First outdoor practice. It was cold, right around freezing. The air was sharp and painful, there was snow on the ground, but we had fieldspace and our first game is only 7 weeks away, so we went to work. Billy told us a great story about how he played in a basketball game for 5000 fans and hit a 3-pointer with a few minutes left to put his team up by 5, and the whole crowd stood up and cheered for him and it’s the best he’s ever felt, and no amount of drugs or sex or anything can replicate that feeling. He’s been chasing it for 25 years, and that’s the reason he plays ultimate. It may not be the prettiest reason, and it took him a while to admit it, but it’s important to know why you play.

The actual practice was ok. We didn’t improve on too many things, mostly because it was cold and hard to throw, but we did learn a lot about things that need improvement. I handled for most of practice. I’d give myself a 5 out of 10. I threw good around breaks, moved smartly for the most part, had a nice huck to Michelson (1 for 1 on hucks) and got a few Ds (in the air, on a footblock, etc). I also turned over several fairly easy throws and missed at least 1 if not 2 other Ds, got run around and beat upline several times. Hard to say if it’s my fitness, the cold, my decisionmaking, or all of the above.

After practice, went to lunch and played 7 Wonders with a few of the guys.