Alicia's layout D in Shanghai Open finals

Brought back due to foul call (GIF via Weibo).

UPDATE, 7:02 pm: A bit more info: This happened on game point, 14-13. After getting this one back, Shiok scored a few throws later (going downwind) to win 15-13. Congratulations to them.

(p.s. Beijing Big Brother, last year's champions, is in red.)

UPDATE, 7:26 pm: crowd reaction, at 3:16 mark: 

Watch: Beijing Ultimate Frisbee players party it up in Hennessy ad

Hennessy ad featuring Tao, Alicia, Sam Dreiman, Ken Su, Yan Hao and Steven Zhang!

We spent about ten hours filming in an underground garage near East Fourth Ring Road. What you see is the result. Thanks to the company Sparkle for producing it, and to Alicia for hooking us up.

We just came back from a Hennessy "viral video" shoot

Here we are looking badass. Thanks to Ken Su for the picture.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Faces of summer league

God we're all still hung over. Wait, what day is it? Not Sunday? Okay, nevermind. I'm okay. Alex is okay. Ginny is (maybe) okay. We're all okay.

PICTURES OF THE WEEK:

Can you guess which of the following people is hung over? (From summer league finals on Saturday.)

A year ago, if I told you Matt Mueller would not be one of the answers to the above question, would you believe me?

And what if I told you Ivan, making a special Beijing appearance, would be, having nearly died the day before drinking baijiu with Alex and Ginny?

Change is a strange beast.

GOOGLE GROUPS POST OF THE WEEK:

Tao, 8/19: Subj: Fantasy football:

Who's in?

Gonna start a standard-setting yahoo league with a live online draft, for fun. Let me know ...

p.s. Only join if you enjoy fantasy sports and don't mind losing to me.

RETROSPECTIVE: A wedding

From Edward's wedding. (I think Richie Liu took this picture, but I've forgotten.)

More of these to come in the next year, I think.

Alicia's newsletter's first words: CONGRATULATIONS TO BIG BROTHER...

CONGRATULATIONS TO BIG BROTHER FOR WINNING THE 13TH ANNUAL 2011 SHANGHAI
TOURNAMENT BY BEATING TEAM PHILIPPINES 15-10! CONGRATULATIONS ALSO TO
LAUREN "BARBIE" REED FOR WINNING MYTHICAL 7 AND TO TAO FOR WINNING MALE MVP!

***Pick-Up**
*
The usual: Wednesday 8-10pm on outdoor astro turf fields at ZhiChunLu.
Directions: Take subway line 10 / 13 to ZhiChunLu, exit from G1 and the fields will be about 100 meters to the right past the chuanr stands.
每周三晚上8-10点在室外知春路玩pick-up. 知春路地铁站出口G1然后走路大概100米

For June, our pick-up fees are:
Single session: RMB35
Four sessions: RMB120 (upfront payment, cannot carry over to July)
Five sessions: RMB135 (upfront payment, cannot carry over to July)
6月的收费:
单次:35元
四次: 120元(不能在七月用)
五次: 135元(不能在七月用)

For details, visit www.beijingultimate.com.

***Events and Happenings***

This week:
- Check out Jim and Tao's Quiz Night at Kro's Nest. 8pm onwards, every Thursday. 35 Xiaoyun Lu with prizes to be won after every round.

Coming soon:
- Summer League! We are looking to start Summer League the last weekend of June. Details will be emailed out later, so stay tuned. Last year we had close to 100 people signed up!

***Tournaments**
*
China:
1) Hong Kong Tournament: Oct 22 - 23

International:
1) Pyongyang Hat Tournament: THAT'S RIGHT! YOU DID READ CORRECTLY! ULTIMATE IN NORTH KOREA! August 25 - 30. Dray from South Korea is organizing this. Check out details on facebook (or at the bottom of this email) http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=143488965716804
2) Singapore Tournament: Sept 17 - 18

***Farewell and Welcome***

If you have any announcements you would like made to the community, email Alicia (aliciasy...@gmail.com) before Sunday of each week so we can include in these weekly updates.

------------------------------
------------------------------

*Ultimate Frisbee in North Korea. The most interesting sports thing you've ever done.*

The cost will be 890 Euros. This includes flights from and back to Beijing, tourist stuff Saturday and Monday, pizza, all other food that isn't pizza, hotel, fields, entertainment. Visa fee (not optional, 50 Euro) and ticket to the mass games (optional, but would be weird not to go: 80, 100, 150 or 300 Euro options) will be extra. North Korean microbrewed beer will be extra, but cheap. (and good)

The itinerary includes two full days and three nights of touring. The tournament is a one day hat. We leave Beijing early Saturday and return early Tuesday. Participants should be in Beijing by Friday afternoon in order to collect visas get final info at Koryo Tours.

All nationalities except South Korean can participate.

Write an email to pyongyang...@gmail.com if interested in attending and want more info.

If you know you're in, write si...@koryogroup.com and ask for the necessary forms to get it going.

It ain't cheap, but it will be amazing. We're looking to get deposits by June 30th.
*
Tentative Itinerary for Ultimate Frisbee Tour*

Thurs 25th Aug Pickup in Beijing - Introduction to "Extreme Pollution Ultimate", dinner at Dong Bei Ren Restaurant (Not included in tour fee)

Fri 26th Aug Briefing/Collect Visas at Koryo Tours office in Beijing

Sat 27th Aug N/A Arrival by Air Koryo flight from Beijing at 14:20, Fountain Park, Mansudae Grand Monument, Kim Il Sung Square, ARIRANG MASS GAMES

Sun 28th Aug Taesongsan Park for Frisbee Tournament, picnic lunch Frisbee tournament, evening trip to Kaeson Youth funfair, dinner at Korean restaurant

Mon 29th Aug Juche Tower, Mansudae Art Studio, Pyongyang Metro (extended ride on the subway), Arch of Triumph, USS Pueblo, Pizza Restaurant Lunch FRISBEE CLINIC AT LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOL. Paradise Micro-Brewery, Foreign Languages Bookshop, Farewell dinner at Duck BBQ restaurant, evening Karaoke option.

Tues 30th Aug 09:00 Air Koryo Flight to Beijing. End of tour.

RETROSPECTIVE: Jeju jump

Picture by Geoff Ng; from Jeju 2011

WEEK IN REVIEW: Media coverage for China Nationals

The front page of China Daily's Metro Beijing section.

A half-page spread in Beijing Today.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:


GOOGLE GROUPS POST OF THE WEEK:

The newsletter by Alicia, 5/23:

***Pick-Up**
*
The usual: Wednesday 8-10pm on outdoor astro turf fields at ZhiChunLu. Directions: Take subway line 10 / 13 to ZhiChunLu, exit from G1 and the fields will be about 100 meters to the right past the chuanr stands.
每周三晚上8-10点在室外知春路玩pick-up. 知春路地铁站出口G1然后走路大概100米

For May, our pick-up fees are:
Single session: RMB35
Four sessions: RMB120 (upfront payment, cannot carry over to June)
5月的收费:
单次:35元
四次: 120元(不能在六月用)

For details, visit www.beijingultimate.com.

***Events and Happenings**
*
This week:
- China Nationals 2011 was a huge success (largest tournament by number of participants)! Thanks to everyone who participated and everyone who helped out! There'll be a post tournament word from Tournament Director Tao soon.
- Come out to Jim and Tao's quiz on Thursday night, 8pm at Kro's Nest. 35 Xiao Yun Lu.

***Tournaments**
*
China:
1) Next up on the China Tournament Calendar: Shanghai Open: June 11 - 12. Email Mike Shyu at michaelms...@gmail.com if interested to play with Big Brother.

***Farewell and Welcome***

Welcome to Alex Burch.

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Edward Wang's Tianjin wedding

Joe, Baby Girl, Kevin, Alicia, Lauren and I went to Tianjin this morning -- very early -- to attend Edward Wang's wedding. Kevin Reitz has a very full recap of the day here, in which he comments on my awesome suits, with some really nice pictures.

We went expecting a traditional Chinese wedding but instead got a bilingual American wedding. So it goes sometimes.

Below is a PICTURE BLOG, or whatever it is the kids call em these days.

Dashing people (clockwise from top left: Richie, Alicia, Baby Girl, Joe, Lauren, Kevin):



I hate weddings because of shit like this. These little twerps can barely walk, and they're throwing flower petals on the ground? WHAT IF THE BRIDE TRIPS? HAS ANYONE THOUGHT OF THESE CONTINGENCIES?


Nice suit, Mr. Groom. And the bride's looking good too.

The seesaw pics are winners:



There's more...








Then we went to the train station (Tanggu, that is).



Lauren: staying awake.



Lauren: fetal position.


And there you have it.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Cuandixia

Picture by Kevin Reitz

Kevin wrote about it here, and I wrote about it here. Cuandixia: where everyone's a Han. A lovely hamlet. Yes indeed.

By the way, YJ drives. In Beijing. I know.

PICTURES OF THE WEEK:


Picture by Kevin Reitz

GOOGLE GROUPS POST OF THE WEEK:

Alicia, with the newsletter:

***Pick-Up***

The usual: Wednesday 8-10pm on outdoor astro turf fields at ZhiChunLu. Directions: Take subway line 10 / 13 to ZhiChunLu, exit from G1 and the fields will be about 100 meters to the right past the chuanr stands.
每周三晚上8-10点在室外知春路玩pick-up. 知春路地铁站出口G1.

For May, our pick-up fees are:
Single session: RMB35
Four sessions: RMB120 (upfront payment, cannot carry over to June)
四月的收费:
单次:35元
四次: 120元(不能在六月用)

For details, visit www.beijingultimate.com.

***Events and Happenings***

This week:
- Vote for Jim and Tao's Quiz Night at Kro's Nest for The Beijinger Bar and Club Awards! http://www.thebeijinger.com/2011BarAndClubAwards/. Quiz night is every Thursday from 8pm onwards, Kro's Nest, 35 XiaoYunLu. There are prizes after every round!

Others:
- We are looking for sponsors for China Nationals. If you have any leads or hookups, email Alicia at aliciasy...@gmail.com

***Tournaments***

China:
1) China Nationals 2011: May 21 - 22 in Beijing. This is the largest annual gathering of Chinese disc players in one tournament. Early registration is due Friday May 6. RMB300 per Foreigner person for early registration fee. Contact Mike Shyu at michaelms...@gmail.com if you're looking to play with Big Brother. Details at www.zhongguofeipan.com
2) Shanghai Open: June 11 - 12. Save the date. Email Mike Shyu if interested to play with Big Brother. Of the tournaments in China, this tournament attracts the most international teams.

International:
1) Malaysia Open 2011 will be held on May 21, 22 in Kuala Lumpur.

***Farewell and Welcome***
**
- Welcome to Justin Sides!
**
**
**For more about happenings around China, check
http://chinaultimate.wordpress.com.**

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Nanjing champions ... Alicia selected Mythical Seven at Jeju

Big Brother won the first-ever Nanjing Open over the weekend, and across the way on the island of Jeju, Alicia was selected to the Mythical Seven team for her dominating performance at the Jeju Dirty Dozens Tournament.



Tao (that's me... yeah) performed admirably (if I may say), accounting for 5 of the team's 7 points in an 8-7 opening-game loss to 1-seed Gold Star (3 assists, 2 goals) and 6 of the team's 7 points in the quarterfinals on Sunday. That performance, however, was marred by a point block on universe point -- by Zahlen -- which resulted in the game-winning point for Kim Jong-Illin'.




vs. Kim Jong-Illin' in the quarterfinals on Sunday


vs. Clown Punch in the 5th-place game, i.e. consolation finals

Kevin Reitz most definitely won the party, pictures of which are so good that we're going to show you on Friday. Yes, you will have to wait for it. (Or read about it here.) He also tried to win the party by schmoozing with everyone and doing a couple beer bongs and assisting on several others. He and Tao also staged a wrestling match. Yeah. How Kevin didn't win "best mustache" is beyond everyone's ken. It is ludicrous and outrageous. There should be several people feeling very ashamed this very moment. UPDATE: Here.




Rob Hogg and Jenn Brown played on the B-Pool-winning team at Jeju. Jenn Brown also won that pool's female MVP.



And Zahlen, he of Five Ultimate and a Beijing Ultimate alum, was also selected onto the Mythical Seven team.



Oh, and of course ... YJ Tan of Beijing was on the runner-up team, Whisby Nation...



...which lost to Iku in the finals:


In the end, it was a Yoshio love fest:


UPDATE: See Nanjing party pictures here.