Here's some debriefing on Summer Solstice Tournament in Tulsa.

The team...OKC-Trouble Ahead
The players...
Flash
Scott F
David D JBU
Henry JBU
Bryan JBU
Fooshee OUHSC
Potts
Jana Dake
Clint Dake
Kenny D
Randy K
Brandon OCU

GAME 1:  We play "Hops On Pops" (i may have just butchered that name)...i.e. Millage, Ludricrous Speed, OKC, and I don't even know who else.  They were freakin' stacked.  Our best day and their worst day was not going to give us a win.  We were literally holding Jana Dake back as she wanted make KT pay for what she viewed as the most viscious betrayal ever.  We all felt the sting of this game and KT could not have pulled us out of it.  I think some of kids who had 30 foot layouts, perfect puts, unstoppable cuts, and fire breathing lungs would have taken us out on their own...even without the help of Jos and KT.  NOTE TO SELF:  We should have jogged out this loss and conserved our energy for the crappy teams we lost to later in the day that we could have beat.

GAME 2:  We played "Boys Named Squid"  I'm not gonna waist my breath on briefing this game.  Boys Named Squid beat Hops on Pops. We lost Fooshee after this game.  We knew going in that Fooshee had to do some dental school bbq  thing or something.  Fooshee gave the team some hard work on cuts and "D".   NOTE TO SELF:  We should have jogged out this loss and conserved our energy for the crappy teams we lost to later in the day that we could have beat.

GAME 3:  We played "Swillbillys".  The Swillbillys were a sight for sore eyes.  A bunch of guys older than KT, Flash, Scott, and Randy combined.  They've got robotic knee braces, depends, and an ambulance on the sideline.  Well, I remembered playing them last year and I remember KT's words as we aproached the line then "Guys, we've got a chance of winning this game IF we have perfect puts and never drop the disc...Otherwise, these guys are gonna beat us.  Think about it.  There is more than 400 years of accumulated experience on this line.  They'll play smart."  We doubted the Yoda then, and I must say we must have doubted those words again.  We got beat.  I think it was 8-11 Swillbilly's.  I will give them this though.  They had some young guys from JBU and Ludicrous Speed this year which we could've done without.

GAME 4:  I can't even remember these guys names.  Probably because Trouble Ahead was suffering from delirium.  If you weren't watching the weather on Sat then you felt it.  It's 105 degrees and we are a bunch of limping, gasping, overheated thugs moving into the fourth game of the day.  This was a team we could play...but not beat.  They won at universe point.  Dang It!  We lost a key handler after this game.  Henry also had previous engagements and could only offer a partial day.  Henry was a handler at JBU and was a definate asset to the team.  Flash has a sick layout in this game on "D" that I got a shot of with the camera.  I only took 3 pics and Flash made a name for himself on one of them.

GAME 5:  We jogged out this loss to close the day.  We were down to 10 burned out amigos who gave it their best jog.  That closes the day on Saturday.

I know this sounds terrible.  It is.  This is terrible.  What's even worse is...we all had a blast.  (the emotionally charged rock n roll b ackground music begins)  There really was some straight up tooth and nail fight in the team.  We had a few experienced players and a bunch of NOOB's (one of the NOOB's is an asspiring columnist for OKC Ultimate) and everyone of us busted our butt and played to our ability.  We know it doesn't take a lot of NOOB's on a team to make some costly mistakes, but I feel like the vets were doing a great job of coaching and pushing all of us as we learn the game.  Thanks Scott, Flash, and Randy.  (This is a teary moment because I know they're all proud)  JBU came out with some young energetic experience and also did a good job of coaching and encouraging the team along.  A tournament is a hard knock field to learn on, but it is so worth it.  I'm ready for another one.

FOREST DEASON THE FREAKIN' HAM:  So after the games my oldest daughter Abbigail (10), Forest (7), and myself are looking for some action.  Watson's got it goin' on at the slip-n-slide.  They're throwing a lead disc out over the slide for folks to layout and catch.  Forest is eating it up.  It was hillarious.  He was grabbing the disc more than I would have thought.  Everybody was cracking up...in fact he wouldn't know any better, but the chics couldn't resist the magic.  He was getting embarrassed.  After the slip-n-slide we see a pinada being set up right behind us.  There's a line about 25' back and you have bust the pinada open with a disc.  All the wild eyed handlers are after the prize...we won't talk about the prize in this mixed audience.  Forest wants to take a shot.  He gets in line and someone hands him a disc.  Forest plants his foot hurls a two finger down the lane and just misses it.  Forest looks funny because he's so small but rolls a clean two finger.  Everybody starts cracking up and all the drunk guys are insisting to "give the kid a disc!"  He took a few jabs at it and hit it once.  He couldn't th row hard enough to break it.  The next day Forest was getting razzed by so many folks for his attempt at the pinada.  He was so red in the face.

All in all, the weekend was a win for me and the kids.  I'm totally glad I went to solstice for my second year.  See you guys around.