To Bluer Skies

by Paul Hanna

[Editor’s note: Paul Hanna recently relocated to Austin from up north. He was asked to share his perspective on what it is like for an Ultimate player coming to a new city like Austin.]

Hey Austin, just what you needed…another car on the road, right? …with yet another newly relocated soul from the north behind the wheel. The name is Hanna, Paul Hanna. I come from Ann Arbor, Michigan the veritable Ultimate HQ between Chicago and the east coast. The scene there was impressive – home to the stellar University of Michigan squads MagnUM and Flywheel, and club teams Big Ass Truck, Hybrid and Nemo.

I can honestly say that some of the best players I have ever seen came from Ann Arbor and for me that was a huge step up from where I got my Ultimate start. Prior to Ann Arbor I went to school in Mount Pleasant, Michigan where the Ultimate community pretty much consisted of me, my roommate, four friends, eight girls in a dorm room (they actually played in the dorm room), and my neighbor’s dog. Fun, but not a great environment for growing one’s game.

By comparison the Ann Arbor Ulty scene was Mecca. However, in 2008-2009…well, let’s just say the auto companies down the road weren’t the only ones who needed a bailout. The college teams soared, but the club scene screeched to a halt. Within an amazingly short period of time, player attrition decimated the club team talent pool as the better players and too many team leaders spread nationwide in search of better job opportunities and ever more competitive Ultimate.

The job part was true for me; I moved here to be a science teacher. But as an Ultimate player, I left at the right time. Coming from what was once the heart of a talent-filled (and ego driven) Ultimate scene, I am able to clearly see the contrast– Austin Ultimate is by far the most unified, open, and welcoming community I have ever seen. Ultimate’s friendly-factor is legendary (as evidenced again in Tina Woodings’ Letter from the President), but this has still exceeded my expectations; if I was into foosball or competitive eating or something like that I seriously doubt I would have been invited to so many pickup games, team tryouts, parties, movies, pub crawls, and some things I’m still trying to figure out. I even received several offers to sublet a room! And all of this because I said I had thrown a disc once or twice.

All of this has made me wonder…why the hell are these people so nice and so welcoming? My conclusion is that most people in Austin are nice to start with (except for the a-hole that stole my bike). And, that Austin Ultimate players in particular are even nicer still. This is the type of Ultimate I want to play- a bit of a throwback to the spirit of those dorm-room games. It reminds me of why I got into the sport in the first place. Since I arrived to Austin some 3 weeks ago, I have done something Ulty-related probably two-thirds of my days and I have yet to hear a single negative word from anyone, on the field or off. Your separate teams even integrate socially…what a refreshing concept.

The Live Logic tournament coming up this weekend will mark my first Austin tournament. It should be a lot of fun if I survive the 150 degree weather Saturday. (Are you guys f’ing kidding me?) Anyway, “thank you” to everyone who has made me feel welcome here in my new city. I look forward to meeting more of you in the weeks and months that come.