Force Flick: June 2011

30 June 2011

Big MuckaMuck

the CUT profile is now up on the Skyd Website

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More o the same.

29 June 2011

ok...

sorry to spam you with this

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Driving to Solstice.

24 June 2011

Surprised the parents with a trip up to AK - thank you so much Rob and Lyra for flying Hannah and I UP!

Team theme for the weekend -Dia de los muertos.... plus I heard Johnny G is coming out of retirement.

no posts til Tuesday when I get back - but I'll have tons o pics of the northland to share wid erebude.

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70s palace with some-o-the-curt and Joe and Matt

23 June 2011

8:25pm

I saw a link to this article in Gchat status and i've highlighted some quotes I think pertain to Ultimate and the way great players play (or at least think they play) the game.

I was invited to join Isiah Thomas and Jason Whitlock at a restaurant on the Sunset Strip. Throughout the evening we kept an eye on a nearby television showing "SportsCenter," and when Tom Brady's face appeared on the screen, Isiah felt compelled to comment.
"That guy," Isiah said with great admiration, "is a killer."
He described the time he met Brady and the sense he got that Brady would do anything to win, even if it meant eternal damnation of his soul. That led to a fraternal bond, for Thomas belongs in that same category, a select group of athletes whom you'd want for the last drive, shot or at-bat, even if you wouldn't necessarily entrust them to watch your children.
To be the best, repeatedly, to sustain greatness and deliver in the clutch again and again, requires an abnormal mind, borderline sociopathic. As Thomas put it, "You have to be willing to go to dark places."

I think there are ultimate players that would fall into this category of player, imo, Mike Grant, Cruikshank, Cahill, Sherwood, Nord, Richter, Burruss - and others. I think there is a certain type of pathology, in winners, that manifests into what the quote above so perfectly calls "dark places". Going to those dark places is what builds mental toughness and the ability to be a playmaker. The thoughts you must think to value winning above all else, (but not in the "I'll do whatever it takes sense" because I think that is different) is what the article is getting at.

I believe that a great player has to be comfortable with the thoughts (and more than just 'sports' thoughts) in his/her head, no matter what those thoughts are. The confidence that comes from thinking about things no one else thinks about.....and knowing it......

What about those players that seem in stark contrast to this : Chase, Zip, Stubbs, etc.?

Magic, meanwhile, admitted that he was done in by his dichotomy, that the attention-seeking, partying, womanizing "Magic" side of him led to the businesslike, Midwestern-valued "Earvin" side of him contracting HIV as well. Then he said he was OK with that, because without Magic, he wouldn't be a five-time NBA champion.
Think about that. He valued the championships that much.

That's an interesting thought - especially when you consider how much frisbee players value (or say the value) the niceties of our sport in juxtaposition with pro sports.

The article goes on to concretely describe these "thoughts", though a less meta example, still supporting the argument:

See, Kobe is so far removed from normal that he's constructed a world in his mind in which his mentality is normal. A couple of weeks later, he practically admitted as much after the Lakers fell behind the Mavericks 3-0 in the conference semifinals, yet he still held out hope for a comeback.
"I might be sick in the head or crazy or thrown off or something like that, but I still think we are going to win this series," Bryant said. "I might be nuts."
I truly believe that he truly believed. And don't you have to be nuts to think you can do something no team in NBA history has done?

Saved the best for last, and I'm still grappling with this thought myself. What makes these players so rare? do you know who these players are? have you played with them?

"The best closers thrive on breaking hearts. They live to silence opposing crowds. There's something anti-social about them."

It's lonely at the top.

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More CarArt

22 June 2011

Solstice 2011

Was yesterday - always thinking about AK on these days.

The weekend - undefeated - 6-0 though didn't play the "best" frisbee

Car ride down with Spencer, Nate, and Frank. Tip: don't leave Seattle at 4:30pm on a Friday afternoon. Highlight: Car Art parade while waiting at 5ultimate head quarters - and Pizza Oasis in Portland - Gourmet by the slice kinda stuff - just crusty enough you could eat it with no mess mmmm. Mini marts in Portland = funny. Bota boxes of wine at the checkout - rows of energy bars instead of candy bars - cheap cigarettes - what can you learn about a city by its minimarts?

Team stayed in a 70s themed ranch house - really great. shag carpet, grottoesque showers with no curtains, indoor pool, funky to the max. sleeping on the floor still - at what point does this end?

Saturday morning - that misty, obnoxious rain that just soaks you through, but warm enough. The captains stressed that we were in the 'lab' all weekend. There would be a ton of different looks and different lines. This held true. Easily dispatched Voodoo (athletic and talented) and then Rhino (really 1/2 of Rhino - lots of injuries)

Bye: Chipotle - and watching Riot while sitting in the car.

Then Boost Mobile and finally Furious. The monkey was bad - they have so much institutional knowledge though, they know how to be better, just takes time.

Showcase game featured Riot vs Traffic - sun came out and was blindingly low on the horizon, I think the game started at 6pm - I love the summer sun! Riot went down big, then, partly due to Sockeye's cheering? put on a huge run with some stellar plays and won the game. Surge and Kiley, both uMichigan grads - are impressive to say the least.

A dark shroud on the horizon, and flames

Red, and Orange Flames

Women will Riot

Riot!!!!!!

-ATalbot

Saturday evening full o fun. Kicking it with Simon and Julian - both rising Juniors at Carleton - man to be in college still..... made it to the tournament party at the bowling alley. Bumpers should be mandatory at 'late night' bowling. Hilarity which included Tyler diving into the front seat through the window while the we were driving away...

Sunday - came out 8-4 against Voodoo - got lazy on offense - tried to win with throws, and if you are a new team this just doesnt work. I think i had 6-7 turns on the weekend - pretty god awful. 3 bad turnovers in the dump sets, 1 trying to throw an inside on the goal line, a lasered huck, and a few others i'm not remembering. bleck

Beat furious in finals - same story. had a few nice hucks in that game. Morgan (6'3) fouled me on the mark, contested (thus irking me), i went upline, he laid out, grabbed my left wrist, and i hucked while he was still on the ground, that felt good. MC is very easy to throw to.

Video: worth the watch, great vantage, 2 cameras, replays, and me (wearing a #20 jersey and cut hat)

Car ride home - stop at Burgerville if you ever get a chance.

sorry i'm not more eloquent folks!

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Riot dance off.