The Taj Ultimate Tournament

I've been meaning to write about the Taj Ultimate Tournament for nearly 2 weeks now, but things are getting pretty crazy round here and I just haven't had the time. It's scary - I'm counting the time till my departure in days now, rather than weeks and months. Where did all the time go? Man, there's so much I need to fit in before I leave... and so much I have to write about on the blog...

Anyway, ultimate. I've been a fan of the sport since I was at university, and when I came to Fukui I joined up with a couple of like-minded people to play every weekend at a park in the city. A few months ago we heard about the Taj Ultimate Tournament, and decided to enter; with me as captain. Most of the people on the team had never played ultimate before coming to Japan, and hardly any of them had played in a tournament before, so it was going to be an interesting experience...

On the first day I was full of confidence for the team - I was amazed at how hard everyone had practiced in the weeks leading up to the event, and since we were promised that we'd be ranked according to experience, I had high expectations. We looked good too - everyone had bought one of the infamous "Baka Inaka" t-shirts, and they were causing a bit of a fashion sensation down in the fields of Hyogo. Everything was going well.

Then we were thrashed in the first game. I couldn't understand it - weren't we supposed to be playing against teams of similar ability, ie not experienced? I asked one of the staff, and he told me that each group was arranged with one team of low experience, two teams of middling experience and one team of high experience - and we'd just played the highly experienced team. Suddenly the loss didn't seem so bad, but it also meant we had another two tough matches to play just to get through the group. So much for the easy qualification I had in mind at the start.

The next three matches were heart-breaking - in all of them we started off leading before getting bogged down into a long, drawn out point which sapped our energy, leading to a loss in the dying minutes. One of the points went on for 15 minutes, which is unheard of - I mean, the matches are only 30 minutes long. I was impressed with the way the team was playing - they were using all the techniques that Mac (our wonderful coach) had been teaching them in practice, but try as we may, victory lay beyond our grasp. The fourth match of the weekend was the most devastating - after finishing bottom of our group after the first three matches, we were playing for a possible 16th place in the bottom division. It was a match we should have won - and we came tantalisingly close. Afterwards I could barely pick myself up to start the "cheer" for the other team (we sang "Country Road" to them with modified lyrics, they danced for us, it was special). Add in the fact that I'd watched England lose to Portugal on penalties in the World Cup the night before, and you can imagine that I wasn't feeling that sprightly.

It all came down to the last game - we were just playing for pride now. I was determined to go out with a win. Playing in the tournament had been fun, but we had to win just one game - we just had to. Luckily, we did. Everyone came through and we scored our first victory in the fizzling embers of the weekend, and by a considerable margin too. With that one win, it genuinely felt like we'd won the whole tournament, and I couldn't be happier. Finally, a well-deserved win - and anyone who says the other team were pissed is lying.

Final position: 18th out of 20 (I think, might have been 19th though)

Big thanks to Mac for being an ultimate-playing genius (respect), and a huge thank you to everyone who played on the team - you were all fantastic! I had a really great time, and I really appreciate the fact that you all took time out to come - it was a brilliant weekend. I love you guys! 

The Fukui Phoenix. [Top row, l to r] Mitsuji, Fong, Ryan, Jesse, Steph, Hudson, Matt, Mac, Michelle [Middle row] Flick, Angela, Kat, Sarah [Lying] Me (Lewis) and James.

Look at me - I'm bloody exhausted, and it's only the first game. I blame the guy I was marking and his crazy-long sprinting legs.

For the second game we were playing against another team in red, so the other team's captain and I flipped to see who would change shirts. Unfortunately, I lost the toss and we had to change into these beige shirts - which Hudson "Nice Guy" Hamilton soon befouled with another man's blood. Who said ultimate was non-contact?

Here I am! Check my awesome baldness.

Mitsuji shelters from the rain. It rained pretty much all day on Saturday, which made throwing the disc pretty difficult - as I discovered during a crucial throw when the disc slipped out of my hand and landed behind me. Not my proudest moment.

Mac defends as players rush either side. I think this shot gives you a good idea of what playing ultimate feels like - sprinting from one end of the field to the other, desperately trying to shake off your marker.

Hudson looks for space. Look at the determination in his eyes - the boy's a killer for sure.

Angela in action.

Ultimate fun

I went to Kanazawa in Ishigawa prefecture on Sunday, to play ultimate with the Hokkiriku team. It almost killed me, but I reckon it was worth it.

Despite going to bed at 4am and waking up with a terrible hangover, I still managed to make it to the meeting place in Fukui city - which is more than can be said for the rest of the lightweights which make up the Fukui Floods. Guys, if you're reading this, you are officially rubbish. 

Thanks to James and Hudson for sorting it all out, it was great fun

The Hokkiriku ultimate team.

A regrettable turn of events

There's been an incident. On Sunday 17th October, Mr Samuel Baldwin and I were engaged in a friendly bout of frisbee throwing on Mikata beach. Then, disaster. As he was lining up his umpteenth throw of the disc that day, Mr Samuel Baldwin made a grievous error: in his excitement he mistook me, a human being, for the Sea of Japan, and proceeded to lob the frisbee into the arms of old father Neptune. Not being one to give up an expensive piece of plastic so easily, I waded in after it, managing to retrieve the errant disc. But Neptune had other plans. In a wanton act of revenge he commanded the waves to rise up and dash upon my brow, leaving me soaked to the skin. With sand in my pants, too.

Unfortunately, my mobile phone was in my pocket at the time. And now it's buggered. 

DAMN YOU NEPTUNE! DAMN YOUR EYES!!!!!

Mikata Beach - beautiful, but deadly.

Myself, Lewis, pre-incident.

Mr Samuel Baldwin points to the spot where he lobbed my innocent frisbee into the cold embrace of the sea.

Sports are not my friend

I played in a football tournament at the weekend. Yes, you read that correctly, I played in a football tournament. It was the eastern leg of the Assistant Language Teachers Japan tournament - so there were teams from around 24 prefectures. And what's more, the Fukui team came fifth, thanks in part to some sterling right back defending from yours truly. We made it through to the knockout stages, but we were eventually beaten by the champions, who looked like professionals. Well, when I say they looked like professionals I mean they'd bothered to get some T-shirts with their names on printed up.

Then on Wednesday I took part in the school marathon. It wasn't quite a marathon (thank God), but it was still 10 kilometres, and it nearly killed me. Now I have blisters the size of golf balls and a comedy limp. I'm meant to be taking part in an Ultimate demonstration as part of "Health and Recreation Day" on Monday, but now its likely to be more of a falling over demonstration. I'm loving these brilliant national holidays by the way - it seems like the Japanese will make up any excuse for a day off - a few weeks ago it was "Respect for the Aged Day" and before that we had a day off for the "Autumnal Equinox". Apparently that last one has some sort of religious significance, but when I called up my supervisor to ask what it was she didn't have a clue.

Anyway, I have to go and teach kids about poetry, so I'll see you later, Lew.

The non-stop football and drinking was too much for some...