Six Things From Sixes: Vol 4

Another year, another Six On the Beach. The best event of the Korean Ultimate calendar rolled around last weekend, and Kris and I once again cut a trip to South Africa short in order to be back in time for it (sorry Dalene!). With every Sixes that I go to, I learn new things about myself, Ultimate, the community, Korea, or all of the above. Here are the lessons that this year brought.

Never go full neon.

Every year, Sixes has a themed party. This year’s was neon, a simple yet effective choice. Partygoers were decked in every luminous shade imaginable. Some had a small neon accessory to complement an otherwise stylish outfit. I decided to don bright yellow neon shorts and a matching shirt. I also emblazoned my arms and face with neon bodypaint. I could see the light coming off of my clothes on the faces of those next to me in on the dancefloor. It makes you easy to find, but difficult to be close to for a long time.

If I get drunk enough, I will consume everything in sight, including cold cup noodles left at a convenience store.

Yep. Someone ate half of a cup of noodles and left them at the convenience store closest to the bar. I came upon them later and slurped them all, to the horror of those around me. Needless to say, I do not recall this event.

Sixes is a great place to say hello or goodbye to the Korean Ultimate community.

Between the revels mentioned above, the welcoming atmosphere, and the emphasis on having fun, there really is no better place to begin or end your Korean Ultimate journey than at Sixes. Every year, there are many heartfelt farewells for those whose watch has ended, and cheerful introductions from those taking their first steps in the community. These cycles beginning and ending at the same time is heartwarming sight to behold.

Seven! Seven! E-le-ven!

If you have a Nintendo Switch, bring it with you for all Ultimate travel.

You never know when express train tickets will be sold out and you’re staring down a 5-hour bus ride back to Seoul with no means of entertainment. You could talk to your wife, but who wants to do that?

The best hat tournaments show the organisers’ hearts and souls piercing every part of them.

Sixes would not be the wonder it is without its parents, Ollie and 선화. Their love for the sport, the people, and the event is clear from the moment it is first announced until long after it is over. While more serious tournaments are arguably improved by feeling like a well-oiled machine, the charm of Sixes come from it feeling like the biggest family gathering in Korean Ultimate. From impassioned speeches, to walking around checking on the teams, to making sure that everyone is adequately fed, watered and sunscreened, the team behind Sixes elevate it from an ordinary hat to a vital fixture of the Korean Ultimate calendar.

With my fifth Sixes and fourth post about it (if you like, you can read about my experiences in 2015, 2017, and 2018), I am pleased to say that Sixes never fails to improve on itself. This edition truly was the best yet, and I can’t wait to see how it will be topped next year!

ROK-U: The Reason I Stayed in Korea

2019 marks the fifth year that Kris and I have been in Korea. In that time, we’ve made innumerable memories (some of which I’ve been studious enough to record here) and a host of lifelong friends. I can wax lyrical about how we’ve made our own home, about how our teaching jobs have improved with every changed contract, or about how easy it is to be comfortable in Korea. However, were it not for ROK-U, we’d have almost certainly left Korea after our first contract.

Awww.

For new readers to this blog, ROK-U is a social Ultimate Frisbee league that happens in the autumn (no, Americans, it is not fall) and spring of each year. Basically, people who love throwing pieces of plastic at each other gather for four or five weekends, throw plastic at each other, socialize, and generally have a great time.

2015 was, without a doubt, the most difficult year in Korea for Kris and I. Our first contract had the longest hours and we had almost no friends in our town. Kris was even accused of child abuse our first month of teaching. Our daily routine involved getting up, going to work, coming home, and playing video games until we fell asleep. On weekends, when we weren’t travelling, we were by ourselves in our apartment. Our calendar was far less full. We were enjoying the new experiences around us, but something was missing.

Oh yeah, I used to wear glasses. Also, flame on!

Then, six months into our stay, we played our first season of ROK-U. Our team only won one game the entire season, but that didn’t matter at all. We had found the ROK-U community. I had played sports growing up, from school to club hockey, and I had always socialized within my team. With ROK-U, you get to know as much of the league as you want to. ROK-U is far more than just a group of sports teams gathering to sports against each other to see who is better at sportsing. If you want it to be, it truly is a family that will welcome you and make however long you spend in Korea a much better time. Most of Kris’ and my strongest friendships come from the ROK-U community, and the wider Ultimate community we found by branching out from it.

Without ROK-U, we wouldn’t know any of these goobers.

We may have played Seoul League first, but ROK-U proved to be exactly what we wanted from an Ultimate league in Korea. The balance between enthusiastic games and making friends in the community is almost perfect. Everything can be improved, but we have never regretted signing up for a season of ROK-U.

It’s clearly a serious league for serious people. No fun allowed.

If you’re in Korea and interested in signing up for the Autumn 2019 season, all the information you need is here. I cannot recommend it more highly. It might be a fun activity for a few weekends. It might just be what holds you together when you truly need it.

Six on the Beach 2018: Another Six Things I Learned

This past weekend, I attended my fourth Six on the Beach, or Sixes for short. Sixes is arguably the most well-known Ultimate hat tournament in Korea, and has had a large turnout whenever I’ve been lucky enough to make it. In both 2015 and 2017, I reflected on the six main lessons that those respective Sixes tournaments taught me. This year is no different!

Don’t make me a hat team captain – there will be a typhoon

I was captain for the 2016 tournament, and on the second day of that tournament we were treated to the worst weather that I’ve experienced in my time in Korea. The heavens loosed their liquid contents on the beach from early in the morning, which led to most of the players leaving before their games were done. It was a miserable day.

This year, I was made captain again, and two days before this year’s Sixes was set to start, Korea was hit by another typhoon. Luckily for the attendees of Sixes, there were only small showers during the tournament itself, and play largely went on unaffected by the weather. The fact remains – apparently the forces in charge of inclement weather don’t like me being a hat team captain.

Music on the sideline makes Ultimate even better

This is a fact that I’d known was true for league play for several seasons, as it helps to cut the tension that competitiveness can bring. It was in this Sixes that I truly noticed the difference in a hat tournament setting. For most of our games, there was no music on the sidelines, mostly due to the risk of rain. However, for a couple of our games, we had spectators bring their own portable speaker to watch us. I’m not sure if it is just my own personal background being intertwined with music, but I instantly gained extra energy and happiness, regardless of what was playing. If music be the food of fun, play on!

Jackson 5. It was an honour to captain you!

Hat tournaments are perfect for forming new bonds, or strengthening old ones

A large part of the appeal of hat tournaments comes from playing with and against players that you otherwise would not in a league or club setting. Whether these are new players looking to get into the sport, players from other regions that you’d never get put on a team with, or long-running teammates that you can finally style on from across the field, this mix-up of the established order is refreshing.

This change can change the way that you had previously perceived or interacted with a player that you didn’t know too well. Looking at them from a new angle could change your view of them completely. Playing with new players to the scene helps give them a way into the community. It wasn’t too long ago (okay, maybe it was) that Kris and I were new to the scene, and the 2015 Sixes was where we first got a taste of the Korean Ultimate scene as a whole.

Communication is key, both on and off of the field

Due in part to this change in the rosters, hat teams tend to be chaotic. There is often very little structure to start off with, with everyone running around trying to get open. The easiest way to fix this is through communication. Talking to the team before the game, designating a simple formation and reinforcing that lead to everyone having a greater understanding of what was going on and enjoying it more as a result.

Communication is also important off of the field. The organisers of Sixes were once again excellent with their communication to players. Before the tournament, there were constant updates about the schedule, format, start and end times, weather, and party theme. This information helped us all plan our weekends, book transportation, and come to the party suitably prepared for the madness.

Myself and Inge, the most improved player on the Jackson 5. Well earned!

Promoting women’s Ultimate is vitally important to the sport

One of the most remarkable aspects of Ultimate is that it is a sport where both men and women can play on the same team. Despite this, women still have to work harder to be seen as athletes and valuable members of competitive teams than men do. Kris and I are both strong proponents of women’s Ultimate and women in the Ultimate community in general. So when Ollie, one of the organisers of Sixes (and bearer of one of the most majestic beards in Korean Ultimate) suggested that we play an all-women’s point in the game that we were playing, I leapt at the chance.

The reaction from all of the players was heart-warming. Even though each side only had just enough women to play the point, they were all more than happy to participate. The point was one of the most competitive of the entire game, and all of the players had beaming smiles on their faces for the whole point. My team managed to score the point, with every single lady on the line touching the disc.

I could (and will) write entire posts more about promoting women’s Ultimate, but even that small moment clearly meant a great deal to all of the players, highlighting the importance of doing everything possible to bring women’s Ultimate into the spotlight more.

Six on the Beach is a world-class beach hat tournament, worthy of travelling to Korea for

Previously I’ve said that Sixes is a must for any Ultimate player in Korea. After playing this year’s iteration, I expand that to the worldwide Ultimate community. It may be hosted in a small town in Korea, but there is no tournament I’ve yet been to with a bigger heart than Sixes. The community is welcoming. There is the perfect balance of fun and competition (with perfect balance, of course, leaning far towards the fun end). There is always a party. If you want to see what Korean Ultimate is all about, look no further than Six on the Beach.

All images courtesy of Cartographic Productions, except the Jackson 5 team photo.