I get uncomfortable with direct praise, but like most people, I do like to hear people think well of my skills. The best example was in a D.C. area pickup game, up at Candy Cane park on the north side of the district. It was a great winter pickup spot: an hour and a half to bike there, talk & run with friends, then a good cycle home.
There was a new couple in town; serious Ultimate players from California. The guy was an excellent handler and played a very physical game: just the challenge I loved back then! I covered him every chance I could: I always took the best player on the other side (unless he’s got a big height advantage).
He was making a cross-field cut, just in front of the endzone. I had position on him should the disc be thrown and I was sticking close. He tried bodying me out of the way to get into a better position for a catch. It’d been years since somebody tried that on me; many Ultimate players try to avoid contact. With my rugby & wrestling background, it’s just another day at the office. 😉
The cool part was after the game. I was waiting for a chance to enter the next round and overheard Michelle talking with some friends, discussing the new players. Michelle said he had great throws, but you could tell he was new to the area. She laughed and said “he tried to body Larry off the disc” and the whole group of people laughed!
MaggotRanch 