[BD] Spirit

[IndoorsDOC]

(Don't worry Alia, it's not an email about the juniors...)

Dan Berry wrote:
> Spirit seems to be defined differently by different people. 
>   
A lot of that is because people haven't read the rules recently. They're 
spectacularly clear :

a) no swearing or abuse during dicussions or disputes (it's just about 
possible to interpret swearing at a team-mate for encouragement as 
allowable)

b) The following things (amongst others) 'must be avoided by all 
participants':- 'aggressive behaviour'; 'taunting or intimidating 
opposing players'

c) 'never sacrifice the mutual respect between players'

So you can't 'show' the disc; you can't show any angry reaction unless 
it's clear that your anger is aimed at yourself (and could not possibly 
be construed as disrespectful to the opponent); you can't shout in 
someone's face or take an aggressive stance; you've pretty much got to 
be a gentleman.

It seem to me that most people take spirit to mean not calling malicious 
fouls, not cheating etc.. In this sense, spirit in UK Ultimate is pretty 
close to perfect, and we should all give ourselves a pat on the back.

However, the part about respecting the opponent and his/her calls, about 
not swearing at him/her, seems to be increasingly forgotten by a 
minority. This is the biggest area we can all improve.

And for those of you who need more incentive to behave, think about it 
this way: You call a foul that you're fairly sure about, but you might 
just be open to changing your mind if the opponent says he definitely 
got the disc before he hit you. In which of these two situations are you 
more likely to back down?

1) The player calmly & politely says that he believes it wasn't a foul, 
and explains why.
2) The player yells, storms off, throws things, and says in every way 
but verbally that you're a cheat.

No-brainer? Thought so. Disrespectful and rude play will hurt your team 
in a game like ultimate. The opposition will call more, will stick to 
their guns more, whether consciously or not: you've shown yourself to 
have poor spirit, and you can't expect the benefit of the doubt for the 
rest of the game.

Incidentally, I did once hear (may or may not be true) that the way 
Clapham improved their spirit a few years ago was by never sending the 
disc back at practice - every dispute had to be settled as to whether or 
not it was a foul. Does anyone else think this is a great idea for 
non-tournament play, and perhaps for schools? Seems to me like a stroke 
of genius.

Benji