Naked Ego?

We don't normally indulge in general Ultimate gossip here at the DojoMojo blog, but when this tragic/funny news item landed in our inbox this morning we couldn't resist sharing.

And that was probably because we instantly felt a sense of trans-global, anti-establishment kinship with Dusty Becker and his obviously very committed Oregon University Ego team-mates (who are apparently a very highly rated US college team) who, like the kenshi, haven't let their athletic ambitions cause them to forget how to live a little... Indeed, it seems that the Ego boys have a relationship with their College's student sports board that's not at all dissimilar to the Dojo's with our own BPL League Director (one day we'll look back and laugh, Stu).

So, Dusty & co, we just wanted to put it out there that we're right with you (assuming you're not countenancing doing these things simultaneously...) when you say: "Speeding, drinking, nudity — they’re not bad things... They’re things a big portion of the community doesn’t think are wrong." The story says that Ego players have had four speeding fines across the whole team in two years!!! Just four. We have no doubt at all that there would be many individual kenshi who've received more drive-by taxes than that over the last two years. And if nudity is "wrong" then surely we should all be reprimanded at birth???

Anyway, only a small insight into this unfortunate situation can be gleaned from the news articles, but this story seems to be a terrible one of moral misunderstandings, disproportionate punishments and a general lack of good humour. We're not sure how the student board can actually stop the Ego team from travelling to play - one assumes the severing of future funding would be the only viable instrument - but it seems obvious that this is a prime example of how the inherent anti-authoritarian nature of Ultimate doesn't always sit well within structures of authority (whether that be the local student board or the local constabulary).

It's easy to get used to the Ultimate players' privilege of each individual (rather than some impersonal figure of authority) making rule calls based on their own, personally accountable assessment of every alleged infraction, and often very difficult to accept that the rest of the world at large can't work that way as well...

Thanks Emma!

Who is Emma? She's the partner of one of the Messy Bug players without whom DojoMojo would have had to forfeit last night's BPL round. And that would have been a tragedy because the game that unfolded turned out to be an absolute classic.

How classic? So classic that some were comparing it to the finale of the recent US Masters golf (just without the plaid pants, massive prize money and huge audience). Looking back, it was a game that unfolded in 5 parts:

Part 1 - Dojo has 4 guys ready to play at 7.29pm, and it looks like the night's going to fizzle out before it's even started. There's only one person at the field not already spoken for - a young lady by the name of Emma who thankfully doesn't even hesitate when invited to join the kenshi quartet on field. The forfeit is narrowly avoided, but 5 players are always going to struggle against 7, and the Bugs score 3 or 4 unanswered goals before late arrivals Piers, Matt and Coopers (who would believe a grown man could take so long to tie his shoelaces?) are ready to play.

Part 2 - The Bugs continue as if they're still playing against 5, relying heavily on loopy hammers and floaty hucks to Mike, and the kenshi take advantage, quickly hauling in the deficit with all 7 players making equally top-shelf contributions. By the time the Bug boys are up to speed the Dojo has taken half and is on a serious roll.

Part 3 - The Dojo roll continues into the second half, and the lead gets out to 13-10 with 15 minutes left to play. With both calves cramped solid, the Sensei calls a breath-catching timeout (against the advice of game momentum mystic Andy McLean) and spends it lecturing the kenshi about how easily the Bugs could score the 5 goals they need to win the game, and how the Dojo has "all night" to roll in the 2 they need with solid completions and no risky hucks. Of course, the following 3 points see the Dojo throw 3 wild throwaways on the second or third pass, and the Bugs, who couldn't have asked for more, return fire with quick completions to Jangles and Mike.

Part 4 - Another Dojo throwaway, Bugs have the disc and work it into the redzone where predictably Jason looks for the hammer to Mike. Only this time it's a bit stray and Stu Austin is also looking to get on the receiving end. Mike leaps and gets just enough of a touch to knock it clear of Stu's grasp. Sometimes you don't need to be Andy McLean to know a change in fortune when you see it...

Part 5 - Knowing they've been let off the hook, the Dojo steadily works in the next score (a flat hammer to a backpeddalling Sensei who makes the catch in a somewhat inelegant fashion that Matt Eastburn later describes as looking like a falling tree). Some good old-fashioned man-on-man defence brings the turn on the next point before the Bugs can get it halfway up the field, and the kenshi don't waste their chance to close the game out with some quick, short passes, scoring in the front centre of the endzone... And just like that it's all over bar the speeches, and Mike Neild delivers one of the classics - dogged and determined in defeat as he is in victory.

So that's it - our best effort at communicating the feeling of the game (from a Dojo perspective) in lieu of any video footage. A&B voting is ready to roll on the right, and sadly there's no game next week due to Nationals in Perth. Good luck to all the Firestorm chaps heading to Perth - we have no doubt you'll do a lot better than your unflattering seeding and give quite a scare to several of the southern teams. More soon!

Travelling Without Moving

Even though the talk before the game was centred mostly around the controversial new "experimental pick rule" we in the BPL have the apparent honour of trialling, it was the other 8 or 9 WFDF rule changes that made for the real entertainment in Dojo's 12-9 win over UQ Passion last Thursday. Well, that and a h-u-g-e layout from Dan Walls that we're going to make you wait until the very end of the video footage (filmed by his incomparable missus Marijke) to see.

So while it may be true that the young scholars on the UQ Passion team have lengthy reading lists to wade through in their academic endeavours, it seemed quite clear during last week's game that the 2009-spec WFDF rules are most certainly not, as that old smoothy Andrew O'Keefe would say, "on the list"... Okay, captain Johnny Mac was no doubt on top of things, but clearly isn't as big into the benefits of spreading the word to his team via email-based training as some, so for a bit of fun we've included some of the highlights of the discussions around a variety of travel calls in the following video.

It's worth adding that we think it's a pretty strong affirmation of the integrity of the players in our uniquely self-referreed sport that the game never descended into the chaos that might be expected under multiple simultaneous rule changes and varying knowledge. Instead, the few unnecessary stoppages that occurred were resolved with equanimity and a complete absence of raised voices or frayed tempers - just the way Ultimate is meant to be. Anyway, let's get into the video:



DojoMojo leapt out to a massive 7-1 lead, taking half at something like 8-3, and then in trademark fashion switched on the cruise control, sat back and watched the UQ lads claw back to within 3 by the time the 80 minutes were up... John McNaughton and a chap we know only as "Eric" put in the standout efforts for UQ (yes Will, you pulled off some special-looking moves, but how many goals did you score???) and will need to be sat on with much greater force next time. At the Dojo end, Dan pulled down whatever swill was thrown his way in the endzone, whilst our three Gold Coast sluggers Stefan R, Mike and Cupcake worked hard all night in the front of the zone D and with the disc. Here's how things finished up:



That's it for another week. A&B voting as usual to the right, and with the new moon hidden behind rainclouds most of the week, perhaps we'll check out some Sumo action in the next day or so with that inveterate grappler John McNaughton...?

Now THAT was Old School

It's tempting at the outset to construct some sort of witty (well, at least half-witty) gag about the oddly-named "Old School Buggers" receiving a Dojo-style schooling last Thursday on field 3b at the AJFC fields, but it just wouldn't be accurate. And you know how much we here at the DojoMojo Blog value journalistic veracity above all else.

No, the game was a lot tighter than that. In fact the Kenshi started off in vintage Dojo style, quickly falling 2 or 3 goals behind while using the early stages of the game itself as a warmup. A tactical timeout was called before things really started spiralling, and what must have been a massively inspirational pep talk from the Sensei led to a fully charged Dojo scoring a string of virtually unanswered goals, leading to the Dojo taking half well & truly ahead.

Let's pick up the video now (filmed by the thankfully willing first-time cameraperson Brooke, partner of OSB's bionic man Chadwick):



Just one of the night's many big, big layouts from Dan Walls at the end there. And if you were wondering what happened to the team you saw wearing white shirts at the start of the game, well, we all changed into black just because it was the only colour Dan and his buddy Dave Watson turned up with (a couple of points into the game, of course...). [Edit: Looks like there's no explaining of shirt colours required after that tedious clip where nothing happens in the middle of the film. Seems we hit "delete" on the wrong clip, not that looking at blokes standing around in white shorts can't be fun...] Here's more action:



Big grab by our brand-new German rookie Stefan at the end there. And the Walls sweet-layout count is now up to 3...



Cupcake putting it all on the line there at 1:47 to save a rather shabby floater from the Italian Shower... And horizontal again at the end there, making the grab from a trademark Flanagan hammer to win the game look that bit more special.

So, despite getting a little complacent toward the end the Dojo rolls in an easy 15-11 win over the Old Schoolers. That wraps up the first round of the League this season, with DojoMojo and UQ Lovers the only two undefeated teams (by virtue of the drawn game last week). This Thursday is scheduled as a training week, with the second half of the season getting underway via a Dojo vs UQ Passion clash on Mar 26. There might be some entertainment to be had here in the meantime - we'll see what we can come up with - but in the meantime, this week's Above&Beyond poll is ready for voting there on the right, with current standings updated below.

Draw!

As the wet season starts drawing to a close here at the Dojo Gardens, we find ourselves with very little time to spare from our weekend outdoor labours of pruning, trimming, raking, weeding and of course mowing. So, having edited the film into some semblance of a watchable sequence of events we're going to have to leave it pretty much at that for now.

Worthy of note before we press "play" was the debut of yet another fresh Kenshi this week, the youngest Dojo player ever to wear the #1 headband - a chap known only to us as Cupcake (although there are some who call him "Tom" - one for the Monty Python fans there, and yes, because you Python fans are all pedantic nerds, we know it was actually "Tim"). Cupcake can be seen running around as only youth can, and frequently wondering how the Dojo mark is so often and so easily broken. It's something we've been wondering for a long time as well...

Anyway, here's the film:





Okay, so at this point we should note that the game might have looked a bit scrappy, but the flashes of brilliance in there give some hint as to the intensity of the contest between the two teams which still share the top of the table, thanks to the 13-13 outcome of this round. Sadly, stand-in filmographer Mike Morgan ran out of DVDs or batteries or something just when things were starting to get really tense toward the end, so you'll have to take our word for it that the game escalated into a classic struggle that saw Dojo scoring the last goal (thanks to an outrageous Sean Flanagan hammer flat & hard into the safe hands of Matt Eastburn in the very back corner of the endzone) to secure the draw. All in all a titillating preview to what most believe will be this season's Grand Final matchup...

As usual, the Above&Beyond poll is ready for voting on the right, and this weekend due to tournament commitments we'll be accompanying UQ's big Julian Sacre on his private jet so we can interview him about our drawn game before he takes to the field at the Terrigal Towel event. More on that early next week.

Return of the Video

That's right viewers - the top quality video footage you'd become used to last season and had been missing so badly is finally back. With Dan Walls on a covert Dojo mission in Hong Kong (sharing the night-vision goggles with sidekick Dave Watson) our resident filmographer, the longsuffering Marijke Walls, was also absent. This left it to the Sensei and a mystery man we found on the sidelines, known only as "Matt", to grab the footage of Dojo's Thursday night triumph over a rookie-laden Messy Bugs.

With the word count getting pretty stratospheric here of late, we might change it up this week and let the moving pictures do the storytelling:





So that's it. A nice, comfy 14-8 win for DojoMojo, keeping the early perfect record for the season at 2-0-0. Lots of Zone D and free-form O was the order of the night, with special kudos to new signing Piers Truter for driving the defensive setup and spending all night doing the Ninja assassination on Mike & Jason, and also to our new German rookie Stefan Schmidt for stepping right up to top-flight Brisbane Ultimate fresh off the plane.

Above&Beyond voting is underway again to the right, and because it sadly didn't turn up on the video we thought we'd make special mention at this point of the very large block Andy McLean got on Mike Nield in the endzone...

Perhaps we'll have a Bugger over for a stroll through the gardens shortly.

Second Chances Are All The Rage

It turned out that Will Churchill had quite a bit to say as we sat on the verandah overlooking our reed-lined pond last night, waiting for the moon to emerge from mountain mists. So let's get straight into it:

DojoMojo Blog: Welcome as usual, Will, to the serene surroundings of the Dojo Gardens. We know you normally prefer to speak in 17-syllable poems, but do you think you might be able to elaborate a little on your thoughts about our game last week?

Will Churchill: Hell yes, Steve! Like a trip to the playboy mansion, being asked to visit the Dojo grove for a second time is like meeting God again and getting a chance to ask a question better than "why are we here?" Second chances are all the rage.

DMB: Excellent - let's get comfortable then with a nice cup of tea and a little shakuhachi music. Now, that was a pretty good first game of the season the other night, with both teams getting the feel for their new player mix, resulting in plenty of spectacular action, including a couple of big layout blocks from the Passion boys. What was your pick for biggest moment?

WC: I'm not going to float my boat too much but I have to say that layout D I got in the dying minutes of the match was pretty huge. Big distance, killer intercept. Not much can look sweeter. Speaking from UQ’s perspective not much else went that spectacularly. We did some basic things right but we also did a lot of them wrong even though the game was really competitive. I don’t want to come off as scathing and I understand that the boys haven’t played together as a unit for quite a while but I have big ambitions and plans for where I want us to end up. Some good work was done by Dan Young but Dan did what Dan does and that’s bring down the big ones in the end zone. We pulled our weight but I know we can do A LOT better as a unit. I’m really looking forward to our next meet.

DMB: So are we, Will. Sadly though it won't be on those super-cushy GU fields. The late change to Griffith didn't seem to cause too many problems in getting players there on time, and once underway the softness of the fields seemed to encourage horizontality. Looking forward to another game there this week?

WC: Those fields have some really nice grass! Big props to JDR for finding some alternative fields so quickly. Another game there will be really appreciated while our fields regenerate to all their glory. The rain doesn’t hurt them being soft either.

DMB: Some big (or at least bigger than usual) changes at UQ this season, Will, and you've got plenty of fresh young guys on the roster. What new tricks are you planning on teaching these young dogs this season?

WC: I can’t help but feel I have gimped the club a little this season. While we have reverted back to the “classic” split for UQ (Buzz and Jules aside) I’ve noticed how passion only has 3 players noticeably over 6 feet tall (Gref, Dan Young and myself). For the moment that means our game will focus on under cuts rather than risk “the precious” in an unfair contest deep. However we’ll be able to change things up significantly when spiritual leader Johnny Mac returns as well as when the Lovers “Old Guns” decide to start showing up so we can get Nathan Litzow back on the pink side. This time next week UQ Passion will be back to strength.

DMB: You might have noticed that the Dojo has a few new guys as well this season. Sure, they're not rookies, but how do you see the Dojo brand of ultimate adapting to this season's re-jig?

WC: I have noticed that the disbanding of Rawhide sent skill into teams which hasn’t hurt the balance of the league, which is good. Dojo now has even more capable handlers oozing out of your ears which makes throwing a zone upon you even more unappealing. As for the Dojo brand of ultimate changing with this new influx of players, math has an answer. Dojo+Rawhide= MORE HAMMERS! Actually, ANYTHING+RAWHIDE=MORE HAMMERS! Just look at the Buggers. Since Tony Ross joined the team Hammers and Hammer related turnovers have increased Hammer percent!

DMB: Yep - we love a good hammer, of course preferably when completed in the endzone. Who doesn't! And now it's time for an early form call. Finalist teams for the season will be (and why)?

WC: Ok, the BIG question. As much as Mike will probably throttle me for saying such, I don’t think we’ll see a Buggers team in the final this season. Word in the endzone is that Messy Buggers are really trying to bring their newer guys up to a high standard by sharing disc and getting everyone involved more often. While a great move to get some fresh blood into the Buggers club it’s not going win them a final least the idea is dropped in favour for the Mike/J-Ray show to get some points on the board and win games which I think is going against the whole mentality that is directing Messy’s path. That said, this whole statement could backfire completely and the new players pick the game up and explode into frizbee greats who don’t need the Mike/J-Ray show to win games.

As for “Old School” their line whilst always strong is manageable with no monster threats (Unless Jimmy has the disc within strike range and Wetty runs long because you can bet your ass that disc will fly) . These guys will play a great hucking game through the season but their defensive capabilities are on par with other teams.

UQ on paper looks “classic”. The Passion team has changed slightly but is the sleeping Juggernaut it was last year. Offensively it's a fast, quick moving short game team stocked with young players who are good with a disc, but it just needs to get its options re-opened deep to truly restore itself to power. When John, Nathan (and don’t forget Arlann Christie) come home the deep option will really open and get goals. Defensively the collective experience of the team will get a lot of turn overs in our favour. If I recall correctly our zone was devastating.

Lovers…..need to show up to games. They had an easy win last week but they have tougher games in front of them. On paper they are quite the team (even without aL). Buzz has slipped in quite nicely in aL’s absence whilst Finn and Jon Good give Cunliffe a chance to play deep reciever. Not to mention Jules who is not only a nightmare when he’s following you playing puppy but he’s Burwell’s best friend in the endzone.

THE DOJO! I’ll call Dojo in top3, leaning toward a grand final position. You guys have a solid team now that has no excuse not to score “O”-points. Keep the goals consistent and get that forced turn and you have a gamewinner. But I do have some thoughts. Germans are not a primary foodgroup and should be eaten sparingly for offence, they should be taken as a supplement to the offensive staples. Taller teams will make you lose easy “O” points if you play them too often. Finally get Coops to put that disc! Coops (I know you're reading this), you NEED to jack it once in a while! (*bleep*, do it often that’ll really shake up expectations of what will be thrown) There were a good few deep cuts that were very on when the Disc got swung to you and they have to be taken. You can’t become predictable. I am guilty for letting my man beat me deep on a swing to you because I knew it wasn’t on and I had him waaaaay covered on his return cut. I’m not saying be reckless, but players need to think twice about what a handler may pull out of his bag of tricks. Sensei I will leave it to you to devise the appropriate “encouragement” for the man.

DMB: Well there you go, Coops. Time to start hucking it to whoever Will is marking. Thanks for that detailed run down, Will. Your analysis seems spot on as far as we can tell, and we'll be giving Lankowski your number so you can sort out his long game.

WC: As always Stephen it’s a pleasure to come visit the Dojo grove. Now that I know I’ll be invited back occasionally I need to go return some items to the kitchen and the silverware drawer that I took after our last interview… no hard feelings right?. See you in the endzone. Will-i-aM


[Unrelated post-interview note: They may not be working yet, but very shortly we'll be trialling some AdSense ads here at the DojoMojo Blog. All proceeds (if there are any) will go directly towards the ongoing improvement of this blog and/or a seriously sweet new merchandise line.]