Forged in the fires of Viking lore, reanimated in modern day Scandinavia, and imported to the quiet village of Ballard - Kubb is set to continue it's roaring American debut. In 2010, the amateur circuit sprang from humble grass-roots, and captured the imagination of everyone from young professionals to the occasional curious homeless Seattleite. This year Co-Commissioners 4 Life, Blake "The Closer" and Courtney "The Laser" have unveiled the newest semi-pro league in America, the Seattle Kubb League (SKL).

Sunday, June 12, 2011

6/6: The Fuck Cancer Classic

Last week was the 10 year anniversary of a huge event in Señor Steuck's life. Kyle appeared resigned to the fact that the milestone might go unrecognized, however Lisa "L'Assassin" proved that her cunning was not confined only to the Kubb pitch. She organized an impressive contingent of folks to surprise Kyle to help celebrate.

Special delivery Kyle. Surprise!

Naturally, the BBQ evolved into one of the most heated Kubb outings of the young season. The Fuck Cancer Classic was a rousing success! (In retrospect we probably should have insisted that the champions donate a portion of their 6-figure winnings. The event organizers will consider that for the event to be held in 2021.)

Lisa even had a cake made to celebrate the event!

"The Piston", Paul and Craig celebrating their opening match victory.

Their elation was short lived however, as they were subsequently defeated by Chamberlain, Tom "The Exuberant" and L'Assassin.
The team's opponents, mid ass-whuppin':

The loss however didn't stop The Rock Star from practicing his victory celebration moves. Next up, perfect those jazz hands!
Some of SKL's many super-fans!


Despite his textbook form, the Commish's early season slump continued:


The match lasted for hours. Pitting veteran All-Stars and rookies alike against each other. This event also saw the first ever match under the lights in SKL's most revered venue. Clearly, Grace and the Kyles were honored to be a part of such an important event.

Sara "I Hate Being Called Sara M.", The Piston, and fresh off the boat (from Minneapolis) M.J. found some late evening success . This helped all three rocket up the SSBI rankings.





With the list of competitors growing at an impressive rate, the field in the SSBI rankings has widened. The official rankings released 6/12/2011 are:

1. "The Piston"
2. Gallagher
3. Marta, Jake, Mary-Joe, "L'Assassin", Kyle H., Claudia, Vik, "Townie" and Grace
12. "The Laser", Paul, Craig, Sara M., "Señor Steuck"
17. Chamberlain, Tom "The Exuberant",
19. Blake "The Closer" ... as in he almost closes out this list. :(
20. Wes "The Rock Star"
21. Kat, Krista, Anders (hang in there guys. There's a long season ahead of us!)

Some Closing Thoughts from the Closer:

The competition was fierce between SKL Athletes. However, at the end of the day we all were united for a common goal. And, after a well fought duel, it was a solid victory for the super stars of the SKL. And if we were keeping score (and we were), the SSBI points would read:
SKL 3 - Cancer 0.

Skål!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

06/04: Opening Day

Saturday, the city of Seattle was abuzz with excitement. The sun was out, and it was time for some BBQing and kubb. Indeed, the only thing hotter than the weather was the competition at the official start of the season in the inagural Back Yard Kubb Brawl (TM).

Needless to say, many of the competitors had more than their fair share of butterflies (and brats and beer) in their stomach. Gallagher prepared for the intense competition to come by soaking up some rays and stretching out his kubb muscles. The commish realizes now that my pre-season exercise routines should have included this as well.


The tournament featured several established veteran super-stars, as well as some newcomers. In all the competitors included:
Blake "The Closer"
Courtney "The Laser"
Gallagher "Ben from Parks and Rec"
Marta "Den Norske"
Krista
Jake
Kat

Marta displaying her vintage Norwegian techniques.


Jake's south paw throwing style rounded out the All-Star rotation of Gallagher and Marta. Indeed this trio proved formidable; dominating Kat, Krista and myself in two straight matches.

The undisputed champion of the day, and currently leading candidate for Rookie of the Year was Gallagher who put on a Kubb Klinic that will go down in history. He was a solid 2 for 3 in closing situations, and in the most dramatic moment, he battled from 4 kubb's down to snatch victory away from yours truly.

After tournament #1, the SKL Standings courtesy of the infallible SSBI are as follows:
1. Gallagher
2. Courtney, Marta, Jake
5. Blake
6. Kat, Krista

Best of luck going forward folks, and keep up the good work!