Has Ultimate Blogging in Australia Jumped the Shark?

… assuming the phrase jumping the shark hasn’t actually jumped the shark.

After a booming 2008, Ultimate blogging in Australia seems to be in a bit of a decline. If you look at nothing but the numbers, you'd think that even the venerable Brisbane Ultimate Blog staff have been slacking off a bit (this is nothing to do with Hugh Hefner's efforts to purchase the stately mansion). But maybe instead of quantity we're moving towards quality?

Anyway, since its practically the end of the year, we figured we'd best get to saluting our comrades out in the blogosphere, or at least those amongst the big 4 (yes, there's a few other blogs out there that we haven't mentioned ... perhaps those quieter blogs are perhaps the best examples of shark jumping)

Sif
Tiger and Semfel had an uneven year on the blogging front. It could just be those hormones getting out of control again. But for the perspective of some dog-soldier buck-private Ultimate players facing up to the realities of injury and training for big events, this is the blog to read (leaving aside occasional divergences into poker and general chest beating). Posting was very quiet in 2009 relative to 2008, but still they kept them rolling.

Best Tiger Post: http://sifultimate.blogspot.com/2009/10/eiyuji.html
Best Semfel Post: http://sifultimate.blogspot.com/2009/06/diversification.html

This Things I Believe
Rubes had a third regular year of blogging – roughly a post a month, same as 2008 and 2007. 2009 on the page was dominated by events – Regionals/Nationals, World Games, and then the Tribe of Tiny Horses’ unfortunately dead-end path to World Clubs in Prague (sadly, the successful teams don't go much for blogging). Every post of Rueben’s is worth reading, so go read the lot, and like us, keep bugging him to post more.

Best Rueben Post – we’ll give the hype to this one, just because of the true history involved: http://rjhberg-disc.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-first-layout-callahan.html

Thinkulti
Owen’s adventures in Columbian Ultimate have dominated his blog this year, and for most ‘English-reading’ Ultimate players, this has been a bit of an eye opener for us. Remains essential reading.

Best Owen Post – we have to give it to this one for its insight: http://thinkulti.blogspot.com/2009/10/from-sidelines-unselected.html

Ballarat Ultimate
The annual AUGs build up and follow up and the annual Nationals build up and follow up continue to make Simmo essential reading, but its all the other thoughts and insights that make for the full blogging package. That Simmo does all this of course means that we here at the Brisbane Ultimate Blog can just snipe at the sidelines, or more accurately, from home because we didn’t get our lives together in a format that supports going to Nationals or attending Uni any more. Nonetheless, Ballarat Ultimate remains the gold standard for Australian Ultimate Blogging.

But we’ll have to suggest if you only read one post, you go for this one, just because of the long term service this will provide the Ultimate community: http://ballaratultimate.blogspot.com/2009/08/games-to-kill-time-at-tournaments.html


Hmm, so in sum, all this endeavour I think goes to show that there's still life in the old bloggers yet!