Semester 1 2010 Wrap-up!

So I've left the summation of Semester 1, 2010 a little bit long, but as we're now finding we can't even remember the team names of 2008, it might be worth putting it on paper and succumbing to the fact that our brains were never given a proper chance.

So the finals were indeed won by Hard Force with the game being a tight one. The Blue Sharks went down 15 - 10. One point below my prediction, which if it were right would have made me a proven and gifted psychic (but only while under the influence). Beginning to ponder the meaning of the universe and questioning my powerful and raw psychic potential I asked myself in passing "If I only got it wrong by one point what does that make me?". A more astute Jean retorted "NOT-pyschic!", completely shattering any dreams and premonitions of grandeur I nearly had.

With a few weeks to catch up on I will quickly run through the events of the past few weeks:

The final Wednesday night of league for all but the teams in the finals saw all three lower ranked teams defeated by their higher ranked opponents. Motherhuckers overran the Heavyweights, Hard Force edged out Yellow Fever, and Pink BAMFs defeated Blue Sharks. Blue Sharks were then allowed through to the Semi-Finals as the highest ranked defeated team.

As mentioned both of these team's semi-finals games went down to the wire, both on points and time, and both came out ahead close to "lights cap" 2 points (Blue Sharks) and one point (Hard Force)ahead against their respective opposition, Motherhuckers and Pink BAMFs.

My team the Heavyweights, which not having won many games was starting to look like a repeat of The Savages from the previous semester, DID NOT win the WOODEN SPOON in a game against Yellow Fever. After Tim Roland took out one of Yellow's players, sending them to the nearby hospital alongside their captain, yellow just seemed to mellow, a little too much. The clever game altering strategy by the Heavyweights was to appear as if we weren't playing for keeps, but still win as many points as we could. Part of this strategy entailed a "bum point" which was a compromise from an undies point only involving Tim, to being a point where all male players Finny, Brad and myself hung our bums out like gansters without undies. This served the purpose of distracting Jean a lot and strangely enough Tim, from our own team who was meant to take part but instead squealed like a schoolgirl.

What a great season for all those teams!

Amrrca vs. 'Straya game

Team America
The following Friday's Amrrca vs. 'Straya game was certainly a hyped-up spectacle. Many of the 'mericans appeared to be drunk and already beginning to drown their sorrows or just unable to handle the first beer they'd ever been treated to. The Aussies arrived in force with a good sized turn-out of players 20+, making it almost impossible to get rid of the adrenaline and find good form early on, but a good thing in the end. The game ended with time on the lights running out. America was defeated 9 - 10 by the Aussies at timecap. The biannual event has now been marked with a pretty disc shaped trophy which was awarded at the end.
Victorious Team Australia

Round 8!

Blue Sharks 13 smashed Yellow Fever 2

Heavyweights 13 def. Motherhuckers 9

Hard Force and Pink BAMFs


It was like the Blue Sharks wanted to return the favour of their last defeat at the hands of Yellow Fever. When these two teams last met, a strong Yellow Fever managed to punch the Blue Sharks right on the nub of their nose, while an extra random nationals bound player on Yellow just added the insult, poking them in both eyes till they went away and victory was clinched. This time around it seems that the Yellow Fever had reached a worsened stage, and they were too weak to poke and prod at the Blue Shark to keep it at bay, let alone sucker punch it and poke out its eyes! It’s like they thought they’d be patting dolphins but instead got plunged into a shark feeding frenzy. Blue Sharks 13 def. Yellow Fever 2.

Well well well, we’ve known it all along. The Heavyweights really are a tough bunch. Apparently half their men eat grenades for breakfast while the other half are made of a light-but-strong titanium alloy, and their women can squat your daddy! Luckily East Germany wasn’t represented tonight (Yvonne) or the Motherhuckers would’ve been assembled, measured, and told loudly in a harsh german accent that they’d never amount to anything worthy of sporting greatness! That would’ve put even more of a damper on the top team. Just like when Beth skied Mike, her genitals hitting him in the face before he passed underneath her and then she went on to get the goal and achieve double happiness! I suppose that's nothing compared to 5' nothing Frenchie Tom deeing up myself, in the endzone with an embarrassing overhead catch bouncing out of my hands because of all his "defensive pressure". Heck both teams will be playing again at the start of the finals in another do-or-die game for the Heavyweights but if the ‘h*ckers get their way it’ll be “COBRA! COBRA! COBRA!”…all the way to a win…? Well done to both teams for just having a fun game! Heavyweights 13 def. Motherhuckers 9

A plague upon both your houses! It’s like tonight someone had a put a curse on both these teams, the Pink BAMFs and Hard Force. That curse being in the form of a hangover that gave everyone on each team the dropsies! No doubt the witch of Norway, Kathrine, who created a volcano in less useful country Iceland to halt her travels longer in Townsville, also schemed this curse up in the form of another “farewell party”. Thankfully this time having used her powers on the attendees at the farewell party to give them all a case of the dropsies and the massive win for the Blue Sharks (above), she was unable to maintain the cloud of ash spreading over the northern hemisphere and departed the next day, this time for real. Kathrine = Curse = Hangover = Dropsies = REALLY LONG POINTS = GETTING MORE EXHAUSTED = MORE DROPSIES! It’s a vicious cycle! Hard Force 13 def. Pink BAMFs 11

Looking forward to next week’s 2 game night –
Finals Games followed then by the Semi-finals and the Wooden Spoon match. 7:15 start so be there with your teams nice and early (my team get there at 6:30 – other teams not so early). BRING LOTS OF ENERGY!!!

Results! Round 7

Sorry about last week. Here's the results from Round 7

Pink BAMFs 13 def. Blue Sharks 9
Motherhuckers 13 def. Yellow Fever 8
Hard Force 13 def. Heavyweights 10

Blue Sharks played against the Pink BAMFs trading points up to 9 -9. With Fraser still injured and Peter absent the Blue Sharks were doing quite well considering. James David has begun his downfall with Beck getting a grab over the man they call "James David" (it's his real name and his nickname). But with Bevvo leaving the Sharks at 9 -9 it was just too much. Pink BAMFs 13 def. Blue Sharks 9.

Yellow Fever played against the Motherhuckers. The Yellow team started off well against the top ranked team and they reached 5 -5 together, tied. Then Fever made one of their "less smart" decisions of the game opting to go long on a lot of their points. Reason it was a bad decision was because: Orangutanga Larson was lying in the nest he made, which just happened to be anywhere near a floating disc. That orange long-armed guy then just had to swing down through the trees to snatch those goals from Yellow Fever. Carlos had a bit of scoring spree with 2 or 3. The girls on Yellow played respectable defense. But with long armed boy everywhere it just wasn't on for this team this week. Motherhuckers 13 def Yellow Fever 8.

The Heavyweights lined up against Hard Force in one of their random weeks where they have like a Kajillion (being 4 or 5) subs as opposed to the usual 1 or so. One of their subs this week was the ever popular and widely known Mansauce, up from Brisbane. Some say his seed is spread so far you can see it from the moon. The game was supposed to be a full strength + extra strength Heavyweights taking on any other team and winning, but it didn't all go to plan. The Heavyweights struggled to find continuation and timing with their cuts and often looked a little bit stunned. It was Hard Force's time to shine. These guys played a hard cutting offense which really exposed the Heavyweights on the mark leaving them on the wrong side and opening up the break side a lot. Sam Jones played well as a handler, offering a good swing option which then moved the disc up the line for good continuations and more of their offense leaving the mark behind. A close game, but not close enough to keep the Heavyweights one game winning streak going. Hard Force 13 def Heavyweights 10.

Week 5 Results!

Motherhuckers 13 - Hard Force 10

Blue Sharks 13 - Pink BAMF’s 11

Yellow Fever 13 – Heavyweights 8

After the first round of competition, we can now see where all the teams are standing. It could be said that after comparing the line-ups in week one, there are a few surprises in the order. However, don’t be fooled. For it is the next 5 weeks that are the most crucial, because it is the top four teams that will progress through to the final and the bottom two teams that will be left to battle it out for the almighty wooden spoon.

Will Mike make it to 5 seasons in a row?

Will Hugh’s mum receive yet another cooking utensil?

Will Simon and his gang get his long awaited grand-final rematch?

Will Zane and his posse continue with the fairytale run?

Will the Yellow Duncans be as effective without Dave? Or

Will the Pink BAMF’s continue on their winning ways...

Over the next 5 weeks, these questions will be answered, and it is time, and only time that will tell. However, as every ultimate player knows, it is never to late.

The Motherhuckers started the game with 6 players on the field, missing their key strike player Criegan ‘Gibbo’ Gibson, due to a mid week soccer injury. However it was later that the tables turned and Motherhuckers gained a player and Hard-Force lost a player and was left with no choice but to play with 6 players. With only 6 players on the field, the decision was made by captain Simon to run a 4 person cup, which proved to be a great idea in forcing turnovers, however with a four man cup playing Savage, it was only a matter of time that cup became fatigued, except for Rowan. The four-man cup soon turned into a one man ‘superman’ cup consisting of Simon desperately lunging and scoring some sweet D’s. However the night was all Motherhuckers and some sweet catches by Melanie Burgess, distracting body of Sam, James David like reflexes of Mike, and pin-point accurate ‘puts’ by Alex ensured the Motherhuckers went on to finish the first round of games with only one loss, even with the absence of key players towards the end of the game. Motherhuckers up 13 to 8.

The Pink BAMF’s got off to a flying starting leading 2-0, though with a new defensive scheme, the Blue Sharks struck back taking the lead 3-2. The scores bounced back and forth and reached 6 all, before a Bobby miracle flick ensured the BAMF’s took out the half 7-6. In a game where each point took at least 5 minutes, the cups on both teams were being run ragged. However, it was through the careful handling of Zane, Peter and Fraser that the Blue Sharks were able to keep their nose above water and keep a one to two point lead through the second half. It was the combination of Dave and Bobby in associations with inspirational D’s by Rob that kept the Pink BAMF’s in the game. With two drops in the end zone, not naming names (DEANNA), the Pink BAMF’s crawled back to 11-11. With a crowd of over 20 fine folks brewing, it was game time. Where the best players were put to the test of Ultimate pressure, not even Michael Jordan himself had experienced such a clutch moment. With every single player on the field gasping for air, an entire team was forced to hold Shay back from running onto the field and playing. It was Katherine in her last game in Townsville that got the ever so important goal over her older sister Stine to ensure bragging rights going home. Though with their nose just in front, the Blue Sharks could not be denied a victory taking the win 13-11 in a thriller. Special mention goes out Katherine and Fraser on the Sharks and Bec, Stine and Ryan Miller on the Pink BAMF’s.

In this battle of the bottom two teams, pride was on the line. With the Heavyweights flaring off their new team singlets they were rearing to go. The Heavyweights lined up this week with a new mentality and prepared for battle. In the beginning of the game the teams started off even with the points going back and forth like a tennis match. After a 2-2 buffer, it was the Heavyweights who pulled off to the first assailable string of points to lead 6-2, however it was the Yellow Duncan’s who replied, taking the half with a 5 point comeback. The Heavyweight’s used their height to dominate a lot of points, though with mistimed cutting, miscommunication or simply lack of awareness, the Heavyweights couldn’t capitalise on valuable field position and turned over the disc. The scores once again see-sawed through to 8 all and with the Yellow Duncan’s finding their best defensive form of the season, kept the Heavyweights scoreless. Standouts for the Heavyweights included Brad, Yvonne and Vaporeon, also a special mention to Jean, Rob and Carly for solid efforts in defence on the Yellow team. Yellow Fever is on a two game winning streak, defeating the Heavyweights 13 to 8.

It is also worth mentioning that whilst winning is a high priority and pride is on the line, winning should not be a sacrifice for spirit. Keep in mind that the reasoning behind the rule of a no referee system was based upon Ultimate being a player run game, with rules being called and challenged by the players themselves. It is through these rules that the spirit of the game exists and it is through the spirit of the game that makes Ultimate such a tight knit sport. We need the spirit of the game to ensure that at the end of each game, we can still walk away as friends, with no grudges being held. For this is why Ultimate is the best kept secret in the world, it is the joys, memories and lifelong friendships formed outside the game that we remember forever. So remember, play hard, but keep in mind that it is a social league and ensure that friendships are not broken through on the field arguments.

I would like to finish with a quote from Ashley O’Sullivan when asked:

‘What does it take to become as good as you?’

“The best Ultimate player is not the fastest, fittest, strongest nor tallest. The best ultimate players are the ones who are the smartest. The player with the best strategies, mental attitude, motivation, awareness and overall knowledge of the game, are the ones who make it the furthest. For Ultimate is all about being in the right place at the right time, so practice your throws and catches, but always be aware of the mental side of the game. Like in all games, the most successful players are the ones who arrive first, and leave last. “

O’Sullivan, A 2010.

Week 4 Results!

Yellow Fever 13 - Blue Sharks 2
Hard Force 13 - Heavyweights 12
Pink BAMF’s 13 - Motherhuckers 8

Bro, Broskies... Week 4, the magical week. The week that sets the teams apart and determines which beginners have begun the process of picking up the rules of the ever growing sport of Ultimate. It is in this week, that the players get used to their team mates and begin the familiar and awkward but very necessary team bonding in order to build a team spirit, where each team mate begins to know the strengths and weaknesses of the person they stand next to, and it is in this week that the confidence of the new up and rising stars are put to the test. From here on out, it's game time. This is where friendships are put on hold after the opening huck, this is when rivalries begin and battles are lost, the pursuit of glory or the anguish of defeat. This is the sport that is played in heaven...

This is the sport of Ultimate...

The Yellow Fever turned up ready to play, despite the strong and vocal spirit of the Blue Sharks. No amount of Shark power, Baby, Mamma, Grandma or Daddy could deter the Fever from another defeat, this week they were determined to play. In what seemed to be a last minute call up, the Fever had managed to recruit a new player, in what was leaked after the game to be a Nationals player. With the first four points becoming an arm wrestle to see who could get out on top, it was the Blue Sharks who led 2-1. However, this was when the magic of the Fever came in, plus the composure of random nationals guy. With an array of precision passing, delicate cuts and blistering speed, the Yellow Fever displayed a near perfect first and second half to keep the Blue Sharks scoreless for the entire game. No amount of defense from the Blue Sharks however was able to keep Yellow Fever scoreless. Even the bribe of a Barbeque bacon and cheeseburger wasn’t enough to get the Sharks over the line, with the Fever team sharing the point scoring for all of its 13 points amongst its new and old players. The Yellow Fever have stated their claim in putting forward their bid to become serious contenders in the 2010 competition, and I wish them all the best. Yellow Fever winners 13-2

Living up to its reputation, the team Hard Force led by the handsome El Presidente himself had come off a tight loss in the previous week and wanted a chance at redemption, despite the absence of Rowan Hall. Before the game even started, the Heavyweights did some underground recruiting, managing to steal one of the Blue Sharks female players without the knowledge of Zane. With a new look in the form of Ashley O’Sullivan’s boots, the Heavyweights dazzled the opposition and got off to a blockbuster start leading 6-2, however, once again, Hard Force delivered one of its trademarked spirited comebacks and fought back and were taken to half only 7 -6 down. In what seemed to be a tight affair in the second half, the Heavyweights seemed to run out of puff and the momentum was swinging like a pendulum. The game got to 12 all, until a Hugh Osborn(e) brain explosion deciding against a solid D in the end zone, to attempting a full field ‘greatest’ to win, cost the Heavyweights the game.

However, as a spectator, the caliber of Ultimate that was being displayed by both teams is definitely worth mentioning, and it showed the level that the other teams must compete at to be able to make it to the finals series. Hard Force up in a hard fought victory 13-12.

After Round 3, the question was posted about the Mother Huckers “Who can beat these mother fuckers?”
Enter... David DeHollander. With the inspirational captain, now in his second season in the Pink uniform, he was determined to get his 2009 grand final match he had wished. With Katie cheering from Seattle, the rest of the BAMF’s had a willing urge to dissect the Mother Huckers. It was a tight affair in the early half with Mike ‘The Shark’ Larson, taking early dominance and stamping his foot on the match. However, it was Bobby who came up with the play that cost the Mother Huckers the dream undefeated run. With some sort of brain explosion, Bobby came up with a new defensive scheme to ensure that the Mother Huckers' danger man (Criegan Gibson) was kept out of the picture. With a 2 man cup, 2 deep defenders and a 3 man middle zone, the defence proved to be unbreakable, shutting Gibbo and the Mother Huckers right out of the game. The Pink BAMF’s runaway winners 13-8.

After a blockbuster week of non stop entertainment, it really goes to show the talent we have on display here in Townsville. In addition, I would like to say to everyone that it would be extremely beneficial for you and your teams if you came early, before 7pm to start throwing. Also, not only is playing Ultimate extremely beneficial, but watching games is as well. Take the time to watch the last game being played, for you could be glad to experience greatness, in the form of Hugh Osborn(e).

Week 3 Results

Blue Sharks 13 – Hard Force 10

Motherhuckers 13 – Heavyweights 8

Pink BAMF’s 13 – Yellow Duncans 8

After what seemed to be a long awaited wait to Wednesday night Frisbee, the league did not disappoint. With absolutely minimal wind, man on man defence seemed to be the most effective approach to the games. This opened the door to many stand out performances, daring catches and pinpoint accurate throws. Standing on the sideline and witnessing the calibre of games being played so far this season has provided evidence to the ever-growing sport of Ultimate in Townsville. Brand stinking-new players have been able to pick up the rules, catches and throws like they have been playing for years, providing a promising future for Townsville Ultimate. Keep it up!

The Blue Sharks were itching to get started on a new week after suffering a disappointing loss to the Motherhuckers in the previous week. After much discussion about pre-game rituals, it was decided that a song would be debuted this week called “The baby shark”, which proved to be a big hit, with some members of Hard Force joining in after the game. The Blue Sharks were determined to get out to a good lead after hearing about Hard Force’s habit of sneaking back into the game through a string of goals, and this week was no different, after a 5-1 head start, Blue Sharks only managed to get into Half time at 7-6. A close second half consisted of full field hucks from Zane and perfect throws and delicate cutting between Simon and Cody. The new players picked up the game with ease, easily bagging one or two goals each throughout the game. Except for Deanna who ended up with no goals. Sorry Dee! In a game dominated by man on man defence (Or woman on woman), it was a close grind with Blue Sharks just holding of the hard finishing Hard Force to come out victors 13-10.

With an incredibly slow turn up rate, the Heavyweights managed to pull together 7 players before the opening pull against a full strength Motherhuckers team line up, only missing their key player Criegan “McNabb” Gibson in the first 20 minutes due to a car break down or something. After a quick fire first half, the Heavyweights seemed to be dominating simply through possession, playing patiently with their handlers. Following a flawless first half performance by the Heavyweights, Finny had to visit his boyfriend, Rohan and in turn, put the team at a slight disadvantage. Blood was smelt in the water by Mike “The Shark” Larson, and after a courageous half time speech involving a few tears and a random pledging ceremony, the changed Motherhuckers ran onto the field determined to prove their worth. The Motherhuckers turned the tables and kept their composure to retain the momentum. Hard defence all round restricted Hugh’s Heavyweights to only one goal in the second half. Motherhuckers still remain undefeated and poses the question to the rest of the league... “Who can beat these Mother fuckers?” Motherhuckers up 13 to 8.

A gun team consisting of more stars than the Milky Way, the Pink BAMF’s were a force to be reckoned with this week. After a second round scare, Bobby took the field in uniform and was itching for goals, Bec on the sideline cheering and Bob dazzling the crowd with his familiar ‘flat as a pancake’ flicks the BAMF’s were a force to be reckoned with. But little did they know that the Yellow Duncan’s had a trick up their sleeve as well. The sleeve must be huge, because the trick involved a 7 foot something giant dressed head to toe in yellow body paint making it impossible to come within 3 foot of him without turning Yellow yourself. With the three D’s (Duncan, Dave and Dane) running amok, it was always going to be hard for the BAMF’s to dispose of the Duncan’s without a fight. To this day, the score remains unknown with both captains promised to a world of secrecy. What is known however is that the BAMF’s did come out on top. BAMF’s 13 defeating The Duncan’s ‘Unknown’. I’m guessing 13-8, though.

After Week 3, the new players are showing a lot of potential. In a sport like Ultimate, the greatest investment you can make is purchasing a disc. Find a friend and do some throws, or keep a disc in your bag and play disc golf around Uni. For $20 the improvement you will see is invaluable. I hope to see everyone next week for Week 4 of the 2010 season!

Week 2 Results!

Week 2
Blue Sharks 6 – Motherhuckers 13
Hard Force 13 – Yellow Duncans 11
Heavyweights 11 – Pink BAMFs 13

This league is shaping up to be one of the most competitive ones we’ve seen with a lot of zones already being played against these fledgling teams and some very close games. I can speak for most people when I say that the wind tonight brought about some tough conditions to play in for most people, making catching and throwing a lot more difficult.

The Heavyweights’ game against Pink BAMFs really was a heavyweight matchup against some badass motherfuckers. Hard zone from both teams created a lot of turnovers and some long exhausting points. The scramble for the disc and the lead in these conditions created a lot of knocks and bumps this game. Handler extraordinaire Ashley deciding to get taken out of the play for a trip to the nearby hospital whinging about genital herpes or something. He may now get extra time on his assignments. Teammates Tim and Troy went head to head painfully enough as well, while I ingratefully knocked Bobby over to get at the disc. My bad, sorry Bobby. Great performances by both teams, but let’s try to be careful now!

Hard Force against the Duncans was mostly a man D and O affair with the Duncans taking the lead towards the end. Apparently the Duncans played some successful zone but opted against it for the majority of the match. A massive comeback from Hard Force saw them score 7 points straight with the Yellow Duncans sitting on 11 points to take the final lead and win the game.

The Motherhuckers are taking down teams in style with massive score deficits from the opposing teams so far. This week’s victim was the Blue Sharks who last week beat the Heavyweights in a close game. Two words for you: James David. With so many teams closely matched at this stage is it possible that Motherhuckers could reign supreme and be the dominant force this semester? Watch out for Micky L!

Week 1

These are the results from the first week of League, Semester 1, 2010

Week 1:

Blue Sharks 13 – Heavyweights 9

Hard Force 13 – Pink BAMFs 11

Motherhuckers 13 - Yellow Duncans 4

Remember, the first team to have all their members pay will play host to the greatest pizza party ever! My team, Heavyweights, we're still in the lead but have a few of the newest additions left to pay. See if you can get a loan for some of them.

Over and out!

Semester 1, 2010 League has begun!

After numerous rain delays it seems this season's beginner's league is underway. Looking more like a who's still around from Townsville it's really great to have such a huge number of people returning for this new semester. Of course there's still plenty of fresh faces around who this year will have plenty of help to go to from any of the returning players. So people do your best to help out!

The teams have formed and the first game has been played but as of yet I don't know who won. Sorry. Will get onto that soon. That's all I was gonna say.