Winter Workouts

Just emailed out the winter workouts and I gotta say I'm pretty excited. Last year around this time I was approximately 12 weeks into Air Alert and was getting some pretty ripped legs along with my bros. This year I'm going to try and tackle this workout schedule and go above and beyond. I remember as a freshman I struggled to make myself keep up with it and ultimately didn't do enough. I came back and wanted to puke at every practice after break. Too much dessert and sitting around I guess. This year I want to push myself to be in the best shape I can be in as we start our spring season. It is real important that we all do the same if want this as an added advantage as we begin our big push towards regionals. Shortly after we return we host CWRUL and after being part of the 2nd place team last year I want to win it SOOOOO BADLY this year. If we're in great shape and maintain our fundamentals we should be the favorites. Recently some of the bros and I have been trying to work on our abs after practices. Mark has made a great suggestion to do these workouts everyday as soon as we wake up. I started it last week and when I wake up and work out I feel great all day. I've even already started to notice results (see above) so I recommend that if you are trying to go above and beyond this winter try doing those core exercises as you wake each morning. I hope all of you on the team do your best to hold to these exercises and those of you outside of the team continue root us on in our quest for regionals. Hope to see you all running around too without your shirts on in the Cleveland cold.

-Eddie Money

More self thizzin'

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Club Sectionals Recap: Oh My User!

Last weekend, at the Eastern Plains Club sectionals, the goby-heavy team of "Oh, my user!" competed for a shot at the Division II sectionals title. Led by goby greats Mark Richardson and Andy Coleman, Oh my user brought some much needed swagger to Versailles OH. This is their story.

Day 1:
Oh, my User! 13: ON-YON 6
Giddy with anxious excitement (especially after having found out they woke up an hour and a half early due to scheduling errors) the team, whom we'll refer to as the gobies for convenience's sake took the field with nearly four full lines. Many of the gobies were rookies who had never played a point of competitive ultimate in their lives. That being said, they certainly didn't disappoint. Veteran Nayyir Qutubuddin started things off with a clutch layout D that set the tone for the game. Many rookies stepped up to the plate and made an impact in lines with very few veterans. Joe Koors gets a layout D.

Oh, my User!: 9: RAMJAM: 11
The next game proved far more difficult than the first. Wooster brought an experienced team that was ready to ball (disc?). The Gobies kept it close, but failed to put the disc in the endzone when they needed to. We tried a bit of zone defense, and the rookies stepped up to the challenge once again. Reports of Mike Saylor getting sick D's are most likely true. Kevin Pochatila did his best Dikembe Mutumbo impression and wagged his finger "no no no" as he defended three Wooster hucks from the deep-deep position to help the gobies win a thrilling break

Oh, my User! 14: GUINS:13
Veteran Gobies went into this game with nightmares of last years college sectionals still ripe in their minds. Bowling Green laid a thrashing on the gobies in a critical game on saturday of sectionals in Granville. We let the rookies know how much the game meant to us, and yet again, they proved ready to thrash. Mental mistakes and throwaways, along with poor execution on the goal line led to the GUINS taking half at 7-3. Points were traded back and forth, and the score stood at 12-8, game point bowling green. That was when Oh, my User! decided to wake up. A few hucks to rookie Jared VanLandingham (with his defender left in his vapor trail), along with spirited play, and probably another Joe Koors layout, and the gobies had all of the sudden evened the score at 12-12. The sideline was bristling with excitement. This was the kind of Goby Ultimate that we've been thrashing all summer for. This was the kind of comeback we hadn't seen in years. Feeding off of Keith Lupton's overwhelming sideline energy, Mark Richardson called out an all veteran "U-Point" Line which soon scored its 5th break in a row after a clutch D by Owen Mayer. After letting up a point to bowling green, and narrowly escaping defeat with the help of an Evan Frasz D, Oh, my User! marched down the field and scored on an admitedley unorthodox ricochet to complete one of the most epic comebacks in recent memory

Oh, My User! :15 Denison: 7
Still riding high off of the BG game, Oh my user had some strong preformances, especially by the rookies, who got to see some more PT for the final game of the day. Colin Warlock toed the line while pulling down a huck, along with some gratuitous layouts by Keith lupton (on O), and another layout D by Joe Koors.

Day 2:
Oh, My User! 5: Savage: 15.
Toledo showed up with a team that was ready to play, while Oh my User! did not. Plagued by early turnovers and failure to knock down goal line swill, the gobies were handed a tough loss. Bright spots included a layour score on offense by Andy Coleman. While chasing down a disc that was trailing away, Andy sacrificed his body and made the kind of play that reminded everyone why hes a captain: because he's a stud.

Oh, My User! 10: OU 15
Another game where the rookies got to see extended playing time. The mood was notably lighter, as evidenced by The return of Steve Knab and his much loved hammers. Still once again the rookies amped it up, and managed to take 2 breaks in a row against a more experienced OU team. Every once in a while the gobies threw in a stacked vet line and marched down the field just to keep the defense honest. Joe Koors gets yet another layout d. This time almost a Callahan.

Denison decided not to stick around, and Oh my user! called it a tournament.

Highlights of the Weekend:
-New cheer: The Clint Mansell "Party" cheer: videos to come
-Trent taunting Brady down the field while running down a pull
-The "Jason and Q" handler show against OU
-Chip Dean unintentionally leveling a Dension player
-Dan Kwass & co. scamming Culver's into 5+ free frozen custards using the same 5" fry.
-Intense game of "contact" in which Luke correctly guessed "Drank" with the guess "is it purple"



Everyone is currently on pump up alert for fall brawl. More intensity at practice until then

-Kevin

Mind games

"Weak minds lead to weak actions. A strong, disciplined mind, which anyone can cultivate through daily practice, can achieve miracles." ~ Robin Sharma

As we progress through week after week of Ultimate practice, we have all learned the importance of training and strengthening our bodies for the upcoming season. Our hope is that through enough physical conditioning we will be able to out-maneuver and outlast our opponents on the frisbee field. Even though this physical sculpting is of utmost importance, we must not forget to strengthen our minds and sharpen our wit.

As quoted above, "Weak minds lead to weak actions." What good is it to have a body like the Gods without the discipline to control it? What good would it be to have great hucks but not restraint to know when to hold back? And, what good would is it to be as nimble rabbit but not have the understanding of when and where to cut? Thus, the man who only concentrates on strengthening his body is no greater than the brute.

For this reason, it is my suggestion that in addition to our scheduled practice regimen, we take time to focus solely on the building of the mind. How might we do this? Board games.

Most board games focus on quick thinking, strategic planning, and outsmarting the opposition. Sound familiar? It should, because these are the traits every great Ultimate player must possess in order to achieve success on the field. There are many traits that can be learned from common board games and applied to frisbee. For example, chess focuses on making good decisions, spacing, and patience. Backgammon relies on taking risks, playing aggressive offense, and setting up a strong defense. The variant of mancala known as Kalah practices planning ahead, predicting your opponents moves, and minimizing their effectiveness. These are all traits that can and should be applied in a game of Ultimate.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you ever want to play some board games feel free to stop by the fortress. But beware, when we play chess it gets as ruthless as the game seen in the picture above.

-Andy "The Titan" Coleman

3 Spoons, 1 Bowl, 1 Goal

Two nights ago, Andy, Kevin, and I cooked up three boxes of Food Club Mac & Cheese (join the Club!). These little treasures can be found at Dave's Market for 59 cents each.

What's most important is that we ate this heap of food from the same bowl, huddled around it with Tahitian Treat (aka T Treat) to wash it down. We could've split up the Mac & Cheese into separate bowls and eaten it in our own rooms in comfort and solitude. But will solitude get us to Regionals? We think not. Every little step you take with the team, or just one other teammate, gets us one step closer to the paramount goal: Regionals 2010. Get to know your teammates; bro-out with them, listen to tunes (i.e. chill-tense) with them, eat with them, do homework with them, party with them, do whatever you can to get closer to your teammates. Because if we can't get along off the field, how will we unite as one team on the field when it matters?

So next time you are devouring a plate of pasta or guzzling down some gatorade to fuel your body for practice, offer a teammate a fork to join in or a sip of your drink.

We can't make it to Regionals as individuals; we can make it as a team.

- Mark

P.S. We will continue to eat massive bowls of Mac & Cheese at the Fortress, so stop by if you want to join in at any time. You are always welcome. At 59 cents a box, how can we afford NOT to eat this stuff as a team?!

First Prx

Frisbee ain't shit but hucks and flicks
Pick up my bags and head to prx
-Andy Coleman


Words to live by. This week saw the first two practice of the Case Western Reserve Fighting Gobies. We've reunited at last, and we're stronger than ever. Being able to pick up my bag and head off to prx at Frieberger was one of my most satisfying and exciting experiences in a while

Some highlights:

Return of the Bharath: We all knew it would happen eventually, seeing the man in person again was enough to make us all thizzly. Add on 7 weeks work of air alert legs, and you got yourself a budding stud

The John Carey Experience: What's John Carey plus 10lbs of additional muscle and newfound cutting skills? A new deep threat that the Eastern Plains section is going to learn to fear

The Candyman Cometh: Sure we ripped on Andy all summer for not hitting up club prx. Then again, only a player like Andy could come back from a frisbee-light summer with rock solid throws and frighteningly chiseled physique

Marky Mark's Funky Bunch:
Thats a bunch of throws that he'll use to mess you with. Playing hard all summer, Mark came back with a vengance and made his presence known against yours truly. Picture it: Forehand fake, backhand fake, lightning quick reset to the forehand and an unreal inside-out flick break. It was rapid. It was clean. It left me stunned

Edward Scissorcuts:
You've been hearing about this guy all summer, but how much he's stepped it up has become all the more evident now that he's taken his position as co-leader of the gobies. Born Leader. Born Thizzler

Mac'sWellhouse
Good to the last drop. The last drop, that is, hasn't happened since the mid 90's. Our captain remains as solid as ever. Minus a "few" injuries, the leadership and talent remains pure.

Fear of the Nayyir:
An oft-diagnosed condition seen in many of the Gobies' opponents. Its all still there. The smooth-gliding flicks. The step around breaks. The fakes. But most of all: The style. The man basically walks around with cool blue underglow on his feet. He doesen't move, he flows

Jason Thrilliams
aka Jason Williams, another returning vet who caught the fever. The man talks fris 24/7. He's got the fire. Couple that with terrifying speed, and the gobies have moved one step closer regionals.

"Brawndon" Corbett Walsh
Few people love the gobies as much as Corbett. Many more people are glad to have Corbett fighting for the Gobies this year. He's worked hard all summer; gotten faster, throws better, and
has a killer instict now backed up by killer skills.

Oh yeah, and we've got some legit freshman. Many of these bros are ready to make a difference right away.

We've got the tools in place. Time to put our heads down and push towards regionals

-Kevin

The unification of chill

In case anybody hasn't heard, this year there are five men among us Gobies living in the same apartment, the Ford Fortress. Everyone is welcome to come visit us if they want, and think they can handle the bro-love. One of the best parts of our new apartment is, in my opinion, the porch. This porch is the unification of all things chill.

It is important to remember that learning to be chill off the frisbee field helps one maintain chilliness on the frisbee field. This is one lesson that we all need to be reminded of from time to time.

Anyways, this porch has many various factors that contribute to its overall chilliness. First we have a grill which allows us to cook up awesome food that can be shared and enjoyed by many. We are always playing chill music (see previous posts) to set the mood and maintain appropriate chilliness levels. Besides the usual bro-ing out that happens on the porch, some fun activities that can be enjoyed are PW, b'gammon, and slumber parties. PW, aka P-dub, aka people-watching, is an important part of our lives here at the Fortress. You would be suprised at the variety of folk that walk up and down the streets of Ford and Hessler. The typical reaction of a passerby who witnesses us chillin on the porch is usually a brief moment of confusion, followed by intrigue mixed with a rising wave of jealousy that crashes down on them when they realize what they are missing. If you are up for a more intelectually stimulating way to spend your time chilling on the porch you can always play a rousing game of backgammon, cribbage, and (soon to be) chess, checkers and Go. Playing these games is a great way to bond with bros and excercise the mind while resting the body and soul.

If, at the end of the night, you feel like you haven't experienced enough relaxation and rejuvination, you can always spend the night on the porch like KP and I did recently. Waking up to the sound of a garbage truck, the sun in my eye, and Kevin's shirtless body next to me reminded me of the Road to Regionals in multiple ways. The garbage truck made me think of the all the bad things that happened last year and how we, like the garbage truck, need to take out all of the trash from before. The sun in my eye reminded me of the light at the end of the road to regionals. The morning sun was like the birth of a new day for the Gobies. No matter what has happened the previous day, a new day will dawn and we can do whatever we want with it. Waking up next to Kevin reminded me that even through times darkness my teammates will be there by my side. This trust in one another is of utmost importance on the frisbee field.

Anyways, if you want to come by and chill out at the apartment or on the porch, chances are you're always welcome so just let one of us know.

-Andy