Hodags Forever

Once a a Wisconsin hodag, always a hodag. Even though we didn't do the Ultimate Championships this year, Ace Reporter Roberta had a special feed direct from Boulder, and gave us regular updates over the weekend.

It probably couldn't be said better than Chris Spittal on the UPA site...

"Head of an ox, feet of a bear, back of a dinosaur, and tail of an alligator, the Wisconsin Hodags were the better team in the 2008 Open UPA Championship Sunday, and their superiority was apparent from start to finish."

Wisconsin took it all with a 15-9 win over arch-rival, Florida. I suspect that many were the blue-eyed Hodag tattoos later that evening.

And here's a highlight reel direct from the Hodags site:

Hodags Claim Title - the Video

via intrepid reporter, Roberta. Keep your eyes open for #8!:

Hodag Love Part 2: The Ultimate in Columbus

A story so stupendous it took not one but two postings to encompass! Read on, True Believers....

Hodag - 1) A legendary beast first observed in the state of Wisconsin. 2) The University of Wisconsin 2007 Ultimate Champions.

Originally called "Ultimate Frisbee," the team sport played with a flying disc is now usually just called Ultimate because of trademark hassles with Wham-O. Ironically, and perhaps deservedly, discs made by Wham-O competitor Discraft are now the most commonly used in the sport.

According to Wikipedia, there are over 600 college Ultimate teams in North America. Teams compete in the UPA (aka The Ultimate Players Association) Championship series during the Spring. Sectional and regional champions advance to the Nationals to compete for the Championship title in May.

And seeded #1 in the Nationals this year were the Wisconsin Hodags. A juggernaut in 2007, Wisconsin held a 49-1 record coming into the Nationals, its lone loss by one point at the hands of its arch-nemesis, Florida.

Off the Skybus in Columbus, Peggy and I found our ground transportation (a.k.a. Peggy's sister Roberta) had thought we were getting in an hour later. But a quick phone call and we were at the fields of The (you must always use the article) Ohio State University, just in time to watch the Hodags give Kansas a 15-5 thrashing, an indicator of things to come.

A Quick Ultimate Tutorial


Ultimate combines elements, of soccer, rugby, football, hockey, and basketball. A non-contact sport, the objective of Ultimate is to score points by receiving a teammate's pass of the disc in the opponent's end zone. Intercepting a disc in the opponent's end zone by a defensive player gives the defending team a point. The disc can only be moved down the field through passing. A player catching the disc must stop within a few steps, and can then only move their non-pivot foot when passing. Incomplete passes cause a change of possession.

One of the most charming things about Ultimate is that the players are self-regulating. There are no referees or judges, only Observers who can be called in to resolve a call when the players can't agree on it themselves, which in the Nationals only happened maybe 20 to 30 percent of the time. In most cases, after a relatively brief discussion - occasionally highlighted by a slow-motion reenactment of whatever the claimed offense - the players would nod and get on with the game.

Back to the Games in Columbus

So, on the one hand, you have these very serious, very competitive, kids who are playing at a championship level. But on the other hand you don't have that win at all costs Bear Bryant 'tude that you often see at other college-level games. They want to win, but you don't get the impression that they'd happily kill their opponents if that's what is needed to beat them. It's kind of refreshing.

The whole thing is kind of refreshing. I don't remember the last time I've spent so much time with so many healthy, focused, and generally nice college kids. I'm somewhat of a cynic about the whole college spirit, "rah-rah" sort of thing, but these guys could make the most dismal character want to put on a raccoon coat and beanie, grab a pennant, and sing a few fight songs.

The Hodags put away North Carolina as easily as they did Kansas, and we're done with Day #1. We head back to the hotel, welcome Roberta and Ted's other son, Dan - and help with the preparations for the Hodag Dinner for team and parents.

Day #2 - the Quarter- and SemiFinals - is a repeat of Day #1 for the Hodags. In the Quarters they took out Oregon 15-9, and in the Semis blasted away the bloodthirsty Stanfordites 15-6, never falling behind in either game. By this point, under the careful instruction of our brother-in-law, Ted, we've learned that when one team pulls ahead of another by 5 or 6 points, that's usually the game. Even though they'll play on until the winning team hits 15, it's usually near-impossible to both protect against the other team scoring while also making up a large deficit. In Ultimate, you tend to see very close games, only separated by one or two points, or runaways. Wisconsin is running away with its games.

Day #3 - The Championship

The only thing more intense than the Hodag players by Day #3 are the Hodag families, of which there are many here. Only Stanford has had anywhere near the crowd of supporters that are cheering on Wisconsin today. Roberta and Ted have blown off breakfast in the morning, both looking pale and nervous as they drive us to the field.

And they're one of the calmer set of parents.

By game start at 3:30, after an interminable championship game between the Stanford Superfly and UC Santa Barbara's Burning Skirts women's teams (Stanford would win 13-7), the stands were a sea of Hodag baby blue, and the cry of "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-DAGS" was heard upon the land.

Not only overwhelming in numbers, Wisconsin also has one of the better chants. Oregon ("e-GO") was pretty cool, and Stanford amusing. "We want blood," the mostly graying Stanford supporters surrounding our littler group shouted yesterday, prompting a Hodag parent to state coolly, "Hodags LOVE their opponents." But the Hodag friends and family - often spanning three generations - were determinedly louder than anyone else, certainly louder than the Colorado supporters who didn't seem to have any chants at all for their strangely-named "Mama-bird" team.

Colorado - who had taken out Florida to get to this point - looked for a time as if they would give the Hodags some trouble, matching Wisconsin, point-for-point and even - for a moment - taking the lead, the first time we had seen the Hodags fall behind in four games.

But by the half it was 8-5 in Wisconsin's favor , and the Hodags, dominant all year, and dominant throughout the tournament, threw themselves into over-drive.

At game point, 14-7, to quote Chris Spittal's wrap-at at the UPA site,

"After the pull, Dahl was pinned on his own goal line and ripped off a huge backhand that went much to far and fell into the area being patrolled by Wisconsin’s Miller. The Hodag handlers worked the disc down the field until Matt Scallet was able to find Cullen Geppert with a huck from near midfield for the win."

And yes, that would be our Matt Scallett, our nephew, Roberta and Ted's son, making sure that we got our money's worth for taking him up on that Christmas invite by delivering the pass for the winning point.

Hodag Love Part 1: The Skybus

A story so stupendous it took not one but two postings to encompass! Read on, True Believers....


"How about coming to the Nationals in Columbus if we get in?" asked our nephew Matt at Christmas. And given that it was his last year of play, that we had never seen an Ultimate game - let alone a college championship game - and that we like hanging with Peggy's family, we said "Yes!"

After the Hodags took the regionals, my brother-in-law, Ted, sent an email telling us it was never too early to start thinking about booking a flight to Ohio and - incidentally - he had just read about this start-up no-frills airline called Skybus based out of Ohio that was selling $10 seats from Portsmouth, NH to Columbus. Skybus wasn't flying yet when I checked out their Web site. In fact, they hadn't even received their FAA certification, but after doing some research on the company and assuring myself they were legit and safe, I booked us on a flight on what would be - we hoped - their third day of operation.

Skybus did, indeed, receive their certification a week or so before they were to start flying, and sent us email telling us Flight #2 from Pease Trade Center (originally Pease AFB) to Columbus was departing as scheduled at 9:05 Friday morning, the 24th of May. Peggy and I went down to Pease the weekend before to check out the scene - and a weird one it was. Imagine something like 28 Days Later, but without the zombies. A few cars in an otherwise empty lot, a totally deserted terminal, a sign for the Pan-Am Clipper, a couple of Skybus kiosks. We were relieved to see the last, as it was the only evidence that the airline existed.

On the Skybus

So, here's some basics on Skybus:

1. $10 Seats? Yep, they do sell $10 seats, a minimum of 10 per flight according to their Web site. But those seats go fast. And whether $10 or not, you need to book early for the best rates. A quick check of the Skybus site today shows the first $10 seats now available on the Portsmouth to Columbus route are in late October. I booked our seats for late May in early April, and it cost $30 apiece one-way. The same seats can cost as much as $110, dependent on the date you want to travel and when you book your flight. Flights from Columbus to San Francisco (really Oakland, as "Boston" is really Portsmouth on a Skybus flight) were ranging from $225-330 in June to $50-$150 in November. Again, you need to book early for the best rates.
   
   A $120 round-trip for two was a bargain when a comparable trip from Manchester, NH and back would have cost over $600. I should note that the $120 wasn't really $120, though. With taxes, baggage fees and priority boarding, our total round-trip cost for two was $202.60. See #2 below.
   
   
2. How do they do it? First, they sell sponsorships. Our jet was displaying the logo of Nationwide Insurance on the outside and Skybus plans to also sell advertising space in the cabin, too. Our flight attendant closed her little landing speech by noting that if we'd like to sponsor that announcement, please check out the Sponsors page at Skybus.com.
   
   
3. Second, they also offer a variety of geegaws and gadgets for sale during the flight - everything from perfume to chocolates to a kid's knapsack to iPod accessories. Think of the in-flight catalog items you see on most airlines... that sort of stuff. They only difference is you can buy it right then and there.
   
   
4. Third, they really are no-frills, and they charge for everything except the use of the bathroom. Checking in bags? It will cost you $5 a bag, with a maximum of two bags per passenger. Have more than two bags? The price goes up to $50 per bag. If you can carry it on, it's free, but the Skybus space restrictions on carry-on baggage are very tight. Carry-on items can't weigh more than 22 pounds, and can't be larger than 9 inches by 16 inches by 19 inches.
   
   Want priority boarding - a fancy way of saying you get closer to the head of the line? You can get it for $10 a person. I bought it for us, but I'm not sure it was worth it. However, if you like the Exit seats or want to make sure you're not sitting in the middle seat, it might worth the price to you. I'm not sure how many "priority" seats Skybus sells per flight. All they say is that it's limited. We were with a group of maybe 15-20 people in our priority lane out of 109 people on the flight from Portsmouth to Columbus.
   
   
   Want a pillow or a blankie? You have to buy it (on the up side you can keep it). Want something to eat or drink? You can't bring food or refreshments on the plane, since they want to sell everything to you. Meals - ranging from cheese plates to salads to sandwiches to mini-dinners - run from $8 to $12. Beverages run from $2 (coffee, water) to $5 (booze) - about standard or a little higher for airline fare these days.
   
   
   
   
   
5. How's the Experience? Not bad at all, in fact unsurprising, which is meant as a compliment.
   
   If you fly Southwest or one of the other economy airlines you're not going to find much different on Skybus. You have to walk out on the tarmac and use a set of stairs to get on/off the plane, which may be a little problematic during bad weather. On the other hand, that's what generations of passengers did into the late `60s, and still do in many locations. The jets are brand-new Airbus jets. Since they were just recently FAA certified and are flying a new fleet with experienced pilots, Skybus is as safe - perhaps safer - as any other airline. Peggy commented that it's the first time she ever was on a plane with a "new car smell." Seats are three across throughout the cabin. Leg room is good, maybe a little above standard.
   
   As I mentioned, the attendants come through the cabin, pushing a cart with all the things they have to sell. There's no hard sell. They ask. If you say, "No," they move on. But I have to say that was the only part of the Skybus experience I found disappointing. While I wasn't expecting a carnival - or maybe I was - I was kind of hoping for some kitsch; Skybus t-shirts, caps, key chains, stuffed animals, that sort of stuff, all the bling they have for sale on their site, in fact. Instead, I was presented with Toblerone candy, iPod accessories, and watches. Personally, I think Skybus is missing the march on this. If I'm brave enough to fly a no-frills start-up, I'd like to have a souvenir, not something I can get anywhere.
   
   The flights were - again - standard flights. The flight into Columbus left and arrived on time; the biggest hassle was getting through the tiny security section in Portsmouth, which is not set up to handle getting a 100+ people through security screening in any timely fashion. The flight back was delayed about an hour-and-a-half because of some computer glitch, in this day and age, not unexpected. The only - minor - criticism I had was the the Skybus personnel were obviously new at what they were doing, not bothering to announce the gate, flight destination, or number of the delayed flight to Portsmouth, almost causing us to miss the plane, not bothering to change departure signs (our departure gate said our flight was bound for Pasadena further adding to the confusion), stumbling through the announcements, forgetting to deliver coffee. Minor stuff as I said, and all could be chalked up to birthing pains, considering we flew on the airlines' third and fifth days of operation.
   
   
6. Would we fly Skybus again? Definitely yes, especially if it matches up to our travel plans. Skybus currently flies to only a handful of destinations (map above), and like Rome, all Skybus roads lead to Columbus, Ohio. While it's possible to work out a multi-point itinerary (say, Portsmouth to L.A.), it probably won't be the easiest thing to do. You have to pick up and re-check your baggage, for instance, and expect a lengthy layover in Columbus.

Skybus promises more routes are opening soon. But for now, if you're planning a trip to/from one of their destination cities, looking for an economical flight, can book well in advance, and are willing to be a little flexible for the savings, I'd recommend taking a look at Skybus.

Much Hodag Love

Ace Reporter Joyride Jones called in with the news that the Wisconsin Hodags took the UPA Centex 2007 tournament, taking down 23 of the nation's best teams in Ultimate.

Pictured are the Hodag team, proudly displaying the Centex trophy, a gold spray-painted cattle skull.

What it means to be a Hodag (via Hodag Love):

My name Tom Annen, aka Animal. I am a junior at the University of Wisconsin and this is my third of five years that I will be on the team. As of right now, the Hodag team is probably the most important thing in my life. I love the team and if it wasn't for the team I would probably transfer elsewhere because I am not a big fan of the cold weather. Plus I have lived my whole life in Madison and never got a chance to go any where else. Anyways, to play for this team is a privilege. Since I have been on it we have been one of the top five maybe top three best teams in the country every year throughout or at some point and time during the year. I don't believe there are many other teams around the country that can say the same thing. I personally love playing with the team, partying with the team, and in general being around the team. We are a family. Every single one of us is working toward the same goal, to win College Nationals. In order to achieve this goal we all put in 15 plus hours a week doing team workouts, lifting with our buddies, or training on our own. It is a huge commitment, but it has a phenomenal pay-back from being apart of the baby blue.

What it means to be a Hodag Part II (also via Hodag Love):

After long consideration, Animal decides that he needs to figure this game out even if he only buys in with 20 dollars (2 bets). Which, he does and turns into 50 or so. Soon all the hodags are throwing small amounts of cash, at most 50 dollars on the table to see how fast they can loose it buy betting on their favorite number. So as the dice moved around the other side of the table, the hodags learned how to play a little and some won money others lost money. Then the show started off with Scallet rolling the dice for a good 5-10 minutes winning people money but since he was the first to go the hodags must have been a little slow on the bets because there was not too much gain with his rolling. The dice moved through the next 6 hodags pretty quickly causing most everyone to lose a good portion of money. As a note Heijmen was on his last bet 10 or 20 dollars when the dice came into Animal's hands. This is where the loud screams came that attracted the big spenders on the other side to throw benjamins all over the able betting on Animal's rolls. As Animal seemed to continually roll for some 15 minutes hitting every number and the hodags were betting on. Especially the number 8. Every Hodag had 12 bucks on 8 during the whole time there was not a moment where the number was not filled with bets. Animal hit the 8 somewhere around 5 or 6 times before craping out making everyone 15 bucks each time. Even when someone asked for a 4 or a ten to be rolled within a couple rolls it would be rolled giving out even more money. Finally after craping out and the applause from the other side of the table was done we all walked away with 100 dollars chips in hand to go cash in. Who knows how much money Animals made for the other side of the table but for the Hodags who were there it was a good 1000 dollars and a damn good story to tell.

Some notable facts. Matt Scallet walked away from the table with 250 dollars, marsh walked away with 350 dollars making back the 200 dollars he lost the night before, heijmen turning his 10 dollars left into 100 plus dollars.

Congrats Matt and Hodags! (good deal at the craps table in Vegas too)