* "Bubbles" and "SpaceX" not in computer. *
PROLOGUE
When Bailey Road Park Master Q Mr. Holland cancelled the game, the word on the street was that it was over.
When Roadie and his four friends backed out at the last minute, people said there wouldn't be enough pax to play.
It looked like this Ultimate Frisbee game was an idea that had come and gone—like the whimsical days of our misspent youth or the burning sensation after Spring break in 1984.
But this Q was not deterred. Through emails and text messages and early preblasts and later early preblasts and regular preblasts and snail mail campaigns and telegrams and smoke signals and panicky hand-waving on the side of the road, a passionate pack of pax began to mobilize, roused from their slumber because their love of the game was stronger than their commitment to home and family.
BODY
Titan and Bubbles showed up early for F3's first Frisbee standard, practicing the fancy throws and catches that would come of no use whatsoever in the subsequent competition.
After a brief disclaimer and a briefer warmup, a rousing speech by Your Humble Correspondent to explain the rules of the game failed to garner any interest whatsoever from the ragtag assembly of mostly uninformed and unskilled (but nonetheless enthusiastic) wannabe Ultimate players.
Orange jerseys were distributed at random, which turned out to be a superior way to choose teams because nobody gets picked last, which YHC can say from personal experience is a depressing and traumatic occurrence that can lead to court-ordered psychotherapy sessions later in life.
And so it was that the Orange Jerseys and the Not Orange Jerseys descended on the hallowed ground of the Bailey Road Park athletic field #2, determined to make history one sketchy flip of the wrist at a time.
With an odd number of men on the pitch, SpaceX sat out the first quarter to warm up his hammies. It was a thigh massage that would later come to haunt the Not Orange Jerseys as SpaceX would turn out to have the speed and reckless disregard for safety of a man half his age (which technically wouldn't even be a man since he's apparently only 35).
The teams were evenly matched, exhibiting an equal combination of truly pathetic performances and scratch-your-head-and-wonder-how miracle plays that made for an exciting and entertaining experience, at least for those of us who never played the game seriously. The lead changed several times throughout, culminating in a Cinderella story by the Orange Jerseys, who were trailing 7-9 at the 3/4 mark, only to cheat their way to victory through extreme effort and coordinated teamwork. Their four unanswered goals in the waning minutes of the game cemented their place in Ultimate history with an 11-9 win over the Not Orange Jerseys, who, despite the awe-inspiring leadership of YHC, pretty much just gave up in the last 10 minutes.
MVPs include FNG Corbin (Jazz Hands' 2.0), Bubbles, SpaceX, and FNG Pocho (all the new guys, apparently), but there were standout performances by all present, so even those of us who shamed our families with our devastating loss can hold our heads up high, if even just to look to the skies and ask God why he had forsaken us.
Also, we wound up running over 3 miles, nobody got injured, and Titan is a horrible cheerleader.
EPILOGUE
YHC led the Circle of Trust with a reminder to be grateful for the bounty of peace and prosperity that surrounds us since so many in the world wake up every day to war, famine, and poverty. This week is the 100th anniversary of The Tulsa Race Massacre, so please read about that so we don't ever forget the history of our country that still reverberates today.
A great turnout at coffeeteria, especially by the seldom-seen Halftime, SpaceX, Bubbles, and never-before-seen Pocho, capped off a great morning that honored all three F's. Jazz Hands mentioned an Ultimate group that plays locally, so you know YHC will be following up on that opportunity. It is, after all, the Ultimate game.
Thanks to everyone who stepped up for some fun and great exercise. Playing my favorite sport with my favorite group of guys is the best way I know to launch a weekend.