Proudly sponsored by

A few months ago, I wrote this article on the dizzying prospects of planning for the 2013 season. And since then, an endless parade of e-mails, conference calls, and deadlines marched through the winter months. I think we may even have invented a form of Morse Code out of confused punctuation (“!? !?!”). But today, with the announcement of the MLU Nighthawks roster, the last official piece fell into place, so there is at least the comfort of something like a plan. And we can finally say something publicly of what 2013 will look like for the Vancouver confederacy of angry monkeys.

Read the rest of this entry »

Furious Elects Captains for the 2013 Season:

#8 Morgan Hibbert (C)
#25 Oscar Pottinger (C)

Read more about both players:
2011 UC Athlete-of-the-Year: Morgan Hibbert
Beast Performances II: Oscar Pottinger
Beast Performances IV: Morgan Hibbert

They join coach Andrew Lugsdin in leading the Monkey to victory in 2013.

Lugsdin Returns to the Fold

Andrew Lugsdin’s name and iconic, fiery leadership defined and shaped the Angry Monkey for nearly 15 years of ultimate.  Furious George is proud to welcome him back as their first-ever official coach in 2013.  Read more about the Luggernaut and his legacy here.

Could Somebody Please Just Tell Me Where to Go to Play Ultimate?

It’s like nagivating a poorly-written choose-your-own-adventure book.  And on every other page is an illustration of a different set of jerseys.

I am leafing through e-mails and solicitations concerning various semi-professional, amateur, and community-owned models of ultimate in 2013.  I groan over the myriad choices, overlapping schedules and requirements in front of a co-worker.  He has heard me mumble about ultimate and sports administration woes before.  ”Find out who’s offering the most money, and just go with them!” he says.  There’s undeniably some candid wisdom behind that.

But it is not quite so simple, I explain.  Even if money was a sure thing, it’s not about money.  For an assuredly obsessive player, it’s about how and where you’d most like to compete.  Really, the choices come down to voting for something with your time and feeling like it’s time well spent.

Read the rest of this entry »

From Failing Hands We Throw

This Remembrance Day weekend, Ultimate Canada held the western component to its U23 national team tryouts.  Fittingly, they took place at Memorial Oval Park in Vancouver, British Columbia.  It was also one of the most exciting selection trials I’ve ever observed.

Coaches presiding:

Patrick Mooney (U23 Open – Toronto, ON)
Andy Collins (U23 Open – Vernon, BC)
Stephanie Chow (U23 Women – Winnipeg, MN)
Kaitlyn Lovatt (U23 Women – Toronto, ON)
Hadiya Roderique (U23 Mixed – Toronto, ON)
Jon Hayduk (U23 Mixed – Vancouver, BC)

Read the rest of this entry »

Compiled from notes taken over the course of the tournament.

Read the rest of this entry »

Shit, We Did It Again.

For the most competitive clubs, the ultimate season can represent a daunting investment of time of effort.  Most Furious players attended some seventy-five 3-hour team practices this year, on top of team conditioning, personal conditioning,  throwing sessions, and whatever other supplementary efforts tossed in for good measure.  The last tournament of the season, the USA Ultimate Club Championships, unavoidably represents a symbolic evaluation of those efforts, their quality and quantity.  Only one team can win it all, but everyone is seeking some sense of reward for all that work – an outcome they can point to and say, “we did it right, and it paid off.”

Everyone wants some kind of validation. What no one wants is to uncover a new weakness.  But I think that is our lot this time, yet again.

For notes on the games and roster themselves, click here.  For some broader thoughts, read on.

Read the rest of this entry »

Getting It Together

Sixteen of the best teams will meet. Only eight will advance to playoffs. Only one can win. For every success, someone must suffer an equal failure.  What would you do to put yourself on the winning side of that equation?
Read the rest of this entry »

The Monkey Takes the Dirt Road to Florida

The story of Furious George at Regionals has an amazing prologue of unfortunate circumstances. You’re not going to believe this.

Read the rest of this entry »

by Andy Collins

Editor’s Note: I thought about editing this some more, but the prospect was too exhausting.  If you have trouble understanding some of what is being said, well, that makes two of us.

Read the rest of this entry »