Halibut Review

After a few days of getting back to life with no eight hour days of ultimate, I decided it was time to do a bit of a review of the spectacular tournament that was Halibut. I have also included a score with each team based on the tips entered by myself, Jdr, and the Seeders. Scores are 3 points for picking correct winner, 2 points for picking other placings correctly, or 1 point for being within 1 of correct place.

1st: Plan B

So for the 2nd time in the past 3 years, the super pickup team has taken the Halibut trophy from the Brissie battlers. That being said, I was more than happy for this team to take the trophy (albeit only Jmac can take it as the trophy can never leave Queensland) as they did play the best quality ultimate out of all of the teams I played (which included all semi final teams) and they were very well spirited. This team, as has been mentioned before, consisted of player that couldn’t/didn’t want to make it to Vancouver so decided to chump us all here in the sunny state.
Tipping scores: Jdr 1; Wetnose 3; Seeders 1.

2nd: Mind The Gap

Well the cranky old legs of MTG (with some new faces) just struggled to get them across the line this time around. This team very much played to their strengths (lots of zone defence) but the old dogs were by no means slow around the park. Including 2 current Australian Masters team members (Buzz & Mat R) this team had exceptional throws, laid out a fair bit, and played with level of spirit that was expected of them.
Tipping scores: Jdr 1; Wetnose 1; Seeders 1

3rd: Slamtown Flatball Club

This team almost had the goods to take the title. They had the gun male players, they had the party, and Stefan even had the grace to take advantage of one of the female members of the Goldigaz on the night of the party. Unfortunately though for SFC, they faced Plan B in the semi and received their collective behinds handed to them on a disc shaped platter (15-3 was the score I heard). Perhaps underestimated by a number of punters, these guys and girls from the coast showed what some training, partying, and a team with crazy Canadian at the helm can do.
Tipping scores: Jdr 0; Wetnose 0; Seeders 2

4th: Goldigaz Revival

This was my team so I could rave on and on about how good I was and how we would have won if it was for the stupid Talbots both missing their flight and not turning up until just prior to the 2nd game on the Saturday, but that would just be rude. The problem for the ‘Digaz may have been the lack of legs, also the fact that one female player suffered a Woodley induced ‘injury’ at the party which resulted in her sleeping through the entirety of the first 2 games on Sunday didn’t help. This team also revived their tradition of the pre-heckle, which involves trash talking in the seconds leading up to catching a goal or generating a block. No surprises that they didn’t take out spirit.
Tipping scores: Jdr 0; Wetnose 2; Seeders 1.

That’s all I can be bothered doing in terms of write ups (also I’m starting to get to teams that I didn’t see on the weekend) so here are the remaining placings, along with the tipping scores:

5th: Mellow Yellow. Tipping: Jdr 0; Wetnose 0; Seeders 0.
6th: UQ Lovers. Tipping: Jdr 0; Wetnose 2; Seeders 1.
7th: iCarrot. Tipping: Jdr 0; Wetnose 0; Seeders 0.
8th: UQ Passionate in Pink. Tipping: Jdr 0, Wetnose 1, Seeders 1.
9th: Not Sure Yet. Tipping: Jdr 1, Wetnose 2, Seeders 1.
10th: The Pass. Tipping: Jdr 1, Wetnose 2, Seeders 1.
11th Pickup. Tipping: Jdr 2, Wetnose 2, Seeders 0.

Spirit prize went to the always awesome The Pass (although picking up Jangles was a dodgy move by them). Male MVP was Julian “Big Arms” Sacre and Female MVP was Maylin “Awesome May” Chua.

So that leaves the final tipping scores as: Jdr 6, Wetnose 14, Seeders 9. Yay me!

That winds up Halibut here at the BUB Manor. We are currently sitting around awaiting the a new arrival in the form of Jdr’s spawn. We will report all details of the baby, as well as the emotional state of Jdr, once the event has occurred.

BPL 2008-2 Round 6 - third time the charm?

Once again we will try and get this round of BPL off the ground. The pretty draw is here so you can update/enter your tips and view your mortal opponents for your next round of battle.

Quiet Time

Things are fairly quiet here at stately BUB mansion, and are likely to remain so for a few days. We're at five days overdue and counting in the main lair, although I'm sure Wetnose will be posting about BPL still.

I encourage you to enjoy the other wonders that the interweb has. Or check out the archives.

Normal service will resume sooner or later.

Following Worlds

Haven't got much time at the moment, but here's some links relating to Worlds. We'll probably keep updating this as we go.

http://www.vimeo. com/album/ 21816 Gala Night video from Jonathan Holmes

http://mundis.coldbaked.com.au/ Barramundi’s mixed team website

http://dingos.blogspot.com/ Dingos open team blog

http://sites.google.com/site/australiandingos/ Dingos website

http://firetails.blogspot.com/ Firetails women's website

http://www.wugc2008.com/ Tournament website

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RLKyIK3y94 Dingos on local TV in California

www.afda.com Various reports

Final Halibut thoughts from the Attic

Well I'm sitting here in the attic at the BUB Manor and my thoughts have drifted off to a number of things: Sugar buns, sleeping in, and of course Halibut.
Before the BUB Manor Master Jdr does our bit for global warming and switches off our power and makes us blog on bits of paper, I thought I might share some last thoughts as well as a summary on the big tournament.

The rain has been falling steadily in Brisbane for the past 3 days, including some intermitant heavy showers today, so bring your garbage bags to keep your stuff dry in. This rain should be excellent in terms of encouraging people to hit the ground this weekend, with no excuses for not laying out. If you haven't laid out before, definately the time to try it with the ground being nice and soft. It's always a great way to get the blood pumping and to make people think more of you when you lay out. Even if you're trying to get a D and you don't actually touch the disc, you may create enough doubt in your opponents mind and make them drop the disc. Also, it can really fire your team up and may result in everyone else lifting a little.

In case you didn't know, the draw has been finalised again (find it here). Bruce promises this is the final time, which means that there will only be 2-3 more draws including a change half way through the first game which will result in everyone moving fields and all scores being either doubled or halved depending on the change of field.

The seeds have been released as well and are as follows:

1. Mind The Gap
2. Plan B
3. Slamtown
4. iCarrot
5. Goldigaz
6. Pickup
7. UQ Lovers
8. Not Sure Yet
9. UQ the Second
10. Mellow Yellow
11. The Pass

Tips have also been entered by both residents here at the Manor and they are:

Jdr's tips:
1. Mind The Gap
2. Plan B
3. UQ Lovers
4. UQ the Second
5. iCarrot
6. Goldigaz
7. Slamtown
8. Mellow Yellow
9. The Pass
10. Not Sure Yet
11. Pickup

Wetnose's tips:
1. Plan B
2. iCarrot
3. Mind The Gap
4. Goldigaz
5. Slamtown
6. UQ Lovers
7. UQ the Second
8. Mellow Yellow
9. Not Sure Yet
10. The Pass
11. Pickup

We will do some sort of debrief after Halibut (not the kind that Churchill enjoys though) and will evaluate who is superior: Tippers, Jdr, or Wetnose.

I'm getting the wind up so that's all from me. See you on the field tomorrow!

Halibut Preview IV - A New Hope

The Pass

Despite their seeding and our tips, this team will certainly not be easy beats. While the trip up from Byron may see them arrive about 10 minutes before (or 30 minutes after) the start of the first game, do not underestimate these guys. The Stone brothers are fresh from their youth nationals campaign, and the leadership of Australian Masters player Badman will certainly have these guys on the right course. While they have picked up some heavy baggage in the form of Brisbane’s own Jangles (boo), they will rock it up on the dance floor and will probably not get back to the Bay after the party tonight. Prediction: Last to the fields, last to leave the party.

Liam’s tip: 10th
Jason’s tip: 9th
AFDA Number Theory: 9th
Seeding: 11th
Picture reference:


Not Sure Yet (Peta’s Team)

This team has gained some southern strength after the demise of another team, which may result in both myself and Jdr being completely wrong in our tipping. A mismatch of old and new, this team will have the heart to run with most other teams, but may lack the legs on the female side. Look for Peta to be completely blinged to the roof at the party, she’s my hot tip to take home any best dressed female award.

Liam’s tip: 9th
Jason’s tip: 10th
AFDA Number Theory: 5th
Seeding: 8th
Picture reference:


Pickup Team

According to the AFDA site this team only has 2 females, hence the tips entered by the residents here at the BUB Manor. An almost completely unknown commodity, watch out for the unknown for this team. Party tip: Who knows? Generally pick up teams aren’t strong at the party, but some of the names on this list could change that trend. Watch for Andrew McC to drip some Mansauce all over you, both on and off the field. (Note: This is not a sexual act at all, or is it...)

Liam’s tip: 11th
Jason’s tip: 11th
AFDA Number Theory: 8th
Seeding: 6th
Picture reference:

Rained Out

Just in case your doing your interweb browsing from a deep cave, the extensive rain has cancelled tonight's BPL.

Halibut Preview III: The Return of the King

There comes a time in the Halibut preview when we need to put on the sunglasses and chance a quick peek at the Queensland University Ultimate Action Club Kids (aka the QUUACKs). Squint, if you must.

First up we have the Lovers. I think this is one of those ironic names, like calling kids with red hair ‘Bluey’, because since Brett Matzuka left town I don’t know anyone who’s made love to anyone on this list.

But maybe its not about the sex. Love does represent a range of emotions, just as Ultimate has a range of positions. So for every pleasure-seeking hedonist (aka long) on the squad (and here we name-check Pete Allen), there’s a romantic like Gref (does anyone smell more like roses than this man?), the simple puppy-love of crushes (half of the team) or even someone maintaining an existential affection for all of humanity, and indeed, the very planet itself (you know who I’m talking about). Expect at least one Romeo (preferably of the Leonardo variety) and one Juliet at the party.

Liam’s tip: 6th Jason’s tip: 3rd AFDA Number Theory: 11th Seeded: 7th

Picture reference:

The other bunch of QUUACKs is Passionate in Pink. Now, on the field this team is expected to be more of a ying-yang kind of proposition. For every great put that Nat or Tatiana are going to fire down the field, there’ll be a drop from KY Cunliffe or Phat Will-i-aren’t Dog (arrooooooow).

That said, for a team based around teenage love and social cliques, the whole “he’s crazy about her, she’s crazy about him, he’s just crazy” seemed to fit this group perfectly. If nobody goes to the party dressed as Molly Ringwall or Andrew McCarthy I think we’ll all be disappointed. Flamingo outfits would also be acceptable, Tom.

Liam’s tip: 7th Jason’s tip: 4th AFDA Number Theory: 10th Seeded: 9th

Picture reference:

Halibut Seeding and Draw is Out

The Halibut seeding and draw is now up at http://www.quda.org/!

11 teams will enter .... one shall leave! Well, after going through a two pool round robin, semis and a final.

Game on at 9am on Saturday for everyone except Plan B, who might still be flying in and so land the bye.

Good one iCarrot and Not Sure Yet for taking on the Lunch setup and Lunch cleanup byes in the middle of Saturday.

And UQ the Second take the special "Party Bye" of having Sunday morning off, allowing them to go for two hours later than everyone else on Saturday night.

BPL 2008-2 Round 6

The draw for this weeks round is already up here.
Go there to see the beautifully colourful draw that was composed in the dank, dark basement here at BUB. Also go there to enter/update your tips for the all important tipping competition.

Halibut Preview - Pas de Deux

Three more teams that you may meet over on field BUB3 this weekend, so have a read, and don’t say we didn’t warn you:

Plan B

The term “Legend” is thrown around far too much in sporting circles today, and we will in no way be using it for this team. They seem to resemble an attempt to match the Pottsy super teams of the past, with lots of out-of-towners (small boo), with one local pick up J McNaughton (big boo). This team will win a lot of games and will be looking to be still be playing while everyone else is enjoying the Gourmet Final BBQ. Look for the likes of Twat and Chumpcott to party it up, but McNaughton won’t be there, he’ll be doing sprint training somewhere.

Liam’s tip: 1st
Jason’s tip: 2nd
AFDA Number Theory: 1st
Picture reference:


Mellow Yellow

This local team that will be full of enthusiasm and have played together for about the last year, however we here at BUB feel they may lack the experience and fire power to mix it with the super pickup teams. Lead on the field by a current stalwart of the Brisbane Ultimate scene, Jon Good, this team will have a lot of fun and we certainly would love them to show us up and beat some of those chump southern teams. Look for Brisbane’s version of Corey Worthington, Dan Blacklock, to be leading this team into the party. Will certainly be a force to reckoned with on the dance floor.

Liam’s tip: 8th
Jason’s tip: 8th
AFDA Number Theory: 4th
Picture Reference:


Mind The Gap

The largest (and oldest) roster in this year’s Halibut, Mind The Gap is an Old School team making a New School move. Mind The Gap will be back looking to improve their finish from last year that saw them lose the semi final. A bunch of local worlds players and ex-worlds players, this lot will make a lot of noise, play hard ultimate, and be home during the party looking after their grandkids. See picture below for the latest clothing release by the Mind The Gap franchise.

Liam’s tip: 3rd
Jason’s tip: 1st
AFDA Number Theory: 2nd
Picture reference:

Halibut Preview - Part the First

So, while we haven't quite had the time for a mammoth countdown and team preview as in 2007, we figured it was worth our while to take a look out the french windows here at stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog manor and check out the teams warming up around the grounds. Here's the first three that you'll be likely to meet this weekend:

iCarrot

I was initially deeply disturbed about the increasing prevalence of corporate marketing in Ultimate, and was not looking forward to the queues that would be associated with the release of an iHuck or an iHammer or even cries of iMfooked. However, subsequent investigation indicates that iCarrot is emphasising character over slim lines, with Andy and Shawn taking turns on in the role of America’s favourite teenager, Arrlann as his arch-nemesis Reggie, Stu as the girl-hating Jughead, Maylin as the fashion conscious Veronica and Dom Ventura as a slightly leaner Mr Weatherbee.

I for one also look forward to seeing Dan Foster in his Josie and the Pussycats outfit.

This should be a good fun team that will do well and make many friends (remember everyone - Maylin is your ticket to drinks at the Fox), but will regret not arranging orange shirts and green hats.

Liam’s Tip: 2nd Jason’s Tip: 5th AFDA Number Theory Tip: 6th

Picture reference:

Slamtown Flatball Club

The inspiration for this Gold Coast based squad’s name is unknown, but it is possibly a reference to an infamous incident involving wanna-be-Gold-Coaster Wetnose spending a night in the Southport slammer. Or it could be that they're after a good pumping. I don't know.

The hard part for the SFC will be trying to come together as a team so soon after this Wednesday’s cut-throat final of the Gold Coast Ultimate Fighting League. But if the losers are too broken to make it to Halibut, things should go fine, particularly if some old Bondage gear can be gotten out.

As usual and despite the presence of Stef in the lineup and the standout effort of the Gold Coast team at the party last year, I'm tipping the team to follow Dr Phil and Jimmy's example and have a quiet night.

Liam’s Tip: 5th Jason’s Tip: 7th AFDA Number Theory Tip: 7th

Photo reference:

Golddiggaz Revival

The Golddiggaz Revival are mostly made up of southerners, so please be nice to them, although they’ve got some late Brisbane-based pickups, so be mean to those traitors. The objective of the Golddiggaz is to eliminate underground-dwelling monsters and drink potions. This can be done by inflating monsters until they pop or by dropping rocks on them, as they did while attending the World Ultimate Club Championships in Perth in 2006. There are two kinds of enemies to the Golddiggaz: Pookas, round red monsters (said to be modeled after tomatoes and/or Simon Talbot) who wear yellow goggles and make them travel long distances for tournaments, and Fygars, green dragons who can fart fire. The Golddiggaz may be dressed in white and blue, and are able to dig tunnels. Golddiggaz can be killed if they is caught by either Pooka or Fygar, burned by a Fygar's fire, or crushed by existensial angst and sobriety.

Liam’s Tip: 4th Jason’s Tip: 6th AFDA Number Theory Tip: 3rd

Photo reference:

BUML Week 3

We'll be watching the rain closely today ...

Drive Through

Big Mac Small Fries video on youtube.

BPL 2008-2 Round 5 Tipping Results

Congratulations to Jdr, Jmac and Stefan for their perfect week of tipping.

BPL 2008-2 Round 5 Results

BPL for 17 July 2008

For those of you who haven't got the email yet, BPL tonight is going to be the games from last week.
So instead of putting the washed out round to the end of the comp, almighty league master Mr J Good has pushed all games back a week.
Money that was due tonight (being the 6th week) is now due next week.
If you want to edit or enter you tips, you can do so here. If no changes are made to tips, then the assumption is made that your original tips stand.

Halibut Basics

What is Halibut?
Halibut is Brisbane's traditional two day mixed Ultimate frisbee tournament, and is open to every Ultimate player in South East Queensland and beyond. For newer players, Halibut is an excellent way to improve your skills, make new friends, and generally get into the frisbee 'scene'.
When is Halibut?
Halibut is held over the last weekend of July - in 2008 this is 26-27 July. Be there by about 8.30am on Saturday, a bit later on Sunday (times will be confirmed once the draw is finalised). There's a big party on Saturday night (see below).

Where is Halibut?
Halibut is being held at Kalinga Park, Wooloowin - about 10km north of Brisbane City. The main entrance to the park is at the end of Park Avenue (near corner of Henry St or Kalinga St), but access can also be gained from Toombul Terrace.

For Public Transport, try http://www.translink.com.au/ and type 'Kalinga Park' into the journey planner, or phone 13 12 30. Look for the 320 or 321 buses that stop in the neighbourhood, or its possible to walk from Toombul Railway Station.

What do I bring?
1. Fees to pay on Saturday morning (see below).
2. Comfy shoes, hat and other Ultimate playing gear (if you haven't organised a team shirt, bring a white shirt and a black shirt).
3. Mess kit for eating with - plate, bowl, knife, fork, spoon, cup and waterbottle.

Lots of people also like to bring stuff like personal sunscreen, a chair, spare socks, silly hats, team banners and paraphanalia, a team esky, music-machine, twister set, etc. Its up to you really.

How much is it?
Halibut is $75 per player, although this is dropped to $70 per player for teams which have three new players on them. Please pay on Saturday morning.Some of the stuff your money gets you: fields, insurance, two breakfasts, two yummy lunches, Saturday after-game feed, unique Halibut merchandise that has something to do with your head size, first aid and sunscreen and shade marquees, and of course, the party (see below).

There's a Party?
Yes, no Ultimate tournament is complete without a party. We're taking over the Fox Hotel Rooftop on Saturday night from 8pm. The Fox is on Melbourne St, South Brisbane, under the bridge from South Brisbane Rail Station and the Cultural Centre Busway Station.

Most Ultimate players like to dress up for fun, so the party theme is "Stars of the Silver Screen" - think Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Bette Davis ... or R2D2, Rocky Balboa, James Bond, Batgirl, Cruella de Vil, Indiana Jones, Thelma and Louise, Marcellis Wallace, Gandalf, Bugs Bunny, Eraserhead, Charlie Chaplin, Willie Wonka, etc etc etc. If you haven't been to an Ultimate party before, you're in for a treat. If you think dressing up is silly, you can still come and have a good time. And if you can't play on the weekend, you can still come to the party.

Dopefish

Most of you won't be aware, that in a darkened cavern deep below stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog mansion, just near the hovercraft hangar, across from the Deep-U supercomputer, is our state of the art Ultimate frisbee listening station.

The listening station picks up all sorts of snippets, and normally we keep them to ourselves (isn't that right, Dusty - just keep the payments coming).

But here's a bit we thought we'd share, because when we wandered over to the Deep-U supercomputer to follow up, there wasn't much information to be gleaned.

Here's the snippet:

".... frisbee had been played at UQ for many years, and they established a club
maybe around 1990 in order to secure fields ...."

I'm sure most of you weren't even born around then, so perhaps a few readers could share some memories of this dark age and the hallowed past of Brisbane Ultimate? Or perhaps there's other memories, like Halibut 1997 producing the first Australian University Ultimate champions?

Comment lines are open - tell us the history of UQ Ultimate.

Halibut Tournament is Only 10 Days Away

Hey everyone, Halibut is only ten days away. Countdown time!

IT'S NOT TOO LATE: Some teams are still looking to recruit players, particularly *women* (remember the tournament rules are that a maximum of four men can be on the field for a team at once). Register yourself on the 'looking for a team list' and teams will get in touch with you. If you've having trouble registering or want some personal encouragement to get involved, leave a comment or email the fabulous Peta.

Register at: http://www.afda.com/rego/showcompetition.php?competitionid=465

We're also looking for volunteers – mostly people who can turn up a bit early and stay a bit late each day to help set up. Let us know if you think you can help!

Fishwife! Need a Fishwife!!

I haven't seen it officially from the Halibut organisers yet, but I'm guessing teams need to be reminded that Halibut is played 4:3 in terms of gender mix.

That means that teams can have a maximum of four guys on the field at once.

Has your team got enough women (I'd say you'd need at least five for the two days)?

Might be time for some teams and Captains to hit the email lists, league nights and the telephone.

Track Three, Surrender, Chemical Brothers

Too much Ultimate is never enough, but sometimes it gets beyond this little blog's capacity to keep up!

So let not the size of the post indicate the sheer unmitigated awesomeness of two recent events.:

The UQ Lover's trip to Sydney for the 2008 East Coast Challenge (thankfully covered our neighbour on the other side of the tracks, Ballarat-in-a-Blue-Blog Mr Simon Talbot; and,

The drive-thru adventures of Big Mac and Small Fries, who were also in Sydney for the Australian Youth Ultimate Championships. There's a nice write-up over at afda.com

If anyone on the teams wants to get onto the keyboard and send us something, we'd love to post it.

BPL 2008-2 Round 6 Draw

Start tipping!

Halibut Info

For general Halibut info, try the 'Halibut 2008' link on the top of the right hand sidebar there.

For info about the fields, accommodation, transport to Halibut - it'll be at the same venue (Kalinga Park, Clayfield) as the upcoming Mixed Nats. So try the 'Mixed Nats 2008' link on the top of the right hand sidebar there.

Party theme I am 90% certain is 'Hollywood', and venue I am 90% certain is the Fox Hotel at South Brisbane. But I will check in a day or two.

BUML Week 2

Near as I Know, Only Stu Knows

Three and a half hours, Stu!

Fields Closed - No BPL Tonight

Despite the clear skies today, the rain of yesterday and the day before has left surface water on the fields, so they're closed.

So people might want to repair to the Muddy Farmer pub instead. Its not necessarily the best, but its the closest to the fields.

Halibut Countdown - H minus 15.

Halibut - Queensland's biggest and best annual Ultimate tournament - is only 15 days away.

Please register by following this link! We try to set deadlines but its never too late - registering shows some respect to the efforts of the volunteers organising the event by helping them do the best job they can. Best effort is always made for anyone who turns up at the last minute, but that's done on the basis that everyone's done their best effort to register if they know they're coming. If you're having trouble registering, please email me at jjderooy at yahoo dot co dot uk.

There are a couple of 'empty' teams registered - we need to know if they're for real so the number of fields and the draw can get sorted.

If you've never played an Ultimate tournament before - you're super welcome and you won't regret it. There are plenty of teams that would love to have you join up with them for the weekend. Its a great way to gain some Ulti-mates and improve your game.

The tournament is mostly run by volunteers - and the organisers still looking for helpers for before and after the tournament so please get in touch if you can offer a hand.

But this year there organisers are also looking to hire two people to work through the event - collecting and chasing rego money; keeping the water containers full; sorting out lunches; and general troubleshooting. This would be ideally suited to an injured player who's looking for a few bucks. Get in touch if you're interested - jjderooy at yahoo dot co.uk

Crazy Idea for Today: Mixed Plate (or Mixed Salad Bowl?)

I've just been spending some time on my own wandering the vast marble-clad space of the war room that's in the AFDA wing of stately BUB manor, and had a bit of a crazy idea that I'd like to share.

Mixed Nats is really popular and a great tournament and more and more people want to go, but its also a lot of work and maybe its getting harder from year to year for people to run it. So at the moment its capped at 24 teams, and we're moving to having to have teams qualify and all that. But its a bit of a bugger if you miss out, particularly if you're from an area where there isn't a mass of higher-end Ultimate going on.

So I wonder if one day we'll split the event into two. AMUC continues on but gets shrunk a bit (down to maybe 20 or even 16 teams). Teams still have to qualify for it and its about elite play.

But maybe the weekend before AMUC, there's the AMUP - the Australian Mixed Ultimate Plate (or Mixed Salad Bowl maybe), which is initially open to any team that doesn't qualify for AMUC. The Plate would be a tournament that is bidded for and rotated around the country to be in a region where the AMUC isn't (so if AMUC is in Brisbane this year, AMUP might be in Ballarat).

I think AMUP might still be a good quality tournament for people who are looking for that but miss out on the elite end. AMUP would also make the zone qualifiers less of an end of the season for those teams that don't qualify for AMUC. And AMUP organisers and players would nonetheless aim to have a better run tournament, a more awesome party, etc etc than AMUC itself! ;)

And having both tournaments being smaller may make them more appealing for people to want to host them?

Anyway, just today's crazy idea to put out there. Put it on the to do list for someone sometime in the future.

GLUC Semi Finals - Two Teams Enter, One Team Leave

Such is the chaos at stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog manor that we've lost our pretty pictures for the GCUL. Fortunately, one part of the recent renovations is complete - the Italian Shower now graces the upstairs bathroom (the one with the best view of the grotto and the laboratory). So lets check out tonight's preview:

Week 5's games mark the first time in Gold Coast Ultimate League history where the outcomes of the games will have elimination as a consequence for losing.

As was the case in Mad Max and the Thunderdome, two teams enter, one team leaves. However, luckily for us, Tina Turner won't be around to show compassion for the losers, and they're seasons will most certainly come to an end.

The winners on the other hand, will advance to the finals which will be held the following week to sort out our inaugural champion.

The first game will be: 6:30pm sharp.
Team Bob (white) vs. Heat (black)

Game two will be: 7:45pm sharp.
The Hard Road (white) vs. 3 Immobile (black)

Some of the Gold Coast kids get ready to head for Tomorrow morrow Land.

BPL 2008-2 Round 5 Draw

Get your tips in, don't be shy. Come on non-BPL people, get in and make this thing interesting. Talbot, we know you are reading, put in some tips.
Also, this is the last week for new tippers as all tippers must tip for a total of six rounds to be eligible for the prize (and must tip every game in said rounds as well). Of course new tippers will be accepted at later dates, but will not be eligible to win the magical prize.
See here for a refresher on the BPL tipping rules.

Mixed Nationals Slots for Queensland

The AFDA has released the initial allocations for slots for teams to go to Mixed Nationals, as well as the order in which unused slots will be reallocated.

Initially, South Queensland has been allocated two slots, but South Queensland also gets the first two unused slots (such as those that NT or Northern WA are unlikely to take up). Hence South Queensland can be 99% certain it'll be able to send four teams to Mixed Nats.

You may recall North Queensland automatically gets a slot and the Townsville crew are champing at the bit to take that up (and they might be able to pick up a couple of extra ladies from elsewhere).

Don't forget the qualification event for the South Queensland slots will be over the weekend of 30-31 August (it will likely be a one dayer if there's five teams or less).

More to come on that once we get through Halibut, but if you're thinking about playing Mixed Nats you might like to start getting your team together!

Linkity Split!

Women's Ultimate making the big time here in Brisbane.

And start clicking regularly on the Australian Women's Team as they blog their way to Vancouver.

And don't forget the newly reconditioned Women's League starts tonight at Toowong (pity about the rain so far though!)

BUML - Tonight's Draw

New season, new teams, new logos. Can't wait.

Pending fields being open after weekend rain of course.

Feel Free to Caption

Lisa's photos from the dinner in Sydney on Saturday night has a nice Queensland flavoured one right up front.

Buzz Buzz

No, not the bee that plagued Donald Duck.

Buzz (info) about the Buzz (Bullets). Over at Mssui.

A good read.

BPL 2008-2 Round 4 Tipping Results

Congratulations to Julz, Jangles and Gref on their perfect week of tipping.

BPL 2008-2 Round 4 Results

Pluggin' for the Doctor

Here in stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog manor, we're variously resisted the temptation to spread the word about what's going on here. We figured we'd rely on word of mouth, linkage from other Ultimate sites, and the occasional lost google searcher.

Today though we broke the rule and included a link in a big fat email to every Queenslandish* yahoogroup list.

So if you're new here, I hope you take the time to look around (there's a few hundred posts of various interest here), leave a few comments (we love them and we'll let you be anonymous if you want, but you must behave) and come back - we post new stuff most days. Or you could even send us some stuff to post!?

And for something that has nothing to do with flying discs (at least of the non-Dalek variety) - how good is it to have Doctor Who back on!?! He would love Ultimate. Do Ultimate players loved the Doctor?

*Some folks feel that Byron Bay isn't part of Queensland. Others disagree. Our take here at the Brisbane Ultimate Blog? We keep the good bits, and don't mention Badman too much.

Spirit vs Refs

It seems required for North American Ultimate internetters, bloggers and others to have a view on spirit of the game, cheating, use of observers and so forth.

Its been passionately and extensively written on.

Since we're getting more visits here at stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog mansion from "over there" (Hey there, and Happy Canada Day and/or Fourth of July), I figured I'd offer my main insight.

I've played a lot of field-team sport with referees, umpires and linespeople - over twenty seasons of soccer, three seasons of field hockey, half a dozen games of aussie rules, a season of netball, a season of cricket, five seasons of rugby league and three of seasons of basketball.

In all of these I experienced far more cheating than in seven years of unrefereed Ultimate.

I'll leave it at that.

Setting An Ultimate Field on a Soccer Pitch

With the Monday Night League looking to use both soccer fields at Annerley, its worth experienced players (who'll be leading lots of newbies) taking a moment to consider field setup.

While a WFDF Ultimate field is 100mx37m in size (and we're written previously about that), we can't fit such things onto the local soccer fields. Nor can we permanently mark our own lines alas*. We've also got to think about safety with regards fixed structures like goal posts and shelters.

Given that a full field can't be fitted, and that there's some lines there to get started with, I'd like to see us adopt a uniform way for setting the fields up (I think there's great value in having cones in consistent positions from week to week and across both BUML and BPL).

Diagram below, but in summary: back line cones should be four paces up from the soccer back line; goal line cones are guided by the top of the soccer goal box circle; outside sideline cones use the soccer sidelines; inside sideline cones take three steps in from the goal posts. Optional extra is for halfway cones on the halfway line help people to estimate a brick mark.

With these rules of thumb in mind, you should be able to set up the cones as a warmup jog, rather than a lengthy 'striding and counting in your head' exercise.

For safety, remember to keep gear and people out of the 'gutter' between the two fields. I hate laying out onto people's gear, and if people are safely watching one game, they're not watching players coming at them from the one behind them!

Note that on the 'right hand field' at Annerley, when two fields are put there for BUML, they'll be narrower than on the 'centre' field. When you're only putting one field on there (as for BPL at the moment), use the 'far goalposts' for a sideline.
Click to embiggen.

*Did you know that QUDA now has its own line marking machine? I think that after soccer season is over, our hosts AJSC wouldn't mind us chalking on some Ultimate lines on there over the Summer. We'd just need to redo them each time it rained or every month or so. I'll ask. But any volunteers?

BPL 2008-2 Round 4 Draw

Get them there tips in. And we also encourage non-Brisbane people to tip: You don't have to play in the BPL to tip in the BPL.

SAM* vs AFDA

Some of you might know about the afda.com Photo of the Month "competition". Members can upload photos to the site, and other members can then vote on them.

The winning photo of each month usually gets posted onto the front page of afda.com.

I say usually because occasionally, a more risque-shall-we-say photo gets posted (such as the famous [not very safe for work folks] nipple-medalion-gate scandal** of a few years ago) and of course, Ultimate players are very juvenile and will vote for that kind of stuff (we're looking at you Mathew "Happy Birthday" Eastburn).

Now, at the moment afda.com is the front page to our sport, so alas it's a little bit editorial about the photos that get on the front page.

And rightly so, there's other more appropriate places for such photos ...

...like the Brisbane Ultimate Blog!

So here's this month's winner, posted in solidarity with the SAM* nudists.
There's plenty of entertainment in following certain players' lines of sight there. Remember that I've heard on the grapevine that the guys you can see wearing shirts have mostly taken their pants off. And insert obligatory 'shrinkage' jokes there too.

I'm sure plenty of you will be over there this month putting you vote in for 'mazing Mike's aerial antics.

*Some of you might know a S.A.M. as a Surface to Air Missile (and if you do, that's kind of amusing). But others might know S.A.M. as South Australian Men.

**I mean this in the most happy-fun sense! :)