Extremfeiner Schottercup

Last Friday, Dario and I rather impulsively hopped on a train from Zagreb to Graz, Austria, where there was an ultimate tournament this weekend, http://www.frisbee-graz.info/schottercup. We didn't have a team to play on, directions to the fields, or any sort of 'plan,' and it was pouring down rain when we arrived on Friday afternoon. It was perfect, and we had an awesome time. Seeing ultimate friends from all over this region is reason enough, and we also spent a fun afternoon on a walking tour written and emailed by none other than Julz Katzenbeisser of a team called Chuck Bronson, in Vienna.

Here is my favorite picture of the weekend, sent from Rytz Richtsfeld of Graz Catchup, the tourney hosts. The players at these tournaments are mostly great friends, and there are many very happy moments during play. This shot was taken just after I faked the disc, Rytz called 'up,' and looked away, literally said out loud 'where is the disc?', and then turned around to see it still in my hand. We both laughed hard, and he had the spirit to send me this great picture, with the Zip-esque caption, 'You got me':


I've said it before and I'll say it again: she is the best ultimate player in all of Europe, Julz:


Greg Connelly (former coach of the Brown women's team) pops up everywhere, from Mount Washington (on a bike) to Graz, Austria, where I found him lined up to guard me in the first game on Sunday. Also pictured, another cool expat named Gilbert. The three amigos:


On the pre-tournament tour, Dario and I climbed the steps up Schlossberg, and took a look at the city, including the big friendly alien in the center. I also learned to count big numbers Croatian on the steps up:


Dario, rising Croatian ultimate stud and big punk:


The Felix, a quick and explosive ultimate player, and exhibitionist of Parkour, a new generation of freestyle running, www.parkour.com:


Slovenia and Croatia representing in Austria...Damian, Maja, Me, Jasmina and Dario:



Finally, the cats Dario and I played with, Stack Overflow, www.omikron.at. Saturday was notable only for featuring particularly miserable ultimate, but bits of improvement game-by-game ended up with a remarkable day Sunday. We upset a very fun and good-spirited Chuck Bronson team, guaranteeing us a placement game higher than playing for last or next-to-last. Excellent. We gave Catchup a run for their money in that ninth place game, showing a much better side than we had when we played Catchup the first time on Saturday:

Frisbee and film festival

The tournament last weekend was a big success, with some ups and downs. We came out slow both mornings - not a battle-hardened group. The defense on Saturday was outstanding. When we got beaten it was usually on the break side with something exciting. Our open side D really declined on Sunday, when people were more tired and satisfied to just chase the cutters. Dario and Frki are coming into their own, and we owe a big thank you to Jakob (from Austria), plus Jill and Kris (from Calgary) for picking up with our team and elevating the level of play. It is tough to get better when you only play with new players, so the infusion of more experienced people was excellent. Stacie and Ilana (our American med student friends) started out as great cheerleaders but worked their way onto the field and scored lots of goals. Also, the guys from Mali Dim formed a pickup team in the men's division, which was the most fun playing of the weekend. We picked up a few studs from other co-ed teams, and won all of our games.

Lake Balaton was also awesome. From the train platform when we arrived, we could see the sand ultimate fields, the huge lake dotted with sailboats, the big tent already set up for the party, and a handful of bars, cafes and restaurants a stones throw from the dorms where we stayed (also within sight). Perfect setup.

And shoutout to Beatbox from Ljubljana for doing what he does best.

Back in Zagreb, last night I went with Dudo and Sanja from work to the Tabor Film Festival, at Veliki Tabor Castle. We made an afternoon of it, and did end up watching some films there. On our way we stopped for a coffee at a lovely, renovated hotel: http://www.bezanec.hr/. Before going straight to the film festival, we ate a traditional meal on top of a steep drive, overlooking the hillside farms and the castle. For appetizers we had homemade bread with spek (a spread of pure fat) and a salad of lettuce, cabbage, cucumber and tomato, doused in vinegar. I ate the dragon steak, which consisted of lamb with carrots and potatos in a gravy.

The film festival itself was sleepy during the day (the party starts at night), though a friend of a friend was on a film crew for a movie about knights and damsels. Visitors set up their tents for camping outside the castle. Inside, the place is awesome and being renovated to become a mainline tourist attraction. There are some artifacts that are cleaned up and arranged, as was the carriage in the foyer. At the same time there was old artwork and bits of old plows and things just sitting around. In the end the films were fine but the castle was the attraction. I hope to go back:


This Friday Dario and I are heading to Graz for an afternoon of touristing and then another weekend of beach ultimate.

This weekend Mali Dim is headed to a beach ultimate tournament on Lake Balaton in Hungary. We'll have all of our studs there, and I think it will be our coming out party. Heretofore we have been a very fun and spirited team, always needing a few extra players. This weekend we might sneak up on some teams and walk away with a good result. Our best goal is to show improvement from last tournament to this one, and to keep improving from Saturday to Sunday. Tell me if I sound like coach Wicks.

We haven't played a tournament since May, so nobody has seen us in a while. The group has been training pretty well, and improving on a nice curve. I'm excited that we have more and more players who can bomb it deep, so I can cut nearly whenever I want. Should be fun this weekend! It is Dario's first tournament, and he is the growing star of Croatian ultimate. Hopefully I'll end up with a photo of him doing something sweet.

Also, it looks like we'll be joined by two visitors from the USA, Ilana and Stacie, both med students at University of San Francisco. They've been taking Zagreb by storm as part of a clinical HIV/AIDS study. This is their first ultimate tournament.

Here are some new pictures. Other than the first one nothing fancy, but Michelle and my folks have asked to see what daily life is like. More to come!

Here is the view from the island Rab, where I went with the frisbee group for a weekend of training and relaxation:


The owner and proprietor of my gym is also a former Yugoslav national bodybuilding champion:


This is one of the many cafes on Bukovacka, a street near my office. I sit here often:


Here is a little shop for buying this and that. It is around the corner from my office:


My co-teachers from Lingua Grupa, at our end of the year party. See if you can guess what they all have in common...the director of the school, Ana Mavar, says that we have the best and most beautiful language school in Croatia: