Disc Time

As the hands of time wind fully down on the year of 2014, countdown to the new year in one of the most Ultimate ways possible. Similar to the crafty re-use of WHAM-O (February 2014), here is another time-telling option using a Discraft.

Disc Clock [Disc Store]

Info: It's a clock on a disc! The most ingenius thing you've seen yet. Clock design printed in a 175 gram Ultimate disc.

Price: $19.89
Related...

@sludgebrown @UltiProblems @DiscStore Actually @clubjrinc used to sell UltraStar disc clock. pic.twitter.com/oQTTOIOuDg
— UltimateChallenger (@uChallenger) December 10, 2014

Updated Pittsburgh Tbirds Logo

The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (AUDL) were originally in the East Division are now in the Midwest Division. So, here's a "revamped" Thunderbirds logo since they're no longer facing East Division teams.

Best Of in 2014

Time to air out our B.O....

So much happened this year with pro leagues, Worlds, USAU Triple Crown Tour. There were nearly 400 posts this year (that averages to outputting more than once-per-day) covering topics related to the sport of ultimate. Let's reflect on the year gone by!

2014's Best-Of based on traffic
Top 20 Posts in '14

20. COMPARISON: Pro Ultimate team tryout fees (2014)

19. RANKINGS: AUDL Teams by Offense & Defense

18. COMPARISON: Seed vs Results at USAU Nationals

17. VISUAL: Triple Crown Tour 2014 Regionals Recap

16. Mayor's proclamation of Scandal Day in DC

15. MKBHD appeared in WIRED

14. VINE: 21 WFDF Hand Signals for Ultimate

13. Erin Andrews played Ultimate in a TV commercial, so did Tony the Tiger.

12. College Scholarship for Ultimate

11. INTERVIEW: Before AUDL and MLU, there was Professional Ultimate League

10. SEASON SNAPSHOTS: AUDL, MLU

9. INTERVIEW: Sarah Itoh & Molly Roy on their pro team tryout

8. EVALUATION: Jerseys of MLU, AUDL

7. Clean Up Your Ultimate Field, or EL$E

6. Categorizing pro Ultimate team names

5. SURVEY RESULTS: Skills in the sport of Ultimate

4. VIDEO: Player Stereotypes in Ultimate

3. Odds to win the 2014 AUDL

2. Sportsbook of every single professional Ultimate game in 2014

1. Founders of WhatsApp: Ultimate players, Billionaires


Past B-O's: 2013 .. 2012 .. 2011 .. 2010 .. 2009 .. 2008

Gots more? Post your favorite(s) in Comments.

Ultimate Players Gift (Card) Guide - 2014

Time to spend your gift cards on stuff you really want. Consider patronizing these fine ultimate providers with these specially selected items:

NOTE: Items have been independently selected by browsing each company's store. $0 of sales get kickedback to this blog. PLEASE SUPPORT ULTIMATE COMPANIES!

Ultimate 101 jersey  [Breakmark]
Know the sport's basics inside and out........$45.

Ultimate Disclip v2  [Disclips]
Plastic holding plastic.........$6.99

USA Junior National Team jersey  [Five Ultimate]
This red sublimated jersey is so patriotic with its stripes, it doesn't need any stars.......$50.

Clippers/Bottle Opener  [Friction Gloves]
Cut & get open......$2.49.

Hucket  [Hucket Bucket]
A 6-gallon bucket ready to store your Ultimate discs and support your seated weight on the sidelines.........$30.

Ultimate: The Greatest Sport Ever Invented by Man (revised 2015, 3rd edition)  [Kindle]
How can a great book about the greatest sport get better? Dunno. Please read it and then let me know. ...$4.99

Yeti Fur Socks  [SAVAGE]
Non-verbal announcement of your "monster" defense......$12.00.

Pickle Juice Tank Top  [Spin]
Delicious sports science spelled out on a tank.....$34.95.

Peace Love Ultimate T-shirt  [Ultees]
If the beauty of SOTG could talk it would utter these 3 words.....$25.75.

Signature Series: NexGen  [UltiCards]
A card deck featuring drills and exercises from pretty good players....$15.

Donation  [Ultimate Peace]
Your donation goes toward sponsoring Arab Israeli, Jewish Israeli and Palestinian youth to attend Summer Camp sessions, as well as, CIT Leadership Training Program and community year round programs.

Gift Certificate  [UltiPhotos]
"Focus" on your Ultimate-loving friends and family by giving them an UltiPhotos gift certificate! All quality pics - available as download or printed - taken by professional photographers.

Donation  [USA Ultimate Foundation]
Support USAU programs &/or national teams with plastic (your credit card).

Layout Long Sleeve  [VC]
If our sport required a flag, its design would look something like this......$35.

Pittsburgh Thunderbirds to Play in AUDL Midwest Division

According to Pittsburgh's website, the Thunderbirds will be playing the 2015 AUDL season in the Midwest Division; not in the East Division. This transfer has been rumored here, here, here and shown here, yet only recently appeared on their website.

The team quietly moved - without any formal announcement from the league nor team - from one division to another which evens out the two divisions with seven teams each and avoids an in-state rivalry with Philadelphia. Pittsburgh becomes the easternmost city in the AUDL Midwest Division.

See the text changes via PGH's About webpage,
Original:

Old screengrab listing Eastern Division teams

Now:

Recent screengrab listing Midwestern Division teams

The AUDL's website originally positioned Pittsburgh in the East Division, but the current listing shows Pittsburgh in the Midwest.

Screengrab [October 2014]

The homepage of the Thunderbirds' website still needs some updating, though.

----------

Another notable tidbit per the webpage is the 2015 AUDL Championships is scheduled for early August instead of late July. 

Twas the Night

Another classic holiday tale gets the ultimate treatment. One part commercial, one part bravado, "Twas the Night" was written, directed, acted, shilled, and narrated by Beau Kittredge.



[SPOILER] "Happy workouts to all and to all a good night!!"

Merry Discmas

May your holiday be filled with mirth!

A Collection of Holiday and Christmas-Themed Discs

'Tis the season to frisBEE jolly....

Season's Greeting from WHAM-O (1980) via Vintage Frisbees

Happy Holidays from USA Ultimate via @BoomerGVL

Season's Greetings from Discraft (2004) via Lookfly

Merry Discmas 175g via DiscStore

Ho Ho Huck 175g via The Sport Shack

Ugly Christmas 175g via DiscStore

A couple of winter-themed discs, too!

175g UltiPro Winter Disc via Frisbee Disc Collection

175g Frostie via Daredevil

What is Ultimate Frisbee

Describing the sport of Ultimate continues...

Via the Diamondback (December 5, 2014)
Ultimate is a hybrid game, combining aspects of football, soccer and basketball. It's not uncommon for players to have some sort of background in one of the three.

"It's the same amount of running as soccer, you're playing on a football field, and when you have the disc in your hands, it's essentially like picking up your dribble in basketball," said Max Katz, a junior community health major who played soccer growing up.

"It's basically the same as Glee where they have Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals,"


Via AllAfrica (December 10, 2014)
"Frisbee is very easy to learn to play. It can also be played anywhere, including beaches, so a ground is not a problem at all."


Via Los Angeles Times (November 22, 2012)

When kids square off in ultimate Frisbee, the emphasis is on giggles and grins, not winning at all costs.

ultimate Frisbee — essentially football with a plastic disc — is now played competitively at 400 colleges. Of all people, producer Joel Silver is credited with inventing it back at his New Jersey high school in the '70s.

...ultimate Frisbee, this breezy new sport with that troubling sense of mirth.

Zoe Towne on how ultimate is played: "There's a real simple explanation. You try to get it to the other end without dropping it."

...Ultimate Frisbee is ultimately about having fun.

Ultimate: The Greatest Sport Ever Invented by Man (3rd Edition)

!!UPDATED EDITION OF THE GREATEST BOOK ON ULTIMATE IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!

Ultimate: The Greatest Sport Ever Invented by Man [Amazon/Kindle]

Info: This ALL NEW 3rd Edition is available as an e-book! 

Some still say ultimate is the most misunderstood flying disc field running team sport on the planet. Most people think it's Frisbee football played barefoot and without boundaries. Those people are wrong. Ultimate is a sport played by 4.7 million people a year in North America—more than korfball, lawn darts, lacrosse, curling and FootGolf combined.

Ultimate is so popular that it even has rules that are sometimes followed. This book will provide you with complete and total knowledge of the ultimate game.

And since this is the revised 2015 Third Edition you can now read all about Brodie Smith, the AUDL, MLU, the TCT, more Brodie Smith and the Olympics and be amazed. 

THIS BOOK INCLUDES:
 • The Eight Ultimate Player Types
 • Brand-New 50 Most Common Nicknames
 • 28 Near-Useless Throws on the Field
 • Brodie Smith's Date of Birth
 • How to Tweet Your Ultimate Team
 • Where to Play Ultimate Without Being Mocked
 • How to Score at an Ultimate Party
 • Whether or Not You Should Go Pro
 • Useful Playing Tips from Experts of the Game

Price: $4.99

Did You Know...? 
Beau Kittredge is on the 'Ultimate: The Greatest Sport Ever Invented by Man' cover. (He's the figure jump-catching the disc.)

AUDL Expansion: Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte was announced to be the new location of a new pro Ultimate team for the 2015 AUDL season. This new team from the largest city in North Carolina will join the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League.

"The Queen City" is about 160 miles away from an existing in-state AUDL team – Raleigh Flyers. With Charlotte joining the American Ultimate Disc League, North Carolina becomes the 5th state/province with at least 2 AUDL teams - California: San Jose Spiders, San Francisco FlameThrowers, LA Aviators, San Diego Growlers; New York: Rochester Dragons, New York Empire; Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Phoenix, Pittsburgh Thunderbirds; Ontario: Toronto Rush, Ottawa Outlaws.

D.C. Current Receive Championship Rings

On Thursday night at The Green Turtle, Washington, D.C. Current players from the 2014 team received championship rings to commemorate winning the 2014 Major League Ultimate Championship. D.C. Current clinched the Eastern Conference in June, won the Eastern Conference Championship game, and then won the MLU Championship in July.

Original design for championship ring 

These are the first known championship rings to be made for a professional ultimate league team.

The rings were designed in Current colors with the team's logo on top, DC's 2014 record (regular season + playoffs) and the 2014 MLU trophy on one side, plus some personalization with the player's name and number on the opposite side.

via BeDombro

via TheTylerByrum

via @MarkhamShofner

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

UPDATE: A team source indicated replica rings may become available for season ticket holders.

D.C. Current Makes WaPo Sports Top-10 List

Washington, D.C. Current made an end-of-the-year favorite list in The Washington Post's Sports Bog, "The top 10 D.C. sports phrases of 2014."

At #10..."FLOATY HAMMER"
"The D.C. Current, who captured the Major League Ultimate championship this year, won an early-season game against Boston with a last-second floaty hammer. It's a type of throw, but don't worry about what it means. Just appreciate those two words together."

[h/t @JeffSnader]


[UPDATED 12/23/12]
The same Top-10 list was published in the December 23 print issue of Express newspaper (a publication of The Washington Post).

via EXPRESS

Watch the last second play:

D.C. Current Honored by the D.C. Council

Council of the District of Columbia honored the D.C. Current's championship with a ceremonial resolution, aptly named "D.C. Current's National Championship Recognition Resolution of 2014." This Legislation (#CER20-0262) was introduced by Councilmembers David Grosso, Tommy Wells, Marion Barry, Jack Evans, and Yvette M. Alexander in October 2014 and approved on Tuesday, December 17, 2014.

The resolution's purpose was to "to recognize the District of Columbia based men's Ultimate team, D.C. Current, for winning the 2014 Major League Ultimate National (MLU) Championship." A handful of DC Current players attended the event. The Council recognized the Washington Wizards in a similar fashion back in May 2014, Bryce Harper in April 2013, and DC Scandal in December 2013.

(Screengrab via)

Resolution text:
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

WHEREAS, D.C. Current is an elite District of Columbia based men’s Ultimate teams comprised of skilled and driven athletes that was founded in 2012;

WHEREAS, D.C. Current advanced in conference play and the MLU playoffs to play for the 2014 Major League Ultimate’s Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;

WHEREAS, on Saturday, July 19, 2014, Current defeated the Vanouver Nighthawks, 23-17, to win the National Championships;

WHEREAS, D.C. Current player Markham Shofner was named the Championship MVP, becoming the MLU’s all-time career playoff points leader; and

WHEREAS, D.C. Current finished the season 11-1 and as the highest scoring squad in the entire Major League Ultimate.
...

The Council of the District of Columbia acknowledges and honors Current for its outstanding contributions on and off the field to the D.C. metro area.

##

Unframed D.C. Council Resolution (image via DC Current)

State Breakdown of Team USA U23 Roster

USA Ultimate announced the final Team USA rosters scheduled to compete in WFDF's Under 23 Ultimate Championships (July 2015) in London. Three teams will represent the USA - mixed, men's & women.

Published rosters associated players with their current school. Two selected players are still in high school - Henry Phan & Jaclyn Verzuh. Overall, 21 states and the District of Columbia are represented in the final rostering of the three teams.

[UPDATED  12/17, 11:01 ET AM]

Top-5 States Represented in USAU U23 Rosters
1st) California, 14 (18%)
2nd) Washington, 10 (13%)
3rd) North Carolina, 6 (8%)
4th) Pennsylvania, 5 (6%)
5th - tied) Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, 4 (5%)

[DATA SOURCE: USAU; alternates included in chart]
RELATED: 2013 breakdown.

Ultiiiiiiiiimate

Hanukkah begins at sunset tonight (December 16). If you forgot a gift, this 8-day Jewish holiday (also known as the Festival of Lights) gives you plenty of additional time to make up for lost time.

An ULTiiiiIiiiiMATE disc for Hanukkah

You know, an appropriately holiday-themed Ultimate Frisbee tourney would be "Festival of Lights & Darks" Tournament. Just saying.

ULTIM8 Blog Anniversary

Today marks 8 years since our very first blog post (in 2006)!

Nearly 3000 posts later, this blog continues to thrive on covering ULTI-rnative topics. Providing a post about the sport of Ultimate has become a regular daily activity. Very grateful to the Ultimate Frisbee community, especially Sludge teammates, for being an excellent flow of inspiration.

Thanks for reading, clicking &/or whatever you do while visiting. This blog is meant to be fun (just like Ultimate), and is my weird way to give back to the sport that has absolutely enriched my life.

THANK U, ltimate!


For additional Ultimate potpourri, become a twitter follower.

Doppelgangers of Ultimate Team Logos

Ever notice how the logos of ultimate teams look similar to certain album covers?

Top Ten: Ultimate team logos + Album Cover designs
featuring minor contributions from BURNSIDE / @burnsideulti

10. L.A. Aviators + Cream's Fresh Cream

9. Philly AMP + Arctic Monkeys' AM

8. Vancouver Traffic + Coverdale & Page's Coverdale/Page

7. Tuft's E-men + Death from Above 1979's You're a Woman, I'm a Machine

6. Johnny Bravo + Bela fleck & the Flecktones' Rocket Science

5. Seattle Rainmakers + Jack Johnson's Brushfire Fairytales

4. Atlanta Chain Lightning + Pearl Jam's Fan Club Singles

3. Colorado Molly Brown + Arcade Fire's Funeral

2. San Francisco FURY + Motorhead's Iron Fist

1. Vancouver Furious George + Paul Frank's Academy of Awesome

Got more? Let us know!

Logo Options for the Seattle Cascades

Not since the Philadelphia Spinners were replaced by the Philadelphia Phoenix has a city welcomed a new AUDL team in the same location. The Seattle AUDL team - bought from the Raptors ownership - are currently owned by the five siblings who founded Five Ultimate.

What is known:
1. The 2014 Seattle team name "Raptors" was retired.
2. The 2015 Seattle team was renamed "Seattle Cascades" which refers to the Cascade Mountain Range which runs through Washington State.

To fill the void until the Cascades unveil their team logo for the 2015 AUDL season, here are some options:

BONUS logo after Cascade's updated their profile picture...

UltiGift Tournament in DC

SAVAGE Ultimate returns with its hat tournament benefiting the seasonal U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. Now in its fourth year, SAVAGE has 11 tournaments on the 2014 calendar.

Washington, DC's tourney will occur this weekend after the original date was rained out last Saturday.

When: Saturday, December 13; 9:30a teams form, 10a games start

Where: Polo Fields

Price: $10 AND a new toy

Bonus: Play UltiGift again in Fredericksburg, VA, on Sunday, December 14.

USA Ultimate to Require Tryouts for WUGC Teams

Starting in 2016, an Application-and-Tryout process will be utilized to select teams representing USA Ultimate. This new process will affect open, women's and mixed divisions playing at the World Flying Disc Federation's World Ultimate and Guts Championships (WUGC) event; Masters divisions are not impacted.

USAU cites interesting data showing a difference of team results when players are required to apply for the national team and/or participate in a tryout versus automatic bids for championship teams.

100% of APPLICATION/TRYOUTS teams medaled, with 89% (8/9) being gold.

89% of national championship TEAMS earned a medal, only 33% (3/9) earned gold.

[DATA SOURCE: USAU; CHART: SLUDGE]

Text: "In the last edition of each major international event in which American teams were chosen by an application or tryout process, the U.S. National Team won eight gold and one silver medal in the open, women's and mixed divisions. (2014 WJUC: 1 gold, 1 silver; 2013 U23: 3 gold; 2013 World Games: 1 gold; 2011 WCBU: 3 gold). 
VERSUS
In the last three editions of WUGC in which USA Ultimate national champions represented the U.S., teams brought home three gold medals, three silver, two bronze and a fourth-place finish."

A Happy? Holidays from USAU

'Tis the Season to wish "Season's Greetings!"

Playing ultimate in the snow while wearing short shorts? YES!
Throwing forehands to a drink-toting snowman? OKAY.
Avoid kissing a snowmanperson under the mistletoe? NO!

[image via email from USA Ultimate Membership]