The President's Corner
I’ve found the new Facebook, the new Match.com, the new MySpace…..it’s called ultimate. It’s inexpensive to join, a great social network for meeting new people and even allows for the occasional cross-dressing in an inviting atmosphere. Somehow ultimate seems to cultivate strong, genuine friendships. And it becomes bubble wrap you can’t stop popping.
How is it that we stick together? I think it’s because we are the same sort of entity. We tend to be cheap, slightly (or very) nerdy, prone to procrastination, cheap beer drinkers and we like to chase plastic like dogs. Not a lot of people realize that we are crazy enough to voluntarily pay for tournaments in other cities, states, and countries, where we wreak havoc on our bodies frequently in ungodly weather conditions.
Taking a trip and need a place to stay? Chances are an ultimate friend of a friend of a friend can hook you up with a place to stay and possibly food and a ride. And this doesn’t just work for the US, but also internationally as proven by a few of our friends that had the balls to quit their jobs and travel around the world. You are pretty much treated like an international superstar if you go to a tournament in a different country, well at least in non-Western countries.
Unfortunately, there are many ailments that are associated with ultimate. The worst being PTD (Post Tournament Depression). Symptoms are an inability to focus at work, a void in your social life, a compulsion to review all posted photographs, and a continuous (and often embellished) highlight reel playing in your mind. The only cure is meeting up with your teammates for a scrimmage, post-game beer and planning for the next tournament. As far as for the addiction, I was unable to find any clinics that treat the disease, so it looks like we are going to have to start our own UA meetings….Ultimate-players Anonymous.
It’s mind boggling how many ultimate players date and/or marry ultimate players. I recommend not drawing up a web of people who have dated/hooked up in the ultimate community.
That being said, I look at the generation before me (ok… the ladies a few year older than me who largely taught me how to play). Many of them now have kids who play together. Just goes to show you that ultimate friends are those you have for life.
