All Star Thursday

Hello to all,

The weather gods designated June 30^th to be a Top 10 day in NYC.  80 degrees, a bright sun set high in a deep blue sky, with puffy cumulus clouds floating by at a lazy pace.  Really beautiful.  As I wandered in from the southwest corner, I saw Jaime-TJH, settling in while Barak strode purposefully out to join a long tossing Ralphy-Boy Heaver, and Nálini a new addition to the crew.  Barak throws a mean backhand for strikes at distance, but couldn’t stop himself from tossing in a few hot combos, including one sealed with a Vacation that would’ve made Skippy Jammer proud.

As Jaime-TJH and I stretched out in preparation for the day’s activities, Robbie-Rob (still basking in the glow of his Gamboa victory) and Young James arrived, sitting down with Emily (Mrs. Barak), followed by Roger, and the Ageless Trevor Brown.  The latter was so very Yella after missing last week’s A*TGJI visit by Richie Regs, that he barely got a chance to put down his bike before Roger presented him with the Jaundiced Jersey.  Moments later, Alan C. suddenly appeared for another surprise visit.  Our New England brother has been a big part of All*Star Thursdays right from the start, way back in 2004. It’s always a better day when he turns up.  Rounding out the crew were Doug E. Fresh, Jill, BenJAMin n’ Claire, Guitar Sean, Kevin, Barb, a rare A*T appearance by Young Daniel, Claire-Heaver, TedShred and The Lovely Chrissy.  I’ll share more on the headline later, but ya’ gotta know it was a banner day.

Jaime and I got up to get our arms loosened up.  I have been creaking a bit, with a slow to heal groin pull, and a disagreeable hip.  Every time I start complaining, I think about Forever Trevor.  Then I tell myself to shut the ^%#* up, and play.  The arc of the neon green Ultra Star tracing against the backdrop of the deep blue sky was as intoxicating as ever.  We settled into a nice groove and then I took a quick water break before getting into another heave with Ralph and Nálini. The latter has a strong forehand, solid backhand, and reads the disc really well.  After some nice flights, I broke a sweat, and it was time to Jam.

I subbed in for Young James who had been Jammin’ with Barak, who was wearing his traditional “I Am Batman” shirt.   Getting jam solo with him is a blast.  He’s a pure clock kind of guy, though he plays counter better than he lets on.  His athleticism is almost unmatched, and he hit two of those zany ‘high’ Gitosis seals in the first few moments of the Jam.  Roger and Fresh paired off, as did James and Alan C.  Everyone got it going pretty good.  It was time to break for a tasty beverage after Barak nailed yet another Hein Vacation, and I hit my onus move: a Tea-bag kick brush, straight to jumping under the leg catch.  I decided take in the Jams for a few minutes, and it was really a treat.

TedShred busted Alan and James, adding his special blend of high-test fuel to the fire, while Daniel got in with Fresh and Roger.  Flow is always the name of the game, and this trio had it in spades.  Roger, in particular was really killing it.  In one sequence, he built the Shredful combos that he finished with: 1) a Gitis; 2) a Gitosis; 3) a Phlaud (eliciting shouts of “One Dollah! One Dollah!); 4) a mean triple-Fake; and 5) a vertical UD kick brush pass to James that was simply miraculous.  Thus, he is The Reliable One.

Jaime-TJH, Kevin, and Chuck, who took a break from his video work to do some shredding of his own, got up together.  It’s really cool seeing folks adding new moves to their arsenal, and making the transition into full-on Freestyle.  Robbie-Rob and Barak staked their claim to a sweet shady spot near the rock in the south east corner of the Meadow, while Ted, James, and Alan tore it up nearby.  These Jams were compelling, so I wandered over to watch more closely.  Rob and Barak both were very focused, with each of them hitting killer combinations with huge seals, including a ‘No Bones’ Gitosis by Barak.  When I shifted my attention to the other Jam, TedShred saw me lurking with intent to loom, almost throwing me the disc.  James, said “I thought you were already in”, forcing me to join the fun.  During this one, Alan hit two (2) Gitis pulls, sealing one with a Phlaud that was worth at least a buck-fifty!

The length of the day made it so folks kept changing their affiliations.  James sat after we all got serious flow, and I went for another taste of Meadow Ambrosia and a quick pairing with Forever Trevor.  This gave Daniel a shot at our Guest.  These three all just went off, which brought on a singular moment in All*Star Thursday history.

After some great co-ops, with high-risk passing, TedShred chased down an errant set which had him dancing gingerly through the crowd, tip-toeing around people, blankets and bags, before making a leaping under the leg catch.  Then, he grabbed a Margarita from TLC, and sat down.  That’s right, Sir Tedley of Oberhaus actually sat his a** down, and chilled the &%#^ out.  While sipping a cocktail and relaxing, he told me “This has NEVER happened.  In all of these years, I’ve never sat down to watch, and drink a Marghie…It feels a little strange, but this is great!”  He actually stayed put for the better part of a half hour, but as dusk settled in, he got up for some speed-flow with Young James, while I got in a Light Toss with Young Daniel to close out the evening.

The Hard Corps of the Big Apple is truly Blessed.  The Tribe is an extended family with a Most Fun Wins ethos motivating every single one of us.  We even had two recruits (Andre and Kevin, each around 20 years old!) come by to learn more about Freestyle.  The former can already delay both spins, and both are poise to take the leap.  Spreading the Jam is what it is all about.  We want YOU to follow Alan’s lead, and just show up one day.  You definitely won’t regret it.  Until then…

Peace Out, Yo!

TP-TJH

Who is going to be wearing the Yella?

Trevor Brown, or should I say Trevor Yella !

Robert amid two new jammers, Kevin and Andre

Tall Paul displaying his allegience to the Mets and Jose Reyes

The All*Star Thursday Chronicle: Quadruple PLAY Editon

Hello, Hello, Hello, and Hello…

Once I gain I must offer apologies for not keeping up with the time.  The 2011 All*Star Thursday Season has been filled with much fun for the Hard Corps of the Big Apple and our many Guest Jammers.  Some days the weather was great, others cold and blustery, and there was one day where it was quite a combination of gorgeous and pouring rain.  Overall, it’s been wonderful to Spread the Jam.

May 26, 2011

The weather was cooperative on this day, with Doug E. Fresh, Jaime-TJH, and Jestin Heaver arriving early.  There had been a rumor of a New Englander making his way down our way, and no sooner was his name mentioned, we saw Toddy Brodeur making his way across the Meadow.  As always his energy and Flow made a good day even better.  The Ageless Trevor Brown, Bradford T., Ivan-TJH, Jill, Ben ‘n Claire, TedShred and The Lovely Chrissy, JB and Sarah, Barb, Kevin, Cavassa Heaver, Young James, Young Daniel (who are both aging and Shredding on an epic level), The Oracle, Chuck, Jim Fantone, and Richard, and old time Heaver was in from Paris as well.

Toddy B. is just a joy to Jam with.  He bring with him, a tremendous amount of creativity and has embraced the ‘Most Fun Wins’ ethos, to go with his championship pedigree.  He moved from Jam to Jam, making sure than he got a piece of everybody.  I got my little slice of him in a Jam with TedShred and Young James, which was outstanding.  There was a very cool combination featuring Forever Trevor, Young Daniel, Fresh, and Toddy  which was cool because of the age range of the player.  Trevor was had already hit the half-century mark when Daniel entered the world, and there they were crushing together.  This was marvelous to watch, and an inspiration at both ends.  Daniel left the next day for The Jammers (Thanks PK, CK, and Mother o’ PK, for hosting yet another incredible good time!!!!) where he made us all proud!

Certainly Jam of the day honors go to any that included adopted New England representative.  And yes, Alan C. has a Meadow Passport as well.  The Oracle, TedShred, Ivan, and I were the last Jam standing.  After Joey went our with some typically ridiculous combo, and Teddy hit a double spinning Scarecrow to end his evening, the Onus was on Ivan and I to do something special.  I managed to hit and Elevator Down, to under-the-leg pull to a Triple-Fake seal, which is as good as it gets for me.  Not to be undone, Ivan-TJH did some fine disc manipulation, sealing with a very serious Flying Gitis.  The thing that made this one particularly Heinous was his set flat, and his leap was vertical with no running start.  Amazing athleticism and coordination.

I have to check the actually who wore Yella Jersey that day.  Might have been held to honor Freddy, our dearly departed friend.

June 2, 2011

I was kind o Yella for this one as I had to work a CityKids event.  The day was pretty, but the winds were treacherous as I made a late appearance.  The turnout was a bit light, and Fearless Lou heckled me pretty hard when I busted the last Jam standing (Fresh and James) to avoid full-on Yella-ocity.  This was also the day when the Gamboa was not properly seized by anyone.  It had been awarded to the dearly departed Dutch the week before and the committee of between 2 and 69 had trouble forming.  James was Gamboa worthy, but chose not to take it without proper designation.  This showed tremendous discipline and we are proud of this show of discretion.

June 9, 2011

This was an incredible day as we had a Two-fer-One package with Rodney and Bethany Sanchez coming in for their first appearance since 2007, Gary Auerbach made an appearance, and David Fried was in from Germany to boot.  We are so friggin’ lucky and Blessed to have folks come in to help us create new memories each week.

The weather was threatening when I arrived at the Meadow.  James, Rob, Jaime-TJH (who is now a full on Jammer!) and Roger were already on hand as I settled in.  The Oracle, Ben Heaver, Cavassa Heaver, TedShred and The Lovely Chrissy, and Quinn-O rounded out the field.  Rodney complained about his back, and then proceeded to tear it up with Roger.  The Reliable One looked really nice in Yella, by the way.  Mr. Sanchez has a very sweet Flow, and has an arsenal of moves that work like magic.  I was Jammin’ with Bethany and James when TO came in bust.  We saw lighting in the distance, and thunder rolled in about 7-seconds later.  Okay, seven seconds means seven miles according to urban legend, so I figured we had time.  Teddy said, “Some of our best A*T’s have been days at the Bandshell.  Let’s see what happens.”  Oh how right he was.

The rain started with some big fat drops, and then turned into a cloudburst.  There was plenty of lightning that got much closer as packed our gear and headed for the shelter of our concrete winter haven.  There were a bunch of folks inside the Bandshell already, but that didn’t stop a barefooted James, Joey, and then Rob from seizing the moment and putting on a show right there on the stone stage.  The crowd was happy for the entertainment, but we Jammers get antsy watching flying plastic in close quarters.

The rain eased up, so Roger and I got it started, and we joined by Bethany.  Bethany was throwing ambi-DISC-erously, and played with grace and an understated fire which was really refreshing.  James came out and hit it hard with Rob and Rodney.  After playing for a while, I took a brief water break, and then started up with Teddy.  We were going for a while when The Oracle said “I’m comin’ down!”  There are moments when discretion is the better part of valor.  I lost Flow for a moment, looked up and decided to back out and give the masters room to get hot.  Boy, did they ever?!  It’s always fun to watch when the Best of the Best, each with very different styles, take it up a notch.  They went at it

As always, the combinations of players Jamming together was as varied as it was wonderful.  We played until it got dark, with Ted-Shred, Quinn-O, James, and I anchoring the Last Jam Standing.  I do know that on Friday, there was yet another major Jam featuring Bethany, Rodney, Robbie-Rob, James, and The Oracle, with those last three turning in an epic shredfest.  Hoping that our mid-western buddies come back sooner, rather than later.

June 16, 2011

This was yet another excellent day of Jammin’.  Young James, The Ageless Trevor Brown, Robbie-Rob, Roger, Mary-Mary, Ivan-TJH and Amanda, Jestin Heaver, Bradford T., TedShred and The Lovely Chrissy, JB and Sarah, Double-Yella Doug E. Fresh and Chuck rounded out the regulars.  We were joined by Cliff from Boston, who added multiple Daddy-Duty style responsibilities to his quiver since he last visited.

This was a day where I indulged my passion for long tossing to start the day, getting up to throw an actual Frisbee brand 175 with some unknown folks for a while.  It was one of the “Made in China” disc made from a soft red plastic, and it had decent flight characteristics.  When I saw Jestin Heaver standing off to the side, all alone with a Yin-Yang printed Ultra-Star in his hand, I asked “What are you doing?!” (Anyone who has been here will understand the weight of that question) and it was ON!  Jestin has been a regular since the mid-80s, so we locked in at-distance on the first throw.  There is nothing like getting serious Flow while at 60-70 yards.  We even had and audience of folks who watched us doing our thing, inspiring me to do some Jammin’ in the midst of the Heave.  They all groaned when I dropped one after he threw a strike, but followed up with cheers when I hit a nice combo that I sealed with a Triple-Fake and fired is straight back to him on target.  Later on I rejoined Jestin and Ivan-TJH for even more great stuff.

The funniest moment of the day was when took a break and prepared to Jam.  Rob, Roger, and James were playing, Trevor was up with Cliff and Chuck, and Fresh was Jammin’ with TedShred.  I espied that last pair with some lust, but saw the Oracle and asked him if he wanted to play.  He said, “Well, I was lookin’ over there…” indicating TO and Dougie, and I told him to have at it while laughing.  Great minds think alike.

Instead, I subbed in for Roger, and got it going with Rob and James.  This one was kind of strange because Rob was in an “Everything but the Girl” zone, ripping great combos, but he was unable to seal.  That didn’t last long though.  First was a Gitis off of a sweet kick brush, that James answered with a Bodonkadonk (UD Larebs kick to the delay) and his own double spinning Scarecrow seal.  He then hit another Gitis, a spinning scarecrow, and then I believe it was Gitosis.  I let those guys go at it while I went to heave again, and then got me some Cliff.  It’s always really cool to have old friends return, and while he said he was a bit rusty, he got his groove on quickfastinahurry.  Cliff has rolls, brushes, and devastating disc control when he catches the wave and it was great.

Jammers mixed and matched for the rest of the day, and into the darkness.  I got a nice speed-flow Jam with The Oracle, which was cool for me as I hit 4 of 5 Gitis attempts, and hit a couple more while with TedShred.  The cat who was most amazing though was James.  While Daniel is working in Connecticut for the summer, making himself most Yella, James is holding it down for Generation Next Shredders.  His energy and focus, all while kicking butt at Columbia, are truly and inspiration for me and the rest of the hard Corps of the Big Apple.

One Last item – Next week I will be able to report on our first All*Star Thursday Guest Jammer Initiative Designee of 2011:  Richie Regs!  A founding member of the Tribe, Richie is living the life of a retiree in Florida, and we are bringing him home for a real god time.  The weather is NOT cooperating, but hey…you know what’s coming next…say it with me…

CONDITIONS?! WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ CONDITIONS!

Peace Out, Yo!

TP-TJH

May 19^th was another great day.  The crowd was smaller, and we didn’t have any surprise guests, but breeze was (fairly) consistent and the air was very Live.  Whether Jammin, or throwing at distance, it felt as if the disc stayed aloft, awaiting your next command.  Ya gotta like that!.  Mr. E. Fresh was in the house, as was Fearless Lou, Forever Trevor, Chuck-K, Young Daniel, and Young James, Quinn-O, Ivan TJH, TedShred and TLC, The Oracle, JB, Tony (The Newlywed), and Jaime-TJH.  There were many Hein Jams, with folks flowing in an out.  I do recall Jamming with James as a pair, and being joined by TedShred for his warm-up.  That one got very hot, with much passing and TO hitting a double spinning Gitosis.  Young James answered with some insane ground work, and then hit a screaming double spinning Scarecrow seal.  There was much more, but I cannot talk about it right now.

It is with great sadness that I share the news that a member of the Tribe as passed away.  Most of you did not know Frederick D. Rosenberg, aka Dutch.  He was an old school Central Park cat, who played many years ago, before multiple spinal surgeries and two knee replacements forbade such activities.  He was a good friend to us all, and when he met Helene a few years back, it seemed that he had found his soul mate.  Unfortunately, his body gave out on him at the age of 65.

Today (Thursday May 26th) is his memorial ceremony.  I would ask that each of you takes a moment to say a prayer for our departed friend.  Also, reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while and tell them that you Love them.  Life is too short, and we don’t know when the Most High will call someone home.

Much Love to all of our Brethren and Sistren!

Thanks to Robert Fried for the nice picture.

The All*Star Thursday Chronicles:  Where My Dang Paper Edition, Plus…

Hail and Well Met to All:

2011 has been a too busy for your intrepid reporter.  Our first official All*Star Thursday took place on April 14^th when the Sheep’s Meadow opened for the season.  We had a pretty long stretch of dry weather, after (too darn) much snow during a over long winter.  That was a beautiful day, but alas I can’t seem to find my attendance list.  We did have a full house for certain, with much fun and an ample amount of frolicking to boot.

The next week was cold, extremely windy, and I had gotten about 90 minutes of interrupted sleep the night before, so I was a mess.  I tried to Jam with James and Fresh, then attempted to heave with Jaime-TJH and Ivan-TJH, but I had nothin’ in the tank.  The next two weeks were filled with work.  The April 28^th was Spring Soiree for the CityKids Foundation (my gig) and the May 5^th, I was in Chicago on bizness.  Sir Roger did the honors of writing about the debut of the new Yella Jersey, which I had the (dis)honor of donning the following week.  So, here we are with a double header.

Thursday, May 12^th was a gorgeous day, made all the more special by the fact that it was Fearless Lou’s 40-something Birthday.  Robbie-Rob, The Reliable One, Roger, Young Daniel, Young James, The Oracle, Tony (the Newlywed), Quinn-O , TedShred and the Lovely Chrissy, Jestin Heaver, Ben Heaver, Jaime-TJH and Barb, Ivan-TJH, The Ageless Trevor Brown, and JB rounded out the regulars.  We also had all to rare Claire Heaver and Scott Halpern sightings.  Making the day even more interesting, Alan C. graced us with his presence.  He got the itch to Jam up in Boston, and the only way he could properly scratch it, was to get in his car and drive to our Green Beach.  The Tribe is deeply humbled that All*Star Thursdays have this type of effect on people.  We are truly Blessed.

I wore a yellow shirt to start my first Jam since I had been Double Yella, but as soon as TedShred arrived, he bestowed upon me, that NEW Yella Jersey.  This one is large enough to fit, and has been skillfully decorated so each week’s recipient can make their mark.  This includes our Seattle-based Sister-in-Flight, Emma, who inscribed “Big Dog Inside” beside her name because that’s what she’s got in there.  She has turned into one of my favorite Jammers as she just keeps push, push, pushing herself to greater heights.  Young Daniel took home The Gamboa because he and The Oracle had an early Jam so hot, that not one dared to bust it.  And then, he kept playing at this supremely high level even when other folks joined in.  Bravissimo!!!!

TP-TJH

Tall Paul Mondesire has been double-yella, and this Thursday was too good not to be chronicled.  So here it goes, from guest chronicler Roger Meier……

It was looking to be a great All Star Thursday as I made my way into Central Park, finally warming up here in NYC after an unseasonably cool spring to date.  However I was aghast as I espied our meadow, it was closed up, empty with the red flags waving.  Seems it was time to perform some maintenance, something to do with insecticide.  However I always like a good bandshell jam, so just veered a bit east and kept going.  Figured it was 5 o’clock so maybe not too many folks were out yet, however when I got into the bandshell area I saw most of the gang already getting into it.  James, and Daniel were busy jamming away, these two do not stop, guess they need a break between studying for finals.  Emma was out for her final Thursday before heading back to Seattle.  Randy and Co. will be very happy to see how shredding their hometown jammer has become during her year in the Apple.

Now during the winter the shell is really a great place to jam, we generally have the place to ourselves, with just the tourists wandering by to, hopefully, gander a bit at our antics.  However as the weather gets nice seems all sorts of athletic peeps come out to do their thing at the shell.  Today we had a group of jugglers manipulating various objects, along with a band of skateboarders treating us jammers like gates for a slalom skier.  One particular dude was practicing his screaming stops in and around the entire gang, a bit disconcerting at times, but then we are in New Yawk City, so almost anything goes.  As I am want to say, “as long as nobody gets hurt…”.

A bit later Joey biked on in and proceeded to take out the Gamboa from his bag, now it was really on, to see who wanted this bad enough to get the nod from the board for the shreadingest jammer of the day.  I had started out with team Columbia, but the conditions were very tough with wicked swirling winds making it hard to get into a good flow.  I took a break at some point and noticed that Ted and Chrissie were not to be found, and this would be two weeks for them as they were scared off by near hurricane last week, even though it ended up very nice.  However just as this thought crossed my mind, who wandered in but the happy couple themselves.  They brought in a few goodies, Cinco De Mayo Margaritas, and Teddy was sporting and debuting the new Yella Jersey.  This version is the third dreaded Yella jersey, the first jersey, now living in retirement framed at Teddy’s, the second jersey brought out by Robert last year.  This shirt, designed by Chrissie, is for one year’s use, as it has a scoreboard to note each weeks lucky recipient, with Teddy’s name starting out the year.  Emma was disappointed she was going to miss most of the year’s yellaness as she will be heading back to Seattle before another Thursday, not to return until school starts up again in the fall.  Just to be sure she was not to be forgotten, this first week had two Yella designees, and Emma happily donned the jersey as well, and added her name to the roll call of Yellaness for this year.

As we were nearing halftime for the afternoon into evening’s fun and games, the wind started to Sid Down a bit and the jamming started to perk up.  Teddy was at a bit of a disadvantage, as he came expecting to play in his bare feet in the meadow.  He did his jamming in his sandals, but if any of you know Teddy, he could jam his a*& off wearing just about anything, and sure enough he was as hot as ever.  I went over and joined Joey, Doug and Kevin while another foursome of Daniel, James, Teddy and Lou went at it while Brad was busy with Emma with Trevor, JB going at it as well.  Rob and Chuck were taking it easy, each nursing minor injuries.  Everyone kept mixing it up until we were down to just one jam, with Teddy, James and Daniel giving the peanut gallery a show as the sun was setting.  After all the jamming was done, Joey made the call to bestow the Gamboa to Doug, who did have a great day.  Doug chimed in the he was proud of his bid, hitting a big flying indigenous variation (his signature seal), along with steady triple fake brushes and a screaming bad attitude to finish off his day. Daniel was close behind for his consistent killer brushing runs, huge lacers and gitii, and sheer energy to never stop jamming until it was almost too dark to play.

The gang hung around the shell basking in the end of one of our first real spring evenings, enjoying the camaraderie.  Mojito J rolled in with his own elixir to warm up spirits and the party was on.  Major decisions came out, with the firming up of some of the ASTGI jammers for this year.  Anton Cappelman is headed this way to cap off the season for what is becoming a regular September event not to be missed.  Start clearing your schedule for the September 15^th A*T through that weekend.  Looks like we may have some other Germans coming in and we are waiting to hear from the other regular guest jammers, as well as anyone else who wants some fun in the big apple.  The early season Designee is the first NYC Ex-Pat we are flying back, as Chrissie just made the call to Richie Regansburg, our Florida exile to come back north on our dime, planned for the June 23^rd Thursday, for a summer solstice event that should not be missed.

Remember to check the A*T Roll Call to see if you are there, if not then you need to plan a trip down to experience some of the most fun you can have jamming, all without the agita of a tournament.

On a closing note, I just can’t wait to see the new Yella Jersey on the Tall Man himself next week.  I hope it shrinks a bit in the wash, as I feel it is best when it is snug!

Roll Call: Roger Meier, Doug Simon, Robert Fried, Joey Hudoklin, Kevin Stevens, John Burke, Ted Oberhaus, Chrissie, Trevor Brown, Brad Keller, Emma Kahle, James Wiseman, Daniel O’Neill, Quinn O’Neill, Chuck Kuske

Hail and well met to all our Brethren and Sistren who are passionate about their plastic.  The winter of 2011 was brutal, but the Hard Corps of the Big Apple soldiered on.  There were Jams in the cold like out at Chateau Oberhaus on AFC/NFC Championship Game Sunday where your intrepid reporter played 2-1/2 hours in 22 degree weather.  This seemed like a great idea even after I realized I had frostbite(?!) on my throwing hand.  Seriously…frostbite—I am now a Gloucersterman for sure.  Man, there were soooo many days by the Bandshell where we punched the clock and waited for a day like…a day like…like, St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17th marked the official start to the All*Star Thursday Pre-Season.  As the clocks had been turned back the past Sunday, it is now possible for working folks to get out and have enough time to get their jam on in the warming temps.  On this lucky Thursday the weather warmed up into the 60s and we had a Guest Jammer in the person of Mr. Paul Kenney and his (significantly) better half Cheryl!  Given that the world travelin’ Doug E, Fresh had returned not long ago and was sitting in civilian garb with Robbie Rob and Sue soaking in the rays when I arrived, I knew it would be a fine day. 

With Daddy Duty ‘sponsibilities on the horizon–seeing TBGITW sing an original composition acapella at her school talent show–I put on four of Fearless Lou’s finely crafted bone nails (two red, two white, all highly buffed gems) and got it going with Danny-Boy O’Neill.   Man, this kid has got FLOW!  Completely ambiDISCerous with moves for days and the kind of focused energy that makes Jammin’ with him a real thrill.  Shortly thereafter, PK and Cheryl arrived as did the Reliable One, the Lovely Chrissy, as well as Jay the Mojito Man.  After the greetings I got back to Jammin’, grabbing me a bit of Namesake before I exited.  Playing with fresh blood is always fun.  Paul did a sweet consecutive turnover combination that was dazzling and sealed with distinction.  We really had a BLAST. 

Right around the time I had to roll out, TedShred arrived dressed in a shirt and tie.  This made me feel wistful as I knew that there was more to come. 
The All*Thursday Chronicles has now been hijacked by the reserve correspondent, Roger Meier. As Paul left early, and with much more to report, I have taken the liberty of seizin’ this post. 

Ted did his superman routine, donning his jamming attire brought in by Chrissie, while Joey biked in on his orange cruiser. Seeing an opportunity, I snagged the jamming services of these two true all-stars and we proceeded to get into our game.  While jamming, I espied an ex-pat on his own cruiser, and sure enough Jonathan Willet was in town as well.  To get both Paul Kenny and Jonathan Willet for opening day was quite special.  However, we were not done, oh no!  A few minutes later, who comes stomping back in, direct from a pan-global family tour, but our own Dougie “Fresh” Simon.  Now we have core jammers who are away for a few weeks and get to be awarded various degrees of Yellowness.  However a full half year for someone of Fresh’s critical importance to our crew here required something more drastic.  Sure enough, Ted and Chrissie had brought out the full Yellow Banana Suit, along with a tag alerting anyone who could read about his severe degree of Yellaness.  Dougie proceeded to get into every jam, and while the Banana suit did not stay on for long, his identity tag did not leave his body for the rest of the day.

The day was not complete without the Chrissie’s Margharita Elixer, and to complement the St. Patrick’s day festivities, our own Mojito “J” came by with some of the greenest mojitos this side of a Dr. Seuss tale.  Needless to say, a grand ole time was being had by all.  Seems we did not want to leave, with jammers going at it until it was dark.  However we were all not ready to let this day end, and even though our regular home at Malachy’s was overrun by St. Patrick’s day revelers, we were able to camp down at the previous post-jam quaff spot, Dallas BBQ for more drinks and good cheer.  We were especially entertained and regaled by Dougie with stories of foreign adventure and intrigue. 

Attendance – Forever Trevor Brown, Ted Oberhaus, Chrissy, Paul Kenny and Cheryl, Dougie Fresh Simon, Bradford Keller, Joey The Oracle HUdoklin, Robert Fried and Sue, Jontahan Willet, Ivan-TJH, Roger Meier, Kevin Stevens, Tony P., Chuck, Young Daniel Oneill,

One more thing – Plastic Peeps from all over the world have been inquiring if there was an archive of the All*Star Thursday Chronicles where they could read and reminisce about their visits and all the fun we have had over the years.  Ask and ye shall receive. 

Thanks to the hard work and due diligence of Roger Meier, The All*Star Thursdays Blog/Website has been launched.  Come see at www.allstarthursday.com . There are past A*T chronicles, action images and group shots, videos, and a roll call including everyone who has visited for an A*T jam, from Alexander Alexandrov to Ann Zemitis.  Use the simple Search option to find yourself in our postings.  If we overlooked anyone please be sure to alert Roger Meier or Paul Mondesire for redress.  And we want more!  You can share your stories, pictures, and videos of Shredful Behavior with us.  To kick that off, I’d like to ask folks for their contributions on a special project. 

I was talking with PK and CK about  the A*TCs while we watched Joey Jam.  He pulled off yet another magical move and I said “People must think I’m crazy writing about The Oracle all the time, but he just never ceases to amaze…”  At that point PK sez “People might think you have an ‘Oracle Fixation’–You better look out!”  After laughing (out loud!) I said, that sounds like a great idea.  So if you have a story, images, or video of  Jammin’ with The Oracle, please send it it to me via FB or at tallpaul513@yahoo.com.  once we reach critical mass, we’ll add that feature to the blog.  Don’t forget, there’s no degree of difficulty requirements–Most Fun WINS!

First Preseason A*T jam of 2011

First Preseason jam of 2011