USA Ultimate

My Turn As That Guy

by Anonymous Elite Open Player

I know a lot of your other articles are going to be from people that always do the right thing, but not everyone is them. I thank you for letting me write from my perspective without, I think, giving people the wrong impression about my team. But I think it is important that you get all sides here. 

I cheated in a game-to-go. When I made the call I thought it was correct but I knew right then about ten seconds later that it was wrong. But I stuck with it, and it mattered, and we won to go to UPAs. The other team, who I have played against many times, did not get to go as well. They were eliminated in the tournament though not in that game. 

I did feel and do feel honestly bad about it. I think that the other team made a bad call or two in the game, but I wasn't trying to even it out. I don't even really care that it would have been my turnover either cause I've thrown turnovers before and they don't get to me. Wanting to win was the major reason. Wanting my teammates to win was a second reason that was maybe bigger even than the first reason. 

We had a great time at Nationals, and as this was my last year playing with some longtime teammates I am really, truly happy that I had that time to share with them. Of course this means that someone on some other team didn't get it, but I did and it was a great tournament even if we didn't do as well as we wanted to do. I thought about that call during the tournament, but just once and it wasn't too bad. 

I'm not trying to say that your bad call will haunt you for the rest of your life or anything, cause maybe it will and maybe it won't. I don't know what it is like for me, I'm not that old yet. I just know that that one time that it was worth it and if I had to go back and do it over, knowing what I know now, I am not a hundred percent sure that I would change it. I bet most of my teammates would, but they and I don't get that chance or want it. Bad calls get made all of the time in other sports, and sometimes they change who gets the spoils and sometimes they don't matter. This time that bad call was me. I will say that I try not to make bad calls now, probably more than I did before that one and having to think about it. 

I think my teammates would feel bad right now if they knew this was me, but I think they were really happy to go to the championships then. That's the problem.