Heathens to hit town for CB HAT tournament

Wait a second! Why is that something the Centers for Disease Control is tracking? I would think that tracking the sales of discs takes time away from herpes research. Though, according to a recent barrage of spam emails, there is a cure for herpes, in addition to high blood pressure and diabetes and there are “skinny-pills” but “THE GOVERNMENT AND BIG PHARMA DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT!!!!” Speaking of herpes, the CB HAT ultimate tournament tradition goes back to the mid to early 90s… maybe. Tough to say, as ultimate enthusiasts tend to be a bit non-trad. And while the tournament’s history is somewhat foggy, this year’s tournament is clear as day and will be held Saturday, July 26. The local ultimate contingency is somewhat sparse but no less committed, having hit the road three times this summer to take their talents elsewhere. The summer season opened for the local team, the Lawn Gnomes, in Bozeman, Mont. at the Bozofest. The Lawn Gnomes, with the help of some “Gnomies” from other towns, took the Spirit Award. They carried their momentum to the finals of an ultimate tournament in Durango and then won their second Spirit Award at the 23rd annual GRUB ultimate tournament in Boulder last weekend. “We don’t always win but I feel like we’re always competitive,” says Gnomie and CB HAT tournament director Steven Shea. This Saturday is a different kind of tournament in that it’s a HAT tournament. A HAT tournament takes players from all different teams, and walks of life, and divides them up according to gender and ability into new teams. “Everyone can show up individually, you don’t need a team, and we’ll put together random teams,” explains Shea. “We balance the teams so we get good, competitive ultimate.” According to Shea, 50 people are already signed up for the CB HAT hailing from all over Colorado and he hopes to have as many as 75 to 100 registered when all is said and done. With that many players, they can make five to six teams for an all-day affair. The CB HAT kicks off Friday, July 25 at the Rainbow Pavilion at 8 p.m. with a casual pre-party complete with random light-up disc games and good times. The tournament officially starts Saturday at 8:30 a.m. back at the Rainbow Pavilion with a breakfast provided by Mountain Roots and First Ascent. At which point, tournament organizers will complete any last-minute registrations and divide up the teams for the tournament. Games will be held all day at Rainbow Field with spill-over to the school field if necessary. To register or for more information, go to cbultimate.com. If you type in gnomegnation in the discount box, you can get $5 off the registration fee. One more thing, as is often the case with ultimate, costumes are encouraged and the theme for the CB HAT tournament is Back in the Day. But be warned, “people out of costume may be mocked and forced to drink strong beverages.”