Although people are always able to make good arguments for spirit I find myself in a slightly funny situation here. You see I'm not an ultimate superstar and never will be. I don't really have ambition to play in a ranking (competitive whatever you want to call it) tournament. But I want to see a good system put in place.
I think Duncan came close to saying it here. It doesn't matter that we all love the way it is! Yes it's great that people join our sport even if they don't think they could ever win, and we don't want to lose that. But, it is not good that people who want to play a recognised sport and have success don't think Ultimate has anything to offer them. Here in lies the root of the answers in my poll which talk of a new version. I hope this doesn't offend to many, but don't we have a duty as a sport to provide an outlet for these people. I personally think that this more acceptable version of the sport should be separated from the current ultimate but linked by the governing body with clear methods of moving from one version to the other. I think this new version of the sport should be designed with the Olympic games in mind. They currently have a football competition that is rubbish, that tournament by rights should be Ultimate! We have the Olympic spirit in our sport, we are not professionals we are Olympians! But, they don't like self-referees; so why can we not make a version of the sport which meets them halfway? A version of the sport which has some officials which the sport is accountable too, yet maintains high levels of spirit where we fight hard to leave the referee/observer sitting on the sideline as a spectator. Not through rules or paper, but by the physical demonstration of this spirit so many of you talk about! By separating this version slightly we can maintain the current status-quo and still provide a section of the sport which the general public can support and get behind. I know I'm not alone in this goal to see an Ultimate team awarded Olympic gold medals as I know people have tried to get it into the world games already. But I am set on trying out ideas on the training pitch to find a version of the current game which we could present to the world with our heads held high. When the first response of the outside world is not, "you mean like you play on the beach", "that's just a university game" or "that sports just about getting drunk and high on drugs"; but where the response is "tell me more"! That's a long rant and I'm sure many will shout at me for it! But if you like the idea of at least trying out some changes on a training field to see if they could work, please let me know (email me not the group unless you want to say something more than yes) and I'll try and arrange a day and a pitch to have a go. Rant ends, Paul. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Duncan McGowan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 12:25 PM Subject: Re: [BD] Ultimate, Observers and all that > > > > > One of the things that makes our sport great is that ANYONE can play it - > whether they're fat/thin, sporty/non-sporty etc. We should not lose this. > > > That statement makes no sense. Any one can pretty much play any sport they > like whether they're fat/thin, sporty/non-sporty etc. Find me a sport > where you are expressly forbidden from playing if you're not good at it. > > People seem to be looking at the argument of seriousness in the wrong way. > Football is a serious sport, sure, but only at pro levels. Are you trying > to tell me that a kick around in the park is that serious. > > The point is how serious do you want to play. If the answer corrolates to > the equivalent kick around in the park, play to that level. If you want to > play national level competition, play to that level. Don't try to lump > everyone together and hope that it all works out, as people have different > views on where they want to take themselves in the sport. > > As i see it, the tours and nationals are designed for the people who want > to have the serious competition. Summer Leagues are for the kick around. > > Duncan > > > > > Please note and read these warnings and requirements: > > Confidentiality: This e-mail transmission is strictly confidential and intended solely for the addressee. It may contain privileged and confidential information and if you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy or distribute it. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender or [EMAIL PROTECTED] and delete the e-mail transmission immediately. > > Viruses: Although we have taken steps to ensure that this e-mail and attachments are free from any virus, we advise that in keeping with good computing practice the recipient should ensure they are actually virus free. > > Security Warning: Please note that this e-mail has been created in the knowledge that internet e-mail is not a 100% secure communications medium. 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