[2016 GRADA SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEES] 1

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1 [2016 GRADA SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEES] 1 [JUSTIN BARLEBEN] I would like to nominate Justin Barleben for GRADA's spirit award. He has done an excellent job coordinating the spring youth league. There are many challenges associated with this league, and he has gone out of his way to tackle these challenges in order to make this a beneficial experience for the many youth who participate. He does not have kids in the program and travels from Buffalo each Sunday to run the league. This shows extra commitment to GRADA's youth! We are lucky to have him! I'd like to nominate Justin Barleben for Spirit Award. For the last few years he has volunteered countless hours running the Spring Youth League, while commuting from Buffalo, finishing a grad program, etc etc. And he does so with unfailing good humor, good spirit and his eye on the prize of maximizing the kids' great experience of the sport we love despite significant challenges in the unevenness of programs at different schools, gender ratios, and more. I have particular admiration for all the coaches who do this while not having kids in the program themselves. Justin seems especially generous in this regard. I d like to nominate Justin Barleben for the GRADA Spirit award. Justin is a very spirited player. In league games, he is always smiling, playing hard and can be counted on to be a voice of reason if things get hairy. As assistant director, Justin is also a key contributor to the GRADA youth program. There is so much work that happens before game day s, phone calls, scheduling, questions and the inevitable changes and situations that arise. Justin did so much, always with a friendly and reasonable nature that kept everything on track. And every Sunday, he drove an hour and half each way to get to Rochester to do it! Now that s love of the game! [DAN BELL] It is with great confidence that I recommend Dan Bell for this year s GRADA spirit award. Given Dan Bell s spirited nature and longtime contributions to GRADA, it s hard to imagine he hasn t ever received the spirit award! There are few others with a comparable record of service and spirit to ultimate in Rochester. Elected by his peers, he has served many years on the GRADA board in numerous posts. He is a founding member, past president and the de facto GRADA historian. He takes care of GRADA s insurance every season, for every player. As the long timekeeper of many GRADA items, it is fair to say that for over 15 years his garage has never completely been his own. (He is almost certainly the most capable person with the GRADA tent puzzle thank God.) He does a lot of the jobs that no one sees, appreciates or even knows are necessary. As a GRADA youth coach, he is generous with his time and his teaching to the great benefit of the players and the program. He s followed the disc to USAU s Beach Mixed Masters and competitive and

2 spirited tournaments too numerous to count - which means his heckling game is pretty damn good too. I think we ve all got a few favorites in this category. Dan Bell has been a part of just about everything GRADA has to offer in one way or another. If you enjoy GRADA ultimate, then tip your hat to the man. He s done great good. And is a sure friend on any field you find him. Dan has been a part of the GRADA community since it's beginning, or at least it feels that way. He is a captain, a coach and a competitive player. This past year, Dan has been injured, but that hasn't kept him from coaching his SOTA youth team, assisting with captain/ coaching INT B with Tracy, coming out to Spring finals to cheer on his team and heckle the others, and being a part of our GRADA board! Just this past weekend, Dan came up to Zodiac to cheer on his Virgos, in top hat no less! Dan Bell is always smiling, helping out where he can, and encouraging the growth of ultimate! Vote for DB! Dan is many things - a great guy, oft injured, a teacher of ultimate - but his best attribute is probably his great spirit. Having been on squads captained by Dan, he is always looking to help everyone improve their game. It doesn't matter if this is your 1st game or 101st game, Dan treats you with respect and compassion. When there are disagreements on the field Dan is always looking to move the situation forward and come to a resolution rather than maintain arguments. Finally, there are a few people who would continue to cheer, teach and heckle, even while injured and unable to play. But that's Dan Bell. He is the spirit of ultimate I would like to nominate the extraordinary DAN BELL. He has done so much for GRADA for so many years in so many ways and has his hand and heart into just about every wonderful aspect of this sport that we all love so much... and really asks for so little in return, except for just a cold beer now and then...or always. He is a tremendous team player in every aspect, always encouraging and positive and just an all around great guy on and off the field. I sincerely think that it's really time that our one and only DAN BELL gets recognized and thanked for all he has done for GRADA. To the tune of Row Row Row your Boat Running down the fields Happily, wistfully, giddily, dreamily End zone bound he peels Heckling from the side Thinking and drinking and grinning and winning His wit he cannot hide Working on the Board Meeting and planning and scheming and dreaming Let's give him the SPIRIT AWARD!

3 [2016 GRADA SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEES] 3 [ALLISON CASE] I'd like to nominate Allison Case for spirit award. She represents all that spirit stands for and is a great ambassador of the sport. She's always super fun and pleasant to play with both as a teammate and opponent. First class. I nominate Allison Case. She always has a positive attitude and a smile on her face. She plays the game with gusto but always keeps sportsmanship at the forefront. She's a blast to play with but more importantly, is fun to play against. [GABE FRANKLIN] Gabe Franklin is a spunky lil lad. Never seen him make a spite call. I would like to nominate Gabe Franklin for the spirit award. I've played ultimate frisbee with Gabe, my whole ultimate career. He taught me how to play the sport, the spirit of the sport, and continues to teach me how to become a better player every time we play. Furthermore Gabe is always kind to everybody including opponents, pushes the team the correct amount, and tries to reach a conclusion that everybody on the team is okay with. Gabe is an amazing team captain on and off the field, he cheers everybody on and hopes for a fair, fun game of ultimate frisbee every time we play. [PETER LUCIANO] I would like to nominate Peter Luciano (aka Frisbee Pete) for the spirit award. He is always super cheerful and encouraging on the sidelines. He buys beer and fries for everyone at the bar. He makes sure everyone feels included. And he has an epic handlebar mustache. I am nominating Frisbee Pete Luciano for spirit award this year. Frisbee Pete is one of my absolute favorite people to play ultimate with, partly because he is a ridiculous person, but also because of his spirit. He is very spirited on and off the field. He fights hard on the field but also takes the time helping others learn, congratulating competitors after good plays and explaining and following the rules of the game. As a long time rec league captain he has introduced the sport and the concept of spirit of the game to many new players and helped them get addicted like the rest of us!

4 [MITCHELL OWENS] Mitch - Not the 'best' player out there, even by rec standards, but always fun, spirited, and a perfect embodiment of what we want to get newer players in and having fun. I would like to nominate Mitchell Owens. He is always having a great time on the field and doesn't ever seem preoccupied with the thought of winning. He is also always trying to keep the spirits up of everyone else on the field. Mitch was one of my captains for Rec this past summer. Each week he made sure we focused on different parts of the game, but one special week was solely devoted to teaching us spirit plays which was great. He is also super encouraging - no matter how much we are down by or if we are having an off day as a team - it is OK. He always supported and encouraged us. One of my favorite things we did was at the end of the season was we all sat around as a team and "called out" a person on the team and gave each other props for something good we did/learned during the season which was awesome way to bring us together. [MIKE RAY] Nominating Mike Ray who is amazing with his show of spirit, sportsmanship, embodiment of making sure the game is fun through his high- spirited energy, offering help to new players, taking responsibility for his actions and just being an overall awesome and amazing asset to our community of Disc Addicts. I really enjoy playing with Mike. When he is playing a team that is weaker than his, he is very encouraging to the other team. I have often seen him talking on the sideline to the other team to try to give them some pointers and help them out. He has good advise and I can see myself becoming a better player when he mentions something that I can work on. He also has a great attitude, is super fun, breaks the ice with his heckling, and is always positive. It's always fun playing with him. [JOEL SHORE] I nominate Joel Shore. Joel tirelessly takes care of our pick- up games year in and year out. It is a thankless, faceless job that should be applauded for his outstanding dedication. On top of helping us find our ultimate fix on the days when we are not playing league, Joel can also be found playing during every season of league play. I can't remember an ultimate event that I attended that I have not also seen Joel. He truly embodies the ultimate soul and I, for one, appreciate his service and commitment to the sport.

5 [2016 GRADA SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEES] 5 I nominate Joel Shore for the spirit award. My reasons for nominating Joel are that he consistently organizes and carries out the pick- up leagues, he always shows up for games ready to play and never complains about anything, and he always has a great attitude no matter what else is going on in or out of the game. Joel has been committed to GRADA for a long time, and he puts a ton of work into organizing playing opportunities for people that may not participate in the normal leagues. I definitely think he deserves the spirit award. I nominate Joel Shore. First off, he is always setting up all the pickup sessions. That is huge for this area. Secondly, whenever you play with him, he never complains, always is having fun and is always willing to play less so other people can play more. [RYAN WILLIAMS] Ryan "Fake Gardner" Williams: Ryan keeps drafting me to his teams despite my limited abilities, and always makes it fun to play, regardless of the level of competition. He truly isn't, as he claims to be, the Worst Captain Ever. This is the first season that I am playing with Ryan and I really enjoy being on his team. He has people try new things and it doesn't matter if you mess up, he will keep having you try different positions and encourage you. He is really supportive and fun to play with. His wit and humor make the game lighthearted and fun.