Celebración del Espíritu!!!
Celebración del Espíritu is one of Austin Ultimate’s oldest and most cherished tournament traditions. This disc-fiesta has been taking place every Fall since Poncho Villa was a niño. On 21-22 of November, it all happens once again- the costumes, the tequila, the post-game games, and THE PARTY (oh yeah, and some Ultimate, too).
How it all got started. In 1997, an Austin-based coed team called The Flying Nones, led by Leigh Gorman, Linda Richey, Hugh Daschbach, Chris Fowler, Mary McDowell, Ray Gross, and Greg Clark (perhaps better known as “GC”), decided to put on a tournament in Austin. Their motivation was purely for the love of Ultimate. They enjoyed playing together and traveling to nearby tournaments, but in that day and age there were zero coed tournaments held in Austin. Finding no reason not to create one, Celebración del Espíritu was born. The name (suggested by Hugh) sprang from a desire to celebrate the unique spirit in Ultimate and simultaneously give a nod to the Hispanic influence in our area.
Their intent right from the start was to make the event fun and light hearted. As Leigh Gorman recalls, “We concocted several alternative rules including a Homer Simpson rule that meant if you made an error you could say ‘doh’ once per game and swap out the Frisbee for one of an assortment of round objects (bagel, 3 ft disc, mini-disc) with which to finish the point. And, if your pull hit the cone, you won the prize underneath it. Drinking tequila was highly encouraged and each team was provided with a flask to give their teammates or more importantly, opponent shout-outs for a great play. We also had a piñata with prizes inside – except discs were thrown at it rather than using a stick.”
The first one was held in 1997 with 8 local teams near Town Lake on a field that has now been built over. Word spread over the following few years and despite many initial rainy Celebraciónes in a row, the tally quickly grew to 20 and teams from all over the state and beyond started to join the fun.
If you play in only one tournament this year, for the love of Jesus (pronounced “Hey Zeus!”), you need to play in this one. It will be sizzlin’ like a plate of fajitas. Bids are streaming in now. If you would like to play, but don’t have a team, contact tournament director Iram “J” Leon, one of only a handful of real Mexican players in Austin. He will help match players needing teams with teams needing players.
The early bid window with the reduced tournament fee ends November 6th! For complete details, visit the Celebración del Espíritu webpages.
Speaking of Mexican-themed Tournaments...
There are two Mexican tournaments (as in, the location of them is actually IN MEXICO) coming up early December and then mid January. Here’s the low-down...
La Discopa in Mexico City - It’s called La Discopa, as in Disc Cup. This tournament takes place towards the end of each year, because it serves as the Nationals tournament for the whole country. If you ever want to soak up an authentic Mexican Ultimate Tournament, and sources say YOU DO, you are strongly recommended to grab your passport and travel down to Mexico City for this tournament. Combine the tournament with a couple of vacation days in Mexico City and you’ll be one happy gringo. The tournament actually takes place at a vacation resort in a little town just north of the city called, Zumpango. There you will stay in small cabins right on the resort property and have your meals with all the local teams. The Saturday night party is the stuff of legends, too.
Ask any one of the three-dozen or so Austin Ultimate players that have trekked south of the border to play Ultimate and they’ll tell you: the experience is unique and unforgettable. No where else will you find such warm acceptance from this extended Ultimate family of Mexican players.
Acapulco - This International 3-Day Beach/Field Hat Tournament seriously ranks as one of the best tournaments in the world; right up there with Paganello, Potlatch and Worlds. This is a must-attend tournament for every Ultimate player worth his disc-full of beer. There are soooo many great aspects of this tournament, there’s no way list them all. Just go! At least once in this Ultimate life of yours, GO!
Here are some details, beginning with two very important answers to two critical questions; 1) Where’s the party? Ans: On the bus! And 2) Who’s the DJ? Ans: Jose!
The Acapulco tournament takes January 13 - 17. It’s a 3-day tournament, meaning Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Wednesday and Sunday are travel days. Many players vacation in Mexico and set this tournament as the climax of a week-long (or more) trip. Definitely, you can’t go wrong there.
Truthfully, this tournament is two-for-one. You’ll play with one team on grass and a completely different squad on the beach. So, you have two chances to win! Apart from the airfare, the cost is $449 for virtually everything- your tournament fee, lodging in awesome little cabins by the beach and all the food and drink you can stuff down your hungry gullet. Plus, you’ll get a disc, player jerseys and so much more. Get a taste of the festivities in this fun four-minute video from 2005: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXM4UCGkqpo
For more info: www.acapulcotournament.com
Contact: Fernando Najera - fdonajeramx@yahoo.com.mx
