As$embly Street Field, Sali$bury - QUDA's Only Official Venue

Continuing our spring tour of fields around Brisbane, begun last week with Oakman Park.

As$embly Street Field in Sali$bury is largely unknown to most of Brisbane Ultimate (indeed, the Brisbane sporting scene). But here's the tale ....

Over the past few years, QUDA has been on the lookout for a permanent field in Brisbane.

Most of the fields used by Ultimate in Brisbane are 'owned' by other sports, and then hired by Ultimate users. As many Ultimate players may attest, this leaves us somewhat at the mercy of others (fair enough of course - and it should be pointed out that many field providers take seriously their responsiblity to make the field available to the wider community).

By 'owned' , we mean that most sports fields in Brisbane are owned by the Brisbane City Council, but are on five to ten year leases with a particular sporting club or association. Said sporting club or association has generally invested further in the field themselves, for example by putting lights or clubhouses on them. Some field owners will also invest in and take responsibility for the field surface, while others rely somewhat on Council (hence they are at the mercy of Council's field maintenance schedule). The cost of the lease is however relatively cheap (but of course, don't forget volunteers have spent decades establishing the venues too).

As you may imagine, most field space in Brisbane has been snapped up long ago (eg the Annerley fields have had a soccer club on it since the 1940's). But this hasn't stopped Ultimate folks from keeping their eyes out. Over the years, Ultimate players have made sporadic inquiries with Council about gaining a long term lease over a field, and QUDA is on a very long waiting list.

Earlier this year your blogger made some inquiries with Council and discovered that the As$embly Street Park in Sali$bury, which features quite a nice soccer field and which many locals assumed was owned by the nearby High School, was actually a Council Park.

What was interesting was that Council didn't classify the park as a sporting field, which presumably is the reason it hasn't been snapped up by some other Club or Association. So keep it quiet! (This is probably why it hasn't been posted about before ... and hence the $ for those suitably conspiracy minded)

At the moment, QUDA has dipped its toe in the water (and we'll come back to this dipping) by booking the field every Sunday from 3-5pm from 1 April to 30 September (what is known as a Winter License). This has cost QUDA the grand sum of $28.50 for the six months, so not a bad investment.

Word of the booking has been put around the various organiser types, but as yet we haven't actually gotten people there to play. Partly this is because while the field and grass are very good, the field is hard to get to without a car, and at present has no parking or toilets.

Its also hard to spot - you have to go to the end of AsSembly St (or Ke11ett Rd on the other side of the creek), and then you might just see the field through the trees.

If people feel that the disadvantages of the field could be overcome, and its worth the effort to find some sort of permanent field somewhere, then QUDA's toe dipping is ideally the start of something long term. QUDA needs to renew its booking soon if it wants to extend itself into the Summer six months. Perhaps it should pay more and book the whole day (or someone establish a Salisbury Ultimate Club to be the vehicle). Then for the following Winter book both Saturday and Sunday. And then at the end of 2011 talk to Council about a five year lease and getting toilets put there. And a small storage shed and signage. And a clubhouse and lights and some reshaping and removal of the soccer posts (a big advantage of the field is the lack of residences immediately backing onto the field).

A sort of big vision, but it needs to start with people thinking its a good place and worth thinking about long term, and in the short term establishing our presence there.

So, if you have the time, go for a look some time. Or if you are looking for a regular place to play during daylight hours over Summer, contact JdR (ceo@quda.org) and we'll book you in.



http://www.whereis.com/qld/salisbury/75-assembly-st?id=157CB415BC92EB

Coaching Course - 17 October

Ever wanted to gain a formal qualification as an Ultimate Coach? Or maybe you were just interested in improving how you teach new people to play?

QUDA is hosting another Coaching Course on Sunday 17 October, from 9am-5pm, at the Annerley Junior Soccer Clubhouse (where BPL and BUML are played).

The course is accredited under the Australian Sports Commission’s National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS).

The course will take a full day to complete and includes practical and theory components. No previous experience as a player is required to take part in this course, nor is any prior knowledge of coaching.

The cost of the course is $50, and includes registration and accreditation fees, lunch, and the course manual.

The course is offered nationally - further information on the course can be found here.

For more information, contact QUDA's Coaching Coordinator, John Coorey at coaching@quda.org

If you are keen but can't make 17 October, contact John anyway - it's helpful to know how much demand there is for future courses.

South Queensland Mixed Nationals Qualifier

So this Saturday 4 September, four south Queensland teams will enter the arena at JF O'Grady Field, and three teams will leave and pack their bags for Bathurst and the 2010 Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships.

Tipping welcome below! Registration page for any slackers is over here.

This tournament will operate as a minimalist event.

• Team Captains will be responsible for keeping to schedule and tracking and reporting results.
• Teams will provide their own food and fill their own water container.
• Two teams will set up marquees, and put out water containers and portafields in the morning. Peta McN will have the key.
• The other two teams will pull down marquees, put away gear and clean toilets at the end of the day.
• Social gathering at the McNaughton Family Manor afterwards.

Fees will merely cover field hire and AFDA/QUDA fees. The amount is TBC but will likely be <$10 per player.

The tournament format follows the AFDA Tournament's Guide for a three team round robin (no finals). The top three teams will qualify as South Queensland's representatives for Mixed Nats. In the case of a tie on win/loss, countback will be used.

Points cap of 17 (half at 9), time cap of 90 minutes. Three timeouts per team, maximum of two used per half.

Schedule

8am - Arrival and Setup - John Doe and Heroes

9am - Round 1 - John Doe vs Sugar; UQ Lovers vs Heroes

11am - Round 2 - John Doe vs Heroes; Sugar vs UQ Lovers

Lunch (features BUDA General Meeting at @12.45pm)

1.30pm - Round 3 - John Doe vs UQ Lovers; Sugar vs Heroes

3pm - Finish and Cleanup - Sugar and UQ Lovers

Best of luck to all involved!

BPL Results - 2010/2 Round 2

Couple of days old, but for the record ....

Round 2 Results

Cobras 15 defeated Moreton Bay Buggers 9
Dojo Mojo 15 defeated Hereos 8
Slamtown 15 defeated UQ Lovers 12

Competition Ladder after Round 2

1. Cobras - 6 Points
2. Moreton Bay Buggers - 4 Points
2. UQ Lovers - 4 Points
2. Slamtown - 4 Points
5. Dojo Mojo - 3 Points
6. Heroes - 2 Points

Spirit Table After Round 2

1. Moreton Bay Buggers 17/20
1. UQ Lovers 17/20
3. Slamtown 16/20
3. Heroes 16/20
5. Cobras 14.5/20
6. Dojo Mojo 10/20

Round 3 Draw

Field 1 - UQ Lovers vs Moreton Bay Buggers
Field 2 - Dojo Mojo vs Cobras
Field 3 - Slamtown vs Heroes

If you haven't otherwise noticed, the BPL provides plenty of fodder for some of the other blogs out there - check out the blogroll down the right there.

Fore!

TD Tim has posted a quick report on last weekend's Queensland Disc Golf Championships:

The 2010 Qld Disc Golf Champs were held over the last weekend at Yeronga.

The event attracted 19 players, including 4 from WA and 1 from ACT, with 5 people playing their first tourney.

In short, the competition was hot and the weather was great.

Congratulations to:
- Bryan Motley for winning Men's Open in a 2-hole playoff against Tim Marchbank
- Bruce McNaughton for winning Men's Masters
- Darnley Pearson for winning Men's Advanced Amateur
- Aaron Moreton for winning Men's Recreational Amateur
- Adilia Murabito for winning the Women's division.
- Matt Adams for winning 2x CTP
- David Bandy for winning a CTP
- Bryan Motley & Tim Marchbank for each winning a Long Drive comp.

Thank You to:
- "Chocolate to die for" for sponsoring the trophies and providing prizes
- Coates Hire for providing the toilet
- BCC for letting us use the park
- Colin Corlet for having discs available
- ADG & PDGA for sanctioning
- AFDA for insurance and
- all those who came and made it a great time.

Summer at the Oakman Park

With the winter sports ending, Ultimate is getting more space over at Oakman Park, Toowong (corner of Moggill Road and Union St).

Oakman Park is managed by the excellent Wests Juniors AFL Club, and has been the home of Women's Ultimate on Tuesday nights.

Wests Juniors have been very generous in their management of the field, providing it to many other groups including cricket, gaelic football, schools and of course, Ultimate! So if you ever see the owners at the field, give them a pat on the back, and of course let's always do our best to be the best possible users of the field, particularly by leaving it better than we find it!

Women's League on Thursdays
As you may have heard, Women's Ultimate is now moving permanently to Thursday nights at Oakman (ie through Summer and into next Winter), with the new season starting in two weeks on 9 September. The League is for all ladies, from beginners through to international reps.

When: Thursdays 7-9pm, September 9th - November 4th
Registration page: http://www.afda.com/rego/showcompetition.php?competitionid=855
Keep up to date via: mailto:WUFL-subscribe@yahoogroups.comcom
Contact: Laura via ljkeating at gmail.com

Mixed Pickup and Training Night on Wednesdays
One new thing is that Wests have offered us use of the park on Wednesday nights through Summer, with the strong possibility of our continuing through into Winter 2011.

Initially, BUDA is arranging for pick up games to be played, but if the number of regulars grow, hopefully a formal league might get established. For the moment, pickup is $5 per player, to be paid on the night.

At present, Wednesday at Oakman an option for any Ultimate Club who wants a regular training venue as well (price to be negotiated).

So all players are welcome, starting from Wednesday 1 September from 7-9pm. As with all pickup games, bring a white shirt, a black/dark shirt, disc, water and your friends!

Sunday Afternoon Pickup
Sunday pickup moves to Oakman Park as of this Sunday 29 August, and will hopefully run through there every Sunday until next February. Pickup also features training sessions with the very friendly and open to anyone Heroes Ultimate Club.

As with all pickup games, bring a white shirt, a black/dark shirt, hat, disc, water and your friends!

3:00pm Throwing and some drills (optional)
3:45pm Pick Up Game starts


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Queensland - Beautiful One Day, Volunteers the Next

AFDA recently announced its August Volunteer of the Month.

Congratulations to Adilia who was recognised for her work in Brisbane!

Its funny too how the other nominees included Stef on the Gold Coast, and Simon and Mike in Townsville.

The three main Queensland Ultimate cities, all mentioned in one month. Cool.

Just in time for the BUDA elections next weekend ....

BPL Draw - 2010/2 Round 2

A Full Arsed Halibut Post

Our review of Halibut has been sitting in the 'draft' pile since ... oh about when Halibut finished.

All I think you really need to know is that it was a great one.

So lets just consider the pretty pictures:

Above: The Queensland State of Origin team, in their neat shirts.
Above: The 'evil' Blues in their State of Origin shirts.

Above: The two State of Origin teams face off.

Above: The Heroes squad proved to be a force at Halibut.

Above: The Towns-Villains. How we didn't get a Heroes vs Villains game I don't know.

Above: John Doe and a full arse.

Above: Team Canada

Above: Byron Ultimate Disc
Above: TD Stef (left) presents the Halibut trophy to John Doe captain aL, after John Doe defeated Byron Ultimate Disc 15-11 in an entertaining final.

Above: The John Doe squad - winners of Halibut 2010!

We will have to hassle TD Stef for the full and final results, from 1st through to 10th.

BUML "Controversy" Coverage - Ending Games with Last Possession, Points Caps and Time Caps

Following on from yesterday's BPL "Controversy" Coverage post here on the Brisbane Ultimate Blog, and in the same spirit of 'controversy for the fun of it' not to genuinely bother anyone, let's consider the discomfort around BUML's use of a 'last possession rule' to complete its games.

At present, BUML games finish with 'last possession', which involves a League Director type blowing a whistle at time cap, and play continuing until the next change of possession (either from a score or a turnover).

The rule is arguably an effort at a half-way house between the ways games end under the formal rules of Ultimate (and the traditional variations), and the need of the League to finish its games pretty much on time to either allow for games following or to get the lights turned off. Let's go through these, as often people aren't clear on these issues anyways.

The WFDF rules of Ultimate, state: "4.2 A game is finished and won by the first team to score seventeen (17) goals." For practicality though, the following is also in there: "4.6 A variation of the basic strcture may be used to accommodate special competitons, number of players, age of players or available space."

A common variation under 4.6 applied by League and Tournament Directors is setting the Points Cap at a number other than 17 (usually 15 or 13).

The change is typically for timing reasons, although it may also be used in events where 'blowout' scores (eg 17-0) are anticipated, which are thought to be less enjoyable and thus better to be over quickly (eg ending at 13-0 is believed to be better than 17-0).

However, Points Caps can still result in overly-long games, which can cause havok when League and Tournament Directors are trying to coordinate to a schedule (either because of limits on field and light availability, and/or because they are managing a large number of consecutive games). Long games at tournaments may also raise safe play and fairness issues, should players be exhausted by a long game and then need to back up to play another game (and possibly against relatively fresh opponents). Hence, Time Caps may also be be applied should the Points Cap not be attained.

Time Caps have their own variations, generally with a central timer (either agreed by the teams themselves, or provided by the League or Tournament Director). Generally, time caps for higher level tournaments will be set at 70 to 100 minutes, although some more social events will use times around 45-70 minutes (generally to enable players to play several games against as many other players as possible).

Equally, there is then a lot of variation in terms of 'what happens at Time Cap'. Commonly at higher level tournaments, the rule used is along the lines of "Finish the point, add two to the highest score to establish the revised Points Cap." Sometimes in more social contexts this will be truncated to merely adding one to the highest score, or truncated even further to merely finishing the point.


Sometimes people get different ideas about Time Cap, and I'll use an example of something BUML Assistant League Director Chris Fox recently wrote to the players:

"One last point about "last possession" (This is my opinion only, and not that
of John or Adilia): I do not understand why people think it is strange that they
are not allowed to keep playing after game time has expired. Perhaps this is
just a Ultimate tradition? Correct me if I am wrong, but in every other sport I
can think of if you are down 1 point at the buzzer then you lose. There is never
any chance to tie up the game or play until someone scores after time has
expired. So I don't understand why Ultimate players expect to be able to do
this. Just my two cents."

I think Chris pulls out the important factors in people's confusion here (and their dislike of the 'last possession' rule), but let's tease them out more.

A common error for people confused by Time Cap is to compare to other sports. Something like soccer, for example, is predicated on there being an agreement that play will stop after precisely 90 minutes of play.

In contrast, Ultimate is predicated on the agreement that play will stop when a team has won - that is, scored the Points Cap.

In Ultimate, the addition of a Time Cap doesn't establish an absolute finishing time as in soccer - instead it establishes a modified Points Cap, one that is specific to that game.

I'll repeat that - in Ultimate, you win the game by achieving the Points Cap (not by scoring more than the opposition). A Time Cap merely modifies the Points Cap. When there's a Time Cap, you still win the game by achieving the Points Cap.

There are a bunch of reasons why this is, and it comes back to self-refereeing - Ultimate actively doesn't use whistles or referees, who in other sports provide independent timekeeping and declare one team the winner over the other.

Instead in Ultimate, we conclude games in a manner all players can agree on while still being players - when a Points Cap (modified or otherwise) is achieved.

The method of firstly finishing the point after Time Cap is called also allows a moment when teams can confer amongst themselves and with each other to confirm that Time Cap was called. In the heat of an Ultimate game, without a referee and whistle having dominance and control throughout, a whistle from a competiton director doesn't have the same weight.

The method of adding one or two to the score after the point has been finished has two functions. First, it provides some balance to the impact of wind and other weather conditions, which have a significant impact on Ultimate compared to other sports. Ultimate combats this by swapping ends at the end of each point and by the scorers returning the disc to the other team with the pull.

Second, it discourages unspirited time-wasting. In other sports where one team has gone ahead, but another team is coming back from behind, the leading team will look at the clock and waste time as much as possible. This happens less in Ultimate when a Time Cap merely modifies the Points Cap. The leading team still needs to strive towards the Points Cap at all times (yes, it can waste a bit of time to slow their opponents catching up, but not as much).

(Obviously, these situations also add a lot of extra excitement and drama to a game!)

Another way to look at it - if everyone is Ultimate is a referee, and you want play to stop at an agreed time as per something like soccer, then either everyone needs a watch on (that's synchronised with everyone elses), or you need a separate timer that is visible to all players all the time.

Anyway, leaving aside the world of rules philosphy and back to the realities of BUML, the 'last possession rule' isn't too bad. It is challenging practically in that it does require most players to be able to hear a whistle and for the League Director to be reliable in blowing it on time, but it does give people time to spread the word. A change in possession is more likely to happen sooner than a score, so that schedules can be kept to, and a change in possession does provide a moment when players can agree the game is over.

This has been a bit of a long warble and time is out in terms of cleaning it up a bit. But we hope its interesting and our readers have learned and thought about it a bit.

But we'd hate to see people thinking 'the whistle' as the natural way to finish an Ultimate game.

BPL "Controversy" Commentary - Goal Difference Tiebreakers and Spirit for Forfeits

One of the things people love (or hate) about BPL is that some people take it as seriously as other people take their sport ... and therefore there's lots of (fun) arguing about minor things, mostly on the grounds that one day they could be major things.

So too with the discussion here on the home of BPL commentary and reporting, the Brisbane Ultimate Blog, following this post listing last week's results and particularly Dojo Mojo's unfortunate and unplanned forfeit, we here in the stately mansion's editorial wing feel compelled to offer 2c, or at least trigger more hoo-ha.

Lots of the following is opinion from outside, and as always its up to the LD based on his reading of Captain and player wishes to make decisions (and equally he may rightly feel that these things are so unimportant as not worth fussing about)

We're really posting this because its interesting and useful to know something about in all Ultimate contexts, not just BPL.

Question 1 - How are Goal Differences (or point differentials) Applied to Semi Final Berths if Team's Forfeit?

So the question was raised - with regards the result of the Buggers-Dojo game being recorded as Bugs 15 Dojo 0 - how fair is that to other teams that might be fighting against a significant goal difference when its comes to Semi-Finals time?

This might be a new issue for some people, but Ultimate has torn itself apart sorting this out in the past, and we in the mansion suggest standing on the shoulders of such giants and using the AFDA Tournament Formats Manual, which offers the following in the cases when teams finish on the same number of competition points and ranking is needed:

In the event that two or more teams have the same win/ loss record (or number of points) at the conclusion of the round-robin or cross-over matches, the higher placed team will be decided by applying the tie breaker rules found in the UPA Tournament Formats Handbook. A summary of which is given below.

(a) Win-loss records, counting only games between the teams that are tied (i.e. head to head).
(b) Point differentials, counting only games between the teams that are tied.
(c) Point differentials, counting games against all common opponents
(d) Point differentials, counting games against all common opponents, excluding each team’s best and worst differentials.
(e) Points scored, counting only games amongst the teams that are tied.
(f) Points scored, counting games against all common opponents.
(g) Points scored, counting games against all common opponents, excluding each team’s best and worse scores.
(h) Sum of the square roots of the absolute values of the point differentials, counting games against all common opponents.
(i) Disc flip.

Familiarity with the above demonstrates one's true Ulti-nerdiness! We here have only ever heard of one instance of going to (c) - nil beyond but feel free to advise.

In practice, it may be the case that goal difference shouldn't be reported on a weekly basis in an Ultimate League. It does make Ultimate look like other sports (particularly in competitions where everyone doesn't play everyone), but then again, if you're taking the above on, goal difference is irrelevant until well down the list of factors.

Question 2: Spirit scoring guidelines and how should one allocate Spirit points in the case of a forfeit?

As pointed out, BPL does not presently provide guidelines for allocating spirit points. There is talk about providing guidelines. Groovy.

Guidelines are cool, so long as nobody decides they are *rules*.

The value of such guidelines is they give diverse teams a common understanding. This is particularly useful when trying to judge spirit when you only have a portion of teams to judge against (ie you're at big tournament but only play some of the teams).

But in BPL (or any Ultimate event where there is a full round robin), all that is needed is that each team is consistent within itself. There is nothing wrong with scoring your first opponent as 5/10, so long as future opponents who show the same spirit are also scored at 5/10, while other teams may giv ethe same level of spirit 8/10 - if you're reasonably confident everyone will be familiar with and play everyone else.

As far as the question of 'what spirit do you give to a forfeiting team'? Well yes, zero is an option - not playing a game particularly when people are expecting one is pretty poor.

But then again, there's degrees of good and bad spiritedness in how forfeits happen. Did nobody on the team show up at all and tell no one? Were players clearly disappointed/surprised/apologetic about their team having to forfeit? Was the decision made quickly or dragged out for ages?

As with spirit in general, spirit in forfeits is up to teams to determine and they may draw on guidelines, but there isn't a need for a strict rule that forfeits. Teams should remain free to award their spirit points as they judge.

BPL Results - 2010/2 Round 1

No time again for the fancy stuff, here's the news from League HQ.

Round 1 Results
Moreton Bay Buggers 15 defeated Dojo Mojo 0 (forfeit)
Cobras 15 defeated Slamtown Flatball Club 9
UQ Ultimate Lovers 15 defeated Heroes 6

Competition Ladder after Round 1
1. Moreton Bay Buggers - 3pts (+15)
2. UQ Ultimate Lovers - 3pts (+9)
3. Cobras - 3pts (+6)
4. Slamtown Flatball Club - 1pt (-6)
5. Heroes - 1pt (-9)
6. Dojo Mojo - 0pts (-15)

Spirit Table after Round 1
1. Heroes - 8/10
1. Slamtown Flatball Club - 8/10
1. UQ Ultimate Lovers - 8/10
1. Moreton Bay Buggers - 8/10
5. Cobras - 6.5/10
6. Dojo Mojo - 2/10

Round 2 Draw
Field 1 - UQ Ultimate Lovers v Slamtown Flatball Club
Field 2 - Dojo Mojo v Heroes
Field 3 - Cobras v Moreton Bay Buggers

BPL Season 2 2010 - Documents

Just adding a link in here.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/dog-cup/files/2010%20season%202/

• BPL competition rules v0.3.pdf
• BPL Season 2 2010 Fixture list.pdf
• Draft QUDA competition framework.pdf
• PORT-A-FIELD.pdf
• WFDF Rules of Ultimate 2009.pdf

BPL Draw - 2010/2 Round 1

No time to be fancy, but here are tonight's games.

Field 1 - UQ Ultimate v Heroes
Field 2 - Cobras v Slamtown Flatball Club
Field 3 - Moreton Bay Buggers v Dojo Mojo

Brisbane Premier League Returns Tonight - Our Exclusive Preview

Welcome to the exclusive and Official Brisbane Ultimate Disc Blog BPL 2010 Season 2 Preview. As usual we had grand plans. Several posts. A series of bumper stickers (I Heart Heroes; Don’t Blame Me – I’m Not Dojo; SfcT Happens; Love and Lovers; I’m a Bugger and I Vote). Some commemorative plates. A launch party. A gold plated hovercraft. Ruling the WORLD muhahahah. Ah, the joys of self-delusion.

In the end as the Opening Pull got closer and time was running out, we settled for a single but hopefully grand preview post. Thankfully, the ever gracious (and often verbose) Captains of the teams came to our aid in agreeing to provide exclusive interviews, thereby providing us (and only us!) with some real content rather than us here in the stately mansion just firing up the typing monkeys (who are of course without Will these days). So read on and see how we go with an actual attempt at journalism – bringing together the disparate threads of some keen minds into one hopefully interesting and enlightening piece.

The Bugger in the Room

It’s clear that, with the addition of ex-Lover Buzz Burwell and the full-time return of Australian representative Mike Neild, practically everyone agrees the Moreton Bay Buggers look the goods this season. The Mayor of Gold Coast Ultimate, Stef Rapazzo hates it, but agrees its just the facts, baby. “They are the team to beat.”

Dojo Captain Steve Cameron puts it even blunter: “It's a no-brainer. Bugs are the team to beat this season. Burwell + Neild - need I say more? It's going to be a friggin yawn playing against those guys.”

Ex-Bugger and now Heroes Captain Dan Strelan puts it this way: “Its only the Bugs. They've recruited well (we’re very jealous having tried very hard during the offseason to bolster our own ranks). Yes, the Buzz to Mike combo is massive.”

Bugger Boss Mike can’t help but agree. “Most of the good frisbee teams that I have played on has had at least one pure offensive handler. You know the type, quick, crafty, loves the hammer, a little on the compact side and the kind of player you can build a goal scoring system around. Bringing Buzz Burwell to the Buggers will shape much of the outcome of the league.”

But even the most foggy-minded of BPL followers will recall that Steve enjoys being provocative.

Dan adds more detail ”They're welcoming back Alex 'Chaddy' Chadwick and secured the services of ex-Lover Oscar Hernandez as well. I've gotta pay tribute to the Bugs, playing my rookie season with them and having all our first season recruits coming from the Bugs. Mike Neild believes in all his players and that makes a big difference in BPL” where the successful teams need to have the whole team solid – you can’t just rely on the outrageous talent of a couple of standouts.

The Buggers squad has only a few changes from the team that were a few points short of the Final last season, but there’s been some growth in other ways. Mike draws particular attention to fourth season Bugger Trevor Lovering, fresh from a campaign with the Australian Under 19 team. Sounding slightly like he's writing a report card, Mike writes: “Trev has been a good contributor to the team for a couple of seasons now and I expect his well rounded game and excellent offensive timing will make him a key member of our team this season.”

But Mike adds that ‘the Buzz factor’ is not just something that’s happening with his squad – the formula of aL Don + gang of tall receivers will make the autoerotic UQ Lovers a team that can usually score at will. In comparison, Mike notes the Buggers “have lost a bit of firepower in the tall receiver area with Spinner and Didems taking a season off.” Keen observers will remain aware though that the Bugs’ now longstanding handling/midfield combos of imports, Simon, Stu and Manuel, remain a great steadier.

Mike also notes that “in 2010 the Bugs have had to change our strategy to suit the different group of players who make up the team. Graham 'Special G' Prickett perfectly epitomises the new style of frisbee that we are developing. Hard work, disciplined cutting and control are all hallmarks of our Vice Captain's game. When the team is playing like Special G then we are playing quality Ultimate and will be looking good.

To Love Oneself

The biggest move of the offseason has of course been the merging of the two UQ sides into a single squad, shrinking the League from seven to six teams.

UQ Club Captain and former President Nathan Litzow had this to say. “We have possibly made the biggest waves across the League during the long winter off season.”

“Reducing UQ's presence from two teams to one has led to some hard decisions, some upset players and one mean (at least on paper) looking team.”

“It move may in fact help us think more as being part of a club and representing UQ Ultimate then two teams with some vague and (sometimes) long forgotten links.”

Merging the talent of two BPL teams into one has created a team that should by any objective measure really be overshadowing the Buggers in the tipping stakes. As Dan Strelan puts it: “So this is biased, but someone’s gotta stop the UQ powerhouse that strengthened the top of the league!” he notes one of the other outcomes though – Heroes have been able to gain some extra legs, while some players of long-standing have been decided to leave the League.

Steve Cameron is of course only focused on what happens on the field, and sees UQ as pretty straight forward. “Big Change - Julz to, well, um, UQ. Hey - they've pared it back to one team. If I could still see JMac on the roster I would be tipping them as most likely runners-up over Bugs for sure, despite having to carry Gref through the season."

Nathan suggests observers will want to look at more than the established names on his roster, picking up a thread from Mike: “ I can't wait to see what Alex Livingstone brings back from his time at U19 world champs. Plus I've got high hopes for Tyson and Ryan to improve greatly over the season."

One issue will be the loss (at least in the short term) of an avenue for new players to enter BPL. While UQ had two teams, it had space to fill and was constantly motivated to try to blood players from its wider Club into the BPL. With one team stuffed with talent, it’s hard to see that happening in the immediate future. As one person put it, “You can understand where the leadership is coming from and fair enough, but let’s hope in a season or two they decide to get a second team going again.”

Nathan adds one important rider to those who are tipping UQ - “As most of our team are students - the fact that this season goes deep into UQ's exam period has me at little nervous. If we get to finals will be have a team on the line?”

Heroic Stoic

One outcome of UQ’s merge has been the movement of some legs over to the Heroes. All up, the Heroes look to be blooding six new players this season, including ex-Cobra Carl B and ex-sandgroper Adam Dowley.

Dan was also happy to talk up the new crew: “Mike Strelan - no one can get Rick to do something he doesn't want to do, and when he wants to do something, no one can stop him. He wants to play a lot of Ultimate all of a sudden. He busts his ass to make great cuts and often lays out (more often in D).” Also, “our blog says that Carl is likely to make the most impact out of our recruits.”

Many long term Queenslanders are excited at the prospect of Matt Boevink returning to the top level field after a long term injury, a lot of coaching, and a season loosening up with the Griffith Go-Go’s. Dan takes up the thread, “Some have heard the story of Matt Boevink's angry words in the Cobra's revenge match. "Can I be the bad coach now?" Team - "Yes, absolutely!". Matt - "That was fucking terrible!! Chris, what the fuck are you doing?!" I'm expecting to get a hurry along from the opposition as Matt will now be coaching from the seven on the Line.”

Returning to the coming season, Dan adds “Plus we have TomSteve! Some fools don’t rate him (I pity them), but he's gonna be fired up after being axed by his mates (again), but he's gotta pull his finger out and concentrate on the field. Hopefully he'll have more fun with us.”

Many recognise the Heroes are still some seasons of recruitment and development away from regularly threatening the major teams (including the Heroes themselves), but the team has a wider Club outside the BPL, as well as a positive recruitment and sense of fun that will eventually pay dividends. And as the Cobras found earlier this year, on a good night the Heroes will provide the unexpected.

First Rule of the Dojo – Nobody Talks About the Dojo. Second Rule - Except the Dojo.

When interviewing the other Captains in a tight timeframe, none of them got around to mentioning the illustrious Dojo Mojo, one of the more famed teams within the League. But that’s all right, as Sensei Steve Cameron, author of the best (if slightly one-eyed) Brisbane Club blog out there, welcomed the opportunity to get something down on the record.

We asked Steve first about who he’s got high expectations of this season, and he responded looking slightly bewildered: “Andres Cantor - I don't know who he is and only just saw his name on the Dojo roster, but hopefully he'll step up in a big way!”

“Otherwise I have very high expectations of Pete Allen this season - I don't think we saw anything near the best Pete has to offer last season, and we're going to be counting upon him more than anyone to at least make those hucks to Mike 50/50 options...”

Note that this blog agrees that Pete Allen is awesome but can do better.

We also asked Steve to indulge us with some insights into the otherwise inscrutable personalities of the Dojo, possibly with tongue in cheek, possibly without (he is of course, inscrutable himself).

“Sean Flanagan is our wise sage. Without a doubt. Sean has played more Ultimate than the rest of us have had hot dinners - he's seen it all before."

“Pete Allen may be our Young Gun (comparatively speaking) but when I think weapons I think loose cannon, and that’s Matt Eastburn. His hammers either make you weep or rejoice - you can never tell what it's going to be until it's too late."

“Dan Walls is our iceman. Does something awesome, maybe accepts a quiet pat on the back, and then gets right back to work. Rohan Ferris is our brooding loner. He's about as much into twitter as George Salisbury."

"Andrew Lankowski is our team guy. Only guy at the Dojo who realises it's a team sport. Golden Child - Leon McIntyre. Impeccable spirit, impeccable competitor. Virgin - Darren Shi. All that urgent running...Geeky-but-cool Guy - Dave Watson. He's like Napoleon Dynamite and the kid from Juno rolled into one. Wiseguy - Ryan Black. You just know he's going to have the last laugh."

Steve concludes: "Pete and Andres have already got a mention above, and I've been tagged with enough cliched stereotypes over the years to sink the cliched Titanic stereotype."

As with seemingly every season, the stable Dojo look the goods. It'll come down to the week by week grind of the BPL - the Dojo will win enough games to make the Finals, and then its up to their gods.

Silent Strikes the Snake

In contrast to the Dojo’s fantastic propensity for self-hype, silence has reigned with regards the Cobras. Perhaps it was their coming within a forked tongue of winning last season, but all is quiet at the Swamp.

Despite this, the slippery serpents are still on Mike Neild’s radar: “[They’re] looking really good. I expect that the Cobra team will continue to play the kind of frisbee they found in the second half of last season. If they do they will be a difficult team to beat.”

Stef Rappazzo is also paying attention – noting the addition of Kailin Thomson to the Cobra roster. “Adding a tall well rounded player adds to depth.” The Cobras have also gained Erhart Stockhausen, who will be keen to beat UQ at any opportunity.

The key for the Cobras staying up strong will no doubt be Abra Garfield, but the overseas trips of several players during the Winter break will also be fundamental. Expect Liam ‘Wetnose’ Gillions to be ‘fanging’ for it after a tanning holiday, while Aussie u19 Captain Reece Stewart will be looking to apply what he’s learned on the tough international Ultimate scene. If Cobras can get into gear quick and avoid the early season meltdowns of February-April, big things will be expected.

Slamming Down the M1

Rounding out our preview, we have a look at the Gold Coast’s (and northern NSWs) Slamtown Flatball Club, the one team (aside somewhat from UQ) that has a clear geographic area and mission aside from being ‘a gang of friends who don’t like anyone else’.

Stef was quick to point out some of the talent on the team. “Mike Morgan - If he can get through a season without injury, he will be lethal on both sides of the disc. And Troy Zernike - relatively new to the game has been logging in the hours and is poised to have a break out season. Our new Canadian recruit ... The Beanstock … will be a gun.”

Many Brisbane-based players will be reconsidering their view of a few Slamtowners, after getting to sit back and watch Badman and Kevin put it on during Byron Bay’s recent visit to the Halibut Grand Final. Said one correspondent: “Badman’s game is a lot bigger than I thought. I always figured he was pretty lazy and hucked spekkies because he couldn’t be bothered running any more, but Halibut showed another side. He can be a workhorse, and smart too.”

The Mayor adds: “After the success of his first captaincy role at Halibut, Kevvy is full of confidence and THC. One for everyone to watch out for.”

The travel remains the biggest barrier to Slamtown consistency – the Flatballers are much more likely than other teams to have roster changes from week to week. On the other hand, they may be the hungriest team in the competition. An anonymous member told us “We need to be able to go home and report success. Unlike other teams, we have fans and a solid group of smokin’ hot wives and girlfriends willing us to succeed.”

Captain Rappazzo also noted that getting it together would be a key for Slamtown this season. “We plan to get everyone on board to the same plan, and to believe in one another. Last season exposed some internal combustion, and it was because some of our players had their own ideas of what needed to happen. This season, we hope to be firm with direction, though adaptable to game situations.”

He also added: “As always I intend to swear and scream and to have my men splitting with adrenaline come the first pull.”


Well, we’re out of time for this week – and we’ve still got material to run, but we’ll save that for a bit. Thanks to all the Captains for their input, well done League Director Stu Austin in getting everyone back on the field again, and best of luck and spirit to everyone playing BPL Season 2 2010.

Lovefest 2010 - Five Way Loving

Just a reminder from our good friends over at the UQ Lovers Club:

UQ Ultimate is inviting all interested Ultimate Disc players to organise or join a team for our annual tourney LOVEFEST.

This year will be great fun, with smaller teams (max. 10 players) lots of short but tough games, fund-raising BBQ for our AUG rep. team, disc golf on St Lucia campus the night before.

Plus your team could get 1 disc/player if you register and pay the deposit and team fees on time. It is all happening soon so get organised asap.

What: Lovefest V 20/10

Where: JF O'Grady Field, Fairfield

When: Tourney 11th of September and disc golf 10th of September

Why: Fun, ultimate and raising funds for UQ ultimate and it's rep. teams (we have AUG and AMUC teams this year)

Who: You and all of Brisbane Ultimate and beyond are invited

How: More info at uqultimate.blogspot.com and rego is though afda.com

How much: $100 team deposit (due with rego) and $150-$200 team fee (due Aug 31st) So about $25-30 each for a whole day of Ultimate, plus prizes plus a chance at a disc for all your team mates... just get in quick.

Sounds great?....... then get into it and get registered

Love and Ultimate

Nathan - Lovefest TD

Flick the Thrusters to GO!

Thrustfest is indeed on, so work those hips.

Info here or here.

See you Saturday.

Novovengo Wins 2nd Annual Brisbane Indoor Ultimate Championships

Well, it was such a fun day that its taken a little while to get around to writing the report, but congratulations to Novovengo for winning the 2nd Annual Brisbane Indoor Ultimate Championship!

After some mucking about during the week, the tournament solidified into a five team shoot-out, featuring several recoverees from last year's championships (many now in new forms), as well as a number of 'never-played-indoors-what-a-hoot' types. The draw was a round robin followed by Semis and a Final.

Round 1
The Opening Round involved a lot of folks trying to adapt to the continuous pace of indoor Ultimate. eQUisiTe, with a few northern-hemispherians (ie people who've played a bit of indoor) managed a win over the working-it-out Heroes, 21-14, while the well organised Novovengos (ie the team had been finalised and regoed two months ago) defeated the more casual X-Pats (photo below) 21-11.

The X-Pats, along with Assistant TD Rohan in green.

Round 2
The first round bye allowed the UQ Pickup Squad to get it together and enter the event in Round 2 with a win over the X-Pats 18-11 at time cap. Meanwhile, Novovengo began to put its big blue stamp on the event, defeating the Heroes (team photo below) 21-7 in a speedy gonzalez game.

The regular every day Heroes with Rohan (in green of course!) and uber-pickup Cassie. Where was Carl?

Round 3
Novovengo 21 defeated ExQUisiTe 7; UQ 18 (along with TD JdR for a few points) defeated Heroes 14. By this stage we'd sussed out the electronic scoreboards and thanks to the X-Pats for starting the trend of the bye-teams manning them - they add a lot to the excitement, particularly when the scores get a real roll on! Here is a photo of the UQ squad - special respect to Megan and Ash who played the whole tournament without a sub - IRONWOMEN!

UQ looking lean and mean.

Round 4
After a short break, it was back on the courts for probably the biggest round of the day. Both the Heroes and the X-Pats (who now had a number of fans watching on) were looking for their first win. Meanwhile, ExQUisiTe and UQ were trying to work out who was the number 2 team (behind the resting Novovengonians). As always, the scoreboard tells the late - Heroes 21 def X-Pats 12; and ExQUisiTe 17 def UQ 16. Here's a photo of the E's in their nice pink outfits.

ExQUisiTe - Simon was particularly awesome in pink.

Round 5
The Heroes finally got to sit this one out and watch a bit, and in this case they got to see Novovengo defeat UQ 21-11 and ExQUisiTe defeat the fast finishing Uncanny X-Pats 21-16. This put the X-Pats out of the Finals and into the 'lets see who can throw a basket from the other end' game.

Finals

The Semi-finals saw some interesting matchups in the 1v4 and 2v3 stakes.

In game one, we won't sugar-coat it Novovengo put on a show of 'how to keep possession and thereby keep scoring under semi-continuous Ultimate' to defeat the Heroes 21-1. A tough lesson for what was otherwise a semi-continously improving Heroes squad.

For contrast, over in game two, the tussle was on, with points and hard defence keeping the scores level throughout, before the final whistle saw ExQUisiTe advance to the final over UQ 17-16. Tough luck to the students. Maybe if Tyson played a bit better ....

The Grand Final was seeped in fluroscent tinted haze as exhaustion started to settle over the players and spectators. If we recall correctly, the underdogs eQUisiTe were neck and neck with Novovengo for the first half - perhaps the score was 8-7 at one point, before Jack's posse swept ahead to win something like 16-8 (if someone remembers, please correct us).

Heroes took home the spirit prize, and a perpetual trophy as been purchased - it just needs engravery before going to light up the life of the Novovengans. Well done all and see you next year (at a new mystery venue!).

The Champions!

Crunchtime for Thrustfest!

Tuesday is your last chance to register for this Saturday's planned Thrustfest tournament.

Rego at: http://www.afda.com/rego/showcompetition.php?competitionid=849

The organisers have drawn the line that if enough people (about 40) aren't registered by Tuesday night then the event may have to be cancelled.

Thrustfest is the new Griffith Nathan Ultimate Frisbee Club's go at establishing a new tournament, one that's reasonably close to the start of Semester 2 at all SEQ's universities and thereby hopefully a great way to get the Uni season going.

So your support won't just deliver you a fun day of Ultimate, but help solidify the new Club's arrival on the scene.

What: One day of fun Ultimate - to make it suitable for beginners and the elite and everyone in between we're having a hat, which of course is a great way to meet new people too.

Where: 21st August, 2010 - roughly 9am-4pm

Where: Griffith Nathan AFL Field - Kessels Road - current venue for BUML

Cost: TBC but probably $20 per player.

Includes: Lunch, fields, insurance, fruit.

griffithultimate.org

Queensland Qualifer Confirmed - 4 September 2010

In lieu of this being able to be posted on the official QUDA website, the Brisbane Ultimate Blog is proud to host the following information.

QUDA will be hosting a short tournament to determine qualification and ranking for South Queensland teams seeking to represent our region at the upcoming Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships 2010 (aka AMUC or Mixed Nats) in Bathurst.

Four teams from Southern Queensland have provided Expressions of Interest to QUDA, and AFDA has offered three slots to the region. QUDA will therefore host a short tournament to determine which three teams get to go, and provide ranking information to AFDA.

Only these four teams will be eligible to compete in the competition. These are: John Doe; Sugar; UQ Lovers and Heroes. Players need to register on their teams at the earliest opportunity.

(Note that QUDA received one EOI from North Queensland (from the Towns Villains), and AFDA has offered one slot to that reason, so job done).

Date: Saturday 4 September
Venue: JF O'Grady Field, Fairfield
Price: Cheap - discuss with your Team Management. Fees cover field hire and AFDA/QUDA fees only. This will total to be about $6-10 per player, depending on team size.
Note: To keep the cost minimal, teams will provide their own food and be rostered to certain duties at the event, including filling their own water container.

Draft Schedule
8am - John Doe and Heroes to set up tents and fields.
9am - Round 1 - John Doe vs UQ; Sugar vs Heroes.
11am - Round 2 - John Doe vs Heroes; UQ vs Sugar.
1.30pm Round 3 - John Doe vs Sugar; UQ vs Heroes.
3pm - Sugar and UQ to pack up tents and fields.

Rules
The event will be held to be consistent with the AFDA Tournaments Manual, in liaison with the Captains.

Captains will be jointly responsible with a QUDA representative for all TD
responsibilities.

More to come.

The Brisbane Ultimate Blog Encourages You to Vote 1 Steve Hegedus

As you regular readers may know, we here in the stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog mansion keep our digits on the pulses of pulsing things everywhere. Luckily we have many digits.

This week all the talk that isn't about Thrustfest or the Queensland Disc Golf Championships is about the Australian Federal Election, with voting day this Saturday 21 August.

And we're very excited and pleased to have the opportunity to not only recommend but officially endorse a candidate for you.

If you happen to live in the electorate of Richmond (northern NSW around Byron Bay there), then you can do no better than to vote for Steve Hegedus.

Steve managed recently to take a break from his extensive campaigning to play at Halibut 2010. That should be all you need to know in terms of platform, priorities and character.

Australia needs more political representatives who are also Ultimate players. Steve is AFDA member 5792. We need more people cutting long on the budget, looking for the layout callahan on foreign policy, and reminding folks about Spirit of the Game on the 7:30 Report.

But jokes aside Steve also talks a lot of serious sense and is a proper top bloke. So Vote 1 Steve!

http://stephenhegedus.org/

Federal Election Fever and Flying Disc Sports - 21 August

So a few folks have noticed that our Prime Minister has called for an election to be held on the same day as Thrustfest - the new one day hat being hosted by the new Griffith Nathan Ultimate Frisbee Club (oh, and the Disc Golf Championships too, but lets talk Thrustfest!)

But fear not voters and thrusters - you can vote AND thrust, but you need to plan a little bit. Check out the info at: http://aec.gov.au/Voting/ways_to_vote/

If You Live Not Far From the Fields - Moreton Electorate

If you are enrolled in the same electorate as the Griffith Nathan AFL field where Thrustfest will be held, then you can vote via Ordinary Vote between 8am and 6pm (ie before or after the tournament). There is traditionally a polling booth on the Griffith Campus, as building N35, about 15 minutes walk from the fields.

Hence:
Option 1 - if you live near the fields, you can vote near the fields.

If You Live Elsewhere in Queensland

Or of course you can cast an Ordinary Vote in your local electorate between leaving home and getting to the tournament, or on your way home if you're really slack (booths are open 8am to 6pm). If you're a Queenslander, you can also vote in any polling booth in Queensland (like the one near the fields) via an Absentee Vote.

Hence:
Option 2 - vote near home before or after the tournament.
Option 3 - Queenslanders can absentee vote near the fields.

If You Are Seriously Disorganised Or Coming From Interstate

Check the rules, but consider an Early Vote at an Electoral Commission Office (there are a lot of these around). A Postal Vote is possible but you may be a bit late if you're reading this today.

If you're coming from interstate, you can't just rock up to any polling booth.

Option 4 - Early vote at an AEC office.
Option 5 - Organise a postal vote if time permits.

If You're Some Foreign Devil*

You don't need to do anything - compulsory voting is for enrolled Australian citizens, but its worth visiting an Australian polling booth with one of your friends - ideally one at a public school so you can get the full P&C BBQ and/or cake stall experience of civil society and compulsory voting (quite alien to most of the world).

Talk to an Aussie about their experience of voting, although it can be considered rude to ask who they voted for (it's a secret ballot after all).

Final tip - make sure you've got two discs with you in the voting booth, and if in doubt, flip them (ask the opposing captain to help with that).

*I mean this in the ironic sense - we like you guys! ;)

Less Than a Week to Go Until Queensland Disc Golf Championships!

The 2010 Qld Disc Golf Champs are only one week away.

Dates: 21 and 22 of August
Venue: Fehlberg Park, Hyde Rd Yeronga

Latest info: - http://quda.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=139&Itemid=123
Course maps posted - http://quda.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=27&Itemid=72

Or if you are an Ultimate-only type you could be playing the Thrustfest hat tournament on Saturday instead.

Ultimate in Fiji

One of the great things about picking up Ultimate is that wherever you go in the great big world, you'll be able to make friends with a new people by finding the local Ultimate Frisbee game.

Even in Fiji! Here's an update from our correspondent.

Ultimate in Suva is very casual - not much structure, rules, style.... but
great fun. The group plays every Monday and Wednesday, 5.15pm til
dark at Albert Park (next to the government buildings, Suva
town). There are usually more people on Wednesdays but there is
always a Monday game as well.

Jason, Jim and Bec are looking after things these days. Try our email
address frisbeefiji@gmail.com or our Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/pages/Frisbee-Fiji/170521496861?ref=ts

Hope you have a great trip to Fiji.

Hots from OTS

As regular readers know, occasionally we derail ourselves from the usual topics of "Ultimate Frisbee", "Brisbane" and "Pete Allen or Jangles or Kaitlin whoever's taken our interest on the Brisbane Ultimate Frisbee scene, and post something that's entirely not relevant.

The below is from a friend.

Press Release:

In accordance with the prophesy, The Dedication of Mercy House (which is me, in band form), has released a music video for their song called "The surgical removal of our second noses has left no visible scars".

It can be found at the below link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so0axiD7G70

It is, (as you would expect of something that was shot and edited in 36 hours, including six hours of sleeping, on a camera phone) of dubious quality, and has few, if any redeeming features, save its possible inadvertent entertainment value (and strong underlying social message about ponies...delicious, delicious ponies).

Nonetheless, it behooves us all to forward it on to everyone we know, so I can become some kind of interweb sensation, and have brief and fleeting fame like, you know, whats-his-name, who did that thing, or whos-its, who sang that song about fish who collect 17th century expressionist paintings.

Err, enjoy.

Rules Fun - A Catch and Drop isn't a Score

During the fantastic Halibut (more on that to come), representatives from the stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog manor were on the sideline watching a game (between Townsville and the Heroes if recalled correctly Team Canada), and observed a lengthy discussion about whether something was a score or not.

A Townsville gent had mightily caught the disc in the endzone, hit the ground and rolled around a bit, and then about a full 3-4 seconds after the catch, the disc popped out of his hand.

The gent claimed the goal, and after a lot of discussion the Heroic defenders let the claim stand.

This question has come up several times in games we've watched or been in over the past few years, but alas, this is not a goal - its a drop.

Three rules are relevant here:

"14.1 A goal is scored if an in-bounds player catches a legal pass and all
of their first simultaneous points of contact after catching the disc are
entirely within their attacking end zone."

"12.1 A player catches the disc by demonstrating sustained control of a
non-spinning disc."

"12.2 If a player loses control of the disc due to subsequent contact with
teh ground or a team-mate or a legitimately positioned opposition player, the
catch is deemed to have no occured."

So if you drop it, you haven't demonstrated sustained control, hence its not a catch, hence its not a goal.

Why the confusion?

It is likely this comes from the change to the rules in recent years, that established that the point of scoring is when the catch is taken, whereas in the past the scorer needed to catch the disc and then indicate that they scored (typically by tapping the disc on the ground).

This rule was partly changed because of the hoo-ha that came from players catching the disc in the endzone but not realising they were in (a particular issue without lines in place) and throwing the disc again, only to see it thrown away or intercepted.

In learning the new rule, people have got it right in their head that its the point in time of the catch in the endzone that counts, but they're forgetting that if you end up dropping it, then its a drop.

[Edit - additional point raised in the comments but worthy of inclusion in the main post:

Another simple test - if the same thing happened in the playing field rather than the endzone, what would be the outcome?

I think everyone would agree - its a drop and a turnover.]

Two Days Until the 2nd Brisbane Indoor Ultimate Championships!

Its only two more days until Indoor Ultimate returns to Brisbane - and of course the weather is obliging by looking particularly horrible for Ekka Wednesday!

You can still register yourself on the pickup team!

Date: Wednesday 11 August 2010 (Ekka Public Holiday)

Time: Doors Open at 10.15am – Game on at 11am – All done by 4pm

Venue: Clem Jones Centre, Zahel St entrance, Carina (same as last year) Look for the entrance next to the softball fields (the pool entrance will be closed).

What: For Brisbane folks, Indoor Ultimate is something different, but its more common in those parts of the world with snow. It’s a great change of pace – very fast, no wind, and even beginners can throw from endzone to endzone.

Who: Get your team together and get registered – space is limited! Roster size is maximum 8 players. 5 on the court at one time, max. three per gender.

How much? $130 per team – includes courts, insurance, prizes. Or $18 per individual.

Rego: http://www.afda.com/rego/showdivision.php?divisionid=1186

Background info: http://brisbaneultimatedisc.blogspot.com/search/label/Indoor

BPL Training Night This Thursday

This Thursday the fields are available for all BPL teams to get themselves warmed up for the new season.

Same BPL time, same BPL location.

Women's League returns this Thursday

Women's league is back THURSDAY September 2nd!

Yup thats right, the league is moving to Thursdays!

Who: All Ladies
Where: Oakman Park, Toowong
When: Thursdays 7-9pm, September 2nd - October 28th
Registration Page: http://www.afda.com/rego/showcompetition.php?competitionid=855

Normal Service Will Resume Next Week

We're on holiday, but we'll catch up on the Australian u19's efforts, plus more Halibut cleanup (you've all read the Mayor's write up over at the Gold Coast blog eh?) plus all new content soon.

Group of Unknowns* Checkmate at Halibut 2010

* aka John Doe.

The weekend was such a fantastic Halibut that Monday morning brings a lot of recovery and catching up to do. More reports through the week, but here's a quick skim.

John Doe defeated Byron Ultimate Disc 15-11 in the final. Not sure of the rest of the table - Team Canada and Team Hill Sprints battled out for 3rd place, Townsville came 5th over Barrel of Monkeys.

Heroes won a well deserved Spirit Prize. jd of BUD and Maylin of John Doe took out MVPs. BUD also got the official nod as winning the party.

A fantastic job by TD Stef and his team of volunteers. More reminiscing when we get the chance, and keep an eye out on the Mayor Mansion over at the Gold Coast blog for more announcements (once he's recovered a bit).