World Competitions and Me

This week, my two favorite pastimes are both being played at the highest levels.  The World Series of Poker is now playing its Main Event--the $10,000 hold em tourney after 57 or so tourneys that together make the world series.  This, of course, is in Las Vegas.  Amateurs and professionals have won the big event in the past decade, causing poker to become a bit more mainstream. 

At the same time, in Prague, there are the World Ultimate Championships.  Montreal has three teams competing--a men's team, a women's team, and a mixed (coed) team: Mephisto, Storm, and RIP respectively.  I have played with and against some of the players on these teams, especially the folks on RIP.  An impressive collection of ultimate players among the three teams.  And thus far, all three are doing quite well.

The latter competition has had a bigger impact on me this summer.  My team won last week in part because the opponent had their best player (and perhaps RIP's) in Prague.  And then this week, I got to sub on a Tuesday game because that team was short players, having sent a few to Prague. 

On the other hand, thanks to the WSOP and the poker boom of the Aughts, I have spent much time over the past four years or so playing heaps of poker.

I would give up poker rather than ultimate, but as my body breaks down (currently have two swollen fingers, but my knees are intact), my guess is that I will be playing poker way beyond my ultimate career.  Still, I have been playing frisbee longer than I expected.  And I expect to play it for another ten years or so as long as I live here or in another frisbee-rich environment.

And this fall, I hope to again join one of the Mephisto players (Shaggy) and other older players to keep the Grandmaster Cup in Montreal.