget such things and I love getting even to the point where you will think twice before going down that road again.  I also remember Biggins giving me some props after taking down Skip, but I could be mistaken.

At some point in the night the dude from our first game found me again and handed me desert which I should have turned down, but instead I split it with Proden while we were talking about the new merge of SDU and Last Call, sweeeet!!  By the time I got up I definitely felt a bit heavier, but oh well, what else was I there to do.

I then remember hitting the head again, finding a well dressed dapper young man, who couldn't have been anyone else but Mr. Simon.  I quickly gave Chicken shit for his attire but then we talked about how small a world this Ultimate world is and relished in the fact that we've got a lifetime of credibility to look forward to.

Things then start to get a little blurry but I do remember coming across Gaf from Arizona/Barrio and let me tell you, this kid is a handful.  First off, he's about as giddy as a virgin in a whore house (at least when he's partying it up) and second, yikes he's jacked.  Apparently being an Israeli/Asian combo and a personal trainer makes you strong as an Ox, who knew?  He then proceeded to tell me that Arizona was not going away and after grabbing me on either side of my head and telling me I was going to TiV, I began to wonder if I would escape in one piece.  Oh well, he's a great, and smart kid, phew!

I should also say I met 808 for the first time and rather than talk about blogging, WEAK, all I wanted to do was hear about my blood on DTB.  Apparently his buttery flick worked out well, so proud.  Oh and I also remember talking to Bjorn at the bar as he watched the two worst teams play his favorite game.  I suppose that's commitment.  It's cool, the guy sells Uranium for a living.  Yeah and Heltzer was there as well making sure I knew what he was on the prowl for and he had me tell the Beer Mile story to another D-Mouth alum, who promptly didn't believe it.

There are probably other party details that escape me, but by this time, the bar started to light up and I figured it was time to head back to JAM's.  This time I remained clothed and in one place, but Sunday morning would not bring the excitement Saturday morning did.

Sunday

Yikes, after avoiding alcohol and other party elements for a few months, Friday and Saturday night caught up with me big time.  Oh well, there was disc to be played and after another Americano and some yogurt, we were back at it.

First game was against....I have no idea.  We won.  I had a pretty sweet layout score that I didn't think I was going to get.  One of those, "Man, why do I have a bunch of pictures of me doing nothing on the field and not something like that".

At this point, I figured we were going to hit a brick wall because going undefeated only lasts for so long, that is unless you win the tourney, which we didn't.  I was afraid the whole tourney that we'd get rolled by some elite team but when we finally lost it was no biggy.  Some Bay Area team that dropped down from the A-pool.  We lost 11-9 and the game could have gone either way.  Maybe if Kief hadn't left us for Phoenix to watch the NFC Championship game and see his Eagles lose, we would have won.  Oh and I think shortly after this game I got most of the team and the other UCSD team with the goat.  HA!!  How many kicks is that?

Instead of getting another game, we were officially done which sucked because  my bro and pops were on their way over to the fields to watch me play for the first time.  They were in Santa Monica for brunch at the JC so I scrambled to find another team to play.  I convinced the other UCSD team to play a short game with us.  The game was pretty sloppy, but my family didn't know the difference. No biggy, it was fun.

After a few prolonged good byes, we all finally parted ways.  It was a great time and if I could comeback in a year and play with my fellow squids, I would.  I went back to JAM's for a shower and then had my mom pick me up for dinner at El Torito.

I wish I wasn't as tired as I was because I was basically worthless at dinner.  But hey, we watched the AFC Championship game while eating enchiladas so it could have been worse.  I then went back to LAX for my red eye back to JFK and JAM proved his worth as a friend by bringing me my winter coat that I had left at his place.

The last cool thing to happen in LA was right before I got on the plane.  I was waiting in a nearby gate where a flight from Miami was just getting in around 9pm and who do I see coming out of the jetway first?  None other than Jason Statham.  He was walking with some woman who didn't look nearly as hot as Turkish could get, but who knows, maybe they were HS sweet hearts.

I got on my 930pm flight and crashed quickly, only to wake up in JFK at 530am and then had to high tail up to the Have for my 9am lab meeting.  It's cool.  I hit the Bucks before hand and was in lab just in time to show off my successful cloning data that I had generated right before I left.

Lei Out...check.

just my thoughts

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