Ultimate 'Board

Gone are the days when extra cones are used to design plays on the sidelines. Get bored board with Ultimate. 

Ultimate Frisbee Whiteboard [Magno Urbano]

Info: Plan your Ultimate Frisbee winning tactics using Ultimate Frisbee Whiteboard for iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch. Released 5/26/2012.

Price: $2.99 (+ iPhone or iPad)

Ultimate on CBS

Image grab from Recap + NGN website

The Open (Men's) & Women's semi-final and final games from 2012 College Nationals are scheduled to be re-broadcast on TV by CBS Sports Network / Alt Games.

When: Wednesday, June 20
9pm: USA Ultimate College Open Semifinals

Friday, June 22
9pm: USA Ultimate College Women's Championships
10pm: USA Ultimate College Open (Men's) Championships

Schedule for Encore Airings

College Nationals Recaps

Over the extended Memorial Day weekend, the 4-day 2012 College Nationals tournament concluded. Spoiler Alert at the the very end...!







Womens champion: Washington Element over Oregon Fugue
Open champion: Pittsburgh En Sabah Nur over Wisconsin Hodags

yoU is for Ultimate

Cookie Monster loves more than cookies. Remember to Eat More Ultimate!

College Ultimate Championships (D-I)

The 2012 College National Championships are this weekend!

Since April, 700+ college teams have been competing in the USA Ultimate College Championship Series. There are now 20 teams from each division - Open/Men & Women.

When: May 25 - May 28, 2012

Where: Boulder, Colorado

Top Seeds: Open: Oregon, Pittsburgh, Carleton College (2011 champion) & Wisconsin.
Women: Oregon, Washington, Michigan & California.

Live Streaming info
CBS Sports Network will be covering games, plus NexGenNetwork will live streaming selected  games. NGN Sched & pricing.

Fri, 5/25
2:30pm MT: Women: Michigan (3) v North Carolina (6)
4:30pm MT: Open: Wisconsin (4) v Central Florida (5)

Sat, 5/26
10:30am MT: Open: Carleton (3) v Colorado (10)
2:30pm MT: Women: Iowa (7) v Humboldt St (11)
Women: Prequarters chosen by USAU

Sun, 5/27
8:30am MT: Open: Quarterfinals chosen by USAU
10:45am MT: Open: Semis #1
1:00pm MT: Women: Semis #1
3:15pm MT: Open: Semis #2 (*free via USAU FB page)
5:30pm MT: Women: Semis #2 *

Mon, 5/28
11:00am MT: Open: Finals *
1:00pm MT: Women: Finals *

Pool Play Results: 5.19.2012

Game 1:
The first of three games started with a bit of wind and a lot of sun. Sludge was on a low simmer for most of the first half, usually squeezed along the sideline; 0-1; 1-1.

After a collision, MicHael’s flick was caught by Matthew's replacement (Nigel); 3-5. Sarah nabbed a trailing edge bender sent up by Bucci; 4-5, 4-7; 4-8. What would later be complimentary described as "annoying" by the opponent, Sludge's zone found its groove in the second half. Matthew returned, CHarlie chucked, and both RacHel & CHris caught scores; 7-10.

Brian bookended with an endzone smackdown, and then a score at the other end. Every Sludge throw was closely contesteD.  8-11, 9-11, 11-12.

Sludge O performed well in transition while the mix of zone with person-wing troubled SundaysatSix. 12-13; 12-14. Chances to take the lead were literally thrown way with rushed deep throws converting to quick turnovers. Oh, Russ had a hand in creating turnovers, too. Loss, 12-15.


Game 2:
Sludge continued their competitive pace as they 'traveled' to the next field to play Dance Cafe. Russ picked up a turned disc with a fling to a blistering Nigel; 1-0. After being beat deep, the score ran up to 1-3. Jen flicked in a score; 2-3. Andrew caught a score; 5-5. A Sarah-MicHael-RacHel-Jen-Steve work-up led to a Russ score at the cone; 7-7. Only down 1 at half, this Sludge game turned into the "showcase game."

Joe reverted to his original issue brown shirt, and Sludge's play was a welcomed throwback. Andrew’s upline flick to Nigel started a 4:3 combination with Sarah to Rachel to Jen for a Brian score; 8-8. Brian stepped up to a turned disc and had a casual toss to Nigel making it 5 consecutive points; 12-8. The play, for some, was blinding.

After a contested stall, and an unheeded travel call, the lead scaled back to only 2. Sludge returned to scoring with a friendly (& timely) airbounce on a Joe backhand to Brian; 13-12; 13-14. Universe point was an entertaining point which almost went Sludge's way as a Joe's step out forehand zipped toward MicHael, but it was blocked by a layout D. Loss, 14-15.


Game 3:
Compared to the previous 2 games, the last game of the day versus Absintheminded was well below speed. A Russ to Andrew combination gave Sludge the lead; 4-3. Sludge's zone might not have been as fierce, yet it was just as effective. RacHel scored like she was catching sun rays; 8-3.

Steve caught a score from Sarah; 9-6. CHris' defense prevented any sidelines tosses. Charlie's D (in the cup) led to a Sarah to Matthew score; 14-7. Finally, Bucci's saucer found a kneeling MicHael in the endzone; 15-7. Sludge's auto-pilot was better than theirs. Win, 15-7.

Slow a Banana Ripening

As snacking Ultimate players know: Sometimes you want a banana to ripen faster, other times you do not.

Option 1: To slow ripening, you need to remove ethylene. You can't remove ethylene completely, but you can slow its reaction by putting ripe bananas in the fridge. The skin of the banana will turn brown, which is normal, & the fruit inside is still good. You can keep bananas in the fridge for a couple weeks & they may not look good, but they still taste great. Do not put unripe bananas in the fridge, it will impede the early stages of ripening and spoil the fruit.

Option 2: If you want to hold onto your bananas for longer, separate them at the stem. Separated bananas were clearly still greener than the ones that were bunched together.

Step Up

Moving body parts are painful after a weekend filled with an Ultimate tournament. Mobilizing those body parts up steps is pure "OW".

[Source: DannyBartman] 

College Ultimate Championships (D-III)

The 2012 Division III College Ultimate Championships take place May 19-20 in Appleton, WI. This national level competition, now in its 3rd year, is for teams from small colleges & universities (fewer than 7500 students).

Sixteen teams qualified from each division. The top seeds are: Open: St. John's, Kenyon, Bentley. Women: Claremont, Bowdoin, Valparaiso.

UPDATE: Carleton College GoP [Gods of Plastic] (#7 seed) win 14-12 over Puget Sound (#6 seed); Claremont Greenshirts (#1 seed) win 13-12 over Grinell (#13 seed).

Social Network

With the impending Facebook IPO, many of the obvious comparisons are to very Ultimate-friendly Google. More importantly, who would win in an Ultimate game - Facebook or Google?

To my surprise there's documentation that such a game went down...

Facebook delivers ultimate humiliation to Google [gawker. Aug 2007]

Bad enough that Facebook has stolen Google's buzz, recruited away top engineers, and dashed its hopes of being a player in social networks. Now, Valleywag has learned, a team of scrappy Facebookers has dealt those smug, self-satisfied, arrogant, overfed Googlers a humiliation where it really matters — on the ultimate frisbee field, that is. Ultimate frisbee, a sport mixing soccer and frisbee-tossing, is popular on the college campuses where Facebook first grew popular. Google's team, unwisely, challenged their Facebook counterparts to a game on the Stanford campus. The result? A 15-11 win for Facebook. Carolyn Abram, Facebook's resident blogger and a team member, adds a first-hand report:

I heard you heard about Facebook's ultimate frisbee game with Google last night. Just wanted to confirm that this was the first of many Google-Facebook matchups. We're looking to hire great engineers. Please let people know to include ultimate experience on their resume when applying.

So there you have it, folks: The easiest way to get hired at Facebook is to come on as a ringer on their ultimate frisbee team.
##
Safely presume an Ultimate frisbee hoodie fits into Facebook's dress code.

AUDL Stats

Due to inexplicable game scoring and game statuses, this page cannot be updated.     ==============================================
Thru Week 11 AUDL Sports page snapshot:

• Seven games were played -- the busiest AUDL weekend in 2012
• After 44 games played, home teams are 30-14 (68%)
• Avg Winning Score Totals [thru 44 games]: 23.9 (home); 23.92 (away)
• 4.79 points = average margin of victory [thru 44 games]

==============================================
Thru Week 10 AUDL Sports page snapshot:

• Total Winning Score averages: 23.88 (home); 24.5 (away)
• 37 games played so far, home teams are 25-12 (68%)
• 4.89 points = average margin of victory (thru 37 games)
• After a Connecticut loss (to Philly), only Philadelphia remains undefeated at home
• DATA NOTE: W-L record is correct; Home-Away data is not. Sorry!

==============================================
Thru Week 9 AUDL Sports page snapshot:

• Only the 4 Eastern Division teams played in week 9.
• Highest margin of victory = 17 (Spinners, 33 - Hunters, 16; Week 9) 

==============================================
Thru Week 8 AUDL Sports Page snapshot + did-you-knows:

• 1328 = total scores (average: 42.8 total scores/game)
• 23.65 = average score by winning team (thru 31 games)
• 4.45 points = average margin of victory (thru 31 games)
• Best For vs Against total = Connecticut Constitution (+34)
• Worst For vs Against total = Buffalo Hunters (-39)
• Connecticut has the best overall AUDL record (6 wins); the Hunters have the worst (0 wins)
• Highest margin of victory = 15 (Connecticut, 30 - Buffalo, 15; Week 5) 
• Home teams are 20-10 (66.7% winning)
• Rhode Island Rampage and Detroit Mechanix have played the most games (9)
• One game was postponed due to weather (Spinners at Rampage; Week 8)

==============================================

Thru Week 7 AUDL Sports Page snapshot:

• Home teams are 19-9 (68% winning).
• Connecticut & Philly are undefeated at home (4-0), while both Buffalo & Detroit are winless on the road (0-4).

==============================================

Thru Week 6 AUDL Sports Page snapshot:

=============================
About one-third (35%) of the inaugural AUDL season has passed with the 8 teams playing 19 games in 5 weeks. While the AUDL only shows Win-Loss records, Leaguevine posts lots of data for teams and players.

Here's my summary of AUDL teams divided into their respective divisions displayed in a more "Sports page" friendly snapshot.

Did You Know...more AUDL team data (through Week 5):

• 823 = total scores (Average: 43.3 total scores/game; ~11.2 total scores/quarter)
• 24.37 = average scores by winning team (thru 19 games)
• Columbus Cranes scored BOTH the highest score in a game (37; win vs Indy AlleyCats in Week 5), and the lowest score in a game* (8; loss vs Bluegrass Revolution in Week 3)
• Best Scores-for vs Scores-against = Philadelphia Spinners (+26)
• Worst Scores-for vs Scores-against = Buffalo Hunters (-32)
• Philly has the best overall AUDL record (4 wins); the Hunters have the worst (0 wins)
• Bluegrass Revolution has the same exact number of scores as the Buffalo Hunters (70), yet the Rev have a better record (3-1) than Buffalo (0-4).
• The longest game (58 minutes) went into double overtime  (Cranes vs AlleyCats; Week 1).
• The shortest game (~28.5 minutes) was stopped at halftime, after 2 quarters 7:33 in the 3rd quarter, due to a lightning storm* (Cranes vs Revolution; Week 3).

============================================
NOTE: This page is now sequenced with most recent standings & data at the top. Thanks for your feedback.

New Jersey, DC

WAFC Jerseys

Info: Washington Area Frisbee Flying disc Club partnered with FiveUltimate to provide a white and a dark jersey. Past WAFC summer league registration included a jersey which had a rainbow range like yellow, green, pink, white, and orange; but, assigning a different color to so many teams proved challenging. The blue sublimated jersey displays a conglomerate of DC monuments with the Washington DC flag running across the front & back. The white jersey shows a 2-color screen-printed logo only on the front of a player throwing a disc with the Washington monument in  the background. Sizes for men & women are available. Expect a humorous shirt tag.

Price: Blue (sublimated) $34 / White (screen-printed) $20* 

Pool Play

When: Saturday, May 19th @ Polo Fields

THREE games at: 10am (field #2); 12pm (field #1); 2pm (field #2). Games to 15 if possible.

Playoff Date (in case of advancement): Sunday, June 3rd

Potential Ultimate Sponsor

Ultimat Vodka - from the creators of PATRON - sets a new standard for excellence. The spirit inside this cobalt blue genuine crystal decanter just might be the finest premium imported vodka you've ever tasted.

Ultimat Vodka, imported from Poland, is created from wheat, rye, & potato, each deliberately chosen to create a luxuriously unique spirit. Wheat creates a smooth texture, rye yields complexity and clarity, and potato adds richness.


Add a frisbee with your Ultimat, and voilà -- Ultimat Frisbee!



Similar to the ingenious employment for wine drinking at the public park....    

Spring Pool Party

Nigel scheduled the Sludge (& Sludge Gen II) spring pool party!
Where: Chevy Chase, MD

When: Sunday, May 20; 11:30am until later afternoon

Eats: Lunch PROVIDED

Event details: Plan Swimming, pool volleyball, soccer, badminton, and tree swing (kids only). Bring swimsuits even if it's cold because the pool is heated. The rain plan is ping-pong in the basement.

From Ammon's 1st grade writing journal. [via Sarah]

"On sunday I had a pool party with my frisbee team its name is slu~ge."

My Gym Partner's a Frisbee

For schools fortunate enough to offer Ultimate Frisbee during gym class, they can now have Ultimate educated PE teachers, too.

Gym Class Ultimate Frisbee

Info: Have you ever wanted to introduce a new sport like Ultimate Frisbee in your gym classes but didn't have the time or resources to do so? This site is for you! Authored by Ultimate Frisbee players, coaches and educators, and funded in part by a generous grant from USAUltimate*, it will show you how to teach Ultimate Frisbee in 5 easy lessons (1 – Getting started; 2 – The Disc; 3 – Scoring; 4 – Defending; 5 – Self-Officiated Ultimate)

For high school, middle school & elementary students. Found to be a fun, logical and proper foundation for the sport of Ultimate Frisbee; even if you’re not very familiar with the sport or have limited time to devote to teaching a new activity. Modules synthesize the voluminous resources and coaching materials into a condensed and easy-to-teach program. Use the 5 lessons in just a single week of 30-40 minute classes per day. The module is both fun and challenging for students, and lays the foundation for moving on to competitive Ultimate.

Price: Free.

Ultimate Word with Friends

An updated version of original Word with Friends post....

The best word, with friends? ULTIMATE.

Ultimate Pickup in DC

Time for Saturday morning pickup, Ultimate players! Begins this Saturday, May 12th.

Where: Polo Fields (big star), or FDR outfields (little star).
When: 10am EDT  9:30am EDT to beat the heat.

Info: Ultimate accoutrements (white & dark shirts), plus sustenance (food + drink)


View Larger Map
More games can be found at: DCPickup & MeetUP

Ultimate on ESPN

Not the first time Ultimate has been featured on ESPN. ESPN aired Ultimate in 1979, actually. The following clips show SportsCenter Top Plays moments from AUDL games:

Game: Philadelphia Spinners v Connecticut Constitution (5/5/2012) [#3 on ESPN, May 8, 2012]
Layout score by Brent Anderson (CT)



Game: Indy AlleyCats v Columbus Cranes (4/14/2012) [#7 on ESPN, April 16, 2012]
A leaping score in the inaugural AUDL game by Brodie Smith (IN).




View more SportsCenter clips of Ultimate posted at AUDL.

Name Brand

There is something so simple about this design - the words "ULTIMATE" above the graphic of a disc; reminiscent of the CHS Varsity FRISBEE team.

Ultimate Disc T-Shirt [fibers]

Info: A durable 6.1 oz short-sleeve 100 percent cotton Gildan pre-shrunk Ultimate Disc ringer t-shirt, with contrasting cuffs and collar. Small thru 2XL sizes, plus women's and kids styles. Design customization option & shirt colors choices (including brown) are available.

Price: $20.99

Week 8: In-Synco de Mayo

Like the post-game food order at Mi Rancho, Sludge was slow to show up. Yet, once were all accounted for at Sligo, brown quickly found regularity. Sludge's zone was powered by a hustling cup, shadowing wings, and an overcast sky supplying an effective wind setting.

Throughout the game, the transition from defense-to-offense was muy rápido like the chip shift from salsa to guacamole. Charlie's no-look knuckler to Nigel; 1-0. Steve's weakside backhand to a tumbling MicHael; 4-2. Joe’s 30-yard backhand to a cutting Bucci; 5-2.

Flowing like margaritas on Cinco de Mayo, Andrew upliner to MicHael, flick to Nigel, a reset to MicHael, score to a cutting Sarah; 6-4. Going into half, a person D point led to a turnover that CHarlie crested over a defender for a 3-point lead; 8-5.

Sludge stayed a step ahead of O'face (who were playing their 2nd game of the day) with an impressive 94% completion rate. Scoring upwind, Andrew swing to CHarlie, swing to MicHael, backhand to Sarah, tipped pass to CHarlie, swing to MicHael, to a cutting CHarlie; 13-7. RacHel skyd at the goaline for a Bucci toss, which was then dumped to Bucci, then moved to CHarlie, and flung to Nigel (again) at the cone; 14-7.

The pressure D coupled with the opponent's case of the dropsies gave Sludge the edge; win 15-7.

World Record Ultimate Pickup

Washington, DC-area Ultimate players are invited to be a part of setting a Guinness World Record for most people participating in an exhibition match of Ultimate frisbee.

WHERE: Polo fields (Washington, DC)

WHEN: Sunday, May 13th at 10 AM CANCELLED

DETAILS: The game will be 7 v 7 with subs; looking for 100 people per team! Everyone will play at least 10 minutes and be part of a world record. There is a mandatory minimum donation of $5; proceeds go to Ultimate Peace. Please bring cleats, water, and a light and a dark.

Register HERE!


Questions? Contact Ross Weisman [of g-dub ultimate]

Local Benefit

After a hiatus, STONEY LONESOME makes their return to the concert stage! Expect MicHael (drummer) to "get beat".

WHEN: Tuesday, May 8 at 6:30pm

WHERE: DC Reynolds [3628 Ga Ave]

WHY: A fundraiser benefiting a local arts project Georgia Avenue Window Walk.

TUNES: http://mysp.ac/StoLoFB

Ultimate Disc Test

Probably the most important decision impacting all Ultimate players everywhere...

USA Ultimate announced in March the current status of discs submitted to the national governing body for approval in various levels of play.

Following testing protocol established by the USA Ultimate Disc Standards Committee and applied by the USA Ultimate Flight Test Pool, the Discraft Ultrastar (Westland Mold, Hot Stamp) has received approval for championship play, including USA Ultimate championship events and all related qualifying tournaments. The Daredevil 175g Gamedisc (Hot Stamp), Discraft Ultrastar (Westland Mold, Supercolor Center), and Discraft Ultrastar (Web Mold, Hot Stamp) have all received general approval for recreational, league and NON-championship competitions. Approval at the championship level for the Innova Pulsar is currently pending. Once approved by USA Ultimate, approval is valid for three years.

Hopefully once testing is completed, a USA Ultimate disc will finally be offered for sale.

Go Big or Go Home(made)

'Go Big, or Go Home' can have many frisbee interpretations.

Found at Palmer Cash

Description: This is a homemade 8-foot flying disc (pile of foam, cardboard + duct tape) made as an experiment just to see if he could make a really massive flying disc that would actually fly. This was so big that he could only get any substantial flight distance out of it by throwing it from the top of a steep hill.

Week 7: Scoobered

Sludge knowingly & willingly started the first point playing person defense; though rare, it proved effective. RacHel notched a “bookend” (D-ing the disc & catching a score on the same point) with a knockdown, then a catch of MattHew's huck; 1-0. MattHew continued with a lofty flick to Sarah; 3-1.

At point #5, Andrew observed: either Sludge slowed down or AbsintheMinded warmed up. Second and third cuts from the stack were absent like the air current. On the other side of the disc, a handful of skillful scoobers pestered the windless Sludge zone D.

Mixing up defenses (person , zone, & a hybrid cup with 2-people chasing the disc + 1 defender playing man-to-man versus the main handler) helped as did moving the disc under 6 seconds when in possession. Steve-CHris-Jen-MicHael caught a tipped disc on the far endzone sideline; 6-6.

O was not necessarily "patient & efficient" as it was PATIENTly waiting for an Eventual cut & suFFICIENT.

Down 1 at half (7-8), Sludge continued to play well with others. Bucci recorded a bookend, too; 8-8. Andrew pivoted into a 160-degree backhand for brown's 10th point. With the game in the double digits, points were traded; 11-10, 11's, 11-12, 11-13, 12-13. Loss, 12-14 (capped).

Do Over: April 2012

Catch up on last month's noteworthy posts you may have missed...

PLAY Participate In Ultimate!

AUDL Team Logo Reviews

AUDL How-To PARTS I-IV

Jimmy Fallon's Frisbee Backhand Compliment