Mark Sherwood 2011

Name:
Mark Sherwood
Photo: cleaning up after Taylor Cascino’s D in 2010 Nationals semifinal against Doublewide.

Nicknames:
Helios

Jersey #
14

Height:
5’11”

Date of birth:
14 April 1985

Place of birth:
Scarsdale, NY — home to the legends Fortunate and Mattias Mueller, although I didn’t know it at the time

Current city of residence:
San Francisco, CA

Occupation:
Engineer at Mission Motors. It is true that Jit recruited me, but I am now his boss. Nonetheless, Nancy Sun (captain of Fury) is more respected at our company than both me and Jit combined.

College team(s):
Stanford Bloodthirsty (2004-2008)

Former teams:
Revolver (2006-present)

Accolades:
4th in Callahan voting (2008)
World Champion, Club Worlds (2010)
National Champion, Club Nationals (2010)
Revolver **** Lifetime Achievement Award (2008), passing the torch to Cassidy
Revolver Defensive MVP (2009-2010)

How I came to join Revolver:
The Revolver Farm System: five years on Stanford, five visits to Kaimana, one year as a practice player on Kaos, and a low but respectable “top 5” Callahan nomination.

Funniest moment or joke on Revolver:
1. Chappie’s Pigeon Story in Prague 2010, “Kwrwrwrwrwrwrwrwrw, rwrwrwrwrwr”
2. Cassidy’s 21st Birthday in Davis, and our run home in Sarasota 2009
3. Boo’s tirade, Sunday night of Nationals 2010 (Most Belligerent award recipient that year).
4. The moment during warm-ups of Regionals 2010 that Schlag helped me realize what I needed to do, which had completely eluded me up until that point. What a rare epiphany.
5. Any number of ice bath sessions.

Favorite game or tournament moment on Revolver:
1. Our first Regionals (NW Regionals 2006), when Handler and Payne’s vision started its journey toward building something special. We won it the right way, on double-game point over Rhino, with the right attitude, positive spirit, and our core values intact. This was a pivotal moment, because it was the first elimination tournament where we faced a lot of adversity, including very different team attitudes from Justice League and Furious George, cold wind, and a downpour. The culture has built on that foundation ever since.
2. Bart and Taylor have talked about various semis games. But I’ve had some early scarring experiences in semis (College 2004-2008), so I’ll stick to finals games. Club Nationals 2009. Revolver lost this final, but I finally broke the curse of Stanford.

Favorite game or tournament moment outside of Revolver:
Without Revolver, I only have one other team to choose from (Stanford). I’ll take Kaimana in my Freshman year. After a fall tryout and a couple of tournaments playing competitive college Ultimate, Kaimana introduced me to the “other side of Ultimate.” I learned that Ultimate has deep roots, is based on mutual respect and positive reinforcement, and maintains lifelong (if incestuous) community. I now know that in naked points, girls are not excluded, and very swirly hucks tend to go up that rub bodies up against each other under the disc. Mondo’s naked body parading around the field reinforced the “lifelong” aspect — even in 2005 he had some years beneath him. It has been Kaimana that has inspired my transition from a competitive, zero-sum-game, self-righteous athlete to a positive, gleeful, more respectful Frisbee player. (I admit that this transition is still on-going, just ask Danny Karlinsky. He has been witness as an opponent and teammate since Santa Barbara Invite 2004.) (Or maybe don’t ask Danny.)

Favorite Ultimate player(s) in formative years:
1. On Stanford/Revolver: Nick Handler, Danny Cox, Zack Wyatt, and Robbie Cahill as players; Mike Payne and Daryl Nounnan as emotional fathers; Chris McManus and Chris Ashbrook as workout visionaries (DISCIPLINE); Jit Bhattacharya for his INTENSITY and HUMILITY. All of these players are incredibly selfless, which is a testament to the sport.
2. Opponents: Timmy Gehret for his game and his attitude (which was all the more commendable given that he started his career on some notorious Florida teams); Kevin Cissna and Gabe Saunkeah for their fast-paced give-and-go style.
3. I should also give a shout out to Coach Spurrier’s invention of the Fun N’ Gun offense for Florida (the Washington Redskins went 12-20 in the two years that Spurrier introduced it, but no matter…)

What makes ___ so dangerous?
I am only useful and differentiated as a player on the goal line, where I can throw an I/O flick that is more around than Robbie’s two-handed backhand.

Theme song:
Snoop Schlag-eee-Schlaaaaaah-aaagggggg

Pre-game ritual:
1. A lot of touching, hugging, and other forms of slightly inappropriate physical contact. This is a general ritual, not just pre-game.
2. Anything that allows me to take my shirt off. Which means that I can’t practice laying out until just before the game, where I’ll do a little ground contact practice (it can look like the worm).

What I like to eat on Saturday night of a tournament:
Same as always: mangoes (with skin) and Dried Mango Slitties, things with eggplant, and avocado. I try to hold off on ice cream since it makes the Sunday night Dairy Queen run that much sweeter.

If I didn’t play Ultimate, my main pastime outside of work would be:
Haven’t I made it clear enough to you all that Ultimate is just a side pastime of my quiver of activities? Surfing with Handler, tennis with Robbie, soccer with Tyler, squash with TJ, skiing…

Favorite sports team outside of Ultimate:
Oakland Raiders, screw the haters

In terms of Kanners, how tan are you?
0.99 — I’ll let you have this one Kanner. I should add, though, that I always wear sunscreen, and I’ve seen you let it slide sometimes.

Something unknown about me:
I run barefoot, I stand at my desk, and I always hated pre-game stretching. I’ve been relentlessly telling everyone I know to do these things too, but the world is only partially catching on.

Nick Schlag 2011

Name:
Nick Schlag
*Photo by Cory Barlow: catching a goal thrown by Brian Garcia during the final of 2010 Nationals against Ironside.

Nickname:
Schlag

Jersey #
20

Height:
5’10”

Date of birth:
27 April 1986

Place of birth:
Seattle, WA

Current city of residence:
San Francisco, CA

Occupation:
Energy Consultant at E3

College team(s):
Stanford Bloodthirsty (2006-2009)

Former teams:
Revolver (2009-present)

Accolades:
Member of Beard Team USA (2007-present)
Stanford Disc Golf Champion, Team and Individual (2008)
Recipient of several E-mmys, including (but not limited to) Best Alias E-mail (2010)

How I came to join Revolver:
It was a bleary Saturday morning in May 2009. I’m sitting on a couch watching Jurassic Park III while four college teammates (including former/current roommate/teammate Tom James) prepare to leave for tryouts. After an injury-plagued college season, I had decided not to play club for the season. At the last minute, I changed my mind and hopped into the car. Somehow it worked out.

Funniest moment or joke on Revolver:
1. At Friday team dinner during ECC 2011, Chapman ordered the hearty-sounding “Ploughman’s Platter” with expectations of a massive smorgasbord of meats and sausages but instead received a meager appetizer-sized spread of cold cuts and cheeses. The look of sheer disappointment on his face had most of us laughing until we couldn’t breathe.
2. Beau, after learning the rules of icing, icing Wiseman on the beach in Sarasota by kicking a bottle at him barefoot, saying, “Hey, Iceman, you want to play soccer?”
3. Levy’s dropped pull during our O/D scrimmage at Cal States, which came after a season’s worth of heckling me and Joel for every pull we let hit the ground.

Favorite game or tournament moment on Revolver:
Winning Club Nationals in 2010.

Favorite game or tournament moment outside of Revolver:
Winning Northwest college Regionals in 2009 on double-game point against Cal (sorry, Joel).

Favorite Ultimate player(s) in formative years:
1. Robbie Cahill, a fifth year during my rookie year on Stanford, for his on-field leadership and intensity and his humility as a baller.
2. Will Chen, who also played Stanford that year, for his smarts and his endless dedication to improving his throws.

Favorite tournament:
Club Nationals

What makes ___ so dangerous?
Fear the beard.

Theme song:
Not sure that I have a choice here (see Cassidy’s funniest moments).

Pre-game ritual:
1. Throws with my wingman.
2. Tons of hydration.

What I like to eat on Saturday night of a tournament:
Anything not fried.

If I didn’t play Ultimate, my main pastime outside of work would be:
Camping/hiking/mountains.

Favorite sports team outside of Ultimate:
D-Broncs/D-Nugs

In terms of Kanners, how tan are you?
0–everyone else’s responses imply way too much precision in the measurement of tanness.

Something unknown about me:
I never break my New Year’s Resolutions.

Mac Taylor 2010

Name:
MacFEARson Taylor
Photo by Cory Barlow: pulling during quarterfinals of Nationals 2010 against Truck Stop.

Nicknames:
The Human Monument, Beef Hammer

Jersey #
40

Height:
6’3″

Date of birth:
24 December 1985

Place of birth:
Phoenix, AZ

Current city of residence:
San Francisco, CA

Occupation:
Math and Science teacher at Fusion Academy

College team(s):
Colorado Mamabird (2005-2009)

Former teams:
Johnny Bravo (2007-2008)
Revolver (2009-present)

Accolades:
Callahan runner-up 2009
Never lost a game of Sectionals, Regionals, or pool-play Nationals (college or club)
Level 30 Warrior Wizard

How I came to join Revolver:
Pay to play.

Funniest moment on Revolver:
1. Playing Settlers of Catan at the strip club in Prague until closing time, then leaving it there.
2. The beach in Sarasota after winning Nationals in 2010: the icings, the mac-line, jackpot in the ocean, the sunset…

Favorite game or tournament moment on Revolver:
Coming back against Sockeye in semifinals this year at Regionals. Probably my favorite moment because it’s the last big win we’ve had. I don’t have a good memory for the games I’ve played.

Favorite game or tournament moment outside of Revolver:
1. My whole college career.
2. Playing Muckamuck with the old and new Colorado boys at Potlatch this year.

Favorite Ultimate player(s) in formative years:
Catt Wilson – coach of Colorado my first four years – taught my everything I know about fundamental Ultimate. Also taught me not to be soft.

Favorite tournament:
In college – Centex always brought the best teams and competition.
In club – nothing compares to Nationals.
For fun – only been once, but Kaimana was pretty sweet.

What makes ___ so dangerous?
I’m pretty pretty pretty lanky.

Theme song:
Toni Basil – Hey Mickey

What I like to eat on Saturday night of a tournament:
Doesn’t matter as long as it’s full of fat and carbs and there’s enough of it for leftovers.

If I didn’t play Ultimate, my main pastime outside of work would be:
Couch sittin’, movie watchin’, beer drinkin’.

In terms of Kanners, how tan are you?
1.0 – I am Kanner’s equal.

Jonathan Levy 2011

Name:
Jonathan Levy
*Photo by Margo Hasselman: power pool versus Sockeye in Prague at [Worlds] WUCC 2010, with thunderclouds fast approaching.

Nicknames:
Levy

Jersey #:
4

Height:
6′ 1.75″

Date of birth:
9 June 1984

Place of birth:
Philadelphia, PA

Current city of residence:
San Francisco, CA

Occupation:
Doctoral student in Neuroscience at UC San Francisco

College team(s):
Stanford-B (2003)
Stanford (2004-2006)

Former teams:
The Oaks (2005)
Revolver (2006 – present)

Accolades:
I went to school with Robbie Cahill.

How I came to join Revolver:
I wanted to keep playing Ultimate with my Stanford teammates after college. A bunch of us tried out for Revolver at Cal States 2006. I was really excited about the team, and during Saturday morning warmups I eagerly laid out for an errant disc, landing awkwardly on my right (throwing) hand. I heard a pop, it hurt a lot, and was very swollen. I was way too annoyed at myself and embarrassed to tell anyone, so I taped it up (to cut down on the swelling) and played lefty for the day. I got it looked at that night — broken 3rd metacarpal, out 8 weeks. I made the team despite the fact I was clearly pretty dumb.

Funniest moment or joke on Revolver:
Nationals 2008 — after we lost in the quarterfinals we had dinner at a small, family-friendly Italian place in Sarasota. As a large group, we were inevitably a bit louder than the other patrons would have preferred. To diffuse the situation, Chuck brought out his fiddle. He proceeded to walk over to each of the other tables, ask for their favorite song, and bang it out on the fiddle. The entire team would sing along, and he would move on to the next table. People either loved this or pretended to love it. After Chuck was done, Daryl tried to make things right by buying dinner for the entire restaurant.

Favorite game or tournament moment on Revolver:
1. Colorado Cup 2006 — My first full-length club tournament, coming off a broken hand (See Cal States story above). We brought about 16 guys and somehow pushed our way into finals, where we got absolutely crushed by a more experienced and talented Bravo team. Martin Cochran (then of Bravo) got an in-cut D on Robbie during that game and yelled “NOT TODAY!” as he swatted the disc away. I generally had no idea what was going on and loved every minute of it.
2. Worlds 2010 — Brian Garcia was unstoppable, Prague was amazing, and I got to watch Andrew Fleming do one of the most ridiculous things ever. (At no point did I think he had any shot at catching that disc).

Favorite game or tournament moment outside of Revolver:
1. College NW Regionals 2005 finals — Stanford vs. UBC. I knew I would draw Morgan Hibbert as my defensive assignment. I had guarded him before and he generally had done whatever he wanted. I was determined this time to make his life miserable. It was wet and rainy, and we spent two hours battling, taking turns getting layout D’s, point-blocks, and deep goals. When the game ended, I was completely exhausted and could barely shake his hand. Stanford eked out a win and the regional title.
2. Kaimana Klassik 2005 — Stanford vs. Voltron. Voltron was loaded with top-tier club players, including Chase and Nord. I was happy just to have the opportunity to play against them. It was the first time I’d played against the best atheletes in ultimate. Plus, after we lost we got to watch Volton in the finals against a very talented Nada Mooger team.

Favorite Ultimate player(s) in formative years:
1. Brandon Hyde — One of the team leaders at Stanford. He was hurt my entire rookie season but still made it to essentially every team event. Seeing him rehab for the entire year and watching it pay off as he returned for Regionals and Nationals was inspiring.
2. Nick Handler/James Herbert — The captains my rookie year at Stanford. They taught me an incredible amount about Ultimate. Both of them are fantastic players and leaders.
3. Jack Kuecker/Ben Dean — The other guys in my sophomore rookie class. During games, we generally spent a lot of time huddled together on the sideline trying to stay warm.

Favorite tournament:
Nationals. The emotions I feel during the moment of pure silence on the morning of the first day before the national anthem starts coming in over the tinny speakers are absolutely indescribable. Everything — a mix of pride, determination, desire, nervousness, and pure joy — comes rushing out. The emotional attachment and incomparable level of play make it my favorite tournament.

What makes ___ so dangerous?
I’m much quicker than I look.

Theme song:
I love music.

Pre-game ritual:
I start by wishing I could skip to the part of the day when I’m already warm. I struggle through plyos and by the time I make my first deep cut during warmups, I feel like my legs are ok. I grab someone to do some marking drills with me before the game starts, and I’m ready to go.

What I like to eat on Saturday night of a tournament:
What’s good.

If I didn’t play Ultimate, my main pastime outside of work would be:
That’s a great question.

Favorite sports team outside of Ultimate:
Philles and Eagles.

In terms of Kanners, how tan are you?
Kanner is 0.5 Levys.

Something unknown about me:
I really hate distance running. I’ve never run more than 2 miles.