One-Sided Grand Final Interviews

Ok, so today we have an interview from a Dojo rep, but we've got nothing back from Slamtown. I guess that's what happens when you ask an over-worked doctor for an interview. So if any Flatballers want to shoot back a rebuttal, we'll accept it at danielstrelan@gmail.com. I'm sure they'll make up for their silence on the field.

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Pre-interview: Today we take you behind the scenes and the high walls of the Palace. You'll see the dirty work involved in scoring an interview with a potential Dingos player.

Hey Pete,

A few weeks back, Jangles said I should interview "someone" from the Australian Squad. He said
that I should interview Pete, and not Jangles - I agree, who wants to hear from Jangles?

Hey Dan,

Happy to assist with your blogging since I read it daily and guess some input would be a way of paying you for the entertainment you provide.

You could do that, or I could send you my bank details. I also need new cleats... Hey wait!! Where are you going!?

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Peter Allen - Southerners say you've gone from being shit to The Shit in quite a short time. You've been the man about town
and indeed The Game Plan for Dojo for some time now. You were left out of the U23 squad, but now find yourself included
in the 60-man Dingos squad. How do you rate your chances this time round?

Well missing out on the U23 campaign was crap, but when you stop playing for a year then start training/running (refer to foot vs. anchor battle of 2009 for reasons) 2 weeks before the first selection camp, it's bound to happen, and I've really enjoyed playing over the last year and have grown as a player, World Clubs was probably the most fun I've had at a tournament and I probably would have missed that if I made the team so there ya go. Chances this time are much better for want of a quantitative answer.


So the 60-man squad - that's huge, what's it about?

The 60 man All-Australian squad was selected from the (I'm going to say hundreds if not thousands of) guys who expressed interest in being considered for selection to represent Australia at the World Championships next year which is what I consider the highest level we in Australia can reach. From Brisbane this year we had a good representation of players making it through to the 60 on the mens side and a bunch more on the womens side which has the same sort of process, the men were:
- Abra, Stu, Jangles, JMc, Mike, Cunliffe and myself, I think aL was also in there but has since pulled out.
Women:
- Blair, Bree(still Brisbanite in my books), Maylin, Molly, Megs, feel like I'm missing someone, so the comments can fix that.

And then there is masters who are their own thing and I have little idea what's happening there, but I'm guessing the likes, of aL, George, Buzz, Ferg, maybe Mat Ryan? who knows.

And when does it get narrowed down?

The squad has already been narrowed down after the first camp to a "35-man" (ie. 39 people) squad for the upcoming series of 3 training/selection camps. Everyone who did not make the 35 are included now in the mixed squad if they want to be. We will all be attending the next series of camps without Stu, who is now in the running to make the mixed squad. The updated squads can be found at: http://forcesideline.com/?p=711
The next camp is in less than two weeks and after this the mens team to compete at Emerald City Class in Seattle will be announced (27 June - stay tuned), which will be a great opportunity to play at a level even higher than world champs against the top 8 teams from US/Canada as well as teams from Columbia and Japan this year. After the announcement there will be 2 more camps in Canberra then the ECC tournie and the team for Worlds next year will be announced sometime after that.

Our blog adviser and team mate gave a poor anecdote summarising the trip to Sydney
"It's like shnk! shnk!" - the shnking referring to the perfect execution of the well oiled machine, made up of the best parts -
It must be something else to train with Australia's elite:

I'm not too sure about the "shnk" being the noise a well oiled machine makes, I'd probably be a bit worried if it did that, sounds like someone left a bolt inside by accident. A whirring noise would be more accurate or perhaps no sound.
But yes, training with the best players in Australia for a weekend is a whole new 'ball'game. Every line you step onto there is not one easy matchup so by the end of the weekend you are just as tired as after 4 days of nats.

Indeed. I think the sound was in reference to those romanticized images of early machinery post-industrial revolution (more appropriate for Silverbacks?)

Has anyone in the squad been a mentor or an inspiration to you? How do you learn to be the best receiver?

Inspiration wise - it is hard to go passed Mikey, he plays the type of game that I like to play myself so probably the perfect model to try and replicate. As for mentors, JMc knows what it takes to play elite level ultimate and offers very useful guidance when you need it. As for learning to be the best receiver, well that is just something that comes over time with hard work, watching the players who excel at it helps a lot, plus just don't try too much, a nice principle most of us received as youngsters was the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid), seriously that applies to everything. Oh and two very important things, read and jump.


Ok, now to Dojo - I've referred to you at "The Game Plan", but now is the time to do the team thing and tell us all
about the depth of your team:

The Dojo team has a fair amount of talent in its ranks, that's for sure. We've got the MVP from last years final in Watto, backed up by his sidekicks in Wallsy, and not suspended this time, Ryan. Then there is the Fatty/Coops connection which just keeps getting better, add to that the guidance of the Sensei and Sean's run through D's, our best pickup ever Cola, and the crazy defence of Daz and Cunliffe. I guess that puts the Dojo depth at approximately Challenger Deep or deeper.

I've just something rare on the Dojo blog. A new post!! I've not heard who is making expert comments on this footage.
With Sensei and Coops again featuring in the Final, and The Mayor and Al standing at the other end, who do you think
is best suited to call the game?

Well we may be fortunate enough to hear aL commentating since he is not playing so that's a very good pickup for the sideline team, apart from that I'd say we could all use some Finn commentary.

Tell us, if you don't mind, just how you plan on putting those Flat-ball Chumps in their place (2nd) on Thursday night.

Suffocating D and huck happy O. I hope.

I think I've answered everything, I was interrupted by a fire in my building...seriously.

Thanks for your commitment to Sparkle Motion. Whatever that is.

Semi Final: Dojo vs Heroes

Next up we have our master espresso drinker - no it's not Al or Coops, it's everyone's favourite Italian import - Cola!!!

Hi Dan, my grandma is an avid reader of the BUB so I’m really happy to answer your questions. Ciao nonna!

Mr Colagengo, did I pronounce that correctly?


Almost. It actually is Salvatore Francesco Godzilla Vasquez Colangelo. Currently I think that only Watto masters it.

1. You resisted a lot of pressure from recruiting agents after your first season, only
to have your face smashed in. You managed to play half the season for Dojo and
as minor premiers you face the Heroes in the first week of the finals.

What do you like about Dojo? Was it the hope of backing up with another premiership?


I have a clear memory of Mansauce saying something to that guy in Townsville and seeing him winking back just before going yokozuna on my face. Your question explains everything.

With Dojo I like the totalitarian authority of Sensei, feels like home.

Starting the season with Jules in and myself out, Dojo was taller and our score in the English test was 5 points higher so the premiership was sure.


2. You guys might even win spirit this season! Has Sensei stopped making speeches? Are you going to miss the rivalry between your team and Cobras in this finals series?

It’s more likely that Coops just hacked the website and changed the spirit score. I remember a couple of emails about that. This season Cobra is probably the best team in the Brisbane Goalty League so I think that BPL was kind of a side competition for them.

3. Goalty is supremely fun. I've heard you say a lot of nice things about the Heroes. You're even running with them in the morning! But come on!! It's time for some smack talk:

Yeah I have a cultural exchange with Heroes in the morning. They make me run and I explain them the benefits of a good cigar. Tomorrow will be a good game between pure energy and arrogant class. Like ecstasy and brandy. ipod and jukebox. Road runner and Wile E. Coyote.

Indeed. What is it with Italians and (b)romance?

Ok folks, next up we have my own blogging mentor, the one and only... (*lowers voice) Carl Behrendorfffff.

Carl, you must be a visionary. You jumped the Cobra's ship before it was even set on fire.
Now they are down and Heroes are on the way up. Did you long for finals glory in
your first season with Heroes, the way that Gary Ablett Jnr must?

Well Daniel when I first joined the Cobras we made the grand final after going close the season before. Was I the catalyst to that seasons performance? Look at the time I didn’t think so, but the beauty of hindsight is that you can put your own spin on things - so I guess you can say the reason why the cobras went down and the heroes went up is me, yes. Look finals were obviously a far off dream in my first season with the boys last season. Just getting a win was the aim. But after a hard summer of training for the greater part of the BPL heroes squad with FS it is certainly a credit to the guys for putting in the work and making the finals is obviously good reward for effort. I think Ablett is dreaming if he thinks the suns will make the finals in the next few years, but the Heroes will be in the finals for many seasons to come.

2. So Heroes seem to be getting it together at the end of the season. What's been the difference?

It’s been a combination of things. Firstly our skills have improved out of sight - WE CAN CATCH NOW!!! And we can execute basic plays and maintain strong force. But secondly our form over the past few weeks has meant that we start playing the game in the first point. Where in seasons past teams would get on top of us early and close the game out with a lead, and us scoring the last few points once we got going is now no longer the case. Other differences from other seasons is just the intensity that we bring to the line. However we still do have a long way to go, which everyone is well aware of.

3. Dojo - are they really all that? Lay the smack on!

Look Dojo Mojo are the old school. Their club has been up there forever right, we all know that. But I’ve actually found cracks starting to emerge in this old club. Firstly we can take the blog indicator. Once the blog stops being updated by a proper blogger a team is likely to fall down the pit. Take cobras for instance. As soon as Wetnose handed the reigns over to Reece the blogging stopped and so did the team. The same is bound to happen with the Dojo. Maybe it’s just the arthritis in the old button pushes creeping in - I dunno. But other signs are just simply that the Dojo has their heads in the clouds...literally. Their height has been the Dojos strength but even the oldest tallest trees can be brought down by the smallest termites. Now the Heroes obviously aren’t insects but who ever heard of a super hero losing to a ninja??? Yea it just doesn’t happen does it.... Heroes are going to win if we can keep our cool, start well and use our under cuts. The handlers are going to have to break the fatty zone which means running him around and tiring the old fatty out.

Thanks Carl, that was lengthy, to say the least! We here at the Imperial Palace wish two of these four teams the best on Thursday night. GET IT ON!!

Semi Final: Slamtown vs Buggers

*note - if you go to google images and type "buggers" you will find a humourous and disturbing photo that I was not game to upload. If only Wetnose was still around!

Without further adieu, (A Jew?! In these parts!!?) I present to you the Semi Finals interviews!!!11oneineoneeleven

First up we have Byron Bay Nice-Guy - Mr Kevin Stahlman!!! Can he out-do the Mayor?

1. Kevvy, undoubtedly you travel further than anyone for BPL. Is there any
uncovered talent down there in Byron that might be exposed when SFC
host home games on the Gold Coast?

It's fair to say that we bring the very best that the Gold Coast has to offer each week to the BPL. Byron has some great talent, but the 2 hour commute has put them off. I doubt the change to some home games next season will get these boys out, but if the SFC roster could include Donovan Moss and Justin Tiefer it would be a great boost and help to get us out of the 5'9" blues.

2. Slamtown recruited formidably during the off-season. Have Al and Abra
really been the saviours, or has your success been driven by the local boys?

First of all, these men came to us, drawn to the orange shorts and good times that is the SFC. No, they have not been the 'saviors', but they have fit in perfectly in places where we were deficient. With aL, he has brought a steady calm and experience to an offence that had potential, but struggled under pressure. Abra brings an infectious excitement and energy. They haven't saved us, but perhaps they were the missing pieces. Now if we could convince Fatty that he'd look good in orange... Formidable recruitment will begin in a few weeks.

3. How easy is it to smack talk the Buggers? Extremely? Would you mind
giving us a demonstration?

How's this: "The Bugs: A coupla old guys and one really tall one" That's all I got, they are a class act, and they're playing great disc. We know we're in for the fight of our lives. It's Slamtown's 3rd season, and we're in it to win it all. We respect the Bugs, but we must smash those c*nts if we're to achieve our goal. See ya Thursday

Cheers Kevvy, and now, it's over to the most Loverable Bugger in Moreton Bay - Trevor!! w00t

1. Trevor Lovering - Australian representative at juniors, given the following feedback:
"Has done f*ck all for the Buggers". You've co-captained Ignition at Nationals, has this
translated to increased initiative on the field on Thursday nights?


I think the best thing that I learnt from nationals is how to work within a team. Its not simply about playing your best, but playing in a way that the team needs you to play. In other words, yes.

2. Are the Buggers any good without Mike? It looked like the answer was "No", until
the final round, where you came back to salvage a hard-fought draw. This must be
an auspicious sign for the team, coming into finals?

I think we have proved that we are still up there with the best while Mike is stuck on the sideline, despite the predictions of some. It is a different team without Mike, and we are all the stronger for it. We are now a team with not only a threatening long game, but a smooth flowing short game. The game against Dojo gave us the kind of momentum that carries teams to the top.

3. Slamtown make a lot of noise, lots of cussing and the like,
but they've backed it up by taking second. But you guys
have got their number, right? You're all over it! Insert Smack:

All the noise and antics from Slamtown are simply a ploy to distract people from the fact that their game is nothing special. We have had our ups and downs during the season, done the hard yards. We know how to play under pressure (unlike some), and there will be plenty of pressure Thursday night.

BUB Fireside Chat with AFDA Secretary Mel

Welcome back to BUB Fireside Chats!

Once again, the Brisbane Ultimate Blog confirms its place in the absolute stratosphere of Ultimate Frisbee and Internet-related flam-flimmery by gaining an EXCLUSIVE interview with one of the shining, nay, let us say, BLAZING lights of the Australian Ultimate firmament, Australian Flying Disc Association (AFDA - our national body) Secretary Mel Gangemi.

Brisbane Ultimate Blog: All praise to AFDA *genuflects* and kisses the Secretarial pinkie ring.

Mel: Settle down there.

BUB: Sorry, we’re just a bit overwhelmed.

Mel: You shouldn’t be! We’re very approachable in the AFDA.

BUB: Ok, we’ve contained ourselves again. But thanks for agreeing to the interview, especially with Mixed Nats coming up this weekend.

Mel: You’re welcome. It’s great to have someone interested in what we’re up to, and willing to spend some time finding out! Of course, we’ll have a few exciting bits of AFDA info to share at Mixed Nats this weekend!

BUB: Yes, we’re looking forward to seeing if Badman’s Birthday Bash scoops the pool again. Yeah Bads!

Anyway, we’d better ask you some questions, but first, perhaps for those who’s horizon’s don’t stretch far beyond Brisbane, you could tell us a little about yourself?

Mel: Well, where to start. While it’s hard to think of a life before Ultimate, I’ve been playing Ultimate now for about ten years. It all started at the University of Sydney, and has continued more recently in Melbourne, in particular with the wonderful women’s team Honey.

While some may be in shock that I have a life outside of Ultimate, I work as a lawyer for the Australian Government Solicitor. However, much of my non-work hours are spent playing, socialising and administrating Ultimate - nowadays in my role as the Secretary of the AFDA.

BUB: That sounds pretty important. Is it like those dudes who run the Unions and stuff? Are you the Jenny George or Greg Combet?

Mel: Not quite. Being AFDA Secretary doesn’t put you on the fast track to a plumb seat in Parliament with the Labor party.

However, there are a number of important things I do as AFDA Secretary. The Secretary is the AFDA Director charged with overseeing the organisation’s operations. Much of this is performed by the wonderful Mr Simon Wood, who I work closely with to ensure that we respond to correspondence, maintain our insurance, liaise with stakeholders like the ASC and so on.

The Secretary also oversees other core activities such as the AFDA AGM, preparation of the AFDA Annual Report, AFDA Awards, AFDA policies, codes of conduct, membership agreements and more.

BUB: So is “Director of Operations” code for “key paper pusher”?

Mel: I’d like to think that I do a pretty awesome job at pushing that paper BUB.

BUB: But – I don’t see that much paper on the Ultimate field?

Mel: That’s right BUB – we have eight directors on the AFDA Board and some directors focus more on Ultimate playing (e.g. Piers Truter as Director of High Performance, John Hempel as Director of Events and Luisa Fearnside as Director of Development). Other directors such as our Treasurer (Carlie Ryan) and Director of Marketing (Paul Keighley) focus more on the tools we need to promote and grow the playing side of things.

BUB: When you first joined the Board you were living in Sin City – but are now in Melbourne – how does it work with the Board and the AFDA’s employees spread so far across the country?

Mel: Surprisingly well! For a community of nerds, we are all pretty IT saavy and run most of our dealings by email. Important decisions are conducted by on-line poll, and teleconferences run through Skype or equivalent. Wander past a laneway cafe in Melbourne on the way to work, and you’re likely to find me enjoying the brew and dealing with AFDA Business.

BUB: Is it true what they say about Melbourne coffee?

Mel: Only positive things can be said about Melbourne.

BUB: Even Melbourne weather?

Mel: Did you say something?

BUB: So what’s on the immediate horizon for the AFDA at the moment? Say like between now and the end of the year?

Mel: Well, for our players, Mixed Nationals is this weekend of course, with approximately 400 of our members making the trek out to Bathurst this year. Apart from determining the best team in the country, the AFDA will also be announcing the recipients of the second round of grants from its grants program as well the recipients of the AFDA Awards for 2010.

Then, over the weekend of 13-14 November, the AFDA Administrators’ Conference is to be held in Melbourne – which is probably the highlight of the AFDA Calendar. The conference, which is held annually, brings together key administrators from each of the State Associations and the AFDA together in one place. We get to share ideas and discuss problems that face each association. We also get to work out how we can do things better. And sing some mean karaoke along the way.

BUB: Isn’t this just one big talk fest? Or do things happen?

Mel: Well, last year – our State Associations indicated that they wanted more help with administration. In response, the AFDA employed Anna Haynes as our Development Officer. Anna has been working with each of the states to improve their governance, as well as provide on the ground support.

BUB: And just back to Mixed Nats for a second (and totally off-topic from AFDA-stuff). Your team has landed top seed thanks to an outstanding effort at the NSW Championships. Does this say anything about the strength of having a restrictive selection policy?

Mel: There are certainly plenty of monkeys on the team. But I think most people will agree that the field at Mixed Nats this year is wide open. It’ll all come down to who plays well on the day – reputations won’t matter for much. The top NSW teams of course look strong – MCMLXXX and Jericho – and SA1 – Smurf – will be looking to build on their excellent performance at World Clubs. MegaPussi of NZ will be another team to look out for....both on and off the field.

BUB: Ok, now Mel, as you know you’re a bit of a celebrity in Ultimate circles … stop blushing, its true … so we should do a proper bit of quizzing so that your fans can know how they can best be like you.

Mel: Oh gosh.

BUB: Favourite throw?

Mel: Are you trying to exploit all my secrets? I’ve always liked a good I/O forehand.

BUB: Favourite person to receive your throw?

Mel: Any one of the lovely Honey ladies. There’s nothing like a good honey pass.

BUB: How do you like to score?

Mel: Enough with the innuendo. Surely Brisbane Ultimate has more exciting things to ponder....

BUB: No, we're all about the scoring here. But next, favourite annual tournament?

Mel: Halibut of course!

BUB: Woo – 10 points there Mel - what a pollie! And what’s your favourite pre-tournament breakfast?

Mel: I’m a weetbix kid. I took a stash with me to Prague this year.

BUB: Relationship status?

Mel: I’ve been married for the past four years to the ever-patient Tim. I’m not sure if I should read anything into the fact that Tim’s been living in the US on secondment for the past few months.....

BUB: All hail TIM! And what will you be wearing to the party at Mixed Nats?

Mel: I have the gold sequined cowboy hat lurking in my fancy dress box is firming as my likely attire.

BUB: Lucky Tim! ;) Who’s your tip to win this season of the Brisbane Premier League?

Mel: Looking at the leader-board, it’s a tight competition, and certainly very strong in the self-promotion if those websites are any indication. But, everyone in Melbourne is still talking about Collingwood’s flag, so perhaps it will be the season for Dojo Mojo.

BUB: Favourite Ultimate website?

Mel: Why, the Brisbane Ultimate Blog of course!

BUB: Right you are there! Well, I guess we’re nearly out of time, but have you got anything else you’d like to add?

Mel: Thanks for asking me to come onto the BUB. It’s been swell!

BUB: Thanks again Mel!

And with that, Mel returned to the gold-plated AFDA Force 2 hovercraft, and darted off …

Mel and others will no doubt be monitoring the comments section - so why not pose your own questions? And let us know who else you think we should be grilling next time!

Nationals Review - A Firestorm Perspective

We were lucky enough for Messr J McNaughton stumble into the stately BUB Manor after he was de-throwned as the head of the Storm of Fire, allegedly following some form of salary cap scandal. Before he realised where he was and escaped, we managed to strap him down in the dungeon and force some answers out of him regarding the recent Australian National Championships held in Adelaide, where Firestorm finished 8th.

1. How do you feel about Firestorm's drop in placings from last year with what seemed a better quality team? Is this a reflection of the growing strength of Australian Ultimate, or did the team just lack the fire in the vital games? Did injuries or fatigue play a key role?

We were disappointed with the result. We were aiming to improve our placing this year, due to a stronger team and better training regimen, so to drop a few places wasn't fun.

The competition was certainly significantly stronger than last year - this was certainly the highest standard of competition I've seen at Nationals, evidenced by the fact we played the reigning champions for 7th. I-Beam really stepped up, Sydney made a strong return with their Colony teams, and Karma were good at home. Chilly, Fyshwick and HoS are great teams, but even they couldn't crack top 3 this year.

Having said that, there were certainly things we could have done better. Our conditioning wasn't up there with the top teams, and we struggled to put together a full consistent game (Karma may have been our best performance there). Injuries were certainly a concern - we lost a good handler/cutter in Dean a month before Nationals, and a number of players were carrying injuries that both restricted their lead-up training and impaired their tournament performance. Conditioning will be a big focus of coming seasons, as this should also help our mental game and our injury prevention.

2. You did have 3 games go to Golden Point, and your final placing game was only decided by 2 points. Was it just a matter of a couple of lucky breaks not going Firestorm's way that made the difference between a 5th place finish and the 8th place achieved?

I could never really argue for lucky breaks as the deciding factor, as tempting as it seems. I think our biggest weakness was our offence - while we worked hard on defence this season, and played it pretty well, we struggled to adapt to different conditions and different kinds of defences, The inability to really dominate on offence and score consistently in tight situations would have been one of the biggest deciding factors.

3. Did you have any idea that I-Beam would be the team to take the title? At what point during the tournament did you start to think they could do it?

Honestly, not at all. They were 4th last year, and that was in the absence of any real Sydney threats. Their early season results were nothing special, with a 3rd placing at Regionals and something similar at BCI.

Their Nationals roster, though, was very strong and very experienced. They have a lot of very talented players who know each other very well, and they understand how to play with each other. I think the warning bells for other teams started when they upset Chilly on day 2.

4. With the top 4 slots being taken up by Eastern teams, and Southern teams filling the next 3 spots, what do teams in the North need to do to mix it with these teams.

Regular competition is a huge part of the Eastern and Southern strength - they have multiple strong clubs that can take each other on regularly. Firestorm are already planning to increase our travel to tournaments in future, to overcome this problem.

Most of these teams also have players that have genuinely been to the top level, playing in National finals in the past and representing the country with the Dingos. We are a relatively young club, and our individual players don't quite have the same experience and understanding - while we've got a lot of great young guys coming through, there's still quite a way to go. Hopefully in the next few years, we'll have more guys becoming involved in rep teams, or moving to senior player roles where they can develop the edge for winning big games.

5. Who from Firestorm really stood out for you during the tournament?

I have to mention Pete Allen and Dan Young as block-getting machines. Those boys really stepped up and played the best defence I've ever seen from them. Jangles had a really strong tournament, consistently offering open cuts and making good choices. Silent George, Jules and Gref took on some really tough match-ups over the weekend and made some great plays.

As much as it sounds like the regular club line though, I was really excited by our depth at Nationals. Everyone was able to play and perform at that level, which was excellent.

6. Do you think that a home Nationals will benefit Firestorm and other Northern teams next year? In what way?

A home Nationals will be great for us. From a club management perspective, it opens opportunities for promoting the club and helping it to grow; from a players' perspective, it's a lot cheaper (making more lead-up tournaments viable) and it's nice to sleep in your own bed. This is a great chance for the club to grow rapidly in various ways.

7. With so many Northerners in the Thunder team, how did you see this team go at Nationals? How do you see them going in Germany at U19 Worlds in a few months?

I actually saw very little of Thunder at Nationals, which was disappointing. As a group, their skills are better than in previous years, and they've been physically well prepared for a long time. I think that Nationals would have been great for their play, and with another couple of months and camps under their belts, they should be a genuine force in Germany.


With those last words, we decided that Jmac had endured enough punishment of a constant slideshow of pictures of all Australian Ultimate players that had ever worn a mankini, and we thanked him and released him from our clutches.

Bronzed Mike talks World Games

Having returned from the stifling heat of Taiwan and his recent selection at number 34 in the Huddle's mock draft, Mike took some time out to visit the pools of the BUB Manor, then sauntered inside to discuss his recent trip and achievements at World Games. The discussion went a little something like this:

BUB: Mike, thanks for avoiding the swarm of Taiwanese girls outside to come in and have a quick chat with us about your recent trip to World Games. Nice little medal around your neck as well we see.

MN: Thanks for having me on the page. The medal is very nice, a real point of pride from my 7 years of Frisbee.

You'd think those Taiwanese girls would have had enough by now hey?

BUB: Oh Mike, no one could ever get enough of you. We were hearing reports of crowds up to 5,000 people for some of the games over there. Given that the biggest crowd in Australia will be a couple of hundred people at a Nationals Final, what was it like to play in front of those sorts of crowds? Any signs held up saying "Marry me Mike Neild"?

MN: There were a few signs up in the stadium, no proposals that I noticed however it was a big stadium. During the opening ceremony for the whole event the stadium was full (40,000 or something) and there were people hanging out on the outside of the stadium watching on the big screen.

During the course of the 3 day Frisbee tournament 39,500 tickets were sold and during our Sunday night game against the host nation Chinese Taipei there were an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people in the stadium. It was absolutely incredible! I have a vivid memory of standing on the line at the start of a point three quarters of the way through the game. The commentator on the loud speaker was firing up the crowd and Mat Dowle was standing 5m away from me and yelling in order to make himself heard while calling the line, it was like nothing I've experienced before.


BUB: 12,000 people?! We'll have to try and get that to the next BPL Final. One of the big wins to come out of WG05 was the high level of spirit at such a competitive tournament. Australia won the spirit at WG09, but how did you view the overall spirit of the tournament? Feel free to name names if you like.

MN: The spirit was good at the tournament. Possibly slightly higher than at a World Championship event. Spirit is based heavily on respect for the individuals and team that are at the other end of the field. Respect between the players of the top frisbee nations in the world is very high. As always there was some fiestyness between GB and Australia however it never became disrespectful.

BUB: Don't worry about those brits, we'll have the ashes soon anyway. Heroic Australian Co-Captain Jonno Holmes was on a drip prior to the bronze medal playoff and then returned to the field to help lead the team to victory. Do you consider this a greater sporting moment than the incident involving Graeme Smith and his broken hand at the SCG earlier this year? How much did this boost the team?

MN: Yeah Jonno looked pretty ordinary for a couple of days there and I suppose we needed to get him onto the essential salts or magic drip a bit earlier. He was so important to the successful performance of our team on the field that without him at top ability we struggled.

I was absolutely inspired and impressed by his performance in the bronze medal game after such a tough preceeding 48 hours. A total captain's effort.

BUB: Graeme Smith, eat your heart out! Given that most of you have been playing non-stop since WUGC training camps around 1.5 years ago, do you plan on taking any time off now to have a bit of a rest? Or are you going to keep going while the going is good?

MN: It is a shame that opportunities to play for Australia are so rare. I have feelings of regret that during the window of top level performance that I have as an athlete (while the going is good) I will only attend a small number of events for Australia. These feelings are mixed with an interest in not completing multiple running sessions each week for months on end.

To answer the question I'll lumber around at league with the Cougars, QUTies and Buggers for the rest of the year however travelling and tournaments hold very limited appeal for me at the moment.

BUB: How did you find the standard of the overall tournament? Did it live up to the highest level in our sport? Were any games easy at that level?

MN: They were all hard fought, desperate games. Credit must go to the host nation Chinese Taipei for developing themselves into a dangerous and challenging team. The results at the tournament give credit to the even nature of the teams, with all of the top 4 teams beating each other at various stages. There were also excellent individual challenges during every game, it was great.

It is different to playing with the Dingos though. The shortness of the tournament maybe, the fact that every game was challenging and vital to the overall result. A wonderful experience

BUB: Well Mike, thanks for your time today. We will let you get back to the autograph signing.

MN: Yes thank you Brisbane Ultimate Blog. The autograph joke is now a little less fantasy and a little more real - still pretty surreal and funny though.

Also thanks very much to everyone from Brisbane who wished me good luck and passed on their congratulations when I came home down at league or at the halibut. It has been really nice to feel the support of the community and I was well aware of the responsibility to represent the home frisbee community well while over at the tournament. Thanks again.



Mike waves to the fans as he enters the stadium.



The Crocs receive their bronze medals.



Mike signs some autographs for some adoring fans. Next shot was Mike being mauled by naked, screaming Taiwanese girls, but could not be shown for legal reasons.

Yarning About Elite Development in Queensland with John McNaughton

Now that the Nationals 2009 campaign is complete, we at the Brisbane Ultimate Blog spent some time hiding in the grass down by the river at Yeronga, waiting for QUDA’s new Elite Development Coordinator, John McNaughton, to wander by. Taking a break from assignment writing, John didn’t quite know what hit him when our crack team of Black Ops specialists tranquilised, bound and gagged him and brought him back to BUB headquarters, where he awoke, wild eyed and confused, and the interrogation began.

Well, not really, but anyway here’s a chat with John.

Brisbane Ultimate Blog: So John, Firestorm got a pretty good result at Nationals 2009 …

John McNaughton: Yeah, we're pretty happy with where we ended up. It was a rough first day, losing to Karma after leading the whole game, and when we were out of contention by the end of day one, it had potential to get ugly. However, we managed to make the most of our time in the lower pool, getting up some confidence and sorting out some things, and were stoked to take it all the way back to 5th place.

BUB: So what’s next on the FS agenda?

JM: At the moment, a bit of time to chill out – the Open season is a pretty long slog, so after Nationals, it's nice just to kick back for a bit. We're already looking towards the future though – 5th was all well and good for this year, but cracking into the top 4 is a clear goal for a Southern Nationals in 2010.

BUB: And don’t forget we’re due to host Nationals in the North Region in 2011.

JM: Yeah, someone better go book some fields for that – can we get the Grammar fields out at Northgate? I'm glad we don't have to directly follow Perth's act in that regard... they were pretty special.

BUB: Anyway, the real reason we were sitting down to chat was to talk about your new role at Elite Development Coordinator for QUDA. For those who don’t know, QUDA has a structure with an Executive who make general decisions and stuff, and then a series of Coordinators with responsibility for different areas. But Elite Development can seem a bit vague – what’s your ‘realm of action’?

JM: I believe that Elite Development is not so much an area unto itself, but mostly about working with other groups and areas, with a focus on generating the best outcomes for elite-level Ultimate in/among Queenslanders. Basically, I reckon the aim is to set things up so that we develop the best players and teams possible at the higher end. "Higher end" isn't necessarily strictly defined – while it's clearly inclusive of the national and international level, it can also filter down to local level, because local players are the Nationals/Worlds players of a few years' time.

This means I'll be working with clubs in Queensland aiming to take teams to Nationals (e.g. Firestorm and Sultry), Mixed Nationals and Australian Uni Games, for a start; working with some league directors to see what can be done on local levels; working with the Youth coordinator to develop our young guns, including those heading to Newcastle for Youth Nats pretty soon; working with the Coaching Coordinator (once we've got one) to set up elite coaching structures; and sometimes maybe just striking out on my own occasionally, if something comes up.
First thing on the agenda, though, is the mixed season.

BUB: Got some more details there?

JM: There are a few things on the cards. The S&M league from last season was quite a success, and though the enthusiasm was driven by a Brisbane-hosted Mixed Nats where we sent a number of teams, I think it would be well supported again. We've just got to find the best way to fit in with the Women's League, to allow those players to get involved in both.

I understand QUDA and AFDA have been encouraging organisers in Victoria and NSW to announce their Mixed Qualifier events soon, to give Qld teams aiming for Mixed Nats a chance to play an extra interstate tournament in the lead-up to Hobart. We’ll probably slot the Queensland Qualifier into our calendar based on how that looks.

I'm told Townsville are talking about whether they’ll have the numbers for a tilt at Mixed Nats. Hobart is a long way for them to go, but fingers crossed they'll be able to make the trip – it's been a bit of a rough year for them, between Nats in Perth and now this. I don't know about Gold Coast plans, but there's been some good action down there of late, so maybe they're tossing it up as well, which would be sweet.

Obviously, Halibut will be kicking it all off – it's a bit of a stalwart on the Australian tourney calendar... Actually, just looking now, I think Halibut may be the 3rd longest running tourney in the country (after Nats and Melbourne Hat), which is a fantastic effort. Can anyone verify this?

And obviously, on a related note, it's uni season as well as mixed season, but we'll come back to this.

BUB: One thing I know QUDA is talking about is providing support for bona fide non-playing Coaches to develop and travel with Queensland teams.

JM: Yeah, this has been looked into on a casual basis before, but there's consideration to making it more official and public. There are definitely advantages to having non-playing coaches with a team, and it may be a very positive use of resources. Having this support structure known ahead of time could really encourage people to take on coaching roles, which would be a forward step.

I view coaching as a very important part of Elite Development – while many of us have learned the game on quite an ad hoc basis, picking up little things here and there, time spent under a coach can really accelerate learning. There's also plenty of talk at AFDA level about elite coaching at the moment, which could have trickle-down effects.

BUB: You said we should come back to AUGs??

JM: It's a really positive time for Queensland unis at the moment, I think – Griffith GC are coming along really well (nice work Stef); QUT seem to be continually growing, putting in more teams to more competitions every year; I believe JCU may have had a revival this year; and UQ are obviously a major player as always. There's also talk of movement at USC (Sunshine Coast), which would be fantastic.
In addition to that, the deal that will be seeing AUG on the Gold Coast every odd year until 2015 is as good as things will ever get for us, in terms of accessibility.

From an elite perspective, I will be trying to work with the Uni Coordinator and with the uni teams to get the most from each AUG campaign. Unis are obviously a great breeding ground for exciting new players, and so I'll be looking to help the unis achieve their best possible result, but also help keen players from those teams to find opportunity in other areas of Qld frisbee.

BUB: Off in the distance is the 2010 Open season – thoughts there?

JM: Obviously, I have a double interest in the Open season, between my Elite Development hat and my role in Firestorm. While this will take plenty of my time, though, there are other things we'll be looking at in the mean time. BPL has restructured this year, after 2008 saw it slip off a little in some ways, and we'll be looking at this to see whether it's worked, and what else can be done. This was set up as our development ground for elite Open players, so this is a pretty major focus of my area.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this. We often get quite comfortable in BPL, doing the same things season after season, and don't like the idea of radical change (e.g. to team/club structure). This means that meetings to discuss BPL's future can get pretty intense when suggestions are made, but these things happen, and we need those ideas to come out so that we can really consider whether we're doing the best thing for what we're after.

If nothing else, I'm keen to get back to 6 teams and get rid of that bye. That'd be cool.

BUB: I can see we should interview Stu and some of the BPL captains soon to see what they think.

JM: They're all yours – my captain is in your stately mansion somewhere, I believe...

BUB: Anything else?

JM: We're weighing up some possibilities at the moment, like maybe holding an Open and Women's hat at the end of this year to help kick off the season. That's all up in the air for now, though – we'll have a look at the mixed season first, and get on top of that.

BUB: What about Firestorm’s 2010 campaign?

JM: Semis minimum. Back it.

BUB: Thanks for your time, John. See you on the field.

JM: Thanks – can you undo the handcuffs now?

BUB: You just have to remember the safeword, young fella.

We Will Huck Them on the Campuses ...

O-Week is just around the corner, the UQ League is getting ready to kick off in a few weeks, the Lovers and Passion are preparing for BPL2008's launch (on Valentine's Day, appropriately enough) and then there's the prospect of defending the Australian University Championship around the corner. Its going to be a big year for the University of Queensland, so we at the Brisbane Ultimate Blog crash-tackled (metaphorically of course) Will Churchill to get the lowdown on the In Crowd.

Brisbane Ultimate Blog (BUB): Will, just how frickin' good IS Ultimate at the University of Queensland?

Will: To put it simply, Brett Matzuka took an ok, run of the mill, your moderately attractive sibling kind of thing ... and ate it whole. And in that Hawaiian digestive system of his he cooked up awesome and gave birth to a gold deity. Now we the second generation are shining that golden goddess to gleam gleefully in her gorgeous garland of greatness before we unleash her all over Brisbane (Think Angelina Jolie from Beowulf but without the whole demonic thing going for her). Frankly, I think we do it pretty freakin well. Each week I chat to people who say that they look forward to Wednesday League just to play at UQ. I think it’s the structure of how we run it that makes it more than just playing, we get everybody intermingled and meeting eachother before we even break out into games.

BUB: Is it true that all the greats of Brisbane Ultimate got their start at UQ? I am thinking of Healy, Ray, Burwell, McGlashan, Cooper-White …

Will: UQ drips multi-generational awesome. We have some of the best players in the city here. On top of the boys you mentioned we also have the Cheeseburger Johnny Mac, that kid who goes to uni occasionally, Cunliffe I think his name is. and the blog-favourite and ladies man himself Al Don. Basically if you want to learn from some of the best out there and get some real Frisbee action the best place to start is UQ.

BUB: So what's to look forward to in 2008?

Will: This year is going to be pretty big. We’re investigating some forms of sponsorship/venue kind of thing to give the social side of the sport we all love an overhaul. Also with revised financial agreements with our overlords we also have more dosh to spend and now have freedom to get into things we’ve been wanting for a while now.

At the moment we have our own discs on the way from the good ole U.S of A and if things go well we could go into some club clothing or something else all together, but that’s a little deeper into 2008.

The other big thing is Uni Games. This year is in Melbourne and we are going to be defending the crown so hard fought for last year so local uni talent from UQ is something we definitely want to get growing in preparation for this year.

BUB: Why do you think Uni students dig Ultimate so much?

Will: Ultimate makes you sexy, and that's what Uni students are into. No, seriously, I think that Uni Students are into OUR kind of ultimate, heck, even non uni students still hang around because of how we play. The club I would argue is on par with YUFL but we drink more and make it a bit of a party. I would challenge any YUFL, WUFL and BPL player to come down and take the Pepsi challenge on this one.

BUB: Sounds tough. Who's in the running to be the new Brett Matzuka and Jonathan Potts?

Will: At the moment my money is on the big guy Julian Sacre I’ll never forget the point at BPL where Jules beat Mike Nield for a sky in the endzone to take a point. That man is magic, can throw a disc pretty well too.

BUB: And now for some personal questions, Will. Old school or new school?

Will: New School man, check this new iPhone and this invention called the internetz. Now don’t get me confused with Junior School, I hate Corey Delaney just as much as the next Old School Grizzled Ancient.

BUB: I dig. Spirit or beer?

Will: Beer FTW. It’s always a good way to start the night (and often a bad way to end it *cough* Nationals 07 *cough*). Specifically, if I’m being cheap I’ll hit up the Tooey’s Extra Dry or Steinlager or if im going to be classy its usually a Stella or Becks (Not the crappy Australian stuff, make sure it’s the imported kind, you’ll thank me later).

BUB: Jangles or Stefan?

Will: Hands down to Stefan, that bloke is hooked up with the ladies who I had the pleasure to meet at Uni Games haha. I hear Jangles keeps his toe nail clippings in a jar and sleeps with it… I’m not very down with that.

BUB: Me neither. And you've got a new-look website too I see?

Will: Yep, and I see you've added it to your links list there on the Brisbane Ultimate Blog. Its even got some new updates on it!

BUB: Thanks Will!

He Can Huck the Disc Just Like Ringing a Bell

In our endless search for quality content for you readers out there, we've stumbled upon the idea of posting the occasional interview. So we thank the gracious and enormous Jon Good for stepping up to the keyboard and getting us going.

What is there we can say about Jon in terms of an introduction, that hasn't been said better by someone somewhere else? Well, Jon makes for a great boozing partner, for one. And he organises the Brisbane Premier League exceptionally well. Handy to have on your team, be it Ultimate or anything really. And apparently a fantastic shag (this is speculation, but then, I'm sure you all read that article about Ultimate players and shagging). Um, anyways ...

Brisbane Ultimate Blog: What is it that really suckers you for Ultimate? Is there anything specific or central to the sport that has you?

Jon Good: I started playing because I was fed up with the egos which dominate all of the other team sports I played. Now I’m not saying that there aren’t big egos in ultimate, but they make up a far smaller proportion of the players and the spirit of the game does a pretty good job of keeping them in check. So I’d say it’s a combination of the central aspect of fair play and the type of people this tends to attract.

BUB: Do you think being an organiser at Ultimate changes the way you play or understand the game itself?

JG: Other than a much better understanding about roster sizes, I don’t think running BPL has changed how I see the game. It’s certainly made me far more appreciative of the precious few others who take the time out of their lives to organise events.

BUB: What stands out in terms of differences between Ultimate in the UK and Ultimate in Australia?

JG: You guys don’t have an indoor season for one! I think that lack of the smaller, faster version of the game means that Aussie teams tend to be a bit more huck-orientated and less fond of the scuba and blade than UK teams. Cups in zone defence also seem a little easier to get through over here, maybe because you get a better understanding of space playing indoor tournaments on pitches the size of 2 badminton courts.

BUB: Now that we're in 2008 – how do you think 2007 went for Ultimate in Brisbane?

JG: We have a city full of world and national champions, so I’d say it went pretty well. All the leagues seem to be growing in stature and it’s great to finally see the development of a potential new ‘home of ultimate’ at Annerley after loosing UQ. A lot of guys seemed to get engaged and/or pregnant too, must be something in the water.

BUB: Where do you see BPL by the end of 2008 … and if its not stretching the imagination too far, at the end of 2010?

JG: We have some pretty exciting things in motion with Annerley Junior Soccer Club at the moment, well, exciting if you’re an admin geek anyway. By the end of 2008 I’d like to see this translate into a 6 team league where there is genuine competition to get on every roster, games being played on fields so well lit up that you’ll want to buy shares in Energex, and hopefully some growth of potential sponsors to bring the costs down for the players.

By the end of 2010 I’d like to see BPL being run even better by someone else!

BUB: There seems to be a sense that BPL is producing some very strong Open Ultimate in Brisbane – why isn't this translating to greater success on the National stage?

JG: Coming from the UK system, it’s always seemed strange to me that Brisbane throws together teams of ‘all-stars’ for nationals rather than having a concrete club structure. John, Mike, and Al have made a good step forward with the way they are running ‘Firestorm’ now and I think this should improve performance at Nationals. Personally I think it would be better in the long run to have guys playing as a team every week in BPL, and take them to Nationals. Now part of this is selfish as I’d like to see BPL be as competitive as it can be, but surely a team of guys who play together on a weekly basis and then add in some extra training sessions would perform better than guys who play on different teams with different structures each week? The logic seems to work for the USA teams at World National Championship level, although they would struggle logistically with a country wide ‘all-star’ team.

BUB: Do you ever find much time for nostalgia? Thinking about the 'old days' in Ultimate?

JG: Ah yes, back when I had hair, had never been injured, and could run guys into the dirt. I started playing in 1994 for a Juniors team which competed against 7 others at the UK National Junior Championships, looking at how much recognition the sport has now it seems like a very long time ago. It’s great to see some young natural athletes gravitating towards the sport, rather than the kids who sucked at everything else – it was much easier to get open when teams were made up of those kinds of players though. I’m sure once I hit Masters eligibility age my fondness for nostalgia will increase!

BUB: Can you name a couple of Brisbane Ultimate players you consider 'under-rated'?

JG: Playing both YUFL and BPL with him, Shawn Robb would come pretty high on my list – nothing too showy, does whatever he’s asked to do to the best of his ability every time he’s on the field, a real workhorse in the James Larkin sense. The other guy I admire a lot is Andy Lankowski because he does the kind of handling job that doesn’t get you much praise – sure he may not throw many spectacular (or speculative) ¾ field throws, but he’ll get open on most guys for a dump and you’ll be able to count the throw aways he has at a tournament on less than 3 fingers.

We also have a load of young talent coming up through BPL at the moment, and some guys can get lost amongst the Jules’ of this world. I’ve always been impressed by Pete Allen, particularly last season when he stepped into the lead handler role a couple of times and did a really good job. Sam Challis will also be a name you’ll hear more and more in Ultimate, usually followed by the words “… did an unbelievable job of running down a wayward huck by Jon Good”!

BUB: Thanks Jon!

Readers - if you know someone who we should interview, or want to be interviewed yourself, leave a comment or get in touch!