2007-09 Ultimate Frisbee

Ray has been playing a game called ultimate Frisbee this fall. It is a little like football and basketball combined using a Frisbee on a football field. The team consists of 7 players and is played on a football sized field. A goal is scored when the Frisbee is caught inside the endzone. The Frisbee is moved down the field through a series of passes, and possession is kept as long as the Frisbee does not hit the ground. The basketball aspect comes from the fact that once you catch it, you must stop and establish a pivot foot before throwing the Frisbee again. The games are played at Lake Nokomis in south Minneapolis.




Since we were playing on a football sized field, it was hard not to want to run with the Frisbee, especially after a long toss to someone behind the defense. After a long pass, everyone has to run down to get open to create the next pass. Upon catching the Frisbee, you have a count of seconds (provided by the defense) to pass the Frisbee again.

One of the highlights was having Mariah join us and play in one of the games. She had come to watch one afternoon with LeAnn and Hailey, and it ended up we were short a player. This is a co-ed league and there must be at least 3 guys and gals on the field at all times. She had her tennis shoes on and so we convinced her to give it a try. She did a good job, considering she had never played before. Actually, very few of our players had ever played before this season, so she fit right in. She made some good passes and some good catches, and almost had a touchdown. With all the various sports we both play and have played, the last game I thought would have been the first we played together would be ultimate Frisbee.

One of the interesting parts of the game is the cheer at the end of the game. Each team is expected to put together a unique and original cheer, song, or chant for the other team at the end of the game. These usually are done by changing words to songs or nursery rhymes. We try to incorporate the other teams name into the cheer, and mention something that occurred during the game .


Our team has not done well this year, but we have had fun and have definitely improved since the first game. It is a good workout, especially since many times we have not had any subs or just one. The games last up to 15 or 1-1/2 hours, so it means a lot of ground to cover and sore muscles the next day.

2007-09 San Antonio, Texas

Ray was in San Antonio for a conference and had some time in the evening to explore the city. After getting to the hotel about 4:45, he hurried down to the Alamo to get a look inside before it closed at 5:30. The last time he was there, back in 1968 on a visit to the Hemisphere World’s Fair with his family, the Alamo was closed for filming and he could only see the outside. The Alamo is in the middle of downtown and in the heart of the tourist district.

Inside the Alamo is a mini museum housing some artifacts from the battle at the Alamo, and a lot of information on Texas history. The grounds inside the walls are nicely manicured and very peaceful. The walls keep much of the city noise out. If it were for the surrounding buildings towering above the walls, you would not know you in the city.

From there it was down to the River Walk, which is about 20 feet below the street level. It is horseshoe shaped canal that connects to the river on both ends. There is a gate system for flood control which keeps the buildings and restaurants below the street level from flooding. There is one extension of the canal which stretches out from the center of the bow in the horseshow. This goes towards a large shopping area and the convention center.

Along both sides of the canal are numerous restaurants with riverside seating. Even though it was a warm evening, many people were out enjoying dinner and watching the people go by, both on the walkway and also on pontoons. The pontoons are fitted with bench seats down both sides and down the center. The operator of the pontoon is also a tour guide giving history of the area and the architecture (along with the standard corny jokes you get on guided tours). The ride lasts about an hour and is very enjoyable. The River Walk is lit up with many lights at night, and makes for an enjoyable way to spend an evening.

On the second night, Ray headed over to the site of the Hemisphere World’s Fair Site and the Tower of the Americas. The 750 foot tower has an observation deck and restaurant at the top. On the base level is the gift shop and a 3-D movie ride about Texas with moving seats, wind and water spray to add to the excitement making it a 4-D experience. The view from above is spectacular in all 360 degrees. The first time Ray was there, he barely made it to the top as he feared the height and the glass elevator. His dad went as far to check if there was an inside elevator to ride up, but there wasn’t. The trip up and down was made facing the inside of the elevator and not doing too much looking around. This time was different though as he was at the front of the elevator watching all the way up.

It was enjoyable to be in San Antonio again after so long and reliving some of the sights and adventures from almost 40 years ago.