Bangkok Hat 2020: Year of the Panther

Bangkok Hat was a personal highlight of 2019, which meant that Kris and my return to the tournament held a lot of both excitement and expectation. Would it be as good as last year? Could it perhaps be even better? Through an incredibly spirited team, even better food, and stellar organization, Bangkok Hat’s 20th anniversary tournament proved that even the highest of standards can be exceeded.

At the heart of my Bangkok Hat 2020 was my team: the Pink Panthers. A healthy mix off veterans, young stars, up-and-comers, and middle-of-the-road players like myself, we clicked as a team from before the first game. We established connections by all taking the effort to learn each others’ names right away (something that I didn’t even manage to completely do through the entirety of Bangkok Hat 2019). This helped bring us together and develop team chemistry right away. 

From this solid baseline, we never stopped growing as a team. We weren’t quite the star-studded teams that challenged the eventual A-bracket finals, but I’d wager that there wasn’t a team that had more fun on the field that we did. The Panthers fostered an atmosphere of growth – all team huddles were constructive and encouraging, and ended with a hearty cheer (either the classic Pink Panther theme or simply screaming ‘PP!’). We managed to take home the B Bracket Championship (also known as the Beer Bracket or Chumpionship). More importantly, we left the tournament as friends with some vibrant memories of a weekend well-spent.

Many of the other memories made from Bangkok Hat 2020 came from the moments spent eating the food provided for us. I have yet to have better lunches, dinners, and snacks at a tournament, and this year’s offerings outshone even last year. My favourites from this year were the khao soi (crispy egg noodles) and fresh coconut. Drinking from a freshly-cut coconut on the sideline on Sunday refreshed me and gave me the energy I needed to give the Panthers everything that I could in our last few games.

I was not the only one putting my all into this year’s Bangkok Hat. The organisers outdid themselves this year. They clearly wanted the 20th iteration to be one to remember. Apart from the outstanding food, there was also water, alcoholic smoothies, beer, and snacks, free to all participants. Everyone received a jersey and a disc as part of their registration. There were massages available on the sidelines. There was also a memorable party on the roof of a hotel, with free drinks flowing throughout. Almost the entire tournament ran on time, with only a few games on Sunday falling significantly behind. I cannot imagine putting together a tournament like Bangkok Hat, and the 20 years of experience are evident in every small detail.

While Bangkok Hat is not a cheap tournament, it is worth all of the money and effort spent to be there. My team was amazing, the food was incredible, and the tournament ran smoother than fresh coconut water. If you’re thinking about whether to make Bangkok Hat a part of your Ultimate schedule in 2021, just do it. If I’m still in the region, I’ll see you there!

Featured Image by Zrs Gamboa.

B Pool Champions!

Cycles

Life is little but the same cycles repeating, with wrinkles of variation.

On Friday evening, Kris and I travel for an ultimate tournament. After a few hours, we arrive in the city. We stay over at our friends house. We eat dinner. We talk. We play a boardgame. We go to sleep. We wake up on Saturday morning and head to the field. We meet our teammates. We play a few games. There is some entertainment to occupy us in the downtime. We play some more. We take a tournament photo. We shower and get ready for dinner. We eat barbecue for dinner. We head to the party. We party. We go home.

On Sunday morning, we prepare to play more Ultimate. We play. We hang out on the sideline when we are not playing. We eat a late lunch. We spend some time with friends while waiting for our transport. We travel back home. Catsby yells at us. We go to sleep. We face the new week. I vow to write a blog post. I procrastinate.

Life is little but the same cycles repeating, with wrinkles of variation.

On Friday evening, Kris and I travel for an ultimate tournament on Jeju island. After an hour flight, we arrive on the island. We stay over at our friends house, where we’ve never stayed before. We eat a delicious dinner that our friend lovingly made herself. We talk, catching up on the small talk we haven’t been able to have because we don’t see each other as often as we’d like to. We play a boardgame that Kris and I had never played, and were justifiably terrible at it. We go to sleep, eagerly awaiting the hat tournament the next day. We wake up on Saturday and head to the field, with our friend driving us there, chatting all the while. We meet our teammates, a mixture of old friends and island folk we hadn’t had the chance to bond with before. We play a few games with everyone in costume, trying to keep their outfits together and still play decently. There is a field-side game show to occupy us in the downtime, all meticulously planned for maximum fun and price-guessing opportunities. We play some more, with no-one stressing about the results and everyone just having the best time. We take a tournament photo, with some costumes in a state of disarray. We shower and get ready for dinner at another new house. We eat barbecue for dinner, and I have the best kimchi jjigae I’ve ever had. We head to the party, marveling at people’s new costumes for the evening. We party, Kris and I feeling a little out of the loop with the strong party and costume game in the club. We go home, arguing that the costume contest was a sham and some people are the worst.

On Sunday morning, we prepare to play goaltimate on a beach. We play, with everyone a little less energetic than the day before. We hang out, and are surprised by a visit from a long-travelling friend’s sudden return. We eat a late lunch, the best fish and chips on the island for Kris, and a solid burger for me. We spend some time with friends while waiting for our transport, teaching them rugby as we watch South Africa win their world cup semi-final. We travel back home, a short flight and subway away. Catsby yells at us, his way of saying he misses us. We go to sleep, determined to to return to our friends on Jeju soon. I vow to write a blog post. I procrastinate.

Life is little but the same cycles repeating, with joy in the wrinkles of variation.

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.

How Two Teams’ Spirit Deepened my Love for Ultimate

Every Ultimate player, or player of sports in general, has their own reason for playing their game. For some, the drive to compete and be the best in their field is all-consuming. For others, it’s a way to keep healthy. For me, health plays a role, but my primary reason is enjoyment – I play Ultimate to have a good time with my friends on weekends, both on and off of the field. With this as my primary motivation, spirit of the game is incredibly important to my experience of the sport, and I have recently been lucky enough to play on two teams where spirit and enjoyment is valued above all else.

The first was my Fall 2018 ROK-U team, the Seoul Hammers.

The team was a great balance between experienced, spirited players and newer players keen to learn and become bigger parts of the Ultimate community. The season was not without its tense moments, particularly at finals weekend. We stood a good chance of making a deep run, and it was our captain’s last season in Korea after almost a decade in the country, so we wanted to try and give him one last championship. It didn’t end up working out, sadly.

Despite this drive to do well, the team dynamic was wonderful. Everyone was ready to be spirited both on and off of the field. Experienced players helped the new players without being overbearing. Newer players weren’t afraid to ask questions about the game to grow their skills. And no team represented better than Hammers at social events and parties. After my previous ROK-U team being far more results-driven, playing on the Hammers was a good time.

In between and after ROK-U lay a couple of club tournaments to add a higher-level spice to my Ultimate season, and I am honoured to say that I was able to play on Rebellion for this time.

Captained by the same long-serving veteran as the Hammers, a similar ethos lies at the heart of Rebellion – we’re there to compete, but not at the cost of players’ enjoyment and spirit. No club team I have yet played on has been more fun to play than Rebellion was, particularly at the recent K-Cup, the last tournament of the club calendar year.

Every single player on the team wanted nothing more than to have a good time whilst playing some good Ultimate. The team was a collection of some of the most spirited players in the Korean scene, and we all got along like a family. No-one got angry at anyone else for mistakes on the field. All communication was respectful and encouraging. Our sideline banter and cheers brought constant positive energy onto the field, even in tough games against teams not known for their spirit. Even when we were losing, we were still having the best time.

This sense of fun extended to the social side as well. Our team dinners were riotous celebrations of the team dynamic our captain had worked so hard to build. Sunday games were often slightly clouded by the fog of escapades and trials from the night before, but no-one cared because they enjoyed themselves so much. Several players, myself included, declared their love for the team and its people on multiple occasions. I can’t wait to play on Rebellion again next season. Some key faces will be missing, as is the norm in Korea, but hopefully those of us who remain can retain the beating heart of love and fun that kept the team going up until now.

I have been blessed with my ROK-U and club teams this past season. I haven’t enjoyed a season this much in a long while. The prioritization of spirit and player happiness over all else is a testament to the captain that made both of these teams what they are. Korea will miss you, musical man. You went out with two amazing teams and a love shot with a manager of a Baskin-Robbins. Nothing could be more appropriate.

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.

2017: The Year of Shifts

2017 was certainly one of the more eventful and significant years of my 27 years on the planet so far. I moved to Seoul, got more into Ultimate, helped spread the cult of board games, and started reading for enjoyment again. Oh yeah, I got married as well. That was a thing that happened. Let’s look back at these major milestones just before 2017 comes to an end.

The Old Ball and Chain 

I’m a lucky goof who married a beautiful lady.

The first, and most influential, event of the year was my marriage to Kris. Despite my nervousness before the day, which you can read about here, it was the happiest day of my life up until this point. While the old cliche may not be true for everyone, it certainly is for me. I spent a day with my family and South African friends, celebrating the love that I have for the woman I now am lucky enough to call my wife. 2017 got off to a strong start.

Seoulward Bound

Kris and my cousin Catherine posing with Seoul’s motto. Yes, it is a mediocre motto.

The next change brought about by 2017 was our move to Seoul. Our third new city in three years in Korea, we have been interested in moving to Seoul ever since our first year. This year we finally landed up in the largest city in Korea, and it has quickly won our hearts as our favorite city in the country. The sheer scale of Seoul means that there’s always something new to see, somewhere else to explore. Our new apartment is wonderful and it makes a huge difference in our daily lives. Seoul also brings with it a larger foreigner community than our previous towns. This has made it easier to meet up with Ultinate friends. While not good for our bank accounts due to eating out more often, it has left us feeling more at home than ever in Korea.

Disc-loving Gent

Smile!

Ultimate has always been a big part of my life in Korea, but this year I felt like I took my love of the game to the next level. I trained more regularly, took more interest in self-improvement, and generally put more time into my game than I had before. While I have slacked off in the current off-season, enjoying the festive food and sloth a little more than I should, I am proud of how far I’ve come as an Ultimate player in 2017.

Gathering over Games

Kris and a friend playing Terra Mystica, one of our more in-depth games of the year.

When a friend dressed up as me for a casual Halloween costume party, they merely wore their ordinary clothes. Onto their shirt, they pinned a note saying:

“I love board games  (and my wife’s cat).”

That was all. And it was perfectly accurate. An increasing number of gatherings at our house involve bonding over some board game or another. This is reflected by the fact that I’ve had 77 plays of 29 different board games since April this year. And also by the fact that I am concerned enough about games to record each play. I adore board games. They allow for unique social experiences, and create memories that have stayed with me for years. This year was no different, and I have had a number of special moments thanks to board games this year.

New Stories, New Worlds

Ghüs, my favourite character from my favourite comic, Saga.

Before this year, I had spent very little time reading. Between work, the aforementioned Ultimate, and playing video games (another source of great stories, but not quite the same), I didn’t think to pick up a book much at all. However, during 2017, I longed for the escape that comics brought me throughout university. I slowly began to grow my collection of digital comics, starting by picking up my old favorite series before spreading to new discoveries. I have also read a small number of novels, a number I hope to improve on in 2018. I had forgotten how enjoyable reading is, but I shan’t forget again any time soon.
2017 may not have been the game-changer year like 2015 was, but it was close. Getting married, playing Ultimate, spreading the good word of board games, and growing in my reading habits were only pieces of what made 2017 special. There were certainly dark times as well, and there will be more ahead. But, as the year fades into the past, it’s more worthwhile to look back on the happiness. Happy New Year, everyone!

Autumn Ultimate Wrap-Up

While the past few weeks haven’t been filled with many posts on here, which is entirely a result of my sloth, they have been filled with, amongst other things, a great deal of Ultimate of all levels, from the casual Halloween Hat, to the last few weekends of ROK-U league and finals play, and finally the Ulsan and K-Cup tournaments at club level. These Ultimate events have certainly kept me busy, and made sure that there were many Mondays where I went to work with aching muscles and a smile on my face. Let’s briefly look back at each of them in turn.

Ulsan Team Tournament

In mid-October, I was fortunate enough to make the DnD roster for the Ulsan team tournament. I had missed out on the previous tournament, as I simply was not up to scratch for the team, but a combination of working on my skills during ROK-U and other players being injured or unavailable meant that I had the chance to prove myself at a club level again. For two days, teams tested their skills against each other to see who had the best line-up in Korea. DnD was seeded 4th from the results of the previous tournament, so we had a tough pool right out of the gate.

On Saturday, we fought hard against both Baekho and LGW (two teams seeded higher than DnD), but ultimately came up short. We won one game against the lower-seeded Flickachu, so the first day was not entirely doom and gloom. Personally, I felt like I had a highly positive day, particularly on defense. Even though that is typically my strong suit, I felt like I had an especially good day.

One of my lesser defensive efforts.

The second day was the playoffs. Our team came out strong, defeating Maxima, a visiting Japanese team, before falling to the star-studded UFO. From both a team and a personal standpoint, our performances weren’t quite as stellar as the day before. We left Ulsan satisfied, but with room to grow as a team.

Halloween Hat

The week following the Ulsan tournament brought Ultimate of a far different nature. For the unaware, a hat tournament involves all players being placed on random teams (controlled for skill level as best as possible). Oh, and everyone is encouraged to play in whatever costume you can manage to pull together for the weekend. Pieces of toast played against Minions. Larry Bird took on a ghost pirate. Thing 1 and Thing 2 confused everyone with their similar costumes when they had to face off against each other.

Halloween Hat was a high-spirited, fun weekend that seemed to be enjoyed by all. While smaller than previous iterations of the tournament, those who attended all looked like they were having a welcome break from the seriousness of ROK-U and the Ulsan team tournament. It didn’t really matter who won. The main goal was to have fun, and it was met many times over.

ROK-U Fall League

Interspersed before, between, and after the two tournaments above was the Fall 2017 season of ROK-U, the largest Ultimate league in Korea. Although for the past few seasons, Kris and I had played for the Wonju Knights (a team Kris created), this year brought change. Since we had moved to Seoul, we were no longer eligible to play for our old team. We were instead placed on Seoul Hammers, a team who had won the league the previous season.

On the team with us were a number of players that we had seen around and befriended in the scene, but hadn’t had the opportunity to play with. Kris and I were both excited for the season, as after the initial practices, our teammates were highly spirited and had the right balance between a drive to succeed and the desire to play for fun and growth.

We started the season strong, finishing at the top of the league standings. We only lost one game during league play up until the weekend before finals. Then, our strongest player had to leave Korea, and that left our team with a major gap to fill, which we struggled to do. We came together in the end, only dropping one more game, but the team dynamic was clearly different, and roles were still uncertain.

Come finals weekend, and we once again struggled to find our rhythm. Our opponents, on the other hand, came out firing. We fell behind early in the first game, and while we did gather ourselves towards the end, we didn’t have enough to overcome the early loss of points. We were knocked out in the first round. We played a couple more games in the consolation bracket, which was more of the same.

Overall, our first season on a Seoul team was a fun one. The team was a great group of people, and both Kris and I learned a lot from the experienced players on the team.

K-Cup

The final event of the Korean Ultimate calendar for the year was K-Cup – one of the premier club tournaments of the year. I was once again fortunate enough to play for DnD. Like with the Ulsan tournament, some key players on the roster were injured, and our squad was smaller than it usually is, particularly in the male department. This meant that the men would have to step up and play more than they usually would at a club tournament. I was nervous about this, but secretly also excited , as it would give me extra time to hone my skills in a highly competitive environment.

The smaller roster certainly taxed the players on our team. Having to play over five hours of Ultimate on Saturday left many bodies hurting by the end. We had to play LGW, Baekho, and Boom (the three top seeds for the tournament) and Flickachu (seeded below us). The roster was different to that of Ulsan, and we had not had time to practice before the tournament. As a result, our chemistry took a while to get flowing optimally. Our games against the three higher seeds ended with us going down, b meshing together better with every game. This left us in a good position to face off against Flickachu. We ended up taking the hard-fought game. On a personal note, I sadly had to sit out the last half of the game to prevent injury to my calf muscles. I was frustrated by this, but happy with my performance on Saturday overall.

The story of DnD’s K-Cup Sunday was similar to that of our finals performance on Seoul Hammers – our opponents came out firing before we could mesh together, and we couldn’t recover from the early pressure. That dropped us down to the consolation bracket, where we didn’t quite come together again.

I was happy with my own personal performance at K-Cup. My defense was strong again, and I even snuck in a few scores here and there. I also know what I need to work on – mostly fitness – and I have months during the winter to hit the gym and get faster and build my endurance.

Whew! So much Ultimate! I enjoyed every moment that I spent on the field, with all of the teams and people I was lucky enough to do to share it with. I am, however, also looking forward to the off-season. Not having to get up at six in the morning every Saturday to travel to the not-terrible Gumi or sometimes other places will be welcome. As will the extra free time to engage in my other hobbies. Still, at the back of my mind during winter break will be the countdown clock to the start of the new season. I’m sure it will be here before I know it.

Six on the Beach: Six More Things I Learned

When I first attended the inimitable Six on the Beach hat tournament in 2015, I had barely dipped my toe in the world of Korean Ultimate, and had never before played Ultimate on the beach. After that amazing first experience, I wrote up six things I learned from the weekend. Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend the latest iteration of the event, and here are six lessons that I brought with me from Sixes 2017.

Cleaning up seaweed is not as gross as you would expect

When we arrived at Bukbu Beach in Pohang on the Saturday morning, raring to compete, we discovered that a large portion of the beach was covered with seaweed. We would need to clear it up in order to have all of the field space that we needed for the four concurrent games that the tournament required. I thought it would take hours. However, with dozens of players helping out, the entire beach was relatively seaweed-free within an hour, and games were only slightly delayed. It was great to see almost everyone who was at the beach helping out to clean up. We shoveled it into bags with discs, rakes, and our hands if necessary. Wet seaweed is definitely less pleasing to handle, the slimy texture far less desirable than the crisp texture of its dried brethren.

Playing a day of Ultimate on less than 6 hours of sleep might result in afternoon naps

Pohang, the city that hosts Sixes, is 3 hours from Seoul by KTX. Kris and I foolishly stayed up late the night before, and I didn’t sleep on the KTX. This meant that I did not have the sleep that I was accustomed to playing on, and fell prey to a savage nap attack. Thankfully, I fell asleep under the cover of a gazebo, so I avoided waking up to sunburn in addition to the surprising loss of time.

When selecting a love motel, shopping around can result in a better deal

Normally, when Kris and I visit Pohang, we stay in a place called the Queen Motel. We do this because it is very close to the bar where Pohang parties are always held. The closer that we are to the party, the better. However, on a friend’s recommendation, we tried a different motel nearby, and saved 10 000 won ($10, R100). More money to spend on festivities!

Your wife may get upset when you forget to watch her play Ultimate

Kris and I ended up on different teams this tournament, and our teams happened to be in completely different pools. This meant that we played at different times, and could watch each other’s games. Kris noticed this, and diligently watched most of my games. I, however, was far less on the ball, missing all of her games on the first day. In my defense, some of them were lost to the aforementioned nap. Nevertheless, I may have ended up slightly in the dogbox and made up for it on the Sunday by watching her games where I could.

The mere sight of a plastic guitar can bring back a load of memories

One of my favourite game series ever is Guitar Hero. The simple delight of being able to simulate playing epic tracks in a videogame appealed to both my gaming and musical natures. I spent an inordinate amount of time playing every Guitar Hero game from Guitar Hero 3 to the final Warriors of Rock. I was also pretty good at it, earning the title of top player in South Africa in the final year of the title’s competitive cycle. At the party, I noticed that the bar had a plastic guitar controller leaning against one of the walls, and I was thrown upon a wave of happy memories and desire to revive my love for the genre.

Six on the Beach truly is a must for any Ultimate player in Korea

Every form of Ultimate in Korea has its appeal, from the relaxed competitiveness of ROK-U to the challenge of club play. However, no weekend of Ultimate in Korea can rival Six on the Beach for the sheer joy of playing the game for enjoyment. Results don’t really matter. What matters is that you are having a good time playing the game that you love on a beach surrounded by a large chunk of the Korean ultimate community. Whether you are a fresh arrival to Korea looking to feel out the scene or a seasoned veteran of many years, there is nothing quite like Sixes, and I can’t wait to see what next year’s iteration brings!

Honeymoon in Boracay: Five Days of the Fantastical

Holidays do not come often in our school year in Korea, and Kris and I made the most out of the most recent week break that we had over the end of July and beginning of August. Even though we were married in January, we had yet to have our honeymoon, so we made plans to visit Boracay, an island in the Philippines, to belatedly celebrate our nuptials. We could not have asked for a better week.

We chose Boracay for a number of reasons. First of all, a number of our friends have played Ultimate there in the past, and have raved about the island as a great place to get away. Second, the travel time from Korea was relatively short compared to returning home to South Africa. Third, the island is well-known for its beaches and water activities, which were exciting prospects to both of us. Finally, my mother had managed to find us free accommodation. Who says no to free accommodation?

After a five-hour flight, an irritatingly long 10-hour layover in Manila, another hour-long flight, a cab ride, a ferry, and another cab ride, we finally managed to dump our things and touch base in our hotel. The brief time spent in the cabs and ferries gave us a good idea of the general aura of Boracay: chaos. The island seemed cleft in two between stark poverty and lavish lifestyle. This dichotomy is familiar to us, as it is the dynamic of many cities in South Africa. We even commented how similar it felt to Durban, a coastal city from our home country.

Our first standout experience of the tour was scuba diving. Through help from staff at the hotel, we booked an outing with a seemingly reliable outfit, and woke up early on our second morning to squeeze into wetsuits and see what all the fuss was about. Scuba diving exceeded all of our expectations, and opened our eyes in a way I was not expecting at all. The concept of breathing underwater for more than 12.74 seconds was something I could not comprehend. Nevertheless, after a worryingly brief training explanation and an even more brief freakout on my part, I managed to get the hang out it.

We were led among several coral reefs and even got to feed fish. We generally took in the fact that we were several meters under the water and not simply inhaling water and dying. That was my perspective, anyway. Kris no doubt spent less time contemplating the logistics of it all and more time actually seeing the beauty around us. Luckily for me, there was enough time to get over the fact that I was actually breathing underwater and simply experience the wonder of it all. Scuba diving is something that we will certainly seek out again.  Sadly, whilst we were given a CD of photographs taken during our trip, it turned out to be blank, much to our disappointment. The experience will have to live on only in our memories.

Our next standout event was island hopping. A popular tradition for the many tourists of Boracay, we spent a day on a boat, zipping between different parts of Boracay and the surrounding islands. We drank from a coconut on the beach, we snorkeled (more marveling at breathing under water on my part), and we tossed a disc around at every opportunity.

The highlight of the island hopping was visiting a cliff diving park. We paid a small entry fee and were allowed to jump into the ocean from boards at varying heights. The jumps ranged from three metres all the way up to ten metres from the water. These sound like small numbers. They are far more terrifying when you look down between your feet and see every last centimetre between you and the safety of the waves below. We both tentatively started at the seven-metre jump (because we weren’t aware that the lower heights existed beforehand), plunging into the watery abyss little more than bundles of nerves falling into liquid. While it was terryifying, it was incredibly freeing to simply jump off of something high into water. We both worked our way up to higher platforms, eventually jumping off of the ten-metre jump with terror and triumph mixing together in our stomachs. I enjoyed it so much that I just kept on jumping for over an hour. Kris, still recovering from her knee surgery, elected to watch and make some new friends, and occasionally took a photo or two to capture the moment.

The nine- and ten-metre cliff jumps

We also made new friends doing something that we love: playing Ultimate. Whilst we were walking down the beach one day, we happened to see some of the Boracay Dragons (a world-famous beach Ultimate team based on the island) playing some casual pickup. We initially sat on the sidelines and watched, marveling at their speed and accuracy, even in horrendously windy conditions. After a while, they noticed Kris and I on the sideline, and asked us if we would like to join. Whilst I was skeptical that Kris may injure herself and I was also a little tired and my eyes were acting up, we decided that the opportunity to play Ultimate on a beach in Boracay was one that we could not pass up. We spent more than an hour in what became a rainstorm playing the sport that we both love. The Boracay players were incredibly warm and friendly, and the spirit in which they played the game was light-hearted and joyous. They clearly loved every minute of running up and down the beach, trying to best the other team. They didn’t play to win. They just played to have fun, and we all had a wonderful time playing together.

Not pictured: the litres of rain soaking through our clothing.

Our final unforgettable experience from Boracay was mermaid swimming, which is exactly what it sounds like. We put on special swimsuits that wrapped our feet together like a mermaids, took some photos, and proceeded to have a lesson in how to make the most of our altered swimming state. We learned several ways to kick, a couple of tumbles, and even failed at doing handstands. We looked less like the majestic creatures of myth and legend and more like drunken seals flailing around in the water. But damn, was it fun. It was uniquely challenging to modify our swimming styles to best suit the mermaid tails, and we both relished learning something new. Our instructor was so impressed with us that she certified us as level 2 mermaids (out of a possible 5), even though we should by all rights have only been level 1. She was very gracious.

D’aww. So cute.

Permeating all of these experiences was food of a constantly high quality. Boracay can quite easily be called a tourist trap, and there was no shortage of food that was far from traditional Filipino cuisine. We gorged on delicious burgers which rivaled those of Brooklyn Burger Joint for quality of ingredients. We ate local variations on pizza. Where possible, we tried to experience local cuisine, and all of it was reasonably-priced and delectable.

A delcious Filipino oxtail stew.

Our experience in Boracay was well worth the wait. We did things that we had never done before. We relaxed and simply recharged after several months of draining teaching. We ate delicious food. We reveled in the warmth and friendliness of the Filipino people. We played Ultimate on the beach with some of the best players in the world. We honestly did not want to leave. Our honeymoon was exactly what we had hoped it would be, and more.

Sheer majesty