Outside-In Nationals Previews: Saturday

your hosts...

Welcome back to Outside IN.  If you’re just tuning in, Go HERE for what to do on Thursday, And which games to watch on Friday.  But to summarize, Go see a show Thursday, Ride around on a bike, sit down between fields 3, and 4, on Friday, and watch 8 1v2 games unfold before your eyes.

The USA Ultimate Event guide is now up, and is viewable HERE.    

The link to yesterday’s Outside – in Tourism write up is HERE, if you want some Thursday and Friday night activity suggestions, and a couple places to rent a bike for transport around town.

But Saturday is moving day.  Some teams come in with the pool all but locked up, some come in all but knocked out, and some come in needing help, and some come in holding on for dear life, but with their destiny still in their hands.

If you wake up with time to spare, hit the Bagels forever on university.  

omnomnom

Or, even better, Gotham Bagels. According to our correspondent on the ground, Gotham Bagels is "5 greater than signs better than" Bagels Forever.  blogger won't let me type that, it converts it to gibberish.   I don't know if that just means just 'greater than' or "5x greater than."  But, it's definitely fish scales above Bagels Forever.   But, this is probably moot if, despite my best efforts, you’re probably driving, and hoteling, when you could be cribbin’ and biking. Just eat your complimentary waffle.

If you’re running short on time, McFood it is.  Let’s brown bag the lunch today, as we’ve been dipping deep into our paltry budget.  A little bread and some hard cheese, and an apple will tide you over through the day.  And Coffee.  Lot’s of it.  

I’ve got a few suggestions for games to watch Saturday, but much will depend on what happened Friday. But here we go with some pie in the sky predictions, starting with the boys.  And note, since we're in Wisconsin, we'll take our sky pie with cheddar.

Open Play preview, day 2.

quack

Round 1

Saturday, I’d go Oregon vs Dartmouth at 830 on field 4.  Oregon Should be in good shape by now, but even after preparation, and planning, 8:30 will still feel early to the big Green Machine.  And I mean Oregon, not Dartmouth, whose mascot is The Big Green.   Or a giant anthropomorphic, Keg, but I kind of think Dartmouth has kiboshed that.

In Round 2, I’d go UNC v. Ohio at 10:30 on field 4, as a potentially important game,  and in Round 3 Texas v. Wilmington on field 5 at 1230,

The round 4 game at 2:30 game is tougher.  I’ll make my decision based on the Big board.  For someone, this game will be a must win pre-pre-quarter.  Watch that one.

But with no idea at this time as to what games will matter, let’s just say maybe Central Florida vs Ohio at 230.  Or Carleton v. Harvard.  Hmm.  State Schools or Private.  Which to watch?

Well, a lot depends on if you care to know that “actually, players dived.“  Or that Carleton would prefer ‘to go boldly’ rather than ‘to boldly go.’  I’m going state school grit for my entertainment dollar here.

On Saturday, The best Girls games to watch might be:

Round 1, If you want to get up early, catch Oregon v. Stanford at 8:30.  Should be solid, and the ‘Old Northwest’ battles still carry some cache.

Round 2:  then either the Iowa v. Washington game on field 1, or the Carleton v. UGA game at 10:30 on field 10. 

Round 3: I’d go Tufts UW at 12:30 on Field 4.  This brings together 2 prominent Callahan contenders, and has potential to be the off ramp to the dirt road.  The 3 seed gets the harder Match-up in pre-quarters, but, there don’t look to be too many pushover wins in prequarters. 

Round 4, Probably  UBC v. UGA at 2:30.   I’d make a dash to grab some food, and get ready for the play-in pre-quarters at 5:00.

Play will end fairly late on Saturday.  If you’ve been following the action well, you’re probably pretty tired.  There’s plenty to do in Madison on memorial day weekend, such as The  World’s Largest Brat fest?  That’s what USA ultimate is pushing.  The web site is HERE.  This involves highways, and exits and parking.  Aren't you biking like I suggested?

Plus, Brat fest just sounds like “crowds” to me, along with 3rd tier American Idol cover bands..  Of more interest to me is the PEOPLE’s Brat Fest, which sounds like Occupy Brat Fest.  It's on campus somewhere.  You're not actually going there.  Here is what you really want to do.  Why don’t you just go find a quiet place and catch the Spurs v. Grizzlies match up, and eat some local food?

I was told to go to the Old Fashioned downtown, get some cheese curds and a #38 (think it’s a Brat), but I can’t tell if they have the games on.  Bike down town, and walk around until you find something that looks good.  But, do get a brat, and some cheese curds.  It’s a thing.

It’s pushing 11 by now.  Unless you’re plan is some fear and loathing in Cheese country, I’d probably wind it down.   We’ll be changing venues for Sunday and moving to Madison Memorial High School.  Quarters start at 8:30a.m., and Semi Finals start at Noon.  And games will be continuing late into the twilight under the lights.  We'll also have the presentation of the 2013 Callahan MVP awards.  

We'll be back tomorrow with the Callahan preview.  Tune in sports fans.  I'll also publish my bracket, but, It's sort of an exercise in futility.  

(c)MorrisonLukeSmith

Hype man's guide to USA ULTIMATE College Nationals. Thursday / Friday.

First USA Ultimate Nationals as a spectator?  Are you a recent Alum looking to get the low down on what to watch, and who to see?  A Local of Madison who just wants to check out the fun fast paced sport of the 21^st century?

Welcome to Outside In, where I give you the straight up PLAN to enjoying your spectating experience.  The whosits, whatsits and wheresits to enjoy your stay in Madison.  It’s an outsider’s take on the inside scoop.  Little secret, I use a little thing called the INTERWEBS, invented by Thomas Jefferson and Al Gore.  Off to Madison…  Let’s talk about what to do when you’re not at the game, where to eat, and also, of course, scout the games.

Most of this is what you should be doing when you’re NOT watching Frisbee.  But I got some game watching thoughts in there, also.

Days 1 and 2 are held at the Reddan Soccer fields in Verona, WI.  Looks like basically a suburb.  There is probably plenty of McFood around.  But it looks like campus is less than 10 miles away.  I’d at least head into Madison Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.  If you’re staying in a tournament hotel, I’d hit the Homewood or the Hampton on Commerce, as they are a little closer to Madison, and the fields aren’t that far from anything. 

BEST CHOICE FOR GOOD TIME:  Contact someone in Madison.  Bribe them for couch space.  Rent bikes.  Seriously, If you know anyone in downtown Madison, I’d rent a bike for the 4 days, and ride the bike route out to the fields; again, this is one of the great cycling communities in America.  Take advantage.  Pay less than $80 for 4 days of cycling.  Buy something for your host.

The weather looks decent for spectating.  Cool temps, and light breezes less than 10mph should make for appearance of actual ultimate-like substance.  A blessing after Sarasota gales, and Boulder, er, Gales.

DO: Get there Thurdsay, and if the weather is good, go for a bike ride.  Outside Magazine recommends Madison as one of the greatest bike towns in America.  For pure entertainment value, I think someone needs to check out the “Red Bikes.” 

I Have no idea if these bikes are what you want to have to ride .  They may just be beaters, but, I think you need your picture taken with a “RedBike.”

If you’ve followed my advice, and contacted the Madison Ultimate Community, You’ve got a place to stay.   Now call a bike shop and rent for the duration of your stay. 

I found Erik’s bike shop, where you can rent some decent road bikes for as low as $18 a day.  The deposit is pretty steep, so hopefully you have a credit card.  Helmets and locks provided. Click HERE. or Budget Bikes HERE (even cheaper!).  Check around. 

If you’re only riding Thursday, I’d at the very least do the lake Mendota lake loop, at 23 miles, but check in with the locals.

Lake Mendota

But if you’re adamant that you just want to spend your vacation weekend in a car, at a motel, and at a generic soccer complex, well you’re mostly going to be watching Frisbee, so renting a bike might be a waste.  But do a loop on Thursday, shoot some pictures, get a little culture out of the trip.  You’ll have that many more memories.

Still, on Thursday, if the weather is bad, or if you are just looking to go full tourist, you might have time to catch a museum or a show.  If you live in a outdoors-recreation-rich culturally barren backwater as I do, this might be a good call.  There’s a photo exhibition at the Madison Museum of Contemporary art downtown. HERE is a description. 

The dinner options downtown are too many to mention.  Wander around until you see something you like.  Then, Thursday night, catch Matthew Santos at the Redamte Coffee house.  Here is the venue. 

Doors open at 7, and music at 8.

Reviewed HERE, Santos has worked with Lupe Fiasco (on superstar), and tickets are 8 bucks.  Also he hails from Minneapolis, so maybe he’ll be channeling some of the miracle magic of the healing waters of Lake Minnetonka.  I assume you’ll wander around downtown after the show, or head home to catch Jersey Shore at the Hotel.

Friday:  All you need to know:  Get some coffee.  If you're staying in a Hotel, just eat the damn waffles.  If you're couch surfing downtown, get a tasty bagel sandwich at Bagels Forever on University.  Then head out, and camp out at fields 3 and 4.  Bring your earplugs, and remember, you’ll pay for the whole seat, but you’ll only need the edge.  There are multiple coffee shops within a couple miles of the fields. Always important for me.  Hopefully you're biking, as the bike routes look great for riding.

Games to Watch:

Round 1 8:30
Honestly, the first round games don’t look too thrilling.  Will Tufts – Texas on the Girls side have  some serious brawling?  Maybe UCSB and UBC will find UCSB returning to prior years form at the big Show..  Or check out Will “Nexgen” Driscoll vs. Brice “RSD, Please quit calling me and Ben Wiggins Fat, because we’re really not, but, thanks for the Ben Comparison” Dixon.  But this might be a good round to roam. 

You might want to watch the open division match up between UNCW vs Illinois on field 4, or watch womens teams Washington and Ottowa play.  You'll want to get a feel for the wind -- file forecasts are for light breezes, it might be a factor in the games later.  Will more goals be scored in the down wind endzone?  And you'll want to figure this out, because if you’re with the sporting press, you’re going to be spending a lot of time between fields 3 and 4 on Friday. 

The field layout isn’t set yet, but hopefully, you can get some prime seats between the two fields.

Down to Brass Tacks:  GAME TIME.

10:30 OPEN: A1 Oregon v A2 Colorado Field 3.  (Oregon by 2)

10:30 WOMEN Oregon v. Wisco at 10:30, field 4 (Oregon by 1)

Hopefully they’ve got the field layout with 3 and 4 next to each other.  Any morning Doldrums will end fast.

The men of Oregon and Colorado will reunite a few nexgen players, as Jimmy Mickle squares off against, well, the UO Offensive line (Spikezilla, Honn, and Allison-Hall).  

The home team Wisconsin Belladonna squares off against number one seed UO Fugue.  Travel and jet-lag could play a factor, as Wisconsin lost by only 2 at the Stanford invite.  Lou will have his team ready to gun it, but, travel takes it’s toll.  The home crowd will be loud, and rocking.  And as the game nears it’s end, fans arriving for the 12:30 wisconsin – Carleton boys game could give this game a championship feel – noise wise at least.

At 12:30 the Men’s action continues with B1 Wisco vs B2 Carleton on field 4.  The ranks will swell further. The 973^rd playing of the competition they just call ‘the love fest’ will no doubt be slowed by pauses to spiritedly complement each other, share jokes with the other team, and laugh until they cry as they just try to out-nice each other like Jimmy Kimmel and Ellen Degeneres.  Oh.  No. Wait. 

There.  Will. Be. Blood.  (Wisconsin by 2, and someone’s breaking out a Trident.)

As that game is going on, Women’s Pool C teams #1 Carleton vs #2 UBC also square off at 12:30, field 3. These teams have not met up this year, but Both teams have close wins, and losses to tough competition.  (Carleton by 2)

2:30 Men’s teams C1 UNC Chapel Hill and C2 University of Central Florida square off on field 3, and  Iowa State v. Ohio state at 2:30, field 4.  The girls game has huge upset potential, at least by seeding.  Iowa state has lost to… Ohio state this year.  And Ohio State’s opponents at regionals scored an average of like 1.85 points per game.  One might suspect the Ohio Valley region is less competitive, but this game should be a fun one. (Ohio State by 1)

UCF has become a fixture in the past few years, and this year has wins over both Oregon and UNC, at easterns.  UNC will come out hard:  “Carolina Style” Ultimate doesn’t have the same meaning it used to have, but this will be some hard fought Frisbee. (UCF by 2)

430 in the Open division, D1 Pitt faces D2 Texas , and  Iowa takes on Tufts.  Callahan candidates, and bus riders Degirolamo and Driscoll will go at it (we hope),  and Iowa and tufts at 4:30 on  field 4 should also be a great one. 

These teams met at the Queen City Tune Up with Iowa taking the 13-11 win.  Their RRI’s are almost identical.   But Pitt by 3, and Iowa holds seed. 

WHEW.  What a Saturday.  And you’ve barely had to move.  Team Style, and who handles the spotlight better will be the story in these rounds.  Early rounds tend to give the underdogs a better shot, but the teams in all 8 of these games are so well matched, that no one upset would be a surprise.

Not worn out from spectating pool play Friday?

Then head over a few miles to catch the Madison Radicals of the AUDL at Breese Stevens field.  Kick off at 7:30 P.m. Friday, $5 if you order on line. Get there early to be safe, order some fries with “Radical” Sauce (I suspect that is like “Fry Sauce” but more extreme.  Here are some more reasons to go to the game, from the team.

http://www.rsdnospam.com/index.php?t=msg&th=44316&start=0&

Didn’t pig out on the Radical sauce?  Lots of restaurants in the neighborhood.  For sure, the Burrito Drive, and Roman Candle are open late.  Burrito Drive looks decent, local input?  If the game ends at 10:30, you probably just want something quick anyway.  Several places are in the neighborhood of the stadium.

Or pub fare may be more your thing, so follow the post game throngs a few blocks down the road to the Radicals sponsor Great Dane Pub, where your ticket stub will get you a free beer.''

Get a good night's Sleep.   Saturday is moving day, when dreams are fulfilled, or broken.

(c) morrisonlukesmith

Hype Man Continues.

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Continuing to mine the archives, this Angela Lin for Callahan post is reprinted from the original post, visible HERE.  This was published in 2001.  Earlier pieces are HERE, and HERE. 

Angela Lin for Callahan?

But of course.

I've handled the role of Callahan Coordinator for UGA for several years now, (read previous posts by doing a deja archive search for me, or ME!!!).  But never in my long, and storied college career, or subsequently long and storied post baccalaureate career, or even in my avocation as a media guru, not to mention my work w/ the poor wayward orphans, or in my weekend work helping to clean up the environment,

(my brief television career, and work as an extreme skier/ snowboarder/ telemarker/ adventure racer/ downhill mountain biker/ world class free diver aside) have I had opportunity to meet, or promote, any person as uniquely talented as Angela Lin.

But enough about Angela.

Lately... (oh never mind)

Angela is somewhat of a Renaissance Woman.  But w/ a modern twist, since women were not really afforded long baggy black shorts in the Renaissance.  Or plastic for that matter.  Now people can have what they want.  Unless it is made of plastic.  If you have plastic, A. Lin will take it away from you.

Angela Lin is unique among ex-Georgia Tech Players.

I actually like her.

But more importantly, she has another talent lacking in most other Georgia Tech Players.

She can sign her own name.

But enough of celebrating the 'strengths' of the 'Second Best Tech School in Atlanta'-- (Go Southern Tech).

Angela's strengths are myriad.

She invented helium.

INVENTED IT.  

She circumnavigated the globe, using only a set of water wings and some swim fins.  What have YOU done, tuff guy?!

She wrote a little book.  Maybe you've heard of it. It's Called War and Peace.
PFFT.  Tolstoy?  What kind of name is that?  Clearly, this is a pseudonym.

Angela invented Rochambeau.  She... (aside) what's that?  Oh, thank you.

Correction. Angela brought ROCK to Rochambeau.  Good ole rock. Trusty
rock. Before Angela, there were just Georgia students throwing scissors.
And tech students throwing paper.

The ROCK has finally come back...
To Athens, GA.

Angela played guitar for a little band.
They are called REM.
Have you heard of them?

OH, she doesn't play for them anymore.

She is too busy... (author’s note, REM broke up a couple years ago).

Getting ready to kick your ass, yet in a very humble, team oriented,
polite, friendly, spirited way...

Did I mention her skills?

Mad hops, laser beam two-finger, the BIG BADDDDD back hand, hammer,
scoober, thumb hammer, corker, over-hand wrist flip, air bounce,

yawn.  'skills are loud as bombs'

Say it with me.

Stifling 'd', unmatched knowledge of field strategy (that's
STRATEGERY, if you went to Tech, and, unlike Angela, were not literate
enough to get in to the Flagship School of the Empire State of the
South)...

'boom'
very loud.

World class speed.  Did you see her in Sydney?
Of course not.
She’s too fast to see.

Angela is the best of a strong field.

Morrison Luke Smith

Callahan Awards Retrospective, continued.

Originally posted in 2000

I’ve cleaned up the post for publishing but the original link is HERE.  If you missed it, the epic “Will Deaver for Callahan” post is HERE.

2000

JAY HAMMOND FOR CALLAHAN.

Jay Hammond is the result of years of work by the University system of
 Georgia.  This Jay Hammond for Callahan series will include a
break
down on his creation, his training, and his exploits.

Go Dawgs

Jay Hammond is the Beta Version of a new Joint Biogenetics program
 developed by the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of
Technology.  The Program has been put together by the finest minds in
 the country, and combines the Technological Wizardry of the Georgia Tech 
Engineering Department w/ the Animal Husbandry Legacy that UGA (the
 Oldest Land Grant University) has developed.

The result is an Uber-Ultimater.  The Hammond 1.2.

The program started 8 years ago, with the manufacture of the Hammond
1.1 “John.”  The initial Hammond, nicknamed “The
Kid” or “Noodles,” while an impressive result, was deemed “INADEQUATE” and
 was rejected by 
both the UGA and GA Tech Athletic programs.

(2013 ed. Note, when asked for comment, John noted, “I’M INADEQUATE?  The way I remember it, I skipped college and went right to the show.  Call me Kobe.” )

But, according to documents only recently made available through the Freedom of Information act, there were myriad problems associated with the 1.1. The documents note, that while height and flexibility were above average, an 
infusion of Cattle genetic material (possibly by an unknown
 competitor’s retroviral technology, possibly by the poor choice of host mom) resulted in a creation deemed simply, “too goofy.”

 Furthermore, the maintenance schedule was wrecked by a
 failure 
of the control systems.  The 1.1 developed an unforeseen affinity for
 Whole Milk and Jelly Doughnuts.  We are not sure how this happened: 
the program had carefully included genetic information and encoded 
protein deficiencies that should have made it impossible for the 1.1
 to 
eat anything but whole grains and raw fish.

(2013 ED: note: When asked for response, the now retired John Hammond, said, “Look at the championship rings buddy.  I think I’ll be the one to tell you what an athlete’s diet is.”  He then paused, and lifted his hand up, and said, “The rings.”)

But the foundations of the program are intact.  The Hammonator
 program
 uses the latest in off the record Black-Funded Human
 Genome research, 
seen to be at least 10 years ahead of any comparable program.
 Likewise, the cloning technology, and in vitro fertilization technology
 are definitely “next generation.”

Much of this was
 brought over from 
the Eastern Bloc w/ the fall of the wall, and has been carefully
 covered up by government agencies w/ vested interests.  

For all
 intents 
and purposes, each Hammonator is constructed directly from the base 
units of the genetic code.  Using a soup of thymine, adenine, guanine,
and cytosine, the DNA “chain of life”  is created using
 nano-technology, and designer retro-viral technology.

(2013 Ed. Note: The Hammonator Foundation STRONGLY denies any connection
 between early failed retrovirus experiments and recent viral 
outbreaks).  

Harnessing the power of a series of parallel linked Cray IX
 super-DUPER-computers, the researchers of the foundation work to
 create
 a faster, smarter, better, and more spirited athlete.

When the genetic chain is complete, the team at Georgia Tech has 
completed their work.  Using Korean In-Vitro techniques, the genetic
 material is inserted into an animal egg at the Animal   at the University of Georgia.

The early failure of the Ham
1.1 may have started here, when a Guernsey Cow was chosen to be the
 host mom.  Something went horribly wrong, and the result was, as
mentioned, somewhat addled.

But we feel that we have achieved success with the JAY 
HAMMOND HAMMONATOR Version 1.2.  The genetic chain is maxed out for speed, 
quickness, leaping, reflexes, hand/eye coordination, and leadership. And 
in
 a new development, we found a portion of Chromosome 8 that controls 
”intangibles.”  This has been maximized as well.

Several improvements over the 1.1 include modifications to the genetic material, changes to the host animal, and source material.

The genetic Soup has been 
modified.  We have replaced THYMINE, an often essential but relatively 
uninteresting pyrimidine nucleic acid, with TAURINE, a product found 
in 
the RED BULL sports drink. We see this as not only a surefire way to make the Hammonator1.2 unstoppable, but also, an easy marketing Tie-
in.

The host animal was changed.  In lieu of a Cow, we introduced the 
genetic material into a Mountain Lion. The Mountain lion was then 
tagged, and released into the wild.   This portion of the Project was a success.  The mountain lion
 was recaptured shortly before the Hammonator was born.

Purer strains of nucleotides were used.  After some consideration, the 
early money saving measure of buying the various ingredients at General
 Nutrition Centers was scrapped, and the nucleotide material was
purchased from reputable Scientific Sources.

Next time... The training.

(ED: Note.  At this point, the record ends.  A mysterious fire destroyed portions of the files, the computers spontaneously burst into flame and the 18 lead researchers vanished, leaving strangely identical farewell notes.) 


Bloggin' only the truth.
Morrison Luke Smith

(c) MorrisonLukeSmith

Callahan Award Season

By Morrison Luke Smith.

With Callahan Season approaching, and working on a belated resolution to exercise my writing chops, I've dusted off some old content.  Enjoy.  Originally written in 4 parts, now, together, at last.  This dates back to 1997, when Will Deaver, current UPA big wig, was a big deal.

Link to RSD

Part One
The Early Years

You want to secure a Callahan victory for your candidate?  Today it's all about YouTube and highlights.  Well, I see the break buckets and the big skys. But you're forgetting what makes up 85% of every Olympic broadcast.  The human interest story.

While your team mates are peppering usenet deja.com google groups RSDnospam (I said I wrote this a long time ago) with inane tripe about the mightily heroic dumps of Chunder Howard Blowchunks III IV (really long time ago) of IvyLeagueU, you slip in some clever human interest that gets name recognition and wins the hearts of the academy...

Take for instance a fictional Callahan trophy candidate, named, oh, we'll call him Will Deaver, attending a fictional school, called say the University of Georgia, Or is it a true name, and a true story-- one we should all listen to, and learn from.

So gather round everybody, pull up a chair, and imagine...

Will Deaver's rise to greatness is unheralded and unmatched in the annals of sport. Sure, the UGA program, a perennial national caliber team, changed slightly, abandoning the wide open 'fill' offense stolen from
the readily available pages of the great NE club teams' playbooks, and replacing it for what Charles Kerr called the UGA 'Dump' offense in his review of the Classic City Classic. And granted, w/ the advent of the new Offense, the team has not made it to nationals in the past 2 years... But that is beside the point. What sets Will apart is the tremendous courage he has shown in rising up from a troubled past.

You see, Will Deaver was raised by wolves in the mountains of British Columbia. I know, this is hard to believe, but it is true -- as true as my boss is my witness to this use of company time and technology. I know, because I found Will, and introduced him to civilization.

While working as a US Forest Service Ranger (Making me a PATRIOT DAMMIT) on an exchange program with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Making me CONSISTENT WITH MY EARLIER STATEMENT THAT THIS

PART OF THE STORY IS TAKING PLACE IN BC) I had the opportunity to foil the dastardly attempts of a group of vile wolf poachers. This was brilliant, courageous work on my part, not without a requisite amount of danger, and as you might have guessed, a certain athleticism...

But that is another story, one that can be read in earlier posts (along w/ such greats as Classic City Classic VII - -sponsored by Sony and Michael Jackson, and the Classic City Classic Hot Box Challenge -- including a brief mention of the winner (well, you know), both seen in earlier articles in the UPA newsletter)...

But I digress. As the smoke cleared, the poachers beating a hasty retreat, the wolves cowering before me, I saw a strange sight -- a young lad, no more than 15 years old, barking and snarling at me, and clothed in animal skins and TEVA sandals presumably claimed from some weaker prey.  Ah hell, I sighed.

"Another wolf-child to raise."

And so began a tremendous saga. You know the drill -- Will got his name from his tremendous WILL to succeed in the face of adversity. His struggles to learn English and even walk were very much like the travails of the main character in the great 80's film 'WALK LIKE A MAN' starring Howie Mandel, but all along, there was a growing visible subtext. For Will was blessed with a tremendous athleticism very much like the protagonist of the  fantastic 60's Disney film THE WORLDS GREATEST ATHLETE'... another all too real tale of 'Raised in the Wild'. His early days were spent in standard 'merican sports like baseball and football.

Which brings me to an anecdote about one particular fall afternoon at Sanford Stadium in the Heart of The Empire State of the South -- I'm talking about none other than the University of Georgia... Will was playing halfback...

(more to follow. it's too nice to sit around here this afternoon)

but while you wait, take a look at the Callahan Page. Take a look at Will Deaver and nod Knowingly, as you have peeked into the psyche of one of the true legends of the game --

----------

The Ballad of Weaver D's (Will Deaver)
Part II/III

The story thus far...
Will Deaver is raised by wolves in the mountains of British Columbia, returned to civilization by Luke Smith. Will's learning to function in society is much like Howie Mandel's saga in 'Walk Like a Man' and his spectacular athletic career parallels the plot of Disneys 'The World's Greatest Athlete.'

Our story continues...

While I kept up with Will during his early years as he bounced from Zoos to Foster homes and back (hey, what do you do with a wolf boy)?, I gradually lost contact with him as I moved into Evangelical Televised Preaching and my work began to demand my full attention. But our adventures together were far from over.

My own college ultimate career, with somewhat of a belated start, was continuing apace, when in college at the UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA I was working as a Personal Motivator for the football team. Frustrated, and exhausted one fateful saturday, I was having limited success and was not being particularly effective. Tech (Georgia Tech) was kicking the humbling poop out of us. Joining the ranks of the injured at the end of the bench, as I hid behind my sunglasses w/ an ice-bag on my head, Tech up by 7 with :08 on the clock, Georgia with 95 yards to go, in the middle of a television timeout, the normally ebullient UGA crowd silenced, I heard a quite mellifluous voice, and some nice guitar work...

just a good ol' boys
never meanin' no harm
beats all you ever saw
they've been running from the law
since the day they was born

straightening the curves
flattening the hills
someday the mountain might get em
but the law never will

making their way
the only way they know how
that's just a little bit more
than the law will allow

just a good ol boys
wouldn't change if they could
fighting the system
like a two modern day robin hoods...

"I'll be damned," I mumbled,"Waylon Jennings." But it wasn't Waylon, it was as, I turned in shock to see, WILL DEAVER, suited up in the Silver and Red. He was a reserve tailback on the team, just a freshman, not expected to play. But at that moment a star was to be born. His rendition of the theme song had silenced the sideline, and spread its magic into the stands, hushing even the savage Tech Nerds, and bringing a tear to the eye of even the most cynical Bulldog fan. He strolled up to the coach in the silence, and said to Vince Dooley,

"Relax Bubba. It's winning time."

Coach Vince Dooley, looked up, contemplated the 5'5 long-haired pine rider, spat, and said, in his own incomparable way, "Ungh."

Will smiled, grabbed his helmet, and ran on to the field as the crowd erupted.

The play was Freight Train Right, a screen, for some reason, to the left, but as the ball was snapped and tossed to Will, everything got 'realll' quiet like, and it was just like that Michael Jordan Commercial, where everything goes all slow motion, only this was better, because this was real. Well Will, all 5'4" 103 pounds of him darted into the line. And got popped, straight back, and up, about 10 feet each way. And well, it looked like some his leg was broken, what with it bent that way, and I thought "Shit, there goes my job as team motivator, losing to Tech,"

when I noticed that Will wasn't down, and then he began to run. At first he's running all slow like, limping along with that twisted leg, and I'm thinking, just for a moment about something other than my
financial career,

"He's 'bout to get killed, trying to run on that leg."

But as the first tackler reaches him, Will is gone, and the Tech player is grabbing at air as another Tech player dives at his feet. I jumped up, and yelled out,

"LAWDY MERCY!! The ole fake broken leg trick."
For he was capable of bending his leg almost completely backwards at the knee, Yes, Will Deaver: an athlete, musician, and circus freak.

And Will was gone, his subterfuge giving him the opening he needed to get into the open field. And that, as they say, was that. 4.2 speed and as un-graspable as the wind itself, Will was soon in the End zone (handing the ball to the Ref, of course, which, I don't NEED to point out demonstrates a lifetime dedication to sportsmanship and spirited play aside from the 'requirements' of the rules). Needless to say, Georgia went for two, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I grabbed Will on the way out, and said,

"Forget this Football stuff Will, ULTIMATE is where the Big Bucks and the Big Games are to be found."

And the rest, as they say, is History

(Stay tuned for Part 3 -- The Sleeper Awakens)
Coming This Friday, 14 May 1998.

__________________

The Following is a Continuation of Will Deaver, Chronicle of a
Legend.
Part 3 of 3.

Where was I?

Ah yes.

The Story So Far...

Will Deaver, WolfBoy, Survives in the Wilds, raised by wolves -- much like Tarzan, but w/o the shame of ever having to make monkey noises. Will overcomes his early background. He is rescued by National Geographic Correspondent Luke Smith, and brought back to society to be raised with Intelligence of Lassie, The Courage of 'White Fang,' and the Comedic instinct of the Shaggy D.A. His athleticism leads some to wonder if he is using 'Flubber' (a la the 60's Original, not some lame remake). Will goes on to play several High School Sports, but not Ultimate. After nearly four years in what we loosely call civilization (Georgia) will has not only learned to speak English, but also to run the Power-I formation for the University of Georgia -- In one spectacular play, Will Deaver cements his legend in the annals of Georgia history and begins his Ultimate career. Well now, Will had done the impossible. He had surpassed the legend of Herschel Walker.

Seriously. He's still got it.

Now let me digress for the moment -- In
Georgia, the Universe is based on the tacit understanding that the chain of command goes from Bill Elliot, to Herschel Walker, to God. But on Saturdays, well now, then there was just Herschel.

And when Will Made that great play to cement a Georgia Win (See, Will Deaver Part 2 of 3, Birth of a Legend) over the abominable Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (ENOUGH ABOUT FOOTBALL ALREADY) to, there was talk in Georgia, of renaming Sanford StadiumDeaver Field. A restaurant, Weaver D's, was named for Will Deaver (OK, there was some confusion there...) -- Will could pretty much write his own ticket to glory, to be told in Red and Black. What happened? How could Will leave the game of Football?

Easy. I lied to him. Yes-siree, I told him that Ultimate was THE  American sport. (What would he know, hell, he'd only learned to speak English by watching the Dukes of Hazzard and the A - Team Re-Runs). I also told the UGA coaching staff that Will, well, Will had been involved in a terrible fishing accident so that they wouldn't wonder about him (sure they believed me, this is Georgia, not Harvard). I felt momentary twinges as I told these egregious lies, but all things pass, and so did this BRIEF pang of conscience. But Frisbee season was coming up, and I needed ringers...

And now Will was a JoJah Dog.

Oh yeah, Will's real fast, Will's real good, Will's got great Spirit (Blah, Blah, Blah)

STAY TUNED FOR PART 4 of 3 of the WILL DEAVER -- GOD OF ULTIMATE

_____________________________

The legend of Willy D, part 4 of 4

Our story so far...

Will Deaver rose up during the darkest hours of man to battle against the vilest forces of Evil. This is his story.

I think Will's qualities of sportsmanship, leadership, athleticism, and teamwork have been well demonstrated by the earlier posts. But I'd like to close with a few anecdotes of his Ultimate Career, lest I be criticized as some unreconstructed UGA homer hell bent on celebrating the glory of Herschel Walker... for Will was, and is, more than a Wolf Boy. More than a Bulldog. More than a Football Playing Midget.

Will Deaver is an Ultimate Player.

I remember the first practice Will attended. Not for his ability. Not for his preternatural and prodigious poise. No. For something else that Will brought to the field. Something that no one else brought to the game that day.

A cooler of sodas and a few barley pops.

That practice, like many others, was the Will Deaver show, but Ultimate aside, the post game was better. As we milled about in endorphinic bliss, ready to sate our thirst with icy goodness (in some place where we violated no field rules, and no one underage drank, yada, yada, yada), Will reached into the Cooler, and pulled out one beverage after another. As he handed it to the first player, he performed a feat that I have seen only one other time in the entire history of the game.

THE CRAW. For Will casually took his thumb and pushed it through the aluminum skin of the beer. Now, in all my years in the game I have ever seen one player perform this trick. To maintain anonymity, we'll call him, oh, say, Billy. But to have this ability naturally, without years of practice, to be able to prepare cans without keys, knives etc... to simply CRAW the can with your hand... This, as you can plainly see is the mark of a true Ultimate player...

Well we made Will the Captain right then and there, or as soon as he won the 'Shotgun for Captain contest.' Sure he knew nothing of strategy, but that's not the point. He had financial aid, and a gas card. And this means refreshments.

Will's career continued apace. He took right to the team. As a southern team, UGA rode around in pickup trucks like the Beverly Hillbillies, w/o the Beverly, if you know what I mean. And Will, like any good wolf-boy, loved trucks.

He's performed some other amazing feats in his career... The Glory -- always the talent, dominating every game on offense and defense. He's got the skills to pay the bills, folks, there is no doubt about that. But I could sing his on field praises all day. It is what Will brought to the table off the field that might convince you.

Will is a tireless worker. His organization, hard work and dedication made UGA what it is. Whether rallying the troops for practice after a tough tourney, or organizing some off day throwing, Will always stayed focused. In a school with a pitiful Club Sport Budget, will went the extra mile, organizing bake sales, car washes, etc.

And always, ALWAYS Will dominated play. Running farther and faster, jumping higher...

Spirit? Well honestly its hard to judge. How's that you ask?

Well, see, Will's never made a call. Likewise, he's never contested a call. That's right, in his 5 years of play, he has never made a call. (Except of course, to point out his own errors to less experienced players when they overlooked a travel, etc.). So yeah, I guess he's spirited.

(Music Please)

Will's tireless work has transformed this Wolf-Boy into one of the finest people, and the finest player, that I have ever known. If not for freak accidents (who can forget the famous Sinkhole of '95 or the Twister of '96 or the graduation of '97) that have decimated the team, a national championship would have been a certainty. But who can play winning ultimate, year in and year out, with rosters of 8 or 9 players.

Eight or Nine Will Deavers, certainly, but mere mortals? For even, in the final analysis, Will Deaver, the greatest player to ever play the game, could not do it all.

Where will he go, now that his storied college career is over?
Club teams are clamoring. And Will is not one to shy from a challenge.
But there is another call, another challenge.

And off in the distant mountains, the wolf-boy hears a call that only he can hear.

And maybe, just maybe, the wolf boy will just fade away back into the mountains from which he came.

Don't forget to vote.
Will Deaver
UGA Callahan Candidate

Luke Smith
Deaver for Callahan.