Tens and twenties what's so funny fucking 2010

Two thousand and ten, by far the wildest year of my life. In many respects, a rough year around the globe - reading about the year in perspective both anonymous and well known, there seems to be a vindictive joy that the year is finally over, and a cautious enthusiasm for what two thousand eleven will bring.

It was a rough year worldwide - I'm thinking of Haiti, struck by multiple tragedies claiming many lives. I don't think enough of the world beyond our borders, or even the world beyond my own little bubble of self absorption and day to day minutia. That is something I will change in 2011. It is time to look to the world at large again. I have not even read the newspaper with regularity since the end of the 2008 election cycle.

In retrospect, I will call 2010 a good year, personally. It was not always fun but I learned a lot - about myself, my craft, my sport. I learned that life is what you, YOU make of it, that hard work and self motivation are the only ways to be truly successful. I learned what happens when you forsake the aforementioned values, and how hard it is to fail at something that you love. I learned to love again, and remembered why it is that love for anything is among the most important things a person can have. I learned the consequences of acting without thought, of rushing into things, of getting hurt.

I learned a lot about what I stand for and what I stand against, what I want out of life, what my goals are, and how important it is to pursue those wants and goals with gusto, with intense dedication and with disregard for the consequences of failure. I learned from Erik to keep striving for better adventures, and take life, as it were, by the horns. I learned to stand up for myself, and to stand up for others when necessary. I learned that from now on, I will need to work on my art career from as many angles as possible every day.
Most importantly, I learned to pick myself up.

The beginning o the year is a fitting time to post my personal ultimate goals for the 2011 spring season. They are as follows:

-Do something for the team every day.
-Run, jump and throw every day.
-Quit drinking, smoking and excessive computer use.
-Be organized and hardworking in school to facilitate being organized and hardworking in team affairs, at practice and on the field.
-Be the best captain possible.

For added fun, you can have my new years resolutions too.
They are:

-Be a kinder person
(work to increase the overall sum of human happiness)
-Be financially organized and responsible
-Write more

Let's make 2011 amazing.
I'm off to enjoy the last four minutes of 2010.

Have you ever seen true talent?

I don't know if you realized, but the spring season started today. You can feel it in the air, a subtle electricity.

You know what that means, don'tcha? No? It means that I'm finally done with my Thanksgiving bender!

Also, that its time to hit the gym. Hard.
Hit it like the VP of finance would.

What I did for the team today:
Organised some stuff, ran around a bit.
It is a start.

Happy December everybody.

I never meant to cause you trouble

Quick one tonight.
Do work Monday snuck up today and indeed, work was done. Getting things accomplished in advance is a very nice feeling, but moreover it would be a great habit to perpetuate - when schoolwork is not a concern ultimate and running the team become that much easier.

Today we laid out a lot of plans for the spring season, and if we hustle we will be in good shape.

Hustle this week, or die. There is no time for error. Can't let a day go.
I'm at roughly 75% good solid work and 25& actively detrimental behavior. There really is no middle ground -- here I am awake at four am, having eaten miller light and buttered chicken for dinner. On the other hand, I am ahead on work for two classes and have a victory plan for the semester.

Make no mistake, self reflective self. It is the end of the semester, it is do or die. Your (our) financial aid, grades, self respect and the future of the team that we love more than anything are all at stake. It is time to take the semester by storm as Theoden did Pelennor, and if all goes well my body won't be among the wreckage and the dead when all is said and done.

Next semester can and should be the best ever and we can make that happen now.
Gunx Love.

On the second day of blag-mass, my true love gave to me

Egoism and the constant quest for self improvement and a fat goose in a pear tree!
Let's get down to the details

Forehand
The good: can release form any height, can break the mark oi, can huck full field when neccesary
The bad: method of release as well as sheer percenatge of forehands thrown vs backhands has stilted my form in a way that I often telegraph, leading to five point blocks in the fall season.
The ugly: Changing my throwing stance to not telegraph forehands will take work but it will pay off and will necessitate quicker release moves as well, a bonus. Getting in better shape will make hucks bigger, and learning to isolate the shoulder will lead to more control and longer throws, as well as more options. Forehand can and should grow in every dimension by sectionals, practice throwing yo!

Backhand
The good: backhand hucks are the biggest ever, backhand pulls off the chain when I am fresh or amped
The bad: Short backhand form is not solid, pulls get bad with fatigue, hucks at Marist were very OI.
The ugly: Lunges and form practice to get short backhand together, getting in better shape should fix pull problems, as will mental focus every. single. pull. Learning to get lower and break the mark with backhand hucks will yield utter domination.

Hammer
The good: looks reasonable considering lack of practice in the last two years. Most hammers in games were pretty decent.
The bad: Some were quite bad. My hammer is not precise enough and lacks depth. Just don't have the control I have with backhands and forehands.
The ugly: practice, practice, practice. And getting stronger in the gym. The hammer can be an unblockable breakmark weapon, a la Brodie Smith. Dave and Eric have hammers on lock with their respective precision lasers/giant megaton bombs, all I want is to develop a decent 40 - 50 yard utility throw/break-mark weapon/goal to Tom machine.

Thumb hammer
The good: discovered the thumber is the same as an OI flick with slight adjustments for the flight characteristics of an upside down disc. I can put some heat under the sucker! 40+ yards.
The bad: form still not tight. Sometimes not gripping hard enough leads to an early or sloppy release and lots of wobbling/gratuitous double helix.
The ugly: this throw is for real and almost game ready. After some work, it will be quick and deadly. I hope people force me backhand at Nocturnal Decisions.

Scoober
The good: I never throw them
The bad: I never throw them
The ugly: I think I can. Why not? Quick release zone weapon.

That's where throwing is at, the basics. Any given talking point could be extrapolated into a longer discussion, maybe that is a good idea. The forehand shoulder jerk is for real, laser hucks coming upwind at you.

For all throws:
Grip tighter, throw harder, quicker, faster, stronger. Focus.

See you next time for good/bad/ugly breakdown of defense and cutting, or maybe something else.
Happy black friday, drink an imperial stout.

No day but today?

Let's see what happens.

"PPS
Note to self: next time you can run again but decide to do something stupid instead of working out, remember how much it sucks not being able to and act accordingly. Kay?"

From the summer, coming off surgery. Point is, this week long bender has been fun but it is time to grind. One of my goals for the fall 2010 season was to be emotionally and physically healthy. I managed the former way better than usual, but the latter?
Despite cutting down on drinking big time, I did some dumb shit. I got hurt a lot, both drunk and sober in the early part of the semester and proceeded to play while inured.

There went the fall season, really. I found ways to contribute to the team as a non practicing player, but a month off, on top of my six weeks off in the summer, was rough and it will take work to get back on top.

In addition, it seems my honeymoon with ultimate is over. After seven years of playing all the time and getting injured relatively seldom, chronic injuries are creeping into the picture. Trick knees and sore backs seem to be the hallmark of the kind of explosive throwing and cutting that goes down in this game of ours, and that's just where I'm at now.

So basically, physical fitness, more than ever, will be at a premium and I will have to approach the winter training season diligently and intelligently - to make the most of my training time, to get as good as possible, and to minimize injuries past present and future.

The game ain't black and white anymore. Used to be, I could look at every aspect of my game and say "I've improved universally. I am better in every way than I was last week/month/party."
That ended last fall. But at least some things are incontrovertibly better.

The laws have changed.
More words to follow, to focus myself if nothing else. Who reads blags anymore anyway?
I do, and I will.
Onward into the future, Gunx 2011 baby!

You're not alone

The fall season was greatly productive for the Gunx. We recruited a motivated group of fantastic freshmen and have improved as a team in a myriad of small ways. Lately, team love is at an all time high and if we can continue in the same vein it will yield very positive results.

I have lot of thoughts bouncing around about myself, the team, next season and all manner of other things but there are too many to catch just one of the swarm and pin it down in word form.

Another day.

Ragin'

Oh yeah so the women's team had a tournament and it was quite a time. Blog about that soon, kay seeya later.

Never have I ever

Or rather never would I ever have expected to be rooting for Boston. Or Florida, for that matter. But perhaps an even stranger transformation is the one I am planning for this weekend: I am going to handle the disc with care and love, and play the possesion game for arguably the first time ever. I'm going to be a real handler.

Don't mean I'll be gun shy, when the time is right the big throws will be lights out.
But we need to value to the disc to win this weekend, and play offense and defense with intesnity.

Our X and Y squads will be stretched a bit thin in the offensive depth department. As team leaders, we can compensate for this by encouraging defensive depth and intensity, and leading by example on offense with confident, smart plays. A strong mental game will be key and everyone needs to have each other's backs.

Everyone knows what is at stake, and if we play our cards right we have so much more to gain from this weekend than we can possibly lose.

Can't fucking wait.
Gunx love.

Huh

"I think a lot of ultimate, and a lot of college ultimate is basically about who wants to win more. There are a lot of mental headcases in this sport, and the baggage they carry onto the field with them amazes me. I don't want that to be something that holds us back."
-Josh Mullen

More on this later. It articulates a lot of things I've been thinking about, team-wise.

One week...

Sleep schedule is wrecked. This is the point in the semester where in years past I've let things really fall apart. Goal for this year is to keep rolling academically and reel in the good grades. Have to not suck at going to bed on time/getting up in the morning.
Have to.

Yale Cup this weekend, going to cheer on the women's side. Hopefully will be able to help in a constructive way. Shirts look cool.

I want to play so hard.

Now what you gonna do when I step to you

The coming of winter demands strength and resilience. To that end, it is time to get back to the workout grind and party only judiciously, if at all.

Time to get back on track running the team, and getting schoolwork done.

November is a great month for introspection and personal growth, a month to settle debts before the new year, and figure out where you stand in relation to the old. A lot of stuff has happened and I've grown, a bit.

One more week on the dl. I have been practicing throwing a lot and am about to take my forehand to the next level, and add new dimensions to my backhand. Might even relearn hammer. Can't wait to play.

Time to do work.
I know what I want.
I will get it.
A.I.D.I.W.

Gunx love and happy November
Ben

Al Davis said it best

After RPI the Gunx can notch our first tournament win on our collective team belt. It is a long time coming and was absolutely wonderful to watch. We've been building this program for so long and there really are no words.

I'm on the dl for the time being, will find out how long this week. MRI tomorrow.
Not playing at a tournament was weird but I found solace in being a constant sideline presence and last back caller. And watching the team win without me was the best feeling in the world.

On to the next one? The program has come so far and we have so far to go. The rookie squad notched up two wins, showcasing our future potential. We're going to build something that lasts.

Team in the apartment now. Party time.

Last post pretty much sums it up.
And this.
All I'ma do is win.

Gunx love,
now and forever.

Breate deep, seek peace.

I know what I want out of life and I am going to get it.

Mediocrity is a slow death.
Have a good one.

Club Sectionals Redux

3 and 4. We did better than anyone expected and got our names out there. Playing with Marist was amazing and I am fully in support of taking Hasbrouk Heroes to the next level in the 2011 club season.

Personally I played some of the best ultimate of my career. On the downside, I turned the disc too much, did not get enough D's and got handblocked three times. I did not get active enough on the handle and looked off other handlers.
On the upside I was intensely confident in my flick huck and short throws and felt good about my handler defense. Never felt better about throwing.
My physical game was aight but I lost my edge day two. I played a lot but even so if I want to ever play on that level I need to get in much better shape and that goes double for the spring season.

The tournament gave us valuable experience and fuel for our fire this season. We know we can play at the club level and bring that game to college and the confidence will help us ball. No complacency,

Boom.
Good weekend. One of the best of my frisbee career and life.
Done.

Club Sectionals day 2

Game 1 vs 7 Express
We came out flat and played timid. That was that. Personally that was my worst game of the touranment and based on score alone it was the worst for the team.

Game 2 vs Romp

The other half of the Stomp squad we beat day 1 was a bit handier with the disc and had some crafty players. They recognized our lack of depth on the female side of things and ran 4 - 3 women to men all game. Didn't help them much, we won pretty handily.

During the time off we watched Depends on the Jersey battle District 5. DotJ lost on universe point and took it hard but played a fantastic game. I'm rooting for the upset at regionals.

Game 3 vs Man Pro
Man Pro also elected to throw 4 - 3 women to men against us all game. One thing about club is that scouting is much better than the level of college tournaments we've played in. Every team gets an idea of the other team's threats and what they want to do. Every team we played day two marked me straight up from the get go, for instance. Anyway, we put in work against Man Pro but our lack of female subs meant we could not throw zone. They won 15 - 6 in a game I am convinced would have been closer if we could have thrown zone at them, their throws were nothing special and that extra pressure would have taken away a lot of their best options. Some of their players were really annoying but in general they are a fantastic bunch of people and I wish them luck at regionals.

Practice week 3/Club sectionals day I

Practice week three: freshmen love the team, they are coming out every day. Looking like Brian might coach us.
Nice.

Sectionals day 1
Game 1 vs Zoji
They were deep and despite repeated turnovers we could not capitalize enough. Also got broken a lot. Not the worst but we don't have the legs to beat a team like that yet.

Game 2 vs Depends on the Gun Toting Pinatas
Whatever you want to call this team, they are still very good. They ran through their women and every once in a while one of their dudes would do something awesome. Due to a distinct lack of Shockey we had air superiority but that was about it and we lost 15 - 4 despite some good flow, some good points and our women working very hard to stop a very talented girlsquad.

Game 3 vs Stomp
We came out expecting to win and basically just won despite a late game comeback. They outscored us by one in the second half, but at the end of the day it was our outscoring them by four in the first half that made the difference. The game got kind of chippy and due to some endzone celebrations by not JT Dave a few of their players have no love for us. It happens.

Game 4 vs Columbia Mixed
Went up 5 - 1, lost half 8 - 6, then 10 - 6, then 12 - 10 us, then we won. Never been prouder to be part of this amazing group of people and that is saying something. We showed how mentally and physically tough we can be and noone gave up on the game. I nearly did after turning some deep hucks during zone points and hanging a lot of other players out to dry, but after a few points off I realized that would be a terrible way to end the tournament and that was that. Everyone came together and a lot of players really pulled out all the stops with their zone defense, running them into the ground and getting D's.

Many of our players were straight up horses and just worked hard all day. Many decided to put their skills on display and make ridiculous circus catches. It was a good day for the Heroes and if we can ball tomorrow we might just make regionals.

Great first day.
Onward Has Heroes!

Welp

It is about time to get back in the blogging game.
Coming soon: Words!

Affirmation

Have you ever thought about the phrase "they don't make em like they used to?" Me neither until today. It is commonly used to imply a sort of vague sighing derision for the inadequacy of the present with regards to a better past. However, it could easily be used with a different tone in a positive sense! They don't make planes like the used to, and thank goodness for that.

Goals for this semester and season.:

Improve myself as a captain to better lead the team.

I will achieve this by working to become more confident in my skillset and teaching ability. I will be there for the team. I will work hard and set an example. I will be organized and on top of the neccesary legistical work. I will work to develop the potential of the team in such a way that our skillet is maximized and people are in rolls, on the field and off of it, that optimize their talents and the unique skills they are bringing to the table.

Be healthy, mentally and physically

I will accomplish this by eating healthy, reading, and above all working out and running on the track. I will push my limits and develop my physical skillset beyond anything I have achieved thus far. I will keep drinking to a minimum.

Fiscally responsible

I will accomplish this by saving money on food when possible, not wasting it on overly expensive meals or useless inane purchases of any kid. I will manage my bank account.

I will work hard at drawing and have a children's book ready to publish by the end of next spring
I will dedicate myself and make the most of my time in college.
I will seize every moment and not let a day go to waste.


I will continue to refine my goals and seek to achieve them, and give some more thought to this post after the fatigue from the staff social wears off.
What a summer.

Wrapping up

Summer league ended perhaps more with a wimper than a bang. Went out first round, Bill's blue boyos captializing on our turnovers. Our lack of legs made it hard to get the disc from them and we were way too supa fast for them to D us, so the game came down to execution errors and fatigue. Amped up by Chetti on the sidelines, I played a decent game, coming down with a big layout grab and scoring a few other goals. Unfortunately I could not pull the trigger on defense and missed something like five prime opportunities to save a break. Also smacked a guy with a disc. You had to be there.

Second round the B team combined with another coed squad to form team chocolate covered strawberries, squaring off with open white and red featuring chocolate women (and Herbst). Lost in a clincher. Kevin left before the end of the game and our other handlers did not realize how good an idea it was to bomb it to a goon every point.

Third round I joined forces with the red open squad to face off C Rob and his merry men, featuring hilarious travel call. It was a fun spirited game and C Rob really is a tremendous captain, looked like they had fun. Between pickle grenades and Herbst making the awk-est hilarious plays on my hucks, it was a right laugh. Forest may have the trophy and orange played a ballin game of disc but open red you have my heart.

So that's what the other side of the coed bracket looks like, having made finals the past two years I missed out on the chaos of the b bracket. All told, fantastic season with the B team, wish I could have made it to more games. Our record does not indicate how strong the team was but sadly we will remain in the mind the team that could have been. I have never played on more adaptable squad. We were easily able to transition into one of four offenses at the drop of a hat and that is something that I want to bring to New Paltz this year. Offensive breadth is such a rarity in frisbee that being able to call side stack off the pull could make the difference between a break and a goal.

And boy did we have a blast. B team!

PS watched half the open final and the entire two hour coed slugfest. What a game. Picture if you can the following scenario: Game to 15 win by two. With the score 14 - 13, black throws the game winner to a wide open Skip. Elf flies out of nowhere and gets a full extension layout d, Forest goes on to win 17 - 16. I have never seen a more clutch play.

Upward over the mountain

A tale in three parts.

I
Hingham was one of the best weekends of my life in recent memory (and anyone with anything but recent memory is not partying hard enough amirite?). It was a blast and I got to spend time with some of the best people imaginable, and it taught some important lessons. Namely, sometimes doing right by yourself will negatively affect others and you have to figure out when it is appropriate to live for yourself and when to sacrifice for other's benefit. But that's a life lesson. Boring! Frisbee is what is happening, am I right?

So yeah on that note, Hingham brought me back to my roots. It was a weekend of the distilled essence of what frisbee should be: Having as much fun as possible with your crew and meeting new people while doing the things you love to do. I have been getting too serious and my onfield demeanor is not always the nicest. Hingham was a reality check, and I will use the expereince to get my head straight and go back to being a fun person to play ultimate against as well as with. Not at the expense of competitiveness! Never that. But the great thing about this little game of ours is the great people you meet and the fun you can have gritting out a universe point win against a team you like and respect.

II
Today was the last WUDI regular season game, a gritty loss to Gold, starting 6 on 7 and ending 5 on 7 after Sergei went out with a hurt something. It was rough and we ultimately lost, but we had fun and played confidently with a "nothing left to lose so throw everything and the kitchen sink" sort of mentality. With no Julie to be positive or Adam to run the show, people will need to step up at playoffs and I will be one of them. Fueled by Hingham and fun and life, I will be, as Jenn would say, POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE and we will go out with a bang and face whatever end the WUDI playoffs bring.

III
Positivity is a good keyword for the upcoming season. If we can strive to impart positive energy to each new and old player at every practice and team function, we will be on the right track for a fantastic fall season. Doober being captain is going to come up huge, you heard it here first (or did you?). Plans are in the works and this is shaping up to be our most organized season ever, which can only help. Everyone is talking about how good we are right now and how good we can be. Now we all need to man or woman up and make it happen. Set some personal goals, it will help a lot.

We all need to come together and get by with a little help from our friends.
Get each other's backs...
...and make this our best year ever by far.

Bad form?/And now for something completely different

Blurbs.

OMK showcases the baseline of the team, even better than wildwood. We have a long way to go but are coming in with a head full of confidence and a ridiculous skill set.
Let's do work.

Rec league finals- not going. Sadlife in the sense that I blew a commitment and there is nothing worse a leader can do. I know I am doing right by me but am hurting a team I committed to lead in the process. That is a lesson and a warning, cannot ever let that happen in New Paltz.

Hingham- Zieh Dich Aus! Black and white! GOOOOO ZEBBBBBBRAS

Talk to you soon.

Take the wheel and steer

Wildwood was a blast. An amazing weekend overall but for me the best part was seeing the future of New Paltz ultimate. There were moments where we played, as a team, fantastic, confident ultimate, showcasing the skills of a team that is versitile, confident, creative and deadly. Those brief snapshots sketch out the future of the team if we can take our current crop of talent and our drive to get better and run with it, well, to the endzone.

This weekend should can and should be further proof. We are going to be really, really good if we can come together and push each other. That's basically all.
Let's do it.

Lost at summer league today. Played badly, as a team and individually. We can do better. Throws were good. Defense was not. At. All.
Oof.

Have a good one.

chocolate rain

B Team came out on top of the highly anticipated rematch with chocolate, going up large in the first half and then playing a subdued second half, allowing chocolate a few points of catchup but not enough. Game, B Team, 14 - 11. I feel really good about my offensive positioning, taking more time to see the field and time my cuts for the right setup. It payed off today, 6 goals caught and one thrown. Boom.

Got beat on defense a few times and missed three or four big play opportunities on d. Played worse in the second half, not running hard enough due to 10% long work day, 15% daytime tequila and 75% not being in good enough shape.

Things to do, in short: on offense, continue to work on setting up in the right place, close enough to the disc, and timing cuts based on who has the disc and the spaces that open up instead of just running and running and running and hoping.

On defense, set up a yard or two out from a man in the endzone so they cannot get the drop step. Don't get beat deep, and get in shape to be able to run harder.

Pulls were pretty damn decent.

So enough about me.
Stuff to get done for the Gunx before the season starts:
Be ready to
order discs
order uniforms
have a practice schedule
advertise the team
boom

Above the clouds

"If you don't know how to play cup, don't play it!" the old white player angrily yelled at his younger rec league teammate.

Getting in shape: so far so good, still doing stupid things like staying up late and drinking mad beer, but I am feeling confident and running hard. Ups need a lot of work.

League this week:
Wednesday the B team faced the strong orange squad. We had seven players and had to run 4 - 2 against 7 due to gender ratio rules. Playing down is a great challenge. We had some great moments. I caught a bunch of goals but missed two due to bad jumping and blew a great cutting opportunity.

Pros: Met Ken Dobyns.
Cons: We lost, 15 - 12 after trading ahead and then getting broken two times in the last crucial minutes.

Thursday:
Forest fire vs white.
I was running on fumes and somehow managed to hit the perfect amount of overtired to not care and just run and run. We won by a lot.
Pros: Great flow, great team game.
Cons: The Stiggles - Herbst matchup in the blue red game just did not live up to the hype my brain manufactured.

Isaac played tremendously. We were going to do a workout on the way home from league, both being sleep deprived and hungover and hyped up on endorphins, but I was a badoof and did not have sneakers.

Club soon.
I will be ready. Planks, lunges, squats, pushups, it is on.

Plans (lolololololololol)

So let's get to the bare bones.
Next weekend is the last before four weekends of club/league tournaments in row or somesuch.

It is time to make the most of it.
Things to do:
Design a workout
workout
workout
workout
Drink water
DRINK WATER
DRINK MORE WATER
That's about it.

At the same time, making plans for the upcoming school year:
Binder containing
-scorekeeping device
-roster
-relevant team paperwork (travel forms, etc)
-whatever else

That is what I have been thinking about today. How about you?

BONUS POST LOLOLOL

At draft league I focused very hard on not getting broken and it payed off. Need to learn when to block the dump at a high stall count, and also to step in front of the thrower after they release the disc.

Marking is a big issue for rec league, we got broken a lot in the zone and that just kills. Against a stronger team it would have been a real issue. Paul thinks forcing middle at rec is better becase it contains more. I think he is wrong and that we can learn a force sideline defense and profit from it.

Bleh.

Anyway, been thinking about the fundamental concepts we need to focus on with new players, early, often and in a simple, concise way.

On defense:
marking
forcing
last back

What else?

Our powers combined, we form FULL BEARD

#777.

So.
What to say about the past few days in ultimateland? I've realized a few things and been given some solid advice, and am working on improving my physical game. Jumping off my toes, body on defense, dictating, agression...pretty much everything. Started to pay of in wednesday's game against red, I played arguably the best defensive game of my life, dicating physically and more points than not stopping my man from getting the disc completely. I got scored on twice and missed a few d opportunities, but I got three D's and shut down quite a few cutters, including some very solid players. Several players on my team and the other team complimented my game, which was nice.

Also played more confident offense, and whether that was the cause or the effect, I was much more vocal and a bigger presence on the team. Definately played more confidently than I ever have in draft league and that will pay dividends. Also coming from camp and being amped to play instead of tired was AWESOME. Also, Chichester was there <3.

But we lost. And I could have done more to stop that from happening.
Work work work!

Won handily at rec league, played blue who we already beat handily and today many of their veterans were not there. E Herbst picked up the slack, playing some of the most confident ultimate I've seen from him so far, and a good omen for the coming year. However his valiant effort was not enough and we rolled them handily.

Unsatisfying. On some level winning in a blowout is less fulfilling than losing a close game. That highly depends on context of course, but winning by 12 in rec league just does not get me jazzed up. However, I had a few throws that I would not have been able to make last week, and am feeling very confident again.

Boom.

200 posts when all you need is a good night's sleep

It is the night before the first day of camp and as per usual I am having trouble sleeping. Some things change and some things stay the same for 18 years.

Been focusing on throwing form lately. I am back in pretty good shape and feeling more confident with my throws but I keep half-assing backhands and my forehand form is not consistant. Same old same old really just things to keep in mind. I keep using backhand variants that are lazy and sloppy such as the almost-push pass or the high release. Throws that are good in a pinch but should not ever be your default.

It comes down to a focus issue. I need to focus on form every single throw until it becomes second nature to throw backhands with full body motion.
Forehands just need a little refinement and they will be better than ever.

Above all, I need to improve my in game decision making if I ever want to approach the level of throwing I want to be at. Shortgame turnovers are completely unacceptable.

Have a good one.

Problems with easy solutions

Rough game against Orange this past Thursday. After two confident points to lead off, we got rolled in the first half for an 8 - 3 deficit, again. In the second half we started taking more chances and playing more confident offense, and switched our D to man, and so it was that we ended up only losing by two.

I'm feeling much more confident with my throws, and took more chances, leading to five or so assists, but also quite a few turns from badly executed hucks, several of them on the last point of the game. Need to WORK ON DECISION MAKING. So much better than it used to be but that is still not anywhere near good enough. I threw five hucks that were in the good - very good range including two full field forehands for goals. If I had not thrown the bad ones, it would have been a very good game for me and heck we might have won.

Shoulda coulda woulda.

Anyway, camp has started again and with it come decisions to make.
For instance, shave the mutton chops to combat the heat or keep them to combat lameness?
Play in rec league finals or play at Hingham?
UGH. That would be even be a question if I was not a captain.
Interesting to note is that frisbee is clearly the players sport of choice at camp this year. It was getting there last year but orientation has been ridiculous so far. Throwing circles between every meeting. Despite all the soccer players, the world cup, rugby, basketball...frisbee is in everyone's hands and on everyone's mind.

Awesome.

Me and my big mouth and swollen nose

After a close first half we sat on a 8 - 6 lead. Lots of trading on O. We were up a break until I threw it away, then we went up a break again to take half. Yay defense.

Second half we continued to cruise, but hit our high water mark at 12. They scored 4 straight to take it capped at 14 - 12, after we basically gave them the disc three points in a row. Rough game.

High point: Catching a blade huck for a goal despite being elbowed hard in the nose by my defender while jumping.
Low point: we lost.

Why? Despite generally good defense and savvy defensive adjustments (if marking correctly to prevent breaks is all that savvy, I really need to stop getting broken on backhands) we continued to throw into poaches. It was rough having 9 people on such a hot day against such a strong team but honestly that was not the reason. We had the game in the bag and decided to let it out.

I got some sound cutting advice from a guy on my team, he called me out on making looong deep cuts and then looong cuts back in if I do not get open, leading to telegraphs, clogging and wasted energy. I will work on setting up my cuts at more appropriate times (when the huckers have the disc for instance) and saving energy and making shorter and/or smarter cuts at full momentum every time.

Two throwing turns and a dropped huck. Three goals caught. Two poach D's. Many more D opportunities missed. One assist that was a pretty terrible throw, totally goofy breakmark airbounce thing. It worked but eh. Rob showed up to chill and watch. Awesome. He gives good hugs.

Onward into the future.

My body is a cage

Part 1

Today Brendan and I returned to our old stomping grounds, the high school track and football field for a sprinting workout. Four sets of three reps, distance increasing with each set. 30 seconds of rest between sets. I only managed to beat Brendan once, he said maybe twice but I pushed myself to run hard straight through every sprint. Room for improvement but I am feeling mentally tougher than ever.

Having slept for three hours the night before, the combination of a workout in the afternoon and a game this evening is a reasonable approximation of a tournament post all-nighter/party/all night party. Not that I am training for that particular scenario, but the bottom line is when the chips are down you have to be able to push your hardest no matter how fatigued you are, no matter what reason why.

We're playing black today, the only undefeated team in the league. Believe me we'll be taking shots. A+ Game time baby.
Whoo.


Part 2

I need to make some serious changes in my life, effective immediately. Work starts in three days and if I am not on top of my game it will get messy.

Key points:
-Drink water and eat healthy: I am not drinking enough water and my meal schedule is dicey. Also no more crap no matter how tempting it is to buy mentos and iced tea at the deli.

-Chill with partying: although I am drinking less it is still too much. Simple math. Cut it out.

-Organize life: room needs to get clean or at least organized. Need to get laundry under control, for now and also to make it easy to transition back to school.

-Drawing: I am getting a lot of sketches done, need to organize my supplies and previous work. Also, make a bitchin' contest entry for the savage jersey contest.
And last but not least...

-THROWING. I am not going to get enough touches at draft league as a cutter to keep in form. That leaves once a week handling at rec league, also not enough. Can't coast. Camp will make it hard, I will have to find my fire all summer to A practice throwing every day and B work out despite the fatigue that comes with walking up the hill a million times a day let alone my actual job. I need to get my throwing chops and full body throwing form back, but not only that I NEED to improve so that I come back to school BETTER than I was in the spring, unlike last year where I lost ground over the summer.

Achieving these goals will make for a great summer.
Thanks for listening.

The sleep of reason brings forth monsters

Hey all you hepcats out there in listening land. In an attempt at making this blag even more concise, this post will be spartan to the extreme, every detail juicy and relevant.

Thursday, Forest Fire vs Red

Red suprised us with zone and we were slow to adjust. We played with no fire in the first half and did not take enough chances. Red took half 8 - 3. Second half we came out with reknewed fire, some new strategies and a zone d of our own. We rolled to tie it at 10s. They rattled off two to make it 12 - 10, soft cap goes off, game to 13. We scored once more. They worked the disc patiently, throwing upwards of 50 passes before turning it over.

We gave it right back. They took the game, after another grueling possesion.

What went wrong: we were unprepared for the wind and were slow to adjust strategically. They played to their strengths (throws, strategic acumen, Stiggles) and we played to our weaknesses (inexperience, not throws).

In summary: I need to not be so slow to adjust our strategies. Waiting until it is too late is not a winning plan.

Monday B Team vs Moodey Blues

Close game, nearly all of our men were there. We had a hard time getting flow going. After leading for most of the game, they scored to to make it 14 - 14, then 15 - 14. After a grueling point where I managed to turn the disc twice, we scored to tie it at 15s. They held on o despite turns by both teams to take the final point after cap. 16 - 15 loss.

Two frustratingly close games. That's the meat of it, here is the fat.
On thursday, I handled for the first time in a month. My downtime and rust showed pretty clearly, throws were not confident and I turned it quite a few times, one time basically dropping the disc on an attempted forehand. Also I did not adjust our strategy until it was too late, as already mentioned. However, we did learn that our zone d is killer. Wind still kills my strategies and I need to find ways to compensate for it and by extension teach a team to do so.

Against Blue I played alright, three solid points and a bunch of points where I was a nonfactor. I was called as a mid cutter in the ho stack a few times and that is not a position I feel confident playing yet. Felt like I was clogging a lot. Also I felt like a pillar of jello. Getting in shape is imperative, as is cutting down on drinking. I'm not even drinking that much but my tolerance is at its lowest since freshmen year and it is clearly having a negative impact on my preformance. Also I missed two Ds and nearly let myself mentally check out to the point that I was scared of gaurding one of their cutters. Fuck that. Confidence. Yaheardofit?

So anyway, whatever I just wrote at least it is out of my head now. Bottom line, aside from getting in shape I need to practice throwing a lot to shake off the rust. Get low, confidence, tight grip, easy. I had two throwing turns against blue and a ton against red and even my completions do not have the confidence and zest I pride myself on.

Pulls were good today though. Word.
My blog probably needs an editor. Whatever. Hey I'm nocturnal. Should probably fix that too.
<3
Ben

Frankenstien can play again

So. Happy.

Two draft league games under the belt so far and it feels great.

Monday

B-Team vs Orange

Ken Dobyns was not there, sadly. Showed up late, missed the first half by the time I was warmed up. We were down 8 - 5. Came out in the second half ready to bring it on d, and between that and not turning the disc we pretty much rolled, winning 15 - 12. Sweet. Turned the disc once, on a bad forehand huck. The intended reciever had a good 20 yard lead but I threw it too high and it bladed out of reach. Tom would have caught it.

My throws in general were a little dicey, basically just need to shake off a month's worth of rust and get my body mechanics in sync again. On that note, pulled it three times, the first an OB laser, the second two in bounds lasers that went pretty far but had no height. Lower body son, ya heard of it? Get low get low get low and all that. Also, confidence in short throws. Caught two goals, sweet. A girl on my team realized that throwing hammers to tall people is hilarious and mostly works. Diggin' it.

Wednesday

B-Team vs Chocolate

Chocolate only had two women so they had to play 6 on 7 the entire game. We ran a couple of different poachy zones, mostly I got to be last back and do very little on defense except run back and forth to discourage hucking. We beat them pretty handily, they were a person down sure but a win is a win. Caught two goals and threw three assists (plus three goals in post-game pickup lololol). Pulled it three times. One was big but OB, the second was a deep laser and the third was pretty nice, long, in bounds and with a lot of hangtime. Still got it, just have to focus every pull. Duh.

One turnover, another bad flick huck to a wide open reciever, threw it way too high and the defender had time to catch up and take better position. Tom would have caught it. Did not get low. Bad form. Next week my bad hucks will be for goals! Two D's, although one was thrown right to me and the other one was a deep shot that I got after it went over the intended reciever. Should have D'd it first, Tom would have caught that too.

In general, my cuts were a little sloppy and some clogging went down, although less so on wednesday. Throws need a lot of polishing, need to throw every day especially after games. Fitness likewise.

B-Team is hella sweet. The team is fun with a lot of heart. Not a lot of firepower, more emphasis on working the disc up the field honestly and intelligently. My role seems to be the bailout big guy, going deep when needed to create field space, or rather, every chance I get. It will be a harder role to play against a team with a real deep threat, so I'd better kick my ass in gear and get in shape asap.
Cool yo.

Frankenstien does not know what day it is

Anyway, Forest laid brick today. Hopefully next week I will be able to join them on the field of battle but they have shown that they certainly don't need my talents to get the job done. Dropped em 8 - 1 in the first half. Second half they came out swinging with a zone look that gave us pause for a little. Combined with a few bad drops they got as close as 10 - 6, but eventually our offense clicked and our D just rolled for the rest of the game, final score 15 - 8. Our offense ran a lot better than last week, although we need to work on clogging as well as some more specific issues like rushing on the goal line, looking off women and overenthusiastic hucking.

Oh and zone. We almost had a real problem when they threw it at us, definatley need to learn to beat it as well as run it. Paul will be invaluable there, he can explain it way better than I can.

Defense looked great, great intensity.
Feeling more confident as a rec captain.
Gonna run this town tonight.

Frankenstien late night edition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1D7_7953DU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhN0OZA3aIs&feature=player_embedded

Grip.

Frankenstien Part ii Day 14

Threw quite a bit yesterday with Zach. Forehands are looking tight, grip work has definately payed off. I'm learning to isolate upper body mechanics for backhands which should pay off for midrange throws and may even lead to more control over huge hucks.

Brodie's hammer is ridiculous.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip8kKSOXjDY

Frankenstien Part II Day 10

Saw my surgeon today, she declined to give me a specific timeframe for my return to the field but did say that I can start throwing again, although without any lower body mechanics.
Thus, things to focus on: aim, wrist snap and shoulder laser hucks. Cool.

Second rec game today. Our offense did not click due to sketchy cutting and a lot of clogging. Not as bad as last week, in a lot of ways. We certainly possesed the disc more than the other team. However we had trouble executing, our endzone game was week and with a few awesome exceptions we had no deep game. Also, we were playing a much better squad than last week.
Just sayin' though, we'll get em next time.

I am finding it hard being an active captain when I can't contribute by playing. Think I did better toward the end of the game. Need to focus more and learn everyone's names. That'll help.

That's all.
I'm almost 21. Okay.

Frankenstien Part II day 7

Florida over Carleton, 15 - 12. Called that! Off by a point and I predicted it months ago, for what it is worth. (Not much, I went with a hunch that happened to be correct. Still cool though.)

Carleton seemed to get rattled and made some drops, Brodie got some d's, calls were made. Florida's caveman style of ultimate overcame Carleton's tight short game. A shame for those folks who don't like to give the long game its due respect. Haha. Brodie's throws are ridiculous. When Kyle Weisbrod is saying you have the best forehand in the college game, well you're probably a pretty damn good thrower.

Much has been made of Florida's call heavy style of play. It sure ain't fun to watch and it can't be fun to play against. I have no opinion, I'm happy Florida won because I thought they were going to win but neither team is my favorite. Both have very impressive skillsets though, definately motivating!

In lieu of actual content, I offer these articles:

http://f1215833808.blogspot.com/2010/05/who.html
Team identity!

http://f1215833808.blogspot.com/2010/04/rounders.html
Solid advice about handler d

Have a good one!

ps no matter who you were rooting for, you can either agree angrily or laugh hysterically.
http://forceflick.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-florida-is-ruining-ultimate.html

Frankenstien Part II day 6

Florida vs Cut in the open final, called that. Still saying Florida over Cut 15 - 13.

Anyway, still having narrative dreams but they are getting weirder and less funny. Did not take any percocet today and feel more like a normal human, jury is out on whether that is cool or not.

Starting to practice again. At this point the only thing I can practice is grip strength. Stress ball and disc gripping, real tight. Can't throw, can't run, but it is something, a basic fundamental that is often overlooked because it is something you need to practice individually and can't really be "drilled". Little things add up!

Anyway so, tell me a story.

PS
I love movies but I am not a big movie watcher. Since I have very little to do but lie in bed, I've been watching more than usual.
Saturday was gangster movie day, watched The Godfather, Snatch and Boondock Saints 2. In retrospect I should have watched them in the opposite order, because by the end of it the mafiosos in BDS2 seemed pretty lame compared to the fucking Corleones.

PPS
Note to self: next time you can run again but decide to do something stupid instead of working out, remember how much it sucks not being able to and act accordingly. Kay?

Frankenstien Part II day 3

Woke up. Nurse Came. Took a perc. Back to bed!
Woke up again in time to eat for three hours before WUDI.
Sweet!
First rec league game of the season.
Showed up, lots of Forest players there. Huddled up, almost done with introductions when the lightning struck. Everyone ran to their cars, waited it out, cool time to play.
Something like three guys and one girl left after the rain started but we still had enough to play, although the women had to play savage. Started with a huck from Paul to Rich.
Took half 8 - 2, played through half, scored a few more. Blue found some offensive momentum and scored a few and then traded to make it 11 - 7 or something. I left my sketchbook in the car after the rain hit and was thus a very poor score keeper. Ugh percoset. Anyway, we won 15 - 7 or 15 - 8. Something like that. Straight brutal.

Thoughts on the team: we are deep, and we are rigged. Our weakest link would have been middle of the pack on blue.
Rich and Paul established themselves as the "stud" players on the team, and we will no doubt rattle off a lot of stupid huck points through the Paul and Rich show. Sweet. We have a lot of instant chemistry due Rich and Paul, Magic Roll/Gunx, five or so Seven Car Pileup players...that will make it much easier to mesh than a random team with no mutual experience. Our offense was clogged and we gave away the disc and hucked too much...yeah I just said that. Defense was intense! Sweet. Rachel and the Nightwatchmen both played like ballers despite being savage.

Captaining is hard enough when you can't play...being on drugs does not help!
Even so, I think I did a decent job, not much to do as a rec captain except be a fun person and help where possible. Since there are a few players on the team who have as much or more experience, instead of being the "do this" captain I am going to aim for being the "loud voice/heart of the team" kind of captain. Cool.

Don't think it is a coincidence I am the captain of forest. I've been in a forest for a while.
Seeya next time.

PS we won big, cool, no complacency next week!

Frankenstien part II day 2

Anesthetic is a pretty cool concept, but it is the execution that I really approve of.
Anyway, during my second nap today I had a pretty in-depth dream.

It is the last day of classes and for some reason I have to a) get to Great Books Western on time and b) return BJC's skateboard. His skateboard is of course one of those flat planks of wood on wheels with a puny gaurdrail that they use in lieu of shopping carts at home depot and similar hardware emporiums. Anyway, I'm skating around on it and it does not work very well due to its tendancy to spin around once a decent speed is achieved. I'm skating around campus and realize it is almost time to get to class.

Fortunately, I get to the humanities corridor and happen to run into BJC holding court with some hipsters as usual. There is a girl on his lap, but she stands up and morphs into younger brother BJC, clearly younger but almost identical down to the trucker hat and scrubbly facial hair. They high five and I leave the skateboard and peace out of there, at least ten minutes late for class. Somehow I step outside and am in front of smiley. It is now dark out and there is a girl there, she has weird hair. I tell her I have to get to class. We end up at a party at Remie's house, pretty typical. It is going well until everyone realizes that there is a cop car parked in the living room. Busted! I am just trying to get to class dammit!

A stereotypical looking lady cop steps out and yells for everyone to put down the alcohol. I am not old enough to derive satisfaction from her appearance. A guy in a white shirt has a handtruck with about four thirty racks of bud light. He looks suprised. I'm sitting there in the glow of the police lights as the lady cop explains the evil of what we've done. Typical. I'm just trying to get to class and am getting yelled at for something that is not my fault. Being too nice sucks sometimes. As the cop yells at us, the other denizens of Remie's house slink away into the night. I'm there for a while, as the cop helps her eight year old daughter with her homework and presumably waits for backup before bringing me and the unspecified person I am with to jail or whatever.

Eventually we decide to make a break for it. We sneak out, but I can't resist yelling FUCK YOU at the cop as I slam the door and run for it, looping around vandenburg and laying out down a huge hill (sick!). I run up through campus which slowly turns into the summer camp I work at, and just as I am jerked back to conciousness I realize that it is finals week and classes have already ended.

:S

Frankenstien part II day 1

So here I am, lying on a gurney waiting to go into surgery. I have an iv in my left hand, which is numb, causing it to feel like it is levitating because I cannot feel it touching the sheets. Sweet.

Next thing I Know I'm in a classroom, cool, looks a bit like a cross between a better lit version of the lecture center and the cartoon classroom from Brad Neely's "The Professor Brothers" cartoons except largely devoid of monsters.
The kid in the front row started freaking out, I don't remember why or how but I know he freaked the fuck out. He was also definitely smoking a joint in the front row, that ain't gonna fly in an academic setting brah.

Scene change! Am I awake? No. I'm hurtling forward as though on a roller-coaster or fast moving spaceship. An x wing, I decide, and indeed there are tie fighters to be fought. Pretty cool space landscape too, kind of like the graphics from the space battles in Battlefront II but with better atmospherics. Perhaps I've flown into my own imagination?

Bam. Awake. Aw. Time for surgery. I get wheeled into the operating room, trading awkward glances with the blue suited goblins along the way (note to self, Jacob Goble's cartoon drawings of doctors were not as fanciful as once imagined, although I see where he got his inspiration. Their wizard suits are pretty damn funny, all with blue shower caps and whatnot). On the operating table, the anesthesiologists are laughing at me. Perhaps I am slightly out of it...I sit up to get the spinal anesthetic injection, and next thing I know I am asleep in the prep room, surgery apparently over.

So far so good, although I am waiting for the other shoe to drop when the anesthetic wears off and I actually find out what my body feels like.
Until then,
Gunx love

ps
This was my entry for FiveUltimate's daily contest, what do you imagine the future of ultimate to be? Although I did not win, you may get a chuckle out of it:

When the stock market collapses and society as we know it comes to a grinding halt, there will be one guiding light that inspires the persistence of the human race: ULTIMATE FRISBEE. After a brief period of worldwide civil war, the warmongers and football players of today’s world will be all but extinct, leaving behind a global society populated by goofy free spirits and introverted nerds that survived the cataclysm by hiding in their basements or by “just chillin”. The meek shall indeed inherit the earth, and ultimate will become their sport of choice. Through national and international competition such as the ultimate World Series, frisbolympics, and annual Hawaiian landshark race, humanity will unite into a utopian global culture that spans every inhabitable part of New Earth. All thanks to ultimate.

Frankenstien part II: proglogue

Another semester done with, another surgery. Straight up, another challenge to my dedication to my goals or somesuch and whatnot.

I'll be better just as soon as I am able. I'll keep you posted.

Message to myself

I know it was something...

Yeah.
When you put your cleats on, better take your excuses off and be ready to ball.
That's all for now.

Scranton by game

Scranton was a legit way to end the season, surely.

With a little help from our friends we got set up with an ill place to stay and party, and raged long into the night.

Nice.

Woke up ready to play. Not sure how that happened. Nice.

One thing that is worth noting is that noone used the "I could not play well because I was hungover" excuse. This is a marked contrast to say, Vasser last semester when at the end of the day many people, myself included, grumbled that we would have done so much better if we had not partied.

I think that means we've leveled up at partying and ultimate. Cool.

The first game against Scranton X went pretty well. It was close, as both teams had a few players that created big matchup problems for the other which led to a lot of quick exciting goals. We won at soft cap 13 - 12, Scranton ruled soft cap was win by two and broke us twice to win. This thread (http://www.rsdnospam.com/index.php?t=msg&goto=58352&) seems to indicate they got the soft cap rule wrong. In short, depending on who you ask, we won or they won. Whatever. It was a well fought game.

Second game was against the Scranton alumni, and we played a weak game to be sure. It was akin to our loss to Bard at Sectionals. Not that crushing but symptomatic of the same problem. We brought about one tenth of the fire we had in the previous game. It was pathetic, and they beat us 12 - 9 or something like that. Score is irrelevant. We played mentally and physically weak. To a certain extent that falls on the leaders on the team. I can't say I played any harder than anyone else, or tried as hard as I could have to be inspiring. It was a failure of a game across the board.

We need to break our habit of playing down to the level of our opponents, and slacking off after an intense game. Scranton alums were running savage and were not in anywhere near as good shape as Scranton X. If we had balled we would have buried them. Overcoming that mental weakness will be key for next year.

An aside, we seem to have overcome our previous glaring weakness, always playing terrible our first game. Our past three tournaments seem to indicate that we show up ready to ball.

Nice.

We played even lazier and worse against our next opponent, King's college. However, it did not matter as we shut them out in the second half. Even so, another mentally weak game. Fun though. They were pretty hilarious and had probably the best halftime cheer I've ever heard. Ironically, they were the first team we ever played at a tournament, and also our first win.

They ran a pretty creative version of the air raid. We poached deep. Oops.

Anyway.

Fortunately we found our fire and legs for our final game against Scranton Y. We came out strong, stayed strong, and finished strong. Not our best game ever but in my opinion our most consistent. Ever. We did not let up, and played strong from first to last. I think we won by a pretty decent margin.

Maybe it was Slip's monster layout d on the sideline, maybe it was full field high release backhands, the long drive home or Doober's yellow shorts but Oneonta did not stick around to play us. Personally I'd like to believe that after watching us Shellac Scranton Y they got scared and quit. I suppose we'll never know for sure. Gunx end the tournament 2 - 2, 3 - 1, 4 - 1 or something. The jury is still out.

Closing thoughts: although short staffed, we balled in general and had a great weekend. Having Slip and Henry was nice. Slip was a inspiration. His ability to pull the trigger and layout for D's at will is something to strive for. He is a man.

Ending the season on a high note.
Nice.

NY Combine part ii

+Ran hard every point I was on the field

+No throwing turnovers

+Two assists

+BVH taught me how to cut laterally in a ho stack as a mid (don't forget that cut!)
+In general was an effective defensive stopper, my man only got thrown to a few times and I only got beat a few times.

-Yet again hesitated on a jump and got tackled by a teammate because of it

-Two drops in the third game

-Did not play enough points

-Cut ineffectively, wasting energy and not getting the disc

-No D's

All in all, the combine was great experience and got me excited to become a part of the NY club scene. Don't know what my odds are of getting a callback to either team. Like the naked lap, I ain't talking about it.

If it does not work out, some kind of New Paltz/Marist fusion club might go down.

We'll see what happens.

Sectionals in retrospect

I don't know about you but for my part writing about ultimate is hard because it has to be done at the perfect time. Too soon and the impact has not yet set in. On the other hand, wait too long and the memory and motivation fade.

eh I'll finish this later

Interlude: NY combine part 1

Rolled out with a full car. Got there with little trouble, only a few dicey streets and people before we figured out where the fields were. The combine was pretty sweet. Great experience, lots of good players, saw a lot of friends. Good stuff.

Plus/minus

+No turns

+No drops

+Caught a goal against a returner

+Got one poach d in the air

+In general I was effective at stopping my man from touching the disc

-Got scored on three times

-Oops actually I dropped a hammer from a wacky backwards layout position that would have been a goal. Shitty.

-Got broken a few times

-Set the wrong force once which arguably led to a goal

-No layout d's

-Missed a deep grab due to getting tackled by a teammate, should have just caught it earlier

-Did not get active enough on offense

Gotta go harder next week and we'll see what happens.

Great day.

Ain't no party like a Wolfpack party

Sectionals still has not sunk in, probably due to post sectionals festivities. Played intramural today, lots of fun but not satisfying.

Here talking points of the sectionals post I want to write:

-Why the game against Princeton was one of our best games ever

-Oh no it is the army

-Why the game against Bard was the worst

-Rider? I hardly knew her

-Lessons from playing Rutgers b

-Mistakes I made

-Defining season factors

-The team, then now and the future

-swagger

-Gunx love

Gotta go play beer pong, tune in soon!

Post sectionals

I have a lot to write about but it ain't ready yet.
Could use a break from ultimate, maybe a couple of days.
Too bad, intramural today.
Boom.

You got one more chance to do right

And its tonight.

Anyway.

Today was today. I'll write about it after some time has elapsed. Three more games. Three more games tomorrow, and then done. In the meantime I will take the road less travelled, and pass the path of least resistance by for one more night.

Boom.

Faith and Fairy Tales

'First and foremost, attitude is everything. If you don't actually have 7 players who believe you can actually win, then...your game isn't worth playing.'
-Brett Matzuka

Sectionals. This weekend. Nothing else motivates quite like that knowledge. It is go time, crunch time, time to put our skills to the test and see where our team-wide improvement has got us.

Just putting it out there, for us to achieve anything of significance we have to believe in each other and ourselves. That's simple but it goes a long way. If we don't have faith in this team our play will reflect that. If we do - if we dedicate ourselves to the Gunx, for one weekend, with 100% physical and mental intensity, damn the torpedoes full speed ahead - then we will be able to reach much higher.

Our shot at sectionals success may be a shot in the dark but it is a shot worth taking. As a team and as individuals we have a choice to make. We can give up on being good, and go down in flames at sectionals. Or we can put our faith in each other and the team, fight hard, and get as far as we can.

Remember that part in Half Blood Prince where they talk about the difference between being dragged to a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high? Its like that. Let's prove we have the mental fortitude to make it a good fight, whatever the outcome.

Heart on fire.

Well well

So that's the season. Sectionals to come this weekend. In the meantime we have to figure out how we're going to do sub calling, that will be a big help if we have it figured out.

We have to get our heads in the right place.

The board is set.

The pieces are moving.

Something like that.

Gunx love.

W

Accidentally posted the letter W. As it happens, a very significant letter. Better than L, anyway.

This by-accident post is a perfect place to link an excellent article I came across: http://theshubbard.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-03-03T16%3A24%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=7

Have a good day!

Who's gonna run this town tonight

I am raging. I can barely wait for practice today. Its on.

Just sayin'.

Two Face

Light side

We played some of our best team ultimate ever. Even better than some of the highlights from New Haven. A lot of people stepped into new roles or refined old ones. A few of our newer players played some of their best ultimate ever (here's looking at you Stiggles, your defensive performance in the first two games was my inspiration to play all day, let alone your sick throws and catches on o). We won three games, we took third place, our best ever tournament finish. We held serve as the third best team in the Hudson Valley.

We played six games in one day, the most we ever have as a team. About half our roster was still playing solid until the last game, and six games in a day is a lot.

Dark side

Are you kidding? Our first game barely even counts. Bard had eight players, and only one of their starters. They were missing V and Will. They had no legs. Anyone who was tired after that game either had to run hard to compensate for weaker defenders, or is not in good enough shape. Marist took half against us 8 - 2. Our defense just could not deal with a team that did not regularly hand us the disc on a silver fucking platter. Our ability to switch from a zone mindset to playing hard nosed man defense was still not enough, despite the multiple points in a row they sent out lines that did not feature their top end studs. (Speaking of their top end studs, we had answers for every one of them except Robbie and yet again he proved to be the difference maker. It is great that we can throw solid defenders to stop Nick, Slip, Pat, Miller, etc etc etc but we need to stop wonderboy if we are ever going to beat them)

We did not push hard on d against Ramapo and we did not grit out the universe win against Marist the second time. Why not? Lack of mental focus in the first half. They were just as tired as us, making just as many mistakes and in the first half we did not bring it. Second half, we very much brought it, despite being much more tired. We can do it.

We don't.

Fuck that.

Po Town Throwdown

Next time I'm bringin' sunblock.

RAWR

Practice today was pretty sick. Key people are stepping up to make the final push. On a personal note, ran pretty hard, like 85% hard, like it'll work but she might not be satisfied hard.

I can push harder.

We can push harder if we get each other's backs. Competed with APinn in races from the gym to capen, from capen to has, etc. If we push each other we can gain a lot more in the last two weeks.

On that note, marking Tom is awesome. If I don't try, he makes me eat it. No complacency.

Running tomorrow. It has been decreed. Working on my running form. Gotta get those potato chips out of my pocket and eat em. Potatoes can be used to teach almost any frisbee concept. Straight up and down. Karate chops instead of fists. Superman layout pose.

Form is everything.

I cannot even comprehend how I threw without knowing how to get low and use the core and the hips.

Big shoulders help too.

Look the point is

it was a good fucking day.

let me stand next to your

Today was the first match of the intramural ultimate season, and boy was it swell. Gunx X rolled up to face some team of dudes who thought they had swagger. They got meatballed.

So?

The cliche goes, champions play hard whenever they step onto the field. If we don't go hard at intramural it is almost a waste of time. Whatever.

I had more to write about the game. That does not matter now. So there I was, sitting out on the quad writing this week's to do list. And it hit me.

I have no fire.

It is like I forgot that sectionals is in TWO WEEKS.

I started this semester with blood like ice and the grim resolve to do what must be done. But the spring weather has melted that ice blood and turned my motivation towards things like laying in the sun doing fuck all knows what. Bottom line: I have no work ethic and have made decisions that lack mental focus and testicular fortitude.

Enough of that. It is time to kindle the fire and fan the flames into a mighty blaze. Mediocrity is a slow death.

I'm done with it.

And when I'm gone

I am going to practice.

It is amazingly gorgeous out.

This weekend is going to be righteous. I will become a better man.

Starting now.

Just carry on.

Hiatus?

I can't write about ultimate right now.

What's there to say? I'm in decent shape. Throwing the best I ever have. Don't want it enough right now. Made the most unspirited play of my career at RPI.

Team is looking good when we want it and don't drop it. Best squad we've ever had. Being on the team this semester has been amazing. We need to translate our camaraderie into yet unexplored levels of on-field cohesion, and moreover we need to continue it throughout next year.

Look.

I'm going to bed.

Conviction

Three weeks.

After spring break

After spring break

Everybody has a haircut

We have no time to waste

It is time to go hard

from here on out

make use of every second, every minute

That's all

No workout today :[

I did however get some throwing in with my family. My mother threw an errant backhand way past me and I had to run it down and lay out for it into a giant puddle left behind by this past weekend's tournament cancelling monster storm. Caught the disc, slid through the puddle, ran around the yard, got so amped I finished the giant throw game first try. Then went inside to stave of the shakes.

As I was about to lay out, I had to mentally check myself - "dude that's a puddle full of mud, there might be metal shit at the bottom that will cut you the fuck up, don't do itttttt"
Pulled the trigger anyway.
Now to learn to do that in game!
We need a good mental focus excercise to practice that in controlled environments. Or maybe just make it a rule in scrimmages that you have to lay out. I dunno. The sleep madness has me in its grips. Hopefully the Albany crew has learned something we can use at SCAM practice.

Goodnight world.

Things all over the place

Threw with my brother and did a light workout, emphasizing different muscle groups than yesterday. Between throwing and working out I played two of my favorite mental excercise/throwing form games. I gave myself a hard time. I could never be as hard on the team as I am on myself, not even close. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing.

The first game is the giant throw game: you throw hucks as high as you can and then catch the awful blades that descend at high speeds. I make myself catch three in a row before I can go inside. The second game is running while tossing a disc from one hand to the other, short backhands. The idea is that catching (and basic wrist snap throwing) should be so unconcious that you will be able to do it without thinking while running at top speed. I'm a big believer in mental excercises that also train some minute aspect of one's throwing/catching game.

I want to develop a lefty backhand huck, if only to balance the crab arm a little. That's not even it - having a huge backhand on either side of one's body would throw defenders for a loop. Ludicris? Maybe so, but a backhand huck on either side of the body would be a weapon that nearly noone has. Hmmm.

For the rest of the season, positive reinforcement will be key, as well as team unity. We need to come together more than ever before. We have 20 guys on our sectionals roster and everyone will need to contribute their best, which requires us to feel like we are part of something bigger. We are, this team is going places, and I hope we all realize it.

Spring Breaaaak

Whoo whoo.
Good to be home once in a while.
Next year though, we should go to high tide for realz.
Did some throwing work with my brother and by myself, emphasizing personal focus as a thrower and reciever.
Then a light workout.
Keepin' fit.

Ain't much but I need to get back on the blog train.
Sectionals hype to come.
Toot toot!

We went to New Haven

It was aight.

Well actually, it was better than that. In my opinion it was our best tournament as a team ever. We've had a better record, but in terms of team cohesion, team dynamic, overall fun had, and strategic comprehension, we've never done better.

We now have the ability to throw out multiple lines in a row where every player knows their role (more or less, obviously there is always room for improvement said captain obvious) and can all contribute positively on offense or defense.

That said, our offense needs to be able to score. Our defense needs to take the disc.

This past weekend we learned a few things as a team, namely that the O line's job is to put the D line on the field, and how to play junk zone and how ill that is against vertical offense. Our best coed D line could be the skeleton of a competitive club team.

Not much to elaborate on. It was a good first tournament. I nearly spiked the disc on a kid who decided to backpack me after I had already caught the disc. I holstered the spike and helped score a goal instead. Meatballed.

We have a team blog now through the school. That will be the new home of in depth tournament analysis, albeit in a simplistic way that random people who read it will be able to understand and appreciate. Pictures will help. I am thinking the first post will be a rundown of basic ultimate rules followed by a recap of the weekend.

That means that this blag will become a home for more in depth strategic insights and less full tournament recap. That and more senseless egoism. Hooray!

Sleep schedule: destroyed.

Nocturnal Decisions 2010 wreaked havoc in every way. Great weekend. Unfortunately my team did not wreak havoc - we were pretty terrible actually, despite having wonder-boy Robbie who got big with a bevy of inspiring layout d's all over the place. It took us until game four to figure out how to play offense with one another, and by that time no-one wanted to play defense. Funny how that works. I wrote notes about each game but they are, this far removed from the action, either irrelevant or illegible. A few anecdotes:

It was Dan Miller's birthday. I gave him a five hour energy. I guess he is a Hobbit because he gave me a gift as well - a BUDA spirit award disc.

Unlike last year, I only spiked the disc once, after being hit and stepped on by my defender in the end-zone. The opposing team's sideline was not amused - one sitting down player whined "you don't have to do that". Working on "acting like I've been there before" in the endzone but getting my foot stomped on on a late bid made me angry. Suck it other team sideline soft serve punk.

Got some good advice from experienced players. Ted from my team said "put more touch on your throws. If you have to throw it hard to an in cutter they are not really open". Food for thought.

Some big old dude from WUDI advised me, "from one big guy to another", to make deep cuts from the front of the stack. Again, food for thought.

A few of our friends/teammates came down to watch. Though they should all play next year, being able to go chill with them during byes and between games was the best. It was also hilarious as we all slowly descended into complete delirium as the night progressed.

On that note, frisbee: it is my drug of choice. Playing all night caused euphoria, giggling, sleepiness, the munchies, and I felt like shit. Everything that I've ever experienced on real drugs, but good for you! Hooray!

Anyway, great tournament yet again. It definitely seemed more competitive than last year, with deeper teams and more good players from the area.

What I learned: I am in good shape but not good enough, New Paltz would do well to emphasize last back defense, and sometimes eating two slices of pizza before a game is a good idea.

New Haven this weekend. Bam.

God loves ugly

This past weekend has been fairly wild. They say change is the spice of life, and if that is true then at the very least the memories will be savory. For better or for worse my social life got poetry slammed and the repercussions have barely even set in. Shit may or may not be going down.

And so it goes. Rising to challenges probably beats having a boring life anyway. For the record, things are good right now. Great to be honest. And whatever happens, I have great teammates that have my back and that is priceless.

Anyway, we played today against Marist, a surprise scrimmage and our first game of the season. They beat us pretty handily. On the subject of challenges, the biggest challenges I see facing the team in the immediate future are thus:

-moving outside and implementing team-wide strategy and concepts

-maintaining the level of motivation and commitment most of our players are displaying currently

-Focusing to work even harder

What can be said about the game today: well, Marist won but they did not win simply because they are more athletic. I don't think they are more athletic than us this year. Better at ultimate? At the moment, yes. But they can't just beat us with their legs anymore.

I should not cover Robbie, his acceleration is too good. Also his release points are so low and I am too tall to block his throws without undue effort. Next time we play them, A Pinn has to do work on that matchup. Dave did work today. His throws are looking super sweet. Tom was good on the handle but we need him as a cutter. He is super big. I got hurt laying out onto my hip that was already bruised from indoor. Also I dropped three or four passes that were inexcusable. We had a lot of bad drops.

We need to stop dropping it.

We need to throw outside.

We need to work on zone offense.

Okay.

We'll do it.

Oh also, sobriety time!

Yes.

Game Face

Game Face!

Fast count

Something I have to work on. Not doing it, that is.

Throws need to shape up, we need to throw outside.

We need to run outside.

Done.

For next week

A note: it is time to run, and lead by example.

200s, 100s, 40s, and unique to ultimate, the 70.

If that does not start happening...

...let's make it start happening.

50% efficiency

Ultimate and school: is it possible to focus hard enough on both at the same time?

Okay fine that depends what 'hard enough' means. You got me.

Smartass.

Anyway, one of the two is getting a decent amount of focus, not enough but getting there.

The other is hovering between neglected and rejected.

Guess which?

Yeah you probably guessed. Ultimate is getting most of my time and effort. I barely even have time to blag we've been practicing so much. And yet, college ain't exactly about that and the real world is looming ever closer. Grades gotta get earned, bills gotta get paid, and heck while we're at it girls are cool too.

What I'm saying is, as much as it is important and excellent that my throwing balance has been improving, balancing my life is going only marginally better than previous years. School was going well until this week when I decided to be a badoof and sleep through four classes and counting (fingers crossed for today).

On a related note: dry season.

I guess I hyped it up too much. Keeping quiet about things is perhaps a virtue that I always learn too late in the game. Anyway, I have partied twice this semester and plan to party this weekend. Wiggity what? What happened to dry season? Well, as Tricia put it, sometimes during the dry season a herd of wildebeests or a solitary giraffe happen upon a secluded watering hole and slake their thirst upon whatever meager fare their oasis can provide.

Or to put it another way: I gave myself three exceptions. All but one are used up. Last Tuesday does not count. After this weekend, no drinking. No smoking. No crystal meth. You get the idea.

Why? I need to get in shape for frisbee, and get my head straight for life. Drinking is fun but ruling at sectionals will be so much more fun, and make the crispy gin and tonics I mix up after the season that much crisper.

People have been quick to denounce my grand proclamations about dry season and gently or not so gently mock me for having drunk thus far after hyping it so much. Rightfully so. Haters keep you honest.

It is on me to show anyone with doubt on their lips that I mean business. That's all.

To paraphrase my roommate, talk is cheap. Fuck the haters.

Done.

3 days off

Is probably not as much time as it seems.

Note for next week: chest press.

Hucks outside.

Bonus: sobriety

8 days a week

is not enough to show I care.

So yeah 8 days in a row of ultimate/lifting. Kinda tired now. Either pushed too hard or just enough but in any case I am taking a day off tomorrow, possibly even two.
We'll see.
Played pickup today. We need to all throw in the wind all the time.
That's basically all.

Bacardi

Coed practice again today.

Talking points:

-Stephen did work as captain again, his analytical approach to each player with regard to their team is in depth and very useful. Hmmm...

-New players stepped up, we are going to be deep this season.

-Veterans were vocal in teaching new players and commanding the troops in game

We need to work with new players to teach them throwing and marking fundamentals, as well as calls and rules. Next week at indoor or maybe we will have some kind of a team meeting. Input?

I played pretty poorly, could not get open against Brad due to his crafty Internet research. I hit a physical wall after playing for so long. Days like that is is very important to focus on throwing fundamentals and to that end I was about 70% effective.

If the weather is nice tomorrow I will set up an outdoor game for the 7th day of practice in a row. Hope so.

That's enough of that.

I mean really.

Practice today: coed. Word. Been a while. Valentines day has claimed a large portion of both squad's members and thus we will probably do it again tomorrow. My team just did not want throw it to Hannah but other than that we did alright. A new player showed up, he's tall.

I hit a wall.

Tomorrow will be a pushing day.

That's about it really.

I went to the Croquet house tonight

What a wackity turn of events.

A lot has been written about practice today and rightfully so. For my part, I thought it was ugly, probably because I was feeling the stress of a fourth day of intense exercise in a row and it put me on edge. I focused more on the negative side of things which in general is not my style.

Regardless, Huckindor brought the hurt and snagged 20 wins, our first winning practice.

A Pinn was not there.

Coincidence?

Stiggles got big and played some of his best ultimate thus far. His disc skills are improving tremendously. Brad and I were both tired but pushed ourselves to keep running hard and consequentially we won most of our games on d.

Offense looked like shit a good portion of the time, although we won a few on offense.

Practice ups and downs:

-a lot of people were edgy and upset, a lot of people got injured (the worst part about indoor)

-A few key players were missing and various teams had problems getting their offense going.

+In general, attendance very good.

+Good defensive intensity

+Kerry came to hasbrouk

That is more than I meant to write.

Verbosity oops.

Dome part 3

Four Gunx played. With the exception of Tischler and her ridiculous soccer playing friend, we dominated by and large. Everybody got in on the action, with E Herbst chalking up some big D's (and he caught the disc!).

I felt good! Did not run super fast (tirrrred) but despite two days in a row of lower body workout I was able to play the entire time without subbing and get open on about 80% of my cuts. Long throws were iffy and backhands were lackluster again but my io breakmark flick was filthy.

Just sayin'.

Workouts are starting to really pay off. To reiterate my new favorite blog, we need to keep going.
Go Gunx!

I woke up this morning

I woke up this morning thinking about how good Hufflepuff house is at indoor, seemingly without trying. I was vaguely frustrated about them possibly being rigged, which must have been part of my dream because everyone knows Satanclaw is the rigged house (and Huckindor is the rugged house, rugged as in attractive I mean).

Anyway as I came to conciousness, Tom standing in the doorway imploring me to get up for my 8am, it dawned on me that damn, those Hufflepuff guys are my teammates.

Nice.

Today we scrimmaged outside, drawing a pretty decent number despite the wind and biting cold.
If I am correct in my mental addition, we had nine playing members of the men's team, one member of the women's team, a player who we hope will be playing with the men's team, and two sidelined men's players. It says a lot that people are willing to come play in what were not the most fun conditions by any stretch of the imagination. It was windy, very hard to throw, painful to catch - that can be discouraging but we had a pretty decent scrimmage. Cuts looked very good. Throwing was all over the place. A lot of easy catches were dropped across the board, that comes down to mental errors that we need need need to be able to fight through this season. Seriously enough of that.

My backhands were mostly terrible. Nearly every one turned OI, I am not throwing short backhands hard enough. That is why throwing indoors is dangerous! Forehands were pretty good, my forehand power is quite possibly at an all time high. Maybe.

1 shot the sculpture today.
Booyah.

I want to throw like Drew Brees and spell like R Doobs

Jumped on the Saints bandwagon completely by accident, not having followed any football this year until very recently. Stumbled upon a sports illustrated article about Drew Brees and was introduced via youtube to Reggie Bush's college highlights and ankle breaking hilarity. So if I seem like yet another fair weather fan, you can chalk it up to Brendan and going to the dentist.

Anyway.
I am very happy with where my throws are at right now. Despite the lack of actual ultimate they are feeling good at indoor and out in the wind. I feel competent and confident and fairly balanced.
That being said there is a lot to work on. So far the resolution to throw everyday is going well. Threw three times today. After the superbowl we tossed in the road a little and I realized I don't get my full body, particularly my core into my short to midrange backhands. The hucks are all about the weight transfer from pivot to non pivot foot and that probably also needs to be in my short throws. Something to focus on.

Dry season exceptions: 2
Chichester decided to challenge me to a disc race. I decided to accept. February will obviously not be an entirely dry month with all the birthdays coming up, some partying will go on, but in relative moderation. Maybe one more time. Not this weekend, three indoor practices baby.
So pumped.

Throwing today was iffy. Ups and downs. Basically fatigue. I think the problems I had with throwing come down to balance: I am getting better at staying balanced while pivoting, but sometimes I focus so much on that that I don't impart enough forward momentum on the disc. Focusing on that helped improve throws down the stretch, we threw for about two hours. Doober wondered how many other teams in our section are throwing outside at night. What keeps me up is wondering how many teams are working out harder, and that is enough to maintain focus.

Also, we need to run more and throw outside more. Stated
Dry season exceptions: 1

2nd dome game

Played mediocre. Better than last week. Did not bid on defense. Throws were alright. Building blocks. Basically every dome game will be post one to three days in a row of working out, thus I will always be fighting fatigue. Word.

Light workout today after yesterday's brutality. Working on squatting with weights, have to really focus on form with weight added. Weight on back feet, get low.

Almost organized. So close. A few more things to do, namely split up my binder into three or four binders by subject, email a LOT of frisbee people, and get moving on uniform orders.

And art.

That's all for now.

Put the pieces back together my way

Working out, like any struggle against adversity great or small, makes you focus in a very narrow way on what is immediately important: one more set, one more rep, don't throw up...
A good workout pushes you to revert to base instincts, makes you love your teammates and hate your enemies. At our workout today I pushed pretty hard and felt terrible and my love for the Gunx has seldom been greater. I hope everyone feels that way when we're together in the gym.

A quick one

Indoor practice is going really well.
If it stays this intense, or better yet if we push ourselves to continually improve it each time, it is going to keep us going as a team and get us where we need to be.

1st indoor of 2010

Pretty sweet to play with cleats on. The new cleats are super nice.

LJ style:

+Got a few ds
+Scored some goals
+Two solid bids, one layout and one jumping/falling backwards bid to save possesion
+Two handblocks

-No endurance
-Got scored on a few times
-Got burned deep by short/old people
-Could not stick with my man on d
-cradle dropped four hucks
-missed an easy jump d by an inch
-did not use the three point stance for throwing or marking until almost the end of the night
-lazy marks

Most of the minuses are caused by mental errors and fatigue. Bottom line: I need to get back in shape, I need to get in better shape, I need to focus even when I am tired and I need to grit it out on d.

Team work ethic: high
Sectionals fields: lined
Dry season exceptions: 0
What.

Work out lock out knock out

I'm blagging live from Tom's room, because my dumb as locked myself out. First time this year whoo whoo.
Anyway, the work ethic displayed by the Gunx thus far has been excellent. The trick will be maintaining that level of commitment across the board. Today we had at least 16 at lifting, including full fledged team members and potential studs who have never committed, but heck maybe this will be the year. Things are going our way right now in a few respects, recruitment included. If we keep even half of our recent recruits it will be good looks for us.

A switch to the metro section could come up big for us, it definitely is huge for sectionals.
Today before lifting we had a game outside in the cold and wind, word up. We had 7s to start for at least eight points. Yes.

Attendance will surely decrease somewhat when work starts hitting but if the work ethic stays strong we will achieve our goals.

I think I had more to post than that. Ah well another time.

We're back baby

Dry season begins in earnest today. We celebrated its coming in the best possible ways. Time to get serious and do work.

Fumbled my way through my speech at the team meeting, next time I'll memorize it.
Everybody but E Herbst was there.

We've been throwing every day thus far, today it is raining and windy perfect for long throw practice if we are badass enough, have not decided yet.
Everybody is a little rusty but from what I've seen throwing chops are still there. There are encouraging signs.
God I missed this place.