My Take on Team USA

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.

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

Ultimate Peace

“Peace in the Middle East”. I think I first heard this saying when I was in second grade right around the time of our first venture into Iraq back in 1991. However, unlike cars, computers, house prices, minimum wage, and more or less everything else, not much has changed in the last 18 years. The cultural conflicts that have claimed hundreds and thousands of lives over the last two decades (at the very least) has remained terrifyingly constant and all we are left with is the lingering feeling that despite our advances as a species, there will always be violence.

However, recently there has been a collection of Ultimate players that have decided to take it upon themselves to take a proverbial stab at this conflict with a movement called Ultimate Peace, an Ultimate based humanitarian effort in the West Bank. I was touched by this act of good will and I thought I would discuss my take on the situation and why I think this idea is so important.

The hostility that has persisted in the West Bank has been terrible not only for the Jewish, Islamic, Israeli and Palestinian communities but for those of us that do not fall under any of these labels. For all parties, those entrenched in the conflict and those left watching on CNN, this persistent situation is exceedingly dismal and frustrating. Continual bombings, terrorist attacks and general violence are a constant source of remorse, pain, and fear regarding the future and what horrors wait in the winds, for what is a quandary that endlessly endures? It is like a ruthless hang nail with no finger nail clippers. A seemingly small problem without a foreseeable solution that manages to steal all of your focus. You go primitive with some picking and scratching but before you know it, it's worse than before. Ultimately you are driven insane because all you want is a solution, an end, a resolution, something other than continued pain and irritation, or in this case, violence and cultural warfare. However, without a change in strategy, nothing will improve.

But such a successful strategy in the West Bank is anything but straightforward. In moving from one extreme of this country to another, I’ve learned that my perspective of the world is a direct product of my surroundings. I am fortunate in the sense that I have had constructive exposure to the opinions and beliefs of chill Southern Californianis, liberal Northwesterners, high strung Northeasterners, gregarious Mid-Westerners, friendly Southerners, cultured foreigners and just about everything in between. Such exposure is vital in understanding the extraordinary complexity this world has to offer because without it, one cannot appreciate the beauty of how and why people are so different. This type of contact enlightens the mind so that one can begin to see why something can be evil to some, but common to others. Why something can be fantastic to one group but absolutely detested by another. Why an honor to one person is a tragedy to someone else.

Nevertheless, this sort of enlightenment requires a link, a common bond. Two opposite groups of people will not spontaneously understand one another without some sort of union. This may seem impossible, but if we are clever enough, there can always be a connection to find. People from Modesto, CA to Virginia, MN, to Newark, DE, to Statesboro, GA, to the United Arab Emirates can all unite under one umbrella, if we are smart enough to come up with a common theme. Maybe it’s a shared interest in The Big Lebowski, or being a product of a divorced family, or a mutual love for candy corn. The specifics are irrelevant but what is relevant is that when such a topic emerges, regardless of the differences we may have on the outside, we find an emotional connection. If only for an instant, we find a moment where we realize that “I”, so seemingly different from “you”, am actually not that different at all.

With this in mind, I’ve always been wary of the word “diversity” because it is such a dicey subject. It usually comes up when one demographic is trying to attract attention, resources, or opportunities away from a more dominant one. However, differences are not always good and when they are highlighted over and over, tension seems to materialize. When people are constantly reminded of how different they are from one another, it is no surprise that fear, aggression and distaste begin to surface. So I ask, is this the best solution? Is focusing on what makes us different the best strategy?

So with this background, I decided to write a little bit regarding Ultimate Peace, a very basic Ultimate clinic and tournament in Tel Aviv, Israel April 1st-5th. From what I can gather, it is more or less your garden variety Ultimate event, in a location that is anything but garden variety. The goal? To use the power of Ultimate to teach cooperation and understanding between under privileged youths and adults that are more or less sworn enemies at birth.

I find this idea to be compelling for many reasons. First off, unlike a lot of ideas, it is a short term project with long term goals. Not unlike starting a college ultimate team, making progress in this region will take time and effort and it all begins with simple, short term goals with a long term objective in mind. Rather than be short sighted and attempt to bring entrenched people together with cultural advocacy, legislation or played-out humanitarian action, Ultimate Peace is trying to turn future enemies into current friends. It won’t make every Israeli and Palestinian Facebook friends, it won’t end violence and suffering in the Middle East but it’s a start, it’s progressive. It is an action to bring enlightenment to a tortured group of people that need it. Perhaps in 20 years, a participant will sit in on a discussion regarding his supposed adversary and say “No wait! I played pickup with them and they're alright”.

Why is this important? Israelis are never going to convince Palestinians to forget their cause and vice versa. However, if an emotional connection between these two groups can arise, if only a handful of teenagers chasing a disc, the propensity to resort to violence lessens. If a stranger tosses me a flick while I’m walking through the quad, I am filled with curiosity regarding this new acquaintance and I don’t even know their name yet. Where did they play? Do they read RSD? How did they pick up a flick? And before I know it I’m asking “Wanna get a beer?”. Even if they are a Harvard grad, a right wing conservative, or a liberal extremist, I’m genuinely interested in getting to know them, and all because of a 175g piece of plastic.

And what is even better is that the bigger the difference between two people, the more satisfying this realization becomes. If I’m on Tybee Island and I see a 5Ultimate bracelet on a fellow bar patron’s wrist, no big surprise, I’m over it. But what if I saw that same bracelet on a Coliseum tour guide in Rome or a Sushi chef in Fukoka, Japan? WOW, would I be surprised and fired up to start asking some questions. The same could be said for any two groups of differing people, such as Jews and Muslims. But laying the ground work for this sort of connection takes time and intelligent investment, the likes of which Ultimate Peace is aiming for.

Another reason why this is such a good idea, is that it’s just plain fun. Ultimate is a good time. When I had turmoil in my life, 2 hours of practice on RIMAC field was just what I needed. I’m sure I’m not alone in this regard and who needs this sort of distraction more than conflicted youths in the West Bank? No seminar or history class or depressing TV program can deliver this kind of relief and the more a person needs it, the more they will hold on to it. This sort of activity has such lasting power because nothing drives a person more than the memory of a good time. I have countless friends and teammates that had their Ultimate fires lit because of a single week at NUTC and my personal interest in flatball hit warp speed after a few days in Corvalis back in May of 2005.

But a lot of us are privileged Westerners. Most of us knew we were bound for college and if we came across a game of pick up and liked what we saw, we were hooked. The same could be said for people who took up things like Rugby, Model UN, or Hashing. In college, opportunities to find a weird sub-culture were everywhere and most people picked up something they really enjoyed. But what about those that don’t have this chance? What about people that spend day after day just trying to stay alive? Can you imagine what kind of impact something “just plain fun” could have? It probably wouldn’t even matter what it was, it could be a bunch of people chasing around a piece of plastic. Wait, that’s exactly what it is. If it worked for soccer, why can’t it work for Ultimate?

So what’s the catch? None of this comes free and this organization needs help. Their goal is to raise $80,000 for the event and while this seems like quite a sum, I am reminded of Obama’s campaign and how much small on-line contributions helped him win the election. With paypal as a resource, the ease of donating far outweighs any excuse one can put forth for not helping out. 2008 was a tough year for most of us, including myself, but I put down my $25 and I did it while on a plane from JFK to LAX en route to Lei Out. If that doesn’t prove how easy it is to help, I don’t know what can. Come on flatballers, pull out your iPhones and use them for the best reason yet.

Now I hate evangelism and I get the same fundraising/donation chills that everyone else gets, but Ultimate Peace is not out to convert the world and they’re not asking for your life savings. All they want to do is spread the wealth, the wealth that is passion for this little game of ours. Odds are you’re a passionate Ultimate player like me, otherwise, why would you be reading this? And if so, take 3 minutes and help a cause worth helping. You’ll be in good company. The best from Sockeye, Riot, the Condors, Brute Squad, heck even former UPA President Mike Payne is involved. The very best people are not the ones that can, but the ones that can and do.

just my thoughts

match diesel

If Lei Out and Wild Wood were bars...

...Lei Out would be the micro brew joint with good looking women, $11 burgers and clean bathrooms while Wild Wood would be the underage dive joint with cheap food, cheaper beer, and more character than you can shake a stick at.

I recently hit the west coast for the Santa Monica Beach Bash and while I've grown accustom to the 12 degree weather and bitterness of the North East, I still had a banging good time in my old stomping ground.  Now that I have been to 2 of the best beach ultimate tournaments, I thought I would toss out a few opinions and share some of the spittle I managed to remember after a weekend with some of our sport's finest.

Lei Out vs Wild Wood

First off, I wanted to say that comparing these tournaments is really tough because they happen at exactly opposite ends of the year.  Lei Out seems to be around MLK weekend and WW is at the end of July, so a lot of comparisons are inherently biased or flawed.

With that in mind, I definitely believe that the competition at Lei Out is considerably better.  Considering that Wild Wood is in the middle of the club season, many elite players seem to avoid a binge-fest in the cesspool to end all cesspools.  I've seen guys like Holzer, Teddy, and Jasper (Ironside) in Southern Jersey but the level of competition seems to drop off considerably outside a few select teams.  To make matters worse, if you just go for the ultimate (which some people do for Lei Out and dodge the party), there really isn't much to do outside some major vicing in Wild Wood so I can imagine a lot of focused flat ballers passing it up.

However, because Lei Out is in the middle of winter (well sort of, if you call 80 degrees and a cloudless sky, winter) not only do you have a ton of west coast talent come out, but many east coast players make the trip out to Los Angeles.  Without even trying, I spotted a few recent National Champs like Damien Scott, Mark Humphrey and Mike Namkung, not to mention a slew of other talented flatballers in Seth Wiggins and Keith Monahan and those were just the west coast guys.  Texas was there in full force, not to mention my Sunburn buddies and a bunch of east coasters like BVH, Kendra, and Chicken.  

Despite the level of competition, Wild Wood does seem bigger than it's west coast counter part.  When walking up to the fields in Jersey, the amount of teams playing seems absolutely staggering not to mention the fact that there are something like six different divisions, unlike Lei Out which only has two.  Perhaps Wild Wood seems bigger because it straddles the pier in NJ, and Lei Out was just on the North side, but I got the feeling I'd seen a bigger beach tournament on the East Coast.

Another huge element to consider when discussing these two tournaments are the costs.  I want to say that one is definitely cheaper than the other, but when I think about it a little more, it's a draw.  Santa Monica's bar district is definitely not cheap (as evidenced by the $240 I dropped the first night) but the hotels by the beach are many and they don't shoot up their prices like the shaddy spots in Wild Wood do.  In addition, despite being in a relatively cheap spot in New Jersey with respect to booze and food, Wild Wood isn't near much else and traveling to and from is exceedingly difficult unless you are one of the "lucky" locals.  On the other hand, Santa Monica is right near LAX so getting into the city (regardless of where you are coming from) and getting to your hotel isn't tough, provided you dodge some MAJOR traffic.  But then again, a lot of folks have to fly into Lei Out which probably doubles your costs and driving seems to be the mode of transportation for most when going to the Wood.

As for the party, I think it's a matter of opinion.  The free Colt 45 was money at the Lei Out party (as was the fact that I was wearing my Colt 45 team jersey which got me a few more questions than I would have liked, but it's my own fault), but the bar was really crowded.  Maybe its because everybody goes and it is tough to fit 1,000+ people into one bar, but I don't recall Wild Wood being that densely packed at whatever that 2 story place is called.  In addition, I think the grungier feel of the Wood makes it easier to take it to the streets and I can think of more than one story regarding carnival game shenanigans and under the pier activities.  I heard that the Lei Out party was previously on the pier, but not this year, so I think the party debate is another toss up.

In the end, I think it would benefit all parties (east and west coast) to hit both tournaments.  I have a few friends that have done both and I think the consensus is that both are great in their own way.  Drawing conclusions the way one could between Santa Barbara vs Stanford Invite, TiV vs Pres Day, or Centex vs Southerns, isn't really possible with the Wood and Lei Out, so I think the best strategy is to just go to both.

Finals Week Hurricane

The name of my team was Finals Week Hurricane because when I was an undergrad we used to get hjammered after finals and hurricane around campus, ie drink and sing at people who were trying to study for their remaining tests.  It was always something I looked forward to and it was something that highlighted how much fun, yet how smart, we were at UCSD.  Well, at least I was.

Because I missed out on Potlatch (broken foot) I really wanted another shot at playing with my fellow squids/psychos.  I had to have jerseys made as well and despite 2 months of stressing over adobe illustrator files and failed attempts with 5Ultimate (damn you NW snow), I managed to get them printed through the tournament and everybody liked them.

In addition to trying to win as much as possible (which we did, 5-1) I wanted to have as much fun as possible such that all the other UCSDers that were scattered across other teams would wish they were on my team.  Outside maybe Bofa (Car Bomb) and Wormser (Mischief), I think I was successful.

Friday

I got into LAX around 530p and after some major traffic and dinner with Pajohesh, I found myself at a bar called "Q's".  Because it was in Brentwood it was pretty UCLA heavy, not to mention expensive.  After Kief, Boont, Duffy, Dibs, Amy, Katie, and Miles got to the bar, I proceeded to go agro.  One kamikazes turned into 4 rounds of them not to mention more car and Yeager bombs than I could remember.  I vaguely remember going with Kief and JAM to Mickey D's around the corner, but I definitely remember getting the $200 bill.  Yikes, good thing the bar keep was hot.

Anyway, after some lip singing "Red, Red Wine" into the lounge mirror for some added entertainment, we headed back to JAM's place and despite starting out clothed on his couch, I ended up wearing my Texas Lone Star Alum jersey for a pair of pants in Jonny's bed.  Oh well, he wasn't in it.

Saturday

After waking up a little dazed, I quickly realized I was in LA about to play a beach tournament with some of my better friends.  This got the blood flowing quickly as did the grande Americano and sausage P-diddy at the Bucks, thank god for the 10am start time.

Once we got to the beach, all I could think about were the jerseys and despite feelings of apprehension for any number of reasons, I got to frisbee central, they had received my check and they didn't screw up the threads.  SICK!!!  Now all I had to do was play ultimate.

Like most folks, this was also a time of "Oh hey (insert ultimate name here)!!!  Great to see you."  I quickly realized TUFF was in the house, not to mention my blood (Alex) who was playing for DTB, *wiping a tear away*.  I also got a chance to meet up with my team mates who didn't make it to the bar and before I knew it, game time was upon us.

Our first game was against Keith Monahan's team and it was probably a good thing that I was the only one that knew he was a national champ, because we played like they were any other team.  We all got the blood flowing and before long, we won something like 11-6.

After the game, I was handed a nice little pastry and despite the fact that I probably should have been a bit more conservative, I decided, what the hell?  This would prove to be calories that would cost me a few turnovers later in the day, but hey, it was tasty.

Second game was against a Santa Cruz alum team, and sorry Slugs, I really wanted to beat you guys.  We lost to UCSC wayy back at the Stanford Qualifier in '04 and UCSD lost to them at Vegas on DGP last year so I really wanted to win this game.  They took half and were up like 8-5 but we turned it around and beat them off an Elroy sky (one of many) 11-9 or so.  SICK!! 2-0.

Next game was a bit of a blur for obvious reasons, but we won easy, 11-4 I think.  In this game I still had this conception that I could cut but after dropping a bullet I decided I would wait for April to try and bust out of my handler role.  Anyway, my focus was returning by this point so I was ready for the final game of the day, which was against some Tufts alums, one of whom I knew from CT.

This game was fun because I was actually consistent.  They wanted to go to 13 because we had daylight, so we obliged.  I was a bit frustrated with the fact that I hadn't gotten a layout D yet so I was happy to take on a few more points to give myself another shot, and it paid off.

We pulled with a 12-4ish lead and I was covering some asian guy I think.  After a few cuts, TJ got the disc and sent a huck to my guy and we were both off to the races.  I was trailing by a little bit, but when the disc came, I sort of did a run/jump and macked the disc.  Now we all know what happens when you mack a disc on D in the endzone so I kept at it and made a nice little bid and grabbed my second effort in my opponents endzone.  I then popped up and sent a flick put the other way to Elroy for the game winner.  Going 4-0 is awesome.

Saturday Night

After leaving the fields we headed back and got some fish tacos.  I miss Rubio's.  After we each took showers, I pulled out the '08 WUGC DVD that I had brought and we watched the gold medal game I commentated on.  I said "phenomenal" wayyyy to much, but hey, I was excited.  The interviews were also cool and when watching my interview with Mike Grant, I couldn't help but think of Old School where Will Farrell does that debate thing and doesn't remember any of it.  I don't even remember talking to MG, I was so nervous/excited.  Maybe it's because all the blood in my head was elsewhere.  Oh well, it's on tape so I can remember it forever.

After dilly dallying for a while we finally made it to the tournament hotels/party.  I met up with my blood, Natali, Bjorn and a few others before hitting up the party and despite really wanting an alcohol alternative, I was denied.  God Damn it Natali!  They tried to pass off some Sparks Plus to me but I wasn't having it.  Sparks yes, Plus no.

But we made the party and picked up our free Colt 45's.  This party was definitely different than I was expecting because instead of dancing and drinking, I spent most of the night going booth to booth seeing who I could find.  I sat down with Chic from San Diego for awhile and before I knew it I was being whisked here and there by one Ultimate friend or another.  

I met Seth Wiggins in the bathroom line (yeah, a line for the Men's room, not cool).  I wasn't sure if he'd squash me (cuz he's huge) but instead he gave me some love and before I knew it we were tossing back some spittle while relieving ourselves.  I recall him talking about the #24 because we are both partial to it and I was wearing my colt jersey but all I can remember clearly was his ridiculously bushy goatee.  Oh well, it was fun.

Then I headed upstairs to meet up with some squiddies and in standing beside a booth I had a nice little interaction with Skip.  He walked up to me from the VIP lunge and proceeded  to sock me directly in the arm, for one of many good reasons I'm sure.  Then I looked at him and said, "You know I'm gonna get you back".  He kinda brushed me off and we partied jovially, but I would have the last laugh.

About a half hour later, I was walking up the stairs as he was walking down.  I was walking with a friend and made sure to look like I was conversing with them as Skip walked past and then FWAP!! a nice little love tap to the jewels.  He dropped quickly and said "Ahh, why there?" and I said "Because it hurts...I told you I'd get you back".  Now I should say that I don't mind being made a spectacle of, but I should warn folks that I rarely forget such things and I love getting even to the point where you will think twice before going down that road again.  I also remember Biggins giving me some props after taking down Skip, but I could be mistaken.

At some point in the night the dude from our first game found me again and handed me desert which I should have turned down, but instead I split it with Proden while we were talking about the new merge of SDU and Last Call, sweeeet!!  By the time I got up I definitely felt a bit heavier, but oh well, what else was I there to do.

I then remember hitting the head again, finding a well dressed dapper young man, who couldn't have been anyone else but Mr. Simon.  I quickly gave Chicken shit for his attire but then we talked about how small a world this Ultimate world is and relished in the fact that we've got a lifetime of credibility to look forward to.

Things then start to get a little blurry but I do remember coming across Gaf from Arizona/Barrio and let me tell you, this kid is a handful.  First off, he's about as giddy as a virgin in a whore house (at least when he's partying it up) and second, yikes he's jacked.  Apparently being an Israeli/Asian combo and a personal trainer makes you strong as an Ox, who knew?  He then proceeded to tell me that Arizona was not going away and after grabbing me on either side of my head and telling me I was going to TiV, I began to wonder if I would escape in one piece.  Oh well, he's a great, and smart kid, phew!

I should also say I met 808 for the first time and rather than talk about blogging, WEAK, all I wanted to do was hear about my blood on DTB.  Apparently his buttery flick worked out well, so proud.  Oh and I also remember talking to Bjorn at the bar as he watched the two worst teams play his favorite game.  I suppose that's commitment.  It's cool, the guy sells Uranium for a living.  Yeah and Heltzer was there as well making sure I knew what he was on the prowl for and he had me tell the Beer Mile story to another D-Mouth alum, who promptly didn't believe it.

There are probably other party details that escape me, but by this time, the bar started to light up and I figured it was time to head back to JAM's.  This time I remained clothed and in one place, but Sunday morning would not bring the excitement Saturday morning did.

Sunday

Yikes, after avoiding alcohol and other party elements for a few months, Friday and Saturday night caught up with me big time.  Oh well, there was disc to be played and after another Americano and some yogurt, we were back at it.

First game was against....I have no idea.  We won.  I had a pretty sweet layout score that I didn't think I was going to get.  One of those, "Man, why do I have a bunch of pictures of me doing nothing on the field and not something like that".

At this point, I figured we were going to hit a brick wall because going undefeated only lasts for so long, that is unless you win the tourney, which we didn't.  I was afraid the whole tourney that we'd get rolled by some elite team but when we finally lost it was no biggy.  Some Bay Area team that dropped down from the A-pool.  We lost 11-9 and the game could have gone either way.  Maybe if Kief hadn't left us for Phoenix to watch the NFC Championship game and see his Eagles lose, we would have won.  Oh and I think shortly after this game I got most of the team and the other UCSD team with the goat.  HA!!  How many kicks is that?

Instead of getting another game, we were officially done which sucked because  my bro and pops were on their way over to the fields to watch me play for the first time.  They were in Santa Monica for brunch at the JC so I scrambled to find another team to play.  I convinced the other UCSD team to play a short game with us.  The game was pretty sloppy, but my family didn't know the difference. No biggy, it was fun.

After a few prolonged good byes, we all finally parted ways.  It was a great time and if I could comeback in a year and play with my fellow squids, I would.  I went back to JAM's for a shower and then had my mom pick me up for dinner at El Torito.

I wish I wasn't as tired as I was because I was basically worthless at dinner.  But hey, we watched the AFC Championship game while eating enchiladas so it could have been worse.  I then went back to LAX for my red eye back to JFK and JAM proved his worth as a friend by bringing me my winter coat that I had left at his place.

The last cool thing to happen in LA was right before I got on the plane.  I was waiting in a nearby gate where a flight from Miami was just getting in around 9pm and who do I see coming out of the jetway first?  None other than Jason Statham.  He was walking with some woman who didn't look nearly as hot as Turkish could get, but who knows, maybe they were HS sweet hearts.

I got on my 930pm flight and crashed quickly, only to wake up in JFK at 530am and then had to high tail up to the Have for my 9am lab meeting.  It's cool.  I hit the Bucks before hand and was in lab just in time to show off my successful cloning data that I had generated right before I left.

Lei Out...check.

just my thoughts

match diesel

Ending the Streak...again

This morning I woke up after a little family rager at my brother's place and while watching some Lost (season 2) and drinking my coffee, he told me that the Celtics had lost again to the Warriors.   This immediately reminded me of a post I put up earlier this year about how the Rockets had their streak ended and I compared it to how teams could potentially beat Wisconsin.

Anyway, my post was before Centex so I didn't have any idea they would lose to Michigan and then Florida and Pitt but in seeing that go down and seeing the Celtics lose to the Lakers and now the Warriors, I couldn't help but draw some parallels.

First off, I've said this before and I'll say it again, of all the major sports, I think Ultimate is the most like Basketball.  Getting breaks and establishing offensive consistency are analogous as are hucks and three point shooting.

But the parallel I wanted to bring up is the emotional status of players.  I talk a lot about confidence but it is really important in our game because confidence allows you to execute under pressure.  If Peyton throws 2 TD's or Manny hits 40% its amazing, but in Basketball you've gotta score 40-50 times a game and in Ultimate you've gotta complete >90% of your passes or you get your ass kicked.  With that in mind, the emotion that runs rampant in players can really be an asset/problem when trying to execute an offense.  In my opinion, the Celtics had no chance Christmas Day.  The Lakers wanted that game a TON and they played with intensity that Boston could not match.  Just like Michigan at Centex, the Lakers were ready, confident and unafraid.  They took it to the Celtics, the way Magnum beat the Hodags and ended the streak.  

To the Hodags shagrin, they fell to Florida and then Pitt and ended up going 4-3 at Centex, LOSERS...jk.  In my opinion, I think they had their cages rattled a little bit and the confidence they relied on was not what it could have been.  I think after a big loss to the Lakers, Boston had the same sort of problem.  The Lakers knocked them down a peg and their offensive execution was not what it could have been in the second half.  Maybe they came out firing and let up late in the game, maybe Ray Allen was just off, who knows?  I like that Doc Rivers recognized that a 39% first half shooting percentage from the Warriors was just a number and if they got hot, they'd stay that way.

In any event, this had me thinking about a few things.  For starters, like Basketball, I think Ultimate needs to be played in a game of series' in the playoffs.  There is so much pressure to execute in this game as opposed to just preventing your opponent from executing (Football) and things only get worse in April/May.  You have to score so many times and like Basketball and Tennis and Golf, it is hard to be great all the time.  Everyone has off days and the emotional state of players/teams can really be a problem.  With that in mind, I think giving teams multiple chances to prove their worth would be nice.  I think Wisconsin still wins Nationals against Florida if they go best of 3, games to 7 or whatever, but I think we can all think of games where a DGP finish ended up with the "better" team not winning.  I'm sure folks have their issues with this, but I think a single game to 15 is a flaw in Ultimate game theory because it neglects the huge impact of emotion with regard to offensive execution. If I were running things, we'd go with Wild Wood rules, games to 5, best 2 out of 3.

Secondly, it's December and like Centex, the #1 team may have lost, but it is all for the best.  Wisconsin needed their emotional state challenged and that is exactly what the Celtics got last night.  They needed to be knocked down a few pegs if only to allow themselves to pick up the momentum they'll need to dominate as they did a year ago.  I think they are in line for another title because another year of Garnett/Pierce/Allen/Rondo, not to mention their stellar D, will only yield better results.  Plus I think the Lakers and the Cavs lack the style points that teams like the Spurs have had and the Celtics have now.  Kobe is doing a great job and Pau Gasol is developing as a scoring threat, but I think Boston's confidence in execution is still much better across the board.  Likewise with Lebron in Clevland, he's amazing but in a 7 game series, he'll have an off night and then what?

In addition, like Ultimate, I think sports writers effect the game somewhat in that people tend to get their emotions caught up with expectations.  Everyone wants to see another 72-10 season like the Bulls in 95-96 but that just isn't realistic and more importantly, it is not what these players are paid to do.  They are paid to win Championships and while winning ~88% of your games helps, it isn't the overall goal.

With that in mind, I think the Celtics are just fine and will have their focus returned in the next few games, much like Wisconsin after Centex.  Maybe these games came a bit early in the year because June is a long ways off, but you never know.  I hope to go to the Celtics/Lakers game on February 5th, and we'll see if they are as good as last year.

On a side note, I took a look at Hector's post about Chicken.  It's nice to see a fellow man crusher at work because I've got my fair share.  I think it is funny that his departure from Colorado is coupled with his arrival in my hood.  I look forward to some high intensity winter league with him in a few weeks.  I can definitely attest to Chicken's fashion sense because he is undoubtedly the most well dressed cat at the Med School, but he has his swagger and that's all that matters.  I think his quest to be different is not unlike my own and hopefully he gets as much out of the Y-bomb experience as I have.

Have a fun and safe New Years.

just my thoughts

match diesel

Relax, it's all BS

So recently I wrote an article discussing some thoughts about the college 2009 season and one of the players that I wrote about contacted me regarding some of the things I said. He was a bit surprised by some of my talking points and wanted to give me his take on the situation.

First, I want to say that I welcome any input on what I write and I'm always open to new ideas and topics. Please send me emails at airmatch24@gmail.com if you want to discuss something.

Secondly, I wanted to mention that a lot of what I write, and this goes for most sports writers, is nothing but fluff. I recently was inspired to bring up this topic after seeing the most recent Terrell Owens debacle go down.

One of the reasons why sports are as popular as they are in America is because sports writers debate topics and get fans interested in the stories that revolve around the players they follow. Tony Romo mentioned this in his Cowboys/Giants post game interview. However, because it's a business, writers have to continually re-invent themselves and come up with story after story. While it would be nice if we always had a great story to write, epic sagas like Michael Phelps, Joe Kershner, the '07-'08 Boston Celtics, Michael Vick, or Conference 1 only come along once in awhile. Deadlines are deadlines however, and we need something for Monday's column.

This doesn't necessarily mean that journalists manifest news, but it does mean that they sift through sports data with a magnifying glass and when they come across a detail that can be spun into a story, it will be.  Whether or not this story actually has any merit or importance in the locker room is not guaranteed but what is guaranteed is that folks at home/work will read it and be entertained.  I've been guilty of this on more than one occasion and on more than one occasion I've received a concerned email from a pertinent party. I'm not complaining, it's the price I pay for having an audience. Elite players that get written about have the same problem. I call it "pretty girl tax". Pretty girls get eye balled, harassed, and judged based on their appearance, and despite their issues with it, they don't wish they were ugly (or at least don't do anything about it). You want to be pretty? You want to be great at Ultimate? You want a major audience? You're going to have to deal with these sorts of things. Most folks aren't as lucky and fail to draw the same attention. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

However, the take home message is to try and not let it get to you.  What I write, like what Bill Simmons or Tim Kurkjian writes, should not affect the game itself and if it does, players need to NOT read it.  These stories shouldn't actually matter, because winning is the only thing that matters.  I get the feeling though, that in developing somewhat of a journalism niche, I have introduced a new set of emotions in some ultimate players. I got into this business because I wanted every player in the country (college and club) to realize just how awesome our sport is and to pay attention to it the way they pay attention to the NFL, MLB, NBA, etc... However, I'm guessing that some players I write about aren't exactly ready to be the LeBron James or Peyton Manning of Ultimate. But, because they are the best at our modest little sport, they get the throne, or the dog house, depending on the story.

So to those lucky few players (because believe me, you are lucky), I have this to say: It's all fluff. Don't take what I or anyone else says too seriously. This is all just a game and games are supposed to be fun. If you have taken offense to something I wrote, don't waste your time getting angry. You'll be one of a 1,000 that hates my guts and you're better off remaining happy that you are significant enough to be written about. If I were making money off trash talking, that would be one thing, but believe me, my trips to Texas, Colorado, Vancouver, etc.. aren't free and I am wayyy in the minus when it comes to ultimate expenses. However, like the players I write about, I love this game and am willing to make sacrifices for what I love.

And just to re-enforce my initial point, nothing that comes out of my blog is definitive law, it's just my opinion. If I am off base, incorrect, or misinformed, don't waste your time getting all steamed up about it. I try not to shoot my mouth off senselessly, but I ruffle feathers some times and I really should not. Maybe it's because ultimate players are all nerds at heart and it is easy to mentally perturb them. If you are a dumb jock, you aren't smart enough to be mentally agitated, but if you are an MIT grad, the mental momentum associated with stuff like this is pretty significant. A brilliant friend of mine once told me that it's because of our intelligence that ultimate players have trouble executing under pressure. We are just too smart to block out the pressure and for those that are lucky enough to have this skill, F@#$ You!!! I kid...but seriously, go to hell.

Anyway, it's all a game and even if I could grow a mustache, I wouldn't be twisting it while hatching up a scheme to piss off poor elite players. I've got better things to do with my time, like generate this sick RNAi western blot:

Happy Holidays folks.

just my thoughts

match diesel

2009 College Preview

The Hodag repeat, Arizona, Will Neff's transfer to Michigan, Martin's broken foot, these were the big stories of 2008.  However, with the velocity of the internet, last year's college season almost seems like ancient history.  Since Memorial Day, we have seen Canada win gold, Furious miss out on Nationals, Sockeye and Bravo both miss out on the Finals, and the crowning of a new champion in San Francisco Jam.  We've also seen the coming and going of Conference 1 and a highly controversial UPA/Cultimate summit that has left us all a bit curious as to how the 2009 College Season will unfold.

A mere 12 months ago folks were talking about Santa Cruz's success at Sean Ryan and things like Sunburn's romp in Vegas was still months away.  With that being said, this is a very interesting time in our sport because we can speculate all we want in the hopes of trying to predict the big stories of 2009.  In following the crazy stories in Pro as well as College football, I couldn't help but toss out some ideas in the hopes of getting some momentum started for the upcoming season.

I wanted to start with some discussions regarding the semifinal teams, then some Callahan talk, followed by some UPA/Cultimate dialog and then some closing thoughts.

Carleton

Of all the semifinal teams from last year, I think CUT is the favorite going into the regular season.  With Colorado, Florida, and Wisconsin all having to deal with major departures, Carleton could re-take control of the Central Region and perhaps make a run at the Finals.

However, that isn't to say that success 2009 is assured because they definitely have their fair share of challenges.  First off, the size issue.  For a few years now, people have speculated as to whether or not Carleton can compete against some of the bigger teams in the country.  In the old days, CUT routinely had hugtastic players like Nord and Chase, but since their title run in 2001, the juniors influx has brought in a ton of squirrley little flatballers and guys like Jacob Goldstein and Patrick Baylis have become the latest trend in CUT talent.  In my opinion, despite being exceptionally well trained, they tend to have issues with talented teams that are bigger than they are.  Take the 3 other teams in semifinals, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Florida.  They lost to Wisconsin 13-10 at Regionals, 15-8 to Colorado in Pool Play and 15-6 to Florida in Semifinals.  Not a good record.

Aside from hitting the HGH, there are a variety of ways that Carleton could tackle this issue and I think they all revolve around season long strategical planning.  This would mean setting productive goals at the tournament, day to day, and in-game levels.  At the tournament level, Carleton could attempt to establish a linear team progression from Vegas to Stanford to Centex to the Series.  This doesn't necessarily mean focusing on Win/Loss record, but simply achieving specific goals tournament to tournament, whether they be integrating younger players, experimenting with a different zone defense or establishing their primary/secondary/etc.. offense.  They typically come out hot at Vegas but their Stanford and Centex performances last year leaved something to be desired.  It will be important for Carleton to keep the series in mind when competing at these tournaments and while they historically peak very well, it will be important to set productive goals tournament to tournament.

At the day to day level, I think it would be a good idea to focus on coming out strong on both Saturday and Sunday.  I remember them coming out hot early at Stanford without much of a follow up performance.  Likewise, it will be important for them to stay within themselves at Centex, a grueling tournament that could produce major injuries if they redline it too much.  I feel like an intelligent approach to every day of competition will be good.  The captains should ask themselves, "what is our goal for today and how can we get there?".  The answer should be complex, but it will take some critical thinking for CUT to get back to the Finals.  Things don't always boil down to win or lose and I think an enlightened approach to the season, much like the way Colorado usually operates, will be a good strategy.  I remember talking to Greg Connelly about Ironside at Club Nationals and after taking the pool and coming out of power pools #2, he simply said "we have a plan" and I liked hearing that.  Carleton should be very careful about their season, because now is the time.

Lastly, the in-game strategical approach will be very important for CUT and I think this is where they could handle the size issue the best.  Because college handlers are still incredibly fallible (even at the elite level) putting pressure on throwers, rather than receivers, will be a good strategy.  They can accomplish this with varying marks (flat, FM, FA, etc..) as well as junky zone defenses that will produce poach D's and easy turns.  Likewise exploiting underneath matchups will be a good way to take advantage of mobility disparities and I think Carleton will do well if they stick to their own offense as opposed to matching other teams huck for huck.  In addition, it will be important to adjust to teams effectively and potentially do things like come out of second halves with a different approach than the first.

With their talent and previous success, Carleton reminds me a little bit of Stanford back in '04-'07 in the sense that they are good enough for semis, but still need to figure something out to get back to the Finals.  Stanford made semis 4 years in a row only to lose to the eventual champions (Colorado, Brown, Florida, Wisconsin) which despite being a major accomplishment, does not bode well for CUT.  Bloodthirsty seemed to rely on their depth and their coaching and while Carleton has comparable depth this year, they are historically un-coached.  This could be a problem at every level in their strategical approach, but especially in the in-game strategy.  They really never did much to adjust to Florida in semis and if they want to take it to the next level, they will need to use the lump that is 3 feet above their ass.

Despite these challenges, I think Carleton is in good shape.  They might not have won MLC, but they only lost 11-9 to Colorado (tournament winner) and 11-10 to Wisconsin (Finalist).  In addition to their depth, they also have unreal club experience with players in a very successful local club team (SubZero), and others throughout the Nation, Bodhi/Northeast and Revolver/Northwest.  Such a background is unparalleled at the college level and I think the experience that Adam Fagin (Revolver), Christian Foster and Patrick Roberts (Bodhi), not to mention Sam Kanner and Grant Lindsley (SubZero), will bring into the huddle will be awesome.

They also have a ton of young talent that is right in the meat of their college ultimate careers.  The 5 players I just mentioned are either juniors or sophomores and that kind of depth with 2-3 year left in a college career is insane.  Hopefully Carleton can build on their big game experiences of the last college and club season and either take it all in 2009 or at least set themselves up for a title shot in 2010.

Lastly, to round out their talent and defensive approach, I think Carleton can and should rely on offensive efficiency.  The internal chemistry that this team has, not to mention exceptional skill across the board, will allow CUT to maintain possession of the disc when/if over eager teams give it up.  Every program will cough the disc up and if Carleton can just not give it back, they will succeed.  This might even be a more prominent solution to the size issue than any sort of defensive approach.  I am very curious to know if CUT can take advantage of college miscues and considering that Wisconsin has been gutted, I would not be surprised to see them take back the Central Region, on the back of some majorly chilly offense and crafty D.

Wisconsin

Unlike 2008, I do not think the Hodags have nearly as much pressure on them.  After an unbelievable 2007 season, Wisconsin came back and won Nationals with nearly the same intensity as a year before.  However, in 2009, I'm not sure that Wisconsin will be as hot and I think another 56-3 record or whatever is a bit unrealistic.  I say this mainly because the team is going to very different than it has been the last few years.

First off, they are losing an unreal crop of 5th years.  Muffin, Shane Hohenstein, Will Lokke, Drew Mahowald, and Matt Rebholz are all out the door and I believe that outside Arizona, Wisconsin is getting hit the hardest with team departures.  They are getting hit not only on the defensive side of the disc, but offense as well and I am really curious to know how the Hodags handle this.  Depth has been their main strategy thus far and I'm curious to know who will step up to the plate now that the bulk of their '06-'08 stalwarts are gone.

To complicate matters, the caveat to being as successful as Wisconsin has been the last 3 years, is that the bulk of the current roster has no idea what it is like to lose. Guys like Cullen Geppert and Ben Feldman are great players, but all they know is success.  When/if things get dicey this season, are they gonna know how to handle it?  You have to go all the way back to 2005 to see a Wisconsin team that didn't make the Finals and I wonder if expectations will be a bit too high.

However, Wisconsin's leadership is phenomenal.  Jim Foster and Tom "Animal" Annen are both exceptional players and each offers great complimentary skill sets.  Foster is a composed downfield O-line option, who has the focus and consistency they will need and I feel like Animal is the intense defense minded handler that Muffin was and his presence will maintain the tenacity that Wisconsin has exhibited the lat few years.

In addition, the Hodags are being coached for the first time (at least since I've been watching) by Muffin.  His work ethic and commitment to Wisconsin will ensure that the Hodags are as in shape and intense as ever.  However, I wonder if Muffin took any lessons away from another trip to Sarasota.  Wisconsin has been notorious for intense D and depth, but when it comes to offensive composure and consistency, they leave something to be desired.  In Florida, SubZero played a similar game plan, but in the winds of Sarasota, they struggled against patient teams like GOAT.  I wonder if this experience will precipitate changes in Wisconsin's offensive approach, which could be instrumental given the personal shuffling that is now going on.

Regardless, the Hodags know how to win and with their "program" nature and previous success, they should have the confidence to take out anyone.  They lost to Colorado at MLC which is no big deal, but any dip in performance this year will hurt the intimidation factor they have boasted for so long.  If they can maintain the same level of skill, a regular season W/L record won't matter, but I think teams will not be as scared of baby blue as they have been in the past.

Colorado

This is a team I am really excited to see in 2009.  Unlike Florida, this team does not rely on their star power as much as some people may think.  Yes, they have had unreal personal in Jolian, Beau, Chicken, Richter, and Parker, but in reality, their depth is really their strong suit.  In my opinion, I think they are one of the strongest teams at the 4-7 position, and despite hype for their superstar players, they have similar depth to Wisconsin, which explains why they have had almost as much success over the years.

That isn't to say that they are without major departures and considering that Jolian Dahl, Martin Cochran, Chris Wicus, and Kevin "Pebbles" Schipper are all gone, Mamabird could be in for some trouble.  However, I think this will be the perfect time for them to show just how good they are despite less hyped personal.  Plus, I think their Martin-less experience last winter will prove to be valuable in that the pressure that players put on themselves last year in Martin's absence will prove itself to have been a nice warmup to his actual departure.

Colorado will have major star power, however, mainly in Mac Taylor.  Over the years Mac has established himself as an incredibly composed and consistent offensive threat for MB.  He doubles as a primary cutter for Bravo and his ice cold demeanor is insane for a player his age.  Not only is he exceptional at bringing in huge skies and launching major hucks, but he also plays great D and is as good at setting up his team mates as they do him.  I think the pressure to lead will fall squarely on him but I think his confidence and experience will be extremely valuable and I imagine that he will be just fine.

Another stand out for Colorado this year could be Hylke Sneider, that juniors phenom from Denver that graced the cover of the UPA magazine a while back.  Hylke is in an interesting position because he falls under the Yankee's-esk numbering system that Colorado exhibits.  For the NY Yankees, Billy Martin was #1, Derek Jeter #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Joe DiMaggio #5, and Mickey Mantle #6/7.  For Colorado, Chicken was #10, Richter #20, Hylke #30, Mac Taylor #40, Beau #50, and Jolian #60.  Whether or not this is intentional is anyone's guess, but I think now is the time where Hylke's potential will be tested.  For years he has had the luxury of playing behind MB's greats but now he needs to take center stage.  With Martin gone, I think Hylke's size and presence could be great for Colorado's D-line and with Mac anchoring the O-line, I think this will be a nice warmup for 2010.  His background should give him all the skills he needs to dominate at the college level but I wonder if he has picked up enough experience at the club level.  Unlike other Colorado up and comers, Hylke does not play for Bravo, but for Ballerdo and I wonder if that is an advantage he has missed out on.  Either way, I'm sure as a junior he will perform as expected and given Colorado's history, I'm sure he is up for the challenge.

Ultimately, I think Colorado's depth will be the major weapon they use this year.  I wish I had more to say about them, but I suppose that is how faceless depth works.  Colorado has taken the Southwest 5 of the 6 years I've been watching ultimate and won a National title (oddly enough the one year they didn't take the region, sort of).  With Arizona's departures and the uncertainty of UCSB, UCSD, UCLA, and Claremont, I don't think it will be hard for Colorado to stay on top of their region.  In addition, they have a new coach in Jim Schoettler and I'm sure his background with Stanford, Jam, and now Johnny Bravo will be quite advantageous in preparing Colorado for battle.  Mamabird seems to never go away and I think 2009 will be another year of continued Colorado success.

Florida

Now this is a team I am worried about.  Florida is in a similar situation to Wisconsin in the sense that their younger players are going to have to earn it.  For the last 3 years, all Florida has done is win, but they have done it with a really tight rotation, and now most of them are gone.  In 2006, Tim Gehret lead an amazing squad of flatballers but despite the fact that guys like Cyle Van Auken, Jon Wyndam (I think), and Kurt Gibson have kept the team at the top for a few more years, they are all finally gone.  They still have Brodie Smith who should continue to dominate but the bulk of their starting 7 is not what it once was.  This might be a time where they decide to open their rotation, or they could continue to depend on a small number of players.

They definitely have remaining talent in addition to Brodie with guys like Chris Gibson, Cole Sullivan and Alex Hill, but I wonder if it is enough.  2009 could be the year that Florida's lack of depth is taken advantage of and if they are not careful, they could miss out on Nationals, a feat that seems almost unheard of but as recently as 2005, Florida was no where near Nationals.

In reading Grant's CCC write up, it looks like Florida is still depending on Brodie deep, which is ok, but it won't work forever.  In 2008, Brodie had the luxury of Kurt Gibson who would either draw an opponent's best defender or huck it to him deep despite any sort of pressure or weather.  However, without him, Brodie will have to depend a ton on his supporting cast which is now below him in experience and talent rather than above.  This sort of challenge is one he has never had to deal with because he walked onto the team and won a National title in 2006.  Now, 4 years later, he is just about all that is left of that team and I wonder if it will be enough.

They already have interesting losses to Michigan and Minnesota which is not a good sign.  For the last few years, because Florida's roster is so tight, they tend to play the same at Vegas, Centex, and the Series.  With only 7 or so players getting points, peaking occurs really early on.  However, now that things are different, I am not surprised to see Florida struggle early on.  I wonder how they will follow up their CCC performance at Warm Up next month and considering their dominance at this tournament the last few years, anything short of perfection will raise a lot of speculation regarding Florida and other AC teams that have been beaten up by Florida the last few years will be licking their chops.

However, Florida does have a few strengths to draw from.  In addition to a great starting 7 the last few years they are very well coached by Kurt Dahlenberg, who has been an ultimate legend in the Miami/Florida area with the Refugees.  He has been instrumental in preparing Florida the last few years and will continue to do so.  In addition, Florida also has a ton of "jock" recruiting potential and I can't imagine their army of +6-footers getting any smaller.  They will certainly have their work cut out for them this year, however, and it will be up to them to continue to train and focus.  I would not be surprised to see them struggle early on this season but if they can keep it together, there is no reason why they shouldn't finish the season strong.

Callahan Talk

First I wanted to start off with a disclaimer.  In my opinion, the Callahan award selects someone with the best combination of player talent, team talent and hype.  This may or may not reflect the intentions of the award and it most undoubtedly leaves out deserving players.

Stephen "Franchise" Pressley - Texas

The first person on my discussion list is Stephen "Franchise" Pressley from Texas because he is the only one of the 5 finalists from last year who will participate in 2009.  Franchise is an exceptional player with fantastic disc skills, brilliant heads up D, and razor sharp cuts.  However, like former TUFF Callahan nominees, he has an uphill battle.  Texas has routinely struggled to attract the hype necessary to earn this award and while both Tank and Salad were close to the top in the past, they were passed up by more popular nominees.  Perhaps TUFF can poach some steam from Doublewide's convincing victory over Sockeye at Club Nationals, but I think the only way Texas can pick up the momentum to get Franchise the award will be a major tournament victory such as TiV or Centex.  Best of luck, I'd love to see it.

Will Neff - Michigan

My top pick for the Callahan nominee in 2009, not surprisingly, is Will Neff.  Ever since his transfer from Northeastern to Michigan, he has set himself up to make major noise on the college scene.  For starters, he helped get Magnum back to Nationals in 2008 (as a 1 seed) after UM missed out on the show in 2007.  In addition, he has had sustained hype from his juniors experience with Amherst and Finland (2004 gold medal), his Twisted Metal days, and now with his D-line presence on Ironside (2008 Club Nationals Finalist).  To top it all off, he has zero negative hype.

However, he isn't without challenges.  The Great Lakes region has never produced a Callahan winner and because Michigan doesn't usually go to Vegas or Stanford, Neff will miss out on the UltiVillage exposure that Joe Kershner benefitted from.  With this in mind, Michigan has to win their region in order for voters to have confidence in Will.  If they take the GL again, there should be nothing in Will's way.  But if they slip, speculation regarding his abilities will run rampant.  I don't think this is too much of a concern however, considering that Michigan still has a ton of talent outside Will in guys like Dave Fumo and Ollie Hondred and their biggest threat, Illinois, graduated their best player, Joel Koehneman.  Anyway, I think Will is a lock, but I thought Jolian was last year and look what happened.

Mac Taylor - Colorado

Mamabird seems to always have a major vote getter and I don't think 2009 will be any different.  Mac is not only a great college player but his club experience will give him massive amounts of hype.  However, Mac does have issues.  Colorado seemed to be one of the first teams to run O/D-line sets and because Mac is a solid O-line player, I think he will miss out on play making opportunities that other nominees have because they play both sides.  In addition, Mac seems to be a very solemn player and does not draw a ton of attention to himself.  He is just that lanky dude with the backwards hat.  Maybe this won't have much of an impact, but he doesn't really have the intense presence that Jolian or Richter had.  I think both his O-line assignment and composed nature make him a fantastic player and while this combination of talents is probably perfect for Mamabird as a team, it might hurt him in the popularity contest.  No matter, like most Callahan nominees out of Colorado, I'm sure Mac values his team success over his own popularity and I'm sure he would trade the Callahan for a National title any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Brodie Smith - Florida

Brodie is easily the most visible player out of the AC and with his success the last few years, many folks already know what he can do.  However, despite having as much talent as one needs for this award, Brodie does have a ton of issues.  First off, his very public support for Conference 1.  Now I'm not claiming that he shouldn't have supported Skip's campaign, but the bulk of the Callahan voters do not play for a top 25 team and those will be the votes Brodie cannot depend on.  Likewise, Florida's nature doesn't precipitate much jubilation from competitors and with things like their low spirit score requests at Nationals and what not, I don't think Brodie will do well in the popularity contest.

Greg Swanson - Georgia

I toss out Greg here mainly because I think JoJah is the only other team out of the AC that can make any noise as far as the Callahan goes.  Greg is a great contributor for not only JoJah but Chain Lightning as well but I wouldn't be surprised if Georgia did not nominate him.  Historically, Georgia only nominates a Callahan if the vote is unanimous and with a great defender in Peter Dempsey on the team, he might not get such an honor.  Because of this, Georgia routinely does not submit a nominee as can be seen with the fact that in 12 years of voting, they have only nominated 4 players (Dylan Tunnell, Jay Hammond, Shippey Crawford, and Will Deaver).  Outside Georgia and Florida, there really isn't a whole lot of hype surrounding players in the AC and while teams like NC State, UNC, and UNC-W are all talented, they will need a ton of help to get a nominee in the lime light.

George Stubbs - Harvard

Now considering George is only a sophomore, he might not get Redline's nomination, but I totally see this kid winning the Callahan in the future.  He had a rocky freshman year because of a torn PCL, but his performance in Boulder, as well as Worlds (Juniors-Team USA) and Ironside, is reason enough to vote for him.  His background, like Grant Lindsley's, is insane and all he needs to do is play his game and he will succeed.  With Andrew Vogt (Juniors-Team Canada) on Redline as well, these two are one of the best 1-2 punches in the college game and if Harvard can get on top of a very volitile NE region, he's in good shape.  In my opinion, if George can bring it in the college sphere, he could get the Callahan as early as 2010.

Central Region?

I think the CN region, despite producing 2 major contenders, will not make much Callahan noise.  I think Dan Heijmen, like Tim Gehret, benefitted from some major team hype, and got his MVP award in 2007 but I think folks have wised up.  Since then, I get the feeling folks are a little tired of Wisconsin.  They respect them, but voting for their MVP candidate is not something that seems to be happening.  Neither Rebholz nor Muffin could get enough votes to finish top 5 and while I think Jim Foster or whoever they nominate would be fantastic, I don't see Wisconsin producing much of a candidate.  In addition, Carleton probably won't nominate someone as usual and outside these two, there really isn't much to speak of, as far as Callahan hype, in the CN region

NW Region?

The NW is not what it once was in the college scene and believe it or not, folks outside NorCal, Oregon and WA/BC like seeing the Northwest struggle.  Long gone are the glory days of Stanford, Oregon, and Cal and with as much turmoil as there has been in this region, a clear candidate for the MVP is not prevalent.  Mark Sherwood (Stanford) was easily the best player I have seen come out the NW the last few years and if he couldn't get the award, no one else in this region has a prayer.  Dusty Becker (Oregon) has some hype but just getting Ego back to Nationals will be hard enough.  They do have other talent in guys like Nate Castine (Western Washington and Sockeye) but without regional success, getting voters on board will be tough.

Metro East?

Good luck.  Teams like Pitt and Delaware are going to need Kershner type hype to get Callahan attention and despite tons of Juniors talent coming out of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, I don't see anyone making noise out of this region.  I could be wayy off however and I hope I am.  It'd make a great story.

UPA/Cultimate

I don't have too much to say on this topic that hasn't already been stated.  First off, I feel really bad for Skip.  He is such a trendsetter and his tournaments are really exceptional.  However, his Conference 1 campaign was McCain/Palin-esk in the sense that it was entertaining to follow but didn't inspire much confidence.  

In any event, I hope the lesson here is professionalism.  Using ultimate as a revenue source is very complicated and everyone from Rob to Skip to 5Ultimate to folks like myself, it is really important to separate passion from judgement.  Emotion will keep you motivated but one still has to make good decisions and patience is definitely a virtue.

Now that all of this NCUA and Conference 1 talk has more or less come and gone, I think the idea of a regular season is still on the table and I really hope that cooperation between Skip and the UPA happens.  It only makes sense.  The regular season that so many players are clamoring for is more or less the Cultimate tournament schedule and with the backing of the UPA, it won't be too difficult to solidify.

More importantly, I think the first and most pressing issue that can be sorted out by the UPA is to announce Nationals.  When this announcement is made, a solid date and location for the culmination of the series will be known and some confidence in the 2009 season will be restored.  I also think that once this occurs players will be able to look 4-5 months into the future as opposed to just focusing on the first few tournaments of the year.  I think this mental security will be ideal for young players that have had their cages rattled.

In addition, I am also really curious to know if CSTV will be undertaking broadcasting responsibilities and how much involvement Rob and UltiVillage will have.  With his work at Centex, College Nationals, Worlds and Club Nationals this past year, I think Rob can make a solid case for live broadcasting of the tournament, or at least more than CSTV has historically done.

Anyway, hopefully Nationals is on the East Coast again.  It hasn't been anywhere near ultimate hubs like Boston, North Carolina or Atlanta since 2001 and has mainly been a midwest/west coast event with places like Spokane (2002), Austin (2003), Seattle (2004), Corvalis (2005), Colombus (2006/7), and Boulder (2008).  Now I don't think this is anyone's fault, I just want an easier trip to Nationals for once.

Closing Thoughts

I wanted to end with a little bit about injuries.  Young teams out there, take a lesson from the Tom Brady, Osi Umenyiroa, Carson Palmer, Brady Quinn, Tony Romo incidents.  You never know when a player is going to get hurt, so 1) don't be stupid with your bodies and 2) don't be shallow.  I know at the college level it is easy to depend on your superstar(s) but for a few of those teams out there, he/she is going to go down and hopefully you can bounce back the way the Giants and Patriots have.  You lose a defensive or offensive star and you don't miss a beat.  It is quite the challenge to develop this sort of depth but in all seriousness, it is better to constantly integrate players throughout the season and work on developing as a team than just try and get wins.  I think the impulse in college is to put your stars on the field to try and win as many games as possible but it will only be a matter of time before they burn out, graduate or get hurt, and then what?  Do yourselves a favor and sacrifice short term gains for long term success.

just my thoughts

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