East Ultimate

The Derek Gottlieb Story

by Colin Gottlieb (his beloved brother, CU Mamabird player, & Bravo teammate)

Derek was born, as are so many other genetically disenfranchised individuals, in the state of West Virginia, the community of Morgantown, in the year 1979. His first word was "kitty" or something like that and soon after uttering it he was running. Had Derek been born in the late 90s, he would have quickly been prescribed Ritalin or some form of heavy sedative, and the Derek we know would have been quite different.

Derek went through his formative years as a mildly unpleasant blur of energy that occasionally got tied down long enough to entertain company. He gained a younger brother but barely noticed. Entering adolescence, Derek's energy continued unabated but soon combined forces with wild mood swings and hormones to create... actually let's just skip that part.

When Derek came of age, we finally removed him from the household and shipped him off to an isolated, backwoods Minnesota monastery called Carleton College. We didn't hear from him for four years and when he re-surfaced he had inexplicably bumbled his way to a National Championship in Ultimate and gotten a hideous scar on his shoulder. So it goes.

Post-monastery life has been good to Derek. After dabbling in bachelorhood and grad school, he got married. His energy not yet contained nor sapped by home-ownership, long working hours or club level Ultimate, he dove headlong into East Ultimate. There on the sidelines, you can still watch him leap, bound, sprint, scream, freak out and generally break blood vessels around his face while urging his team towards victory.

Though he has all the trappings of the twenty three years that have passed since he first uttered "kitty," he is still the same mildly unpleasant blur of energy he has always been. God bless him.

Derek Gottlieb

by Jeremy Cooper, East Spotlight, October 2004

"Gottlieb was the popular teacher assistant for Ms. Wagner's class during the second half of last year. He accepted a head teaching position at Overland High School, and is currently working there full-time, but still comes back to East to coach the ultimate team.

"Gottlieb started playing ultimate when he was in high school, and still enjoys playing it competitively today. Gottlieb's young energetic spirit motivates the team to work hard."

Brenna On Gottlieb

Colin's brother.

Classic Gottlieb

• "The stool was thrown by me . . . " *SMASH!*
• "No no, my first word was refrigerator. I went polysyllabic right away."
• "We showed so much heart on D it makes me want to cry. Not really CRY, but certainly clap. I'm clapping right now, in fact."

Gottlieb Bibliography

• "Breaking the Mark," published in Chasing Plastic
• "Getting Your Priorities Straight," published in Chasing Plastic

Tina McDowell

by Catt Wilson (CU Mamabird Coach & someone who should know)

Born in the hill country of northern Georgia, Tina McDowell developed a love for the sport of Ultimate at an early age. The youngest, and most-toothed, of 17 children, Tina was often the odd one out when the family would choose teams to re-enact their favorite NASCAR moments.

Tina was forced to create her own entertainment by throwing an old Sara Lee pie tin (nicknamed "Pah Plut") to Dawg, the family pet. The lonely adolescent hours spent chucking her pie tin developed the muscle structure and skill that Tina would later use to help her become a standout Ultimate player at the University of Georgia, spending most of her college career playing with the men's team.

Upon finishing her undergraduate degree, Tina left behind the lustful eyes of her cousins and her trusty, but quickly rusting, "Pah Plut" and moved to Colorado to begin graduate studies that would eventually lead to her career as a physical therapist.

This period also marked the beginning of Tina's rise to national prominence as an elite member of Denver's women's club team, Rare Air. Tina quickly earned a starting spot on the team with her powerful throws and aggressive, athletic playing style. Her teammates tagged her with the nickname "Da Cleana" for her ability to chase down, lay out, and catch errant throws.

Today, Tina is recognized as one of the nation's top players, anchoring a team that is a perennial contender for the national championship. Opposing teams know that to stop Rare Air, one must first figure out how to stop Tina McDowell. Similarly, Tina's skills as a professional physical therapist have been a blessing to her patients, and to countless local Ultimate players.

Over the past couple years, Tina has even found time to share her love of Ultimate while volunteering her time to coach at Denver East High School. Tina "Da Cleana" McDowell is truly an unmatchable figure within the Colorado Ultimate community.