Skippy Sez Awards 1999 Back


Men's player of the year:

In this age of specialization, some things become clear. Like seeing Dave Lewis in the winners circle. Dave has once again taken his game to new heights. And the scary news is, he just keeps getting better. There appears no end in sight when trying to gage his potential. Certainly, his difficulty and consistency are the cornerstones of his game. Add to that a feel for consecutivity and the end result is a well rounded player. His wins (with partner Arthur Coddington) in Sweden during the WFDF championships and the FPA Coop with Arhtur and Dave Murphy were the highlights of his year. Also receiving strong accolades were Dave Murphy who won the FPA Coop and mixed with Brenda Savage. Arthur Coddington is becoming the consummate professional with his consistent play and strong moves. Dan Yarnell also receives strong kudos for winning pairs with Steve Hanes and nearly pulling off the win in coop with Tristan Doshier and Hanes.

Women's player of the year:

Dream Teams are still all the rage and we have our version in the women's division. Brenda Savage is flat out the hottest women's jammer in the world. Her difficulty is unbelievable. There's something exciting in the air (usually her) when she plays. A certain electricity that the women's division hasn't really had since the hey day of Stacy McCarthy and Carolyn Yabe. Combine that with her partner (last year's Women's player of the year) Cindy Kruger and you have a team that is virtually unbeatable. Lisa Hunrichs, Mary Jorgenson, Judy Robbins and Lori Daniels. are also excellent players in their own right. It's just that right now, Brenda Savage is "the Ma'am".

Routine of the Year:

Tom Leitner, Mikey Reid, Chipper Bro Bell. Ventura Coop Finals. Maybe it's millennium fever but it seems like every year we have a jam to end all jams. This years "jam du jour" is the aforementioned routine. The ultimate beauty of the sport is when all three players are clicking on all cylinders and going for moves they probably have no business trying. That's what happened here. Special mention also goes to the team of David Lewis and Dave Murphy for their win in Ventura Pairs. Also for Dan Yarnell and Steve Hanes win in the FPA Pairs. Once again for Brenda's and Cindy's radical jam attack mode mentality in winning the FPA Women's finals.

Most Fired Up:

Dan Yarnell, Tampico's Sunday 8/29/99. Most people think of Dan Yarnell as a mild mannered soul who gets his kicks jamming and doing unreal moves. Those who were in the party mode after FPA Worlds in Santa Cruz saw a different side of him. Some sage old vets were heckling him in regards to his new found stature as World Champ and the fact that he was acting like it's no big deal. He took those words to heart and was last seen trying to live up to those lofty standards. It's still uncertain if he made his early morning flight the next morning. His not stop jam at all costs mentality also contribute strongly to this award.

Most Turbo:

Tie The morning after FPA's at Seabright Beach 6:00am.
Bob Boulware--fully amped even though he was at the beach at 3:30
Pat Carrasco--as if nothing unusual was taking place
Dave Schiller--in jeans and a crustometer fused at 10.
There is just no quit in these guys. All of these guys are also usually the last to leave the field (along with perma-turbo-for-life recipient Dave Murphy).

Crusty Guru Jam Master:

Z - He's an original through and through. He was hot before the thermometer was invented. He has always been a soul jammer, even from the Berkeley Frisbee Group days in the late 60's. He continues to pursue his passion for play and we are all better because of it. Even the old timers look to him for advice. There will never be another like him so give him thanks and praises when you see him. You bring respect to the game in doing so.

Comeback of the Year:

Tristan Doshier has been of those quirky Texas things like armadillos, shiner bocks and rattlesnake boots. Now that he's been on center stage we understand what we've been missing. The old time Texans have always raved about him. He's flat out solid. Playing with the hot as a BBQ sauce in August Hanes and Yarnell is enough to melt down almost any player. Not Tristan. Not only was he able to compliment his team, but was also able to showcase his game. Way to go Tristan.

International Award of Excellence:

It has been evident over the past few years that freestyle has become a growing sport internationally, especially in Europe. So, we've come up with a new award to honor the player who best represents freestyle as an international sport. This years award goes to Barak Lifshitz of Israel. Barak, in his first freestyle tournament, showed everybody how much he's been practicing, playing exceptionally well and coming very close to winning the B-Final at WFDF Worlds in Sweden. Honorable mention goes out to Switzerland's Reto Zimmerman, Sweden's Jan Ekman and Italy's Clay Collerˆ.

Rookie/Junior of the Year:

Xtehn Titcomb
This is the tightest category of all since the play of the juniors division is not only so exciting, but so flat out hot! The caliber of play of all of the players at the FPA's in particular was astounding. Watching Xtenh play is like watching the future unfold. A total petal to the metal, go for it attitude on every possession. He has the look of a future Open Champion. Great air, great moves even better attitude.

Best Party:

Sweden This is one of those things that will live in legend. Late night revelers howling at the moon during the evening in Sweden for the WFDF Championships. Authority figure shows up. All the yanks think "we're busted for sure, deportation eminent". Quite the opposite, they are escorted into a proper place to continue their reveling.


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