New Website

Hi there,

Due to the new website being launched, this blog will no longer be monitored or updated. Please head on over to www.tsv-ultimate.com to see all the latest information and happenings of Ultimate Disc in Townsville, or to get in touch with one of the organisers.

Tyson Buhagiar
Website Coordinator

2014 State of the Villainous Empire! Part 3/3

Welcome back reader, prepare yourself for the final installment of this years trilogy!!! If you're a baddie and haven't read the other two... Part 1 & Part 2.

Part 3 - The year to come (the remainder of 2014):

Halibut is coming, August 23 – 24! Once again Townsville will be sending two teams! Jerseys have been ordered, accommodation is being booked, however teams are yet to be finalised as we’re waiting to see which women will be available for the tournament. Andrew Gosbee and Laura Knecht are your contacts for this team.

Australian University Games is in Sydney this year, if you’re keen let Tim Saunders and Andrew Gosbee know.

Semester 2, 2014 will be run by Andrew Gosbee and Tim Saunders. There is a discussion about modifying the current format to a Div 1, Div 2 style with the intention of higher level players in Div 1 and the social league being Div 2. This should allow captains and key support players to be better supported in both formats. Regardless of the format the feedback from last season is to make the games a little longer. The only way to do this will be to have the fields opened at 6.30 for a 6.45 start which should extend the games by a further 10 – 15 minutes but having the late game still finish before 9.30. If you have a passionate feeling about this, let Andrew Gosbee know!

TSVL Season 4 will be kicking off shortly after the social league. Again this will be run by Andrew Gosbee and Tim Saunders. An announcement will be made when registrations open and players will be expected to pay if they wish to be drafted. There is also a bit of a debate with regards to what should happen with late registrants, primarily if the draft cycle should continue, or if they should be allocated to the team with the lowest numbers, or some other method. Again, let Andy know your feelings on the subject!

The big discussion item among the senior members at the moment is the selection process for this year’s AMUC team. The process hasn’t been finalised yet, however trials will be needed and the process will be laid out so everyone knows what will be expected of them and the captains. The group has a number of resources being provided to make this process as transparent and fair as possible.

Speaking of AMUC, there will be a need for a large volunteer base to effectively deliver the event. If you’re keen to help out let me know. Currently the website is being developed, the disc design has been finalised, merchandising has been sourced and a number of grants have been applied for to reduce the cost of the event. Primarily we’ll need people to help out on the day setting up cones (fields will be line marked), setting up scoreboards, setting up marquees, filling water, manning the canteen, and being visible to help players with any questions. At this stage our jerseys will remain the same unless someone chooses to design something.

A massive thank you to those that have helped out over the year, particularly Scott, Bob, Andy, Saunders, Phipps, Phil, Kramer, Timmy and Finny.  

A special big thanks to Laura for being the acting President whilst I’m overseas and doing special jobs for me.

Thank you to the Townsville City Council for your support of AMUC and through the Excellence in Sports Grant.

Thank you to QUDA for the subsidies that allow our members to attend Northern Regionals and Halibut.

Thank you to all of the members for making this sport and club as amazing as it is!

Chris Ende

President

2014 State of the Villainous Empire! Part 2/3

I see you're still reading this epic novel! If you missed Part 1, GO BACK AND READ IT!!!!

Part 2 - The year that was (2014).

With all of this new equipment Townsville did something that hasn’t been seen in many years, training commencing in January! Although the rain made some sessions harder than others, it was great to see Scott Adams leading the charge with Dave Dehollander in improving the skill and fitness level of about 15 members a session. Several members purchase the Tim Morrill f.u.t.u.r.e. package and others subscribed to Rise Up. Both resources have been invaluable to improving movement and skill.

2014 Northern Regionals in Brisbane was a massive learning experience for a number of players. Despite losing all three games, the team was the best spirited on the day and several players have since started training with intent. The training session held on Sunday was a massive benefit to those that attended as it gave them an opportunity to train alongside Firestorm and to learn from two coaches that had attended the RISE Up workshop in Melbourne. It is great to see a those players putting what they learnt into practice.

Semester 1 saw big changes for the social league as it moved to a dual pool and dual timeslot format with a record breaking 12 teams. A massive thank you goes to the captains, David Dehollander, Rob Dehollander, Scott Adams, Michael Kramer, Matt Hamilton, Timmy Roland, Josh Phipps, Ash Dodd, Tim Saunders, Sean Beveridge and Phil English, for making this a fairly smooth transition.

The season was relatively close with one team probably being a little overpowered... The final saw Blue Balls of Steel continue their undefeated streak knocking over Titans of Terror. A super big thanks to Scott Adams for running the league, to Tim Saunders for setting up the fields every week, to Andrew Gosbee for keeping track of scores and MVP’s, to Timmy Roland for the Social Event shenanigans, and Laura Knecht for doing all of the admin stuff I didn’t have time to do (like entering 150 members into the AFDA website)! You all make this league a success and it is a far cry from the days of one person doing everything!

The TSVL also underwent some changes moving from a dual time slot to a single time slot in the hopes that availability would improve. Personally I don’t think the participation numbers improved, and the second field is not the same quality as the first. It was certainly worth trying something different though. Thanks to Scott Adams for his administration prowess, Tim Saunders for setting up the fields, Andrew Gosbee for tracking MVP’s, Spirit, attendance and scoring and to each of the captains, Matt Hamilton, Scott Adams and Dave Dehollander. The final saw Gon’ Need a Wheel Chair knock off the Ninjas to take the shield home.

This was also the last game for our Kiwi duo, Scott Adams and Kat Gregory, as they pick up their lives and relocate to Mackay! Thank you Scott for all of your help, in particular running the seasons, training sessions, and numerous strapping jobs this year! All the best!

During the semester the club was nominated for the 2013 Townsville City Council Sports Awards – Team of the Year. With eight other teams competing for the prize, the club was selected as one of three finalists. However that was as far as we got, a massive congratulations to everyone that represented the club last year and it is great to see our club being recognised in the wider community considering the multitude of other sports in Townsville.

April saw the TownsVillains participate at Division II of the Australian Ultimate Championships being hosted in Adelaide. The team performed exceptionally well particularly with a number of players putting the lessons of Regionals into practice. The two day tournament concluded with us taking 5^th overall and Matt Finn taking tournament MVP for the second year in a row. Well done all!

Over the past few months a Tyson Buhagiar was commissioned to develop a website in conjunction with Ultimate Central, which is the new website platform that the AFDA is moving its site to. You can check it out here in all of its glory! There are a number of features still to come like the gallery and the history, which will hopefully be finalised before the end of the year.

Part of brining in a website is the hope that members will be able to register and pay through PayPal instead of hunting Matt Hamilton down or incurring bank fees when making a direct deposit from an overseas bank account. This will hopefully be trialled for Semester 2, 2014 and TSVL Season 4. Thanks to Matty and Tyson for their continued efforts.

One of the side projects has been trying to establish a schools program in Townsville. Unfortunately this has proven to be much more difficult and time consuming to get going. Therefore the QUDA Development Officer, Mat Ryan, is now taking over the initiative as he has more resources available. It is envisioned that our level 1 coaches will be doing the coaching and perhaps in a few years time the club will start seeing a return on this initiative.  

Earlier this year Michael Kramer was appointed as the clubs Grant Administrator to make our grant applications more consistent and to be written at a more suitable level. This largely came about due to my inability to allocate suitable time to each application. The club has been successful with a grant from the JCU Student Association, and a travel grant from the Townsville City Council’s Excellence in Sports, however all other grant applications have been rejected primarily due to “stronger” applications. Thank you Kramer for your time and patience! Oh and we won a water cooler from Gatorade!

The club had its AGM in May this year. Thank you to the elected and non-elected members of the executive that have helped over the year. The club truly doesn’t function without a team of people behind it. The minutes are here. Congratulations to the new elected members and non-elected members. You can see all of the positions here.

The NQ Hat was hosted in Kuranda near Cairns on the 21^st to the 22^nd of June. It was a great success and everyone had a fantastic time! There are plenty of photos on FB so go and check them out! The hat returns to Townsville next year so if you’re interested in Event Management and would like to be the TD, send an email to townsvilleultimate@gmail.com 


Part 3 - The year to come (the remainder of 2014):

2014 State of the Villainous Empire! Part 1/3

As with last year I've broken this into three posts as there is simply too much happening to cover it all in one or two posts!!!! So without further ado:

Part 1 - The year that was (the remainder of 2013).

Since August last year, Townsville Ultimate has been growing locally and achieving a number of milestones. Townsville Ultimate commissioned a new jersey for Halibut and we sent two teams to compete. The tournament provided a great learning experience with which some of those lessons are being applied this year. I’m happy to say that this year we’re looking to send another two teams (albeit smaller teams), and I believe Mackay and Cairns are also looking at sending a team each to Halibut.

It would be incredible to see four teams from North Queensland attend this year particularly as it wasn’t that long ago that it was a struggle for one team to be sent! Part of this is due to Queensland Ultimate Disc Association’s (QUDA) continued commitment to the region by providing a subsidy for the players attending. Townsville Ultimate has also been making the tournament more affordable for members by covering the team fee and reducing the cost of the jerseys to $50.

September was a busy month with the AFDA Women’s Conference, the Uni Games Fundraising Tournament and of course, the Australian University Games. The AFDA Women’s Conference was attended by Matthew Finn and I on behalf of the club after we had canvassed for other participants, however they all had previous engagements.

The conference was hosted in Brisbane over two days and it was a magnificent networking opportunity. After attending a number of individual sessions I’m happy to say that what we’ve been doing over the years in regards to recruitment to grow Ultimate in Townsville is the correct path, and we now have the resources and confidence to take Women’s Ultimate to the next level!

It makes me very happy to announce that as a result of the conference, the support of a number of women across Australia, QUDA, and AFDA, that Queensland’s next representative team will be, The Powerpuffs! This team will be captained by Laura Knecht and Ashlee Dodd. The team will have full access to the club’s resources and the team has already commenced training. Their first goal is to prepare for the Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships as they will be the primary picks for the mixed team, The TownsVillains. The Powerpuffs are planning to debut at the 2015 Northern Regionals and potentially attend the 2015 Australian Ultimate Championships.

September also saw a successful fundraising tournament held for the JCU Uni Games Team. The tournament catered for four teams and raised enough money to cover the Uni Games team’s food for the week. This team was the first JCU Uni Games team for a number of years. The team performed exceptionally well quietly surpassing everyone’s tips to finish 4^th in Division 2 and winning an award at the JCU ceremony, “Most Unexpected Result”! 

October saw a number of Townsville players travel to Charters Towers and Mackay to help spread Ultimate in the region by providing coaching support. Three cars travelled to Charters Towers to help Ashlee Dodd and Tyson Buhagiar run an exhibition match at the Active Lifestyles Festival. There were a number of spectators and the local players enjoyed the structured games. Thanks to QUDA for providing the money to cover the fuel.

Mackay saw its first Level 1 Coaching Course and a car full from Townsville made its way down to also participate. As a result both clubs now have additional level 1 coaches which should make teaching beginners much easier. Thanks to QUDA for providing John McNaughton as the coaching presenter and covering the fuel costs for Townsville to travel down.

October also saw the Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships (AMUC) being hosted in Canberra. The TownsVillains sent a team and started with a bang knocking off the 4^th seed, Canberra’s Burley Griffins, on universe point in the opening match. A full write up of the tournament can be read here. 

The Villains had a number of hard fought games and ended up placing 14^th at the end of the tournament. Our highest finishing place at AMUC since 2005. On top of this, it was officially announced that Townsville had won the bid to host AMUC 2014! This is the third time in the history of the event that AMUC will be hosted in Regional Australia and the first time it will be hosted in Regional Queensland! This is an amazing opportunity for the region to display high level Ultimate and to encourage club development beyond grass roots skills. AMUC will be hosted on the 18^th – 20^th of October 2014.

November saw the wrap up of both Townsville leagues with Robust Fawn taking out the social league in a dominating display over Ducks Tie Together. Meanwhile in TSVL we saw Rainbow Seagull Fantasy edging out Demigods in their final. This was Ash O’Sullivan’s last competitive match in Townsville as he moves on to greener pastures in Sydney to do his Masters. Good luck O’Suv!  Thank you to Matt Finn and Scott Adams for running the leagues, to all of the captains, Tim Saunders for setting up the fields each night, and Timmy Roland for being the Social Event Guru.

The Queensland Hat was also hosted in November and with the event came the 2013 QUDA Awards. The TownsVillains took out the Club of the Year Award and received a $150 rebel sport voucher from QUDA which was used to purchase 8 agility poles, 50 cones and 2 whistles. The club also took the opportunity to invest in a pair of agility ladders and is storing the equipment in the new kit bag which was given to the club at AMUC. Thank you QUDA!

That's the wrap for 2013, for the continuation: Part 2 - The year that was (2014).

NQ Hat is almost here!

It is a sad time of the semester.  Exams are creeping up on us and no more league games until the next semester.  Fear not though, there is more disc to look forward to in the near future and it is the perfect post exam stress relief.  The NQ Hat tournament is coming to Cairns June 21-22.

What is a Hat tournament you might ask?  A Hat tournament is where people register as individuals and are placed on a random team for the duration of the tournament.

What skill level is a Hat tournament for?  That is the beauty of these types of tournaments.  They are for EVERYONE.  From beginner to Nationals MVP, all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to come out (for proper effect, please say this last word the proper Canadian way).  The teams will be balanced with players from all skill levels and plenty of fun will be had by all.  This is the perfect opportunity for people to experience their first Ultimate tournament.

Need more reasons to go to NQ Hat?  Have you ever been to an Ultimate party here in Townsville?  Well the tournament party will be that x10.  There really are no words to describe the awesomeness this night will bring. 

Did we mention it was being played near Cairns?  One of the top tourist destinations Australia has to offer.  Make a full weekend out of the trip and see some of the marvelous sites that Cairns has to offer. 

Is transportation to and from Cairns  holding you up?  No need to worry, we will have plenty of cars from Townsville making the trip.  Just ask around and we will find a way to get you there and back safely.

Check out the NQ Hat Facebook page for more information and to sign up and let’s show everybody why Townsville Ultimate wins every party!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1386259011663242/

Townsville Ultimate Finals - Can miracles happen?

After spending months opening up this blog on my favourites and continually finding close to no updates I decided the only way I could read some quality ultimate chat would be to write it myself. So to bring myself out of tvl ultimate blog writing retirement, here are the previews / predictions / online heckles for the finals series for Wednesday night mixed ultimate!

Bronze medal battle - Sky Phuckers vs Pink Poppers

In the bronze medal match we see two of our captains battle in what could be seen as the elder playoffs, captain Chris / Jazzy / the COG age 30 vs Timmy, the party liaison officer age 28. I've heard there are some big name players in both of these teams, my tip for the premier matchup would have to be this tall fella Kyle who makes a mean vodka watermelon and booze supplier extraordinaire Bobby Jackson, who both look very good in tie dye. The COG has recruited well for the season, picking up the younger siblings of 3 villains, Sam Phipps, Lauren Hammond and Michael Saunders. I've heard they all just scrape past the legal drinking age so they should have no problem running onto the field carrying the required amount of alcohol. 

My tip. If our glorious president is drinking devils cut, Timmy's troop to win in a landslide (COG too busy prowling) if a different brew is chosen the mix of age and youth will prove too much for Timbo's Phuckers.  

Gold Medal Glory - Blue Balls of Steel vs Titans of Terror

The battle of the best this year will be between half of the seagulls (Blue Balls of Terror) and half of robust fawn (Titans of Terror). Over the past 2 semesters each captain have taken home the golden cup, defeating glorious tie dye outfits. 

On one side the Blue Balls have captain Rob Dehollander who has arms that are longer then most other peoples entire bodies, soon to be worlds player Dee Finn and basically all of the gingers in the entire league. This team has had a fairly comfortable run throughout the season and the finals, showing that they have a devasting offence and a brutal mongrel defence. 

On the other side co-captains Michael 'Kramer' Kramer and Zane-o carry on leading one of the longest franchises in Townsville ultimate history. Kramer and Zane have been sculpting this team for glory over many seasons, finally seeing the fruition of their 5 year plan begin over the past year, as they see themselves in back to back finals. With other founding members, Gillian and Frandawg leading the charge along with star Brisbane recruit, Luke Sturgess, who I have heard from a reliable, presidential source, could be the only man willing to put his body on the line to stop Rob Dehollanders hammers. 

This game has the potential to be an absolute ripper! Kramer and Zane need to run a tight ship and shut down the combination of Rob and Dee. If they can do this it will help their cause quite a bit.

For Rob, they need to rattle Fawns confidence by playing aggressively and not allowing Zane an open look for his trademark pinpoint backhand. 

My tip. Rob to take home the trophy mainly so next season we can see him drink until he forgets what legs are again.

From what I have gathered the best of the rest matches will be decided on the night with many a beer and goon bag emptied throughout the evening. In the words of an immortal who has moved onto greener pastures, fun will be the real winner. 

I wish I could be there to see the festivities but unfortunately the land of cheap booze is calling my name! Can not wait to hear stories of the nights activities. Hopefully following on the tradition of post finals skinny dipping at the river!

On a final note I actually know absolutely nothing about the happenings of this league so this post is basically a alcohol fuelled late night write up! Happy reading and happy heckling!

Attention All Ladies!

A new team is forming in Townsville! If you would like to know more, read the flyer! :)

2014 Townsville Ultimate Disc Inc. AGM

Location: Strand Park

Meeting Open 10/05/2014 15:17

Attendees: Christopher Ende, Michael Kramer, Luke Sturgess, Andrew Gosbee, David Dehollander, Scott Adams, Tim Saunders Laura Knecht, Ashlee Dodd, Michael Saunders, Sean Beveridge, Joshua Phipps

Apologies: Phil English, Matthew Hamilton

Item 1: President's Report

State of the Villainous Empire! (short version)

The year that was:

NQ Hat – We had 6 teams participate, aside from the draw it was a highly successful tournament, big thanks to Andy Gosbee for his help. The NQ Hat has grown to be QLD's third largest tournament missing out on the second spot by only half a dozen participants. 

Halibut – 2 teams were sent, new jerseys were designed, the teams were too big, it was great to see 32 NQ players participate

Women’s conference – what we’re doing is on track, it was a great networking opportunity

Fundraising tournament – for uni games, 4 teams, successful, covered the teams food for the week

Uni Games – 4thDiv 2 – fantastic result

Charters Towers and Mackay coaching/training we now have a number of level 1 coaches, QUDA supported by covering the costs for fuel

Mixed Nationals in Canberra equaled Townsville's highest result ever, 14th

Townsville's Mixed Nationals bid was successful and will be held on the 18, 19 & 20 of October

Townsville Ultimate was awarded Club of the year by QUDA, we were presented with a $150 rebel sport voucher which was used to purchase 8 agility poles, 50 cones and 2 whistles

Training commenced in January, under the guidance of Scott Adams and Dave Dehollander

Regionals, big learning experience for a number of players, for those that attended the Sunday training session they learnt a lot. Thank you to QUDA for the travel subsidy

We were nominated for the Team of the Year through the Townsville City Council Sports Awards where we made it to the final 3 nominations.  

Division 2 Campaign – 5th overall

Semester 1 – big changes for the league moving to a dual pool and timeslot format with 12 teams. Big thanks to the captains for making this a relatively easy transition

Website – Tyson has been working on this, pay-pal is coming! Check it out

AFDA registration – Big thanks to Laura for entering 200 people into the AFDA registration system

Schools program has been difficult to get going. QUDA is now taking over that initiative as they have more resources with the DO. It is hoped our level 1 coaches will be able to do the coaching

Kramer has applied for a number of grants however at this stage we haven’t been successful in securing any additional funding

Looking forward:

NQ Hat is coming up in Cairns June 21-22

Mix Nationals – There will be a team selection however at this stage we're unsure how that will take place

Halibut – we're probably sending two teams which Scott and Dave will be organising

Semester 2 – looking to modify the current format to a div 1/div 2 with the intention of higher level players in div 1 and the social league being div 2. Allows captains to be better supported in both formats

Mix Nationals will require bulk volunteers, website currently being developed, disc design being developed. At this stage jerseys will remain the same

A Women’s team is in the planning stages of being formed and will be led by Ash Dodd and Laura Knecht

Thank you to those that have helped out over the year, particularly Scott Adams, Dave Dehollander, Andy Gosbee, Time Saunders, Josh Phipps, Laura Knecht, Phil English, Michael Kramer and Matthew Finn

Thank you to Townsville City Council for your support through the Excellence in Sports Grant.

Thank you to James Cook University for your support through the JCUSA Clubs and Societies funding

Thank you to QUDA for the travel subsidies to attend Regionals and Halibut

Item 2: Other Business

TSVL - Attendance issues due to no commitment from players early on. Strategy moving forward should be upfront payments. TSVL is a league for regulars, so there doesn't need to be a grace period like with the Wednesday night league.

Mix Nationals Qualifier - Need to organise a Northern Regionals. (Andrew Gosbee)

Jersey Design for Mix Nationals - Scott Adams nominated to organise.

Grants Coordinator: Gatorade promotion successful, Michael Kramer attended Grants Clinic to better understand grant applications and what they're looking for.

Training:

-  Luke Sturgess suggested occasional organised training clinics separate to regular training. eg (Rise up). Luke Sturgess nominated for new position - Clinic Coordinator. (motioned J Phipps, seconded T Saunders)

- Training sessions/strategies to be reassessed

Tournaments: - Fundraiser Tournament for Uni Games earmarked for September (Andrew Gosbee)

Women’s Team - Committee formed with Ash Dodd and Laura Knecht

Item 3: Voting in New Committee

Position	Nominee	Motioned	Seconded	Successor
President	Chris Ende	Joshua Phipps	Andrew Gosbee	Chris Ende
	Tim Saunders	Scott Adams	Michael Kramer
Treasurer	Matthew Hamilton	Scott Adams	Laura Knecht	Matthew Hamilton
Secretary	Laura Knecht	Scott Adams	David Dehollander	Laura Knecht
	Joshua Phipps	Scott Adams	Sean Beveridge

Confirmed Positions- President (Christopher Ende), Treasurer (Matthew Hamilton), Secretary (Laura Knecht)

MEETING CLOSED: 16:15

Frisbee Withdrawal Leads to Blog Posts

With Wednesday night frisbee cancelled for the week due to what can only be described as a moderate amount of rain, I find myself shaking and going through withdrawal.  The only other way to get my fix is by talking about frisbee, so why not update our neglected blog to put my nerves at ease (or possibly I just have nothing better to do on a Wednesday afternoon, and isn't that just a little sad?).

Two weeks of our social league are now in the books, so it may be a good idea to go through a brief introduction of each team and a reveal of their team names.

Bean Flickers
Captain Scott Adams is back at it with a new supporting cast this semester that includes Cherrybomb's newest superstar and future 2014 Nationals MVP Grace Philp.  Scott's hardcore approach to coaching and training was so intimidating that most of his team decided to quit before week 1 even began.  Despite this setback the Bean Flickers rebounded in week 2 to pull out a win and now sit with a respectable 1-1 record.  With Scott's intense training regimen, expect this team to improve leaps and bounds every week.

Pink Poppers
Townsville Ultimate's faithful president Chris Ende (#cog) leads a team that is rich in potential.  The rookie trio of Lauren Hammond, Sam Phipps, and Michael Saunders all follow in the footsteps of their elder siblings in joining Townsville Ultimate.  If Chris can effectively teach his team the ways of the disc, this could be a strong team come finals time.  After the thrashing they received in week 2, look for this young team to pop back next week and walk away with a second win.

For Hucks Sake
David DeHollander is back for another season and is looking to avenge the disappointment of being denied a second consecutive wooden spoon trophy.  Early in the season this team has been devastated by injury and attendance, but with the late addition of a few experienced bodies and the emergence of Chelsea Buffington as a team leader, don't count them out just yet.  This team is looking to win it all for Jake, so look out.

Blue Balls of Steel
Rob DeHollander managed to pick up his body after his "classy" showing in last semester's third place game.  This semester he leads a team of eager athletes and if the first two weeks are any indication, this will be the team to beat.  Despite being without one of Townsville's top scorers, Deanna Finn, this team has walked all over its opposition and sit at the top of the ladder with two wins and a 17 point differential in only two games.  Right now, only the weather is capable of stopping this team.

Titans of Terror
Last semester's Grand Final winning captain Michael Kramer returns much of the same team that took out the league last year.  Despite this, the Titans of Terror sit at 0 - 2 to date and are still looking for that elusive first win.  Do not be fooled though, Kramer and his partner in crime Zane often find a way to prevail when it matters most.  By the time finals come around, this team will be firing on all cylinders.

Mitey Discs
The Mitey Discs are back!  Mattie Hamilton once again is looking to lead the family to Townsville Ultimate supremacy.  Every semester you might look at this team on paper and discount their chances at being competitive, and every semester you would be wrong!  This year is no exception with the Mitey Discs sitting at 2 - 0 and looking awfully mighty.  This year it appears as if Ricky and Frances are stepping up big and looking to get this team in to the Grand Final.

Sky Phuckers
After a semester away from captaining, Timmy Roland is back leading his blue minions in to battle.  While this team is sitting at 0 - 2 and looking as if they have yet to gel, do not close the book on them quite yet.  No person in Townsville is capable of rallying a pack of girls like Timmy can, and with the late addition of Henry Snaza to the team, it may be enough to get this team on a winning track.

Blaq
In his first semester as team captain, Josh Phipps wins the prize for the least inspired team name.  Sitting at 1 -1, this team has seen mixed results thus far and it is far from clear how they will fare from here on out.  The success of this team will likely rest on the performances of star recruits Mark and Nittya.  The rookie captain will rely heavily on these two dark horses to bring the team far in this competition.

Department of Disc Defence
This team has failed to come up with a name prior to the publication of this blog, therefore I have assigned them a name until further notice.  This is what happens when you give the blog password to a crooked Canadian!  Team DoDD for short, is lead by Ashley Dodd in her first semester full time in Townsville.  She leads a team that includes her partner and part time disc player Tyson, as well as her sister Camilla.  This is a team ripe with potential, but with family members on the same team, there is potential for everything to come crashing down in the blink of an eye.  Sitting at 1 win and 1 tie (seriously, a tie? that is just so wrong!)  I have them pegged going deep in the finals as long as they work like a team all season long.

Purple Pirates
The Purple Pirates are lead by another rookie captain, Tim Saunders.  When you look at the line-up this team boasts, you may wonder what the organisers were thinking by giving Tim such a strong supporting cast.  Rob Davies, Mike Seager, Kat Gregory and Trista Valk gives this team a lineup that would likely put fear into any of our TSVL teams.  That said, last year is proof that the most formidable team on paper does not necessarily walk away with the championships.  This team currently sits at 1 win and 1 tie as well, and any long term success likely depends on Tim's ability to avoid destroying his team's brains with the quantum physics homework he gives them.

The Beverage Dispensers
Another team that has been assigned a team name by yours truly due to their organisational deficiencies.  For the first time in ages the tie dye team is not lead by Finny and it is instead Sean Beveridge that will lead the Beverage Dispensers into battle this semester.  In his second semester as captain, Bevo is looking to improve on his wooden spoon performance from his first captaining experience.  With a 1 - 1 start to the season it appears this team has the potential to do well in this season, but individual players will need to step up to make that happen.  Watch for Renee Tonc to emerge as a star player as the semester goes on, she is my early pick for female MVP this season.  If that holds true, watch out for this team.

Banana Karma
Phil English and his Banana Karma team are out to leave their mark on the league.  After a close loss last week, this team boasts a win and a loss thus far and they are determined to make sure their record is unblemished for the remainder of the season.  Phil will rely heavily on his female tandem of Laura and Aggie to leave their opponents in the dust and bring them to the Grand Finals. 

There you have it, the season preview two weeks in to the season.  Have a different opinion?  Let the heckling begin.

Start of the Season

What an exciting time to be alive! The 01/2014 season of the Townsville Ultimate Disc League will play its first games tonight and the excitement in the community is palpable.

How will the loss of two captains shake up the league and which team will be crowned champions at the end of the season? So many questions, and we have ten weeks to answer them.

As usual we will be tracking the highs and lows of the teams and league on this blog so be sure to check often to get your updates!

In the words of an Australian; get keeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all!!

It’s been awhile since the last post so here is a quick wrap up of 2013 and an update with what’s coming in 2014 for Townsville Ultimate.

Congratulations to Robust Fawn for winning the JCU Social League Final! Robust Fawn has played for a number of seasons and it’s great to see them on the winning side of a grand final. Will they make it two in a row? We’ll have to wait and see! Congratulations to Matt Hamilton’s, Firetrucking Red Team, for winning the most spirited team award!

The TSVL Final was a bitter sweet affair with Ash O’Sullivan playing his last competitive match in Townsville. Ash is off to the big smoke of Sydney but before he went, he took most of the silverware! His team, Rainbow Seagull Fantasy, ran out grand final winners leaving Townsville’s most consistent captain, Matt Finn, as runner up for the third time this year. Ash also took home the league MVP medallion and was presented with a farewell gift from Townsville Ultimate. Most Spirited Player went to Eric Lee with Scott Adams’ team, the Peppermint Pandas, taking the most spirited team prize. 

Over the Christmas break Michael Kramer was appointed to the role of Grants Administrator. CONGRATUALTIONS!! Kramer’s role will primarily focus on helping the President with grant applications and making sure the grants are acquitted appropriately. Kramer will focus mainly on community grant applications such as the JCU Clubs and Societies Funding and the Queensland Country Credit Union Community Grants.

Regionals and Division 2 Nationals are just around the corner. If you have an interest in playing and haven’t said anything to Chris Ende, Dave Dehollander, or Scott Adams, you should probably do that sooner rather than later! Regionals will be in Brisbane and is being hosted on the 15^th and 16^th of March. Division 2 Nationals will be the 12^th and 13^th of April in Adelaide. We’re likely going to need a selection process for the team going to Division 2 as we’re defending our 3^rd place from last year.

In possibly a first for Townsville Ultimate, training commenced in January and is run by Dave Dehollander and Scott Adams each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 5.30pm here https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=-19.320484,146.736665&hl=en&sll=-19.319952,146.738028&sspn=0.004662,0.008256&t=h&gl=au&z=17

At the end of last semester, JCU Sports and Recreation approached all of the JCU affiliated sports clubs and asked that we apply for funding to assist with the repairs of the Rugby Field and the AFL Field. Townsville Ultimate was approved for $1,700 and with the other clubs enough was raised for our fields to be fixed up. They are looking very nice and I’m pretty keen to layout on them!

A new semester approaches and that means Market Day is on the way! As always, it’s the day after the Toga Party, February 19. This will also be our first come and try night so we’ll need as many of you at the fields teaching all the new people. We’ll also have a new FB group being set up shortly so make sure you’re on there.

And to wrap up, I would like to thank Matt Finn for his time and energy in helping Townsville Ultimate over the years, specifically with running the leagues and captaining our representative teams. All the best in Sydney mate and we’ll see you when you’re back after your travels in August.

Townsville Ultimate Finals: The Holy Grail

Once again we’ve reached the final week of Wednesday ultimate for the semester.  As they say, all good things must come to an end.  Don’t know who ‘they’ are, but definitely have some wise words to say.  Five games determine the final standings for the semester. Most of the teams remaining are only playing for pride, but for two teams have much more at stake.

3^rd Place Playoff – Firetrucking Red Team vs Pinky and the Brain

“We lost the semi, does this still matter?”

Sadly I’ve played in a few of these games and I can tell you from experience; it matters.  Plenty of pride on the line, plus there’s probably some sort of recognition for coming third.  Third place playoff expert Andrew Gosbee once told me “even the best teams sometimes play for third”.  He obviously is very confused and should seek some kind of assistance.  Either way, this game is sure to be fun and good luck to both teams!  Hopefully you guys get certificates or something.

Tip: Pinky and the Brain should win this, Rob Dehollander will most likely be drunk.

5^th Place Playoff – Pancakes vs Green Street Elite

“If we win this we’re top half of the table!”

Something about playing for one of the lower places is never really that appealing.  Not for these two though.  These teams I have no doubt will bring some quality ultimate to the table.  GSE have been solid throughout the whole season and the Pancakes have impressed throughout the finals, even taking down one of the finalists in the first round!  Also happy birthday to GSE member Deanna Finn! Hello Deanna. 

Tip: I’m backing Pancakes for the victory for one reason: Mark Genge, The Gengine.  I don’t even care if he doesn’t play, just the idea of him being there will put feat into any opponent.

Now we come to the two games with the most importance for the night.  Just because they are at opposite ends of the spectrum, doesn’t mean that this first games is any less important.


7^th Place Playoff – Phantasm vs Huck Buddies

“Do you know what place we get if we win?”

Congratulations firstly should go to the Huck Buddies.  They were short on victories throughout the season but still managed to avoid the spoon playoff!  Well done!  This game is always that ‘should we be serious’ game, because there’s a fair bit of pride to play for.   The way both teams are playing this should be a fairly even contest.  I heard Phil has even purchased new wristbands for the occasion.  Hopefully a fun game for everyone is the result!

Tip: Huck Buddies to win this game.  Big game from Eric Lee to shut everyone up would be nice.

WOODEN SPOON PLAYOFF – Dream Team (feat. Weise) vs #YOLO

“Even if we lose still get a trophy!”

Fuck.  The wooden spoon battle is generally a game I try to avoid.  I mean, no one really enjoys coming last.  Let’s be honest with ourselves.  Unfortunately for either #YOLO or The Dream Team, one team will walk away with the trophy that no one really wants.  Each team brings some top-level chat throwers, with the mental battle going a long way to determining the result.  #YOLO have the one they call ‘Mansauce’ (funny story, ask him to tell it) while The Dream Team have the man himself, James ‘doglas’ Weise and Riley ‘definitely no small man syndrome here’ Smith.

Tip: Weise told me that the only reason The Dream Team is playing for the spoon is because he hasn’t been handling.  He also said he can beat Mansauce one on one.  Legend.

The Grand Final – Robust Fawn vs Ducks Tie Together

“One game to rule them all”

After however many weeks it’s been, we have two teams left.  Robust Fawn vs Ducks Tie Together.  If you told me this would be our grand final a few weeks ago, I would have been a bit surprised to be honest.  Just goes to show how much can change in the finals!  Fawn have finally struck the form that everyone has been expecting of them every semester.  I read that team list and always think they should do well.  It’s nice to see it become a reality.  A big part of that has been Christian, some of the things he does on the field are incredible.  On the other side we have the Emilio Estevez fans, Ducks Tie Together.  Finny leads this team from the front, I always know they’re going well when he is on the sideline.  Strong contributors all around the park, they know how to get it done.

Tip: This will be a close game for sure.  The key for Fawn is to keep Finny quiet.  It’s obvious, yet it’s amazing how many teams just can’t seem to do it.  The Ducks on the other hand need a big defensive game.  Throw a zone, contain the handlers and keep the Zane to Christian backhand huck under control.  Too close to call*

 

*Go Fawn!  

Finals Preview 1 (this wasn't written by Mansauce)

Here we are. The Finale. The Big Cheese.  The Big Show. The End Game. The only game that really matters (unless you’ve got sidebets of cookies riding on other games). All season has come down to this. And doesn’t it promise to be a cracker!

But first, let’s look at the tasty appetizers happening prior to the final to whet your Ultimate appetites.

The battle for 3rd

Pinky v Firetrucking Red

What can I say about this game? How about I almost forgot about it and am actually writing this preview last. All season long Pinky were the team to beat. This team is more stacked than a stack of people stacking stacks at a stack stacking contest. They cruised through the regular season, only dropping games when missing key players. EVERYONE was tipping them to make the final. Even Bucky Brooks and that guy knows his football. At the start of the season red didn’t look particularly exciting. About mid way through though they started to put the pieces together. A universe point win against fan favourites #YOLO really ignited their inner fires and propelled them all the way to the semi final. Where they lost. I didn’t see the semi due to complete indifference, but I’d say the reason they lost was because Rob Dehollander wasn’t tall enough.

For Pinky it’s all about doing what they’ve done all season. I’m not sure what that is, but I gather it’s pretty successful. For Firetrucks, it’ll be all about O. It’s gonna be hard to shut down the Pink offence, so converting their scoring opportunities is key.

Pink FTW

The battle for 5^th

Pancakes v Green Street Elite

This is probably where Pancakes deserve to be. Even after their upset win in round 1 of the finals, this team has as much depth as Xena has height. GSE will probably feel unlucky to be here, however they had the hardest run through the finals and much like the NZ Americas Cup team, they just didn’t have the legs. Or should that be hulls? Rudders? Kiwis?

The key for Pancakes is hard D. They’ve got strike weapons on O and their captain seems to be in oddly consistent throwing form, however shutting down GSEs handling line will be tough. For the green machine, it’s all about giving more disc to Tyson and less to Scott. And by that I mean that Scott will no doubt be marked by a good defender so taking said defender out of the contest is a good idea... Not that Scott is rubbish compared to Tyson. I mean, Scott’s good at New Zealand trivia. That’s gotta count for something. Right?

I’m picking GSE over Pancakes.

The battle for 7^th

Phantasm v Huck Buddies

Given how these teams performed during the regular season, playing in this game is a good result for both sides. Phantasm were inconsistent all season, mirroring Phil’s throws. They would get beaten soundly 1 week and then pull out a grinding win the next. Huck Buddies on the other hand were very consistent all season. You have to be to finish 10^th. The mid season injection of tattooed speed demon JD certainly helped the Huckers fortunes, resulting in some form at the right end of the season.

This is a tough one. Both teams are have a solid selection of (semi) experienced players leading them around.  The key for Phantasm will be structure – patience on O and pressuring HBs fragile handling line on D. For the Huckers it’s all about playing up tempo disc. When they play run and gun, it’s hard for most teams to keep up.

I’m tipping Phantasm in a completely unbiased pick.

The battle for the Spoon.

#YOLO v The Dream Team featuring Weise

Here’s a match-up no-one predicted. Early season favourites #YOLO finished 3^rd on the ladder and were looking the goods to make the semis at least according to many pundits. That is until they lost key player and all-round nice guy Wes in the first 10 minutes of their first round finals match against Fawn. YOLO went on to choke badly after that, losing to a particularly robust Fawn side and then giving up against Huck Buddies. If I could speculate why #YOLO dived so badly in the finals, I’d say it was a combination of Bob playing too safe, Mansauce not getting angry enough and Wes not being not injured enough. On the other side of this coin of failure we have Weise. The black team easily have the best jerseys, the best hammers and the most Weises of any team playing. They also have a habit of depending too heavily on long bombs from Osuv to Riley. That’s not to say that’s not an effective game plan, it’s just easy to heckle. Oh that’s another thing, they are good at heckling. Apart from Weise. That guy’s heckles are as good as Finnys. Cos saying ‘dicks for fingers’ constantly doesn’t get old. Ever.

The key for #YOLO is keeping calm. And reading the disc. But mainly keeping calm. The key for Weise is shutting down the upfield options of Bob & Sauce. It’ll be impossible to shut Sauce down, but stopping his easy options upfield will go a long way to securing a W.

#YOLO to avoid the Spoon.

The Grand Final

Ducks Tie Together v Robust Fawn

This should be a great game. Apart from the premier match-up of Finny v Christian, this game should have plenty of intriguing battles. Finny’s team have looked surprisingly solid all season. A 7v2 record and good for and against tell the tale. Even after the rather large hiccup against Pancakes the other week, Ducks managed to show why they deserve to be in the final. Robust Fawn have had to do it the hard way. They’ve have to beat teams with serious quality to make the grand final and they’ve done it well. The best zone in the league combined with some precision offence makes Fawn a serious contender.

The key for Together will be how they handle the junk Fawn will no doubt employ. With the leagues best deep in Christian protecting against long bombs, it’ll be up to the Tie Together poppers to get the job done. For Fawn it’s about shutting down Finny on D. Shut down Finny and Ducks fall apart quicker than Colin Duffys pants come down after playing beer pong.

This is a hard game to tip. The sensible bet is tie dye, especially with Zane rumoured to be absent for Fawn, however Fawn have been a tour de force in the finals and momentum is a key factor. I’m going Ducks in a game tighter than Finny’s wallet.