What a fantastic way to bookend my time here in Madison! When I first moved here, I played on a fall league Ultimate Frisbee team named “The Great Pumpkin.” We had a great team with a lot of fun, good-spirited players.

The following summer, a lot of those players got back together to form “The Joker Coalition.” I spent that summer learning to play capoeira, so I missed a season with them, but the following fall I played with them in the annual Dick & Jane fundraiser tournament, and I was hooked on Frisbee again.

Then we started a series of team names off with “Armed and Hammered” in 2003, then “Charmed and Enamored” in 2004, and this year we played as HITS: “Harmed in the Slammer.” As Joker Coalition and Armed and Hammered, we lost in the semifinals to our then-nemesis, “When Cousins Marry.” Last year we were eliminated a little earlier by the eventual champs, “Team Discount.”

But this year was different. Our first round of the playoffs went as expected, with a relatively easy victory over a lower-ranked team. But after that, we were the underdogs, chinking away at our opponents one after the other. Our semifinals game, we were down 7-4 at the half, but worked our way up to a tie at 12s before coming away with a 14-12 victory over last year’s champs, Team Discount.

And our finals victory over the “No Talent Ass Clowns”? I’ll leave that to our teammate, Jon Lefers:

The Ass Clowns jumped us early just like Team Discount, and took half at 7-3, and proceeded to strike first in the second half, running it to 8-3. But HITS decided to break out the vaunted zone, and started to whittle away. Then we switched it up to a straight up marking, and brought it to 9-8. However the Ass Clowns were resilient and scored the next two (11-8). Then we tied it at 11-11. Ass Clowns then scored next on an epic point with lots of endzone turnovers. HITS could have cashed it in, but we didn’t. We scored the next two to make it 13-12. The Ass Clowns would again not be denied, and tied the score. At this time, it was decided to hard cap at 15. HITS struck first. Ass Clowns tied. And then, in fitting manner, Krissy [one of our best end-zone threats -ed.] caught the final point!

A big thank you to all the MUFA organizers, past and present, who made yesterday possible. All told, I played in three fall leagues, three spring leagues, and three summer leagues, plus two Dick & Jane tourneys. This year I tried to give a little bit back by designing the discs and shirts for spring, summer and fall leagues. It’s been a great 5 years! Thank you!

Congratulations, Harmed in the Slammer. And thank you for the fantastic sendoff!

GO BIKE!

Woo-hoo! The PLUSH YOU! show at Schmancy opens tomorrow, and somehow my name got in the press release. And apparently, the Seattle Weekly thinks the show will be a good one! Here’s a peek at the work I will be showing.

Here’s the full release– if you are in Seattle in the next month, go check out the show!

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Contact: Kristen Rask
Schmancy
1930 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
Schmancytoys.com
(206) 728-8008
kristen_DOT_rask_AT_gmail_DOT_com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2005

Schmancy Presents Plush You!, a Showcase of Plush Toys

Seattle - Schmancy, a Belltown toy store and gallery, is proud to present PLUSH YOU!, an art show featuring over fifty emerging plush artists from around the world. Kristen Rask, owner of Schmancy, has organized PLUSH YOU! as a public showcase of the DIY toy phenomenon featuring local, national, and international artists. The show runs August 12 – September 9. Schmancy is located at 1930 2nd Ave in Belltown.

In light of the proliferation of handmade, limited release plush toys, Rask will display pieces that reflect this niche art’s growing following and collectibility. Contributing artists include Stuart Bloomfield (sewdorky.com), Beck Wheeler (kissykissytoys.com), Heidi Kenney (mypapercrane.com), and David Huyck (bunchofmonkeys.com).

Rask remarks “Plush is exploding right now. These are basically one-of-a-kind toys that are inventive, surprising and often disarming. If it’s cute and fuzzy, can it be serious art? If a two-year old can’t play with it, is it really a toy? It’s an engaging medium.” 100 works will hang at Schmancy during the run of Plush You!.

The opening reception will be held on August 12th at 5 pm. Wine and appetizers will be provided and several artists will be in attendance.

To view some of the work that will displayed at Plush You!, please visit Schmancytoys.blogspot.com.

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