Recently I’ve been applying skills I read online to my game. I realise I have the opportunities of talks/classes/sermons to learn something and apply it to my life, but I tend to be a very passive listener.

The most recent Ultimate blog post I read was this. So I tried timing my runs from the pull and it works like a charm. If anything else, it gives me the extra steps to get fired up and charge down the field especially on D. I should try it on O and go deep.

In the last 12 months I’ve somehow managed to buy 8 discs. Brand new, still in the plastic bag. And I haven’t bought a UFNSW one… And there’s Melbourne Hat.

I might end up going home with 10 new discs. That’s my carry-on luggage! Hopefully SIA doesn’t have the same ‘no discs on board’ policy as Virgin Blue.

Mixed Nats in Brisbane wasn’t my best game, but I surprised myself a few times over the weekend. I also managed to stay awake long enough to head out on the first night and boogie on the dance floor on the last night.

Although I was a little apprehensive about playing with a pick up team, there were a few good connections along the way. Including a few long throws to me which I caught. I never catch long throws. Or the pull for that matter, but the weekend saw me catch every single one of them.

I must really be improving in reading the disc. Sadly, my faking and cutting skills are still lacking. And I still wish I can freaking jump to catch during games.

Hat finals last night was pretty decent. Caught a few long throws and a few scores… very, very rare for me. Can’t wait for the semester to end so I can spend my summer playing more Frisbee.

Crikey! 21 more days ’til the end of the semester. 2 x 2500 word essays. Potentially the end of my student career.

And I am on a plane to Brisbane tomorrow morning to play Frisbee.

Yep, I’ve got my priorities right. :)

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Over the last few weeks, I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the in-class film screenings. One was Grizzly Man, a documentary about the life and death of Timothy Treadwell, a man who spent summers living with bears. Then there’s Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line. Yes, shame on me, calling myself a film student. And then there’s the good ‘ol white Aussie versus indigenous people, Beneath Clouds. I know what I’ll be doing at the library during summer…

I caught the plague, I spent 6.5 days in Melbourne, played 12 games of Ultimate. The team won 7 out of the 12 games, got tied 2nd in Spirit, placed 13th out of 19 teams and saw the club’s VP win the Inaugural Martin Laird Award. I cannot ask for a better finish in my uni Ultimate career.

Personally I played some of the best games of Ultimate yet, with a team I’ve played with since May. In 6 months, the team, most of whom are beginners, has shown that a little bit of training and lots of bonding can make it against some powerhouses in uni Ultimate. For the first time in uni Ultimate, I’ve felt like I’ve played real frisbee. I saw a vast improvement in my own playing abilities since ECC, and coming back from a break in training, I am impressed with myself.

Pool game: beat ANU 9-5
I remember I went into this game telling myself we had to win it. They were seeded above us but were schooled in a fair number of scrimmages against lousy teams. Still, it would have been terribly arrogant of us to think we could win this game without a fight, especially since we had a close call against them during Mid Winter Solstice. I knew they had lost some of their solid players, but they still had a fair few steady players and one Mica (who did not make an appearance ’til the later half of the game?).

They scored the first few points, which we had to fight back for. I suppose in all the games of uni Ultimate, I only ever remember winning one, against CSU during ECC 07. I think there were fleeting moments where I felt it was impossible for us to win. I’m not sure how it happened, but we did it. Personally my best in throwing and catching and cutting. I think I’ve found my new favourite team to play… if I ever had to play uni Ultimate again.

Pool game: lost to Deakin 12-7
I had been reading blogs and word on the street was they were a new team and had 2 subs. I suppose the win in the previous game led me to feel slightly arrogant at this point. The winds picked up at the start of the game and we knew we would have trouble controlling our throws.

It was a fairly competitive game, with a bit of a comeback from us after half time. I know I gave up when it started to drizzle. I tend to get miserable when the weather changes. Possibly the first time during the tournament when the wind picked up the disc way above my head. On hindsight, I am glad we didn’t win this game, or my last memory of uni Ultimate would have been another pantsing.

Pool game: lost to Monash 15-3
The hot favourites to make it to the finals! I was surprised we managed to score 3 points against them. This game sucked the most for me though, and I would almost like to blame myself for the score reaching points cap. I think I let the first 2 points in easy, first with a drop on O and then not being able to keep up with my player on D. I was desperate to get off after that first point, but we were down 3 girls - one from dancing too much, another from a concussion caused by a fellow player, and the third who went back to the hostel to get a fresh pair of contacts.

I reckon if we had our full squad ready to play, we would have keep the scoreline down and scored early in the game too. Still, it was fairly exciting playing a good team and not getting schooled. I also think watching them play AU the day before just scared the shit out of me. I didn’t go into the game with a positive mindset at all.

Pool game: lost to AU 14-6
They finished with a bronze medal and we still managed to score 6 against them while getting to time cap? The gods must be crazy!!! I was possibly still recovering from my horrible start to the morning and was quite glad to have full subs again at this stage. Honestly don’t remember much about this game.

Reclass pool game: beat UOW 12-4
They were the only team to play savage and possibly have zero knowledge of the game. Still, their lack of skill led them to shock QUT into losing 15-1 and meeting us in the reclassed pool game. They nearly scared us too, especially with some of the team trying to cram down lunch.

I hated this game the most because it reminded me of what Ultimate should never be. And what could have been if we had sent in a B team. As much as I appreciate having new people pick up the sport, I think there should be a basic understanding of the sport and the rules, to make it a good game for everyone. I was also annoyed we let them score 4 and didn’t make it to points cap, to end my misery. (And also cos I dropped the disc twice in the endzone in the same corner.)

Reclass pool game: beat RMIT 9-4
Again a slow start in the morning for me. I felt like I didn’t play to my best and generally fluffed around on the field. Somehow I won their MVP award - a bottle of Rubbel Sexy Lager, which now sits on my desk. Its a good thing I got it ‘cos it got me fired up for the next two games.

Reclass pool game: lost to ECU 9-8
Possibly the game where I felt most sore about losing. I remember we decided to give them time to finish their lunch, hence eating (no pun intended) into game time. I wonder if we had played the full 80 minute game, would we have scored 2 more points to beat them?

It was quite exciting playing D points against them because you could see the panicked look in their eyes. Perhaps the closest game in terms of skill level and number of subs.

Reclass pool game: beat QUT 10-4
The only game where I scored a point and got a D hand block, quite possibly in the same point. It was a fairly fast paced game with lots of wind. Had an opportunity to layout for a score but it happened so fast it never crossed my mind to get into the right position to fall.

For a relatively new team, they had a few players who knew how to play Ultimate. Its a real shame that they played some tough teams early on in the tourney and then to lose to UOW to come last. I hope the club keeps at it and tries their best to recruit and train more players, especially with unigames heading back to Gold Coast next year.

Reclass pool game: beat Griffith 12-8
This was another close game. We were trading points early on and I think I might have seen the win slip away from my sight. Not many memories from this game. I think I was keen to get on with the rest of the day and see if we would play ANU again.

Lost to Deakin 10-5
The angriest game yet. I think we really didn’t want to play them again, but saw it as a bit of a grudge/revenge match. They have a team of dependable girls who are fast. Pity they have an asshole for a teammate. I really enjoyed the last point and even though it wasn’t for a win, we scored after an epic to and fro between endzones. It felt like the best point I have ever played.

Beat ANU 10-8
EPIC. I was totally looking forward to this game, although I was more excited about lunch afterwards. Coming tied 8 all at time cap, we had to play ’til one team took 10. It was great watching us score 9 in the most epic point ever, and then going on to play for number 10 while reminding myself not to screw up.

And I had a pick called on me. For once I was faster than my defender. I still think it is a good thing and should not have been worth negative points in court. Anyway, it was a good thing because I didn’t catch the disc! YAY!

13th/14th beat RMIT 9-5
The flooded endzone was not a happy place to be. I didn’t play many points this game, but had a few good runs when I did. One of my more embarrassing throws all tournament, into the wind, got D-ed and an easy score by the RMIT lads. And the girl marking me didn’t even have a stall count on me. Also a nearly impressive grab, if I had caught the disc with tiger claws overhead amongst a bunch of tall people. I was impressed with my positioning. I never get positioning right!

Wow, AUG 08 was really about Ultimate, whereas AUG 07 was more about unigames as a whole.

I’m glad that we implemented some small but effective strategies - including a lot of team cheering, sideline talk on both sides and team warm ups and warm downs. I’d like to think that I have left a bit of a legacy in the club, just as the club has done a lot for me.