Final Thoughts on 2008

Wow, what a year. It began with my team write-ups and it ended in the best way possible, a front row seat at College Nationals in Boulder, CO. I wanted to comment on some things that really stuck out for me throughout the season and I suppose it’s a good way to end the college year.

Arizona
Wow, this team was so much fun to follow. Not only did I get to write about them after Vegas and throughout the year but I also got to hang out with them in Boulder and they are such a class act. Their team has such a collection of entities that really facilitates their synergistic development.

Chris Shepard is such a phenomenal leader. He isn’t the teams highlight reel but everyone likes and respects him. Everyone depends on him to lead the team on and off the field and he kind of reminds me of myself with the teams I have played for. It was pretty awesome to share shots Saturday night and from what I can remember, I think we had a really good time.

Joe Kershner is also such an amazing person. I got the chance to talk to him right after he got the Callahan award and it was so cool to see a guy like him win it. Nothing against previous winners but people like Ben Wiggins and Zipp must have known it was coming. Likewise, Richter was such a big leaguer that he wasn’t even there to accept the award in 2004 but Loppi embodied how most players would feel if they got the award. He was absolutely speechless and for a guy with so much heart and commitment to our sport, there is nothing better than seeing someone like that get the award.

Another Sunburn player I really like is Austin Gregersen. I have been talking him up a lot and the thing I like the most about him is that he is so humble, not unlike the rest of his team. He is such a baller and can handle just about anything on the field but he is still so chill and down to earth. I was this crazy red head that came into Boulder and was all in his, and the rest of his team’s, face and he just took it in stride and had a good time with me. Thanks again Austin, you’re a champ.

Lastly, I want to thank the team as a whole. Gafni, Scharf, Palmer, Husid, and everyone else on this team really accepted me and that was a validation I needed. I work so hard to do this and feedback from the players is something I really enjoy. Some people get on my case for not talking up this team or that or for not saying what they want to hear, but when the players support me, it makes it all worth it. Sunburn really gave me the reassurance I needed. I am all alone at this and despite my confidence in my opinions, I still feel it when people criticize me. Thanks again guys, it’s been a pleasure.

Georgia
These guys are absolutely crazy, but they are a ton of fun. Their team mentality is something I cannot even begin to transcend here. Travis Smith is such a great character and despite Dempsey’s and Swason’s amazing skill, they are very down to earth guys. Ben Morrissey is also a great guy to chill with, as is Will McDonough and when you see Georgia mixing it up with this team or that off the field, it is obvious that they are easy to like. Alex Deckhard and AJ Tiarsmith coach a great team and I can only imagine the stories this team has. I have always been a big fan of Jojah and it was really nice to hear positive things tossed my way this weekend. Thanks again guys, it means a lot to me.

Michigan
Magnum didn’t have the best weekend but they are a team that isn’t finished. Ryan maybe done but their young talent will get Michigan back to Nationals in the future. One person I cannot say enough about is Will Neff. I suppose I don’t expect much from superstars, but his demeanor is really refreshing. I talked with him after pool play on Friday and despite the fact that he had no idea who I was (sort of), he was willing to talk shop with me. I am not out to bug these people or follow them around like idols. I just really want to give "you" the reader a sense of what the Nationals experience is like. Like Chris Shepard, Will is a great leader that has the ability to make his teammates better by simply being himself. They can turn to him on and off the field and despite his obvious talents and experience, he is right there when they need him. Great work this year and I’ll do my best to hype you up in 2009 so you can get a spot at the podium.

Carleton
I have a complicated relationship with Carleton. I will admit that I have not talked them up much and from what they had to say to me in Boulder, I got the feeling they knew they weren’t my favorite. However, the main reason it went down this way is that when I did my team write-ups, they were the only team that didn’t take me seriously. I am a young aspiring writer, I know, but every team from Florida to Wisconsin to Stanford all talked to me with respect and CUT didn’t.

However, I think things are drastically different now. I have had the chance to see them at their best and I can say that I was wrong in doubting their talents. In addition, I got the chance to party with them and I hope they know now that I’m not such a bad guy. Baylis, Lindsley, Fagin, Evangelides and the rest of CUT are great guys and I now hope that there is some mutual respect there. Maybe in 2009 things will be different.

Also, I want to offer a formal apology to Jacob Goldstein for implying that he was fat. I can’t even remember what post I said he was “stocky” but I meant no disrespect. I actually meant quite the contrary. So many players out there, especially on CUT, are scrappy twigs and for us bigger kids, it’s tough to compete in this game. I think Jake is a great player and I really enjoy watching him play both for Boston and when he was at Carleton. Best of luck in the coming club season and sorry you don’t like my flames. It’s my flare and I would be doing myself a disservice if I sacrificed what I like because some folks don’t.

The Callahan

Wow, this was probably the biggest surprise of the weekend. I have heard from a variety of sources that Kurt was really trying to change his image to get this award but despite his efforts Kershner’s likeable nature was the determining factor. I suppose, in this case, it all boils down to appreciating what you have. Despite the fact that Loppi now has a huge trophy to take back to Tucson, his team never played in the finals after Vegas. I am sure all of Arizona wants to be National champs but it’s not something they could ever do. No matter how hard they worked, it just wasn’t in the cards. It took each of these players 5 years just to make Nationals and despite the fact that they were rewarded with a Callahan and team spirit awards, they still were watching ultimate on Sunday instead of playing it. Conversely, Kurt is a National champ and has had more success than most other players out there would even dream of. It is nice to have it all but truth be told, it just doesn't work that way. Kurt will have a great club career playing with the most elite players in the world and Loppi tells me he is probably going to take some time off. Regardless, congratulations to both players, you've played a hell of a season.

On a more general note, the Callahan is really just a popularity contest. I think people try and put too much focus on it, especially the online community. Remember, most of these kids that are voting have no idea what the hell they are doing. Most vote with their hearts instead of their heads, because they haven't paid as close attention as people like myself and have nothing else to go on. Most people will agree that Kurt was the best player hands down but a friend of mine once told me that when choosing a Callahan nominee you should think of who you would most like as a teammate. Nothing against any of the other candidates, but Kershner is such a great guy and I can only imagine how awesome it was to be on the line with him.

In addition, people seem to always want to perfect the voting system or promote this or that way of choosing a candidate. Bottom line, it is a lot like the BCS. Computer based and most of the time, someone is always going to have an argument to bitch. Every year something unpredictable will happen that will influence the Callahan like Arizona's performance at Vegas, Wisconsin ('07) and Florida's ('06) romp, Zipp's polished character in 2005, Richter's leadership in 2004, and Wiggins' popularity in 2003. This marks the 13th year of the award and with the rise of ultimate media and nation wide discussion/tournaments, the award is still as subjective as it was when Keith Monahan won it 1996.

In the end, people see a title like "MVP" and they all respond differently. Some people vote based on their hearts, their spirit, what their captain told them to do, what they read or just randomly. Trying to perfect the award to mean "the best player" over the most spirited player or whatever runs much deeper than the award. In order to walk down that road you would have to change the values of the game and who votes for this award. Take the NBA, MLB, or NFL. In most cases the main value is to win and sports writers get to vote on who wins MVP. In ultimate that isn't the case. Spirit seems to be the underlying value and the players get to vote. So unless you want to change things around, expect these sorts of results. They aren't better or worse, they are just their own breed.

It is funny, so many people in this sport want it to be more competitive or objective yet they still demand intangibles like spirit and no refs. The later relies on emotion and gray area mind sets which are going to result in emotional and gray area consequences. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If you want a black and white objective award, you have to let it stand for something black and white (ie winning) and voted on by objective people like media personal because they spend their time watching/following the sport, not playing it. This title is more or less the NUMP team which is not the Callahan and never will be. It will never replace the Callahan because the Callahan award pays tribute to a great man who stood for things like spirit of the game. College kids are too inexperienced in this game to understand these kinds of implications and by the time you realize everything that goes into this and what it takes to change things, the end result is to just be complacent and laugh at the Callahan dicussion that rises and falls every spring. Just like those "Who are the best 10 players of all time?" or "who would win in a match up, Alex Nord or LeBron James?" these are arguments that come up on RSD every year and before you know it, you won't care. Just enjoy the game folks, winning isn't everything, games are supposed to fun and we all should try and party/get laid more often.

Freshman/Junior World's Kids
I am really glad I had the chance to research, watch and talk with some of these kids. Andrew Vogt, George Stubbs, Grant Lindsley, Andrew Hollingworth, Hylke Sneider, Ollie Hondred, and the rest of these guys are really amazing. My relationship with Kyle Weisbrod and Tiina Booth has more or less revolved around them talking up their Paidea and ARHS kids and juniors talents all around and seeing that I have seen it in the flesh, it is really awesome to witness. These kids are the future of the sport and I laugh when I think back to when I started playing ultimate and how little juniors talent I came across in San Diego. Over the last 6 years the sport has changed so much and I can only imagine how much the sport will continue to change in the future.

Ultimate Media
Ultimate coverage has really exploded over the last few years. I can remember the very first COTD (A UCSD guy getting skied in Corvalis) and now 4 years later, Rob has really changed the way people watch ultimate. Likewise, people like myself, the mssui crowd, and my fellow blogger homies like Ryan and DLK, have really tried to make the delivery of ultimate information credible, objective and interesting. I like to think that this is only the beginning and hopefully as you readers look back over the last year you can appreciate the product that we have developed. These kinds of things can potentially change the sport in good and potentially bad ways but believe me when I say that these new media friends of mine are good people and we are just trying to package ultimate the way it deserves.

College Nationals
Natties was pretty sweet this year. I think the whole CSTV/CBS thing was a waste of time but thats just my opinion. The only people at the fields were ultimate people and despite the fact that there could have been other athletes, we as ultimate folk like to congregate with ourselves becuase lets be honest, we are a bit weird and despite the fact that the ultimate subculture is bad ass, it isn't for everybody.

I am not sure where Nationals is going to be in 2009, but hopefully its more towards the East coast. Driving/flying to Columbus and flying to Boulder has been tough and it would be nice to have nationals back in Boston because Devens is legit and it is only 2 hours away from me. I think Atlanta would be a good spot as well, although it might be just as hot as Austin back in 2003. Who knows, but folks out there, if you have the chance, really try and check out Nationals, it's a great time. So much energy, so much fantastic ultimate and for you veterans out there trying to get your rookies more fired up about our sport, take a road trip with them and show them what it's like at the very highest level. You never know what impact this kind of experience can offer. Plus I want more fans to read my drivel.

Club Season
I am not sure what is gonna happen this summer. I have a few contacts scattered across the country in the elite club scene and hopefully it's enough to put some good stuff together. I think the Boston crowd is still steamed at me from a year ago and hopefully they have seen that I have changed a lot since then and will talk to me.

On a more personal note, certain things in my life have been incredibly frustrating this year. My lab work has not been as promising as it once was, my grandfather passed away, and my foot injury has not healed as I would have liked and I will be out for most of the summer, ie no Potlatch :( . This might be my body's way of telling me to slow down and focus on things that don't involve cleats and grass. However, I am lucky that I have met someone who has made me happier than I have been in a long time. She has been so great in keeping my motor running and I am very thankful to have her.

Closing Thoughts

It's funny, I think more people know me as Match than my real name, Michael Fiedler. I have met people from all over the country and at all levels. The best thing about this is that I am nothing special on the field. I work really hard, I condition a lot, but I wasn't a teenage athlete like most of you out there were. However, I have had the ability to develop a name for myself in this sport. This isn't meant to be an egotistical statement, but rather an affirmation out there to everyone in this sport. Just because you aren't a highlight reel doesn't mean you don't matter. I was a B-teamer and I have never played at a level that I write about. However, I have a passion for this game and I put it to good use. I used a free blog to change the way people read and follow ultimate. I am not unique. Nothing I have done requires a significant amount of skill or money. Anyone can do it and I really hope more people do so.

I get asked to write about Women's ultimate or to focus on certain regions or teams, and my simple response is, if you want something written about this sport, do it yourself. I am lucky that I have a lot to say and if you've ever talked to me in person, I never shut up. However, if you want ultimate content, take the Rob or Gambler initiative and do it yourself. It isn't easy, it doesn't pay much/at all. It takes a ton of time and you will never get the appreciation you want. However, if you are passionate about it, it is truly rewarding.

To sum up, thank you to all those players out there that made ultimate fun to follow this year. Thank you to all my readers and supporters, without you, this wouldn't be possible. And lastly, I want to say thank you to all my haters. You have motivated me to work harder than I ever thought possible to create and package a beautiful thing that is read by people all over the country/world. Once upon a time you may have rattled my confidence, but in the end, more people know and like me. Wear it bitches!

just my thoughts

match diesel


PS Not that anyone is going to do this, but if you are on a team that has appreciated some press from me over the last year or just likes my stuff, feel free to send me some of your team merch. I love to sport jerseys, shirts, shorts, hats or whatever from organizations that matter to me and it really is the only payment I want for putting this stuff together.

Thats why they play the game

I am going be honest. I had almost an entire write up done going into the finals. I started researching Queen City and had updates about TiV through semifinals. I was ready to go, I knew it was gonna be Wisconsin vs Arizona (shocking, I know but I was ready) but I figured the Hodags would take Sunburn 13-6 or something. However, I am getting text updates from my cousin, 5-3 Wisconsin, 10-8 Wisconsin, what the fuck? How is Arizona scoring? Sunburn lost to Claremont in quarters at regionals last year, what the hell am I missing? I dunno whats going on in the desert, but I am gonna find out. I want to write more, but I will save that for later. I will say, though, that like the Patriots, no team is invincible. Go Arizona, please talk to me.

Here is my original writeup. More to follow:

So Trouble in Vegas has come and gone, as has Queen City Tune Up. There were a lot of big winners in Vegas, not mention a few broken hearts. Charlotte also housed the biggest barn burner East of the Mississippi and my NUMP ballot looks like the floor of a Pedro Martinez sponsored cock fight. Here are my thoughts on each tourney.

Trouble In Vegas

First lets start off with the Cultimate extravaganza that has been dubbed the best and worst idea in the history of ultimate. I hear the weather was actually good this year which is nice considering the last two years were like Wyoming in November.

Wisconsin: I thought the 'dags were gonna steam roll folks but they definitely had their pulses raised en route to winning their 2nd tournament. They had close games against CUT (11-9) in semis and Arizona (12-11) in a capped finals that ended with a Sunburn score. I want to draw some conclusions, but like the 6-5 Wisconsin loss to CUT and Texas beating Colorado back in 2006, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Arizona: I get a text Saturday night, "Arizona beats Florida". I know that Sunburn has a few winter wins for the ages. They knocked off the Squids at Santa Barbara a few years back but Florida?!?! They managed to do something that no one has EVER done, beat the Gators in Vegas. The next thing I know Arizona beats Cal and faces Harvard in semis, semis?!?! Ok, Vegas is weird, Arizona wins, good luck against Wisconsin. 23 points later Arizona scores it's 11th goal to end a capped game. 11 on Wisconsin? Oregon got 9 on the Hodags at nationals and a team that has never made nationals gets 11? Are you serious? I have no idea what this result means, but I will say that no one has gotten this close to Wisconsin this year and this really shows that Arizona could be significantly better than just a quarters/semis team at Regionals. My sources say the finals were exceptionally well played on both sides. I think I am one of many that is blown away with this performance and I really hope to see more of Sunburn this year. The Southwest royalty could shift significantly this year and if Arizona can keep it up, they may have a chance to finally play in a game-to-go. I wish I had more information on them, but I'm on it.

CUT: When I asked my buddy JAM (who was there) what he thought of Carleton, he had one word, "Fast". The crafty boys from Minesooota are definitely experienced, polished and on track to challenge the best in the country. It's too bad they got all this World's talent right around the time Wisconsin was on their way to an unprescedented, and un-possible, undefeated season. Tough draw in semis but they really belong this year. Their biggest advantage, their Junior World's talent, is actually 2-fold in the sense that not only are these kids spectacular, but they have all already played together and in analogous systems (ARHS and Paideia). If they can overcome the size barrier by playing crisp, mistake-free ultimate, they can challenge Wisconsin when it matters. Unlike the rest of the country, CUT is unafraid of the baby blue and if they can capitalize on Wisconsin's raw intensity with composed ultimate, they maybe the NY Giants against the NE Patriots this May.

Whitman: I am really glad someone from Washington reads my blog. Here is what Joe's Brother had to say about the Walla Walla Sweets:

Somewhat off the radar, but maybe worth keeping on eye on in 2008 is that the best high school player in the country last year, Jeremy Norden, went to Whitman and claimed a lot of other Juniors players had interest in going there as well. Plus, he said the club gets an enormous amount of support (financially and otherwise) from the school and community. He's good enough by himself to propel a team into the mix. And the RSD chatter supports the rumor that there are other solid HS standouts on the freshman line. No word on their bureaucratic recruiting (they had a paperwork related DQ last year), but if their papers are in order, this team could be THE team on the rise.

They're at TiV this weekend, so by Monday we should have a little more info on them.

Turning heads and making quarters (over Ego no less) was definitely not what I was expecting from this Pool F second seed. They have their work cut out for them and are going to need to keep it up to get out of the Northwest.

Haavard: Aside from the Ivy rivalry, I am really impressed with these these guys. They are the new Brown. Making semis by beating two hot teams in Whitman and Illinois is impressive considering what teams usually make it this far in the desert. Most NE teams play their best in the spring and seeing that Redline is getting big wins (but not against the squids, HA) when they can't even practice outside says a lot. They have stellar freshmen with Andrew Vogt and George Stubbs (injured), but Zirui Song, Dave Roebuck, and Dave Lipson are all superstars. I had the pleasure (sarcasm) of playing against them this past summer/fall when they suited up for New Noise and like Cal, their club experience is really paying off for their program. However, NE teams have a tendency to shuffle around a lot come the series. Harvard definitely has their work cut out for them in a region with the most teams fighting for a spot at nationals (Williams, Brown, Dartmouth, and Harvard) with no clear front runner.

Santa Cruz: Finally, they show up. Despite a slow start they battle back from starting 0-2, and go through UCSD to make quarters. DLK gives me far too many shout outs, but I will say the slugs finally showed why they are in contention to win the Bay Area section and come out of the NW. Vegas is cool because there are 3 days of good ultimate and several teams get a chance to do well. Illinois owned day 1, Santa Cruz had their time to shine on Saturday, and Arizona owned the Lord's day. They beat my Squids (by 1) making quarters, but got stuck with the ravenous wolves (Wisconsin). It would have been cool to see them play any other team because they might have stood a chance. Regardless, they brought themselves back to their status post Sean Ryan and have the knowledge that they can bring it to Stanford and Cal. I feel sorry for LPC because they will have to play one of these teams while the other two duke it out in semis come sectionals.

Illinois: For a team that wanted to break into the elite, they definitely did not disappoint. They managed to knock off 2 juggernaut teams in Oregon and Colorado, on the first day no less. Folks have been talking them up a lot on RSD as of late and I continually understand why. They lost in pre-quarters to Haavard, but this kooky format with 10-8 scores and 80 teams really doesn't blemish Illinois' hopes. They showed that they are #1 in the Great Lakes and have given Ryan Purcell and Will Neff an enemy to fear.

Colorado: I wanted to mention a few words about Mamabird's seemingly poor weekend. It looks like Beau is no longer wearing black and gold considering that he wasn't in Vegas for the first time in 3 years. Martin Cochran was also not in attendance but a broken foot has sidelined him only until March and if he heals alright, #17 and the rest of Colorado will be back for the series. I will say that without Beau their offense is going to have to make some serious adjustments. Jolian can't throw to himself and with Mac Taylor streaking deep as well, their handling responsibilities are going to fall on veterans like Chris Wicus.

Closing Thoughts

TiV is just as crazy as Vegas itself. Arizona 11-10 over Florida, Santa Cruz 11-10 over UCSD, Whitman 10-9 over Ego, Carleton 11-9 over Colorado, all of these scores are close/exciting, but suspect and do not paint a clear picture. There are many more positive things to take away from this than negative, though. Arizona and Harvard need confidence, and their results help them. Florida and Colorado need to know that they have weaknesses and their results help them. Whitman and Santa Cruz need to prove they belong and their results help them. UCSD and Oregon need to know that they can win but also know that they can lose and their results help them. CUT needs to know that they have got the talent and Wisconsin needs to know they can't intimidate their way to another national title and their results help them out.

Queen City Tune Up

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, UNC, Georgia, NC State, and Michigan had to go and screw it all up.

NC State: The biggest winner is obviously the winner. But damn it, where the hell did they come from?!?! They weren't at Warm Up. I didn't write about them. What the hell?!?! They played spectacular and hats off to them. They really have dropped below radar since finishing 5/8 at nationals in 2004 but they could be back in black...and red. If I had to guess, i think that they took advantage of a gassed UNC team, twice. They played them in the last round on saturday after UNC barely beat Michigan 9-8. They then played them in the finals after a 15-14 semifinal game with Georgia. I wonder if they can handle UNC at 100% and I also wonder if UNC has the depth to make it to out of the AC.

UNC: I am not sure what to say about Darkside. At 100% it looks like they are the real deal but I wonder about their legs. They made the finals but they lost to the same team twice after winning double game point matches. I think their depth has got to be an issue and this problem will not fix itself considering that Georgia is very deep and Florida has more star power. They took 2nd in the region last year so they have history on their side and I hope they can keep it up against the AC's best in Florida, Georgia and now NC State.

Georgia: Ahh, I wish you guys were going to Stanford. They sweep their pool, they dismantle Edinboro and Georgia Tech, and then WHAM, get taken out by UNC. I think behind NC State, Georgia gained the most from this tournament. The funny thing about ultimate is that unless you are challenged, you really can't see your weaknesses. I remember Furious at nationals in 2006. They raped everyone, including Chain Lightning 15-7 in semis, but their offense really wasn't tested and Sockeye took advantage in the finals. What's cool is that this is just QCTU. Georgia now knows that UNC, as well as Florida, can take them down and they will take this knowledge into practice the next 3 months. Hopefully Swanson stays healthy, but he is lucky that he plays for a very deep team.

Pitt: Delaware won the region last year but after this weekend, Pitt is definitely the aggressor. Pitt has some phenomenal talent in sophmores Chris Brenenborg (team USA) and Eddie Peters (Pike), not to mention a lot of veterans with nationals experience. They were definitely the best Metro East team in Charlotte. They beat Penn and finished ahead of Delaware, not to mention taking NC State to 12-10 in semis. However, this is just February. Keep the engines burning boys, you'll need it if you want to earn big wins for yourself and your region in May.

Michigan: Will is a great pick up but like I said, I think Michigan's performance will improve tournament to tournament. Their offense is going to have to adjust to #1 and it is no wonder that playing outside for the first time in '08 was not kind to Magnum. However, they did play UNC 8-9 (what kind of score is that) and dismantled a national caliber Delaware team 13-3. They did lose to Penn when it mattered though, but I have a feeling they may have looked past them considering they had beaten Georgia Tech 10-6 and Penn lost to Virginia in the last round on Saturday. Needless to say, I am sure they have a lot to think about back in Ann Arbor and hopefully they have the tools to put together a fight against a fired up Illinois team that had a great weekend in Vegas.

I want to reiterate how amazing NC State and Arizona played this weekend. I was expecting Wisconsin/CUT and Georgia/UNC but like Berman says, "thats why they play the game".

In the next few weeks we have two prez day tournaments, Kaimana, Hellfish Bonanza and Mudbowl. I will be watching Stanford this weekend in Hawaii and I wonder what Mike Payne has done with Bloodthirsty after they got rocked in Santa Barbara. Stay tuned, this year is just getting started.

Just my thoughts

match diesel

Jojah: Light at the end of Tunnell?

I wanted to get this post up right after Warm Up because Jojah played very well and I wanted folks to have something to read about after checking out the Florida Warm Up results. These guys have a great program and they are a lot of fun. One of their reps, Travis Smith, answered some questions for me and I thought I would share.

Jojah History
So before I go into the whole college preview, I thought I would talk a little bit about why I care about this team. They broke into the frisbee elite in 2003 and made nationals in Texas. Dylan was a freshman and despite being a relatively low seed (14) they finished tied for 9th with Michigan. They lost 2 games to go and didn't qualify for nationals in 2004 but had a break out year in 2005. Dylan was a junior and they managed to beat North Carolina winning regionals and were a 1 seed in Corvalis. They were up and down in Oregon in that they lost to 9th seeded UCSD but beat 5th seed UBC, on their way to a 2-1 pool play showing. They beat UNC in pre-quarters but drew a tough Stanford team in quarters. They lost on double game point (I won't mention how) but they proved that they were the real deal. It was after that weekend that I really started to pay attention to Dylan and the rest of Jojah. The following year was probably Jojah's best. They managed to scratch their way to the semis by beating Black Tide and a stellar Mamabird team, on double game point no less. However, with the rise of Florida and the toughness of the AC, Georgia really had a rough road back to nationals in 2007. In Dylan's final year they barely made it back to Columbus and grabbed the 3rd and final bid out of the AC, which is ironic becasue they themselves earned the necessary strength bid the previous year. They did fairly well however and managed to make quarters against Colorado. This time however, Beau, Rabbit and Jolian would not allow Jojah to advance. They did however win the spirit award which is interesting because I think it's the first time a bracket team has done so. In any event, #78 is now gone and in 2008 we will see what a team Dylan built can do in his absence.

Coaching Status

One thing that has really facilitated the development of this ultimate team are their coaches. First and foremost, Stu Downs. This George Lucas look-a-like has been at the top of the ultimate scene for years and has influenced great players like championship director and Jojah alum, Will Deaver. AJ Tiarsmith and Dusty Smith have also been a big part of Georgia's team development and recently, former player Alex Deckhard has signed on to help organize and lead this team. When I asked Travis about his coaching administration, this is what he had to say:

"Having these incredible coaches takes a lot off of the captains’ shoulders, leaving them and the rest of the team able to focus on playing. Each of these men has his own talents which he has given to Jojah. They have given us endless inspiration and the tools to be successful: motivation, strategy, and condition. They have been through everything that we are going through now, and they were some of the best. These are men that we can and do trust to make us better players and better people. Also, they are more fun than most of our players. Stu can throw a nilla wafer 60 mph and is well versed in comic books. AJ is very good at riddles. And Dusty has never lost at trivia night. It is incredible to be associated and to hang out with these guys on and off the field. Also, we cannot leave out our new “Vice Coach” Alex Deckard. He has offered to help us out this season, and we could not be more excited. He plans on getting good use out of his two degrees from UGA by staying in Athens and coaching and not getting a job."

With a crowd like this it is easy to see how Jojah has developed into one of the best, largest and most fun ultimate teams in the country.

Player Departures

It goes without saying that the biggest loss to this team is Dylan Tunnell. His departure is probably the biggest loss of any major elite program in the country. One thing that I didn't know about Georgia is that they only choose a callahan nominee by unanimous selection and in Dylan's absence, such a candidate probably will not manifest itself. Another huge impact he had on this team was spirit. It was easy to see that no team was having more fun at nationals than Jojah and Travis tells me that "the truth is when you have the chance to play against the top teams in the nation, it is impossible not to have a good time. But to be completely honest, it was Dylan. He was our spirit leader." I will say however, that it looked like Dylan was not 100% in Columbus back in May and Jojah still balled with him off the field. In addition to Tunnell, Paul Schrafft, Chad Borer, and stellar deep Frank Wooten will not be coming back.

2008 Play Makers

Despite these player losses, Jojah is still returning a ton of talent and given their 100+ person program, I would hope so. One of my favorite players to watch on Georgia is Senior Will McDonough. This fro-ed out flat baller always seems to have his head in the game. I can remember the few times UCSD and Jojah played, I hated him, but every other game, he was a lot of fun to watch. Despite his smaller stature, he plays spectacular defense and has great composure on the offensive front. Two other standouts for Jojah will be senior offensive specialists, Greg Swanson and Louis Gutschenritter. Look for Peter Dempsey and Ben Morrissey to anchor the D line. Aside from these veterans, Georgia has 10 new A-teamers that will hopefully give them the talent and the depth to make it out of the AC region.

Tournament Schedule
First and foremost, congratulations to Jojah (and of course Florida) for both making the finals of Warm Up. Both teams played very well and beat some good east coast teams to make the finals, which Florida won 15-13 over Georgia. I want to do the math for the CCS point totals but I am afraid I will screw it up. I'll leave that to Skip.

Georgia has a unique tournament schedule in that it is significantly different from most elite programs. They played in their first CCS event at Florida Warm Up. However, unlike most teams, they are not headed to Vegas. They will however be one of the favorites at Queen City Tune Up in Charlotte, NC (2/9-10). They have two more tournaments before Centex, Mudbowl and Terminus. Mudbowl will feature two Georgia teams, an O and D team, which could yield some interesting results. Terminus in Atlanta, is a tournament that Georgia usually attends, which makes sense considering it's in their state. Wisconsin usually makes the trip South and a Hodag vs Jojah final is not uncommon. However, Wisconsin will not be in Hot-lanta this March, but neither will Dylan, so a lot of teams could potentially end up in that Final. They will then head to Centex before starting the series. Hopefully they will have what it takes to compete in one of the toughest sections in the country which houses teams like Georgia, Florida, Central Florida, and Georgia Tech (the 4 teams that made semis at Warm Up).

Goals and Challenges

One major goal (as well as challenge) that Georgia has, is to develop a more consistent offense. Travis told me that "historically, we have not been very good at throwing and catching. More importantly, we want to play every single game this season with the same effort and enthusiasm as the game before and the game after." With the newest crop of superstars in recent years, this seems like a fairly reasonable, albeit difficult, goal. One of the major challenges associated with this is that "with Dylan and Frank gone, we no longer have mentors and leaders". In losing some of their top level players, the majority of Jojah's roster is going to have to take it upon themselves to make a play. This is really good for talent development because it sets up a high yield, low risk situation. If you work the hardest and put yourself out there, YOU might get to make the big play. If not, no one will notice. Hopefully it works out well for them.

Another major challenge for Jojah (and most teams) are injuries. Travis told me that, "the biggest factor for us in the past has been injuries. We have more than a few players with brittle or glass bones. If we can keep Swanson in bubble wrap for the rest of the season, he might avoid getting hurt". With the rigorous tournament schedule that Jojah is boasting, keeping players healthy will be a concern. Travis said, "we stretch a lot and encourage wrist-guards and helmets when we are around campus, seriously." Hopefully they have lady luck on their side and stay healthy.

Paideia Pipeline?

One thing that I was interested to know was what sort of impact Paideia has on Georgia's ultimate program. Considering that this high school has generated greats like Jolian, Dylan, Chicken, Moses, and Kyle Weisbrod, I figured Georgia would be reeling in the recruits. To my surprise, despite the proximity, Paideia doesn't send many kids to Georgia. This is what Kevin had to say about it:

"We don’t get many Paideia recruits. Most of them go to “smarter schools.” However, having a dominant high school team in our area promotes the sport to high school students all around Atlanta. This is the first year in a while that we have taken so many talented freshmen. It takes a while for freshmen to adapt to Jojah’s style of play. They have the basics, but college is much different from high school. We also play a different kind of game then Paideia teaches. We are not a pretty team, but we are working on it. Who knows, maybe the young blood will bring some of Baccarini’s influence, and I don’t think that could be bad for us."

I suppose juniors ultimate in the area, in general, is good for Jojah, but I found this surprising. This makes sense though. However, I think the two teams that benifit the most from Paideia Ultimate are definitely Brown and Colorado. Why? I don't know but I am working on it.

College Nationals

Concerning the college nationals change, this is what Travis had to say:

"I don’t think it makes a difference when Nationals takes place. Every weekend is a bad weekend for somebody. The teams that are lucky enough to qualify will find a way to play. I also think it may be a positive change to get some coverage on our sport. Although I imagine it will turn out much like past years with CSTV, and we will not be able to find ample coverage to watch. I am hoping for the best though."

I concur with his fears concerning CSTV, but like Travis, I think most of us are just hoping for the best as well.

Closing Thoughts

I think Georgia really has the right idea concerning ultimate. They seem to have more fun than anyone out there and I think more people should strive for that. With stuff like dune diving or lay out practice, it is easy to see that they are really enjoying themselves. I think I would have loved to be an undergrad player at Georgia. With that in mind, I really want to see Georgia remain an AC power house. They won Stanford last year and made quarters with a less than healthy callahan nominee. I hope to hear more spittle from the Jojah crowd at the Callahan ceremony in Boulder this year. Best of luck to you guys.

just my thoughts

match diesel

Ultimate Upsets

I was watching my favorite college basketball team (Kentucky) get rocked by Gardner-Webb by 16 the other day and it made me think about upsets in the ultimate community.

I first want to say I think that tournaments outside the series are basically irrelevant. I can understand that there are a lot of great games out there, but looking at non-series tournaments is a bit too subjective. You never know about injuries, when teams are gonna peak, and who is trying their hardest (especially in club). With that in mind I thought I would talk about a few upsets that I think are interesting.

Delaware 15 Florida 13, College Nationals 2007 (Pool Play)
First and foremost, probably the biggest upset in college ultimate over the last few years has got to be Delaware over Florida this past year at nationals. I made predictions for college nationals and this was the only game I got wrong. I mean come on, Florida, former champion, the 2 seed in the tournament, favorites to make at least semis. Delaware, an up and coming team, has never played in bracket play at nationals, the 11 seed and WHAM!! They take down Florida 15-13 in the first game of pool play. The year before Florida only had 15 points scored on them in all of pool play (actually it was 22, but who's counting). They also played Delaware last year and took them out 15-5. However, in 2007, minus TG, the gators get upset HUGE in the first game. I wish I could have been there to watch it but I was over at the Stanford/Georgia game. Regardless, Delaware really showed in 1 game that the Metro East isn't all that bad. I have a friend on the team, Dan Cuoco, and he told me going into nationals 2006 that they were gonna turn some heads at nationals. Didn't happen that year but it DID happen in 2007. Good for Sideshow. Too bad they left it all on the field and an absolutely gassed team got their tits lit by Oregon 15-3 and they lost again to Indiana 15-10. Oh well maybe Delaware will make Pre-Quarters next year, good luck to them.

Georgia 17 Colorado 16, College Nationals 2006 (Quarterfinals)
Another huge upset that I also think was really interesting, albeit depressing for my region, was the Georgia over Colorado quarterfinals game at nationals in 2006. This game was actually really exciting to watch because Beau and Dylan were absolutely tearing it up. I think that Colorado came in wayyy over confident and it hurt them in the end. They had been to the finals the previous 2 years and had a great team with Jolian, Beau, Rabbit, Chicken, etc... However, the previous day they pulled out an AMAZING double game point win against Stanford. I feel like this should have been a wake up call to Mama Bird letting them know about their weaknesses. In my opinion I think the major weakness of Colorado that year was their D line. Their O Line was ridiculous and like most elite teams now a days, they played a strict O/D line game. However, this is college, everyone is bound to screw up at some point. I think that Colorado assumed their O line was perfect (and it was close) and their D line would get them the breaks they needed to win. However, there are some good defenders out there and they got breaks that Colorado wasn't expecting. In the Georgia game, the Colorado D line could not put the disc in the end zone. They have some great defenders, and they would generate Ds, but they would just give it back. I guess that’s what happens when your best offensive players are on the sideline. Anyway, by the second half, Georgia was already up enough and despite the fact that Beau and Chicken played every remaining point, they didn't have the time to get back in the game and they lost 17-16. This game showed me two things, 1) Dylan is really good. He played so well and I think it was when he peaked. He didn't seem as good in 2007 but this game, he was on. 2) Beau is ridiculous. I mean he had jumped over David "Runner" Flock at Regionals that year but I can remember a huck going up to Dylan and maybe Jolian was covering him. From half way across the field Beau comes a running and as usual, skies the piss out of both of them. Guy is an athlete.

UCSB 15 Colorado 11, SW College Regionals 2004 (Finals)
Keeping with the Colorado upsets, I think the UCSB/Colorado regional finals game in 2004 is another great example of an epic upset. Since I have played disc Colorado has always won the SW. They won it this year and last year and the year before and so on. However, arguably the best Colorado team (2004 Champions) lost in the regional finals to a soon to be DQ'd UCSB Black Tide team. Now this team got DQ'd but Nate Bouxsein was not one of their marquee players. He was a better version of Sean Laing. An experienced guy with good disc skills that was there to support the team, not dominate, so despite the fact that he got UCSB booted form natties, doesn't mean he really helped them get there on the field. Now I have talked about this game a number of times, and I just want to express how big a deal this game was. I mean this Colorado team had everyone, there weren't any "just graduated" players worth mentioning. Richter, Parker, Beau (at his best), Rabbit, Chicken, JV, they were all there. This was the Colorado team that beat Cal 15-7 to win nationals and they lost to UCSB? Black Tide? Yeah they were good in the late 90's and what not but they hadn’t made a nationals run in some time. Yet their zone D completely shut down Colorado's offense, in a stadium no less. How do you do that? Regardless, this game was amazing to watch not because I liked UCSB (in fact I hated them) but just because I was there, I got to witness a perfect team get pwned. It did suck however because then UCSD had to play a pissed off Colorado team and Beau went up and down the field on Kubiak and Colorado won 15-11.

UNC Wilmington 17 Carleton 16, College Nationals 2001 (Pool Play)
If you look back a bit further another great college upset that needs to be remembered (and I think Gerics will agree) is the UNC-Wilmington/Carleton game at nationals in 2001. This was the last time a team lost a pool play game yet still won nationals. In Devens, the year Nord went horizontal over a Colorado player and knocked himself out, they lost a pool play game. UNCW beat them on double game point (17-16) in the second round of pool play. That has got to feel so bizarre. You beat a team that wins nationals AT nationals. This is similar to the Delaware/Florida game in that UNCW didn't manage to win another pool play game, but at least they took down CUT. I really think a game like this should never be forgotten (well maybe forgotten by that CUT team but no one else) because it goes to show you that not every national champ is perfect. I know Wisconsin basically treated the competition at nationals this year like asian schoolgirls at my house this past year but these teams can still lose. Florida can, Colorado can, CUT can. As Chris Berman says, "upsets are why we play the game" and I think college players out there should know that a seed or a ranking is just an arbitrary number and any team can have a bad game, any team can lose and any team can win.

UCSD 15 Georgia 6, College Nationals 2005 (Pool Play)
In keeping with the college theme, another upset that was awesome was the UCSD/Georgia upset in 2005. I am biased cuz I was a squid, but that game was so cool. You have Georgia, a team that was really breaking into the elite circle with their first 1 seed (4th overall). They were the 13th seed in 2003. First pool play game was against UCSD, the 9th seed, and the Air Squids took Jo-Jah down 15-6. This was awesome because it was totally unexpected. I thought Ice (UCSD A) was gonna have some serious trouble against such a hot team but Georgia's composure really was not there and they went down without much of a fight. This game was the main reason UCSD made semis that year, because this, and Georgia taking out UBC, spring boarded us to win the pool and we got to skip pre-quarters. Georgia did come out on top in pre-quarters but had to play a very experienced Stanford team. They were so close to winning that game but a costly huck perpendicular to the field on double game sent Stanford to the semis AGAIN and Georgia out of it.

Oregon 15 Stanford 13, NW College Regionals 2003 (Semifinals)
Another college upset that I think is HUGE is the 2003 NW Regional semifinals game between Oregon and Stanford. What is worth mentioning is that Stanford had won nationals the previous year with a 37-1 record (one of the best teams in history), but for whatever reason, there was only 1 bid for the NW the following year. In any event, Stanford and Oregon meet in the semifinals. This was Wiggins’ 5th and last year and this game is where this picture of Nick Handler comes from. However, apparently, everything went Oregon’s way (or so a friend of mine, Cameron Shelton, who was on the Stanford team tells me) and Oregon made it to the finals. I wish I had more information concerning this game, but I just can't find it. In any event, I think Oregon went on to beat Oregon State in the finals and Ego made it to nationals as the 2 seed but lost in the finals to Wisconsin. This is probably the 1 game I wish I knew more about. I would also like to mention that since 2002, this was the only year that Stanford has not made at least semis at nationals. It also seems like Stanford and Oregon have a serious rivalry, very Wisconsin/Carleton esque. In 2006 Stanford was the 1 seed going into Regionals. They rip through their pool and Western Washington to make the finals against Aaron Bell and Ego, who had just taken out Oscar Pottinger, Morgan Hibbert, and the rest of the 2nd seeded UBC Thunderbirds. In this game, Oregon completely blew Stanford away (something that just isn't done) 15-10. I don't know if Stanford was over confident or what. However, it did set up a great Robbie vs Oscar game in the backdoor finals and Stanford made nationals. I would also like to add that Stanford did get the last laugh though. At nationals, as if by some stroke of good/bad luck Stanford and Oregon meet in quarters after Stanford toppled Michigan in pre-quarters and Oregon had won their pool. This game would be all Stanford though and they won 15-11 making semis AGAIN and managed to be the 2nd team to upset a pool winner that year. Oregon was relegated to a consolation game with UCSD to see who would get the strength bid, the NW or SW and Oregon did what they always do to UCSD, won, 15-11. One of the few reasons why I butt heads with Greenough.

Rhino 14 Justice League 13, NW Club Regionals 2006 (Pool Play)
Taking a break from college, I think another great upset was the pool play game between Rhino/Justice League at NW Regionals last year. You have Justice League (aka Jam) and they are up and down all year, talented but not polished. They did win Solstice by by beating Rhino. Actually there is a great ultivillage interview after that game with Kevin Cissna where he acknowledges that Rhino is good and will be tough to be beat in the series, foreshadowing? Needless to say, JL was an elite team, period. However, Regionals was not their tournament. There were 4 bids to nationals that year and all JL had to do was get past Rhino or Revolver. They had beaten Revolver 13-10 at sectionals but boy did they have a tough Regionals. They lost to Rhino (6 seed, JL was 3) in pool play 13-14, ok, lets not panic. Then they lost to Revolver by the same score in the backdoor semis. Ok, now it's crunch time. The prospect of not making nationals is becoming very real. Justice League now has to beat Invictus and then Rhino to take the last bid to nationals. They take out Invictus 15-9 but then get taken out BIG time by the same score only it was Rhino 15 and JL 9. This was really surprising. I suppose it just goes to show you that winning is about a team effort and despite the talent, Rhino was just a better team and peaked at the right time. They had a forgettable performance at Nationals but boy I am sure they relished that JL upset. I think the bigger story than the 4th place game, was the pool play game. Justice League was really knocked down a few pegs by not winning their pool and I think it put them in a huge hole. They would have to go through the best young teams in the country to get out of the region and I think all those games just go to them. Had they won that pool play game and been playing from ahead in bracket play as opposed to being the under dog, maybe they would have made nationals. Regardless, they came back with a vengeance this past year and made semis. Good for Idris, Cissna, Watson, Damien, Gabe, Hodges, and the rest of the Frisco gang.

Rival 15 Shazam 12, Mixed Club Nationals 2007 (Pool Play)
Another awesome upset, and a game that is analogous to the Carleton/UNCW game, is the Rival/Shazam pool play game 3 weeks ago. Here you have Shazam, everyone's favorite to win nationals by leaps and bounds but they lose in pool play to Rival, the 8 seed?!? Shazam had only lost once the entire year (Brass Monkey 13-11 at Labor Day) yet they go down relatively big 15-12 to the 2 seed in their pool. This must have been huge for this Atlanta based team seeing that they had not beaten a top tier team all year. Kendra from Slow White told me that their offense (Rival) is awesome and considering the lack of wind early at nationals this year, I suppose the results aren't too surprising. Too bad they never got to face off again, I wonder what Bestock and the rest of the Seattle folks would have done to Rival in bracket play. AMP would get the honors and got the better of them 15-10 in quarters. I do hope that this game, as well as the UNCW/CUT games are not soon forgotten. As JP said in Angels in the Outfield, "It could happen".

Vagabonds 16 Team USA 15, Potlatch 2005 (Semifinals)
Thinking about coed, another game that must have been spectacular to be on the winning side of was the Vagabonds/Team USA game at Potlatch in 2005. Now this isn't a series game, but it's still a pretty cool story. You have Team USA, who was hand picked by the UPA and coached by Ted Munter. Now let me make sure I articulate this well. This Team USA was going to World's in Germany. This is not like the WUCC World's in Perth last year or the WUGC World's coming up next year in Vancouver (confusing I know). This World's is a coed tournament where the players are chosen, it's not like a team earns the chance to make it to this particular World's. This Team USA had a collection of all stars that were chosen not only based on their ultimate skills but their service to the game as well. It had greats like Zipp, Watson, Namkung, Miranda Roth, and Chase. However, it was not a team per se, like Sockeye will be next year. Anyway, you have this all-star team (Justice League-esque) playing at Potlatch as a warm up for World's. They had already won Poultry Days and looked like they were the best coed team in the country (better be). They managed to take down Canada in the showcase game (great game) and were looking good, at least to make the finals. However, the Vagabonds, a pickup team from Portland, had other plans. They took down team USA in the semifinals, I don't know what the score was, I had to catch a flight. This propelled Vagabonds to the finals where they lost to Team Canada. I think it is worth mentioning however that team USA probably got a wake up call and went on to dominate at World's beating Australia 13-11 in the gold medal game. I would imagine Keith Monahan gets drunk at bars and talks about how the Vagabonds were the best co-ed team back in '05, at least I would. But he's got a few club championships to keep him happy.

Truck Stop 15 Furious George 10, Club Nationals 2007 (Pool Play)
Another game that is a huge upset (and I don't want to write this but I will) is the Truck Stop/Furious game a nationals this past year. I think this is up there as the biggest upset in recent club ultimate history. I think Furious was better than 15-0 in pool play over the years and that loss to the boys from DC was probably earth shattering. Had Furious actually pulled that game out they might have made a decent showing at nationals. It seems like Furious doesn't enjoy losing and really doesn't play their best once the odds are heavily stacked against them. I think everyone in the country was surprised by this game. I am curious to know what feeling was more intense, Furious' depression or TS's elation. I would like to go with the latter, but I think it's the former. In any event, hopefully Furious re-groups after this and I think TS will be able to pick up some serious talent now that they have a win like this and a great overall nationals performance under their belt.

Illinois X 16, NC State 14, College Nationals 2003 (Pool Play)
I am going to be honest, I don't know a whole lot about this last game but I know it was a big deal. NC State was looking very good this year. They were 37-1 going into nationals, they had 3 tournament wins (probably some combination of Terminus, Southers, Easterns and Ultimax) and because Stanford lost at their regional tournament, they were granted the #1 seed at nationals. Now this pre-dates Centex so there was no nation wide tournament before nationals that really helped establish who was the best in the country. Oregon had won Pres Day (the best college tournament on the west coast at the time) as well as the NW region so they were given the #2 seed at nationals. Wisconsin and Carleton were the other 1 seeds. I like to think that this NC State team was not dissimilar to Queens-Kingston back in 2005. They were a team that had a good record but hadn't necessarily seen the best in the country. Needless to say they took out Michigan (the 3 seed) 15-10 but then played a really close regional rematch against Georgia 15-13. This left them moderately gassed for Illinois X (2nd seed, 8th overall) who took them out 16-14. NC State then went on to pre-quarters against another regional rival, William and Mary, and lost 15-11 sending them from the 1 seed all the way down to a 12th place finish. I think it is also worth mentioning that at that same nationals, Colorado (10th seed) went from a 1-2 pool play showing all the way to the semis with huge wins over higher seeded Ohio State (7th) and Illinois (8th). They were also the only team at nationals that year to score more than 10 points on Wisconsin, 15-12 in semis. Lastly, the Oregon/CUT semis that year was probably one the best games in the history of college disc. The epic Chase/Seth picture (cover of Parinella's book) is from that game. Can you believe that Chase (CUT) and Seth/Ben (Oregon) are now team mates on Sockeye? And Jimmy Chu (CUT) used to be in that mix as well before he moved to LA. That just seems weird to me.

I am sure that there are a ton of other games out there that I have neglected to mention. Feel free to contribute.

just my thoughts

match diesel