History tells us that this next Captain has played an integral part in Gainesville Ultimate community for over 15 years. History says — in addition to hosting tournaments and running JJ Finley pick up, he has played a huge role as the Able Lieutenant for League since 2002. History reminds us — he’s the first one to the field and last one to leave to ensure anything he is a part of runs smoothly. History tells us this is Mike Greathouse!
Player Bio:
Name: Mike “Godfather” Greathouse
Captain Experience: 18 Seasons
Primary Positions: Excellent cutter, Excellent Worker, Can Handle
Special Abilities: Bump and Run Cut, Lefty Backhand, Clutch Hammer
League Trophies: 2 Champ Discs (Fall 08, Summer 04)
Your Ultimate resume is very extensive from being a TD, League Organizer, Finley Organizer, Open Coordinator, League Captain, League Champ, Able Lieutenant… etc., but not many people know how you got started playing. So, tell us a bit about what got the ball rolling in Ultimate:
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Often times the older the human body gets the law of diminishing returns takes over — which simply means your body can’t do the things it once could. For some it effects their knees, others its the ankles or shins, and for most it will be our backs. However, our next Captain is like fine wine he only gets better with age. Meet Patrick Douma.
Player Bio:
Name: Patrick “Coach” Douma
Captain Experience: 3 Seasons
Primary Positions: Short, Mid, Deep Cutter, Handler, Popper
Special Abilities: No Look Passes, Push Pass, Extremely Quick First Step
League Trophies: 2 League Champion Discs
You’ve been around the Gainesville scene for a while. Tell us in your eyes how things have evolved around Gainesville Ultimate play wise?
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“There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there.” – Einstein
There comes a time when alliances are formed and forces join together to make the most spirited League team in History: All My Best Friends. It happened over the Summer League and nobody will forget the flag, the cape, the twitter page that dominated something that has been widely forgotten. Spirit of the Game is a value that is often over looked, but TJ McCourt is able to put together teams like no other Captain. Women love him and Men want to be him – Ladies and Gentlemen: TJ McCourt!!
Player Bio:
Name: TJ “Hemingway” McCourt
Captain Experience: 5 Seasons
Primary Positions: Zone breaker, Short / Mid cutter, Handler
Special Abilities: Huge step out throws, Lay outs, has his own You Tube video w/ 2,500 hits
League Trophies: 1 League Champ (Summer 2008)
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Last season he got a chance to Co-Captain and did well enough that this season he gets to fly solo. While still relatively new to the scene, he is no stranger to holding up Champ discs as he currently holds the record for 3 consecutive Champ Discs — thats back to back to back folks. Still searching for one as a Captain, I look for him to put together a strong squad this season. Meet Lee Raney.
Player Bio:
Name: Lee “Monsoon” Raney
Captain Experience: 1 Season
Primary Positions: Mid Cutter, Fill in Handler, Can go Deep
Special Abilities: Quiet confidence, Smart
League Trophies: 3 Consecutive Champ Discs (Summer 09, Fall 09, Winter 10)
You haven’t been playing Ultimate very long, but have exploded onto the scene in Gainesville tell us how long you’ve been playing, and how you got your start?
Raney: I played my first game in undergrad at FAU about seven or eight years ago. It wasn’t very serious at all, and none of us knew what we were doing. I probably didn’t play any more than ten times total until I moved to Gainesville for grad school. Once Erica Zuhr showed up in Gainesville, we started a math department pickup game. We played for awhile. Erica and Kevin Ekkebus joined league, played a few times, and then convinced me and Sebastian Wyman to pair up and join in Summer League 2009. We all played together on a team captained by Kevin Keating (a professor in our math department), and we even won that league. [Side note: This team was disgusting. Go look at the players on Maroon from Summer '09. That team would be a clear favorite to win any league now.] I was really nervous and very unskilled (I still wouldn’t consider myself a great player), but after I got comfortable, I was hooked.
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Another Rookie Captain this season will be Scott Huffard. He’s been around a while, but everyone might not know him. He is competitive and I think will make a great Captain. Let’s see what he has to say:
Player Bio:
Name: Scott “Dred” Huffard
Captain Experience: Rookie
Primary Positions: Mid / Deep Cutter, Popping
Special Abilities: High Release Backhand, Quick cuts
League Trophies: 2 League Champs, 2 Chump Discs as player
For those of us who might not know you too well tell us a little bit about where you’re from and your history with playing Ultimate (how you got started, memorable experiences, how long you’ve been playing etc..)
Huffard: I started playing ultimate way back in high school as one of the founding members of my school’s team in Pennsylvania which I guess means I’m going on close to 10 years of playing experience. I then played 4 years at the college level with Penn State, mostly at the B team level. Since moving here for grad school I’ve been a regular at the Finley pickup game and I’ve played in many leagues and the occasional tournament.
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