Aussie Rules Ultimate...

Okay, I was grasping for a great title. Other contenders were "Melbourne Ultimatum", "Ultimate Down Under", and "The Huckers of Oz". Well the spring Ultimate season is finally upon us. Since our arrival, I have eagerly anticipated the start of the ultimate season, if Jeff wasn't so busy with work he might have had time to anticipate it as well. We registered for the AFDA (Australian Flying Disc Association) and signed up for Division 1 and I also signed up for Division 2. The way it works, you sign up as an individual unless you have a team, then you get recruited via e-mail OR you attend a Split Gender Hat Tournament where the captains and Div 1 players can assess your skills and recruit you. In our case, 10 years of experience as a Canadian Ultimate player apparently carries some power, we were scooped up immediately by the league coordinator. We had already committed to the Hat tournament so we decided to play so we could assess the level of ultimate in Melbourne, and hopefully earn our spots in Div 1.

STATISTICAL COMPARISONS :
OCUA (Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association) : 80 teams each/5 nights a week, roughly 3000 members.
VFDA (Victoria Flying Disc Association) : DIV 1 has 6 teams, DIV 2 has 10 teams, thats it, with overlap, I think there are roughly 225 players!

We were curious, to say the least. We were split into males and females and I will only describe my experience. The women were set to have 3 games. The first game, we were told to find someone of the same ability, then each pick a side. This was difficult as I didn't know anyone, nor did I have a benchmark upon which to base my own skill level. Regardless, teams were made and I managed to make a good long cut and score the first point for my team. We won by one point in a 45 minute game. Next game, we were split into blonds and brunettes. The brunettes won by 2. The last game, we were told to split into groups based on the # of victories we had enjoyed thus far, then divide each group evenly. In the end, my team won by 1 point. I was pretty psyched because they were awarding "Queen" awards to any players that had managed to win all 3 games. Me and this women Kate were the only 2 women to do that so I was VERY happy with the way the evening turned out. That being said, now I am afraid I have set my own bar too high and I can only disappoint from here on in...
All in all, the women were very skilled, very friendly and the best part, they were mostly handlers - which of course means, I get to be a receiver most of the time. This in theory was very exciting. However, after three 45-minute games, coming off of a year's hiatus, my body was not terribly impressed - and still isn't 3 days later. I was very funny/obnoxious (not sure which) and loud but I managed to contain the inner ultimate bitch many of you know me for. The women were GREAT and they were all very welcoming. I am really looking forward to playing with and against these women over the next year.
If Jeff feels the urge, he can add a blurb about his experience later.