Playing in the mud

A vintage QC Ultimate photo. 

Today's pickup game should have been rained out. The field was awful, it was muddy and rained hard the entire time. It was also amazing. Not because it was good Ultimate, but because it was a reminder of what it was like to play before practices and teams even became an idea for me.

For the first time in a long time I didn't wear cleats. Since I was going to be sliding around anyways might as well embrace the muck. Best decision I have made in Ultimate in a while. I was so worried about just standing up there was no time to think about playing well.

In all honesty, I forgot how often I fell down. Most of the time it was on accident, and once I even landed on my butt which did not feel good. It probably looked hilarious though. And that is why today was so fun. It was completely ridiculous, and so funny that it turned into a great time.

It was like playing with friends during high school. Most players didn't have or didn't wear cleats and it didn't matter. We were just outside enjoying one of our favorite games.

Players were joking around, trying new throws and enjoying a game that did not matter in the slightest.

So I recommend that all Ultimate players toss their cleats aside every once in a while. Stop worrying about the next league game or tryouts and just play.