tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20856331178203663602012-01-30T08:04:09.330-08:00High school, college, and club ultimate frisbee rumors, speculation, reports, and analysis ... it's all here.The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.comBlogger431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-3373962478611664452008-05-07T09:52:00.000-07:002008-05-07T12:29:12.778-07:00

This is a tough year to seed Nationals, if only because there is so much parity among teams and so much disparity between some teams' skill level and their season performance. Without too much buildup, this is how I would seed Nationals:1) Florida - the undisputed #1, only one loss all season was to Arizona at Vegas on universe point. Brodie is healthy now, and they won Centex and the AC to earn

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com82tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-87631437560437295252008-04-30T14:45:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:46:40.549-07:00

This past weekend in Davis, 16 open teams battled for two bids to UPA College Nationals in the most hotly contested Regional tournament of the weekend. With no clear frontrunner, each of the top 6 or even 8 teams considered themselves in contention for the two bids to Boulder. UBC entered the weekend as the #1 seed, but they finished in 4th place among the 5 Northwest teams at Centex. Santa Cruz

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-45629386804932100832008-04-15T22:21:00.000-07:002008-04-15T22:22:16.775-07:00

Bay Area sectionals was this past weekend, and while none of the five regional qualifiers finished where they were seeded, the final results could hardly be said to be a surprise. The top four finishers will likely take 4 of the top 5 (or even 4) seeds at Northwest Regionals, and along with UBC and Oregon are very much in the hunt for a bid to Nationals. All across the country, late-season

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-63209916881875930422008-04-04T15:14:00.000-07:002008-04-04T15:15:31.407-07:00

After the massive shakeup in the order of things on Saturday, this year's parity in college ultimate was evident on Sunday as well. The main theme of the second day of play was the wind - every field was upwind/downwind, and upwind pulls generally went 45 yards into the strong 15 mph winds. Every team dealt with the wind differently - Saturday's Cinderella, Michigan, had to face the consequences

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-35138608317221537552008-03-25T15:26:00.000-07:002008-03-27T16:30:45.446-07:00

This past weekend 24 teams descended on Austin, Texas for the nation's most grueling elite tournament and the crowning event of the 2008 National Collegiate Ultimate Series. Wisconsin had already locked up the title and $5000 check on the mens side, but the womens prize was still very much up for grabs. With rugby kicking Cultimate off of one set of fields, mens fields were shrunk and we played

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-74563229623309901862008-03-15T20:39:00.000-07:002008-03-18T16:25:49.412-07:00

Last weekend 20 mens ultimate teams converged on Palo Alto for the Stanford Invite, the first true test of the spring season for most elite teams. As the Stanford coordinator for the tournament, I worked with Cultimate to provide a challenging tournament and great experience for all teams in attendance. It also meant that I spent hours and hours the two weeks prior making sure everything ran

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-10807734416787830122008-03-06T00:03:00.000-08:002008-03-06T00:04:00.281-08:00

What's the verdict on Kaimana 21? Those three days might be the best three days of my life so far - and I didn't even get to play (much). Some of the best ultimate players and the most fun ultimate players in the world converged on Waimonalo for an epic tournament that featured 4 Stanford-affiliated teams - women, men, and two sets of alumni. Despite half of our teams coming down with the plague,

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-63546006454675225742008-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:002008-02-12T11:26:13.253-08:00

It was a wild weekend for college ultimate in Las Vegas and Charlotte, as plenty of teams showed up on the national radar for the first time, while others vastly underperformed. The big surprises at Trouble in Vegas were finalist Arizona, semifinalist Harvard, and quarterfinalists Whitman and Illinois. Teams like Colorado, Oregon, and Florida still have something to prove - this season the

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-10935053616208797322008-02-08T19:55:00.001-08:002008-02-08T20:45:21.107-08:00

While most of the country's attention will be focused on the glittering lights of Vegas this weekend, a lot of Nationals contenders will be staying out of the spotlight a little closer to home, as the best teams in the Atlantic Coast, Metro East, and Great Lakes regions battle it out at UNC's home tournament. Even as Illinois is making waves in the desert, their main competition for a Nationals

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-68157940704201138502008-02-07T11:21:00.000-08:002008-02-07T16:34:40.993-08:00

Trouble in Vegas marks the beginning of the college season for many teams across the country. It's the largest tournament of the season that still draws an elite field, and it boasts one of the most regionally diverse lineups ever. Teams from all 8 regions are in attendance, and after the weekend is over we should have a sense of how they stack up. The elaborate schedule and A-bracket are posted

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-9847034387625888042008-01-28T17:39:00.000-08:002008-01-28T20:11:17.158-08:00

This was supposed to be a weekend that got Stanford Ultimate off on the right foot. I'd been looking forward to this tournament since Nationals last year, where a sprained ankle relegated me to stats duty. It was the first chance for a new-look Stanford team to play against high-level competition, and even the abbreviation of the tournament to just 6 teams was a blessing - each game would be

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-82371966005099123292007-12-10T20:55:00.000-08:002007-12-17T15:04:07.040-08:00

As colleges and high schools head into their winter breaks, virtually no teams will be practicing together for at least three weeks. For some teams, this is a chance to take a break and come back rejuvenated for the spring season. For the better teams, this is a chance to distance themselves from the rest of the teams. It's not easy to separate from the pack over the winter break, especially

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-68354156984487509122007-11-27T15:35:00.000-08:002007-11-27T16:15:37.290-08:00

Today Cultimate announced that they are prepared to offer a total of $7000 to the two best college ultimate teams in their respective gender divisions over the course of their four-tournament spring series. On top of that, they're donating $1000 to the school whose alumni team wins the Open Alum division of Club Trouble in Vegas. Their Collegiate Championships Series includes Warm Up: A Florida

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-88577693016189117342007-11-24T11:11:00.000-08:002007-11-26T14:42:07.976-08:00

After several years of terrible Thanksgiving weather, including rain, ice, sleet, snow, and 40-mph winds, it seemed that 2007 would be different. The weather in Maplewood at 5 pm was a balmy 69 degrees. But by 7:45, the time most of the active team assembled at the lot, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. In the dark, the temperature dropped down to 45 degrees, and the swirling winds

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-44664268125746223342007-11-16T12:55:00.000-08:002007-11-16T14:20:24.851-08:00

Mamabird 2007 Highlight VideoUVTV Wisconsin vs. Stanford Nationals SemifinalsI've watched both of these videos over and over again. Watching high-level college ultimate and watching my team lose has gotten me fired up before practice and tournaments more than anything else. These are the teams that we should be talking about, not LPC or Claremont. That's the level of play we should be aiming to

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-5528831731439350812007-11-14T10:30:00.000-08:002007-11-14T15:08:04.556-08:00

This was our last tournament of the fall season - three tournaments in four weeks. This was also as close to our spring team as we've seen all season. Eighteen of 23 members of Bloodthirsty 2008 played this weekend. It's a little sad to know that we won't play another tournament until Santa Barbara in late January (unless this Bay Area scrimmage happens), especially with CCC on December 1st and

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-60822029435567733872007-11-06T20:42:00.000-08:002007-11-06T20:43:28.128-08:00

We sent two teams to Santa Clara, supposedly split evenly X/Y, unlike UCSC and Cal who split more along A/B lines. Each of our teams had four veterans, and by the end of Sunday Stanford Y (my team) had two healthy returners and Stanford X only had one. It turns out we're a little short on handlers to field two teams, so veteran, B-team, and even rookie cutters sometimes had to step back behind

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-64675591394920983412007-10-29T09:42:00.000-07:002007-10-30T21:01:51.449-07:00

Without a tournament of our own this weekend, I was avidly following all four divisions' results on Score Reporter, starting on Thursday morning. There were some things that almost nobody predicted, like Furious tanking, Rival beating Shazam, or Barrio's wins. Some things most of us saw coming: Sockeye making the finals (and winning), a Fury-Riot womens finals, and Shazam taking Mixed. I was not

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-14387540784045139692007-10-23T15:22:00.001-07:002007-10-23T18:02:44.437-07:00

The latest controversy regarding Series eligibility and the UPA's new rostering rules surrounds Ambush, the NYC-based womens team that took the fourth bid to Nationals out of the Northeast Region. One player was inadvertently left off of the roster for Sectionals and included on the additional roster filled out for the Nationals program. The UPA acknowledged that it was a "clerical error" on

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-52898071094047189752007-10-22T23:25:00.000-07:002007-10-23T15:14:17.521-07:00

Our total numbers for the weekend:5 returners4 freshmen5 sophomores (4 B team)1 junior (B team)3 seniors (B team)3 grad students (1 B team)We brought a squad that wasn't used to playing together, but we could have two or three experienced handlers on each line to control the game and let the rookies cut. Our first game was against UCSC and their massive army of 47 players that they brought for

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-24414969509174890222007-10-19T11:08:00.000-07:002007-10-19T11:16:06.800-07:00

Stanford is sending a team up to Chico for CHUG this weekend. Five returners, thirteen "rookies," and an injured captain to man the clipboard. We should see our main sectional and regional competition with UCSC, Cal, and Oregon all sending teams. It will be good to see how the rookies respond to an actual tournament with "competitive" games.Expect a full writeup sometime next week.

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-68927195986233938592007-10-16T14:41:00.000-07:002007-10-16T17:04:40.441-07:00

Seeds for all divisions were posted yesterday, and running through all 60 teams it looks like there could be some fireworks.MastersLast year's champions Throwback didn't make it but the Double Happiness/Bay Area team Troubled Past took the #1 seed. I'd expect OLDSAG to definitely break seed and possibly take a berth in the semis. I can also see Boneyard moving into the quarters. My semifinalists:

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-80449241189180105632007-10-10T00:47:00.000-07:002007-10-10T15:29:35.912-07:00

I was involved in recruitment for my high school ultimate team at Columbia every year except my freshman year. The goal was simple: recruit as many athletic-looking freshmen as possible. Our school, as I'm assuming most high schools do, had a Club Fair on the first or second day of school for freshmen. We, despite not being an official club, got a table and set up shop. We brought jerseys,

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-87380186647052342782007-10-05T13:45:00.000-07:002007-10-05T14:26:40.312-07:00

The fall is always a very exciting time for an ultimate team. It has a vibe so unlike anything I've encountered in any other sport. The ultra-competitive spring season is the championship season - 20+ guys working together for the ultimate (no pun intended) goal. But the fall is interesting and gratifying for other reasons. When practices start, there is an incredible feeling of starting anew.

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-48347629277739622742007-09-27T14:44:00.000-07:002007-09-27T15:15:08.582-07:00

Northwest:Favorite: Seattle Sockeye. Sockeye has had a dream season, picking up a few more star players who seem to have fit right into the system. They beat the defending world champions twice, and they have two losses on universe point (Boston, Jam) and another while short-handed (Johnny Bravo). They are beatable, but they are cut above the rest of the teams in the country. They should come in

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-35520967030086287812007-09-19T09:23:00.000-07:002007-09-19T11:04:01.436-07:00

Northeast:Favorite: GOAT - the Canadian runners-up have had the most impressive season of any east-coast team, winning five tournaments and coming second in two others. They have since avenged their double-game point loss to BAT and their only other losses come to Boston Ultimate during tryout season and Furious in the finals of Canadian Nationals. They've beaten every team with Nationals

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-64452341465732797062007-09-03T09:19:00.000-07:002007-09-04T07:03:29.250-07:00

The Delaware Valley Youth League (DEVYL) league website and registration page are located at: http://ryan-thompson.home.comcast.net/join.htmlThere is a Google Group for the league with important league information and forms at http://groups.google.com/group/devyl-fallRegistration has begun! Everyone must register online.

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-25650644977696121532007-08-31T12:36:00.000-07:002007-08-31T12:38:48.531-07:00

Captains and Players,I'm excited to announce the formation of a new youth league in the New Jersey and Philadelphia area. In order to strengthen the region's representation on a national scale (at the summer Youth Club Championships) and provide more opportunities for players and teams to play and recruit in the fall, this league is open to anyone born in 1989 or later. Any league participant is

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-81221438398013441422007-08-16T08:22:00.000-07:002007-08-16T08:23:54.252-07:00

This past weekend, in Blaine, Minnesota, the UPA put on the Youth Club Championships for the third time. For the second time, New Jersey had a bid, and for the first time, we accepted and assembled a team. In 2005, we had a mixed bid but low interest, and here in 2007 we created a team with some of the best talent in the state. Unfortunately, a lot of good players could not or would not

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-16084577635288653422007-08-07T09:22:00.000-07:002007-08-08T07:39:53.909-07:00

Nucci's Cup was a 10-team tournament hosted by Roots of Rhythm at the Mercer County Ultimate Disc League (MCUDL) fields this past weekend. Teams in attendance ranged from Boston Invite surprise New Noise and WUCC Masters silver medalists OLDSAG to our NJ YCC team and the last-minute fill-ins Pennsbury Peyote 07-08 (after Gunslingers dropped). But, as is typical for a midseason club tournament,

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-72387215433348941912007-08-03T07:58:00.000-07:002007-08-07T09:21:02.375-07:00

After a much-needed and really delicious boardwalk dinner, most of our team decided to return to the hotel, forsaking the beer garden and beach party. Partly because half the team was underage, and partly because, well, our team doesn't exactly get along with other teams that well. Especially Evan. "I used to think that all CHS players were jerks, but then I found out it was just him." So we kept

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-4291487610983039352007-07-31T07:04:00.000-07:002007-07-31T20:01:47.688-07:00

Wildwood. The stuff legends are made of. The guido-filled miles-long boardwalk is typical Jersey shore, replete with funnel cake, saltwater taffy, 99 cent pizza, and rib guys advertising "two for one rib dinnas, I got ya meal right here, just tryna save you money!"We arrived in Wildwood around 8:15 after a scary and exciting drive by Benny Haim to get us there in two hours flat. Idaho Sweets

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-28201664151238100142007-07-23T11:33:00.000-07:002007-07-23T11:54:10.092-07:00

Yesterday was our second (and, unfortunately, final) YCC practice. It feels odd to be heading to a tournament with only two practices under our belt, but I think that this practice went a long way towards building team camaraderie and spirit. Fortunately, we will have a chance to play together at Nucci's Cup in two weeks, where we'll see how we gel on the field with our O and D lines, and who can

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-35587840395026667642007-07-16T15:29:00.000-07:002007-07-16T15:46:48.848-07:00

Well, Glenn did a pretty good job describing practice on Sunday. It was a grueling five hour practice that helped get players familiar with one another and working in an offense that was unfamiliar to each of the 16 players there. Included was a two-dump set that was similar to, but much simpler than, Stanford's. Unfortunately, this was an offense-focused practice, so there was not much

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-9898588949769746162007-07-03T06:36:00.000-07:002007-07-05T13:40:13.917-07:00

When Colorado takes the field in 2008 in their familiar yellow jerseys, one figure will be noticeably absent. Beau Kittredge, perhaps the most dominant player in college ultimate over the last four seasons, will not return to Mamabird. Beau twice finished in the top 5 in Callahan voting, was a huge part of Colorado reaching the finals three times in four years, and a player forced that opposing

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-81362158151398025052007-07-02T16:17:00.000-07:002007-07-02T18:23:37.482-07:00

This weekend was my first trip to Canada for the Montreal Jazzfest tournament, which I attended with a group of Columbia High School alumni and two friends of CHS. And a large group of non-ultimate players from Columbia, who helped out with the partying but not with the playing. Coming in to the tournament, I thought that we could do really well, especially with guys who had played at club

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-25523265997696732312007-06-25T06:50:00.000-07:002007-06-25T06:51:06.751-07:00

I had a lot of fun this weekend, and it was great to play competitive ultimate again after a six-week break due to my sprained ankle. It was also great to see a lot of people and players that I met this year or played against in high school. There were a couple common threads running through the weekend, generally dealing with players not knowing the 11th edition rules and playing on a team that

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-32153369991448238452007-06-21T08:53:00.000-07:002007-06-21T08:58:06.338-07:00

Alex Kinsey PrincetonKinsey has been a strong handler during Princeton’s last two seasons, when they made their first trips to Easterns to face national competition. He’s also a strong and aggressive cutter, who has the throws to do damage. Bo Li HillsboroHaving a guy named Bo never hurts, especially if he plays like Beau – which he does. A relentless deep cutter, Bo will run past you or jump

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-49359904976748553652007-06-18T16:03:00.000-07:002007-06-18T16:07:57.483-07:00

There were a healthy number of people at tryouts for the New Jersey YCC team Sunday morning - I think we had 22, with several other people who couldn't make the tryouts also in consideration. Unsurprisingly, there was a pretty large gulf between the Columbia players in attendance and the players from the rest of the state, but there were plenty of turnovers all around - which was quite

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-71905017474843729602007-06-15T00:14:00.000-07:002007-06-15T00:16:46.287-07:00

I've been thinking a lot recently about the different roles I've taken on for Columbia for four years and for Stanford this past year, and how that will change next year. There will definitely be a vastly different team dynamic next year as we lose 10 players, including many that have been with the team for the last five years. This year five rookies joined 18 returners, and only two of us had

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-45385656552584413632007-06-11T10:06:00.000-07:002007-06-11T10:07:15.412-07:00

This past year, Carleton picked up two freshmen with more silverware than anyone on the team. One won a club national championship playing (not just riding the bench) with Mischief, and the other was a captain of the gold-medal-winning US juniors worlds team. They were able to help pick up a Carleton team that didn't make Nationals last year and take them to the quarterfinals - almost semis. Of

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-41090015843212920692007-06-09T02:33:00.000-07:002007-06-25T17:57:03.357-07:00

Atlantic CoastIt was a strong year, but it didn't live up to the hype. Florida met expectations (ours, not theirs) with a semifinals appearance at nationals. Georgia couldn't repeat and almost crashed out to Pitt in the prequarters. UNC had a terrible second day at nationals and nearly (should have?) lost to Pitt on Friday. NC State looked promising at the beginning of the year but couldn't gel

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085633117820366360.post-38116235067299757552007-06-07T13:52:00.000-07:002007-06-07T14:53:07.083-07:00

Well, it all started with an innocent little nickname. "The Pulse" (insert heartbeat noises here). Basically, I know a lot about the ultimate world. I pore over the score reporter, have been on RSD since my junior year in high school, live for UltimateTalk, and cherish every source of ultimate information around. And to my friends on other ultimate teams around the country - thank you for those

The Pulsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192428373950361896noreply@blogger.com7