ultimate

I'm in trouble

Blog Instead of being asleep at 21:20 on 17 November 2004, kitt created this:

I told G about the World Games, and about the tryout camps. I gave him a probable tryout date, and asked him to help me train. His eyes got real big when I was explaining everything. He then asked me what I am willing to sacrifice to improve my chances of making the team, how long was I able and willing to train a day to be in good shape for the tryouts.

When I told him 4-6 hours would be my maximum, he nodded and said he was willing to help. We then spent the hour planning out my training schedule. I have to say that, yes, I'm in trouble. Starting tomorrow, I'll be working out about 2 hours a day for the next week, building that up to 4 by mid-December. I may hit 6 at the beginning of January.

Not like I'm already overworked. Something's going to give.

Different people

Blog Posted by kitt at 10:04 on 14 November 2004

I'm amazed at the different people here at the conference. More importantly, I'm amazed at how we see a slice of (North) American culture here at the conference. We all have ultimate and league organization in common, but the rest is so varied!

About 1/4 - 1/3 of the people here are women. The ages range from two years out of high school to possible grandfather. The athleticism ranges from elite player to never played. We have the Canadian representatives. There is the pretty boy, the cowboy stereotype, the quiet soccer (ultimate?) mom, the enthusiastic college kid, the overwhelmed organizer, the control freak, and the big teddy bear.

The ideas coming out of the conference is amazing. I had never considered the core/click league. Multiple baggage is so strongly discouraged in SBUL, I never thought others did it.

I'm so inspired!

UPA League Conference

Blog Instead of being asleep at 09:32 on 13 November 2004, kitt created this:

Today is the first day of the UPA's League Conference, a gather of many of the leaders and organizers of ultimate leagues around the country (well, continent, Shiellah Quintos of CUPA is also here).

After the first presentation, I'm incredibly inspired to both improve SBUL, grow MPUL and get start NCUL to tie them all together.

The first thing, though, I think I need to do is get a captains' package up onto the SBUL site. Passing along the knowledge is a tremendously great idea, and I'm smacking myself upside the head for not thinking of it in the first place.

Field Space! Field Space! Field Space!

Blog kitt decided around 16:06 on 10 November 2004 to publish this:

Field space! Field space! Whoo! Field space!

Last year, I stepped down from running SBUL, the South Bay Ultimate League. The fields the league has are restricted to 'no cleats'. Turf shoes are okay on the fields, but not cleats.

The problem with this policy (from a player standpoint, and not a field owner or maintainer's standpoint) is that high level of competitive play isn't possible. When the ground gets wet, as it does every night with the dew, players slip around. It makes the game significantly less enjoyable, especially since the teammates are usually unknown.

Since I wanted a higher level league, I started another league, MPUL, or the Mid-Peninsula Ultimate League. I wanted it to be high level play and on the (San Francisco Bay Area) Peninsula. Essentially I wanted a league similar to the City's SFUC, but closer to me.

Field space has been an issue. Finding lighted fields that adult leagues can play on, that youth leagues haven't reserved (youth leagues typically have first priority because only children are allowed to play sports, you know), and the city-run leagues haven't grabbed, is rather difficult. I know. I've called. I had Kyle Smith call. And I had Brooke call. Brooke make a comprehensive list for next year.

Last year for MPUL, I fell into the Whisman Park fields by accident. This year, I may do the same with some Sunnyvale fields. I'll be very excited if I do. I find out tomorrow if we have space. The fields the City of Sunnyvale's Parks & Rec Field Reservation guy, Rick, suggested to me are amazing. They're huge, lack a softball diamond to take up the whole space, and are wonderfully, glorifully lit. Oh Joy!

Of course, MPUL will be named the Increasingly Misnamed Mid-Peninsula Ultimate League if this southernly trend keeps up.

Back to the Real World

Blog Instead of being asleep at 13:06 on 2 November 2004, kitt created this:

And today, we're officially back to the Real World, away from the ultimate community. The RW is a strange place to be after 5 days in the UC. I guess the biggest differences are the sense of fairness and the ability to undo.

Think about it: in ultimate, there's the spirit of the game. SOTG (nearly) guarantees respect between individuals. So often in life, that respect is lacking (just drive to the grocery store and count the number of times you have to drive 1/2 the speed limit, get cut off in traffic, have people cut in front of you in line or something similar).

And, if you disagree, you can redo the whole thing! Send the disc back. What a deal. You can agree to disagree. In the RW, it doesn't work that way. In the RW, everyone still disagrees and gets pissy at each other. Bah.

Anyway, Real World. Work. Stuff to do. Life goes on.

Random thoughts of later rounds.

Blog Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 20:04 on 28 October 2004

More random thoughts of later rounds.

Quickest game to half in the secound was Riot vs Electric Mayhem, in 19 minutes.
Quickest division to half was womens, by far.
Quickest game to end was Riot vs Electric Mayhem, 15-2, finishing in less than 40 minutes

I lasted until 1:20 before I had to take my jacket off.