Glasgow One-day 2012

As most of you know last Sunday (7^th October) was the annual one day tournament in Glasgow. A chance for the beginners to play more indoors and a chance the Open squad to get some pitch time in before regionals. 

Beginners team:
Duffuls ©
Noblett ©
Fraser
Keir (MVP)
Jools
Pepe
Wojtek
Fletch

Experience Team:
Ross W © (injured)
Noblett
Deniz
Ben W
Ben K
Ross M
Nigel
Alex
Jake
Gaffers (MVP)

The beginners squad started off their campaign by playing against Flatball. They came through with a convincing victory, especially for a group of people that have played very little together: 9-2.  This was then followed by a solid speech from Hamish Duff “Your squad has a lot of diversity which worked well at times".  A man of few words, thankfully.

The experienced then played against Flatball and in a strange case of almost-Déjà vu the score line read Ro Sham 8 - Flatball 2. Not quite as good as our beginners counter parts, but a solid victory for the boys. 

The beginners then played against Farflung and during this game the boys were looking unstoppable. Some great grabs and a very slick looking offence lead to them hitting score cap sealing their first 11-0 victory. Mmmm bagels.

The experience were playing against Glasgow Club ultimate. A ropey start from our boys and a very fast and fluid play from Glasgow we lost 9-6. Kicked down, but by no means out of the tournament yet.

The beginners then had their next game against pick up and we thought it would be a good chance for the experienced side to show the begginers how to play indoors. The plan was to go 100% for the first 4 points, go 4-0 up and then ease off the gas and let them try some new stuff. Apparently the beginners weren't going to let us do that. After the first 3 points it was 2-1 to the old guys. Some great plays from the beginners, burning us deep, skying us on more occasions then I am proud of. This game was not going to be one that the experience could “ease off the gas for” these boys made us work hard for the entire game. But as the buzzer went it was 8-7 to the experience we managed to retain our dignity but only just.

The experience then went to play Horses and off the back of our “victory” against the beginners we had something to prove and a game to win. 8-7 to the good guys, both teams going into the semi-finals.

The beginners were playing Dundee and the experienced were playing Dundee. I’d like to say that we both came out victorious but once again it was the beginners showing the experienced how things should be done.  Beginners through the final, experience sent with their tail between their legs to go fight it out for 3/4.

The experience game came first and it was against Blaze. They were looking solid and we were not playing good enough D to shut them out. We were then making silly mistakes on O to let them capitalise on their lead, they went 6-3 up. Highlight of the match: Gaffers screaming and kicking a wall (we all love angry Gaffers). But like the little mouse in the bucket of cream, the boys kept of kicking and they turn that bucket into cheese. Bring it back to 10-10 all, universe point. Boys on D needed to get a block and put the score in, and that is just what they did. 11-10 Ro sham can go home with their head held high and watch the beginners play in their first ultimate final (of many).

Beginners were playing against Horses in the final. Well fought game that the beginners made look all too easy.  The scoreline may have looked close at times but the boys never looked in any danger of losing the game. Coupled with some great puts from both the captains they won the final with ease. Highlight of the final comes from Fletch. Picture this: he is on Defence, the disc is thrown to his man who has doubled back on his cut and miles away from getting a bid on it. Fletch runs past it a chest height and lets out a massive “boooom!” shout and he smashes that disc out of the air. Living up the Ro Sham title he didn’t even know that he had. Classic.

Great day all-round. The Experienced guys got a chance to try out their new Offence plays and have a few things to work on before regionals in just under a fortnight’s time. The beginners got to show the rest of Scotland that Ro Sham has huge prospects for the future. Does anyone remember who won MVP of Glasgow one day final in his first year? I heard he went on the play for GB or something like that… the future is looking very bright for all the beginners this year.

Ross Walder

Tournament Recap: Edinburgh Invite

 By Tom McClintock

Welcome readers to the first ever Tournament Recap here on Ro Sham Blogs. This weekend saw the hometown heroes host the Edinburgh Invite. As this is the first tournament since the inception of this blog we are breaking new ground here. Hopefully we'll be able to provide coverage of all of our future tournaments, especially Regional and National Championships. So without further adieu, let's get rolling!


Setting the Stage:
Edinburgh Invite was intended to give Scottish Uni teams a chance to compete in a one day event in the midst of most student's finals before the most important weekend of the year: the National Championships next weekend. With Aberdeen Mojo and Stirling Blaze unable to attend, this left Ro Sham Bo and the Shooting Stars to battle it out. A third team dubbed themselves the Edinburgh Squirrels participated. They were a sort of frankensteinesque conglomerate of Sneeekys, Fusion, and local pickup players that provided some variety and allowed teams to see some new looks.

A perfect storm of injuries, the flu, and non-ultimate commitments resulted in the Squirrels and Ro Sham combining forces to give Dundee two well spirited and hard fought games. Players rolled up between 10:30 and 11:30 AM. Some well rested, some not so much (looking at you Oli). The fireworks that took place on the fields drew literally ones of fans away from the Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon taking place not fifty yards from the sideline. As old bags wheezed on by towards the finish line at Holyrood Park, young spry legs got the most out of Sunday's morning games.




Game One:
In the afternoon's opening match up Stars took on the Squirrels who were supplemented by Ro Sham Bo's Mike Noblett, James Glover, Tom McClintock, and Ross Walder. Squirrels struck first after receiving downwind with Walder seeing Andy Quickfall (Fusion) in the endzone, but Dundee took the early break to take a 2 - 1 lead after a flick to space from Andy McCilwrath found Dave Alexander in the back corner. Stars would break again three points later with the same throw to make the score 4 - 2, but this time from Jared Cordner to rookie standout Andy 'Dickers' Dick, who made his first-team debut at Regionals just a few weeks ago.

Ro Sham finally recovered one break when Walder and Quickfall reversed rolls to score an upwinder to even the score at 5's. This was only a hiccup for Dundee though, as their O-line marched up the field to score 6 - 5, and Cordner found primary cutter Graeme McDowell after an untimely Squirrels drop to reclaim their two point advantage. At this point, however, our local heroes had enough of this outsider success and decided to step their game up. The next four points saw eight different players earn fantasy points for the Squirrels, highlighted by Barry O'Kane (Fusion and GB Masters) finding Quickfall on the breakside with a hammer. Stars' O-line took to the field to stop the bleeding with Cordner hitting Dave Rostill to bring the score to 9 - 8, advantage Squirrels, however this would prove to be only a temporary reprieve. The Squirrels continued to throw both junk and FSU zones to force Dundee handlers to either throw over the cup or bring McDowell to play behind the disc rather than in front of it. In this uncomfortable position the Stars were unable to navigate the field with consistency, allowing Fusion teammates Noblett, Glover, McClintock, Quickfall, and late addition Ali Brown to connect on the last four points and close out the morning round.


Final score: 
Squirrels 13 Stars 9.


Playmakers: 
Stars Jared Cordner (5 assists, 1 goal)
Squirrels Andy Quickfall (1 assist, 3 goals)


Game Two, the Rematch:
The second game of the day was supposed to be Ro Sham Bo vs. Shooting Stars, however with Ro Sham only able to field eight players due to a combination of factors, the Squirrels reformed to give Stars another go. Team leaders decided to split the Edinburgh team into two lines that each played back to back points before switching: a Ro Sham line and an Edinburgh Celebrity (a.k.a. everybody else) line.


Dundee came charging out of the gate with a changed mindset and renewed vigor. Ro Sham took to the pitch first and traded points with Dundee to make the score 1 - 1. With the addition of cutters Connor Gaffney and Johnny Towler, Ro Sham was able to play a more disciplined style and run their set plays much more easily. For the visiting team Ciaran Delaney, Neil Henderson, and Isaac Smith were able to come alive, finding space against zones and in their roundhouse both underneath and deep. Critically, Dundee was able to work the weak side, as Cordner hit McCilwrath with an around break to make the score 5 - 2 only twenty minutes into the game. As the Celebrities took to the field they responded in resounding fashion. Quickfall caught an underneath pass from Oliver Browne (Sneeekys), pivoted wide and ripped a massive flick in the direction John Stainsby (Sneeekys and Heriot-Watt). Stainsby kept his eyes on the floaty disc but kept his defender McDowell in his peripheral. McDowell, known for his his bids, throws, and especially his ups, was not prepared for the athleticism of Stainsby; a relative unknown outside of the local scene. Stainsby showed why he deserves more respect around Scotland, and got an easy four inches over McDowell to make the catch deep in the endzone to put one more on the board for the home team.

Ro Sham and the Stars traded the next two points and Dundee would go on to take half 7 - 4 on the ensuing possession. Out of half it was much the same, with Henderson finding Alexander to widen the gap to 8 - 4. At this point two diverging story-lines emerged. With the split lines for the Squirrels, we saw two very different teams taking to the pitch every two points. While the Celebs would not find the key to score the rest of the game, the Ro Sham Bo line would not miss a point. Five players for Ro Sham threw for scores including Noblett (twice), Glover, McClintock, Walder, and Gaffers, with four of those scores made by the speedy Towler. For Stars, Pierre McCarthy and Toby Waterhouse found space against the Celeb zone looks and kept Dundee either three or four points ahead at all times.

Dundee would go on to win the game 13 - 10 after capping it off against the Celebs on the eleventh time their line took to the field with only two subs, however the statistic to remember is the 9 - 3 differential between the Ro Sham Bo line and the Stars. Standout players for the visiting team included McDowell, who made a filthy bid on a huck from Cordner that was unfortunately brought back due to an unrelated pick call, as well as Dickers, who got up over a group of players to make a momentum saving grab against Ro Sham's junk set as well as getting a run-through D against the Celebs on an undercut which would later lead to a break for Dundee. For the Squirrels, few could argue that the big guns were Towler and Noblett. Towler racked up his four scores in the second half to prove that he deserves to play first team, despite being off the squad for the indoor season. Noblett was able to live up to his Fusion nickname by putting up big numbers on both sides of the disc, and provided a firm foundation and first look as Ro Sham Bo found their rhythm.


Final Score:
Stars 13 Squirrels 10


Playmakers:
Stars Graeme McDowell (1 assist, 3 goals)
Squirrels Mike Noblett (3 assists, 3 goals)


Looking Ahead:

Game two may play spoiler to an eventual Finals or Semifinals matchup between Scotland's two powerhouses next weekend at the National Championships. The big question for both of these teams is how they can adjust their game and prepare for more diverse competition down South. The Shooting Stars will be bolstered by the addition of offensive handler Chris Hunter and defensive specialist Jo Trotter. Will these two be able to reproduce the chemistry displayed by Dundee at Regionals that allowed them to make their spectacular comeback? Ro Sham Bo will see even more additions. While Jay Felver-Gant, Todd Graham, and previous UKU Champion Jack Beezer will surely add life to the sometimes stagnant O-line, the biggest splash could be standout rookie Jake Cowpland. Cowpland led Ro Sham in D's at Mixed Nationals and has demonstrated tremendous improvement each time he takes to the pitch, whether it's on offense or defense.

Stars are looking to be among the top seeds at the championship, while Ro Sham is likely to be horrifically underseeded, coming in around 10th spot, so upsets will be the name of the game. Will the Open title finally return to Scotland? And if so, where is it going? Get ready for fireworks when these teams get to work next weekend and chase down the title. Stay tuned to Ro Sham Blogs for a recap, and thanks again for reading!


*Many pictures courtesy of Rob Starr and Jo Trottet.

Player Profile: James D. Glover, Ph.D.

By Tom McClintock

Hello again everybody. In this installment of Player Profiles we'll be getting to know the beloved James Glover. You may know him from Ro Sham Bo, Flatball, Fusion, or any of the local nudie bars around the city. As you'll soon come to realize, Glover is no stranger to top level ultimate, and with Outdoor Nationals coming up Glover is looking to lead his teammates to a championship. We'll also hear a little bit about the work he does in the lab, his future plans, and the story behind his chest hair. Thus, if you feel prepared, read on at your own risk.

People want to know the man behind the muscles. When and where did you start playing ultimate, and what drew you to the sport?

I started playing in my second week at uni in St Andrews. The pitches were next to our student accommodation, so my flatmates and I thought we would go check out the 'taster' session. We enjoyed the first session and then swiftly went to the social in the evening. We got absolutely hammered, got on really well with people in the club and the rest is history. I played two tournaments in my first month and from then on was hooked. 

Tell us about your involvement with Fusion and Black Eagles.

I have been involved with Fusion in one way or another since my first 6 months playing. I played tour with them in my 3rd year and then when I moved to Edinburgh I got very involved. I have been one of the captains of Fusion for the last two seasons, and we have been regularly competing for a top four place in the UK and have qualified for Europeans 2 years in a row. The year when it was Noblett's stag was the best, ask him about the teddy bear! It's a brilliant club to play with, the camaraderie in the team is second to none and we have had numerous players represent GB. In the last few years we have been trying to bring young players into our team, get them experiencing ultimate at the top level and generally increase the level of ultimate across Scotland. Been involved with Fusion is probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of ultimate for me.

Black eagles is a completely different kettle of fish. Me and Gordon drunkenly conceived the team whilst at a party. The name came first, followed by that kit! Most of you have probably seen it, it looks like a Danish death metal band's album cover, with eagles fighting bears. However the team itself is actually quite talented. We finished 6th at MT1 this year, having never played together, winning 3 games in sudden death. Our eventual plan is to go to worlds with this team, and just party. 

Reflecting on your many years on the Uni ultimate scene, what have been some highlights for you?

I have 3 experiences which really stand out for me. Firstly in my 2nd year at St Andrews we came 3rd at indoor nationals. This was the first time medals were up for grabs at tournaments and we had to play Bristol in a 3 vs 4 match. After losing heavily to them in pool play the day before, we got our revenge and won in sudden death. We also won spirit at this tournament, along with every other uni tournament that year.

My second highlight is from my final year in St Andrews. We were in the quarter final against Cambridge on the Sunday morning of outdoor nationals. At half time were 7-0 down. The sh*t had already hit the fan, and covered everything around so the only thing left to do was just fight. We came out on offense and scored 8 points in a row, eventually winning the game 11-9. I will always remember a team coming together in one moment and just believing in themselves. Plus it was hilarious because the captain from Cambridge looked like a Hamster, and when we won his sad droopy face was a picture.

The third experience that really stands out for me is outdoor nationals in my first year at Ro Sham. Again in a quarter final, I found myself in a team down at half, this time it was against dirty dirty Manchester. We rallied back to win in sudden death, with a cheeky hammer from Cosmic. We continued on to win the semi against Warwick and played Portsmouth in the final. We sadly lost the final, but the team ethos was fantastic and it was just a really great time. Plus we had topless rugby watching and an epic songwriting session on the coach down. That year we also had 6 players represent Great Britain in Florence, which demonstrated the caliber of players that Edinburgh continues to produce. 

I understand you're doing a PhD here in Edinburgh, what type of research do you do?

I am a biologist and primarily work on a type of stem cell. Basically if you ask anybody what I do, they say I make green chickens. This is not exactly true, I don't spend my days creating a Frankensteinian zoo, although that I do work on chickens. I am primarily looking at what keeps a sex cell, a sex cell and not revert back to another type of body tissue. And that's enough about my work...

(If you're interested in reading about some of Glover's work, his two publications can be found here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2993963/

and here:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0015518

The first paper is free to download from, no joke, the Journal of Poultry Science, while the second is unfortunately proprietary.)

What are your plans after graduate school? Will ultimate still be part of your life?

I am not sure of my exact plans after I graduate, again. I am thinking about moving to Canada, so if I move there I will probably continue to play one or two seasons with either Goat or Furious. But seen as though all of my friends are in Edinburgh and the rest of the UK, I will most likely end up pussying out and stay here. If that happens I will play Fusion until my legs eventually pack up then pursue my life goal of becoming a professional figure skater.

Were you born with a hairy chest, or did you use Rogaine when you hit puberty?

I was actually born with a hairy chest and beard. I'll try and dig out the pictures. My dad had always questioned my mothers fidelity, as he is convinced she got a bit 'too intimate' with a wolf.

You know, some say that the only way to kill Glover is to shoot his chest hair with a silver bullet, or stab it with a silver stake, or trim it with silver scissors. Whatever the case, the man has some super-human ultimate powers, so beware if you see him step onto the pitch. If you want to see Glover in action, check him out at this Sunday's Edinburgh Invitational or next weekend at University Outdoor Nationals. Until next time, thanks again for reading Ro Sham Blogs.

Where are they now? Kevin Yngve, Marc Langer, and Charlie Patten

By Tom McClintock

Each fall indoor season Ro Sham Bo is bolstered by the addition of experienced Americans studying for a semester abroad. Quite often, ultimate players choose Edinburgh based purely on reputation and a guarantee to have a realistic goal of winning a championship. This fall saw the addition of three key players that helped Ro Sham reclaim the title of Scottish Indoor Champions and put up stiff competition at the National Championships. These players are ones we all know and love: Kevin Yngve, Marc Langer, and Charlie Patten.

We caught up with these old hombres to see how they're spring season was shaping up, and asked them if they could reflect a bit on their time in Edinburgh playing for the white and blue. Let's see what they had to say.

Where is he now? Kevin Yngve #11 Northwestern University NUT

After playing for both the Mens and Mixed teams where he contributed on both sides of the disc, Kevin headed home to Chi City to get back to his roots. Returning to his States-side team, Kevin and his NUTty crew began their spring season by topping their pool at Huck Finn in St. Louis, Missouri. NUT would go on to finish the tournament in 7th place after a rough sunday, but their mouths are still watering as they sit at the 10th seed looking ahead to the Great Lakes Regionals. This will have them likely colliding head-on with Michigan Magnum in the second round. Look for Kevin to be the rock that Northwestern relies on as he closes out his final college season, just as he was when games got tight for Ro Sham Bo.

Ro Sham Blogs: Kevin, during the indoor season you were a staple for the team's offensive line, being able to provide a constant threat of scoring in the air. Aside from the high octane play of the Mens 1st team, what was your favorite part about playing ultimate in Edinburgh?

Kevin: Wednesdays. Training for hours in the mud, playing pick-up afterwards until it got dark, then going to Finnegan's Wake and spending all my money on pints. It wasn't as adrenaline-pumping as qualifying for indoor nationals, it wasn't as fast-paced as 1st team indoor training, but it was a full day of the things I enjoy more than anything else with a fantastic group of ladies and gents.

Ro Sham Blogs: Very nice. I remember you being the only person in shorts and a tank top when there was ice on the ground. Now that you're back in the states and competing with NUT, would you mind sharing a story with us from your travels with the team this spring?

Kevin: Saint Patty's day in New Orleans. I taught my team how to play "called/tell her", and we played it all night on Bourbon street. Lots of push-ups were done in bars, clubs, and on the street, and a great many women were complimented on their tits.

Ro Sham Blogs: I'm sure their tits were very nice.

Where is he now? Marc Langer #19 Brown University Brownian Motion

Marc was a defensive force to be reckoned with during his time on Ro Sham Bo. Rather than rely on jumping ability or pure speed employed by other top notch defenders, Marc put his body on the line to contest every in-cut. Often ending up more horizontal then the ladies he tangos with, Marc easily had the prettiest bids on the team this past fall. New England ultimate is no cake walk as this author can attest to, and if you asked what kind of players this unforgiving region churns out then Marc would be your perfect example. Brownian Motion has had its ups and downs this spring, most recently losing in the finals of DC Tune-Up to Rutgers Machine. With Connecticut Booty Call in the near future, Brown will look to step up their D game led by our very own Marcie Marc to allow their disciplined offense to make noise. It's likely that their region ranking will change after this weekend, but if they still linger at the halfway line come Series time then expect them to break seed.

Ro Sham Blogs: Marc, tell us what your fondest memory was during the indoor season in Scotland?

Marc: Fondest Memory would definitely have to be the huge OT Regionals win over Dundee. Charlie to Marc was the American connection for the tying score, if I remember correctly. (which I do) Also the subsequent beer drinking from the trophy, equally epic. 

Ro Sham Blogs: It was definitely a time for elation and revelry. Now that you're back in the states playing with the perennial powerhouse Brownian Motion, can you tell us a highlight from your spring season so far?

Marc: Personal highlight of the spring so far has definitely been getting a chance to travel to San Diego, California, which looks like this: 

and playing ultimate there instead of inside on a basketball court (no offense Britain). Say hello to everyone in RoShamLand for me. 

Ro Sham Blogs: I think you'll be pleased to hear that we've expanded RoShamLand to include the internet as well. 

After some Google-fu we were able to track down a video of the Arizona vs. Brown game at the Presidents' Day Classic in La Jolla, CA. It can be found here (it becomes tolerable to watch at 7:50, and Marc is in white wearing #19 with a backwards hat on):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3sNBVXvl9c&context=C42a8188ADvjVQa1PpcFMTom0_aK7XlYu2NdBy89VL6_UvCIFAUCc=

Where is he now? Charlie "Pecs" Patten #25 Georgetown University Catholic Justice

Whether it's discs or hearts, Charlie handles them with care and compassion. His deft throws often landed perfectly into his receiver's hands in close games playing with Ro Sham Bo. Back in everyone's favorite District, Charlie has been guiding his team to what could be the best year for Catholic Justice since the Spanish Inquisition. Georgetown has continued to refine their game since starting off the season with a semifinals loss to #17 in the country UConn at Hellfish Bonanza in Harrisburg, VA. After a mediocre performance at Roll Call in their home city, Charlie and his squad are poised to make a mad dash for the single bid to Nationals granted to the Atlantic Coast. Currently seeded 8th, with no tournaments besides conferences on the radar, Georgetown is set to clash with #10 in the country UNC Darkside early in the tournament, either in the second round of elimination or in the last game of pool play. Darkside has consistently shown chinks in their armor, and if Charlie's high Ultimate IQ and handling experience can find and exploit these weaknesses then don't be surprised if Georgetown becomes the new Cinderella. 

Ro Sham Blogs: We all know that you're making history for Goergetown this spring, but you've already ingrained yourself in the history of Ro Sham Bo. In your opinion, what was the best moment in your part of that history?

Charlie: Man, there were definitely a lot of great great times and lasting memories, but I'm going to have to go with the finals games of Open Indoor Regionals. The Ro Sham first team was an odd combination of Americans and Brits: some in grad school, some just around for the semester, and some regular 4 year undergrads. We'd only been practicing and playing together for a short time, but Ro Sham had been playing lights out all day. Unfortunately, we hit a brick wall against a tough Dundee team that, from what I was told, had been playing together for a long time. We quickly dug ourselves into a 4-0 hole. But everyone on our team knew that we weren't out of the game. After calling a time out, we clawed our way back, and sure enough managed to tie the score at 6 with less than a minute to go. After some tense moments regarding confusion of the score (cough cough Tom) and overtime rules, Ro Sham scored the go ahead point to win the tournament. That comeback and how our team responded to the first real instance of adversity were all really exciting. But it was more than just that. Having the second and third teams cheering for us along our sideline and from the viewing deck above and being there to celebrate with all of us added to the experience. As someone who was only around for a semester it was amazing how quickly our team was able to bond and have a great time at a tournament like that.

Ro Sham Blogs: I'm glad you had to point out my little mishap. Back to the success that you're having in the States, what do you consider the highlight moment thus far?

Charlie: My personal highlight for the spring season so far came against the University of Delaware in a cross-over game at Hellfish Bonanza. Georgetown and Delaware both won their pools and were playing for better positioning in the bracket the next day. In the three years I have been playing for Georgetown we have never beaten Delaware. They've always been known for having a team that consistently finishes towards the top of the region and were extremely cocky as the game was about to begin. However, on that very windy afternoon, after a long day of ultimate we found ourselves up by one on an offensive point upwind. Score and we win the game. Give up the point and it would come down to universe. As it turned out, I got the disc in front of the endzone, called our endzone play, and set myself up for a IO inside break flick to my cutter in the endzone. That throw had been my go-to throw the entire game and I'd been beating my mark, so he was ready for it. However, this time, instead of releasing the disc, I threw a big pump fake, got my mark off balance, and finished the game with a backhand break into the endzone. The only thing that trumped throwing the winning score was seeing the stunned look on every guy's face from Delaware after losing to Georgetown.

Ro Sham Blogs: I think that Stars had that very same look in the fall. I couldn't think of a better man to have at the helm, Charlie!

That's all we've got for you in this edition of "Where are they now?" Stay tuned as we seek out some senior ex-Ro Shammers in our next edition, and get excited to see how our friends across the pond shape up during the tail end of their season!

*Some photos by Kevin W. Leclaire from www.ultiphotos.com.

Frisbee Golf on the Meadows: How It Was, How It Changed, and How It Could Have Been

By Tom McClintock

The seeds of success of Ro Sham Bo had been sown in the Meadows; the great green lawn of our city. Our fair fields share a very important purpose that runs tangent to serving as our practice grounds, and that is playing host to Edinburgh's very own Frisbee Golf Course. Recently, Hamish Duff and Simon Stokes published course maps of the eighteen holes of glory, as seen below.

Starting in between the tennis courts and the main children's playground, the course runs down to the large tree on the south side of the east lawn, then runs west along Melville Drive where players aim for various objects, the shoots north up the west path that connects to Middle Meadows Walk, then turns back east behind the library, crosses over the rusty-ass sorry-excuse for a kid's park, then ends back where we started. The course is a thrilling test of touch, power, and judgement as each hole plays slightly differently.

Now that we're familiar with how the course looks now, let's think about how the course looked in the past as the Meadows has changed over time. We'll also delve into the realm of possibility as we wonder what our disc golfing days might be like if certain proposed changes for the Meadows had come about.

The Good(?) Ol' Days

Ages ago, the Meadows was the site of the Borough-Loch, which as part of the greater Borough Muir. This swamped out track of land would have been super duper difficult to play frisbee on. Let's start out by saying that every square inch would be a literal water hazard. We'd be playing in water that was "used for washing animals and depositing rubbish, in spite of it being a water supply and dumping strictly forbidden." Goddam. That's a tough course. My expert suggestion would be heavy use of upside down backhands to get maximum water skippage, as well as an enormous pair of Wellies. We see below in this map from 1582 drawn by Franz Hogenberg and Georg Braun that the present day meadows didn't even fall within the city of Edinburgh. 

Thus, while we'd be water logged if we played the exact course we do today, we could always modify our course to include, oh I don't know, the rest of the goddam country, since there was nothing built. On top of that, we'd be playing in baggy pantaloons, carrying swords, and engaging in duels. Hey as a matter of fact that actually sounds pretty fun.

Hope's Park

In the mid-seventeenth century the Loch was partially drained and renamed Straiton's Loch after some fat burgess. It wasn't until 1722 that someone with their act together decided to do something about this festering swamp pit, and that someone was Sir Thomas Hope. Hope drained the loch completely and improved the area over the next few decades, as seen in the inset from John Bartholomew's 1919 map of Edinburgh that included all major renovations from forever ago to then.

Hope's newly made park was named after him for a while and its improvements included the construction modern day Middle Meadow Walk, the surrounding avenue, and the planting of trees that are still there today. In addition to that, he also built a house on the Meadows. While not technically public property at this time, I doubt that this dude would have minded a group of rowdy uni students tossing a flatball across his yard. Thanks for that, Tommy boy.

It's also at this time that the modern day course could have taken some serious detours. Hope had his own vision for the Meadows that weren't so hot. When he first built the Middle Meadow Walk it was a raised causeway over what remained of the Loch. He wanted to pretty much turn this into another garden of Versailles. In fact, Hope wanted the path to be flanked by nine foot wide canals. While these were never completed, the dips in the ground next to the path are apparently the remains of the start of that project. Thank goodness that someone realized that this was a horrible idea, and would have totally chopped Ro Sham Bo's frisbee golf course in half 290 years in the future.

Ro Sham Bo, on the Archery Range, with the Lead Pipe

Luckily Hope's dreams didn't come true, but that didn't stop the Meadows from undergoing some weird renovations. The two following maps show some wild features that would have really jammed our game up. 

In the first map, made by John Ainslie in 1804, we see that our present day first hole tee box was occupied by an archery range where the Royal Company of Archers practiced. How the hell are you supposed to rip backhands when you have arrows flying at you? It's tough but I think we'd manage. The second map, drawn by James Kirkwood in 1821, shows that two aboveground pipes went directly across the Meadows. According to the City of Edinburgh Recreation Department, the level of the Meadows was much lower than at present. These pipes "passed over on a covered conduit with a dry arch under its deepest part." I'm betting that these arches would provide some perfect opportunities to weave some sick IO throws, and I think that if these pipes still existed then the only way for a disc to cross the pipes would be with a mandatory overhead over the raised conduits.

The Meadows As We Know It, Thankfully

After the land was filled in, the Meadows has pretty much remained the same. Aside from some different path patterns, as we saw in Ainslie's 1804 map, really not much has changed. From 1849 to 1853 the west side of the park was used as a 'sheep ree', and the enclosed animals were regularly allowed out to mow the grass for us. This would have probably been the toughest time for us to play, since aside from dodging poo and trying to not hit the livestock with our pulls, for the most part our present course would not overlap the animal pens. At least the vet players would be hanging out with the team more often.

It's important to note that we really dodged a bullet in the 60's, when a proposed flyover motorway was about to be built over the Meadows, until the plan was shot down by the public. Imagine, playing frisbee golf underneath a freaking highway. I don't know a much better way to feel really sketchy while throwing a disc, so I'm very happy that didn't happen.

Whatever happens the Meadows in the future, I'm sure we can all agree that it will be the home turf of Ro Sham Bo. It may be a little muddy at times and it may get crowded when it's nice, but it's our fields, much like it was theirs then.

Sources:

Friends of the Meadows and the Bruntsfield Links, http://www.fombl.org.uk/hist.html

Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Meadows_(park)

The National Library of Scotland, http://maps.nls.uk/towns/index.html#edinburgh-city

Player Profile: Kate "The Great" Farmer

Player Profile: Kate "The Great" Farmer

Kicking off our foray into the blogosphere is our first player profile! Our very own Kate Farmer is here to answer questions about her past, present, and future as an ultimate superstar. When she isn't rocking out on the pitch she can be seen frequenting the local schools, spreading knowledge and a love of the greatest sport ever.

When and where did you start playing ultimate, and what got you into the sport?

I first heard about Ultimate because my older brother played in school for a while and I'd go and throw with him in the garden after school, though I was lousy at it! I started playing ultimate in high school towards the end of 2005 and I joined the team as, no joke, I fancied one of the lads on the team. But after a few weeks I started to get quite good and really enjoyed it. I played for the school team (Ocelots) through the rest of my time at high school and sixth form, helping coach the younger players in my final year.

Tell us about your time playing for GB. Do you plan on representing the UK in the future?

In the spring of 2006 my school coach, Kev Lowe, told me to go along to a GB trial for the U20 women's team, so I went along on a whim and the next thing I knew I was flying out to Latvia for a small European tournament (womens ultimate wasn't all that big at this stage so not many countries in Europe were scouting for national teams), I had an amazing time out there with a great team. The year after I tried out for the U20s  team that was going to represent GB in Southampton and ended up being selected to play both U17 and U20 (you're no longer allowed to do this) so went to Southampton for Europeans (my first gold medal!) and Latvia for a second time to play U17s in an tournament similar to the one the previous year.

2008 brought around the World Championships in Vancouver, Canada and this was the best two weeks of my life. It was the first time I'd seen teams from all over the world, competing in 6 divisions and playing against the japanese, columbians, canadians, americans, swedish to name a few was a really amazing experience. The 2 years that followed I played in Vienna (Junior Europeans) and then Germany (Junior Worlds). In Germany I captained the team with Hannah Randles which was a really proud moment for me and taught me how much of a challenge captaining a team at that level can be, but it was also one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. Over the next couple of years I might try out for the U23 team, but the time and financial commitment required to play at that level meant that last year I needed to focus on my degree.

What brought you to the Edinburgh ladies team? Can you reflect on the recent championships and tell us a little about what you have planned for the future?

I chose Edinburgh Uni on it's reputation but mainly it's ultimate team, and when I arrived I was far from disappointed and from the word go had set my heart on becoming the women's captain in my final year. Playing on the women's team the last three years has been great and captaining the team next year is so exciting! Winning indoor nationals the last 2 years on the trot gives me one clear aim for my year as captain: get a third gold medal, and our team is getting nothing but stronger. I'll be focussing on new offensive plays early on in the year and I want to set up the team so that they have the skills they'll need to keep the winning streak running for the next couple of years. I have a couple of individuals pin pointed as future stars who I'll be spending time working with and I want to make sure that I'm using the experience that I'm so lucky to have to help the team to continue improving as a whole.

In your opinion, what sets Edinburgh apart from the rest of the pack in the world of Ultimate?

Ro Sham is set apart from other teams because of our aggressive attitude. Some teams might call us arrogant but we're simply a powerhouse and play to win, losing simply isn't an option and this is what wins us games.

What is your power animal and how has it helped elevate your frisbee game?

I wouldn't say I have a power animal but within the GB team I was known as 'Macaw' (it's compulsory to have an animal name and that's why I have a macaw anklet) but I think that's because they couldn't shut me up..! Someone once told me on pitch "to find your inner chimp, even if you don't know what that means".

Imagine the year is 2020 and you're on Sky Sports representing the UK at the Olympics, what do you say to the world to get people excited to play ultimate?

If I were speaking to the world I'd have to tell them that Ultimate is simply the best sport they've never played, as if they could watch it without feeling excited! I hope that Ultimate can one day make it into the olympics; as soon as it's in the world's eyeline there'll be no stopping us.

Well there you have it folks! The one and only Kate Farmer. I remember fondly attending my first social, and when the team finally migrated to the Liquid Room next door, Kate was the first to hit the dance floor. At the Indoor Championships Kate was a pivotal player, bringing an intensity to each game, each point, and each play on the disc. It should be clear that she isn't going anywhere soon, and if her pedigree is any indication of what's in store, then both UK and international competition better get ready for this powerhouse!

Keep your eyes open for more profiles. There's plenty of Ro Shammers to go around!

Cheers,

Tom McClintock

Hello world! If you've found this blog it means that you have heard of the University of Edinburgh ultimate frisbee team, Ro Sham Bo. We're happy to announce to creation of our new blog, which you are reading RIGHT NOW. This will run parallel to the team website, which can be found at: http://ultimaf.eusu.ed.ac.uk/, and will offer interesting stories, updates, and news about everybody's favorite group of rag tag ultimate team.

We're hoping to accomplish two things by starting this blog. First, we'd like to be offer prospective students and ultimate players a chance to see the inner workings of Ro Sham Bo. We'll have tournament recaps, player profiles, and jumbles of our author's thoughts for you to feast upon. We welcome any and all interested members, whether you're an incoming fresher, a potential post-grad, or even a third year looking to get your exercise on! Second, we're hoping that this blog will serve as a conduit for our alumni, friends, and famiy. Anyone on Ro Sham Bo can tell you that being part of this team is a highlight of their time at Uni, and since we know that we'd love to keep in touch with the team when we leave, we're hoping you will be interested too!

Unfortunately we cannot guarantee posts at any regular rate since we do indeed have work to get done eventually, but we can guarantee to give you some neat material whenever we can! Thanks for reading this first post, and if we can't keep in touch with you on the fields, at least we can keep in touch on the web!

Cheers,

Connor McIntosh & Tom McClintock