Well I suppose since my former
co-captains have decided to share their infinite knowledge about ultimate and
being awesome in general that I could share a few things that I have learned in
my old age as well. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of the new guys in
the times I have been down to visit but for the most part I don’t know the
current sophomore and freshman class very well. So I guess I’ll talk about how
I first got involved with Reaper to sort of introduce myself to you guys and
maybe some of the vets will learn a few things about me in the process as well.
I
transferred to Eastern my junior year from IU, Go Hoosiers…we gonna cut down
the nets in March. I played ultimate at IU but for the most part I was a B team
player or a bench warmer because Indiana had an upperclassman dominated team
while I was there…and frankly I didn’t have the talent or dedication to the
team to be a contributor to the A team. The team atmosphere at IU was tough at
times. Very cliquey, didn’t go out of the way to make the rooks feel welcome,
bad upperclassman leadership. It wasn’t ever a team I wanted to go out of my
way to be a part of. When I transferred to EIU I had a very different
experience. The club was only a year old, but I could tell after a few
practices with these guys that not only was there a ton a potential to be a
good ultimate team, but these were guys that I could see myself hanging out
with outside of practice.
I’ll talk
about how I contributed to Reaper first. In athletics I have always prided
myself in two things, being the best teammate I could be, and setting an
example for how to work hard. Be the guy that your team needs you to be. When I
transferred to Eastern, the team needed two things, one: veteran leadership, and
two: GUYS WHO COULD THROW THE DISC. I was a cutter at IU but Reaper needed a
handler more than a cutter at the time so I decided that was something I could
learn to do for the team. I learned handler motion mostly from watching YouTube
videos and having conversations about how to handle from James…who seemed like
he was pretty much making it up as he went along at the time
Be a team player. If your team
needs you to be a handle, work on your throws and handler resets. If your team
needs you to be a cutter, work on your catches and dump throws. If the team
needs you to be a defensive presence, work on your mark and playing dick in the
pocket defense. For me, in order to be an effective handler I had to improve my
conditioning so that I could play as many points as possible. I achieved this
by doing conditioning workouts outside of practice, yes you are allowed to work
out before/after practice or on your off days. By the end of the year my junior year I
could play every point of every game over an entire tournament weekend, and did
so on a regular basis…man I miss being in that kind of shape.
Be a leader
on your team. I’m not saying you have to be the team captain, but that doesn’t
mean that you can’t still be a leader on and off the field. Show up to practice
on time, work hard at practice, work hard outside of practice, support your
teammates, be loud on the sidelines, and you can set an example without even opening
your mouth in a huddle. Your captains will notice and they will appreciate your actions (it
also cant hurt your playing time).
GET IT DONE
IN THE CLASSROOM. I cannot stress this point enough. Ultimate is great. Most of
the best memories I have from college were either from ultimate tournaments or
occurred while hanging out with people associated with the ultimate team, but for
most people after college, ultimate will no longer be a practical top priority.
Remember why you guys are in college right now, TO DRINK, wait no, TO GET
EDUCATED! For real though guys, set yourselves up to succeed once you are done
with school. Currently, I’m in my third year of pharmacy school. So that meant
that while I was at EIU I was taking 17 credits of bio and chem classes every
term and studying for my PCAT and applying to pharmacy schools while trying to
balance all that with being a captain on the ultimate team and more importantly
binge drinking. It can be done, but you need to prioritize your time. While I
don’t have many opportunities to own people on the ultimate field anymore, I
will have the opportunity in a year and a half to start making the real world
my bitch with an awesome job with a great salary. Get your degree and think
about your future. The real world is a scary place and it’s coming and faster
than you think, unfortunately.
Buy into
the brotherhood. Fellas, the guys you currently play with will be some of your
closest friends the rest of you life. While the three of us regularly butted
heads as captains, Schwenk, Roush and I always made it a point to build
community as a team…Mostly by throwing kick ass parties. The best memories you
will have from college will be spending time together at tournaments and chilling
outside of practice. The most fun I had in undergrad was partying at the
Frisbee house every Thursday night my junior year. Mike and I used to make each
other puke from playing 28 on a weekly basis, but he’s all washed up now and no
longer has any game when it comes to drinking. Point is, hanging out with your
boys outside of practice is just as important as the hard work you point in
together during the season.
Enjoy it
while you can men. Be the best ultimate player you can be and don’t leave
Reaper with any regrets because they will haunt you. Get it done in the
classroom, but remember that having fun is important too. Strive to leave the
program in a better condition than you when you first joined. The newest class
of rooks has some of the best potential I have seen in a long time, but if the
upperclassman leadership is not there, the team will not succeed this season or
in the future. Remember Reaper nation is bigger than you. You guys represent a
rapidly growing group of alumni that have worked hard before you to help build
the program to what it is today. BE PROUD to wear Reaper on your chest. You guys
are part of a brotherhood. Whether you are a 4-year veteran or a first year
rookie, we always have each other’s backs. It’s pretty cool to see how much
we’ve grown since it was only a few guys even older than me, throwing the disc
around in the quad.
PS: Start preparing yourselves for noogies and getting owned
in every way possible at Last Call this Spring…the alumni are ready to hunt,
and we hungry…
Steve Karlson #27
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