About

I’ve been a sports and writing kind of guy my entire life, but only now have I found myself in the position to pair the two. Ultimate has become a huge part of my life, and this is a place where I can jot down my thoughts on the game. There will be a healthy mixture of subjective and objective topics, and I hope to generate some conversation with you, the reader.

The Blog

I’ve always wanted to put something like this together to sort of use as my public Ultimate notebook. I am deeply entertained and rewarded by diving deep into strategic questions and topics and developing my own understanding, terminology, and method of teaching things to other players.

I do,  of course, hope that any and all readers are open to discussion, critique, praise, hating, or trolling. Any interaction between us is fun and beneficial for me as a player and a writer.

The Author

 

Hi, I’m Bobby, and I love Ultimate.

Like, I really do. I’ve spent more time playing/doing Ultimate related things in the past two years than any other single thing in my life.

But before the bug got me, I was a pretty casual pick-up player that played maybe once a week. Me and some high school friends (mostly band kids) would play at a local elementary field. We didn’t call fouls or violations. We didn’t play games to 13 or 15. Hell, most of us didn’t even wear shoes. Although the group had existed for over six years in 2012, it only saw one member go on to play real Ultimate: my friend Zak.

Some call him “den mother”; most people call him the best player they know (in their limited Ultimate experience [no offense, Zak]; I call him a friend, and my Ultimate tour guide. Zak brought me up to his college in Beloit, Wisconsin, so I could watch their Division III Ultimate tournament. I had never seen anything like it. There were college level athletes, some of them football players, one of those good enough to be drafted in the NFL; and they were all playing Ultimate. This was a much different game than I knew, however. They were all wearing cleats; they were playing within the full USAU rules; they were organized. It was probably the single most important Ultimate event I have ever been to. From then on, I would work to become a college level player, and hopefully, much much more.

That was the spring of 2013. I was 23. That summer me and some other guys from the local pick-up squad would learn more about real Ultimate: offensive strategy, zones, proper throws. I learned fast. I found every game that I could on the internet. NexGen was my lifeline. I watched tirelessly. I took extensive notes. I played whenever I could, which unfortunately wasn’t that often. And in the fall, I would “tryout”/join the Northern Illinois University Ultimate team.

My time at NIU is another story that I’d like to tell by itself, as it means the world to me and was the launching point for what has become my passion.

Now, kind of suddenly, I’m 25, I live in Portland, OR, and I’m going to try and play Ultimate at the highest level(s). I’ve got only two years of experience, but I’m old enough to be able to learn at a quick pace. I’m playing with an amazing collection of players on Portland’s premiere Dungeon and Dragons themed mixed team, the Natural 20’s, and I’m playing in any leagues/pickup/tournaments that I can.