All Star Thursday

Hello Children! (in my best Isaac Hayes/Chef voice)

September is upon us.  Unbelievable how fast the time goes.  Summer was very much in the air as we gathered for our weekly Jam session.  While Young Daniel was still eating ice cream as he finished his stint on the DL recovering from a tonsillectomy, Young James returned to the nest after traveling the world.  He was all amped up and covered with sweat by the time I arrived.  The energy that our Columbia Connection brings to our collective is just great.  Aspiring Jammer Tony P. was there and we were joined by The Reliable One, The Oracle, Ben Heaver, Ivan TJH, Chuck, Quinn-O, our resident nail craftsman Fearless Lou, Bradford T., and Forever Trevor.   Sir Tedley and the Lovely Chrissy were absent though, and we still miss Fresh Family HanSimon.

My first Jam was with Jammin’ James and then Ivan joined the fray.  The former brought back a sack full of new moves that he wanted to show off, so he went BIG on the 3rd throw, trying for a Gitosis.  He missed that one, but was undeterred.  He finished his next combo with a very Bad Attitude, then nailed a Gitosis right after that.  Not to be outdone, Ivan went for his own Gitis, following that with a vicious spinning behind the head catch and a southpaw snap that just hummed.  I LOVE THIS STUFF!

Quinn-O, Roger, and Lou Jammed on one side, while The Oracle got in with James, Ivan, and yours truly.  Airborne alliances abounded all around as the crew mixed and matched, everyone getting a little taste of the flying plastic.  At one point, I found myself Jammin’ alone with The Oracle and Sir Roger broke out his new Flip camera.  After a couple of false starts, we suddenly got into a great Flow.  Playing with Joey is always remarkable because he SEES THINGS–anticipating not only his own combos, but what throw will elicit a shredful response from his partner.  I believe it was right after Joey hit a Matrix that it felt as if time warped.  Suddenly things slowed down and everything became clear.  We went dropless for what felt like forever, with Joey going all Oracular on me, and me pushing myself to greater heights of Hein.  When we spoke about it over the weekend I told him that was the best that I had played with him all summer.  He simply said: “We really executed well.”  Hey…he’s The Oracle and doesn’t need many words.  😉

That Jam pretty much wiped out the rest of my recollections of the day.  I know that Roger and Brad got some, and Quinn-O join me, Ivan, and Young James for another round.  Fearless Lou, Joey, Ivan, and I were the last Jam standing .  Lou went out on a fierce combo that he sealed with a Chomped Scarecrow, and I almost went out on a miraculous foot-brush assist.  I thought the better of it, and soldiered on.  Joey’s exit was typically magical, and completely indescribable.  Finally I hit an Elevator Down to under the leg pull into a Triple Fake, which Ivan answered with a Big Air Ivan-isimo Gitis.  Yes, it was a good day.

The September 23rd A*TGJI Shredfest–featuring the #1 ranked Great Gaddoz–is growing.  The crew from The Invisible String is coming in, toting a couple of cameras and a few more Jammers including Takashi “a Japanese urban streetstyler”.  They are sticking around for their “Big Throw” event on Saturday 25th on our Green beach http://bigthrow.wordpress.com

They asked if we would “mind passing on the word to all the local Frisbee maniacs to sign up for this grand event: bigthrow@… and persuade them to come?”  Soooooooooo…all together now…this time with feeling…wait for it…

When Are YOU Comin’ Down??!!

Peace Out, Yo!

TP-TJH

The Big Apple has been deep fried all summer long, so it was a relief when the temperature was in the low 80s and the humidity was minimal last (All*Star) Thursday.  I rode my bike across the Brooklyn Bridge, up the Hudson River Bike Path, and zipped across 72nd Street into the park for our weekly Tribal unification ceremony.  Guitar Sean and flute playing.  Roger were seated with Robbie-Rob, Sue, and Brother David Fried who’s in from Germany.  The latter Fried channels his creative Flow into amazing works of art. take some time to check it out: www.davidfried.com Next to arrive were Chuck, Fearless Lou, and the Reliable One himself, setting The Gamboa on the Manhole for the first time since late June!.  ”WOOHOO!

I was a little anxious so I asked Rob who is on the semi-DL with a shoulder inflammation to get up for a Light Toss.  Even when he is clearly hurting, the guy still has such amazing disc awareness that he hit couple of nice Scarecrows, and sweet kick tip to Gitis.  When he sat to rest, I went and joined in with Roger and my boy Fearless and we got it going pretty good.  The Oracle made his first A*T appearance at this point, and he looked great.  The west and wewaxation he got on the Left Coast definitely did him good, so thanks to all of our Plastic Peeps out the for lookin’ out for him.  TedShred and the Lovely Chrissy , Bradford T., Ben-Heaver, and Ivan-TJH rounded out the crew.

After hydrating I was ready to go again.  Brad was barefoot and TO was still wearing sandals meaning neither was ready to Jam.  When I made note of this, Mr. Oberhaus said “Lemme fix that…” and soon it was off to the races.  My “Son” Ivan-TJH joined us shortly thereafter, while The Oracle slid seamlessly into the Roger and Lou Jam.  Since we had a relatively turnout, the groupings lasted a little longer than usual.  This led to some very fine work.  TO was punchin’ the clock, playing at his normal incredible high level while Ivan showed off his incredible athleticism.  This cat hustles like crazy and pushes himself to make plays at every moment.  The other Jam must’ve been going well ‘cuz I heard the “Wocka, Wocka, Wocka” call of the Gitis a few times.  Periodically we’d tag team so that everyone got a bit of Joey or a piece of TedShred while keeping the Jams fresh.  Fresh…Fresh…No Fresh Inside.  He’s in the Greek Isles, and we miss him, Jill, BenJAMin, and Claire,

I broke for a bit of Chrissy’s Meadow Ambrosia and spent a few minutes chatting and absorbing the beautiful evening.  Gotta say we are a very lucky bunch.  Even with a small turnout we still manage to get after it in a big way.  The last Jam standing included The Oracle, Ivan, and me.  As great a player as he already is, Joey was sharper than ever after playing in the Worlds and in his sojourn up and down the Left Coast.  This meant that when Lou shouted “Play Better!”, we really pushed to make sure we increased our intensity level.  ‘Twas no real surprise when he walked off into the sunset with The Gamboa in tow.  Yeah, it was a good day.

News Flash: The September 23rd A*TGJI soiree featuring Matteo “Gaddoz” Gaddoni is shaping up to be a big deal.  Heather Gray, Sue Strait, and Mr. Bill Wright (our very first A*TGJI Designee) just confirmed that they were comin’ down.  Toddy B. and Alan C. are gonna be here and there are a few other folks who are trying to finish the season in style.  What about YOU???!!!!

Hasta La Vista, Baby…WOOF, WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!!!

TP-TJH

P.S.  Hey Young Daniel—Heal FAST!!!!!!!

Good Day to all,

Twas a fine afternoon on the Isle of Manahatta as TBGITW came out with her Dad to share a bit of Freestyle Frolicking.  The sun was bright, the few clouds were white, and the heat n humidity had broken.  We wandered in from the northeast corner seeing a Skystyler with curious markings arcing through the air.  As I got a bit closer I saw Toddy Brodeur, recently returned from Seattle flinging that thing with one Rick Williams in his A*T debut, while Alan Caplin sat chillin with Robbie Rob. Three Guest Jammers well, aint that a fine way to start the day?!  Not long after we were joined by the Ageless Trevor Brown, who confused me by coming in from the southwest corner rather than the eastern end.  He always tried to keep us on our toes, so as soon as I nailed up–utilizing some of Fearless Lous finest–we got up with a 175 for some long tossing.  Playing with Forever Trevor is always an honor and a pleasure.  His Flow is all-natural no matter the distance, and incredibly, he throws better now than ever before.  Whats not to like?

While we were throwing, Young Daniel arrived followed by new recruit Tony Parker (compatriot of Ralph Heaver), Gerry Linas (bearing a disc and copy of Freestyle Mag Vol.2 for me”Thanks Jason!!!), the  Roginator and Tricia, Quinn-O, Chuck, Ben Heaver, Cavassa Heaver, Kevin, JB, Quinn-O, and Susan.  Rob, Toddy and Rick got the first full on Jam of the day going when the biggest surprise of the day arrived. Our own Lady Nan came striding across the field carrying her baby girl with various family members in tow, including her Dad.  She’s been living in Spain singing and teaching opera, got hitched to a fine caballero named Pablo, and had to come by to demonstrate her passion for plastic.  After sharing greetings all around, I set her up with a couple of my Fearless Lou specials and we commenced to Jammin’.  Nan was more nervous than when I saw her perform at Carnegie Hall because: 1) she hasn’t played since the progeny arrived more than a year ago; and 2) her Dad had never seen her play before.  She shook off the rust in no time and we had a wonderful Jam.  She’s mostly counter, has throws for days, plenty of moves in the arsenal, and the kind of energy that makes playing so much fun.  She had to bail to check on da’ child, but the day was just beginning.

As if all of these guests weren’t enough, one Gary A. come rolling in for another A*T appearance, immediately jumping into my Jam with Alan C. and Young Daniel which was just great.  While this one was rockin’, Forever Trevor, Rick, and Kevin were in one Jam, while Roger, Toddy, and Quinn-O went at it big time in what I believe was Jam of the Day.  The combinations kept mixing and matching, with only a short break as the Reliable One made sure to organize the one-of-a-kind group shot before Robbie-Rob split to rest his achy shoulder.  This was all great, but something was missing. Hmmmmm’

The Oracle was on the Left Coast on his own Magical Mystery Tour Fresh Family Simon is in the Greek Islands somewhere that’s not it.  Wait, where’s Sir Tedley and the Lovely Chrissy?  The sun’s below the building line and there’s still no sign of ’em.  I guess we’ll have them draw straws to see who will wear the Yella Jersey next week, I thought to myself.  Truth be told, A*T just ain’t the same without the Shredmeister and his consort.  There’s just some extra joyful noise when they’re around.  Not long after these thoughts bounced about inside my cranial cavity, guess who came striding purposefully in with Robbie-Rob in tow?  You are correct’TO and TLC!  The nerve of those clients scheduling an important meeting late on a Thursday afternoon!!!!

TO jumped in with Toddy, Roger, and Quinn-O, if I recall correctly.  All the Jams took on extra urgency since dusk was settling in and we knew we had to get in our last licks.  There was a major 7-man Mob Op to complete the festivities and as always it was a blast!  The Parkies kept announcing that The Meadow is CLOSED!” as it got darker and darker.  With the bonus Onus squarely upon their shoulders, Quinn-O and TO hit massively Hein combos–complete with back to back Scarecrow seals–to end the evening.  All was right with the world.

There’s one more item to discuss.  So we know that Gaddoz is coming in for the September 23^rd A*T.  Toddy B. and Alan C. have committed, and so has our pal Buti.  The 15-acre Green welcome mat is here awaiting all ya all what are YOU waiting for?!

Ciao

TP-TJH

Hail and well met to all of our Plastic Peeps,

From the perspective of this Noo Yawkuh, the best part of the 2010 Worlds in Seattle was the passionate ALL/US/WE sensibility carried by our community.  Reading about the competition, the parties, and especially the Jams, was a real inspiration for those of us who remained here holding it down while The Oracle, Sir Roger, Robbie-Rob, Young Daniel, Young James, and Fearless Lou sharing his Master Nailsmith wares represented the Tribe.  Again, major thanks to the FPA and all of the folks who made it happen out there.

All*Star Wednesday, Baby! Bow, Wow, Wow, Wow!

The Hard Corps of the Big Apple has been Blessed by a bunch of Guest Jammers in 2010, but this week was so special that we had to add an extra day of international shredding.  We were graced by the presence of World Champion Clay Collera (Congrats to Reto and Joakim too!) and Claudio Cigna of Italy, and Dan Lustiger of Israel, who were making their way back across the Atlantic and decided to make a pit-stop at our Green Beach.  The Oracle and (a)RF are still on the Left Coast, so TedShred and the Lovely Chrissy, Fearless Lou, Doug E. Fresh and Family, The Roginator, Chuck, Kevin, Bradford T., Bill Doobs, Chris K. all came out to share in the fun.  Not only that, as TedShred and I started getting loose, he says “You know Erwin’s comin’?”  I had heard tell, but adding Erwin Velasquez to this line-up of guests was too much for my feeble little brain to process.  Well, he showed and it was GREAT!

As always, fresh blood in the water makes the Jamming more intense.  Clay and Claudio got up with TedShred, Young Daniel and were joined by Young Dan L., another hungry young man who plays with grace and abandon.  This was great for all us Crusties.  Clay never allowed a single spin to suffice, going for double-spinning Everything, while Claudio showed off a remarkable disc-dexterity.  Dan L. showed real moxie after just missing a wild spinning Gitis seal by going even bigger two throws later with and even higher degree of difficulty combo, and CRUSHING the same Gitis seal.  Not only that, our Young Daniel has returned from the Worlds (and a summer full of travelin’ jams) with fire in his belly and bunch more stuff in his bag o’ tricks.  And then there’s Erwin.  Mr. Velasquez is one of the legendary figures of our sport and to see him out on the Meadow with us was incredible.  He attacks the game with a linebacker’s intensity, yet with infinite grace and a delicate touch.  The spins, the rolls, and the instincts that take him to places that other fear to tread, WOW!

All*Star THURSDAYS Baby!  WOOF, WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!!!!

This was the Farewell A*T for Doug E. Fresh who is taking his family on an international Walkabout, starting in Athens (Greece, NOT Georgia) so it was gonna be special no matter what.  A light rain was sprinkling down throughout the afternoon, but it did nothing to dampen our spirits.  I arrived first, planting myself by the manhole with my chair and umbrella, hoping for the best.  Chuck K, and my boy Fearless were next to arrive.  Clay and Claudio rolled in with big smiles after more sightseeing.  Sir Tedley and the Lovely Chrissy, Roger and Tricia, Fresh, Young Daniel, Quinn-O, Chris K., Bradford T., JB and Sarah, and a late arriving Irena (on her way back to Prague) rounded out the field.

The field was a little slick from the light drizzle, but there was no reason to repair to the Bandshell.  The Jam combinations were free flowing as everyone mixed and matched to make sure they got a little somethin’-somethin’ from everyone.  Clay was like a whirling Dhervish, and you could hear the sound of his sneakers squeaking on the grass with the same aural pattern (1x, 2x, 3x) depending on the move, and his Flow was wonderful.  Claudio?  Man, he has got moves for days including some rim work that I have never seen nor imagined, and excellent throws as well.  Irena came back from Seattle with some new moves so it was clear that she made the most of her time in the Northwest.  One of my favorite jams featured her and Bradford T.  She’s Counter, he’s Clock, and they meshed beautifully.  Young Daniel really played amazingly well yesterday.  He’s really working the plastic and going for big moves, including one combination where he was on the edge chasing the disc into the distance, but was somehow in control enough to hit a big air Gitis to seal things with a chomp.  There were too many wonderful moments to recount them all.  Just know that as dusk settled in, the Jams all went to 11.

The real gift of All*Star Thursdays is that each week, our family ties grow.  We have Guest Jammers who come and share the Love, and folks like Fresh who will Spread the Jam in parts of the world yet unknown.  It’s All Good!  So…when are YOU comin’ down?

Peace Out, Yo!

TP-TJH

P.S.  Hey Left Coast; Hope the Magic Frisbee Tour is going well.
P.P.S. Hey Skippy: Take care of The Oracle for us…we love that cat and want him back.
P.P.P.S. Hey Fabio–When are you coming back to NYC?



Good Day to All Y’all,

It’s been a little while since the last update from NYC’s Jam Central Station.  The final A*T of May saw yet another Guest Jammer join us unannounced as Boston’s own Alan Caplin made an appearance.  The turnout was small that day with Roger, Fresh, The Oracle, and Fearless Lou coming out despite the forecast of inclement weather.  Heck, they said there was only a 30% chance of rain anyway.  Except in reality, it is either 100% raining or it ain’t.  So we all got up quickly to get in our innings, hoping to get in an official game.  This lasted for about a half hour because the there was lightning to the west, then the north, and finally the east.  Then big fat drops of cold rain battered our hard heads, driving us all to the safety of our local dive for refreshing beverages and comestibles.  During our stroll, Roger was not feeling so jolly and said, ya’ know, I’m getting tired reading how every Jam is so amazing and everyone shreds in the A*TC’s.  One day I wanna hear how everybody dropped and played like crap.  We all cracked up, your intrepid reporter included.  Heck, I just calls ’em like I sees ’em, right?  Right?

June 3^rd – The air was thick and the temperature was up there as we regrouped for our weekly adventures in plastic.  Rob and Sue were out bright and early, as was the Ageless Brown, and my boy Fearless Lou.  Bradford T. came in with a big smile and the hope that he could avoid the Yella Jersey since Sir Tedley and the Lovely Chrissy were both absent the previous week.  Alas, they were out in foggy Montauk vacationing, so he was duty bound to wear the color of shame.  Ralph Heaver and Jaime TJH were there, along with Quinn-O, Fresh, and The Oracle who planted The Gamboa on the Manhole.  Finally, Young Daniel came back from the Jammers bearing the touring Super Pro for an A*T appearance.  Being a bit of a traditionalist, I had wondered about this disc because it didn’t have the Flying Eagle sticker that I recalled so fondly on my first favorite Frisbee.  I took a close look at the HDX plastic and found that it was indeed a 61-mold, so I grudgingly gave it props.  Just kidding—never any grudges against vintage plastic.

So we all started Jamming.  Roger and Brad (who looked ravishing in that little Yella number) hit it first.  Rob, Fresh, Joey, and Dan went at it, while I hit the long tossing thing to air out my arm.  Other combinations included me and the Oracle, and we were joined by Roger.  Dan and Joey later got some, inspiring Fresh to join them. Quinn-O, Lou, me, and later Roger went for it.  The air was thick and the energy was eh.  Nobody really got hot.  People, it was All-Crumb Thursday.  Other than Dan hitting a nice Lacer, we collectively had nothin’.  I blame this turn of events on the end of our 2010 streak of having a Guest Jammer every week.  We needed fresh blood to make it work, or something.  Roger was awarded The Gamboa by attrition saying Tis better to have Jammed and Gamboa d, than to not Jam at all.  The Yella Designee was certainly Sir Tedley, though many voted for spraying it with water and having the Lovely Chrissy don it.  Yes, men are pigs it’s one of our endearing qualities.  😀

June 10^th “ The weatherman was calling for rain, which probably kept Robbie-Rob and his tweaked neck indoors.  Me?  I found a parking spot right off the park, looked up, saw nothing but blue sky, and CHOSE to leave my umbrella in the back seat.  More on that later.  I was the first to arrive, followed swiftly by Jaime TJH, Fearless Lou, Daniel, The Oracle, and Mary-Mary.  Guitar Sean, a new member of the tribe who had just played a gig down the block from Chez Meier was out, Bradford T. Quinn-O, the Ageless Trevor Brown, Ted/Shred and the Lovely Chrissy rounded out the field.

Roger and Brad, Trevor and Quinn-O, and Lou and Daniel, started us off and I got up with Ted Shred.  The Oracle hopped in with me and TO before heading to see Jorma (the new artist-in-residence at Iridium), and things were strangely shaky.  When I sensed that the Flow was not with us, I chose to bail, giving the two Grandmasters room to get loose.  I joined Lou and Dan to find my groove as the clouds began rolling in.  And then it rained.  It rained hard.  It rained harder still.  And yet, the Hard Corp of the Big Apple was undeterred.  We all played through the prickly precipitation that splattered around us.  Suddenly my decision to leave my giant golf umbrella in the car seemed less wise as the Lovely Chrissy, Trevor, Jaime, and Mary-Mary huddled under a small folding umbrella waiting for the sun to come back out.  And did it ever.

It seems there was just one friggin’ cloud that passed over our Green beach, and once it left, the conditions and Jams were both magnificent.  We even had a rainbow to inspire us onward to greater heights.  I snatched up TedShred when Joey split, and we got it going pretty good, starting with back to back Gitis.  That’s right, I hit a Gitis to begin this Jam answering TO’s.  Then Roger joined in, and it was on.  The rest of the Jams are kind of a blur.  There were two iterations of 6-man mob-ops, as well as a couple of smaller units.  The penultimate jam had TedShred, Fearless, Quinn-O, Roger, Daniel, and me.  There were multiple finales to this Jam because folks stopped for a bit and got back up because it was too early to quit.  TO hit a double spinning Flamingosis for his finale, Quinn-O a nasty Scarecrow, Lou a sweet combo, and I got me a nice Triple-Fake.  Young Dan was too hyped to just quit, so he got a late arriving Ivan for the last moments of the last Jam and they Gitised out.  Nice!

Fresh was designated as the next Yella Man, edging out Rob who is on the day-to-day DL.  Roger called this “the best All*Star Thursday of the year and who am I to argue.  We didn’t have the adrenaline rush of having Zanardi, The Beast, or Alan, or Bruce, or any of our wonderful friends.  We had to suck it up and make it happen on our own, and we did indeed.

All*Star Thursdays, Baby—WOOF, WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!

TP-TJH

Good Day to all,

2010 has been very good to the Hard Corps of the Big Apple.  The Jamming has been great, the conditions (which we don’t need) have been solid, and the Guest Jammers just keep rollin’ in.  The ground where the Beast trod but a week ago was graced by the appearance of the one Bruce Page, Flying Ace partner of the Mighty Quinn-O.  The scent of fresh blood brought out a solid crowd out to the wilds of Central Park.  Fearless Lou, The Oracle, Sir Roger, Doug E. Fresh, Ivan-TJH, our Columbia Connection of Daniel and James, Jaime-TJH, Ben Heaver, Chuck K, Ralph Heaver, Mojito Jay (Big ups to our Brother who hooked up the crowd with fresh whole fruit papaya/mango smoothies), Sir Tedley and the Lady Chrissy, a very Yella Robbie-Rob n Sue, and Pro Style Chris Kohn rounded out the field.

The air was charged anywhere within ten feet of James who was attending his last A*T until the end of the summer.  His sister Savannah was even in town to document her sibling’s passion for plastic, complete with release forms, so the pressure to have as much fun as humanly possible was on. There were so many sessions of Mighty Heaving and Hot Jams that it was hard to keep track—pretty sure I got some Rob, but can’t recall with whom–but here we go.

TP/Ralph Heaver/Jaime-TJH (Amazing, as usual)

Quinn/Bruce/Fresh

Quinn/Bruce/TP

Chris/James/Lou

Bruce/Dan/Chris

Roger/Dan/Chris

Fresh/Joey/Roger/Daniel/James

Joey/Rob/Fresh/Roger

Dan/Rob/Bruce

Joey/Dan/Roger

TP/Ted/Ivan/Lou/James

I got started with a traditional long toss but there were ten different Jams, and each combination was remarkable in its own right.  Bruce got his first taste with Young Dan and Chris, but things got really hot when he teamed up with his old partner Quinn-O.  The two of them Flowed naturally from the start.  They just knew where the other was going, anticipating moves and passes so that there were long dropless stretches of hein shrediocity.  When Fresh joined the fray things went to another level and kept going higher.  I got my own chance to Jam with the Aces and it was special.  Bruce has a subtle and smooth style that belies the degree of difficulty of his repertoire.  Casual in the very best sense of the word.  We were able to lock in with little fuss and it was wonderful stuff.

The big story of our commemoration of the anniversary of the first World Gitis Day was the continued growth in skill and passion of James, Dan, and Ivan-TJH.  Young James was alternating between Jamming hard and interviewing folks with his sister, making sure to hit at least one Gitis in each session.  Dan’s Flow and Ivan’s incredible athleticism are inspirational for Generation Crust.  The Last Jam Standing included TedShred, James, Fearless, Ivan, and me.  The young bucks were quite rambunctious, going back to back, to back, to back Gitis which got us all amped.  Fearless hit a nice combo that he sealed with a Vacation, then I hit my Elevator Drop combo sealed with a chomped Triple-Fake.  Not to be outdone TedShred took it up several notches.  On consecutive plays he hit incredible combinations, then after we hit an O’Malley, Sir Tedley got the disc and there was fire in his eyes.  After showing the disc who the boss really was, he set it up high, moving with cat quick reflexes he spun once, and then again.  As he finished his third spin he leaped in the air, reversed his body and crushed a Gitosis just before hitting the ground.  Triple Spinning Gitosis?!  Teddy got up with the biggest smile on his face.  Ya gotta like that.

All the other Jams were finished as darkness slowly descended upon us.  The peanut gallery was in fine heckling form, reminding us that there was a mallet awaiting the chance to say Wocka, Wocka, Wocka!  Ivan struck first with a big air Gitis that was just stunning with its ferocity, followed by James who answered with his own Lord Finesse version.  This left me and TedShred.  He had a very fancy  Gitosis to rest his head upon, but I had missed both of my previous attempts.  Our final burst had good Flow and the air was charged as I sent a quick catch pass over to Mr. Oberhaus.  He nailed a Gitis and there was the biggest Onus of the day.  He sent the disc back just so.  I looked at the spinning plastic, calculating the angular velocity as I lifted my right leg.  My left hand reached behind said raised appendage and GITIS!  We Gitised out on World Gitis Day??!!  WOOF, WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!

The Hard Corps of Big Apple is sending much Love to The Jammers.  Have fun in FL everybody!

Peace Out, Yo!

TP-TJH

What’s Happening, All Y’all?

Congrats to Dave, Dave, and Toddy, as well as all of our Plastic Peeps who went to the VA States.  Looking at the pix on FB and reading Rodney’s write up in JOTN made me feel quite wistful.  Also, Big Ups to the Hard Corps of the Big Apple’s Young Bucks!  James and Daniel have reenergized the Crustilicious Critters that inhabit the Meadow, and now are being embraced by folks from around the country.  I feel like a proud papa!

The day seemed to have a bit of a split personality when I arrived.  There was a brief thunderstorm up in da Bronx where I live, then bright sunshine.  This pattern continued as I made the journey downtown in my ’95 Toyota Hooptie-wagon, which now sports a completely new exhaust system—complemented by my extremely light wallet.  It was nice to drive down the Westside Highway lookin’ at the Hudson and NOT sounding as is a Cessna was flying 6-feet above my head.  Anyway….

Mojito Man Jay was planted near the Manhole when I arrived and Kevin, The Oracle, and Young James (YJ) all arrived shortly thereafter.  The first Jam of the day was a very casual combination of James, Kevin (looking splendiferous in Yella!), and I.  James described the VA States as “one of the best times of my life” and his play reflected as much.  He has added Flow and new moves in equal measure, nailing a very nasty Bad Attitude on his second combo.  After a little while Jaime-TJH, Ben Heaver, and Henry Heaver arrived and Jaime induced me to shift into my long throwing mode.  While I was out doing my thing Quinn-O, Roger, The Ageless Trevor Brown (TATB), Fresh, TedShred and the Lovely Chrissy all rolled in, while the clouds rolled out.

I was way out in left field when I espied The Oracle and James going at it.  This combination must’ve been hot because Quinn-O joined in and that threesome began to crush.  Q’s southpaw delivery guarantees smokin’ Counter backhands, and sizzling Clock overhands which his colleagues turned into all that good stuff we love so much.  After a little while, Quinn-O stepped out to partake in a Margie and the Ageless Trevor Brown stepped in.  This was my pick for Jam of the Day.  Of course it was a hot one, but it also had YJ and TATB as bookends to The Oracle.  I am inspired by many things about our sport/artform/thing, but seeing the age range of this combination was unique.  TATB plays with such passion and grace, that it is still a wonder that he was shredding at approximately my current age when YJ was in diapers.  Simply wonderful to see.

My next Jam was with Roger and Kevin and we collectively punched the clock, with The Roginator finishing up with a Gitis, Kevin with a sweet combo, and I hit a nice Triple Fake with the onus on my shoulders.  After another Margie, I got into a 175 duel with Rod Heaver.  We started with two discs at about 25 yards and after a few minutes he said “You know this is could be more interesting with three discs….”  I almost said no, but the challenge was clearly implied.  We started passing the three discs and lock in immediately, going dropless for several long stretches.  I could hear the Tribe and other onlookers cheering us on in the background and got really amped up.  We went at this for 10-15 minutes, and then grabbed Jaime-TJH and Ben for some Heaving.  At one point I hit a couple of nice Jam combos–followed by 70 yard forehand strikes–during my long tossing.  It was time for me to go.

I busted The Oracle and TATB who were at this point a duo.  My entry into the jam was wordless and seamless.  I wandered in from the field, Joey looked me in the eye, threw a counter strike and IT WAS ON.  We started with two O’Malley’s in the first three passes and took off from there.  Flow defines form, but defies description in most Jams.  Suffice to say it was awesome.  Other notable Jams included Roger, Quinn-O, and Fresh; another with TedShred, Fresh, and Quinn-O; and others with Roger playing the 3^rd Man in to make some magic.  Then there was TedShred with James and Kevin.   That last one looked like so much fun that I had to join in for what became the last Jam Standing.  We played until darkness was descending and TO hit a spinning Gitosis placing the onus on the rest of us.  A very fine way to end the day.

The Yella Jersey, worn so well by Kevin will find a new wearer next week from a long list of candidates.  I may well don said new rag in penance.  I had promised to bring out The Gamboa, but the time and $$ invested in getting my vehicle repaired, pushed the thought from my mind.  I will defer to the Board, but I have earned my discipline.  The real question remains:  When are YOU Comin’ Down?!

Peace Out, Yo!

TP-TJH

Good Day to All,

The 2010 A*T Season has started with a bang.  As I entered the Meadow from the Northwest corner, I saw Robbie-Rob engaged in Jam with an unknown figure.  He was crankin’ the Counter Z’s with a hellacious overhand, and playing with abandon, so I figured he was a long lost Brother from somewhere.  When The Oracle joined them for an early shift Jam, I knew he was a player of notable standing.   The gentleman goes by the name of Jason Salkey of London town, and he was here with his son.  He is one of the early devotees to our sport…a fact buttressed by the first Krae Van Sickle sighting of the year!  Yes, it was going to be another good day.

I sat down to nail up, and we already had a sizable gathering of the faithful.  Ralphy-Boy, Jaime-TJH, Barb, and Ivan-TJH were there, as was Sue, James, Daniel, and Bradford T.  I had the honor of getting to warm up with Mr. Van Sickle, who declined to specify the type of plastic when I asked, so I grabbed a Finch 17 Sheep’s Meadow Map 175, and we went for it.  Plastic cognoscenti are well aware that Krae is a tremendous all around player, and Heaving comes as natural as breathing for him.  He’s got every throw, with both hands and tremendous accuracy.  We were throwing for a few minutes when Ivan-TJH, one of our Next Gen Jammers joined in, launching some amazing Lefty backhands.  Not long after that, Zanardi made it a Quadrangle.  Gotta give my ‘paisan’ some grief for a moment—Amazing Z throws with both hands.  Distance?  Not so much….  😀  He surely made up for it later, as I will ‘splain shortly.

We had a tremendous turnout this week.  The Roginator was out, as were TedShred and the Lovely Chrissy, Doug E. Fresh, Chuck, Mary-Mary, JB, Dave and Inga (still here from Deutschland) Fearless Lou, Quinn-O, the Ageless Trevor Brown, along with…drum roll, please…Pat Rabdau, Hannah, and Max making his Meadow debut.  Krae spotted Jason getting up with Daniel and ran to get into his first Jam.  I grabbed Zanardi, James hopped in, and the fun began.  This is where things start getting blurry for your intrepid reporter.  I know that this combo was relatively short lived for some unknown reason.  I do know that Jason subbed in with me and Zanardi, but just as we started to Flow, his progeny–playing the role of Gunga Din—returned with a bunch of water.  He bailed.  At that point, TedShred seized the opportunity to bust in with me and Don Emmanuele.  This is the Jam that crushed all memories of the rest of the day’s activities.

Every Jam I have shared with Zanardi—including an All*Star Tuesday at Washington Square Park with TedShred, The Oracle, and the NextGenners—has be The HEIN.  Those outings did not prepare me for what happened yesterday.  Collectively, we just shredded right from the start.  The Flow was instantaneous (starting with an O’Malley) and sustained with hot moves from every one of us.  We had a dropless sequence that went long enough for Sir Tedley to say “I don’t want to say anything to jinx it, but we’ve been dropless for a while….”

Instead of the disc hitting the ground immediately, we got HOTTER!  The passing was smooth, the combos unique, and plenty of co-ops in between.  I hit my only real ‘signature’ Hi-Diff combo–an Elevator Down, to and under the leg pull, to a zing set Triple-Fake—which TedShred answered with an insane combo that he finished with a double spinning Gitosis.   Zanardi turned on the jets, chasing down a Hi-Z Helicopter from TO, putting on an incredible display of disc-dexterity that he finished with a big air Bad Attitude.  This Jam went on, and on, until Roger called out “Picture Time!  Let’s get one before it gets dark.”  Inside, I felt like a little kid whose Dad said it was time to come in for dinner.

After the picture taking, we picked up right where we left off.  The Three of us Goin’ Off.  We covered an incredible amount of ground, doing a 360 around the Manhole, and Zanardi was EVERYWHERE!!!!  The guy made miraculous saves and sealed damn near with confidence.  I felt honored just to be on the field with my two partners, and it was a pleasure when Trevor joined us, and later Quinn-O put the finishing touches by slippling in for the ‘it’s almost too dark to Jam, Jam.’  Whatta Day!

There were other great combinations, but I could not document any of them for sure because I was having too much fun.  I know that Pat, Krae, and Jason got a late one, and Krae and Zanardi got the Last Jam Standing for the night.  Joey, Roger, and Fresh punched-out the friggin’ clock, while the NextGen’s were all over the place, making the air crackle with energy.  If other attendees want to add their thought, it would be great.

There was no presentation of the “FukenLazy” shirt and the Board reserves the right to make changes in the rules governing the replacement icon, so stay tuned.  Finally, The Gamboa will make its 2010 debut next week.  Who will be the Jammer to say “Ah’m Seizin’ It” and take it home.  Might it be Mr. E. Fresh? The Oracle?  Will Robbie-Rob be so inspired by playing with Mikey Reid in Virginia that he will make mince meat of the competition?  Only time, and a committee of between 2 and 69 will tell.

Peace Out, Yo!

TP-TJH

P.S.  BIG UPS to all our Brethren and Sistren heading to VA.  The field is filled with great teams from all over the place.  I can’t even just root for the Hard Corps of the Big Apple knowing that my Main man, Z is gonna be in the Hizzy, along with many other wonderful friends.  Have fun everyone!

Krae Van Sickle and Jason Salkey