The 11th Edition.

Alright, I'll give it to you straight. I love the 11th, because it fixes a lot of faults from the 10th, has fewer inconsistencies, and includes III.G, which is ballin'. XIII.A and XIV.A.2 were clarified, and I like them. XIV.A, actually, was fixed to avoid the controversy and inconsistency of the 10th edition's stall counts, which I guess is a good thing. XV.E and XVI.H.3.a.5 are also important rules. Many happy returns to the SRC.

XIV.B.3 is a problem, though. I feel that this rule is indeed consistent with the general rules of Ultimate, is good for SOTG, and very good for league play. I feel that this rule is crippling to the competitiveness of elite-level Ultimate, and even drags down high school and college competitiveness.

The mark, I was always told, was the biggest change from high school to college, and perhaps even from college to club, other than an obvious improvement of the average player's throws. The mark was touted as the biggest part of team defense, an essential position, not a place to rest. I like the a one-on-one matchup, thrower vs. marker, was the first step of successful defense, and I like that a thrower had to be talented and skilled to throw past his mark, especially so on the break side.

XIV.B.3 takes away from the mark's ability to restrict the thrower. It makes the game less physical, and I like my competition physical. It makes the game less interesting to watch: a close, aggressive mark is interesting, and it separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls, the ballers from the noobs. I grant that there are problems with aggressive marking, especially in friendly games or league play. I grant that an aggressive mark increases the likelihood that somebody will get hurt. I even grant that, as a thrower, I don't like to be hassled--I call foul when an aggressive mark crosses the line and puts his body in to me. At the same time, I mark aggressively, and sometimes I put my body into the thrower; I feel that physical marking (not hacking, but close and active) is an important component of the mental game.

So I'm going to vote FOR the 11th edition. I'm going to love being on offense if we pass it, but two things will frustrate me in the spring: 1) opposing teams will continue to foul on the mark, and my teammates may not call it. 2) I will follow this rule, and teams who don't will have an advantage over teams who do.