Top 10 of 2008 Part 1

So as some of you might have noticed, things are a little quiet at stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog mansion. Sure, Master Wetnose has taken up residence in the hammock on the porch that overlooks the Dojo gardens, but other than that its only the sound of crickets chirping, as I have travelled north, north, north, north to our snowbound fortress of solitude in the lovely nation of Canada.

Being amongst this quiet and peaceful folk during their frickin' freezin' Christmas festival season has given me the chance to reflect on both the fickle nature of fate and of course the year that has gone by on the Ultimate scene.

So here's part 1 of the Top 10 most interesting things that happened in 2008 that we barely otherwise covered here at the Brisbane Ultimate Blog.

10. Rob and Molly join the QUDA Executive

The Queensland Ultimate Disc Association has had a big year, but once again it seemed that it was the same (awesome) faces doing all the work. So a big mightly "ROCK!" to Rob and Molly for realising its not such a big thing at all to take on a position and do so.

9. The Tim Booth Incident

You'll want to check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aus-ultimate/message/3547 if you haven't been following this one. This one's kind of hard to write about, because its so un-Ultimatey. "A guy attacks another guy off-field at a tournament" isn't something that Ultimate people are prepared for, but I guess its the sort of thing some Ulti-organisers have been having nightmares about happening sooner or later. Fortunately AFDA had a lot of stuff in place and their review will make things clearer in the future. Still, won't be forgotten for a while.

8. Australia Solid if Unspectactular at Worlds

Australian expectations were high going into the World Championships in Vancouver in August. Woirlds 2004 had been the break-through event in many respects, and the Silver at the 2005 World Games led many to put us in the top three internationally. World Clubs in Perth had vastly expanded the number of Aussies with experience against the best of the rest, and preparations for 2008 had been long in the planning and sharp in the execution.

So aside from the outstanding performance by the Junior Women to take their Silver, what happened to the rest? The analysis and introspection seems to be ongoing, but the loss of a couple of crucial games, plus the rest of the world catching up (Japan, GB) since 2004, and here we are.

7. Fyshwick United Start the New Wave?

The Club scene around Australia over the last few years seems to been dominated by groups that got their current shapes and forms through the adventures leading up to World Clubs 2006. And of course, when you look through the lists of top teams you'll see they generally seem to come from Sydney and Melbourne.

So it was great to see Fyshwick United of Canberra make a huge mark in 2008, not just on the field in winning NZ Nationals and taking it to the star-studded Fakulti in the Final at Nationals, but in the off-field planning and all-round good vibes. Maybe in a few years' time we'll look back on this moment and be able to say "we were there".

6. Liam 'Wetnose' Gillions Moves into Stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog Mansion

Probably the 'back room' highlight of the year for us here at Stately BUB Mansion was the addition of a comrade, one who could dig deep at the front line of Brisbane Ultimate, and particularly the Brisbane Premier League. It seems all the great blogs of the world these days are a team effort, and its clear our readers like it best when we post often. Hopefully in 2009 we'll be able to recruit a few more people to fill the spare rooms. And thanks for all your work, Wet!

Tune in tomorrow (weather permitting) when we go into the Top 5.