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June 23, 2013 -
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Our impressive Four Corners Demonstration left two young lads especially enthralled and it was apparent that they were in need of some circular shaped plastic in their lives. Brothers Ethan (left) and Eli (right) were vacationing in the area and didn’t bring any discs on the trip! We quickly rectified the situation, courtesy of Brad Kopecky and Kelly Kotche.Thanks to both Brad and Kelly and we hope those guys enjoy their new discs!
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Sunday gave us the opportunity to be especially touristy. We drove to Mesa Verde National Park where James was excited to finally get some use out of his recently purchased National Parks pass. The ranger at the entrance knew we were virgins and asked James to sign the back of the pass. She also told him to be prepared to show his ID at all future entrances. When asked if she needed his ID now, the ranger responded, “No, I’m assuming you’re going to sign you own name.”
Pleased with the humor of the Park’s employees, the fellas drove the winding road until they got to Spruce Tree House, home of Mesa Verde’s most well preserved Anasazi cliff dwellings. After hiking around for 2-3 miles, we finally stumbled on the cliff dwellings that were very clearly marked. We snappped a few pictures, Wags explained what a kiva is to Schasse four times, and we called it a day at the Park.
After Mesa Verde, we made the short journey southwest to the Four Corners “Monument.” For three dollars a person you can stand on the only spot in the country where four states come together at one point. After waiting our turn in line, we decided to do more than just stand:
The thrill of being able to jump between four different states eventually wore off (hard to believe, I know) but we weren’t ready to leave such an exciting place just yet. We grabbed a disc and the video camera and hiked up and around some rock formations to get some footage of the surrounding area. We were most unsuccessful in that endeavor. However, what did ensure was a little trickery by Schasse and a good workout for Wags:
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June 21, 2013 -
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After leaving Colorado Springs, we decided to make camp Friday night in the San Juan National Forest. We were spoiled by having a roof over our heads for over a week straight and felt the need to rough it again. We quickly regretted that decision.
We made camp as the sun went down and grilled up a quick meal before calling it a night. We soon realized that not only were we trying to sleep on somewhat of an incline, but that it was going to get very cold. Our camp was nearly 11,000 feet above sea level and the temperature dropped into the 30s during the night. Since Schasse decided against packing even a sweatshirt, and neither of us were prepared with warm sleeping bags, we made the decision that sleeping in the car would be a better option.
We awoke with the sun, feeling cold and out of breath. We wanted to make a quick getaway and make it to a more suitable breathing level, but Schasse had misplaced his phone. Luckily, after an hour and a half of searching, Wags found it in the place Schasse said he left it. Lesson learned: It is no longer safe to assume that Schasse will actually check the most obvious place for a missing item. Which is good to know because he loses important things with stunning frequency.
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June 20, 2013 -
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We made it to Colorado Springs just in time for the Colorado Springs Ultimate Network (CSUN) Wednesday night league games. For a modest size league, CSUN players vary greatly in age and experience levels. League President Jimmy Donnellon informed us that participants range from high school teenagers to a former UPA Director.
League Treasurer Kayleigh Hudson informed us prior to our arrival that she plays on the most fun, spirited team so we decided that we would hang out on their sidelines. Above you’ll see a photo of Wags helping pump up the Flamingos for a big second half. Unfortunately, the Flamingos came up short (Schasse’s 3 turnovers didn’t help) but a good time was had by all.
On Thursday, CSUN Vice President Nathan Woolridge invited us to a workout with his club team, SwingLine, at a place called simply, The Incline. The Incline is an old railroad track that climbed into the mountains, but was washed out in 1990. Now, the tracks are used as stairs for athletes to run and for normal people to slowly walk while stopping several times. Rising over 2000 feet in a mere ¾ of a mile, and nearly 8500 feet above sea level at its peak, The Incline is no easy task. Apolo Ohno holds one of the best times ever recorded at just under 17 minutes. It took Schasse almost 40. It took Wags longer.
After some well-deserved sleep, we left Colorado Springs for a six hour drive to the Southwest Corner of Colorado. It’s time to see some National Parks!
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June 18, 2013 -
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After a fun weekend playing in Swollen Toe, Lisa Kornblith (pictured right) was kind enough to offer us a couch to crash on for a few nights. We spent our days watching tournament footage and working on the episode, and our evenings experiencing a little bit of Boulder.
On Monday, June 17, Lisa and her co-captain Peter Brehm (left) were kind enough to let us come to their Grass Roots Ultimate (GRU) league game. GRU boasts a number of leagues, including an A and B mixed division and a youth league on Monday nights. Lisa and Peter captain a team in the B division called Agent P.
Even though Lisa (and her full field flick huck) were sidelined with an injury sustained over the weekend, Peter rallied his squad and maintained their undefeated record. The captains were kind enough to let Schasse keep a GRU jersey for his participation in their games. Wags got a pat on his good shoulder for taking pictures.
After league play, the crew celebrated the evening’s success at Boulder Beer, where we were fortunate to sit next to the Brewmaster, who also plays in the GRU league. We spent the rest of the night talking Ultimate, laughing, and counting ourselves lucky to have met such a great group of people.
After another day of hard work, Lisa drove us to Pearl Street, a Boulder favorite, for an early afternoon dinner. Pearl Street is lined with cool shops and restaurants so we checked out a few before sitting down to eat. Eventually, we made our way to Mountain Sun to sample a few craft beers and have dinner. The AGM was a Chippewa Falls native and gave us a discount for being from Wisconsin.
Night was approaching fast and we wanted to get to Denver to see Wags’ high school friend, Joe Sams. We said goodbye to our Boulder friends and promised to make it back for another Colorado tournament soon. We made the short drive to Denver where we met Joe, who let us crash on his couch on Tuesday night.
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June 17, 2013 -
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The Break Side crew spent the weekend in Fort Collins, CO at the Swollen Toe Ultimate tournament. Schasse picked up with a team called the Backhanders, a mixed team with players from all over Colorado. The Backhanders spent the weekend coming up with big play after big play as Wags attempted to get it all on film. Unfortunately, with the smallest roster at the tournament, the Backhanders were unable to finish some games they way they would have liked. However, with some amazing personalities, awesome spirit, and a lot of good looking individuals, it was clear that the Backhanders were the real winners.
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June 13, 2013 -
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We’re a few days behind here, but we met Dominic and his family last Thursday, June 13 at Grizzly Creek near Glenwood Canyon, CO. We had just returned from a run and were tossing a disc in the parking lot when Dominic’s family arrived. They took an interest in our throwing as they were unpacking their rafting equipment, so we struck up a conversation. After explaining what we were doing, we asked Dominic if he would like a disc. Since he hasn’t played much Ultimate, he was pretty pumped to have a disc so he would be able to hone his skills. Here he is posing with his mom and sister and his new disc, courtesy of Jane and Kevin Wagner-Murphy.
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June 12, 2013 -
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We’ve reached our first camp site of the summer! After traveling nearly 300 miles since we left the Twin Cities, we decided our best bet was to make camp at a free site in Vermillion, South Dakota. Schasse pitched our tent while Wags went to work on assembling the grill. We fired up some chicken, steak, potatoes and sweet corn and had ourselves a royal feast. Our camp site was complete with running water and electricity; two amenities that we are going to have to get used to going without. While we did encounter a few snags (air mattress is too small, air pump runs on batteries we don’t have, and we forgot to pack a number of necessary items), you won’t hear us complaining. All in all, we could not have asked for a more perfect evening.
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June 11, 2013 -
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The first day of our road trip saw us get as far as the Twin Cities! With just under two hours and a hundred miles under our belt we’re feeling, well, pretty underachieving. That being said, we did find a deserving recipient for our first disc donation. Two year old Zack Anderson was slightly taken aback by the honor, and even a little hesitant to accept such a gift. But once his mom reassured him that the disc came to him courtesy of his Nana Banana (and Schasse’s mom, Marilyn Zmuda) he couldn’t wait to have Schasse show him some cool tricks. Better be careful though, Chris. It won’t be long before Zack is showing you a thing or two!
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June 10, 2013 -
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