11 Days

In exactly 11 days, I get to finally run out on a grassy field and play an outdoor ultimate tournament! I can't wait for my college team's spring outdoor season to kick off. Mother nature needs to melt all this snow so I don't have to get up at 6am for practice. During my time indoors, I developed a few goals for myself.

Play more aggressive. Because I'm a scrawny kid, I feel more intimidated when presented with those high discs or layout D's. It always looks like I'll brake something. After talking to players who are aggressive, I've gotten some pointers and tried them out when I could indoors (i.e. on turf). So far my survival rate is very high.

Consistency, consistency, consistency. This was my advice from my SOL captains.

Stay optimistic. I tend to be very critical of myself during intense games. My goal here is to keep my chin up and remember if I miss that one disc, then I should just go and get 5 D's to make up for it. I can't let it ruin the rest of my game.

In other news, I got my new SOL jerseys!! Still waiting on the sublimated jersey though, which will look SO sick. I played in a mini tournament this past weekend. Although 3x3 ultimate is VERY frustrating, especially on such a small court, it helped me with my quick game. One of our SOL newbies came along to play and she was on the first place team!! The prize was a shotglass, so we had to tease her since she is a freshman. It made me smile to see a newb playing outside of the SOL environment. She did so well. This is why I encourage others to pickup with other teams. I've learned so much about myself that way. Also, with a college team, there are different pressures over your head. My favorite team to play with is the Madtown Boozehounds. They play well and have a blast at the same time! Plus, Pete Schramm is a legend in the making, haha. Who doesn't want to play on a team that passes around a boot full of delicious beer with the opposing team after each game?

Madtown Boozehounds Sweatervest Edition, Hallowinona 2010

Stay classy ultimate world.

Midwestern Ultimate Kids Love Turf

Why do we love turf? It gives us the chance to play all out instead of getting hurt on a hard gym floor. I played some indoor ultimate with the Madtown Boozehounds and Mad/Happy Udderburn twice so far this winter. I love playing with teams other than SOL because it gives me a chance to freely explore and learn new things. This past weekend, I played some of the best ultimate in my life. My field vision on defense is so much better as well as my throwing accuracy. I also got to throw a hammer score, haha. That's another reason why I love indoor at times. Wind is not a factor. Without wind, you can practice putting more touch on the disc and gain more confidence in your throws.

Check out some indoor ultimate video action here!

Slumber Party Tournament: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150143421312216

Red Eye Tournament: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150127511062216

The Ultimate Beginner's Approach

The Great Blizzard of 2011! The blizzard sounds like it could be a Charlie Brown movie. Linus waits outside only to be pummeled by snow...


Lately my ultimate participation has been at an all time low. (sigh) Sometimes other factors in life can get in the way. One of these factors is really awesome! I got to play my violin in a pit orchestra for a completely student run cabaret show! 

 I did get to attend SOL practice last week and was able to start building on the skills I've finally developed. As with the violin, once you get the basics, then you can work on those little details to continue getting better. My ultimate learning curve is not the typical bell shaped curve. It's all over the place. There will be times when I forget I'm in a game and do a celebration dance after I figured something out. Most of the time, I've got a love-hate relationship with ultimate. I have a habit of getting too critical of myself. That's when the angry hammers start flying! So here's some advice when first approaching the sport of ultimate:


1. Optimism is key. You won't get very far if you refuse to try what others tell you might be good for you.


2. Take all criticism, process it in your mind, and learn from it. If you can't handle that, you probably don't live in the real world. Even if you think the advice is silly, make it something useful for yourself.


3. Be PATIENT. When I set out for a practice, tournament, or even a day, I make one ultimate goal for myself. Then I make sure I accomplish that goal by the end of the practice, tournament or day. If you think about too much at once, practice won't be that fun (anti-ultimate).


4. Stay accountable. (To yourself and others) Write your goal down somewhere or get your teammates involved so you don't forget! This also applies to motivation/participation, both for yourself and teammates.


5. Rewards are good too! This can be fulfilled by building your collection of sweet ultimate gear! Or maybe some ice cream.....


In a week, I'll be playing at an indoor tournament! I'm super pumped because our college stuff doesn't start until March. The month of February is the perfect time to keep learning and grinding out the repetitions and practice. 


I hope everyone in the blizzard world is staying warm and safe!