danish nationals

[disclaimer: this post is kinda PG-13, as compared to the other, more distilled posts.]

i got invited to the danish nationals with flying circus, the frisbee team i am somewhat a member of (i havent paid my dues). because they, and several fellow DIS American players who are actually on the team, are light years ahead of me, i only went to watch and hang out with the team (no p-t for timmy). nevertheless, the tournament took place in Åarhus, which is in northern Jutland. The team ended up taking home third place, but the noteworthy happenings werent necessarily frisbee related (like what occurs at EVERY tournament).

after splitting the two games on saturday, we left the field and headed toward our lodgings. they were not a hotel, or a campground, or a hostel: it was an elementary school. we (seriously) slept in a classroom that 10 year olds were in a day prior. apparently such practices are wholly acceptable in Denmark. i cant imagine this even being conceivable back home.

okay, before i go on any further let me explain how ultimate frisbee tournaments work so that people who dont know (i.e. everyone) wont be completely confused as to what in holy hell i was participating in. first, the saturday usually starts at 8 or 9am and last until 4 or 5pm; and you play about 3-4 games that day. after the first day of play, the host school sponsors a dinner and party (and sometimes lodgings, depending upon your relations with the school). and then the sunday is the last day of games to determine the tournament's champion (and have people run off their hangovers). therefore Åarhus, who was sponsoring this year's Danish Nationals, had a dinner and party where we and every other team was (as previously mentioned) staying: AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. if you you're still grasping that concept, it gets better.

usually frisbee dinners at tournaments stateside consist of pizza, but not this one. oh no, not only was the dinner held in the school's gymnasium, we were given salmon and caviar as an entree! (followed by various pork related dishes for a main course, but still, CAVIAR!) oh yea, and like all frisbee tournaments there was a plethora of beer. so yes, i ate caviar while drinking beer in an elementary school's gymnasium in Åarhus, Denmark with people from the US, Germany, Denmark, and other nations. and to think a month ago i was cutting meat. someone please pinch me.

flying circus somehow managed to be the only ones up by 1am (especially considering we had all gotten up at 6am saturday morning, driven three hours to get there, played two games, AND had a 10am game on sunday); so we decided to the best course of action is to purchase a crate of beers (personally, i was on about 6 at that point) and make good use of the gymnasium by hucking frisbee's at each other from one corner of the room to the other, while blasting john denver. needless to say, we were kicked out before long. so by 2 am its all 15 of us (if you think thats late, its really not here. some bars, clubs, and cafes are open till 5am in Copenhagen. Danes are party animals) outside in the pitch black, just hanging out in the schools courtyard. before long, our Captain announces that we may not win the tournament, but we won the party, and so should probably go to sleep. we all agreed, and retired to our CLASSROOM. i think it was the most uncomfortable night's sleep ever. here is some evidence of our accomodations:


on sunday flying circus played an amazing game for third place, in which they battled back from a four point deficit twice, to win the game 17-15. luckily they avoided playing Ragnarok, the best team in Denmark (and allegedly 2nd best in Europe), and their two American ringers. they were a huge facet of this weekend, but I dont want to go into detail because representation of the US was appalling. in essence, they are U Arizona alums studying in Copenhagen, and they hit on every girl on thr girls team and heckled the guy's team during several games. Just a classless duo.

but overall it was a great time. with all the partying and what not you may think that ultimate is a debaucherous and dionysian game, but it really isnt. after playing several other sports, i have found it to be the most classy and possess far more camaraderie than other sports. nevertheless, here is an action shot i took and the the team photo (thats me on the right in the jeans):