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Tag Archives: Disc

Our Custom Wedding Disc

20 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by highreleasehandler in Disc Sports, Equipment

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Tags

5 Ultimate, Boy and Girl Gazing at Moon, Disc, Discraft, Five Ultimate, Graphic Artist, James Hance, Lee Cutrone, Lee John Cutrone, Norman Rockwell, Party Favor, Puppy Love, Ultimate, Wedding, Wedding Favor, Weddings, Westbury Manor

Inspiration for Our Wedding Disc:

From when I proposed to my long-time girlfriend back in November of 2014 until our wedding day this past June, she and I created and then worked through our wedding to-do list. One of the items on the list that we needed to complete was to decide what kind of wedding favor we should give our guests. Since we met playing ultimate in college, made a number of life-long friends through the sport and even planned on having a fellow ultimate player marry us, it only made sense that the favor be ultimate related.

Jen and I have always liked Norman Rockwell’s painting “Boy and Girl Gazing at Moon (Puppy Love).” We have a few different versions of the print, including a Star Wars inspired mashup by James Hance titled “Little Rebels.” So, we wanted to do something similar. We originally thought about taking a photo of the two of us posing in our ultimate gear, and then using it as an engagement notice; however, after some thought and a conversation with one of my groomsmen, Lee Cutrone (who is an amazing graphic designer and illustrator), we decided to create a disc design inspired by Rockwell’s painting. Lee said that he would love to make the design for the disc, and within no time he had a rough sketch for us to look at. Of course we both loved it and told him to move on to the next stage. To do this he asked us to snap a couple photos for proportions and he would do the rest. After a few weeks of work, this was his amazing final product!

Janny_11x14

Boy and Girl Being Ultimate by Lee John Cutrone

For the disc, Lee suggested that we go with the center printed, “super color” option from Discraft. This allowed us to have a full color print on the disc. Once everything was agreed upon we had to wait… and keep it a secret from everyone… for months.

Unboxing our Wedding discs before the wedding.

Unboxing our custom discs before the wedding.

Finally the package arrived! Because we loved how everything came out, we decided to forgo a typical wedding signature book for a matted and framed 11 x 14 print of Lee’s work for everyone to leave wedding messages on. The Wednesday before the wedding we dropped off the discs and framed print with the rest of the items at our wedding venue, Westbury Manor. One of the other fun items was a mini KanJam that Jen made out of poster board to collect wedding cards.

Framed Print and Thank you KanJam

Framed Print and Thank you KanJam

The disc was a huge hit with our guests, and it wasn’t long before discs were being thrown around the outside areas of Westbury Manor.

Once I have some more photos from our wedding, I will post them here.

More About the Graphic Artist:

Check out some of Lee Cutrone’s other amazing work on his Behance page or the Southpaw Studios website or Facebook page, which is “is an independent publisher of comic books, consisting of artist Lee John Cutrone and writer Michael Gallinari.” Cutrone and Gallinari have published a number of graphic novels/comics, which you should check out if you like comics.

As always thanks for reading!

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What’s in Your Ultimate (Frisbee) Bag?

30 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by highreleasehandler in Coaching, Equipment, Frisbee, Sport, Ultimate

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Backpack, Cones, Disc, Disc Sports, EMS, First Aide, Ultimate, Ultimate Frisbee

Just thought I’d muse about the gear I bring to the field. And then ask my readers, whoever you might be, “What’s in your Ultimate bag”? This is your chance to open the lines of communication and engage in some asynchronous dialogue. Or not?

Whenever I go to Ultimate, I always have my bright yellow EMS Trekker PL 2600 Day Pack (circa 1998)  with me. I’ve been using it since high school and will have it with me until it falls apart… completely. I have taken it to College in Upstate NY, grad school in Scandinavia and everywhere in between. Over the years it has become my default Ultimate bag, carrying everything I need for a practice or tournament.

The Items:

Footwear – I usually wear running shoes (usually New Balance) to practice and then bring my cleats strapped to my bag. If it is a low key day, I sometimes don’t put on the cleats, staying in the sneakers. However, the majority of the time I do gear up. Currently, my cleats are Diadora Stile LT 10 K MG 14. I also added Vibram Five Finger TrekSports to my footwear collection and have worn them to practice, sometimes during.

Discs – The lack of this item in any Ultimate player’s bag baffles me. I know a lot of players that will show up to practice and not bring a disc. You are going to Ultimate, you’ll need a plastic object to toss. I guess if you are coming with a friend only one of you really needs a disc, but at least one of you should bring it.

In the past I’ve been both a captain and coach and would carry about 10 discs, but as a player I usual carry two, sometimes a third Flashflight disc. I’ve always been a Discraft guy, so don’t expect to see Wham-O or Daredevil discs in my bag. If I’m going to an overnight tournament, I’ll bring a mini disc as well to play with in the hotel or while waiting for a flight.

Hydration – I recently recycled my Nalgene water bottle. It was quite old, so it was time to retire it.  Instead of buying a new one, I’ve been reusing old 2L juice bottles. If I am going to practice a full bottle will usually carry me through it. Think Green, right?

For a tournament I’ll bring water and Gatorade or Naked Juice.

Extra Shirts – A dark and a Light is a must. I always bring a dark and a light shirt to practice or pick-up. I have moved away from cotton, but occasionally I’ll retire an old white undershirt and it’ll become my light. I added a white Five Ultimate Team USA jersey to the rotation this year and I love it. Sure, I may never be on Team USA, but it doesn’t mean I can’t rock the awesome gear.

Cones – I’ve coached, so I usually bring cones to practice or pick-up. If the captain is running late or another field needs to be set up, it is nice to have cones at the ready rather than the odd shoe or bag for field markers. I like SportCraft’s low profile cones because they do not take up much room in my bag, but I also bring a few standard sized cones, too.

Med Kit – I always have one in my bag. Maybe it is the scout in me, but I like to be prepared. I don’t have a store bought, professional looking one, just a Zip Lock bag with: alcohol wipes, Ace wraps, sports tape, Vitamin I (Advil), Bandages, Sunscreen, Carmax, gauze, tissues, etc. You never know what you’ll need.

Nail Clippers – I know it sounds goofy, but I’ve broken or chipped my nails so many times playing Ultimate, that having a set of nail clippers in my bag is great. Or if I forget to clip my fingers before a practice I can take care of it over a trash can.

Layers – If the weather is questionable, I’ll usually have an extra layer of Under Armour or a long sleeve shirt.

Extra Socks – Having an extra set of athletic socks always in your bag can save you or a friend from forgetfulness during the summer when sporting sandals or flip-flops to the field . Also, when you are playing back to back games at a tournament a fresh pair of socks can really feel great, especially if it is a wet day.

Food – Energy Bars, trail mix and/or fruit are usually included in my bag. It just makes sense to have something healthy to snack on.

Additional Storage – Plastic bags that are large enough to cover my bag if there is a bit of rain are very helpful.

Notation – I always have a small notepad with a few pens to keep score, or write down whatever might need writing down. You never know.

Money, Money, Money! – Some spare change or small bills can buy that Good Humor bar from the Ice Cream truck roaming the park or pay for a slice of pizza after a long practice.

SO, WHAT’S IN YOUR BAG?

Night Ultimate Product Options

17 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by highreleasehandler in Disc Golf, Disc Sports, Equipment, Frisbee, Sport, Ultimate

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Black Jax Sports, Disc, FlashFlight, Frisbee, LED, Night, Nite Ize, Orby Mothership, Review, reviews, SlapLit, TaskLit, TerraPOD, Ultimate, Ultimate Frisbee

I have played a fair amount of night disc over the years, but one of my most memorable times was in Sweden with the Danish team, Flying Circus. During the yearly “Circus Camp”, the team captains arranged a late night Ultimate session and surprised us all with a full a set of light-up Ultimate equipment. They had LED lights marking the end zones and field, two full team sets of LED head lights (one red set, one white set), and a few FlashFlight discs. Prior to this night, I had played using glow stick bracelets or necklaces and a FlashFlight disc, but thought that the LED options work out much better.

Since that night I have thought about putting together a more permanent kit. I was compelled recently to actually do it. So this is my self-imposed challenge: Find the best products at the most competitive prices and put together a complete night Ultimate kit!

MAIN COMPANIES IN THE LED DISC BUSINESS:

Black Jax sports – Originally the company began in 1999 selling Orby Mothership LED Discs. It is stated on their website that they “enjoyed some brief success, but then some people came along who decided knocking off our idea was the cool thing to do. They started making their own inferior version of our products with cheap fiber optic components…sadly, many of which you still see in stores today. So, we took a break.” They returned in 2002 introducing the Odyssey LED Disc and other LED products to challenge their rivals in the LED Disc market.

Products I will be testing:

  • ODYSSEY LED Disc
  • TerraPOD
  • AeroPOD

FlashFlight – Co-Founded in 2002 by Jeff Scott and Jerry Moore, PlayHard Inc. produces the original FlashFlight, FlashFlight Jr., FlashFlight Mini, Hole-in-One and other LED products (“FlashFlight”, Wikipedia). After achieving a fair amount of success, “Jeff and Jerry opted to partner with another Colorado company, Nite Ize Inc. Nite Ize immediately began manufacturing and distributing the FlashFlight while Jeff and Jerry went back to the drawing board with several new ideas. At last count, Playhard and Nite Ize had 38 products available in 35 countries”.

Products I will be testing:

  • Original FlashFlight
  • FlashFLight Game Set

Nite Ize – Started in 1989 by Rick Case, “Nite Ize has grown from one bright idea into a company that makes and sells a wide variety of accessories, tools, and devices. Every product they offer is designed with creative innovation for superior functionality, manufactured with top-of-the-line materials for optimum durability, and here to make your life easier, safer, and a little more fun—day and night” (“About Us”, Nite Ize).

Products I will be testing:

  • White and Red TaskLit
  • SlapLit

I have researched and contacted FlashFlight and Black Jax Sports to see what they could do to help me put together a 7 v 7 package deal. So, far they have both offered me discounts off of the overall purchase, so I thought I’d order a few sample items to see which I like the best. Once they arrive, I will bring them out to the field to see what the team thinks, and then I’ll post here my reviews and what I end up going with.

I am still trying to figure out cones and possible field marking. So far LED glow bracelets from RaveStuff is one of my few solutions. I was thinking I could slide the bracelets over the tops of the cones I already use for marking the field. I have found some work cones with lights, but they are way too large and vary expensive.

Some other Resources for Night time Disc Fun:

Wisemen Trading Supply

Wenzel LED Torchlight Pole

NightDiscGolf

Ultimate Disc Store

Thanks for reading, and watch for the reviews!

Wildwood 2011!

20 Saturday Aug 2011

Posted by highreleasehandler in Disc Sports, Sport, TOURNAMENT, Ultimate

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Beach, Co-ed, Disc, Isle of Palms, July 2011, LightSpeed, Lightspeed tents, Mixed, New Jersey, Open, REI, SandSkins, Scala Wester Hat, Shelter, SuperCocks, tournament, Ultimate, UltyNY, Wildwood

Before I jump into my experiences at and preparation for this year’s Wildwood, I wanted to excuse myself for not posting in well over a month. I recently moved and am starting a new job, neither of which has given me much time to sit in front of the computer to blog. Now that I am settled in at my new apartment and have gotten my feet wet in my new job, I can put some time back into blogging. Thank you for your patience and for continuing to visit my blog!

WILDWOOD BEACH ULTIMATE

Wildwood (W2BU) is the word’s “biggest” mixed 4 vs 4 beach tournament and one of the “Ten Tournaments Not to Miss in Your Lifetime” (Leonardo, Ultimate the Greatest Sport Ever Invented by Man).  Catering to all player levels, casual pick-up’ers to world champions, the tournament offers four divisions: 3/1 Open (competitive), 3/1 Beer (fun), 2/2 Open and 2/2 Beer, which are then broken into “smaller” pools of about 20 teams. Over the course of the two and a half day event, you are guaranteed 6 games of beach Ultimate, a registration/party on Friday night at the Bolero, and a main party with music and free beer on the beach Saturday night. If that isn’t enough, the boardwalk and ocean offer something to do other than Ultimate. And with close to 6000 Ultimate players no matter where you go, you’re surrounded by cool people.

From what I had heard about the tournament, I knew that this event was huge, but I was still blown away by seeing over 300 teams running down hucked discs, floating toward dozens and dozens of sandy end zones.  The games, the beach, the parties, running into old teammates and rivals, everything, was awesome! I would highly recommend being a part of this event!

Just Past the Defender - Photo by Beth Robson

In preparation for the tournament, the SC team practiced at Jones Beach twice a week, getting used to the sand and wind associated with beach play. We ran some four person drills (give-n-goes, dump-resets and 2 point conversion attempts) and practiced with a shorter stall count. When we had played at FNoF in January, the shortened stall count gave us some issues, so it was really important that we practiced to avoid being stalled. In a beach game, a Stall will most likely turn into a point for the other team.

In addition to the practice, I also made some purchases to prepare for Wildwood. Some I felt were necessary: additional sunscreen, a sun shelter, sand socks; and some items weren’t, but I used this tournament as an excuse to buy them: a 5 Ultimate Replica jersey (white) and red hydro shorts, as well as a hat* that would keep the sun off my face. The hat was a straw cowboy hat, so it was somewhere in between function and fashion. If you are planning to play at Wildwood, I would suggest investing in both a sun shelter and sand socks, and reapply sunscreen often. I’m a pasty white guy with English / Irish roots, which means I am always getting sun-burned, so these items saved my butt. However, if you love getting burned to a crisp… well to each their own.

LightSpeed Shelter - Photo by Beth

I looked into a few shelter/tents, but the best one I found was the “Quick Shelter” by LightSpeed Tents. I picked this one because of the price ($65.00 on Amazon, but it is also sold for around that price elsewhere), weight (7 lbs), mobility (you can carry it around like a camping chair) and the wicked fast setup (like 30 seconds, watch the video and you’ll see). A teammate brought one to our practice about a month back so his daughter and wife could hang out on the sidelines in the shade; I thought it was great and had to buy one for myself. I will definitely be bringing it to my next tournament and possibly to practices because of how easy it is to set up. Another one of my teammates brought a Swiss Gear canopy that also protected us between games from the sun. Both are great, so it depends on what you need and want. The picture above shows the inside of the Quick Shelter and the one below is of the Swiss Gear Canopy and Shelter side-by-side. As you can see the Quick Shelter can seat two comfortably with other items, like a cooler and bags. At one point we did have four people in it, but that was a little too cozy for the heat. The tent stood up to the wind well, and when it really picked up we opened the flaps to let the air pass through. The shelter has three sand pockets that you can fill, but once you put items in there it really isn’t moving. I am not sure how well it would do in the rain, but for nice days on the beach or grass it has my thumbs up!

Hiding From the Sun - Photo by Beth

SandSkins (White)

Now, I was a little skeptical about sand socks, but my captain, Michaelangelo, assured me that the sand at Wildwood can get really hot, especially the strip between the fields and the sun bathers by the water. He was right, of course, and anyone who has gone to Wildwood will know all about that dark strip of sand that we are talking about. So when he placed an order through SandSkins, I had him add a pair for me. I ended up buying a pair of black XLs (I wear a 11.5 cleat) and played in them all weekend. The SandSkins have a neoprene, gripy sole and are made of stretchable lycra. They come in three colors: white, black and pink, and select sizes depending on color. They do a good job of keeping sand out, though I did have a small amount of sand build up in the toe after the third game; however, all I had to do was turn them inside out and they were good to go again. They were breathable and offered the perfect protection. I almost wore my Vibram Five Fingers (which a few players did), but decided to try these out. I was cautioned that it might feel a bit weird, but I didn’t think they did. I think if I had gone with a little bit larger of a size, then maybe.

2011 SuperCocks and Team Ramrod Spirit Winner - Photo by Lee Cutrone

Our team, or I should say the regulars at pick-up and practice, decided to break up into two 3/1 squads — SuperCocks and Rebel Lover (The previous year the team did this too, going as Original and Extra Crispy SuperCocks). As a side note, the names for this tournament were cleaver, hilarious and, well, somewhat derogatory. Even if you didn’t go you should take a look at some of them, especially if you are an Arrested Development fan.

Our captains/ senior players decided to do this because we had close to thirty players initially signed on to go and everyone wanted as much playing time as they could get. Next year, we may break up into three teams. There was also talk of trying out the 2/2 beer league, so who knows.

2011 Rebel Lover

Even though we were on different teams, we all stayed at the Isle of Palms Motel just minutes from the boardwalk, which was a perfect location and had the basics of what you need. Some of us arrived on Thursday, which gave us time to settle in and enjoy a long-weekend vacation. If you can get off work, I would definitely go this route. Plus, if you want to stay at the Isle of Palms or some of the other Hotel/Motels in the area you may need to register for at least 3 nights.

During pool play on Saturday both squads played well. Rebel Lover racked up some wins, which put them in good standings for the following day. SC had some close ones (11 to 9, and 13 to 10) as well as some blowouts (which I will not give the scores of out of deep, deep shame…), so we ended up in the consolation bracket for Sunday. On day two, however, SC got a win, a forfeit and suffered another close loss (11 to 9)! We also played a beverage-in-hand game to five with some of the players from Team Fatty Dipping and random strangers.

Liz, My College Teammate!

Speaking of which (Team Fatty Dipping and not random strangers), I had posted a comment on Facebook saying that I was heading to Wildwood, hoping I might find out who might be going to New Jersey that weekend as well. From the comments I knew that some friends and old teammates were going to be there, but I was also surprised when I ran into people I recognized. On Saturday, I played some of the guys I matched up against during the spring UltyNY League. Then on Sunday more people kept popping up. A college teammate of mine, Liz, was there with her Rochester-based team (I believe they were called “Chopsticks > Forks”). It took me a good part of the day to finally run into the Keene, NH crew (Team Fatty Dipping) that I played pick up with a few years back. I knew they were there, but couldn’t seem to bump into them until almost the last game of the day.  Then as I was walking back to the car to head home from the tournament, I ran into Dima, who I played with on a hat team at FNoF. Another teammate was there from the same hat tournament, but I never got a chance to see him — next year Joel or maybe FNoF 2012?

Two of my former NH Teammates

That is the cool thing about the type community the sport of Ultimate fosters and a tournament of this size provides. Once you start playing in an area for awhile and go to the local, somewhat local and, even, not so local tournaments, you can start to expect to see old friends, past teammates and that guy that lay-out D-blocked what you thought was going to be a game saving throw. I was kind of hoping to see some of my European friends there, too, but I guess that W2BU was a little far. Or maybe there were some and I just didn’t run into them. Possible…?

FINALS BRIEF HIGHLIGHTS:  2/2 Open Winners – O-Pig; 3/1 Beer Winners – Middletown Ultimate

A few of us hung out after our last match to watch the final round of the O-Pig and Hennessy at Half Time game. It was a lot of fun to see top competitors move the disc and make great defensive plays. Some of the players even represented team USA in the 2011 Beach Worlds. For some reason we didn’t play any fantasy Ultimate on the sidelines, I guess we were too into the game. Jen from aVoceBehindtheLens shot some of the final game, as well as throughout the event, and got great pictures.You can also check out highlights of the 3/1 winners, Middletown Ultimate, in a YouTube video posted by EEia89.

I want to thank aVoceBehindtheLens, Beth and Lee for the use of their photos in my blog. Check out aVoceBehindtheLens‘s blog to see more great shots (one of which made the Dominator Friday picture set)!

The next tournament on the Horizon… Zodiac 2011! Sign ups are now closed, so if you are not already going you can check out my recap after the tournament in a few weeks or be a spectator. Cheers!

FiveFingers at Practice

29 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by highreleasehandler in Equipment, Sport, Ultimate

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Bikila LS, Disc, Eastern Mountain Sports, EMS, KomodoSport, KSO, practice, Review, TrekSport, Ultimate, Ultimate Frisbee, Vibram Five Fingers

VIBRAM FIVEFINGERS – TREKSPORT

TrekSport

Two Thursdays ago (17 March), I busted out my Treksport Vibram Five Fingers for practice. I originally wanted to try them out at the “Huck All Night” tournament, but because it was roughly 8 hours of Ultimate I thought I should choose another opportunity to ease into them. Plus, the reading I have done about transitioning to “barefoot” running all cautioned easing into them (ex. How to Transition to Running in Vibram FiveFingers).

I had done a couple 20 minute jogs to break them in and see how they felt on my feet, so I thought it was time to give an Ultimate session a shot. It was nice most of the day, but, sadly, it did get cooler that evening, which meant I unwillingly tested out their warmth as well as their comfort and performance.

Model Choice – TrekSport

When it came time to purchase a pair (beginning of this month), I had narrowed it down to three models: KSO, TrekSport and KomodoSport. I was interested in the KSO because of its versatility (Fitness, Running, Trekking, Water, etc.), but was unsure about the lack of sole tread. Since the primary intended use was for Ultimate and running, I thought I should look into a model like the TrekSport or the KomodoSport whose soles weren’t smooth like the KSO.

Though it doesn’t have defined tread, the KSO’s sole is razor-siped, which means that when you flex, the rubber opens into wavy grooves to give the wearer added grip on wet surfaces. If I was using these for boating or kayaking, I may have chosen the KSO.

The KomodoSport was ruled out because the EMS I went to didn’t carry that model. I briefly thought about the Bikila LS, but liked how the TrekSport felt and looked bit more, so I went with them (as a side note, I was intrigued by the minimalist shoes by New Balance and Merrell).

Comfort – Comfortably Snug

TrekSport sole

On my first jog my feet felt pretty good. I ran mostly on paved roads and sidewalks, which even in running shoes I am not a huge fan (I grew up in NH, so give me a cross-country woods run any day). I definitely felt the ground even with the rugged 4mm sole, so there is a realistic barefoot feel to these. And my feet (arches and balls of my feet) and legs (Achilles and calves) still got a workout even during the short jog.

Practice/pick-up ran for about two and a half hours of constant play with no substitutions. We took two short breaks for water, but other than that I was in motion. The turf surface was a great testing ground because it was even and cushioned. At the end of practice I did notice a small blister on my arch, close to the ball of my foot, but it wasn’t as bad as I’ve had when breaking in a new pair of cleats. The blister did go away two days later, which was a relief. As I continue to test out my TrekSports, I will “let my skin be my guide” (Sandler and Lee), so as to not overdue it too early in awakening my feet.

As for the warmth, they were alright. The temperatures had dropped to the mid 40s and I could feel my little toes getting a bit chilly. However, when I was running and moving a lot my focus was elsewhere. If I was playing a lot more in the cold I would consider getting a pair of Injinji toe socks.

Traction – Fair to Good

Three things to think about: 1) I was matching up against players in cleats, so they could out-cut me when I was on defense, 2) we were playing on turf and 3) I also was holding back a bit, so I didn’t overdo it on the first extended outing.

I could move when I wanted to, and I didn’t loose my footing when making relatively sharp cuts. But when I did make my cuts, I tended to use a chop-step / juke rather than a hard cut.  I know that being a first run through, I’ll need to do some more practices to get a full appreciation for them. However, when it comes to serious practices, games and tournaments on natural surfaces (excluding beach sand), I will probably stick to my cleats. I know I’m not the only one thinking this way. I found another review of “FiveFingers and Ultimate” on the BirthdayShoes blog. The correspondent, Cody, reported the same issue with attempting to cover players on defense and responses to the post also mentioned difficulties keeping up with players and making sharp cuts.

Overall – Enjoyable

Yes, there is a bit of novelty to them, but I get enjoyment out of sliding them on and velcroing them up. Like many authors writing about the youthful freedom of barefoot running, I have to agree with the fun of it all. I think as long as I continue to ease into them they will be a great training tool. I have had issues with my ankles and knees in the past, so I am hoping that these will help to build flexibility and strength in those regions. I am running more on the balls and side of my foot rather than using the mechanics of the heel-strike method. This change in stride is said to be a healthier alternative, waking up our feet. We’ll see if it does.

A big thanks to J.R. Voce for taking photos of my TrekSports. She recently completed her light tent/box project post, so my FiveFingers were one of the first objects she shot. If you are interested in photography, check out her blog post about shooting with a light box; and, as always, thanks for reading!

Tournament Recap: Huck All Night

20 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by highreleasehandler in Sport, TOURNAMENT, Ultimate

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

all night, Connecticut, CT, Disc, Hamden, Hat, Hat Tournament, Huck All Night, Over night, Pictures, team sport, tournament, turf field, Ultimate, Ultimate Frisbee

HUCK ALL NIGHT…

Starting the Flow up the Line

I got back to my apartment around 11:00 AM on Saturday after playing Ultimate from 10:45 PM Friday night until 7:30 AM that morning. I had been up since 6:30AM Friday morning, so I was ready to eat something quick and easy, take a shower and go… to… bed! Besides a few hours here and there, Saturday was spent sleeping. On Sunday, I slept in late and was busy doing this and that, which meant I didn’t set aside time to post anything. I wanted the tournament to still be somewhat fresh in my mind, so, a few days later, here is my recap.

The Facilities

Juan Stretches to Make the Catch

THE CFC Arena was easy to find and had enough parking for the tournament. The two turf fields were a decent size for 5 on 5, but really not more. I liked the elevated spectator area and the warm-up field (it wasn’t huge, but was good for stretching and tossing). I was also happy with the space available to catch some Zzzz during the buy rounds. I was really thankful I brought my camping chair with the foot rest. At the last overnight tournament I attended, I caught some sleep curled up on the ground. It isn’t like I need comfort because I was definitely tired enough to sleep anywhere, but being off the ground was a welcomed comfort.

Music played at a low volume over the course of night. I didn’t pay attention during the games or noticed it, but when I had some downtime I danced a little with some teammates and others who were moved by the groove. Both times I heard Cee Lo Green’s F*** You, I had to bust out my white guys skills.

Nice Backhand Pass

The turf didn’t allow for cleats, but that was okay it was still a responsive surface. The bathrooms were fine, though the men’s room was a little water logged (probably due to the showers). I didn’t partake of the bar or the pub food available in the arena (I brought water, Gatorade, fruit, nuts and granola bars to sustain me), so I cannot comment on it; however, it was cool to have had the option. They also had vending machines that offered sports drinks and soda.

I really didn’t have any complaints about the facility. However, if this tournament wants to grow it might need to find a new location to host the event, but having only 8 teams provided a friendly, social experience, so it isn’t necessary unless that is in line with the TD’s vision.

Organization

Chillest Guy I Marked all Night!

PRIOR to arrival, there was plenty of communication between the Tournament Director (TD) and competitors. Once I got off the wait list, I received regular updates and could go on to the “Huck All Night” Blog to get any additional information I needed. I also liked the friendliness of everyone during the sign in. Players and volunteers were joking and chatting as waivers were signed and wrist bands attached. The TD remembered the emails that we shared back and forth and expressed that he was happy we got off the wait list (three of the group I drove up with were on it at one point). A welcoming vibe to start the night.

There was a last minute change in the player/gender ratio from 5/1 to 4/1. This was a great call on the part of the TD. If we had played 6 vs 6 it would’ve been really tight on the fields, probably causing a lot of picks and clogging.

The brackets worked out well and the break rounds weren’t too long. It was enough time to chat with other players, munch on some food and get a little rest. The only confusion I remember from the night was which field was which. I partly blame myself for not listening to all of the instructions at registration, but I do not remember seeing any signs either. Our team figured it out easily enough, though.

Jen's Looking to Make the Pass

The Level of Play

ACROSS the board the competition was pretty good. On each of the teams I played there were a few stand outs, but because they were evenly dispersed between each of the teams it didn’t seem that one team had a major advantage. We should give credit to the TD for doing his best to balance the skill levels.  I think what separated the teams, mostly, was how well they were able to gel on the field.

I remember watching one game where a team member was yelling at another after a score against them. It was a hard fought point and they were getting down on each other, not cool. I know that we all can get caught up in the moment, but, really, that kind of a display usually shows a lack of mutual respect and negatively affects everyone’s play. The good news is I didn’t see too much of this type of sportsmanship.

Team Purple

Team Purple!

I enjoyed the crew I played with at the Tournament. They were a great bunch of Ultimate athletes and fun individuals to boot. Even during the first game, we began to get into a groove, cheering each other on. The format (two non-stop 17 min halves with subbing on the fly) didn’t take us too long to get accustomed. I actually enjoyed it. The key was to sub regularly: play two points and then get off the field. Keeping fresh legs on at all times was what got us our victories. When we (and other teams) did get tired, the huck-game began to get used more. In most cases the tactic to huck the disc was detrimental; if there was no score it just wore everyone down physically and mentally. Overall, though, I was happy with how we played as a team and how I did individually — it was a satisfying 2nd place. Team White just had a little more left in the last game.

I liked the tournament and would consider going again next year, but it is a draining experience playing all night long.

Pure Concentration!

Hold the Force, Joey!

Get Horizontal!

Keira Releases a Perfect Pass!

If you would like to go to the source of all things Huck All Night, check out the tournament’s blog. And, a special thanks to Bing  and Jen for the pictures of the tournament they supplied. You can see more of J.R. Voce’s pics of the tournament on aVoceBehindtheLens.

Please, feel free to leave a comment! Thanks for reading!

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