for those of you who didnt make it to mandy's on sunday:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '09
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, dumping on 5 would
be it. The long term benefits of dumping on 5 have been proved by
national teams whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more
reliable than my own meandering experience… I will dispense this
advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your hucks; oh nevermind;
you will not understand the power and beauty of your hucks until they
have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of
yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how many receivers
laid out for you and how fabulously you really hucked… You are not as
crap as you imagine. Don't worry about turning over; or worry, but
know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra
equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your game are apt
to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that upend
you at stall 4 in some idle pickup game. Throw one thing every game
that scares you. Swing Don't be reckless with other people's marks,
don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Flick. Don't
waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're
behind… the game is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the scores you receive, forget the drops; if you succeed in
doing this, tell me how. Keep your old jerseys, throw away your old
frisbee socks. Stretch Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you
want to do with your disc… the most interesting people I know didn't
know at stall 9 what they wanted to do with their discs, some of the
most interesting people on 9.5 still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be
kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll
handle, maybe you won't, maybe you'll win colours, maybe you won't,
maybe you'll retire at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on
your 75th Irish cap…whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too
much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are
everybody else's. Enjoy your frisbee, use it every way you can…don't
be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest
instrument you'll ever own.. Showboat… even if you have nowhere to do
it but in your own endzone. Read the disc, even if you don't follow
it. Do NOT watch Tommy O'Connell, he will only make you feel ugly. Get
to know your team mates, you never know when they'll be graduated. Be
nice to your handlers; they are the best link to the disc and the
people most likely to throw to you in the future. Understand that cuts
come and go, but for the first two seconds you should look long. Work
hard to bridge the gaps in your puppy and fence because the more tired
you get, the more you need the people beside you in the wall. Play in
a short-sleeved jersey once, but stop before it makes you hard; Play
in full thermals once, but stop before it makes you soft. Don't
travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, Hag will sky you, Cian will
mumble, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasise that
when you were young Hag was skyable, Cian was audible and freshers
respected David Rickard. Respect David Rickard. Don't expect anyone
else to support you. Maybe you have a chicken wing, maybe you have a
no look scoober; but you never know when either one might fail you.
Don't count too quickly on your mark, or by the time you're meant to
be on 4, you will be on 8. Be careful whose coaching you trust, but,
be patient with those who supply it. Coaching is a form of nostalgia,
dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping
it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it's worth. But trust me on the dumping on 5…
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '09
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, dumping on 5 would
be it. The long term benefits of dumping on 5 have been proved by
national teams whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more
reliable than my own meandering experience… I will dispense this
advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your hucks; oh nevermind;
you will not understand the power and beauty of your hucks until they
have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of
yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how many receivers
laid out for you and how fabulously you really hucked… You are not as
crap as you imagine. Don't worry about turning over; or worry, but
know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra
equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your game are apt
to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that upend
you at stall 4 in some idle pickup game. Throw one thing every game
that scares you. Swing Don't be reckless with other people's marks,
don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Flick. Don't
waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're
behind… the game is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the scores you receive, forget the drops; if you succeed in
doing this, tell me how. Keep your old jerseys, throw away your old
frisbee socks. Stretch Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you
want to do with your disc… the most interesting people I know didn't
know at stall 9 what they wanted to do with their discs, some of the
most interesting people on 9.5 still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be
kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll
handle, maybe you won't, maybe you'll win colours, maybe you won't,
maybe you'll retire at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on
your 75th Irish cap…whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too
much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are
everybody else's. Enjoy your frisbee, use it every way you can…don't
be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest
instrument you'll ever own.. Showboat… even if you have nowhere to do
it but in your own endzone. Read the disc, even if you don't follow
it. Do NOT watch Tommy O'Connell, he will only make you feel ugly. Get
to know your team mates, you never know when they'll be graduated. Be
nice to your handlers; they are the best link to the disc and the
people most likely to throw to you in the future. Understand that cuts
come and go, but for the first two seconds you should look long. Work
hard to bridge the gaps in your puppy and fence because the more tired
you get, the more you need the people beside you in the wall. Play in
a short-sleeved jersey once, but stop before it makes you hard; Play
in full thermals once, but stop before it makes you soft. Don't
travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, Hag will sky you, Cian will
mumble, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasise that
when you were young Hag was skyable, Cian was audible and freshers
respected David Rickard. Respect David Rickard. Don't expect anyone
else to support you. Maybe you have a chicken wing, maybe you have a
no look scoober; but you never know when either one might fail you.
Don't count too quickly on your mark, or by the time you're meant to
be on 4, you will be on 8. Be careful whose coaching you trust, but,
be patient with those who supply it. Coaching is a form of nostalgia,
dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping
it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it's worth. But trust me on the dumping on 5…
