The team is notorious for arriving late to everything, as this is apparently a tradition of Ultimate. I was told since I was driving I
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I took the lead and pushed the pace so we could get there as soon as possible. The plan was to go by the park and then try to find a place near there to camp. But we couldn't find the park so we pulled into a closed Subway parking lot to discuss where we went wrong. We sent a member of the team across the street to a hotel to see if they knew how to get to the park. This was a mistake since we sent a black member - something there aren't many of in Idaho. The hotel was closed so he ran back across the street and into the alley parking lot. This is when the cops spotted him, backed up turn on the light and started out of their car. Tony (the black guy that was just spotted) turned and jogged back towards the cop car. The police quickly told him to step away from the vehicle. He did and then reached into his fanny sack - which one of the officers said he thought was a rifle! A second cop car came up but went on after they exchanged secret hand signals. We got directions to the park but were told that the park was closed after dark. We told them we were just going to head there to meet the rest of our group and then go to a camp ground.
We then pulled out and started to the park - with another cop car leading the procession. Started to feel like it was the Rambo story all over again. "Sure I'll give you a ride - right outta town." The cop pulled away shortly before we got to the park and we went into the park and circled through then stopped at the exit to discuss where we were going to camp. About that time an unmarked police car pulled up and turned on his lights! We asked him where we could camp and he pointed us to a KOA Campground near the park. We drove there and it was closed - of course. But in a strange twist of fate we drove past a Department of Land Management building on our way to the campground. Well in this part of the country a LOT of the land is public land and managed by DLM. Any DLM land is public so we pulled into the parking deck and set up camp in the grass that surrounded the parking garage! We stayed the night there then packed up and went into eat and play Ultimate.
We lost our first game 15-2 but were starting to mesh - we had only ten players so picked up two people that were there wanting to play. In the next game we were very competitive but the wind picked up and made it very difficult for our team. We eventually scored a two pointer then scored up wind (which is VERY difficult) to close within one point at 11-10. We then dropped a pass in the end-zone and they scored. About then I dove for a pass, caught it and got drilled in the back of the head by one of the other teams players knee. I started to get up but noticed that there were two earths spinning around me and plopped back down. I survived but we lost the game shortly after that. Still a very good result since this team was one that placed very highly in the Canadian Nationals the year before.
The next game we lost as well but played very well. This was also the game that I earned my second injury. I put a move on my man that confused him so much that when I cut hard to my left he cut even harder to his right. Leaving me WIDE open but unfortunately his cut was made on my ankle. Leaving a couple of nice bruises and a slight limp. I scored a couple times in this game but a frustrating trend was starting. I caught at least 6 passes in the tournament on the one yard line that I would then have to turn and fire a pass to another team member for the score.
Our final game of the first day was our best. I had two scores, one a diving catch. I had two of my one yard line catches in this game as well. One of these catches on the one yard line was a diving grab that I barely made. I was trying to drag my feet behind me like in the NFL to keep them in the end-zone but the pass pulled me out. While lying on the ground the players were saying "not-in, not-in" so I looked in the end-zone and saw a member of our team crossing slightly open in the end-zone. So while lying on my side I fired a fore-hand pass to him for the score, which to say the least surprised everyone!
This one win and our good showing in the other games allowed us to advance to the second day quarter finals. But before that there was the Disco party thrown that evening. They had a great band that dressed the part in big afro wigs and elevator shoes. They played songs like "Brick-House", "Take a Chance", "Car Wash", and other hits of the seventies disco craze. Very cool.
The next day we were matched against the Salt Lake City Club team. No-one on our team likes this team. They are all VERY serious about the game. They also think of themselves as too good to play against us and hence never scrimmage with us. We shocked them with a fast start by scoring three fast goals before they knew what hit them. They were undefeated and so were very concerned about this turn of events. We exchanged goals to go to 4-1 when they went on a 11-1 run. This took us to 5-12. We then went for the bomb and scored on a 50 yard two point Huck. After that they scored the final winning goal. But we were vary happy to have scared them and made them play a game they weren't expecting to have to play.
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Our team gathered and let out our team chant.
Huck Me.
Huck You.
Stand on the line
And go for TWO!
Yes, our team name was "Huck You". And yes, it was my idea!
Well, that about wraps up this little story of a diversionary adventure.
the end.
tom.