ABOUT COPA PESCADISCO

When some Hamburg ultimate players tasted life on the beach in 1999 at the Porrón Open in Barcelona they were hooked instantly. Returning with sandy shoes, sun taint and a swirling head caused by the porró wine, the great games, people and party we talked about this experience the whole bloody freezing winter through. Our teammates could not endure the stories of sexy people in hot games and cool parties while in our hometown the stinking indoor season starts. So in the end we were a bunch of about twelve people ready to go a second time in 2000. Everything was planned. We had taken a week off from work, saved enough passion and money for it, we really were ready. Then, the unexpected happened. At the time, when the online signup was launched, we met at Karstens place and celebrated the ceremony of registering. It started with good German beer, of course, and by the time everybody had showed up and we eventually booted up the computer it was already 15 minutes past the launch. This sounds like nothing, but since basically whole ultimate Europe was trying to register, the 200 spots were taken within this period and we ended up on the waitinglist positions 57 and following.

A desaster. We were ready to go, everything was prepared, and now this! After the following practice we sat together and we would not give up. In a mood between sarcasm and madness we talked about alternatives and looked on the fact: 12 hot players, ready to fly to some beach and play ultimate. And they all had a week off in October. So did approximately 50 other players who also didn't sign up in time at the Porrón. The solution was simple: we do our own tourney! Just find a place where you have got an airport, good weather and a fine beach. And even if it was just for the fun of us 12, we would have done it as a beach-practice holiday. As we left individually for home, no one really believed it could happen.

But then, approximately 3 weeks before the event, a highly naive and desperate e-mail reached the host of www.mallorca.com, asking for some beach to chase dics on. Ulf, the recipient, thought of a joke but found the time to answer, just for curiosity reasons. We could show him the sport actually does exist by naming some internet resources about other (beach) ultimate events. Never haveing seen each other, we developed a partnership and cooperation, stole all the setup like webpage, contact-emails and tournament format from the Bravas in Barcelona.

This was the birth of the first Copa Pescadisco in the year 2000. Not believing it could really work out, Ulf and we Fischbees just met the airport of Palma de Mallorca, before the actually tournament. Everything had to be improvised, fine-tuned, but in the end 38 participants (from Germany, Holland, France, USA, England, Spain and South Africa!) of the tournament enjoyed all the fun you can imagine on a small beach tournament over three days.

Well, since it was a success, we repeated the whole madness the following year one week before the Porrón, so anybody coud now do the Spanish double! In 2001 we had about 80 participants and were playing on two beaches. The tournament character was still very close, very improvising-style, very we-do-it-together-style. Very nice. Best thing to do for an October weekend.

What can I say, in 2002 we were about 100 international beach ultimate addicts and still could improve the comfort. It's going on and on. You cannot stop it! Become part of it and experience it for yourself! A beach-HAT-ultimate tournament (you don't come with a team - the teams will be drawn from your names in a HAT) on the sunny island of Majorca. Cheap to fly to, and alyways the better choice than chasing discs in some gyms in the European autumn.

Come on over and enjoy!

Ed