Challenges

On the eve of a brand new season, there comes a time where I will just think about what I want to accomplish this season. I’ve done this for every college and club season that I’ve been a part of, in addition to individual tournaments and even the occasional pickup games. I constantly challenge myself to push myself and my game to new limits, working on fundamentals such as keeping a solid force on the mark or not getting beat up-line, to things that are more “out-there” such as working on my off-hand throws or high release flicks.

My philosophy is that if you don’t constantly challenge yourself to get better, to work on different aspects of your game, you won’t improve and your game becomes stale and predictable and it’ll show through your play at the local pickup game or at nationals. I have a post-it stuck on my wall, directly in front of me as I sit at my computer that says these simple words:

“Someone is working harder than you--->10/29/2009”

If you haven’t caught on, the date 10/29/2009 is not just Jen “Zip” Chen’s birthday, but also the start of the UPA Club nationals in Sarasota, Florida. For LA Metro, that’s the goal. This will be the last time I talk about Natties here this year, but as a team, our captains have made it clear that we are not only focused on qualifying for it, but also making some noise there.

On the individual scale, my challenges for this year are even harder than what I faced last year. Last year’s goals for the LA Metro ’08 season was to blend in as a reliable and solid role player, and to develop into an elite level handler. I’m not sure if I accomplished the latter goal, but I felt like I did establish myself as a reliable cutter last year, being moved from D-line handler to O-line cutter.

Offense

This year I want to be perfect. That’s saying so much and I know that I’m never going to achieve such a goal (no one will), but it’s a mentality thing. I want to handle the disc and cut for the disc in a way that strives for perfection. This means throwing consistently and accurately, mixing brains with ability and making the right high-percentage decision every time. This doesn’t mean I won’t be hucking or throwing higher-risk passes. The captains have encouraged me to huck more, but with this “clearance” comes more responsibility and restraint. I hope by year’s end I will be a smart and sound handler that can not only distribute the disc accurately and fluidly on the under cuts, but also keep the defense alert with the potentiality of my deep throws.

- 100% throws, minimal turns

- Establish deep game

- Clearing space for others

Defense

I hope this is the year I break out defensively. I’ve been working on my defense this entire off-season with the UCI team, LPC at Sean Ryan, and other tournaments with various teams. The title I really want to earn is the “lock-down defender,” especially on the opponent’s main handler. My goals are to be a lot more physical on the defensive side, to use my body and position to my advantage and to make the offense go where we want them to go. Calstates showed me that I’m still not there in guarding handlers that are significantly bigger than I am, so much work is needed both in my speed/agility, and in the weight room.

- Lock down defender status

- Body the offense. BE MORE PHYSICAL

- Dictate the offense

- Want the disc more than the other guy

- Lay out big, lay out aggressively, lay out safe.

We went into last year with a “let’s see how well we can do” mentality, and we missed a trip to Nationals by 5 points. This year, we’re gearing up for a run that will hopefully take us all the way to November. The roster is being assembled, and track workouts are being run. I was lucky enough to be offered a roster spot on this awesome team, and when it matters, I don’t want to be the one that lets the other 26 down. This is the last time I mention it, but yes, our challenge for this year is nationals. The season starts now, and I couldn’t be more psyched out for what it will bring.

-Hammie