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bpatterson's review against another edition
5.0
For once I’m very happy that I put a book off till later in my life. I think that reading this while in college would have caused it to hit less close to home. As I struggle to find where I want to fall in the realms of Ultimate Frisbee (do I just sit content at my current ability or like the author should I strive to go and play for the national championship). The problem lies in loving a sport that gives nothing back beyond the field of play and the relationships built there, unlike mainstream sports where someone may reward you for playing the game or at least not equate it with the thing that dogs catch. Being part of the Ultimate community really shaped my time in college as it did for Gessner. Whether it be my friends, where I lived, my relationships, or how I spent my weekends, much of it was concerned with a sport I had almost no knowledge of before my first day trying out for the team at GWU. Trying to convince my parents of its merits always seemed like an uphill battle, something that Gessner describes, especially when it comes to Kenny Dobyns and his father. But that almost makes the sport purer, we know that we won’t be held in high regard for the time spent practicing and playing. We will go to work the day after a tournament and will not discuss it with coworkers.
Having my twin pick up the sport as well was amazing as I had someone in my house who understood the love of the game, although I think she sided more with the relationships built, while I was headstrong about playing all the time. Gessner put off his career to play the sport at a time when it was much less recognized than it is today, which makes his choice both more admirable and a little bit crazier. His stories reminded me why I played the sport and loved it, which hopefully can take me out of the downward trend of lack of motivation to play the sport. Something just feels different now.
The draw of winning it all never really appealed to me in college (I knew we never had a chance in hell). So, my only goal was making regionals, after two years of COVID taking away two seasons of Ultimate, I finally got a chance at regionals with a team made up of five years’ worth of players, which honestly was a nice silver lining. However, since then I’ve been stuck in limbo. I’m competitive enough to want to win a national championship, I just don’t know if I truly have the time or commitment to put in the work to do so. Therefore, whenever I step out onto the field now, it seems a little hollow, without a team that I am dedicated to, the only reason to play is to get better and I’ve hit what feels like an insurmountable plateau. If I was Gessner I would take a job with fewer hours, convert the Vermont camps into a home base and devote myself to training. But that’s an impossibility. So here I am, trying to change the love of the game along the lines that Gessner did after he ended his run at the national championship, find a team which I can truly call friends and not just fellow competitors.
I know that this kind of rambled on and became a personal narrative, but these are the thoughts that surfaced while reading Gessner’s story. I would recommend this book to any player out of college and especially to any parent of an Ultimate Frisbee player who is trying to understand why their child gave up a more “real” sport to throw around a piece of plastic.
Having my twin pick up the sport as well was amazing as I had someone in my house who understood the love of the game, although I think she sided more with the relationships built, while I was headstrong about playing all the time. Gessner put off his career to play the sport at a time when it was much less recognized than it is today, which makes his choice both more admirable and a little bit crazier. His stories reminded me why I played the sport and loved it, which hopefully can take me out of the downward trend of lack of motivation to play the sport. Something just feels different now.
The draw of winning it all never really appealed to me in college (I knew we never had a chance in hell). So, my only goal was making regionals, after two years of COVID taking away two seasons of Ultimate, I finally got a chance at regionals with a team made up of five years’ worth of players, which honestly was a nice silver lining. However, since then I’ve been stuck in limbo. I’m competitive enough to want to win a national championship, I just don’t know if I truly have the time or commitment to put in the work to do so. Therefore, whenever I step out onto the field now, it seems a little hollow, without a team that I am dedicated to, the only reason to play is to get better and I’ve hit what feels like an insurmountable plateau. If I was Gessner I would take a job with fewer hours, convert the Vermont camps into a home base and devote myself to training. But that’s an impossibility. So here I am, trying to change the love of the game along the lines that Gessner did after he ended his run at the national championship, find a team which I can truly call friends and not just fellow competitors.
I know that this kind of rambled on and became a personal narrative, but these are the thoughts that surfaced while reading Gessner’s story. I would recommend this book to any player out of college and especially to any parent of an Ultimate Frisbee player who is trying to understand why their child gave up a more “real” sport to throw around a piece of plastic.
laynescherer's review against another edition
2.0
I appreciated receiving the book as a gift from someone who knows my love of ultimate. Ultimate Glory is a tromp through Gessner's formative years as the title suggests. His devotion to the sport and it's role in his life is evident in the rich details of the games and the players that built the legends.
All that said, I didn't particularly enjoy the read. I found his descriptions of the women, both those casually mentioned for their role in ultimate and those who played larger roles in his life, fairly shallow and reductive. I feel like I've encountered this kind of player on the field and not enjoyed the interaction.
In the end, I wasn't amused or surprised by this read. Possibly unfair to say of an account of another's life, but it is in the vein of the wandering young man who finds his way despite years of poor but not terminal choices. He finds his craft both through sport and through art.
Hopefully the start of many more books on ultimate and the role the sport has in the lives of those who choose to chase a plastic circle.
All that said, I didn't particularly enjoy the read. I found his descriptions of the women, both those casually mentioned for their role in ultimate and those who played larger roles in his life, fairly shallow and reductive. I feel like I've encountered this kind of player on the field and not enjoyed the interaction.
In the end, I wasn't amused or surprised by this read. Possibly unfair to say of an account of another's life, but it is in the vein of the wandering young man who finds his way despite years of poor but not terminal choices. He finds his craft both through sport and through art.
Hopefully the start of many more books on ultimate and the role the sport has in the lives of those who choose to chase a plastic circle.
byejoey's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
kejadlen's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 - A fun read about ultimate in the 80's (-ish). Definitely worth checking out if you're into ultimate, but I don't know if it would be interesting for non-players...
mugren's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting topic. But, it read’s like a high school essay.
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