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 beckoned to us from the road, and it boasted a real wood BBQ pit. We stopped in and were blown away. Jon Lin and I split a huge basket of meat, which was half pulled pork and half brisket, with ribs thrown on top. It was absolutely delicious.
Sated, we moved on to the hotel where we met up with our other car of teammates. We had to sneak into the hotel's back entrance because we had to pay by person, rather than a flat room rate, and each additional person was $50 a night. So the manager could only ever see four people. We accepted this, settled into our new suite, and began the party. Friday night was relatively relaxed - we chilled amongst ourselves, took a little stroll on the boardwalk, took a little stroll on the beach (before being chased off by the beach patrol), and soon 'retired' to our beds. At least most of us did. Benny was missing and later reappeared by climbing through a window that he had removed earlier that night. Ed's two friends from Slow White, one of whom was supposed to be our second girl, showed up at 2 am just as we were drifting off to sleep.
Saturday morning I rose early and put on the Tour de France individual time trial - the race's deciding stage. I was following intently as everyone was getting up slowly, trying to figure out how much longer they could still sleep and not miss the games, and recover from the previous night. It was exciting, and unfortunately our games were at 10, so I had to miss the actual contenders' rides. After changing and cleaning up the previous night's mess, we hit the beach for my first ever day of 4v4 beach ultimate.
It's hard to play on the beach. The sand negates most of the normal advantages that our team had over the others - mainly speed and aggressive defense. This is how teams with a thrower and a tall guy can win at Wildwood very easily - especially with the 2 point line, which is one of the worst rules I've ever played with. We had our wakeup call in our very first game, as we went down early to some 2-pointers, clawed back, and then lost on a 4-point swing at the end to fall 24-20. We were scoring 1-pointers with ease, especially with our women roasting the other team's girls time and time again. But when they got up by a few late in the game, we couldn't hit the 2-pointers to close the gap. Yes, there were the pitiful 40-yard dumps in order to get the disc back into our own endzone. And unfortunately, the other team's tall guy was very athletic and able to shut down all but one of our 2-point attempts.
Between games, I went over to the main tent area, picked up some of the delicious fresh fruit that was available, and ran into a bunch of players that I knew, and one ex-Stanford player that I knew about (hi Lefty Tim!). Wildwood really is huge - I recognized players from tons of teams and tournaments that I'd played, not to mention summer league and Prospect Park pickup. By this point I wasn't really that dirty - I actually wore a shirt for the first game and my only layout came *before* the game.
The second game changed that. We played Princeton alumni (of the non-Bailey Russell type) and only a couple points in I get a layout D that ends with my entire body covered in sand. After a couple cuts on offense, I end up having to take an injury timeout because there's so much sand in my eyes that I can't even see. Thank you Amanda Davis for pouring water in my eyes, and Jon Lin for letting me use your Gaia dry-wipes to remove/cry out those last pesky grains of sand. Fortunately, the game goes our way, as they have an anemic hucking game and we are unstoppable moving the disc. I'm pretty sure that this is the game where I manage to pointblock my man on our own endzone line with two open receivers, but he manages to get to the ricochet just before I do and catches it for a goal. They also ran a guy out the back of the endzone into a port-a-potty and almost knocked it over. 12-10 victory, good guys.
After this game I'm absolutely covered in sand, my feet hurt a lot, the heat is starting to get to me, and all I really want to do is sit down. So I sit and watch other games, get off my feet, and engage in general lethargy before our final game of pool play. Our next game is against Cornell alumni, and we roll this game. Our women absolutely roast the other team's, and the rest of us generally don't turn the disc over. I think the final score was 20-11 or something similar. I wound up cutting my feet on shells and a chunk of concrete. Ouch. Then we wait over an hour for the prequarters matchups to be posted (we're the last division to hear, of course), and we end up playing against a team that can't throw forehands.
This game is notable mostly for their complete and utter inability to throw forehands, as well as Jake Levine, the non-ultimate-but-wiffleball player, getting something around 6 D's but being absolutely awful on offense. In trying to get Jake bookends, I was 0-3 with two turnovers. That was just a mistake that I apparently couldn't learn from. After we ended the game 18-4, Jake treated one of the teams on the sideline to some wiffleball pitching, after going off by himself to "scuff up the ball." It was impressive to watch, but I can't really believe that he hit 78 mph. With a wiffleball.
After that I finally took off my ankle brace and hit the ocean - it was cold, fun, and absolutely necessary. I was covered from head to toe in sand, and that rinse was clutch. Part of the consummate Wildwood experience has to be finishing your game and immediately running down to the ocean to cool off and splash around before your next game. Eventually, we headed back to the hotel for a long round of showers, and me watching the rerun of the Tour de France time trial, basically from where I'd left off in the morning. It was a great testament to the sport, Levi Leipheimer was amazing, and Contador was inspirational holding on to the maillot jaune and finishing 5th on the day. After we were all cleaned off, we played a little catchphrase and split off into smaller groups for dinner on the boardwalk.
Night/Day 2 to follow ... full of interesting Night 2 stories.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
YCC Practice 2
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 step up in pressure situations against good club players and teams. I think that this last practice was also great for learning each others' strengths and limitations, so we can have reasonable expectations for what throws can be made and caught in what situations.
We started practice with a long jog and I led an abridged version of the warmups that Stanford used all season - abridged mostly because I couldn't remember all of the exercises. We broke right into an extremely tiring drill that emphasized following your throws and communication between thrower and receiver - something that we need to maximize in order to limit turnovers between players who come from different systems. Afterwards, we moved into run-throughs of endzone offense, first without defense and then in a 6v6 competitive setting. Unfortunately, we only had 13 players at practice, and soon after this drill we lost one to heat exhaustion/asthma/difficulty breathing.
We followed up with a lot of tough running and defensive fitness drills that pushed everyone to their limits. But team morale was high and we pulled each other through, even though we all felt like dying afterwards. Then we actually got to practice playing defense on the field, with isolation man defense. There were some incredible battles and great D's, as the same players matched up for many reps against each other. Then we split off into "receiver" and "handler" groups, but the handler group was a little receiver-heavy, since four of the six players not present/playing were handlers. I was put in the handler group, although I'll probably spend a lot of my time downfield in actual games. It felt good to work on handler defense and communication, as well as handler motion on offense.
Communication will be extremely important as we go forward this summer - not only for us but for every YCC team, especially those that are drawing from a number of schools. Teams that are on the same page, or can communicate effectively during the course of a point, will be able to force more turnovers on defense and keep the disc longer on offense. No teams will really be able to "peak" at YCC's ... it's a matter of which teams will have mastered the familiar early-season jitters the best.
We closed out the practice with a lot of intense mini, playing 3v3 games to 3, with turnovers counting as -1 (bottoming out at -2). Some teams could cope, actually getting to 3, but some others (mine included) got ever so close before getting tired and making bad decisions to fall permanently negative. Hopefully we got the importance of limiting turnovers drilled into us by these games, and I think we'll do well in two weeks when we get our first chance to play together as a team. I'd like for us to finish in the top half, but this tournament is not about results for us - it's about gelling as a team, figuring out how our offense and defense can respond to what other teams throw at us, and seeing if we can take the punishment that a two-day tournament deals out.
We started practice with a long jog and I led an abridged version of the warmups that Stanford used all season - abridged mostly because I couldn't remember all of the exercises. We broke right into an extremely tiring drill that emphasized following your throws and communication between thrower and receiver - something that we need to maximize in order to limit turnovers between players who come from different systems. Afterwards, we moved into run-throughs of endzone offense, first without defense and then in a 6v6 competitive setting. Unfortunately, we only had 13 players at practice, and soon after this drill we lost one to heat exhaustion/asthma/difficulty breathing.
We followed up with a lot of tough running and defensive fitness drills that pushed everyone to their limits. But team morale was high and we pulled each other through, even though we all felt like dying afterwards. Then we actually got to practice playing defense on the field, with isolation man defense. There were some incredible battles and great D's, as the same players matched up for many reps against each other. Then we split off into "receiver" and "handler" groups, but the handler group was a little receiver-heavy, since four of the six players not present/playing were handlers. I was put in the handler group, although I'll probably spend a lot of my time downfield in actual games. It felt good to work on handler defense and communication, as well as handler motion on offense.
Communication will be extremely important as we go forward this summer - not only for us but for every YCC team, especially those that are drawing from a number of schools. Teams that are on the same page, or can communicate effectively during the course of a point, will be able to force more turnovers on defense and keep the disc longer on offense. No teams will really be able to "peak" at YCC's ... it's a matter of which teams will have mastered the familiar early-season jitters the best.
We closed out the practice with a lot of intense mini, playing 3v3 games to 3, with turnovers counting as -1 (bottoming out at -2). Some teams could cope, actually getting to 3, but some others (mine included) got ever so close before getting tired and making bad decisions to fall permanently negative. Hopefully we got the importance of limiting turnovers drilled into us by these games, and I think we'll do well in two weeks when we get our first chance to play together as a team. I'd like for us to finish in the top half, but this tournament is not about results for us - it's about gelling as a team, figuring out how our offense and defense can respond to what other teams throw at us, and seeing if we can take the punishment that a two-day tournament deals out.
Monday, July 16, 2007
YCC Practice
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 introduction to defense until the hour or so of scrimmaging we had at the end. We split into rough versions of O and D teams for the first time. Most players will have been used to playing nearly every single point for their high school teams, so the transition to making the most of their playing time will be something they'll need to adapt to. I'm confident that being able to rest will be a welcome change - especially if the O team can have a conversion rate comparable to a high-level college team's and the D team can continue to get D's at a high school level.
Interestingly, I was put on the O team. I was really encouraged by our quick disc movement - we didn't have to mention holding on to the disc too long at all during the scrimmage. We still need to play a little more conservatively if we're going to have a high conversion rate, and pick the times to huck a little better. Overall, it was very encouraging for a first practice. The D team looked hungry but had some problems gelling on offense, but again, it's a first practice. Once we get more time playing together and some time to actually practice defense, I think the team will look very strong.
In terms of health, my ankle didn't bother me much, although I injured my shoulder on an early layout and cramped up about 10 minutes from the end of practice. I'm still not ready to play at a high level without the brace, although I played about 2 hours of low-level pickup on Saturday without it.
Interestingly, I was put on the O team. I was really encouraged by our quick disc movement - we didn't have to mention holding on to the disc too long at all during the scrimmage. We still need to play a little more conservatively if we're going to have a high conversion rate, and pick the times to huck a little better. Overall, it was very encouraging for a first practice. The D team looked hungry but had some problems gelling on offense, but again, it's a first practice. Once we get more time playing together and some time to actually practice defense, I think the team will look very strong.
In terms of health, my ankle didn't bother me much, although I injured my shoulder on an early layout and cramped up about 10 minutes from the end of practice. I'm still not ready to play at a high level without the brace, although I played about 2 hours of low-level pickup on Saturday without it.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
How will Mamabird cope when Beau leaves the nest?
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 teams to change their defenses around to stop him. How can he be replaced?
He can't. But Colorado will be a better team in 2008 without him.
To anyone watching the 2007 College Nationals final, it appeared that, on defense, Beau was more of a liability than anything. Watching 6 determined Colorado defenders struggle to switch off and contain 7 excellent, speedy Wisconsin players while Beau parked himself in the middle of the field, waiting for a huck that never came, was painful. Beau's place on the field was well-deserved - at his best, he's Colorado's best offensive and defensive player. Even hurt as he was, torn hamstring and all, he was among Colorado's best 7 on offense and defense. But Colorado's "6 + Beau" defense was shredded by cutters like Jack Marsh. Colorado's zone was slightly more effective in containing Wisconsin, but nobody was going to stop them this year.
So how can I say that Colorado will be better sans Beau, after losing in the finals of Nationals to one of the best teams to ever hit the college series? And let's not forget that they're losing their other Callahan nominee, Rabbit, along with their most consistent handler of year (besides Jolian), Gonzo. How could they be better without winning Nationals? Yes, I'm done asking questions that I will answer in the course of the post.
Mamabird returns an incredibly strong lineup, especially with Jolian, Martin, and Mac Taylor all coming back. No doubt it will take time to adjust to the loss of Beau, especially when it comes to breaking down a zone defense or throwing hucks as far as possible. Colorado will have to learn to play a better brand of ultimate - but they have the personnel. I've learned over the course of the year that good handlers are everywhere, but great handlers are hard to find. Colorado still has Jolian, their great handler. Rabbit and Gonzo can and will be replaced. To borrow one of the oldest and most meaningless sports cliches of all time, they have players who know how to win.
Colorado will still be a team that makes people think twice about playing zone against them. Their willingness to throw hammers and their ability to catch them will become more and more threatening even without the possibility of a zone-breaking huck to Beau. They will bring up tested players from their B-team who can contribute right away, and they have hungry defenders itching for playing time. The system at Colorado is one of the best in the country, as speed and defensive intensity are the ways to make the A-team, and those are two things that will make any college team a threat to win Nationals. Catt and Juice are fearsome coaches that inspire incredible loyalty in their players.
The offense that was so feared, supposedly because of the instantaneous threat of a huck to Beau, will not be so radically different. Beau spent far more time behind the disc this year than he ever had before, and Colorado was able to score by working the disc, breaking the mark, and launching hucks to their other talented receivers. Don't be surprised if the Colorado team we see in the fall is radically different than the one that appears in the series. It will definitely take time to make the transition, but only a fool would bet on Colorado tanking without Beau.
The college ultimate scene will be radically different next year, as many teams are coping with the same issues as Colorado - losing their marquee players and team leaders. Not all of them will be able to rebound with the same level of success. Teams like Carleton and Oregon will be hoping to finally make it out of quarters as these "young" teams continue to age without seeing a hint of Nationals glory. Colorado is well-poised to remain at the top, as perennial contenders Stanford and Wisconsin will reload after graduations as well.
The true test remains whether or not the supporting cast from this year can make the transition to leading men. They'll have hungry players on their heels regardless, and Catt will expect nothing less than dominance from a Mamabird team that looks to take advantage of a seemingly wide-open 2008 College Series. If those role players can't step up, they'll remain role players, while rookies and B-teamers will be happy to fill the void and be a part of yet another successful Mamabird team. We know that Martin and Jolian can deliver - they've shown it time and time again. But only when the entire team plays well will Colorado be able to wear gold again at Nationals.
It's too early to say whether or not Colorado is the team to beat in 2008, but a fourth finals appearance in five years is definitely in their sights, Beau or no Beau.
He can't. But Colorado will be a better team in 2008 without him.
To anyone watching the 2007 College Nationals final, it appeared that, on defense, Beau was more of a liability than anything. Watching 6 determined Colorado defenders struggle to switch off and contain 7 excellent, speedy Wisconsin players while Beau parked himself in the middle of the field, waiting for a huck that never came, was painful. Beau's place on the field was well-deserved - at his best, he's Colorado's best offensive and defensive player. Even hurt as he was, torn hamstring and all, he was among Colorado's best 7 on offense and defense. But Colorado's "6 + Beau" defense was shredded by cutters like Jack Marsh. Colorado's zone was slightly more effective in containing Wisconsin, but nobody was going to stop them this year.
So how can I say that Colorado will be better sans Beau, after losing in the finals of Nationals to one of the best teams to ever hit the college series? And let's not forget that they're losing their other Callahan nominee, Rabbit, along with their most consistent handler of year (besides Jolian), Gonzo. How could they be better without winning Nationals? Yes, I'm done asking questions that I will answer in the course of the post.
Mamabird returns an incredibly strong lineup, especially with Jolian, Martin, and Mac Taylor all coming back. No doubt it will take time to adjust to the loss of Beau, especially when it comes to breaking down a zone defense or throwing hucks as far as possible. Colorado will have to learn to play a better brand of ultimate - but they have the personnel. I've learned over the course of the year that good handlers are everywhere, but great handlers are hard to find. Colorado still has Jolian, their great handler. Rabbit and Gonzo can and will be replaced. To borrow one of the oldest and most meaningless sports cliches of all time, they have players who know how to win.
Colorado will still be a team that makes people think twice about playing zone against them. Their willingness to throw hammers and their ability to catch them will become more and more threatening even without the possibility of a zone-breaking huck to Beau. They will bring up tested players from their B-team who can contribute right away, and they have hungry defenders itching for playing time. The system at Colorado is one of the best in the country, as speed and defensive intensity are the ways to make the A-team, and those are two things that will make any college team a threat to win Nationals. Catt and Juice are fearsome coaches that inspire incredible loyalty in their players.
The offense that was so feared, supposedly because of the instantaneous threat of a huck to Beau, will not be so radically different. Beau spent far more time behind the disc this year than he ever had before, and Colorado was able to score by working the disc, breaking the mark, and launching hucks to their other talented receivers. Don't be surprised if the Colorado team we see in the fall is radically different than the one that appears in the series. It will definitely take time to make the transition, but only a fool would bet on Colorado tanking without Beau.
The college ultimate scene will be radically different next year, as many teams are coping with the same issues as Colorado - losing their marquee players and team leaders. Not all of them will be able to rebound with the same level of success. Teams like Carleton and Oregon will be hoping to finally make it out of quarters as these "young" teams continue to age without seeing a hint of Nationals glory. Colorado is well-poised to remain at the top, as perennial contenders Stanford and Wisconsin will reload after graduations as well.
The true test remains whether or not the supporting cast from this year can make the transition to leading men. They'll have hungry players on their heels regardless, and Catt will expect nothing less than dominance from a Mamabird team that looks to take advantage of a seemingly wide-open 2008 College Series. If those role players can't step up, they'll remain role players, while rookies and B-teamers will be happy to fill the void and be a part of yet another successful Mamabird team. We know that Martin and Jolian can deliver - they've shown it time and time again. But only when the entire team plays well will Colorado be able to wear gold again at Nationals.
It's too early to say whether or not Colorado is the team to beat in 2008, but a fourth finals appearance in five years is definitely in their sights, Beau or no Beau.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Montreal Jazz
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 nationals for Pike and Truck Stop, and college nationals with Colorado and Stanford (well, sort of), and other elite-level college players. Plus, we'd basically all played together in high school and sort of knew each other's playing styles.
The trip started off ominously when we spent approximately four hours going from 15 miles outside of Albany to 15 miles out of Albany. We kept expecting some sort of accident or construction that would explain the ridiculous parking lot that I-87 turned into, but no, apparently New Yorkers just can't drive. Incidentally, we were the only car that ran into this traffic at all - the completely unexpected 1:30 to 5:30 Albany rush. Fortunately, passing through customs was easy enough, despite the skeptical border agent not happy with our answer to the question, "What's your reason for coming to Canada?" "Pleasure." " ... What kind of pleasure?"
We finally arrived at the hotel around 9:30, only to find that we couldn't check into our rooms without a $200 security deposit and a credit card. One of our cars had gotten their earlier and done this for one of the rooms (stupidly put it on a debit card), so we dropped off our bags and hit the town. Montreal is an amazing city - or at least the few blocks of it we got to see were. Our party stretched from our hotel to Crescent Street (several blocks away), which seemed to be the center of the nightlife. We spent several hours there, along with what seemed like all of the young (and some of the old) people in Montreal.
Thankfully, we had a first-round bye and didn't have to be at the fields until 10-ish for our 10:40 game. Two of our three hotel rooms managed to get up in time to eat breakfast, and arrived at the fields around 10:20. Our third car got terrible directions and got lost, and didn't get there until late into the second half. Fortunately, our game was against Canadian Masters team Scotch, who were not in any condition to run with a bunch of young athletes. We had a shutout going until about 10-0, and closed out the game 13-1 with the last car getting there in time to play the final three points. The highlight of the game was definitely the postgame celebration with Scotch, which involved a kilt, a Scottish drinking song, and some delicious Glenlivet Scotch.
Afterwards we had to face a completely different team, the Philly-based team LOVE, composed of a lot of players I'd played against or seen in high school, along with some very athletic guys I didn't recognize. We came out flat, expecting them to roll over like Scotch did, and we quickly got broken twice to go down 0-2. We battled back, converting on offense and trading to about 4-6, when we decided to throw on a trap zone and quickly started to break back. We ended up taking half 7-6, on serve, and extending the lead to 9-6 after the break. Personally, I felt like I improved a lot on the mark during this game, as the pusher in the cup. I only got one point block but consistently forced LOVE to move the disc onto the trap sideline, where we got quite a few D's. They called a smart timeout and started to work the disc better, even throwing a zone of their own, but it was too late and we basically traded out to 13-11, despite getting broken at 12-10.
This was a good, strong game for us, as we beat a team that had practiced together and had some fast receivers that they weren't afraid to huck to. We bounced back after a poor start, and we solidified our trap zone. It was at this point that we realized we had a great chance to actually win the tournament, with a group of players where basically everyone could handle and everyone could get open downfield. We had a bye next, and we all went to get some free food and check out the merchandise - VC had a pair of Stanford shorts in their bargain bin! For shame, VC. I think the bye was bad for my ankle, as it felt really awkward to run afterwards, which made me only play O points in our next game, against "Red Tide".
This was nothing like the Red Tide club team I saw at Boston and beat Brooklyn at CUT. It was eight guys, probably two or three of whom actually played for Red Tide, and one guy in jean shorts and with huge hippie hair. We coasted to 11-2 before giving up three straight goals, then closed them out 13-5. It was a generally uneventful game, except for Evan scoring a goal on a breakside cut past a bidding defender, then rolling the disc to him while he was still on the ground and yelling "Too easy!" But that's Evan for you.
Our crossover game was against Run Silent Run Deep, a team that we'd beaten with Brooklyn at Boston Invite, and a team that has some serious distaste for defense. As such, I don't think we were broken the entire game, and our D line came up with a lot of D's, and their O line just plain turned it over a lot. We won this game 13-5 too, and I didn't play at all, since I wanted to save my ankle for Sunday and it just wasn't worth it to play in a blowout that was over in about 45 minutes (or less). We also confirmed that we would lose Evan for Sunday, with what ended up to be a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Saturday night was a lot of fun. Ridiculous amounts of fun. We didn't play until 11:30 on Sunday, and that meant that there was to be no limit on the Saturday night carousing. We went to the 3 Amigos Mexican restaurant in downtown Montreal and enjoyed some 28 oz. margaritas while seated next to a bachelorette party that kept taking ultimate players and making them eat the candy bracelet/necklace around her wrist/neck. I wouldn't mind going to the wedding (July 27th), but that's the same weekend as Wildwood. Also, who has their wedding on a Friday? Nobody but a group of bridesmaids who want to get their party on for a whole weekend.
We returned to the hotel and continued to party, and I became an old man by enjoying Jack far too much, and then half of the team promptly returned to their beds and passed out. The rest of us hit Crescent St again, first hitting up Karina's, a club with a supposed $10 cover that we managed to get around by threatening to leave (since when does a group of 10 guys threatening to leave ever bother a bouncer?). After a while there, a few of us left and wandered around Crescent again, and I managed to run into a much smaller and more party-going version of the same bachelorette party! Ed and I quickly attached ourselves to them, they loved it, and together we proceeded into the exclusive Club seVen. Thank you domineering hot blonde (maid of honor?), that made the night. We stayed with them for about another 45 minutes in the club before they left, and Ed decided to leave too. I chose to stay, and had a great last hour at the club. Unfortunately, the party ended at 3 am, and I staggered back to the hotel.
At 10 am, my phone alarm (the only one anyone had set) went off, but I turned it off after announcing the time, and we all proceeded to sleep another 15 minutes or so. After a frantic round of packing, we checked out with enough time to get to the fields but not enough time to grab any breakfast. We got there around 11:15, to see one car (the other on-time car from Sunday) there and our opponents (GLUM) tossing and warming up in numbers. Fortunately, they looked old. Unfortunately, they were all in shape and had great throws - this was no pushover Masters team like Scotch. And they looked like this was another tuneup for Canadian Nationals in slightly more than a month.
We started the game with eight players cleated up and fell down two breaks early again, but our other car arrived with us down 2-4 and receiving. We managed to be patient on offense, working it through their zone and clam, and playing hard defense to force a few turns and eventually take the lead. But they came out of halftime a different team, and they worked it on our defense meticulously, with some extremely patient endzone offense, while we started throwing the disc away. That resulted in several breaks for them interspersed with several hard-fought but unsuccessful D points for us. We eventually managed to battle back, pulling downwind at 14-13, but in their typical fashion they worked the disc well and punched it in after a very patient endzone possession.
It was a hard-fought game, it was extremely fun, and I finally managed to "fix" my cutting. I realized that before, I was content to sit in the stack and make my cuts when I thought I was in a good position. But I wasn't ever in a good position for anything more than a swing when I was just sitting in the stack. But midway through the GLUM game, I remembered what Nick Handler and Jit had emphasized for cutters - always keep moving and cycling through the dangerous positions on the field. I began cutting and was open all day on my defender, and all of my clears were just beginnings to new cuts. I touched the disc about every fourth throw after that, and I finally felt good and confident about my cutting, for the first time since SB Invite against UCSC (or, come to think about it, all of the times we played UCSC). It's something I'll take with me for the rest of the summer and into the fall - and I realized that it's one of the things that always made me hate to cover certain players. Even if they weren't the fastest or the best cutters they never stopped moving. And that's what I'm going to bring to my game.
After decleating and being exhausted from the previous nights festivities as well as the 15-13 game we just lost, Q approached us and basically forced us into a consolation game. We agreed to play to 9, and promptly went down 1-6. Q looked a lot stronger than when I played them at Boston Invite, but our team definitely could have beaten them had we not thrown in the towel after the GLUM game. I got to work on my handler defense on that pesky #7 they have, while continuing to experience the joys of being perpetually open. We mustered a little bit of a fightback, but fell 5-9 and began the long trek home. It was largely uneventful, including a particularly uneventful two hour wait in the line at the border.
Overall, this was a great tournament, and Montreal is a fantastic city, despite its funny money and general French-ness. I can't wait to come back next year and to see Montreal without a frisbee tournament in the way.
The trip started off ominously when we spent approximately four hours going from 15 miles outside of Albany to 15 miles out of Albany. We kept expecting some sort of accident or construction that would explain the ridiculous parking lot that I-87 turned into, but no, apparently New Yorkers just can't drive. Incidentally, we were the only car that ran into this traffic at all - the completely unexpected 1:30 to 5:30 Albany rush. Fortunately, passing through customs was easy enough, despite the skeptical border agent not happy with our answer to the question, "What's your reason for coming to Canada?" "Pleasure." " ... What kind of pleasure?"
We finally arrived at the hotel around 9:30, only to find that we couldn't check into our rooms without a $200 security deposit and a credit card. One of our cars had gotten their earlier and done this for one of the rooms (stupidly put it on a debit card), so we dropped off our bags and hit the town. Montreal is an amazing city - or at least the few blocks of it we got to see were. Our party stretched from our hotel to Crescent Street (several blocks away), which seemed to be the center of the nightlife. We spent several hours there, along with what seemed like all of the young (and some of the old) people in Montreal.
Thankfully, we had a first-round bye and didn't have to be at the fields until 10-ish for our 10:40 game. Two of our three hotel rooms managed to get up in time to eat breakfast, and arrived at the fields around 10:20. Our third car got terrible directions and got lost, and didn't get there until late into the second half. Fortunately, our game was against Canadian Masters team Scotch, who were not in any condition to run with a bunch of young athletes. We had a shutout going until about 10-0, and closed out the game 13-1 with the last car getting there in time to play the final three points. The highlight of the game was definitely the postgame celebration with Scotch, which involved a kilt, a Scottish drinking song, and some delicious Glenlivet Scotch.
Afterwards we had to face a completely different team, the Philly-based team LOVE, composed of a lot of players I'd played against or seen in high school, along with some very athletic guys I didn't recognize. We came out flat, expecting them to roll over like Scotch did, and we quickly got broken twice to go down 0-2. We battled back, converting on offense and trading to about 4-6, when we decided to throw on a trap zone and quickly started to break back. We ended up taking half 7-6, on serve, and extending the lead to 9-6 after the break. Personally, I felt like I improved a lot on the mark during this game, as the pusher in the cup. I only got one point block but consistently forced LOVE to move the disc onto the trap sideline, where we got quite a few D's. They called a smart timeout and started to work the disc better, even throwing a zone of their own, but it was too late and we basically traded out to 13-11, despite getting broken at 12-10.
This was a good, strong game for us, as we beat a team that had practiced together and had some fast receivers that they weren't afraid to huck to. We bounced back after a poor start, and we solidified our trap zone. It was at this point that we realized we had a great chance to actually win the tournament, with a group of players where basically everyone could handle and everyone could get open downfield. We had a bye next, and we all went to get some free food and check out the merchandise - VC had a pair of Stanford shorts in their bargain bin! For shame, VC. I think the bye was bad for my ankle, as it felt really awkward to run afterwards, which made me only play O points in our next game, against "Red Tide".
This was nothing like the Red Tide club team I saw at Boston and beat Brooklyn at CUT. It was eight guys, probably two or three of whom actually played for Red Tide, and one guy in jean shorts and with huge hippie hair. We coasted to 11-2 before giving up three straight goals, then closed them out 13-5. It was a generally uneventful game, except for Evan scoring a goal on a breakside cut past a bidding defender, then rolling the disc to him while he was still on the ground and yelling "Too easy!" But that's Evan for you.
Our crossover game was against Run Silent Run Deep, a team that we'd beaten with Brooklyn at Boston Invite, and a team that has some serious distaste for defense. As such, I don't think we were broken the entire game, and our D line came up with a lot of D's, and their O line just plain turned it over a lot. We won this game 13-5 too, and I didn't play at all, since I wanted to save my ankle for Sunday and it just wasn't worth it to play in a blowout that was over in about 45 minutes (or less). We also confirmed that we would lose Evan for Sunday, with what ended up to be a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Saturday night was a lot of fun. Ridiculous amounts of fun. We didn't play until 11:30 on Sunday, and that meant that there was to be no limit on the Saturday night carousing. We went to the 3 Amigos Mexican restaurant in downtown Montreal and enjoyed some 28 oz. margaritas while seated next to a bachelorette party that kept taking ultimate players and making them eat the candy bracelet/necklace around her wrist/neck. I wouldn't mind going to the wedding (July 27th), but that's the same weekend as Wildwood. Also, who has their wedding on a Friday? Nobody but a group of bridesmaids who want to get their party on for a whole weekend.
We returned to the hotel and continued to party, and I became an old man by enjoying Jack far too much, and then half of the team promptly returned to their beds and passed out. The rest of us hit Crescent St again, first hitting up Karina's, a club with a supposed $10 cover that we managed to get around by threatening to leave (since when does a group of 10 guys threatening to leave ever bother a bouncer?). After a while there, a few of us left and wandered around Crescent again, and I managed to run into a much smaller and more party-going version of the same bachelorette party! Ed and I quickly attached ourselves to them, they loved it, and together we proceeded into the exclusive Club seVen. Thank you domineering hot blonde (maid of honor?), that made the night. We stayed with them for about another 45 minutes in the club before they left, and Ed decided to leave too. I chose to stay, and had a great last hour at the club. Unfortunately, the party ended at 3 am, and I staggered back to the hotel.
At 10 am, my phone alarm (the only one anyone had set) went off, but I turned it off after announcing the time, and we all proceeded to sleep another 15 minutes or so. After a frantic round of packing, we checked out with enough time to get to the fields but not enough time to grab any breakfast. We got there around 11:15, to see one car (the other on-time car from Sunday) there and our opponents (GLUM) tossing and warming up in numbers. Fortunately, they looked old. Unfortunately, they were all in shape and had great throws - this was no pushover Masters team like Scotch. And they looked like this was another tuneup for Canadian Nationals in slightly more than a month.
We started the game with eight players cleated up and fell down two breaks early again, but our other car arrived with us down 2-4 and receiving. We managed to be patient on offense, working it through their zone and clam, and playing hard defense to force a few turns and eventually take the lead. But they came out of halftime a different team, and they worked it on our defense meticulously, with some extremely patient endzone offense, while we started throwing the disc away. That resulted in several breaks for them interspersed with several hard-fought but unsuccessful D points for us. We eventually managed to battle back, pulling downwind at 14-13, but in their typical fashion they worked the disc well and punched it in after a very patient endzone possession.
It was a hard-fought game, it was extremely fun, and I finally managed to "fix" my cutting. I realized that before, I was content to sit in the stack and make my cuts when I thought I was in a good position. But I wasn't ever in a good position for anything more than a swing when I was just sitting in the stack. But midway through the GLUM game, I remembered what Nick Handler and Jit had emphasized for cutters - always keep moving and cycling through the dangerous positions on the field. I began cutting and was open all day on my defender, and all of my clears were just beginnings to new cuts. I touched the disc about every fourth throw after that, and I finally felt good and confident about my cutting, for the first time since SB Invite against UCSC (or, come to think about it, all of the times we played UCSC). It's something I'll take with me for the rest of the summer and into the fall - and I realized that it's one of the things that always made me hate to cover certain players. Even if they weren't the fastest or the best cutters they never stopped moving. And that's what I'm going to bring to my game.
After decleating and being exhausted from the previous nights festivities as well as the 15-13 game we just lost, Q approached us and basically forced us into a consolation game. We agreed to play to 9, and promptly went down 1-6. Q looked a lot stronger than when I played them at Boston Invite, but our team definitely could have beaten them had we not thrown in the towel after the GLUM game. I got to work on my handler defense on that pesky #7 they have, while continuing to experience the joys of being perpetually open. We mustered a little bit of a fightback, but fell 5-9 and began the long trek home. It was largely uneventful, including a particularly uneventful two hour wait in the line at the border.
Overall, this was a great tournament, and Montreal is a fantastic city, despite its funny money and general French-ness. I can't wait to come back next year and to see Montreal without a frisbee tournament in the way.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Boston Invite Recap
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 had never practiced together, and many of us had never played together.
With regards to the former, it was especially noticeable for us, with only two, possibly three, players having played in the college series this past spring. We got in quite a few rules arguments this weekend, some that would have come up anyway under the 10th edition, and many regarding the changes. As expected, there was confusion about the new interpretation of the pick rule, but that was all resolved fairly quickly and with little incident. There was a lot of disarray regarding marks and marking fouls. As usual, a lot of illegal marks went uncalled - I think that the "disc space" call will become a lot more frequent once people realize that they can use it and that almost every mark violates disc space. And unfortunately, a lot of legal marks had fouls called on them, both for us and against us.
One of the big things that needs to stop, in my opinion, is lunging into the mark, calling foul, and then making a throw. In the 11th edition rules, this is supposed to be illegal and a turnover if the throw is incomplete. Only one team correctly called us on this, and because they had made many bad calls earlier in the game, it was not received well. Among those bad calls? The thrower hucks it, and on the follow through smacks the marker in the face. The marker falls to the ground and has to take an injury sub, and the thrower calls foul because the marker "tried to block the disc with his face."
Playing with Brooklyn was an interesting experience, as the team is generally very confrontational. No stranger to confrontation myself, and armed with knowledge of the rules, I threw myself into foul debates and angry arguments. But Brooklyn didn't stop there, including almost getting into a brawl with players on Alpha Dog (aka Tufts) after our captain was angry with one of their players for blocking his cuts with his arms, and shoved him to the ground. The best line of the tournament came when the Tufts player called a foul and the response was "Contest! ... no ... DOUBLE FOUL!" Later in the game, another one of our captains was hit in the face with the disc after getting skied in the endzone (play called back on a marking foul) and shoved the offending player, resulting in another dicey situation.
Unfortunately, the anger wasn't all directed at the other teams (and French Canadians in general). Teammates yelled at each other and bad-mouthed each other on the sidelines (usually deservedly), which I'm generally okay with, but the problem in this case was people taking it personally and refusing to let it go. We'll need to get over this and be able to talk to each other without it getting personal if we want to be successful this club season. And I'm generally optimistic, seeing as we haven't practiced yet and most of us haven't played together yet. These are things we'll work out as the season progresses.
Speaking of things to work out, we made a lot of mistakes this weekend, which explains why we dropped seed so much. I was happy with the general level of turnovers we were generating on defense, but not with our conversion rate on either offense or defense. In general, we had far too many decision-making and mental errors leading to turnovers. I was not too bothered by execution errors in throwing a little too outside or behind our receivers, or hucks that floated a little too much, but the amount of drops we had was ridiculous and really needs to be curtailed. It wasn't just a few players, either, but drops across the board. But I think that this is to be expected from a new team, although it doesn't make it any less frustrating. I think that the most frustrating thing is knowing that I can run with anyone on the opposing line, but that not all of my six teammates can, which made it easy for other teams to move the disc on us, especially on the open side, and especially without us knowing any junk defenses.
But on to the games! Our first game was against the "Providence Pack Dogs," aka Colin Mahoney and friends. We came out quick but then they adjusted and started to grind us down, taking the capped game 13-9. We had trouble containing them and their deep game, even going upwind, and they punished us when we turned it over going downwind. They had a couple upwind breaks early in the second half that put the game out of reach. Also, Colin Mahoney had two layout D's on the first point and buttery hucks.
Next we had Nor'easter, a team that wasn't confident in their throws, particularly in the wind, and so we basically won the game by converting our O points going downwind and getting a few breaks by forcing them forehand and fronting them when they were going upwind. This game shouldn't have been as close as 15-9, but it was a win and that was what mattered. I also ended up with a layout D in this game, which makes the first since Lewis & Clark at NW Regionals, 8 weeks ago. It's a good feeling.
After a two hour bye, we ended up against Magma, the first of two French Canadian teams we'd play on the weekend. We started off well, after going down 2-0 we took the lead 3-2 and traded until just short of half. We were down a break or two but kept battling, again forcing them underneath into the wind and fronting, which worked almost as well on the open side, but Magma had better breaks than Nor'easter and was able to convert a few more breaks than we could, especially after some of our suspect decisions close to the endzone. We should be getting more conservative the closer we get, not less. Especially with our 'D team' on the field. We found ourselves down 14-10, receiving on game point, and scored, then answered with a downwind break, and then had the disc to break again but turned it over, ending the game 15-12, but it could have been 14-13 with them going upwind again. Unfortunately, this guaranteed us 4th place in the pool, with a meaningless game against 3-0 Run Silent, Run Deep, who had clinched first.
And of course, when do we bring our best offense? In a meaningless game! We shot out to several early leads, including an 8-6 halftime lead, receiving to start the second half. My favorite point was then they threw zone on us and I got to be the middle handler, and I threw a lefty backhand, several high backhands over the cup, and a hammer for the assist. At this point I was trying to rest my ankle, and I only played O points and handled. Until, that is, we squandered our 11-9 lead to go down 11-13, with the "cap on." But with it being the last game of the day and their misunderstanding of the cap rule (win by 2 in soft cap, or so they thought), we basically captains claused our way into no cap. We came ahead 14-13, then went behind 15-14, and ahead 16-15, and then received for universe point at 16-16. I played as a handler, we worked it up the field, and after an amazing catch on an ill-advised and poorly executed throw, we had a timeout just outside the endzone. The play worked, we jammed it in, and won the meaningless game 17-16, but at least we all felt good about ourselves.
When we got back we showered and went to the grill across from our hotel (great hotel and great grill), then all immediately passed out by 10:30 because were so tired. We had an 8:30 game the next morning, and we made it to the fields by 8:10 and started the game around 8:35 or 8:40, and our lack of preparation showed. We went down early, before fighting back and taking half 8-6. Q made a lot of terrible calls, in angry Frenglish, and while it distracted us, what really started to let us down were drops and forced throws. We were up 10-8 when cap went on, and promptly managed to get give up a goal on defense, then get broken three straight times to lose 12-10. It was awful, and dropped us to the D bracket. One moment in particular sticks out, down 11-10, we work it down the field, in perfect position to tie it up and force a universe point, when we hammer it out the back of the endzone on stall 2.
After moving fields - to the satellite fields about a 15 minute walk away - we were up against FUG, a Lincoln-Sudbury HS alumni team. We only had 8 players cleated up when we started, about 15 minutes late due to the last game going to cap and our long walk over. We started out with some zone and some hucks, taking half comfortably at 8-3. Then we started to give back the lead, even letting them get within one as we proceeded to forget how to play offense with a series of ill-advised hucks and forced throws. We won on cap, 13-11.
That put us in the D bracket semifinals against Tufts (Alpha Dog), and the game proceeded without defense until they broke us twice to go up 5-3. But we broke back and took half 8-7, with the first aforementioned shoving incident on that last point of the half. The second half started out the same, with more trading, until they broke again to go up 11-9. They broke us again and went up 13-10, when we called timeout and regrouped like we had against Magma. We got as close as 13-12, but with the wind as less of a factor in this game, they closed us out with another break, 15-12, and our tournament was over.
With regards to the former, it was especially noticeable for us, with only two, possibly three, players having played in the college series this past spring. We got in quite a few rules arguments this weekend, some that would have come up anyway under the 10th edition, and many regarding the changes. As expected, there was confusion about the new interpretation of the pick rule, but that was all resolved fairly quickly and with little incident. There was a lot of disarray regarding marks and marking fouls. As usual, a lot of illegal marks went uncalled - I think that the "disc space" call will become a lot more frequent once people realize that they can use it and that almost every mark violates disc space. And unfortunately, a lot of legal marks had fouls called on them, both for us and against us.
One of the big things that needs to stop, in my opinion, is lunging into the mark, calling foul, and then making a throw. In the 11th edition rules, this is supposed to be illegal and a turnover if the throw is incomplete. Only one team correctly called us on this, and because they had made many bad calls earlier in the game, it was not received well. Among those bad calls? The thrower hucks it, and on the follow through smacks the marker in the face. The marker falls to the ground and has to take an injury sub, and the thrower calls foul because the marker "tried to block the disc with his face."
Playing with Brooklyn was an interesting experience, as the team is generally very confrontational. No stranger to confrontation myself, and armed with knowledge of the rules, I threw myself into foul debates and angry arguments. But Brooklyn didn't stop there, including almost getting into a brawl with players on Alpha Dog (aka Tufts) after our captain was angry with one of their players for blocking his cuts with his arms, and shoved him to the ground. The best line of the tournament came when the Tufts player called a foul and the response was "Contest! ... no ... DOUBLE FOUL!" Later in the game, another one of our captains was hit in the face with the disc after getting skied in the endzone (play called back on a marking foul) and shoved the offending player, resulting in another dicey situation.
Unfortunately, the anger wasn't all directed at the other teams (and French Canadians in general). Teammates yelled at each other and bad-mouthed each other on the sidelines (usually deservedly), which I'm generally okay with, but the problem in this case was people taking it personally and refusing to let it go. We'll need to get over this and be able to talk to each other without it getting personal if we want to be successful this club season. And I'm generally optimistic, seeing as we haven't practiced yet and most of us haven't played together yet. These are things we'll work out as the season progresses.
Speaking of things to work out, we made a lot of mistakes this weekend, which explains why we dropped seed so much. I was happy with the general level of turnovers we were generating on defense, but not with our conversion rate on either offense or defense. In general, we had far too many decision-making and mental errors leading to turnovers. I was not too bothered by execution errors in throwing a little too outside or behind our receivers, or hucks that floated a little too much, but the amount of drops we had was ridiculous and really needs to be curtailed. It wasn't just a few players, either, but drops across the board. But I think that this is to be expected from a new team, although it doesn't make it any less frustrating. I think that the most frustrating thing is knowing that I can run with anyone on the opposing line, but that not all of my six teammates can, which made it easy for other teams to move the disc on us, especially on the open side, and especially without us knowing any junk defenses.
But on to the games! Our first game was against the "Providence Pack Dogs," aka Colin Mahoney and friends. We came out quick but then they adjusted and started to grind us down, taking the capped game 13-9. We had trouble containing them and their deep game, even going upwind, and they punished us when we turned it over going downwind. They had a couple upwind breaks early in the second half that put the game out of reach. Also, Colin Mahoney had two layout D's on the first point and buttery hucks.
Next we had Nor'easter, a team that wasn't confident in their throws, particularly in the wind, and so we basically won the game by converting our O points going downwind and getting a few breaks by forcing them forehand and fronting them when they were going upwind. This game shouldn't have been as close as 15-9, but it was a win and that was what mattered. I also ended up with a layout D in this game, which makes the first since Lewis & Clark at NW Regionals, 8 weeks ago. It's a good feeling.
After a two hour bye, we ended up against Magma, the first of two French Canadian teams we'd play on the weekend. We started off well, after going down 2-0 we took the lead 3-2 and traded until just short of half. We were down a break or two but kept battling, again forcing them underneath into the wind and fronting, which worked almost as well on the open side, but Magma had better breaks than Nor'easter and was able to convert a few more breaks than we could, especially after some of our suspect decisions close to the endzone. We should be getting more conservative the closer we get, not less. Especially with our 'D team' on the field. We found ourselves down 14-10, receiving on game point, and scored, then answered with a downwind break, and then had the disc to break again but turned it over, ending the game 15-12, but it could have been 14-13 with them going upwind again. Unfortunately, this guaranteed us 4th place in the pool, with a meaningless game against 3-0 Run Silent, Run Deep, who had clinched first.
And of course, when do we bring our best offense? In a meaningless game! We shot out to several early leads, including an 8-6 halftime lead, receiving to start the second half. My favorite point was then they threw zone on us and I got to be the middle handler, and I threw a lefty backhand, several high backhands over the cup, and a hammer for the assist. At this point I was trying to rest my ankle, and I only played O points and handled. Until, that is, we squandered our 11-9 lead to go down 11-13, with the "cap on." But with it being the last game of the day and their misunderstanding of the cap rule (win by 2 in soft cap, or so they thought), we basically captains claused our way into no cap. We came ahead 14-13, then went behind 15-14, and ahead 16-15, and then received for universe point at 16-16. I played as a handler, we worked it up the field, and after an amazing catch on an ill-advised and poorly executed throw, we had a timeout just outside the endzone. The play worked, we jammed it in, and won the meaningless game 17-16, but at least we all felt good about ourselves.
When we got back we showered and went to the grill across from our hotel (great hotel and great grill), then all immediately passed out by 10:30 because were so tired. We had an 8:30 game the next morning, and we made it to the fields by 8:10 and started the game around 8:35 or 8:40, and our lack of preparation showed. We went down early, before fighting back and taking half 8-6. Q made a lot of terrible calls, in angry Frenglish, and while it distracted us, what really started to let us down were drops and forced throws. We were up 10-8 when cap went on, and promptly managed to get give up a goal on defense, then get broken three straight times to lose 12-10. It was awful, and dropped us to the D bracket. One moment in particular sticks out, down 11-10, we work it down the field, in perfect position to tie it up and force a universe point, when we hammer it out the back of the endzone on stall 2.
After moving fields - to the satellite fields about a 15 minute walk away - we were up against FUG, a Lincoln-Sudbury HS alumni team. We only had 8 players cleated up when we started, about 15 minutes late due to the last game going to cap and our long walk over. We started out with some zone and some hucks, taking half comfortably at 8-3. Then we started to give back the lead, even letting them get within one as we proceeded to forget how to play offense with a series of ill-advised hucks and forced throws. We won on cap, 13-11.
That put us in the D bracket semifinals against Tufts (Alpha Dog), and the game proceeded without defense until they broke us twice to go up 5-3. But we broke back and took half 8-7, with the first aforementioned shoving incident on that last point of the half. The second half started out the same, with more trading, until they broke again to go up 11-9. They broke us again and went up 13-10, when we called timeout and regrouped like we had against Magma. We got as close as 13-12, but with the wind as less of a factor in this game, they closed us out with another break, 15-12, and our tournament was over.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
NJ YCC Team Profiles
Alex Kinsey Princeton
Kinsey has been a strong handler during
Bo Li Hillsboro
Having 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 over you to get the disc. And as a plus – he’s also a great defender, not just a deep poacher. Take notes, Beau.
Chris Giblin Hillsboro
A handler on
Sharath Babu JP Stevens
Sharath has a willingness to learn and work and an uncanny knack for getting open. Unfortunately, he was one of the players that I didn’t get a chance to see very much at tryouts.
Fred Tsai JP Stevens
Fred is fast. Very fast. He is squirrelly enough to get inside you to get that D, or around you to somehow get open in the endzone. The only player from JP Stevens to make the all-state team this year, he’ll be a valuable addition to the team.
Jake Raidwarter Highland Park
Untapped potential. Height, athleticism, and better hucks than short throws. In seven weeks, he’ll be a completely different player than he is now. It’s players like this that make ultimate exciting.
Sachin Desai Watchung Hills
A handler for Watchung, he’s calm with the disc under pressure and keeps the offense moving. Unfortunately, he’s another one of the players that I didn’t get to see very often at tryouts.
Alex Growney Watchung Hills
A big man with throws. The biggest decision we’re going to have to make with Alex is whether we want him going deep to catch bombs or coming under to throw them. But why choose when we can have both?
Brian Li Watchung Hills
This kid is only going to be a junior? There’s a reason Watchung chose him to be their “rare junior captain.” He looks and plays like the consummate ultimate player – slightly tall, athletic, and great extension on his throws. It will be a pleasure to play with him and watch him develop this summer.
Jesse Moy Columbia
So good you don’t even have to try out? I wouldn’t go that far, but while Jesse couldn’t make tryouts, he is still a welcome addition to the team. One of the best juniors handlers in the country, no mark can stop him. And he’s no offense-only player, as his incredible record of Callahans shows.
Julian Elman Columbia
Another player who missed tryouts, Julian has all of the throws in the game, even if he’s a little reluctant to use them. He’s come up big at states in the past, showing it with two all-state recognitions. He’s a veteran handler who will definitely aid the O team.
Zander Padget Columbia
The complete package. He’s a great cutter with an incredible vertical who doesn’t wait for the disc to come to him – he goes and gets it. And, even better, his throws are just as good as any handler’s. One of the reasons I’m so glad to play YCC’s is that I have another chance to play with Zander.
Josh Cincotta Columbia
Josh has always had throws, but in the last year he’s improved his defense and all-around game to be one of best players on the field, whether for
Brian Walter Columbia
Brian had his breakout game against Pennsbury at Easterns this year, and he’s ready for more high-level action in the spring. Playing both YCC’s and for
Ben Swerdlow Columbia
The one who made this all happen, Swerds took initiative and submitted the bids for NJ. He also looks to contribute on the field with his throws and layouts once he heals from his unfortunate pickup foot injury.
Ryan Thompson Stanford (Columbia)
Hi. It’s me. I cut. I handle. Most importantly, I play defense. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this team the best that it can be. See you in the finals,
Stephen Panasci NC State (Columbia)
My co-captain from last year (and Junior Words player), Stephen worked his way onto NC State’s starting O line as a handler. Determined to avenge his injury-filled last season of juniors ultimate and series-missing college season, Stephen is coming back with a vengeance and planning to dominate some high schoolers.
Monday, June 18, 2007
YCC Tryouts
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 disconcerting coming from a system where turnovers are unacceptable, especially for the O team. One of my goals for the team will be to try to instill that mentality into our players, which should translate into an advantage for our team, especially with how common turnovers are in juniors ultimate.
We started with a scrimmage - it was sloppy, most of us had never played together, and nobody really stood out. Evan Walter, an eighth grader, scored both of his team's goals. Afterwards, we moved into drills. We did both throwing and cutting drills, seeing who could throw short, deep, and break side, as well as who could beat their man, make sharp cuts, and who could play hard defense. Some people started to separate themselves from the rest, but it was really apparent that many New Jersey juniors players are seriously lacking an experienced coach.
The decision making and fundamentals of many non-Columbia players were deficient - players had throws and/or athleticism, and a basic sense of how to play the game (with a vertical stack and the basic forces). But the concepts of quick disc movement, smart clearing, making space for other players, and team defense weren't visible at all. We played one scrimmage with a four-second stall count - it didn't go well. The defense didn't pressure the open side cutters enough and handlers didn't look to move the disc quickly enough. For New Jersey players to be competitive nationally and in college, more teams need to pick up coaches from nearby club teams like Pike and AMP.
But despite the somewhat discouraging play, there were flashes of what certain players can bring to the team. There are some strong receivers who can beat people deep and in regularly, and handlers who make aggressive dump cuts, both back and upline. We will definitely be competitive and able to handle the other teams. But will we be deep enough? And will three practices be enough to develop sophisticated defensive and offensive concepts? Especially when most people haven't seen a spread offense and virtually nobody has ever seen a clam. It remains to be seen. I'm still upbeat about the team, while down about the state of NJ juniors ultimate. Teams need coaches from outside the system, who can bring outside/club/college perspectives and strategies to their high school teams. Hopefully this summer will help players realize that.
On a personal note, my ankle, which I sprained two weeks before nationals, is healing pretty well. I was able to play offense at about 75% and defense at 50%, and while I felt pretty sluggish, I'm not actually that out of shape. And it was five hours, and 93 degrees. Hopefully I'll get some meaningful playing time at the Boston Invite and help Brooklyn advance to the 9th place bracket.
We started with a scrimmage - it was sloppy, most of us had never played together, and nobody really stood out. Evan Walter, an eighth grader, scored both of his team's goals. Afterwards, we moved into drills. We did both throwing and cutting drills, seeing who could throw short, deep, and break side, as well as who could beat their man, make sharp cuts, and who could play hard defense. Some people started to separate themselves from the rest, but it was really apparent that many New Jersey juniors players are seriously lacking an experienced coach.
The decision making and fundamentals of many non-Columbia players were deficient - players had throws and/or athleticism, and a basic sense of how to play the game (with a vertical stack and the basic forces). But the concepts of quick disc movement, smart clearing, making space for other players, and team defense weren't visible at all. We played one scrimmage with a four-second stall count - it didn't go well. The defense didn't pressure the open side cutters enough and handlers didn't look to move the disc quickly enough. For New Jersey players to be competitive nationally and in college, more teams need to pick up coaches from nearby club teams like Pike and AMP.
But despite the somewhat discouraging play, there were flashes of what certain players can bring to the team. There are some strong receivers who can beat people deep and in regularly, and handlers who make aggressive dump cuts, both back and upline. We will definitely be competitive and able to handle the other teams. But will we be deep enough? And will three practices be enough to develop sophisticated defensive and offensive concepts? Especially when most people haven't seen a spread offense and virtually nobody has ever seen a clam. It remains to be seen. I'm still upbeat about the team, while down about the state of NJ juniors ultimate. Teams need coaches from outside the system, who can bring outside/club/college perspectives and strategies to their high school teams. Hopefully this summer will help players realize that.
On a personal note, my ankle, which I sprained two weeks before nationals, is healing pretty well. I was able to play offense at about 75% and defense at 50%, and while I felt pretty sluggish, I'm not actually that out of shape. And it was five hours, and 93 degrees. Hopefully I'll get some meaningful playing time at the Boston Invite and help Brooklyn advance to the 9th place bracket.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Goals for the Summer/Next College Season
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 never played college ultimate before. I anticipate that being vastly different next year, as only 6 returning players will have had 3 years of A-team experience. We will likely bring in at least 11 rookies, and unless Will Neff is miraculously one of the 20 transfers who got accepted to Stanford for next year, there will be a large baptism by fire for all of them as they get their first tastes of high-level college ultimate in Santa Barbara.
So where does this leave me? This year for Stanford I was very happy with my role on the team. I played primarily on defense, often as a D handler later in the year, and my matchup was frequently with the other team's second-best handler. I got very few blocks, but I feel like I did a good job of denying my man the disc, especially when I played on downfield cutters. Against Oregon in the Stanford Invite semifinals, I played eight or nine points before I had to put a mark on. I think that it was a great freshman year overall, and I got a chance to acquit myself on defense against some very good players (although Dylan did break me with a forehand huck ...).
But it's also left me hungry for more. There were points this year when we'd get the turn as a D team and I didn't care if I didn't get the disc in my hands. There were O points I played where we worked it up the field ... but I didn't touch the disc. I know that I can get open against good defenders, but I had too great of a fear of "getting in the way." I know that we have great cutters on the team, and I can anticipate their cuts and that they'll get open. So I spent most of my time trying to make continue cuts for them, opportunity cuts to the break side, and abusing the occasional poach. But at times it frustrated me that cuts I wanted to make were cut off by the more assertive veteran cutter - players who need the disc in their hands every third throw and will punish the other team for letting them have it.
Having players like Sherwood, Robbie, Nan, and Tom provides a lot of comfort and relief for the thrower, who always knows that one of them will get open, especially on D team offense. They are *the* guys who will make plays. We have plenty of other great cutters, but they have the combination of cutting, great breaks, veteran savvy, club experience, and assertiveness that makes them the go-to guys. Their names are at the top of the stat sheet, and while taking stats at Nationals when I was injured, I saw firsthand from the sideline the impact they have on the game - Sherwood played 17 straight points against Carleton in the second half. Robbie was phenomenal against Georgia.
But, at the same time, having my open deep look called off in favor of Robbie's second-later deep cut was somewhat grating and altogether too common. Oftentimes at practice I found myself going through the motions of the offense and cutting downfield passively. I think that more and more playing time as a handler was exactly what I needed, because it *mattered* if I didn't get open or get the disc. I was forced to focus on every cut and demand the disc. Evan, one of our coaches, astutely recognized my occasional lapses of focus and called me out on it. It made me wake up again, and when I went downfield I cut with more authority. And, deep down, I want the disc in my hands. A lot.
My junior year of high school I was almost exclusively a D player. My assignment was to mark the best handlers on the other team and take away their hucks. I relished the chance to be in and testing myself against the best juniors players in the country, with my teammates counting on my mark to deny the deep look. Especially after a sophomore year where I played hard but sparingly. Junior year was a very similar situation to this past year. We had studs too, players who were undeniably among the best in the country, and they ran the offense. My job was to play defense, and once we got the turn, I was supposed to run the other team's handler into the ground. I scored a lot of goals and got a lot of D's, but my touches were still limited.
Over that summer, I played summer league for the first time. I found myself stuck on a team of old, not-very-good vets and inexperienced young players. Summer league was the first time that I handled in earnest, the first time that I needed to be *the guy* for our team. We came into the playoffs seeded third to last, upset the third-ranked team, and then I went to ultimate camp. Then I realized that not only was I able to be *the guy* on my summer league team, but I could do it while playing with and against elite juniors players too. I got that feeling and held onto it for the rest of my senior year. I literally had every third touch playing as a receiver against Pennsbury in our pool play game at Fall Brawl, a 12-11 win for us. I was matching up against the other team's best player, be he a handler or receiver, and getting D's and still getting open on the other end. It felt great.
Fast forward to this summer. I'm going to be playing on the New Jersey YCC team, which means I'll be playing with and against high schoolers again. While that will be fun, getting open at will against high schoolers means nothing for my college game. I need to play against higher-level, more athletic, and more physical competition. I need to find the Wisconsins of the area (Ring is a little far) and play against them. I know it was at Fools Fest, but taking deep, skying, and breaking for the assist a Ring player shows me that I can compete at higher levels of ultimate. I want to come back to Stanford injury-free and with the confidence that I can play a bigger role in games against good teams.
Ultimately, my goal for the summer and fall is to prepare myself mentally and physically to step into the shoes left by our graduating players. I'm not going to come back and be to the team what Robbie or Tom was this year, but my goal is to be to the team next year what Sherwood was his junior year. I can see myself draped on Dusty like Wood was on Tim Gehret (although probably not as fouly). I know it's ambitious, but there will be a void left from our 10 departures, and I will not be shy about filling it. I just need to buckle down and focus. It starts next weekend with the Boston Invite.
So where does this leave me? This year for Stanford I was very happy with my role on the team. I played primarily on defense, often as a D handler later in the year, and my matchup was frequently with the other team's second-best handler. I got very few blocks, but I feel like I did a good job of denying my man the disc, especially when I played on downfield cutters. Against Oregon in the Stanford Invite semifinals, I played eight or nine points before I had to put a mark on. I think that it was a great freshman year overall, and I got a chance to acquit myself on defense against some very good players (although Dylan did break me with a forehand huck ...).
But it's also left me hungry for more. There were points this year when we'd get the turn as a D team and I didn't care if I didn't get the disc in my hands. There were O points I played where we worked it up the field ... but I didn't touch the disc. I know that I can get open against good defenders, but I had too great of a fear of "getting in the way." I know that we have great cutters on the team, and I can anticipate their cuts and that they'll get open. So I spent most of my time trying to make continue cuts for them, opportunity cuts to the break side, and abusing the occasional poach. But at times it frustrated me that cuts I wanted to make were cut off by the more assertive veteran cutter - players who need the disc in their hands every third throw and will punish the other team for letting them have it.
Having players like Sherwood, Robbie, Nan, and Tom provides a lot of comfort and relief for the thrower, who always knows that one of them will get open, especially on D team offense. They are *the* guys who will make plays. We have plenty of other great cutters, but they have the combination of cutting, great breaks, veteran savvy, club experience, and assertiveness that makes them the go-to guys. Their names are at the top of the stat sheet, and while taking stats at Nationals when I was injured, I saw firsthand from the sideline the impact they have on the game - Sherwood played 17 straight points against Carleton in the second half. Robbie was phenomenal against Georgia.
But, at the same time, having my open deep look called off in favor of Robbie's second-later deep cut was somewhat grating and altogether too common. Oftentimes at practice I found myself going through the motions of the offense and cutting downfield passively. I think that more and more playing time as a handler was exactly what I needed, because it *mattered* if I didn't get open or get the disc. I was forced to focus on every cut and demand the disc. Evan, one of our coaches, astutely recognized my occasional lapses of focus and called me out on it. It made me wake up again, and when I went downfield I cut with more authority. And, deep down, I want the disc in my hands. A lot.
My junior year of high school I was almost exclusively a D player. My assignment was to mark the best handlers on the other team and take away their hucks. I relished the chance to be in and testing myself against the best juniors players in the country, with my teammates counting on my mark to deny the deep look. Especially after a sophomore year where I played hard but sparingly. Junior year was a very similar situation to this past year. We had studs too, players who were undeniably among the best in the country, and they ran the offense. My job was to play defense, and once we got the turn, I was supposed to run the other team's handler into the ground. I scored a lot of goals and got a lot of D's, but my touches were still limited.
Over that summer, I played summer league for the first time. I found myself stuck on a team of old, not-very-good vets and inexperienced young players. Summer league was the first time that I handled in earnest, the first time that I needed to be *the guy* for our team. We came into the playoffs seeded third to last, upset the third-ranked team, and then I went to ultimate camp. Then I realized that not only was I able to be *the guy* on my summer league team, but I could do it while playing with and against elite juniors players too. I got that feeling and held onto it for the rest of my senior year. I literally had every third touch playing as a receiver against Pennsbury in our pool play game at Fall Brawl, a 12-11 win for us. I was matching up against the other team's best player, be he a handler or receiver, and getting D's and still getting open on the other end. It felt great.
Fast forward to this summer. I'm going to be playing on the New Jersey YCC team, which means I'll be playing with and against high schoolers again. While that will be fun, getting open at will against high schoolers means nothing for my college game. I need to play against higher-level, more athletic, and more physical competition. I need to find the Wisconsins of the area (Ring is a little far) and play against them. I know it was at Fools Fest, but taking deep, skying, and breaking for the assist a Ring player shows me that I can compete at higher levels of ultimate. I want to come back to Stanford injury-free and with the confidence that I can play a bigger role in games against good teams.
Ultimately, my goal for the summer and fall is to prepare myself mentally and physically to step into the shoes left by our graduating players. I'm not going to come back and be to the team what Robbie or Tom was this year, but my goal is to be to the team next year what Sherwood was his junior year. I can see myself draped on Dusty like Wood was on Tim Gehret (although probably not as fouly). I know it's ambitious, but there will be a void left from our 10 departures, and I will not be shy about filling it. I just need to buckle down and focus. It starts next weekend with the Boston Invite.
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Impact of Juniors Players
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 Pittsburgh's three main handlers, one was All-Region fifth-year player TallE, and the other two were freshmen - the Metro East FotY and junior worlds player, and a national youth club champion with Philly SEPDA. After Sean McComb and TallE led Pitt to Nationals the two previous years, McComb graduated and the two freshmen came in and the team didn't miss a beat.
Oregon has been reloading on the back of high school studs from South Eugene for the past couple years. Harvard rode on the back of Will Chen, the Stuyvesant baller, and now they're getting a freshman who has played with Chain for two years and captained the US junior worlds team. A third of Stanford's team played in high school. Brown was carried on the backs of high school studs from NMH and Paideia for their championship season (oh, and a little guy from Amherst, what was his name again?). Colorado has been the recipient of copious juniors talent as well. Teams that made waves this year like Minnesota have more and more players drawn from their high school leagues.
But the influence doesn't begin and end with the big teams. Juniors players who go to small colleges don't want to stop playing ultimate, and as a result new teams are forming across the country. San Francisco State and Hartford are just a couple of the many new teams competing at sectionals this year. Connecticut College in the women's division made the jump to Regionals this year, with an all-region junior worlds freshman leading the way. I think that we can expect to see the University of San Francisco appear at Bay Area sectionals next year, as they're picking up a junior worlds player as well.
But most rosters at Nationals were not loaded with juniors players. It's clear that schools like UCSB and Florida can compete without a constant stream of juniors players. Large schools have a huge pool of potential players and former high school athletes to draw from (12 of the 16 teams at nationals on the open side were state schools). But looking at the roster of a team like Carleton, they're a juniors ultimate haven. Brown was led by juniors players when they won nationals. Right now, it seems like smaller schools need to hope for those juniors players who want a small-school environment, and not wait to pick up superstar athletes from their admittedly academically- and size-constrained player pool.
Schools like Pittsburgh have reached out to juniors players at local tournaments and at larger events like High School Easterns. At Easterns both my junior and senior year, Pitt players went around handing out CD's with photos and information about Pitt Ultimate. Counselors at camps like NUTC made connections with students to send them to their alma maters - Wesleyan, Carleton, and MIT to name a few. But as more juniors players become more aware of the college ultimate scene, they will start to base their decisions more and more on what schools will give them a chance to play high-level ultimate. The influx of ultimate players at Carleton is proof of that - I myself only applied to Stanford and Wisconsin (with Carleton as a backup). It may begin to be the case that juniors players will stop being a parity-inducing force, and that they will actually start to separate the programs that have made it from the programs going nowhere.
State schools are beginning to reap the benefits of having a good high school ultimate program in their state - Pittsburgh has the benefit of having two, Oregon and Minnesota are doing well, and Georgia ends up with a few Paideia kids every year. But it's schools like Georgia and Wisconsin where a juniors player may start off with an advantage (and knowing how to throw is a pretty big advantage), but quickly be surpassed by a far more athletic new recruit. Even four athletic A-team juniors players at Stanford were taken aback by Robbie Cahill going from zero to hero in less than a full year. But as juniors players continue to develop, that gap will be more insurmountable for most players at smaller schools, who don't have 20,000 ex-varsity athletes to choose from.
I think it will be very interesting over the next few years to see how Whitman College performs, as they're typically a mid-level finisher at NW regionals who just came off a phenomenal recruiting year. Can they make anything out of it? Will they take a possible third bid to Nationals in a few years? Or even the second? On a similar note, this is Rutgers' best recruiting class in years - will they finally be able to make it to the second day of Regionals? Rutgers traditionally picks up a lot of NJ juniors players who haven't had much out-of-state or high-level experience, and they don't adapt as well to the more physical and fast-paced college game. They've also had problems with numbers at practice, and they'll be another team to watch try to put together the pieces. Rutgers is also a massive school that traditionally hasn't gotten the best recruits, perhaps as part of a vicious cycle of underachieving. Whitman and Rutgers - can they take advantage of their incoming freshman and actually make some waves? We'll have to wait and see ...
Oregon has been reloading on the back of high school studs from South Eugene for the past couple years. Harvard rode on the back of Will Chen, the Stuyvesant baller, and now they're getting a freshman who has played with Chain for two years and captained the US junior worlds team. A third of Stanford's team played in high school. Brown was carried on the backs of high school studs from NMH and Paideia for their championship season (oh, and a little guy from Amherst, what was his name again?). Colorado has been the recipient of copious juniors talent as well. Teams that made waves this year like Minnesota have more and more players drawn from their high school leagues.
But the influence doesn't begin and end with the big teams. Juniors players who go to small colleges don't want to stop playing ultimate, and as a result new teams are forming across the country. San Francisco State and Hartford are just a couple of the many new teams competing at sectionals this year. Connecticut College in the women's division made the jump to Regionals this year, with an all-region junior worlds freshman leading the way. I think that we can expect to see the University of San Francisco appear at Bay Area sectionals next year, as they're picking up a junior worlds player as well.
But most rosters at Nationals were not loaded with juniors players. It's clear that schools like UCSB and Florida can compete without a constant stream of juniors players. Large schools have a huge pool of potential players and former high school athletes to draw from (12 of the 16 teams at nationals on the open side were state schools). But looking at the roster of a team like Carleton, they're a juniors ultimate haven. Brown was led by juniors players when they won nationals. Right now, it seems like smaller schools need to hope for those juniors players who want a small-school environment, and not wait to pick up superstar athletes from their admittedly academically- and size-constrained player pool.
Schools like Pittsburgh have reached out to juniors players at local tournaments and at larger events like High School Easterns. At Easterns both my junior and senior year, Pitt players went around handing out CD's with photos and information about Pitt Ultimate. Counselors at camps like NUTC made connections with students to send them to their alma maters - Wesleyan, Carleton, and MIT to name a few. But as more juniors players become more aware of the college ultimate scene, they will start to base their decisions more and more on what schools will give them a chance to play high-level ultimate. The influx of ultimate players at Carleton is proof of that - I myself only applied to Stanford and Wisconsin (with Carleton as a backup). It may begin to be the case that juniors players will stop being a parity-inducing force, and that they will actually start to separate the programs that have made it from the programs going nowhere.
State schools are beginning to reap the benefits of having a good high school ultimate program in their state - Pittsburgh has the benefit of having two, Oregon and Minnesota are doing well, and Georgia ends up with a few Paideia kids every year. But it's schools like Georgia and Wisconsin where a juniors player may start off with an advantage (and knowing how to throw is a pretty big advantage), but quickly be surpassed by a far more athletic new recruit. Even four athletic A-team juniors players at Stanford were taken aback by Robbie Cahill going from zero to hero in less than a full year. But as juniors players continue to develop, that gap will be more insurmountable for most players at smaller schools, who don't have 20,000 ex-varsity athletes to choose from.
I think it will be very interesting over the next few years to see how Whitman College performs, as they're typically a mid-level finisher at NW regionals who just came off a phenomenal recruiting year. Can they make anything out of it? Will they take a possible third bid to Nationals in a few years? Or even the second? On a similar note, this is Rutgers' best recruiting class in years - will they finally be able to make it to the second day of Regionals? Rutgers traditionally picks up a lot of NJ juniors players who haven't had much out-of-state or high-level experience, and they don't adapt as well to the more physical and fast-paced college game. They've also had problems with numbers at practice, and they'll be another team to watch try to put together the pieces. Rutgers is also a massive school that traditionally hasn't gotten the best recruits, perhaps as part of a vicious cycle of underachieving. Whitman and Rutgers - can they take advantage of their incoming freshman and actually make some waves? We'll have to wait and see ...
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