The Ultimate KanJam Challenge

With only a few weeks left in my college career, this week my challenge was a true graduation rite: throw a frisbee through the slot in KanJam! For anyone who doesn't know, KanJam is easily the best tailgater game. The inventors seem like two guys drinking their way through an endless tailgate party. So, naturally, it involves a mix of skill, competition, and tons of luck. What more could a group of guys want?

The great part about KanJam (which sets it apart from the infinite amount of other beach bum games) is the slit located in the front panel. This slot is barely bigger than the actual frisbee, but if you can throw the disc through that slot, your just scored a "chog," aka your team automatically wins! It seems so easy as first, "Oh, that's all I have to do??" It's extremely challenging. You have to factor in the wind, the sun, the fact that you can't actually throw in a straight line, and the pressure of an entire stadium staring down your back. 

Enter the second week of April. After talking to friends about the classic game, I realized that I was one of the few who never threw an auto win shot. They all had great stories, too. Such as being down by 10 with your opponent one score from victory. Or hitting the money shot as your major crush walks by and takes notice of you irrefutable athletic ability -- truly a win-win.

With their historic fables, I knew I had to get the perfect shot and challenged myself to score by the end of the week. 

Luckily, the weather has been beyond amazing, so we spent basically everyday going from outside to class to back outside. This set up for the perfect opportunity to finally throw the shot that's been haunting my dreams night after night. Each and every time we set up for a game, I had one thing on my mind, "Throw that prized shot." Images of the first successful throw ran through my head like sugarplums dancing through kids' dreams in The Night Before Christmas. I'd hit the shot and immediately take a confident step forward, throw my hands back, and release my excitement, much in the same fashion as Elsa charging to the balcony of her freshly built ice castle and rejoicing to the world that she has in fact "let it go."

However, as the days went on and weather dropped, so did my confidence. I felt the curse of the great JAMbino taking its toll on me. No matter what I did, I couldn't throw a "chug." I'd hit above the slot, below, to the left, and to the right. But it'd never go through. Normally, I'd blame the wind or sun glare for this lack of results, but this was more than an environmental handicap. I sensed the KanJam gods simply did not want to see me succeed.

Before I knew it, my week was up. And once again, I failed at another challenge. I didn't even learn anything, so I couldn't catch a consolation prize for hitting the second half of my mission statement: to learn something unique. But as the Beatles once sang, "obla di, obla da life goes on." The only sympathy award I could think of was going undefeated for the entire week! I guess being so determined and focused on every shot can lead to playing your best KanJam ever! I might need to find a partner, drop out of school, and hit up the World Championship of KanJam this August. That could be the proper stage to finally throw my automatic winning shot.