2003 - Hibida Hall of Fame - Josh Tabije

2003 - Josh Tabije

The 2002 and 2003 entries will be structured slightly differently than the other entries. Thanks to Mickey Thompson for spearheading these two seasons. For all the hundreds of questions over the years about the "Hibida" name, it seems appropriate that the big 'reveal' be here. 

"Josh Tabije graduated in 2003, as the real founder and eponymous of "Hibida" He was the true embodiment of what Hibida was all about. His big-boy frame and history in disc golf created monster throws and deceivingly nasty breaks. Tabije could get you the disc no matter where you were on the field. His step around/over backhand was legendary at practices - many tried to replicate it but nobody could ever pull it off as majestically as the big man. Tabije was the first Ultimate player to become CSU Club Sports President [not to be confused with team President] and worked to legitimize our presence in the Club Sports world at CSU - getting us funds, fields and respect. Tabije would prove to be a great teacher for the next generation of Hib players - as a natural mentor he helped guide the future of what Hibida became in future years."

-Mickey Thompson 

"On and off the field Josh is a true leader, he took freshmen under his wing, integrated them as part of the team and taught the values of Ultimate - the Spirit of the Game as best he understood it. He encouraged involvement in the local ultimate community as well as pushed players to participate in club when his playing days stopped. He continued to offer support by coming out to local tournaments in Santa Cruz to watch me play on Bravo and expressing interest while I completed on a high level. Josh was an outstanding leader, mentor and still a friend today."

-Brett Kolinek

"The truth about our team name. For 17 years CSU Ultimate has played under the team name, Hibida. Where did that name come from? What does it mean? Is it an inside joke? Is it a mythical beast? Is it a drink? As a player, I fielded these questions on a regular basis. As an alum, I still get asked about it every now and then.

The answer. It's a made up word. Our Captain, Josh Tabije, made it up. It came from his off-kilter mind. It doesn't mean anything. There's no inside joke. It not a mythical beast, or a drink.

Tabije enjoys a good joke and it wouldn't surprise me if he's kept what Hibida means to himself all this time. The genius of letting Hibida be a made up word, is that it can mean whatever the team wants it to mean.

In the mid 00's, the closest thing to a consensus definition of Hibida was, something that's there, but probably shouldn't be. Like a piece of La Luz burrito that fell onto your shirt. Where Hibida went from there, well, I don't know. It's a made up word.

Shouts to Tabije for gifting the program a team name with such versatility and staying power. Few people can pull a word straight out their butt and 17 years later we are all ecstatic to still be using it.

and

In the spring of 2002 Hibida went to Austin, TX for Centex, a tournament hosted by the University of Texas. At the time, using CSU's Motor-Pool was the best way to travel to a tournament. It was far cheaper than flights and much much easier to organize (aka herd cats). What was not easy in 2002? The internet. Well, unless you wanted to download tons of, "free" music. 2002 internet was stupendous at free music.

2002 internet was not great at directions, but if you knew what you were doing, it was potentially better than an atlas. Our Captain, Josh Tabije, was a true pioneer of technology. Using MapQuest, and a fair amount of computer lab paper, he painstakingly mapped every Dairy Queen, and every Dairy Queen Brazier, from Fort Collins to Austin.

Things like; smart phones, Google Maps, and Yelp would make short work of the same task today. However, this is not a story explaining to the youngsters how tough it was back then. It's really a story illustrating what a character Tabije was. Seriously, who needs to know if it's a DQ Brazier or not? Is it even necessary? The state flag should replace that star with a DQ logo. In other words, DQ has a big footprint in Texas. We were going to run into a few.

A great benefit to being a part of an uncommon sport is the uncommon people you meet. It's doubtful that I'm able to give Tabije his just due, as this is just one of many examples. Maybe though, you got an idea."

-Ben Aldridge