f you’ve ever woken up a little soggy and a little muddy in the street next to a dingy gambling den, then you might know how I feel right now. Ugh, where does one even go from here? There’s no way forward. Every decision, every article, every gratuitous newspaper name has led me to this moment right here. Among the neon signs and slightly acidic rain will I give up writing for good. Maybe I’ll become a florist, or an accountant, or a trucker, something safe, tucked away, where the pain of my failures can never re-emerge.
But wait, what’s this? A television, with white feathery wings surrounded by a halo of light descends before my very eyes. And on it…no, it can’t be, it’s impossible! GNV Ulty Royal Flush vs JAK Pot?? The light…it’s filling me with journalistic fire once more. I must comment! I must opine! I must shout to the world the greatness displayed on that field!!!!!!
Like most days in Florida, it was sunny and hot. I had come up with a brilliant plan with backups to finally once and for all know exactly what I was going to say if we won or lost the flip. I lost, but JAK Pot masterfully managed to put me on the back foot by choosing Defense. After sputtering like a fool for a minute, I decided stuck to my plan and just put the sun in their eyes. I suppose I got my cake and ate it too.
Well, it didn’t work as I wanted it to. After a few turns from each side to shake the cobwebs off, Pot kicked over our pot with a solid break. While we managed to get it back soon after, a combination of long points, unfortunate drops and just…age left us nipping at the heels of JAK Pot, 5-7.
But you know us Flushers, we always stand our pot back up and clean up our mess. In a showdown that included huge hucks, skying D’s and nail-grinding zone offense, we broke not once, but twice, taking half with huge fanfare.
The second half was not smooth placid sailing. No, the turbulent waves of tying then pulling ahead rocked both teams all the way until 11-11. But then, a break! 13-11. JAK Pot tries to close the gap making it 13-12, but a hold followed by a break sealed the deal for Royal Flush.
On paper, the Flush offense for this game could largely be attributed to B’Oberon, Josh Barker, Andrew Pohl, and Zaddy Gallagher, accounting for a staggering 86% of assists and 80% of points scored. But the paper only tells part of the story. What it doesn’t capture are the numerous phenomenal cuts made by Vika as a zone offense rail gaining dozens of yards over the course of the game (catching hammers no less), Hunter’s short cuts and space-making, and Rosie’s repetitive but essential swings. All of which were necessary to put points up on the board. Kudos to all. Also shout-out to Danny for a huge defensive bid that helped us to hold an not get broken right out of half.
And most importantly, Coach roaster toaster coaster Oster, perhaps one of the most consistent mid-range handlers, netted his first S&A stat (an assist) on the break which propelled us from on serve to ahead by a break in the late game. For one who spends most games setting up others to shine, it was wonderful to see a sliver of the spotlight light him up. This was a huge moment, definitely deserving of a whole paragraph in this report.
Let the giants of the Flush Defense not be forgotten, for without them, who’s shoulders would we stand on? The MVPs for us were most certainly Ani and Pat, shutting down numerous JAK Pot attempts to leverage the Travaglini Special (code for just throwing the disc really far) for points. Ani defended three such attempts, using her PhD reading level to zero in on the disc, denying all attempts. And Pat, oh boy…point number 4 had one of the craziest run through D’s in the history of GNV Ulty. After a Travaglini Special, Caio from JAK Pot had chased it down and was about to alligator it when Pat comes rushing in like a southwesterly wind from over a dozen yards away, tipping the disc and forcing a turn on our 3 yard line, and preventing what would have been a really de-motivating break.
JAK Pot is very much a force to be reckoned with. The Travaglinis played beautifully, while also juggling some calm and cool parenting on the side. Dustin busted out a hammer D on Billy and also managed a spectacular hammer of his own on Stall 9 right to Aiden. Also Poki bid not one but twice, sliding to get under a disc. This team may have a reputation for having lots of younger players, but you wouldn’t think it from their play. I saw each and every Pot making solid cuts, great catches, and spot on continuation throws. They moved well, dumped smartly, and kept spirit high. Heck, when it came to number of errors, there was little distinction between us and them. Hats off to each and every one of you. Underestimate them at your own risk.
Oof, coming down off of the journalistic fire high is worse than a hangover from a meth crazed bar crawl (don’t ask). That’s three times now…are the Frisbee gods trying to tell me something? That all is not lost? That the world needs these sweet sweet depictions of a tiny Ultimate Frisbee League in a forgettable city on the North American continent? Maybe there still is hope. Let me nurture this tiny flame, maybe it’ll grow back into the inferno it once was. Until then, I will keep myself locked on the progress of Royal Flush; if they need someone to memorialize them in heroic saga, then by golly it’s the least I can do. See you on the flip side y’all!