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A couple of things from me this month...
...and by that I mean sometime in mid/late September (stay tuned for an exact date). In the meantime, it's my hope that over the last 6 to 9 months or so, the current board and I have removed at least a bit of the mystery as to what we're responsible for. I'm hoping this pays dividends as we come up on AGM time, which is where the vote to fill vacant board positions (four, in this case) will take place.
If -- because of some newfound understanding or otherwise -- you think you might like to learn more about what's involved, how to become a candidate, etc., you can do a couple of things: a) read this description of the role of a MODS board member, and/or b) drop me a line directly (president at mods dot mb dot ca) to ask me anything you like.
There's a handful of itches you can scratch with a stint on MODS' board: contribution to our community, a hand in shaping how the organization works and what it works on, experience on a non-profit board to be parlayed into future pursuits, etc. (Side note: someone got mad at me last year for pointing out that board experience looks good on a resume... buuuut I stand by that. It doesn't have to be your only motive or even your primary one, but it might be a nice perk. (Speaking of perks, we eat pizza for free sometimes. Get excited.))
In any case, no matter how you get there -- if you're motivated to help MODS be better, the board and I would love to hear from you.
If you talk to MODS historian Corey Draper, the story goes that every year around this time, we tend to hear of more conflict/confrontation etc. coming out of Adult Summer Mixed League. Warm weather getting to people's heads? Not sure. Either way, this year appears to be no different -- our Conduct Committee is fielding a higher number of incident reports these days than at the start of the season.
If you're reading this, it's pretty unlikely that you're not familiar with the concept of 'Spirit of the Game' and its place at the core of Ultimate rules and ideology, so I'll spare you that recap. Realistically, you either already feel some sentimental attachment to the ethos of self-officiation, or you don't; I'm probably not going to change your mind on that.
Instead, for what it's worth, I'll offer some of my own thoughts on SOTG/self-officiation etc. Take 'em or leave 'em:
When I started playing Ultimate in my early 20s, I was pretty bad at the whole thing. I think some of that was basic juvenile ego; some of it was a function of having come from a competitive-sports background (basketball, volleyball, etc) where I was trained in the art of blaming others; some of it was just not "getting" the culture and/or ethics of this new game. Whatever the case, there are some people out there who got a pretty embarrassing version of me as an opponent, in those days.
Over the years, I evolved on each of the dimensions I mentioned -- got older/wiser/more zen (but had to trade in my athleticism to get those things...? what kind of trickery is that?), learned how to navigate the self-officiated game, grasped its ethics, etc. My goal along the way has been to reduce both the frequency and severity of moments that I wish I could take back. All in all? Things have been much more enjoyable as I've gotten better at that.
Here's my punchline, I guess: whether or not you're motivated to carry yourself with class for the sake of others, I recommend working at it for your own sake.
A younger me felt justified in being a jerk when I believed I was right; today me realizes that I reliably felt ashamed of my behaviour after the fact, no matter how right I'd been. A younger me could convince himself of great coincidence/victimhood in routinely ending up embroiled in conflict; today me understands the concept of a common denominator. A younger me may have been sure of every call I made and mystified by every call the opponent made; today me recognizes the statistical likelihood of never being wrong.
You get the picture. I got better at checking my certainties, allowing space for others to make mistakes, and keeping perspective on the fact that this is all... well... frisbee. I've found that no matter how "right" I am, I always feel better when I take the approach that I'd want my opponent to take if our roles were reversed. So, through it all, the person that's benefited the most from this growth is me.
(That's not to suggest that a selfish motivation is the right/only reason to treat others with respect, but it might be a good starting point for anyone struggling with this. It's been my experience that as you get better at this stuff, you start to value mutual respect more as its own end, rather than as purely a means to personal satisfaction.)
Not sure if any of that is helpful, but I figured I'd offer it up just in case. Either way, keep having fun out there and do your best to make sure everyone around you is having fun too.
Thanks and talk soon!
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Yacine Bara
President
Manitoba Organization of Disc Sports
president@mods.mb.ca | cell: 431.777.3002