Mixed Nationals 2007 - Day 2

Day 2 started much the same as day 1, with me waking up late and generally slowing everyone down. Robbee and I found a faster way to the fields however, so as it turns out, I could have slept in more.

Game 4 was against MUCUS. I don’t remember much about this game. Basically we got smashed. It was 8 – 0 or maybe 8 – 1 at half but we managed to claw a few points back in the second half for a now standard 15 – 5 loss. MUCUS finished 11th.

Game 5 was against Gary, and will probably be remember for a long time. We started brilliantly. Hucks were working, handling was excellent, everything was going well and at half we were up 8 – 2. The wind had picked up and we tried a new upwind/downwind team setup. The upwind team was stacked with handlers trying to focus on shorter, precise throws and the downwind team was stacked with huckers and receivers to take advantage of the wind. For the first half it worked fantastically. We were scoring upwind and downwind and they weren’t scoring at all. It was glorious to watch and the whole team was pumped. After half, Gary really picked up their game and we didn’t respond. They came back steadily until it was 11-10 our way. We took it out to 12 and gave ourselves some breathing room, but they came back and it was 12 – 11. During the next point, the siren went and then they scored with us locked at 12 all. The game was to 13 on a universe point and we put on the universe team. The last point took forever. Unfortunately, Gary had the advantage of the wind and in the end I think that was the difference as the managed to get the disc into their endzone as we hung our heads. In truth, we had nothing to be ashamed of. It was a very well played game and in the end it was only one point difference. I wasn’t particularly unhappy. I think the team gained a lot more from that game than any other and the loss helps us to look back at it as a chance to improve even when we’re playing well. Gary ended up finishing 17th.

The last game of Day 2 was against woMANLY. This was an easier game thankfully and we were up 8 – 3 at half. After the Gary defeat we regrouped well and played hard, determined not to go home winless for the day. They played long a lot, but we were able to shut that down and once again transition the disc well up the field. In the second half they came back, but the wind was all over the place and the points were long. One of K’s pulls went well out and ended up over a fence. Fid sprung, monkey like onto the top of a fence and looked like seriously damaging any chance he had at children before woMANLY, who’s disc it was told him not to bother braving the barbed wire. We promised them our game disc, but I don’t think they ever got it. Eventually the siren went and we held on for a 14-11 win and the promise of another spa.
This time we managed to get almost the entire team in the spa, but Nelly still didn’t go in the pool. Only Pam and Shanty were missing due to staying elsewhere, so there were 14 of us enjoying the good life. Eventually we had to get out so that we could head off to dinner, or at least, head kind of in the direction of dinner. At this point, I must apologise to Claire, and probably everyone else too, for misleading our merry band. In my defense, the map was largely useless, as was Denis. Still, most of us hadn’t really had much exercise over the last two days, and nobody was particularly hungry, so the hour or so walk probably did us good. When we eventually reached dinner, perfectly timed to meet up with K and Robbee I might add, there was silence. I have never seen people so intent on eating in my life. Thankfully, due to my ability to practically inhale food, I was able to finish my dinner rather quickly and get onto the important business of drinking beer. I put on my costume (about 15 cocktail umbrellas stuck in my hair) and headed for the bar. Unfortunately the beer selection was below average, even if the pricing was really quite good. Six beers cost $12, prompting me to suggest that another 6 straight away might be in order. I think you can see where this might be going.

UE partied pretty hard for UE, with the drinks flowing freely and the dance floor filled with the rhythmless gyrations of the slightly inebriated. Wendy and Nelly were doing shots, and then a bunch of us were doing Jager Bombs and then things get a little hazy. People started leaving at some point, I decided I’d had quite enough to drink and got Bruce to help me drop most of a drink on the floor. In apology he attempted to poor his drink into my cup only to discover the bottom of mine was missing and he was pouring straight onto the floor. We celebrated with another drink. Morgan dropped a drink entirely without assistance which he decided to celebrate by drinking another round of Jager Bombs with Nelly, Wendy and Chris Manning. Eventually, everyone left with the exception of Morgan, Wendy and me. The DJ finally managed to play the Umbrella song by Rhianna, but it was a bit dismal without everyone to back Morgan and me up on the dance floor. A conversation with Jo from MUCUS led the statement that she’d managed to switch clothes five times that night. I wondered if she wanted to make it six and a deal was struck. We surreptitiously headed around the back of the bar, slightly out of sight where she put on my jeans and shirt, and I put on her dress. Apparently it wasn’t quite as surreptitious as I had hoped and there are now photos of me in my underwear on Facebook. Anyway, feeling particularly sexy in my very average blue dress, I returned to the party where I discovered I was actually wearing some guys dress. I posed for photos I probably shouldn’t have posed for and generally had a good time. Eventually I had to get my clothes back and after a celebratory drink or two, Morgan, Wendy and I decided to leave. On the way out, Morgan discovered a caramel slice in his pocket, which he shared with Wendy and me and which I shared with some random girl on the side of the road. The discovery of a shopping cart led to Morgan crashing and me getting ride while Wendy looked on in horror. The walk home was largely uneventful. The police stopped us and Morgan only just resisted smashing a TV, but we eventually made it back to the apartment and after some rehydration, went to bed, quite pleased we had a late start in the morning.