Crowd-sourced video review

             This video features a clip from our Sunday Ultimate Frisbee game. The video is filmed from my 12th floor apartment.

 As luck would have it, this 1 min. 14 sec footage shows an entire point. My team, the Greenish Stickers, has just won a point, and Stephan throws the disc down the field to the other team. Eric, from the Multi-Colored Bon-Bons, throws the disc to Cori. Then the disc goes to Pam, Brenden (who makes a fabulous catch), back to Eric, to Kim and to Kate before a fantastic defensive block sees the disc fall to the ground like a wounded pigeon.

Veronica picks up the disc for the Stickers and throws to Stephan, who throws an excellent pass to me near the sideline. Eric and I are running toward the disc, and at the 49-second mark on the video clip, I reach up and successfully grab the disc and bring it down. I look down and realize I am far out of bounds.

Eric says, “He was out.”

I nearly drop the disc, admitting that my stellar effort was for naught, when someone, probably another Sticker, says, “He wasn’t out.”

Thus begins a fierce .3 second battle in my head. On one side is the spirit-of-the-game purest who is telling me to put the disc on the ground and walk away; on the other side is a 100% Striker who wants to win at all costs. Eric, who carries not only a deep knowledge of the game, but also a kind soul and friendly attitude, says, “Well, he might have been in. Go ahead and take it.”

I suppose not everyone reading this knows that the key to the success and the uniqueness of Ultimate Frisbee is that even at the highest level—World Championships—there are no referees. The players call their own fouls and line violations, and they are expected to be honest.

I didn’t immediately go to the line and throw. I wanted to be sure that I was getting away with this one—er, I mean that in the considered estimation of all involved, it was determined that I was close enough to being in bounds that I should continue. I look up, thinking, “Was that really ok? Should I go on with this?” Then I realize that yes, we are going to say that I was in.

I throw a forehand to Alex, who deftly snares it. She throws to Stephan while begin to run from one side of the end zone to the other. Stephan sees this movement and puts it exactly where it needs to be. Luckily for us, Cori’s acrobatic swat and thrashing arm movements are ineffectual. I grab the disc successfully for the Stickers.

We probably had this point twice over; as I looked up after catching the disc, I noticed that Mike was also in position to make the reception. Wisely, he pulled back at the last moment; most likely, his movement was partially because he knows that I have been known to flail into people when I have my eyes on the disc. Only 15 minutes before, Eric and I ran headlong into each other. Someone said we looked like two horses wearing blinders.

So, please leave me a message telling me if you think I was in or out. Here are some still shots of the climax:

Eric and James (in green) are moving to the disc: 

Eric and James raise their arms toward the disc:

Conveniently, there is an orange sideline marker at nearly the exact point where this bit of excitement is playing out:

In this picture, James nearly has the disk in hand as his left foot is approaching the sideline:

James's left foot touches the ground just as his hand alters the trajectory of the disc:

His left foot is on the ground as James brings the disc down:

  Because we have video evidence of the questionable catch, I would like those of you reading this message to give me your input. I am doing this just for fun, of course. It makes absolutely no difference what the result of this crowd-sourced ‘video-review’ is. After the game, Eric and I rode in his vehicle to breakfast.