Who got you into Ultimate?

With the recent mention of Dan receiving the AFDA recruiter of the year, I had been eagerly awaiting the official nod from the AFDA website before creating this post. But seeing how BPL is cancelled due to rain and I just got off the phone with James 'Panties' VP who confirmed this award (there is even a certificate and everything), I figured that tonight was as good a night as any type it up.

So, as club president I take great honour in congratulating Daniel 'dstrel-ds-d-danny boy-nugget' Strelan in his receival of AFDA recruiter of the year. It is a deserved aknowledgement for his infectious enthusiasm and encouragement towards new people getting involved. The Heroes club owes so much of its current health to Dan. And as a club we are truly greatful for and humbled by his efforts.

On a personal note, I wouldn't take any of this frisbee stuff as seriously as I do now if it weren't for Dan's suggestion of playing at the upper level and recruiting me into the Heroes BPL team. Before then it was purely a social thing for me (and there's nothing wrong with that!) but these past 12 months have been an eye opener to what ultimate can be. I saw the competitive side of the disc, and as a result I'm fitter and stronger than I've ever been. I've enjoyed my captaincy of div2 Agent Orange, and have even completed the level 1 coaching course. I've asked questions about club incorporation and helped facilitate that process to this point, finding myself elected as club president. I have visions and ideas for the future in regards to this little heroes club particularly involving growth and the contagious inclusiveness that ultimate breeds. More than ever, I appreciate the community of players in brisbane that is not dependant on what team you play for or how good you are, and find myself wanting to be involved as much as possible. This is all the result of Dan putting the idea forward of playing more than just 1 hour on a monday night. It wasn't even something that I jumped at right away - he had to put in some decent effort to persuade and encourage me. Obviously however this is something that Dan is good at, as I know that I'm not the only one who has found themselves loving frisbee because of his enthusiasm (natural recruiting ability).

This leads me onto my last point and title of this post. Who got you into ultimate? Was it Dan? Or someone else? Think about how thankful you are that they did/how much you love playing disc. If it's VERY THANKFUL/A LOT for you then why not show your appreciation by shouting them a beer next time you get the chance. (This may result in a very drunk Dan at the next Heroes 5P's beer and burger night!) Now although Dan sparked my 'ultimate awakening' the person responsible for getting me into it in the first place was my older brother Russ who showed me how to play this continuous, minimal rules version of the game that he had learnt from some visiting americans. He now laughs a bit when he sees how much I love playing the real thing, and that it is an actual sport. I let him know what it means to me, and what he means to me. It's important.

Congratulations once again to Dan 'AFDA-recruiter-of-the-year' Strelan, and a personal thank you for watering my seed.