7/30/11

Goats looking to go to Europe in 2012

The Goats, having played for 3 years in local tournaments now are seeking to get some international Ultimate experience! The question is not whether to go, but where/when to go. Here are some well-known Ultimate tournaments in Europe that we might consider playing in:

Banana Cup in Czech Republic: Some of the participants this year include the college champions in Germany, the junior German National Teams and Austrian National Team. Top-level competition for a really cheap price, and possibly one of the best trophies one can ever see!

The Four Piglets (a.k.a Marburg): Played outdoors on 4-4, this tournament's not to be underestimated! Lots of top-level players in Germany attend this tournament. Coming up with a smart strategy on the smaller field may prove more important than just raw power!

Paganello in Rimini: Being the biggest Beach Ultimate tournament and one of the biggest Ultimate events in the World, Paganello is also known to be a very expensive, week-long tournament in April. While it is perhaps not the best option for next year, it could be an interesting one to think about in the forthcoming years.

UUT Amsterdam: While only open to students this year, UUT may be an option if they change this rule.

Talampaya in Geneva: A 20-30 club team tournament that may prove to be a very competitive event. Takes place in mid-June.

Heidees Cup in Heidelberg: Very nice light-mixed (5 men, 2 women on the line) tournament in a very nice city that takes place in mid-June. The Heidees also happen to be teams of veteran player İlker (Demirci) and our guest player David Hermann in the İTÜ Tournament in 2011.

Windmill Windup: With its name already familiar to many in Turkey because of Turkish National-ish Team's participation this year, Windmill Windup is a possible option with teams from many levels.

7/22/11

Player Bio and Interview: Garrett Hubing



Nicknames: none
Year of birth: 1984
Height: 5'10''
Jersey Number: #12
Started playing Ultimate in: 2003
Joined Goats in: 2010


How?: The first ultimate I played was with UC Berkeley's B-team, in California. I moved to Germany a year later, and played for around 7 years with a really nice team in Göttingen. When I decided to move to Ankara last year, I thought it might be the end of my frisbee career. I was extremely happy to find that there was already a vibrant ultimate community at Bilkent (my hat goes off to the team's founders). I felt very welcome here from the very first day I came to practice, and now that I've been here for a year, the team really feels like a second family.


What were your best and worst moments in the team?
Best moment(s):I really enjoyed playing a couple of final games with the Goats this year. Someone came up to me after one of those games and said something along the lines of "that was the most intense game of ultimate there has ever been in Turkey". I think it's fantastic that I get to be part of the rise of Turkish ultimate, in terms of level of play, popularity, etc.

7/21/11

Player Bio and Interview: Cem Türkeri



Nicknames: Antuan 
Year of birth: 1987
Height: 6' 3"
Jersey Number: #3
Started winning by playing Ultimate in: 2010
Joined Goats in: 2010

How?: I was talking about sports with my English speaking teacher in prep school and she told me about ultimate frisbee. Thanks to my teacher, I wondered what this sport was about and I participated in practices.Since that day, I play ultimate :)

Player Bio and Interview: Ahmet Arkın



Nicknames: never had one
Year of birth: 1989
Height: 5' 8"
Jersey number: #41 (inspired by Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas Mavericks)
Started winning by playing Ultimate in: 2008
Joined Goats in: 2008


How?: I was on my way back to my dorm from cafeteria when I saw people throwing discs and yelling. I thought “screw homeworks, gonna watch these guys” and became the only audience for about 10 minutes. Then Seray (Öztürk) and a few other guys came to me after the practice and asked if I wanted to join them or not. Gladly, I said “sure”. Since then I am a member of this stubborn feet-dragging, hard-ramming, ultimate winning team.

What were your best and worst moments in the team?
Best moment(s): Tournaments are definitely the best moments for me. Everyone comes all around Turkey and plays and eats and drinks (a lot) and has so much fun. Times like these you feel the spirit of the game very deep in your heart. Team-wise, I feel that the team identity and belonging surfaces the most in tournaments. So I feel like a goat when I play with my lucky #41 jersey against other teams.

"I feel like a goat" (from Bilkent National Championships, 2010)
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Player Bio and Interview: Hüseyin Camalan


From Bilkent National Championships, 2011 

Nicknames: never had one
Year of birth: 1990
Height: 5' 10"
Jersey number: #13 (Unlucky numbers are charming)
Started winning by playing Ultimate in: 2008
Joined Goats in: 2008
How?: Speaking teachers in prep-school happened to be players. I was invited to check out a practice, so I brought a friend. Since then both him (İlker Demirci) and I have been playing.

What were your best and worst moments in the team?
Best moment: It was at the national final in 2010 when we were playing the longest universe point (took 20 minutes) against Türk Kası who were coming down hard on us. I had been handling but never had good long throws, so here is a turnover in the middle of the field and our best handler at that time (Eric Stashak) yells "GO". With all the exhaustion, I make a 50-yard deep cut to a high long floating backhand, to catch the disc and win the team the title.

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