History Alert:
Teams in semis from 01-09: Chain, Revolver, Ironside/Boston/DoG, Sockeye, Jam, Bravo, GOAT, Furious, Pike, Condors, Ring.
In fact, you can use that same list back to 1999.
In 98 the WSL All-Stars last crashed semis for NYC, and Sub-Zero from Minneapolis-St. Paul.
In 96, Chicago Z.
95 adds Cojones&Double Happiness.
Pre-95=different regions and the limit of my interest.
95-09=15 years.
60 semis spots.
15 [or 16/17, depending on your opinion of Boston] teams.
13+1 ultimate communities:
Atlanta, Bay Area (SF), Boston, Chicago, Denver, Minnesota, NJ+Philly, North Carolina, NYC, Santa Barbara, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver.
NJ+Philly is two distinct ultimate communities that haven't grasped that they can't exist without each other. It is separate parts of the same community which refuse to resolve their differences for a brighter day. MCUDL A-League should be tapped into PADA. Mercer Draft should e separate from PADA draft. There is no "core/clique/corporate" option in Philly. Which is stupid from one angle and genius from another angle. Stupid from the high-levevl club development angle, genius from the fun and grassroots angles.
Anyway, another loosely edited post in the books.
Thursday, May 27
Further Thoughts on the Past to Remember to Forget
Wednesday, May 26
Graceland
"She said losing love
is like a window in your heart..."
Just another injury, right?
Just another disfigured digit,
just another passing pain.
Just another way to remember the way.
"Adjust your expectations when time dilates and infinity creeps in all around", the muse intones. "Don't lose that moment."
Life is just a moment in time.
More Aristodemus than Leonidas.
More Obi-Wan than Skywalker.
More Odysseus than Achilles.
More Hagen than Corleone.
More Red than Andy.
More futbol than football.
More basketball than rugby.
More around than through.
More student than disciple.
More spades than poker.
More teacher than killer.
More fox than hound.
All knew there would be a division. None knew where it would be drawn. Just that it would be drawn. And then a bifurcation. Or at least that's what the plan says.
Plans always evolve.
We were sent for.
12 of 27 players from Pike 2009 remain in the mix for the new Philly Open team. Some of those 12 will return shortly from college/other countries/whatever by Cazenovia. Some of those 12 would make any team anywhere. Some will likely get cut. Some will be better this season than they were last season. Some of them I'm actually not sure what they're up to. That is to say, they weren't at the last tryout I was at.
09Pikes out the mix for reasons varying from retirement to moving, injury, playing coed, getting cut etc, include: Aman, Nicuatrongpauco, Kuger, Justin Illuzi, Rutgers aka "Glenn&Frenchy", Jeff George, CJ Kozarski, Kinsey, TC, Dono, Raph, Nick Malinowski and me.
There are some oldpikes competing for spots on this team as well, including Brandon Silverman (06-07), Eddie Peters (07) Trey Katzenbach (02-07), Brian Lo (01-07) and Matt Schmucker (06-07).
But fo sho sho, this team is no longer Pike. There is a naming committee, and that ain't on the list.
It was a good 8-year run from 02-09 (or did Pike start in 01?). 6 nationals appearances, 2 quarters, 1 semis. Not bad for a region with inconsistent collegiate programs.
I was happy to spend 7 years of club with Pike, the last two as a co-captain with Timmy. Not one of them was at all like any of the others. I was a young O-cutter for 3 years who rarely played, a no-turnover O-handler for 1 who played every O point, a higher risk starting D-handler for 1, a higher-risk starting O-handler for 1, and then in 2009 a starting Handler/Cutter on O whose risk&role depended upon who was else on the field, or where we were on the field.
Crises precipitate change
Not sure where this season will take me, but it won't be with the new Philly Open team. Not sure if this season will be a club season, or a fun-tourney tour, but it will involve far more ultimate than the post-Kaimana2011 season will.
Soon, I will RTS.
"...everybody sees you're blown apart
everybody feels the wind blow."