Burning Bird

Callahan Winner, Dallas Roughneck, and future school superintendent Gabe Hernandez joins Steve and Shaggy to talk about Ultimate during the summer of anything else. They also discuss Gabe's extremely successful work with the AUDL Inclusion Initiative where he raised over $68,000, and they talk about what it would take to increase visibility for people of color in Ultimate. They also cover Gabe's future Olympic aspirations, Steve's filmography, and Gabe's future career as a musician.

The boys are headed back to Atlanta this week as they are joined by a very special guest, AUDL All Star Matt Smith. He talks about his prodigious AUDL career, both on and off the field, going as far back as 2012, when he played in the inaugural AUDL playoffs with the Rhode Island Rampage down at Franklin Field. We also discuss the AUDL Inclusion Initiative and Matt's work as director of youth engagement for the league. He also strongly cautions Shaggy against getting into the league commissioner business. Finally, the trio ends with one of the most important topics on everyone's mind: what is your favorite unsanctioned fun tournament?

Spoiler alert, Steve has a bunch of answers, doesn't let Shaggy talk, and doesn't even mention Wildwood!

All this and more only on this weeks edition of the Burning Bird!

DISCLAIMER: Ken got caught in a pretty wicked thunderstorm about halfway through the podcast, which pretty seriously cuts into the quality of the recording. You'll hear it when it happens, and Steve does apologize, but just be prepared. Also we recorded this about 3 days before the league cancelled, which is a shame.

This week, the crew is joined by Ken Porter, voted the 6th best male ultimate player of 2012 by Bleacher Report! Ken has played on the Charlotte Lions and the Detroit Mechanix, played for Ring of Fire, coached the Mechanix, and currently coaches D3 at Davidson. He is an extremely exciting guest to have on, and talks about his time in the AUDL and at NC State, the differences in playing and coaching, and what its like to be the fastest recorded person in Ultimate Frisbee. He also gives some great insight into coaching at D3, and finally answers the question "who would win at Ultimate: an AUDL team or an NBA team?" once and for all!

Ken also talks about his work with the AUDL Inclusion Initiative, and how the scope of their responsoibil

Ken also talks about his work with the AUDL Inclusion Initiative, and how the scope of their responsibilities changed in May with the murder of George Floyd and the surrounding protests. With his work in teen outreach at the YMCA, Ken is uniquely positioned to talk about how outreach impacts different communities, particularly at a youth level. Even though the storm makes it a little hard to understand, it is definitely worth a listen!

Steve and Shaggy recorded a bunch of episodes before the season was officially cancelled, and have decided to take a well deserved break. Therefore, we'll be playing those recordings out until Steve and Shaggy get back to recording more topical information.

This weekend, former Phoenix star and current DC Breeze handler Ethan Fortin joins the podcast for some much needed clapping back against Steve and Shaggy. While the boys took potshots at the professional, Ethan listened to every episode and waited, compiling exactly the right amount of ammunition for the eventual clap back! Now he's on the pod, and he brings with him the fury of a hundred snide remarks and Steve Side-eyes. Plus, Shaggy and Ethan get really into Dungeons and Dragons, something that they've both invested nearly all of their Frisbee time into with the season cancelled.

This week Steve and Shaggy talk to someone from the far reaches of the great unknown, also known as the West Coast. AUDL Champion Michael Kiyoi, formerly of the San Jose Spiders and currently of the LA Aviators, joins the boys to talk about all the similarities and differences of Ultimate in the Golden State. From diving into the history of the sport, going as far back as the UPA (!) to  recounting war stories from the Spider's championship weekend in Chicago, Michael gives Shaggy and Steve more than they could possibly have dreamed of. They also discuss heavier topics, such as the AUDL Inclusion Initiative, and racism in America.

Plus Steve and Michael work out a trade; Steve's 1998 Condors jersey for some current LA Aviators swag. It really is a must listen to of an episode.

The Phoenix Files are back! This week we bring out an episode we recorded way back in the middle of May with the coach of the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds, Pat Hammonds. A coach today and a player in June of 2018, Coach Hammonds lends a unique perspective on the game while Shaggy, Steve, and Harvish embark on their usual shenanigans. Harvish goes on a rant about how good Max Sheppard is, Shaggy gushes on Nardelli, and Steve and Coach Hammonds share war stories about Flyers Penguins games. Plus, get a breakdown on the 2018 Nix and Thunderbird roster constructions, and learn why Bailey Saul, the play by play commentator for the Phoenix in 2018, said that Pat talked some of the biggest smack on the field. All this and more only on the Phoenix Files: Game of the Week!

This week, the coach of the Atlanta Hustle, Miranda Knowles, comes on the podcast to talk ultimate as Steve and Shaggy try not to gush too hard over Miranda's prodigious resume. From Club titles to World titles; both as a player and as a coach, Miranda has accomplished just about everything, and the Bird crew wastes no time in diving into it. Get some insights into her time with Ultimate Peace, her work coaching Chinese youth teams, and which game was her all time favorite to win.  Plus, Shaggy gets her to reveal some strategic secrets about the Hustle, and Miranda gives the crew a special look into a possible new training program run by her bunny Avon.  All this and more only on this weeks episode of The Burning Bird.

This week, the head Team Physician, Dr. Sommer Hammoud, joins Steve and Shaggy to talk about Ultimate, health and safety, and how she ended up in Philadelphia. Dive into the specifics about how to protect your knees before returning to Frisbee from quarantine. Hear Dr. Hammoud refer to Steve as a "high school, collegiate, and pro athlete" for the decisions made regarding his knee. Shoulda given the guy a physical first doc!

The crew also dives into her Division One soccer career at UCLA, working with the Red Sox and the Phillies, and how owner and fellow Doctor, Christina Chung, managed to snag someone of such impressive qualifications. All this and more on this weeks episode of the Burning Bird, People of Color in Ultimate series.

There were audio issues I couldn't fix during this episode. If you have trouble understanding at certain points, now you know why.

The second feature in the Burning Bird People of Color series, defensive veteran James Pollard, and rising Phoenix phenom Nate Little, come on the podcast to discuss race in America, in Ultimate, and how people in Ultimate and people all over the country can do a better job. James also reminisces about playing high school Nate Little at sectionals, and Nate introduces Steve and Shaggy to Black n Mobile; a food delivery service for Black owned restaurants exclusively. This was a poignant and powerful episode to record, and we hope you enjoy listening.