Not much more to say than that. Hippy is a team with character, worthy of the first issue's team profile. I asked captain Mike Faris to answer a few questions in hopes of figuring out what Trigger Hippy is all about.

Who started Hippy? When?
I did in the summer of ‘99. Mostly out of the frustration of playing with lots of good players in our section, but not having any of them concentrated on one team come fall. Plus, the first year the UPA recognized mixed with it’s own Fall Series a bunch of us wanted to play at Regionalsand maybe Championships, but also wanted to support our home teams within our small and tight section. So we played with our home teams at Sectionals, and then joined another team at Regionals. This was frowned upon by the greater powers that be and we were thrown out of Regionals just before we were to play in the finals. To make sure that never happened again, I formed Trigger Hippy. So...to those responsible for booting us...Be careful what you ask for...you just might get it.

Who’s the heart of the team?
We’ve got lots of heart on the team...after years of battling against, and with, each other. Now that we’re united all those years of competition have instilled a long suffering attitude. All of us are used to not getting any respect since we’re from the Big Sky (where?) and that has helped to galvanize us as one. I wouldn’t say there’s one central ‘heart’ type person on the team since one of the over all attitudes I’ve tried to instill on the team is exactly that...that we’re a team. While we’ve certainly got our share of athletic egos on the team, people understand that we’ve got a team goal (to win mixed Championships) and to achieve that goal will require team work and team thought.

Do you have a Coach?
Every member of the team that feels that they have something to contribute is a coach on Trigger. No single person’s input is more valuable then another’s, but again, it’s about roles. Some players are better at understanding strategy then others are. Some can structure a zone D very well, while others are better at taking in the advice and translating it to D blocks on the field. Everyone contributes...it’s the Hippy way.

How often do you practice?
That’s the beauty of Trigger Hippy. We don’t practice. Because our team is so spread out...from Salt Lake City to Calgary...from San Diego to Bozeman, it’s a bit difficult for us to practice. We play together at several summer tourneys (Bozeman Bozofest, Calgary Ho Down, Seattle Potlatch) and then against each other at other tourneys (Jackson Hole’s Late Summer Tourney) and we consider that practice. We talk lots of smack on email to each other mostly as practice. It’s all about the fall for these Hippies.

Preferred strategy? On O? D?
Since we don’t practice...we don’t have many set plays. It’s mostly a make-it-happen style of team, be it D or O. However, since we’ve played together/against each other for years, we’ve got a good understanding of where our teammates are going and where they’ll be. Our D just operates on legs, hunger and desire...isn’t that what D’s about?

Was assembling a team for UPA’s tough?
It was tough since it’s a slut team to some degree. Because the UPA has it’s roster requirements for the Fall Series, for a good mixed team to come out of the Big Sky section it would have to be a combination of people from different towns. There’s plenty of local talent in the smaller towns, but you can only find so many people in Missoula and Bozeman that have the time and money, never mind the commitment, to travel to those VERY distant three Fall Series tourneys. So Trigger had to be a slut team...and we all know how much fun a slut team is: great if you’re on it, but no one likes to be cut. With the team core based in Missoula, that was where the ‘cuts’ were the hardest...everyone else on the team was invited. Because Missoula is a small town, and an even smaller ultimate community, the repercussions, 3 years later, are still heard in the numerous bars around town. Trigger will be loading up our rifles for the coming Fall Series. Our first year we placed third at nationals, our second year we placed second...now it’s time for our third year!!! The team is pumped up.

Highlights of Hippy career?
Our first tourney together was Bozofest ‘99. We won it; the first time for many of the players, after trying for many, many years.
And finally getting the Red Fish Blue Fish monkey off our back. In the first mixed Regionals, the Big Sky team that was kicked out was preparing to play RFBF in the finals, before getting The Word. That game never happened and RFBF went on to win the Championships. In our second year RFBF beat us in the NW Regionals final, and then they beat us again in semis at Championships. Last year RFBF didn’t play as well as in the past at Regionals, so we never played them in qualifying for Championships. At Championships we had to play them in quarters. We could have easily gotten all mental and let our/their history and talent overwhelm us, but we played our own game and came out on top. They deserve lots of credit for not only their play and talent, but for helping Trigger Hippy to be better players. A regional rivalry for sure, but one I like to think is based on mutual respect.

Any amusing Hippy story?
Our logo on our shirt...it was originally a Tank Girl image that someone had drawn, we modified it a bit and created our Trigger Hippy logo. I took it in to the shirt shop to be printed up and when I looked at the finished product I noticed something different about the woman on the shirt...the person who ‘transcribed’ the original image made the one on the shirt with much larger boobs. She went in as a C cup...and came out with a double D...the artist still smirks about it when we heckle him.

Advice for a team trying to become more competitive?
Don’t get hung up on ‘results.’ Set realistic goals (scoring 5 points against team A, winning the local tourney after losing in semis the year before, making Sunday play, etc) and evaluate your results according to your goals. If your goals are realistic and people can operate on a constructive level, then provide feedback and input to your players as to how their play is hurting/helping to achieve those goals. Getting everyone on the same page is important. Everyone has to realize that they contribute in substantial ways to those goals...be it coming up with cheers or hucking the scores. Ultimate is a team sport...play as a team, win as a team, lose as a team. Rarely, if ever, is it about one person.