Ollie

I just saw this on Rec Sport Disc (which, for those not versed in Ultimate, is the UseNet forum for all things Ultimate), and am saddened. Oliver "Ollie" Todryk, a player on Winona State Experience, went into cardiac arrest at practice last night. He was rushed to the hospital, but the amount of time he was under and without a heartbeat have increased the possibility of permanent brain damage. When he comes to, it will be his mother's decision as to whether he'll remain on life support.

I guarded Ollie a bit this season when we scrimmaged Experience. They kicked our assess somewhat thoroughly. He was a tall guy (as the picture indicates), but was not terribly athletic. He didn't really have control of his larger body at the handler position, and as a result, was fairly easy to guard. Even me, a 5'8'' player, was able to win a battle in the air to get a D against him. However, this guy was obviously one of Experience's more important players, making smart (and sometimes spectacular) throws into the wind and through our pretty decent cup. He was the heart and a leader on a vastly improved team that finished second in the section last year.

Strangely enough, GoP had some personal history with Ollie. After Sectionals in 2005, my sophomore year, Ollie posted a thread on RSD called "Central Region Beware of GoP". His post was not hyping our darkhorse status in the region, nor warning potential foes to beware the hawaiian. No; the post was about petty theft. At Sectionals, a particularly bumbling GoP rookie was spotted while absconding a Winona State disc. Ollie, angered by the brash GoP action, wrote a scathing post against us. The thread turned into a war or words between current and former GoPalums against the defiant Ollie. He concluded the argument with the statement, "GOP, more like Group of Pussies." Classic. Don't worry though: Ollie was definitely a friend and fan of GoP, and we were certainly fans of him and his team.

I hope for the best with Ollie.

Ollie's current state:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.disc/browse_thread/thread/16de23066c2d8c0f/49741e0b2a38f0d1?lnk=raot#49741e0b2a38f0d1

Ollie vs. GoP

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.disc/browse_thread/thread/b995f8c68b0a3072/3dcf553ab24050a8?lnk=gst&q=beware+of+gop&rnum=1#3dcf553ab24050a8