This Winter/Spring we will see one of the biggest events in our sport, the selection and preparation of Team USA for World Games in Taipei. I'm really interested in this series of events because I've been around long enough to see a few Worlds come and go and I also remember when Team USA had their fun back in 2005. From the looks of things, 2009 will be considerably different than a few years ago but the excitement and anticipation is ready and waiting.
Worlds?
So I've written about this a number of times, but it never loses it's importance. Worlds? Didn't we just have that last August? Yes but there are also 3 kinds of Worlds, each happening once every 4 years so there is a Worlds event 3 out of every 4 years.
WUGC ('00, '04, '08)- World Ultimate and Guts Championships is the World Cup of Ultimate. Each country is responsible for selecting one team to represent it's Nation. Some countries pick the winner of their country's National title (USA, Canada, and Japan) and others select an All-Star team to represent their Nation (UK and Australia). Either way, this is usually the best tournament from a team perspective. It has every division, Open, Women, Mixed, Masters, and Juniors (boys and girls) and there are usually a fair amount of teams competing. In Vancouver, there were 18 in Open, 15 Women, 12 Mixed, 10 Masters, 8 Junior Boys, 7 Junior girls for a total of 70 teams. I also think the team rivalries are the strongest here with USA (Sockeye) vs Canada (Furious), USA vs Japan (Open and Women), Australia vs Great Britain, etc...
World Games ('01, '05, '09)- This is a tournament that is more or less all the games that aren't in the Olympics, at least that is how it was explained to me. Each sport is given a certain number of players that can be present which drastically limits the number of competitors and the number of divisions. Also, Ultimate is only a small part of this Worlds event, unlike WUGC and WUCC, and because each sport is limited by participants, the Ultimate is Mixed. This tournament is probably the best from a player's perspective because it is such an honor to be selected. In the US there were hundreds of applicants for less than 20 final spots. The selection of the team is almost like American Idol, in that the hype and preparation for the tournament is probably more exciting than the tournament itself (or in the case of AI, their music career). Another major restriction for this tournament is that only 6 teams get to play in it, the top 5 finishers at WUGC and the host country. It is for this reason that the 5th place game at WUGC between Australia and Sweeden was such a big deal. Because the Aussies won 16-14 they get to go to World Games along with the other 4 semifinalists (Canada, USA, Japan, and UK) and Taipei.
WUCC ('02, '06, '10)- World Ultimate Club Championships is a bit weird. Some Nations send several teams, some Nations send one team and other Nations are only represented in some divisions or not at all. This tournament seems to be the most fun for players because the people that really want to be there are usually in greater numbers than people that should be there. For whatever reason, it does not have the draw of WUGC, so a lot of the best teams pass on the tournament (Furious, Sockeye, Fury, Riot, Jam, Boston, etc..) giving other teams an opportunity. This tournament will be in Prauge in 2010 and despite the fact that there is probably some sort of selection process, I do not know what it is.
Here is a website that discusses this in greater detail.
2005 vs 2009
In 2005, things were fairly different from this year. 4 years ago, the only selection criteria was an application process (no tryouts) which resulted in some interesting choices. For starters, without a tryout process, it seemed like the UPA wanted to give Open, Women's and Mixed representation. This made sense, but it was easy to see right off the bat that the team selection was going to be a bit more political, as opposed to strictly talent based. In addition, it seemed like service to the game was a big part of the selection process, which is fine, it just highlighted the idea that this particular Team USA had diplomatic goals in mind as opposed to just winning Gold.
Worlds?
So I've written about this a number of times, but it never loses it's importance. Worlds? Didn't we just have that last August? Yes but there are also 3 kinds of Worlds, each happening once every 4 years so there is a Worlds event 3 out of every 4 years.
WUGC ('00, '04, '08)- World Ultimate and Guts Championships is the World Cup of Ultimate. Each country is responsible for selecting one team to represent it's Nation. Some countries pick the winner of their country's National title (USA, Canada, and Japan) and others select an All-Star team to represent their Nation (UK and Australia). Either way, this is usually the best tournament from a team perspective. It has every division, Open, Women, Mixed, Masters, and Juniors (boys and girls) and there are usually a fair amount of teams competing. In Vancouver, there were 18 in Open, 15 Women, 12 Mixed, 10 Masters, 8 Junior Boys, 7 Junior girls for a total of 70 teams. I also think the team rivalries are the strongest here with USA (Sockeye) vs Canada (Furious), USA vs Japan (Open and Women), Australia vs Great Britain, etc...
World Games ('01, '05, '09)- This is a tournament that is more or less all the games that aren't in the Olympics, at least that is how it was explained to me. Each sport is given a certain number of players that can be present which drastically limits the number of competitors and the number of divisions. Also, Ultimate is only a small part of this Worlds event, unlike WUGC and WUCC, and because each sport is limited by participants, the Ultimate is Mixed. This tournament is probably the best from a player's perspective because it is such an honor to be selected. In the US there were hundreds of applicants for less than 20 final spots. The selection of the team is almost like American Idol, in that the hype and preparation for the tournament is probably more exciting than the tournament itself (or in the case of AI, their music career). Another major restriction for this tournament is that only 6 teams get to play in it, the top 5 finishers at WUGC and the host country. It is for this reason that the 5th place game at WUGC between Australia and Sweeden was such a big deal. Because the Aussies won 16-14 they get to go to World Games along with the other 4 semifinalists (Canada, USA, Japan, and UK) and Taipei.
WUCC ('02, '06, '10)- World Ultimate Club Championships is a bit weird. Some Nations send several teams, some Nations send one team and other Nations are only represented in some divisions or not at all. This tournament seems to be the most fun for players because the people that really want to be there are usually in greater numbers than people that should be there. For whatever reason, it does not have the draw of WUGC, so a lot of the best teams pass on the tournament (Furious, Sockeye, Fury, Riot, Jam, Boston, etc..) giving other teams an opportunity. This tournament will be in Prauge in 2010 and despite the fact that there is probably some sort of selection process, I do not know what it is.
Here is a website that discusses this in greater detail.
2005 vs 2009
In 2005, things were fairly different from this year. 4 years ago, the only selection criteria was an application process (no tryouts) which resulted in some interesting choices. For starters, without a tryout process, it seemed like the UPA wanted to give Open, Women's and Mixed representation. This made sense, but it was easy to see right off the bat that the team selection was going to be a bit more political, as opposed to strictly talent based. In addition, it seemed like service to the game was a big part of the selection process, which is fine, it just highlighted the idea that this particular Team USA had diplomatic goals in mind as opposed to just winning Gold.
Some of the roster choices in 2005 were easy to see and some not so much. Chase Sparling-Beckley and Josh Ziperstein made the team which seemed very appropriate because Chase had just won a club title with Sockeye and Zip the Callahan and College Title (Brown). Mike Namkung was the veteran captain which was also understandable given his experience with Black Tide, the Condors and Team USA (WUGC 2004). Will Deaver was/is a Bravo standout and given his role as Championship Director, it looked like he was a good choice for diplomatic reasons.
As for the woman, they were as strong as the men with Miranda Roth ('05 Callahan Winner), Deb Cussen (Riot, Club Champion '04), Angela Lin (Ozone), and Gwen Ambler (Stanford and Fury) but with Gwen came alternate issues. She, like Alex Nord, was an alternate for Team USA which at the time didn't make a lot of sense to me because few players in the game were as talented/decorated as Nord or Gambler. I don't think anyone including the participants were certain what alternates, if any, would make the Final team but in the end Nord and Gambler didn't go to Germany, which was more evidence that the team selection was fairly subjective.
Now many people will will quickly say that Ron Kubalanza or Dominque Fontenette deserved their spot on Team USA (and I even forget now who was on the team and who were alternates) but my only point is to just show that there were all kinds of players that were and were not on the team and this completely omits all the players that had their applications rejected.
With this background, I think the UPA is now more interested in selecting a team based not only on their on-paper accolades, but their full speed capabilities as well, hence the two tryouts. This is a huge step forward in the selection process of Team USA and is a major reason why 2009 will be so exciting as well as more objective.
The first round has already taken place with offers to 80 players or so and despite the fact that I know a few players that should be on this list and are not, I think the chosen few are fantastic and the whole process will be an experience each participant will never forget. The first tryout will be for West Coast applicants February 21st and 22nd at Cal State Northridge. The other will be the following weekend at the Polo Fields in Sarasota for the East Coast participants.
Former Members
In looking at the list, my first concern is that several players from the 2005 team are trying out again and that doesn't really seem fair to me. Considering the fact that only a select few can even tryout, seeing people like Jeff Eastham, Bart Watson, Mike Namkung, Miranda Roth, and Dominique Fontenette on this this list makes me kind of cringe. Players like Adam "Wormser" Bunn didn't even get a chance to tryout so in my opinion, giving spots to former Team USA representatives and not up and comers is a bit bogus.
I discussed the same argument when I wrote about Junior Worlds because there were several players from the Boys team in Vancouver that were on the Gold medal team in 2006. George Stubbs and Grant Lindsley had two chances to win Gold and I don't really think that is right, given the level of talent that was rejected and the fact that their closest game in Vancouver was 17-7. Because the 2009 Team USA will only have 15-20 players, it seems a bit unfair to give a roster spot to a person that has already filled the seat much less a tryout opportunity. Given the quality of players on the list, I think a Gold medal team could be selected without choosing any former members and I hope in the future there are restrictions on being selected more than once.
Who I want to see in Taipei
With that being said, I am kinda going back on my last point with this next one because the first person on my list for this team is Gwen Ambler. Seeing her as an alternate in 2005 sucked because I thought she deserved to go to Germany and despite the fact that I hoped she'd get a roster spot come tourney time, it didn't happen. She did just win a Gold medal in Vancouver but Taipei is more or less about being chosen by the UPA and there is no one that has put more into this sport than Gwen (male or female).
Another name that jumped out at me was Mike Caldwell. Mike represents the core of Seattle Sockeye's success the last 5-6 years and MC has been a fundamental part of the best team in the world for nearly a decade. Sockeye's example as a program has raised the bar in the Club sphere the way Wisconsin has in the College scene. Mike's role as Fish Captain, in my opinion, makes him a front runner to make Team USA and be chosen as one of the veteran leaders. Plus, I also think he got a raw deal in Vancouver because his wife gave birth the night before the Gold medal game with Furious. Now I know that this is a miracle of life and I am sure he loves his new child as much as his first, but I think his performance in the Gold medal game suffered because of it. I think a second opportunity to represent his country would be fitting and well received. Plus it'd make a great story.
Team Representation
Another issue that has come up with respect to Team USA is the number of tryouts that come from the same team. Johnny Bravo has quite a few, as does Sockeye, Jam, and Ironside. This makes sense though because they represent the best Open teams over the last few years and using Club experience as a major selection criteria is pretty objective and fair. The same could be said for San Francisco Fury, which makes even more sense because they are the most dominant team since the glory days of DoG.
However, the issue then becomes, who do you pick from these teams? Greg Connelly and whomever else is picking this squad, cannot pick 3 players from Bravo and zero from Ironside, or at least I don't think they will, so the question becomes, who gets chosen? Who do you pick from Sammy CK, Ben Wiggins, Mike Caldwell, and Seth Wiggins? I think the tryout process will streamline things but it will be a real challenge to figure out who you want handling, cutting, D-ing up, etc... If you pick a Bravo handler like Parker Krugg, can you pick a JB cutter like Mac Taylor? If you go for Dylan Tunnell does that mean Greg Swanson doesn't have a chance. I think this is the scariest case. Teams like Bravo, Ironside and Jam have made semis and finals but Chain has just made semis and isn't in the hightest tier of elite teams yet. Does that mean they can only hope for 1 player on Team USA and not 2? Once again, the tryout process will definitely help but it is still a dicey issue.
Along this Chain Lightning point, the issue of regional representation gets interesting. Ultimate hubs are in places like Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, and Denver, but what about guys like Tank and Muffin? Do you try and get players out of the South, Central, or Southwest (excluding Colorado)? Is that a selection criteria? Again, I think a tryout process streamlines things, but it will be really tough to pick 5 or 6 players (out of 20) from one region and completely pass up another one.
And what about Mixed? You have National champion players (or close to it) in the Smith brothers (Mischief), Kendra Frederick (Slow White), Mike Miller (Slow White) and Rusty Ingold-Smith (Slow White). Do they stand a chance? I am glad to see that a few tryout spots were offered to Mixed players and I wonder if their experience will help them in a tryout process that will require great skill across sexes.
With all of this to consider, the drama associated with Team USA is through the roof. The tryout event will definitely be a sight to witness/participate in because it will be one of the best showcases of talent since MLU back in 2006 and it will represent both Men and Women. The next round of selections, like the first, will say a lot about the players on the next list and more importantly, what kind of team the UPA wants representing the Red, White and Blue.
Closing Thoughts
The last thing to consider when looking at potential tryouts is their diplomatic skill and players like Ben Wiggins, BVH, and Gwen Ambler have a huge advantage because of their contributions as coaches and media sources. I'm not certain this will be a major selection criteria but it has me wondering. Players like Muffin, Seth Wiggins, and Tucker all have distinct personalities and I wonder how that will factor into player selection. I'm sure each tryout is humbled by this honor and will be on their best behavior but balancing personalities is a big part of building a team and will be important in defending our title.
In the end, this process is just exciting. Pretty soon we'll have an idea of who will be selected to the top 20 and following them through their preparation will be exhilarating. I remember when Team USA won Poultry Days 4 years ago and I was there when they beat Team Canada at Potlatch but lost in Semis to Vagabonds. However, they won Gold over Australia in 2005 and there is no reason why Team USA can't do it again in 2009.
just my thoughts
match diesel
Along this Chain Lightning point, the issue of regional representation gets interesting. Ultimate hubs are in places like Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, and Denver, but what about guys like Tank and Muffin? Do you try and get players out of the South, Central, or Southwest (excluding Colorado)? Is that a selection criteria? Again, I think a tryout process streamlines things, but it will be really tough to pick 5 or 6 players (out of 20) from one region and completely pass up another one.
And what about Mixed? You have National champion players (or close to it) in the Smith brothers (Mischief), Kendra Frederick (Slow White), Mike Miller (Slow White) and Rusty Ingold-Smith (Slow White). Do they stand a chance? I am glad to see that a few tryout spots were offered to Mixed players and I wonder if their experience will help them in a tryout process that will require great skill across sexes.
With all of this to consider, the drama associated with Team USA is through the roof. The tryout event will definitely be a sight to witness/participate in because it will be one of the best showcases of talent since MLU back in 2006 and it will represent both Men and Women. The next round of selections, like the first, will say a lot about the players on the next list and more importantly, what kind of team the UPA wants representing the Red, White and Blue.
Closing Thoughts
The last thing to consider when looking at potential tryouts is their diplomatic skill and players like Ben Wiggins, BVH, and Gwen Ambler have a huge advantage because of their contributions as coaches and media sources. I'm not certain this will be a major selection criteria but it has me wondering. Players like Muffin, Seth Wiggins, and Tucker all have distinct personalities and I wonder how that will factor into player selection. I'm sure each tryout is humbled by this honor and will be on their best behavior but balancing personalities is a big part of building a team and will be important in defending our title.
In the end, this process is just exciting. Pretty soon we'll have an idea of who will be selected to the top 20 and following them through their preparation will be exhilarating. I remember when Team USA won Poultry Days 4 years ago and I was there when they beat Team Canada at Potlatch but lost in Semis to Vagabonds. However, they won Gold over Australia in 2005 and there is no reason why Team USA can't do it again in 2009.
just my thoughts
match diesel
8 comments:
taMatch - While I appreciate many of your ideas and comments, I think you have it dead wrong on people choosing to play or not on an All-Star team. In particular George Stubbs, Ollie Honderd and Grant Lindsley (my son). If I were an 18-19 year old and had a chance to play for the US Juniors more than once, especially at Worlds in Vancouver with all the various teams from around the world (as opposed to Devins, MA in '06 with only Juniors playing), I'd take it in a heartbeat.
Let the rule that restricts people playing only once on a team,come from the organizations. But don't blame the players if they have the chance to play. It's too rich an experience to walk away from voluntarily.
Keep up the terrific commentary.
I wouldn't expect players to walk away from the opportunity voluntarily. I absolutely believe the responsibility is with the UPA to have these sorts of restrictions and believe me if I were in a position like Ollie, George or Grant to represent my country more than once, I would take it. I don't think they are acting selfishly at all, I just think opening up opportunities to other players (especially Juniors) is something the UPA should have an interest in.
Plus, as you said, representing your country is a "rich" experience and I think it is more than fair to give that opportunity to more players. And once again, when you are winning games 17-7 do you really think a previous gold medal winner who's already finished a year of college needs to be there? Especially when a poor 16 year old, still in high school (i.e. really is a Junior), who could probably help earn gold just as well, was turned away.
FYI, the selection process for the 6 nations in the 2009 World Games was "based on an elaborate system which considered the Vancouver results in several divisions", I think covering Open, Women's and Mixed. The 5 qualifiers (not including host Taiwan) qualified by being successful throughout these divisions, not just Open... Sweden for example had no mixed team so the 5/6 game in Open didn't really have any broader implications.
team canada has been picked, cant wait to see how team USA matches up.....
www.canadianultimate.com
Go Canada!
your take that the best teams pass on WUCC is not entirely correct. they pass sometimes, but only because of location. they passed in '06 because it was in the most remote city in the world, perth. in '02 all the best US/CAN (maybe not euros, since it was in hawaii) teams were there. same with in '99 in Scotland -- everyone from the whole globe was there. if you go back to '97 WUCC in vancouver, the only good team not to go was DoG (granted, the best team), they decided the four-peat was more important so they skipped the tourney.
a choice location like prague, i can bet you no one will be skipping that. it's like real estate, baby. location, location, location.
I think people are reading too much into who was invited to the tryouts. So what if 8 Bravo guys got invited. Without seeing a list of people who applied but weren't invited we can't deduce much. All players bear the travel costs (significant) so perhaps there are some that can't afford it, or can't take time off work, and didn't bother to apply. (Wormser should've been invited though.)
As for the repeat entries (Bart, Gwen, etc.) I think this tournament is unique and previous players will have a lot to add. Hence Dom playing '01 and '05. So I expect to see at least one '05 player on the '09 roster, and at least one mixed player (like Scotty in '05).
The roster size (13) at WGs is also absurd. That's an indictment of WFDF's lack of political capital. In '01 there were 12; in '05 there were 13. Why no upgrade this year?
Location...and TIMING. The 2006 WUCC was held during what is considered the off-season here in the US (November). That, in addition to the location, played a major role in determining which teams attended.
2001 had 10 players per team, 2005 had 11, 2009 will have 13, I think WFDF is making progress. It might not be fast enough, but it's an improvement.
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