Where has "Spirit of the Game" gone?
I have been to 3 tournaments in as many weeks.
WFDF WOC 2017 in Basingstoke
Manchester MODs #7 tour event
Trilogy Challenge 2017 in Basingstoke
Each tournament had it's own unique sparkle. Whether it was the overwhelming amount of celebrities gracing our lands during Worlds, a brilliantly organised MODs event by Richard Hatton and all his staff or a fantastically fun day organised by Robb Hamilton, each event was a really great thing to be a part of.
One thing that was missing unfortunately, from all three...... and that was the award for Spirit of the Game.
And that, for me, says a lot about of the state of play we have these days.
I think somewhere down the line, it has lost it's importance greatly. This is one of the reasons I started #DGS.
It MUST be, the most treasured of awards. Retain it's prestigious status so that it can continue to encourage the right players to take up the sport.
Players can teach others to have good etiquette, to improve others when they ask for advise and be patient with them, as others were for us when we were starting out as a beginner.
Spirit teachers if you like. There is no definition really. But the award itself will always go to the person that follows the mantra, "it's nice to be nice." 99% of the "Disc'n" community follow that mantra thankfully and there isn't any other family of sports that can claim that confidently.
All disc sports, especially Ultimate Frisbee, have a spirit aspect to them. It's not something someone can sought after as that in itself would be "un spirit like."
The person given that honour may have just been very polite throughout the tournament, maybe funny, kind, considerate, just got good "banter", perhaps provided the food for the event, or maybe it's the TD that deserves it. Who knows. But it is very important.
If you're running a tournament, make sure you give all the players an opportunity to vote for this honourable award. Remember if it was football, it's not "Player of the Year" players are looking forward to winning, it's "Players Player" that hits home.
