This is it.
This is the tournament that teams have been preparing all year for and are preparing themselves to leave everything out on the field. For teams who have been here before, there's a certain mystique to it. Club Regionals is drastically different from collge regionals not only in the level of play, but also in the level of passion and desire people display. Not to put down the college scene, but club is as good as it gets and the expectations are greater.
With the Southwest Mixed Division receiving a recent growth bid to bring their allocated natties bids to 3, it changes up things in the SW. I'll put in my two cents in terms of predictions at the end, but as usual, I'm just gonna do a bit of individual team previews, atleast for the top guns in the region.
----
1. Barrio
Barrio has been and is the perennial favorate out of the Southwest Region. Their impressive performances at Nationals also shows that they can hang with the best. Although they have lost several key players from their 2008 squad, look for Barrio to benefit off of home field advantage in the heat in AZ as well as display their experience and poise when it counts. They've been here before and there's a reason why they are the unanimous #1 seed going into this tournament. Other than that, not much is known about the team. They haven't played many tournaments and had a rough outing at ECC with a good win over Chewy Defense. We'll see!
2. LA Metro
We're hungry. The 2008 season saw our squad losing in the game-to-go to Cougars 15-8. It was a tough loss, but at that point of the tournament, at that point of the season, we were simply out matched and out-played. We were in it. We had a chance to make it but it just wasn't our time. This year's mentality is to just run and gun, and settle for nothing less than a tournament win. I believe we're stronger this year, I believe we're mentally tougher this year, and I know that if we play to our strengths, we have the potential to run the table.
3. Operation Kapow
A new team from the Boulder/Denver area, they bring speed, athleticism, and experience to the table with numerous players who were ballers for their college teams or have multiple years of college experience. Although they have not played many games outside of their section, they feature big name players like Enessa Janes as well as the top handler/playmaker from Cougars last year. We've never seen these guys play, but their scores show that they are one of the elite. They breezed through the Rocky Mountain Section with relative ease with an easy win over Cougars, and also beat Golden Spike twice.
4. Cougars
Another team from the Boulder/Denver area, this team simply out played us last year in pool play and in the game-to-go. They bring a lot of athletic guys (including a 6'7" handler), as well as experienced women. They like to huck, they like to run, and they have the throws to back it all up. I've heard that they lost several players including their stud to Kapow, but they're still dangerous and have the capability to pull off upsets. They seem to be a "series only" team and their scores reflect that with green squares across the board except for a finals loss to Kapow.
5. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
Based off playing them twice at Sectionals, their offense mainly runs through Chuck with his big hucks as well as Lafite. They have several key girls that will continuously run their defenders but a lot has changed with this team since last year. I feel like their offense runs moreso through their men now as opposed to their 3-4 offense last year, but they still have all the required skills and personel to make some noise at Regionals. I see BCBC upsetting Cougars in pool play and taking over the D1 ranking going into the cross-over and bracket play.
----
The tournament set up has 15 total teams, with 3 total bids to Sarsota, FL. There's a 4th round cross-over on Saturday evening at 4:30, and if ALL the seeds hold, would put a matchup between A1: Barrio vs. C1: Kapow, and B1: Metro vs. D1: Cougars. That could be interesting as the cross-over will determine which side of the bracket the teams will start on, all assuming of course the 1 seeds hold their seeding.
Basically the game is this. If you MAKE the finals, you automatically clinch a bid to Nationals. There is no backdoor for the second bid but the rest of the teams are then left out to fight for the 3rd and final bid. Having that 3rd bid really changes things but the team mentality here in LA is that nothing has essentially changed. We still have a very difficult road ahead of us and there is no way we will take any of these teams lightly. They are ALL at regionals for a reason and have exemplified that they are all great teams and they all deserve to be here.
It's been a great season, but we're not yet satisfied. Time to go, time to work, time to show people what we can do and represent LA Ultimate.
Keep track of LA Metro on posterous: hammie10.posterous.com
Good luck to all teams,
-Hammie
LA Metro #10
===========
Southwest Predictions
Open-Bids to Nationals
- Johnny Bravo
- Strike-Slip
Womens Bids to Nationals
- Safari
- Rare Air
- Lady Condors
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thoughts
I don't think I've ever been in a place like this before. I'm sitting here in the analytical lab at work, days away from flying into Phoenix for the Southwest Regionals in Scottsdale, AZ. As the thoughts race through my head, "what am I gonna do this weekend," "what shouldn't I do this weekend," "what do I eat this week to prepare..." the most prevalent and overpowering thought is that we have the potential to do something special.
For those of you who know my frisbee pedigree, I came from "humble" roots. I started playing ultimate on the front lawn of my high school at lunch, somewhat of an outcast and found solace from all the stress of AP's, SAT's, and social strain in throwing a disc around with people I barely knew. I "red-shirted" my freshmen year at UC Irvine and by my second year was committed to playing with the upstart college team who was coming off a year-long suspension. It was a rough process trying to learn the game from my peers and teammates without a real "coach" figure. We struggled in the beginning, beating most B-teams here and there and it took us two trips to regionals to earn our first win, albeit on the last game on Sunday on the second try at regionals. I guess what I am trying to say is that although playing with NightLife will always be one of my greatest memories and joys in my life, we never put ourselves in a position to do something extremely special.
I remember our first universe point win, our first regionals game against the powerhouse Air Squids, the first tournament win, and of course, just the team chemistry and friendships I made. After placing a disappointing 6th at the 2008 Southwest Regionals in San Diego to close my college career in a year that was supposed to be Irvine's breakthrough, I thought that was it for me. I thought that was as good as I was going to get and wanted to get. Injuries had been a big factor in my career and many cautioned me to hang up the laces to save what I had left.
A year and a half later, I look back and thank God I didn't make that decision. The past two seasons with LA Metro have pushed me to a level I never thought I could go. The level of play is much higher than the level of college and consequently I have needed to demand that level of play from myself.
In just 4 days time is the 2009 Southwest Regionals. The team mentality has definitely changed since last year from "let's see how well we can do," to expecting to do well and to push ourselves to that next level. I've never credited myself to being part of any "exceptional" teams (except maybe Frorida), but I must say that the team that I am a part of right now is something special. I get very anxious just thinking about the weekend, about how it'll turn out, about how I will do... but I know that that's not the proper mentality for me at this point. A level of confidence, of swagger, of pride must be maintained. Trust in my teammates, trust in myself. I've been playing Ultimate for almost 4 years now... and I can say that this past year has been the most challenging for me, but the most rewarding. But the season is not over. We've got more work to do, starting with this coming weekend. All I know is that whatever happens, whatever the result, I am going to take the most I can away from my experience, and that it will make me a better player, teammate, and person; on and off the field.
Tournament preview will be up as soon as the schedule is updated on upa.org.
Until then, Thanks for reading
-Hammie
UC Irvine Nightlife Alum '08
LA Metro #10
For those of you who know my frisbee pedigree, I came from "humble" roots. I started playing ultimate on the front lawn of my high school at lunch, somewhat of an outcast and found solace from all the stress of AP's, SAT's, and social strain in throwing a disc around with people I barely knew. I "red-shirted" my freshmen year at UC Irvine and by my second year was committed to playing with the upstart college team who was coming off a year-long suspension. It was a rough process trying to learn the game from my peers and teammates without a real "coach" figure. We struggled in the beginning, beating most B-teams here and there and it took us two trips to regionals to earn our first win, albeit on the last game on Sunday on the second try at regionals. I guess what I am trying to say is that although playing with NightLife will always be one of my greatest memories and joys in my life, we never put ourselves in a position to do something extremely special.
I remember our first universe point win, our first regionals game against the powerhouse Air Squids, the first tournament win, and of course, just the team chemistry and friendships I made. After placing a disappointing 6th at the 2008 Southwest Regionals in San Diego to close my college career in a year that was supposed to be Irvine's breakthrough, I thought that was it for me. I thought that was as good as I was going to get and wanted to get. Injuries had been a big factor in my career and many cautioned me to hang up the laces to save what I had left.
A year and a half later, I look back and thank God I didn't make that decision. The past two seasons with LA Metro have pushed me to a level I never thought I could go. The level of play is much higher than the level of college and consequently I have needed to demand that level of play from myself.
In just 4 days time is the 2009 Southwest Regionals. The team mentality has definitely changed since last year from "let's see how well we can do," to expecting to do well and to push ourselves to that next level. I've never credited myself to being part of any "exceptional" teams (except maybe Frorida), but I must say that the team that I am a part of right now is something special. I get very anxious just thinking about the weekend, about how it'll turn out, about how I will do... but I know that that's not the proper mentality for me at this point. A level of confidence, of swagger, of pride must be maintained. Trust in my teammates, trust in myself. I've been playing Ultimate for almost 4 years now... and I can say that this past year has been the most challenging for me, but the most rewarding. But the season is not over. We've got more work to do, starting with this coming weekend. All I know is that whatever happens, whatever the result, I am going to take the most I can away from my experience, and that it will make me a better player, teammate, and person; on and off the field.
Tournament preview will be up as soon as the schedule is updated on upa.org.
Until then, Thanks for reading
-Hammie
UC Irvine Nightlife Alum '08
LA Metro #10
Monday, September 21, 2009
Southern California Sectionals Wrap Up
"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
-Vince Lombardi
The UPA Series finally rolled around with Sectionals in sunny Long Beach, CA. The all too familiar campus hosting the Open and Mixed divisions which looked to provide great matchups and tough battles. We had been here before being ranked #1 going into Sectionals back in 2008 but we all know how that turned out. A close loss to rivals Brown Chicken Brown Cow in the finals left us wondering of what could have been, but in the end it didn't matter. This Metro team was different from last year. Most of the roster was intact from '08 yet the overall attitude and swagger of the team had changed. It was our time to show everyone what we were made of.
----------------------
Saturday
----------------------
LA METRO vs. Lunch Money BYE BYE Cancun BCBC OCD
We set out to finish this game quickly and that was exactly what we did. We ran through our defensive and offensive looks against the 7th seed in the tournament and made quick work of this game winning 13-0. It was not a time for screwing around, it was not a time to let off the pressure. We knew that our mental stasis was just as important as the physical part and our captains emphasized poise and pushing through to the finish of the game. Good start to the tournament
----
LA METRO vs. BYE BYE Cancun BCBC OCD
As the #1 seed in the tournament, it is usually customary to be awarded a more favorable schedule such as a first and/or a last round bye. However; such was not so and although we did not vocally express our frustrations with the TD's or coordinators, giving a top seed a quick first round game followed by a nearly 4-hour lay-off was very unprofessional and unexpected. No one was definitively angry, but a lot of frustrations swirled on our sideline as other teams reaped the benefits of "perfect" schedules with "perfect" fields. We took it in stride, using the lay-offs to work on focusing in, and playing high level disc post byes. So in a sense... it was a blessing in disguse.
----
LA METRO vs. Cancun BCBC OCD
These guys were good. Mostly consisting of college students from UCSD, they established a great deep game and were able to score very efficiently by hucking to their tall guys as well as their women. They had experienced players from the recent Air Squids National team from '09 and definitely played very well throughout the first half. We were able to put it away after taking half 8-5 and cruised onto a 13-7 win. The ability for our team to adjust and realize our female matchups were much more favorable gave us the versatility we didn't have quite enough of last year. Good win for us after a long layover.
----
LA Metro vs. BCBC OCD
The A1 A2 matchup proved to be all it was hyped up to be. We came out strong with a first-point break and jumped out to a 3-1 lead but they settled down to tie it at 3's. After trading for 4's we go on a bit of a run to take half 7-4. Points were long, gritty, and tiresome with many great defensive stops and/or contested throws. Soft cap came on shortly after the second half began with the game going to 10. We are sitting happy at 8-4 thinking that we had the luxury of 1 for their 2 scores. Our problems began right after half and they rattled off 4 straight points (3 breaks) to tie it at 8's. Hard Cap blows, universe point, on offense. We don't lose faith, we don't get worried, and before we know it, the disc is in the endzone and they never had a shot at winning it on universe. Our O was chilly and led us calm and cooly to a 9-8 universe point win.
----
LA Metro vs. OCD
Last game of the day against an energetic, scrappy team that had nothing to lose against us. They played well in the beginning, pushing us around a bit, getting good D's and solid movement with the disc however we never looked back after taking half at 7-3. A combination of zones and hard man pushed the score up and we ended the day 4-0 with a 13-3 win. Emphasis for this game was focus, and we showed that despite fatigue and exhaustion, we could maintain that high level of play.
----------------------
SUNDAY
----------------------
LA METRO vs. Merge In N' Out Finals
Horrible start to the game. First throw off the pull was turfed and Merge jumped out with an early break. We recovered well and found our stride and took the lead 4-1 on the backs of our defensive lines. We generally played well, and better than we had before against this very well-rounded team. It was difficult to maintain focus and intensity against Merge because they are practically our sister team. Almost everyone knows each other on the two teams and although the captains demanded our seriousness and intensity, it was both fun seeing our friends from LA and playing a fun game together. We cruise to a 13-6 win.
---
LA METRO vs. In N' Out Finals
These guys were fun. They had a lot of my friends whom I play pickup back in Irvine with, and also had a bunch of young runners who could move the disc. This game was the biggest mental breakdown for our team as they went up 6-4 and then took half on us 7-6. The halftime demeanor was just stunned silence. It was as if we just expected to waltz into this round and beat them up and move on, but In N' Out played great, inspired ultimate as they moved the disc very easily through our lines. Refocus... deep breaths... here we go. We come out strong in the second half and score 6 in a row to 12-8, and win 13-9. We were definitely not in "championship mode" and In N' Out deserves all the credit in the way they played. Great job guys.
---
FINALS
LA Metro vs. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
After the In N' Out game, we had some time to refocus, refuel, and rest. It was already assumed before the tournament that to win the Section, a team would have to beat us twice. So after all round-robin games had been played out, it came down to (no surprises), a rematch between BCBC and LA Metro. The previous year, the finals of Sectionals had been the first meeting between the two teams but the finals this year would be the 5th. Both teams were very familiar with each other and knew what we were both capable of. The last game had come down to Universe point, and we both knew that the winner would be the team that showed the most passion and desire for the title.
We start out on defense with our top D line, and their best O-line. The point literally lasts 10 minutes as both teams have chances to score but the defense would find a way to put up a stop. Their O-line finally scores but it was hard fought. D looks good. Offense goes on and boy do we look rusty. First O-point results in a bad throw-away. BCBC converts. Second O-point results in a bad drop. BCBC Converts. Sitting in a 0-3 hole, things don't look good. We refocus our lines and before we know it our O-line finds an easy score and our D-line converts on the next two to bring it to 3's. We then trade to 5's with both offenses looking fluid against formidable D-lines. At 5's, Jeff Chai comes up with a HUGE play, a full tilt lay out grab of a disc that was inches from the turf. Sick grab. Next point the disc slides out the back and they start on their end line. Keegan on the mark, I'm on the dump D. Keegan gets a deflection on a point block and it deflects quickly by me. Out of complete reflex and reaction, i stick my left arm out to try to tap the disc down but without even seeing the disc... I somehow find myself standing in the end-zone with the frisbee in my left hand... with a complete look of disbelief... staring at keegan who had the same expression. Everyone on the team had the same expression... and then it hit us.
Callahan or as my friend Tom Hall puts it... "callahandblock." 7-5 Metro takes the lead.
My teammates mobbed me... Keegan was still standing there with his hands on his head... eyes wide open, jaw dropped in disbelief. I felt the same way. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Keegan deflected a backhand throw about 5 feet away from me and it deflected towards me and i somehow had the reflexes to snag it as it zinged past me. Wow... one of the best plays I have ever made.
We were on D again... same Line. And this time Keegan comes up with the HUGE layout D and as the opposition is on its heels, Barrs goes for the juggular and Keegan puts him perfectly in the back of the end-zone for HALF at 8-5. Sick Nasty turn of events.
But BCBC wasn't done. They are a great team with veteran players and great leadership and they found a way to claw back into the game with two straight breaks after our Offense scores the first point to bring it to 9-5. Our offense comes out flat and we found ourselves holding onto a lead with the time simply not going by fast enough. At 10-8, softcap blows and it is game to 12. BCBC scores the next two and again it is Universe Point with Hard Cap blowing. We started on offense, with our top guns out there. But BCBC's defense calls our raise and my buddy Bacon makes a ridiculous lay out D that amazes both teams and all spectators. But we get it back. On a jumbled offensive play, we then turn it again on an errant throw, only to be bailed out by a mis-thrown Huck from BCBC. We call time-out and set up the offense. After some FRANTIC end zone offense. Linsey Cross has the disc with no open dumps. Stall 8, stall 9... puts it up floaty in the back of the end zone. Who's there? JEFF CHAI. He skies for the disc... falls to the ground... and we've escaped.
We can finally breath again as we rush the field for a final cheer and the Sectionals Crown. It was a hard fought game that showed what both teams were made of. We had given up a 9-5 lead, but we had escaped with yet another Universe point Win.
LA Metro wins the 2009 Southern California Mixed Division Sectionals
-----------
In the post-game huddle, we talked a lot about heart, about poise, swagger, and about focus. We stressed "championship-level play," consistent focus, and playing our game. True we had gone undefeated, but we had so much more to work on. Regionals is in two weeks and we learned so much about our team, what we're capable of, and what else we need to work on. I want to thank everyone who was out there watching us, supporting us, heckling us. It's been a long season and now is the time to step up and play championship level ultimate.
Full week of punishing my body with workouts and sprints, practice over the weekend, and then a full week of rest before what will probably be the biggest tournament of my ultimate career.
Till then,
Hammie
#10 LA Metro
-Vince Lombardi
The UPA Series finally rolled around with Sectionals in sunny Long Beach, CA. The all too familiar campus hosting the Open and Mixed divisions which looked to provide great matchups and tough battles. We had been here before being ranked #1 going into Sectionals back in 2008 but we all know how that turned out. A close loss to rivals Brown Chicken Brown Cow in the finals left us wondering of what could have been, but in the end it didn't matter. This Metro team was different from last year. Most of the roster was intact from '08 yet the overall attitude and swagger of the team had changed. It was our time to show everyone what we were made of.
----------------------
Saturday
----------------------
LA METRO vs. Lunch Money BYE BYE Cancun BCBC OCD
We set out to finish this game quickly and that was exactly what we did. We ran through our defensive and offensive looks against the 7th seed in the tournament and made quick work of this game winning 13-0. It was not a time for screwing around, it was not a time to let off the pressure. We knew that our mental stasis was just as important as the physical part and our captains emphasized poise and pushing through to the finish of the game. Good start to the tournament
----
LA METRO vs. BYE BYE Cancun BCBC OCD
As the #1 seed in the tournament, it is usually customary to be awarded a more favorable schedule such as a first and/or a last round bye. However; such was not so and although we did not vocally express our frustrations with the TD's or coordinators, giving a top seed a quick first round game followed by a nearly 4-hour lay-off was very unprofessional and unexpected. No one was definitively angry, but a lot of frustrations swirled on our sideline as other teams reaped the benefits of "perfect" schedules with "perfect" fields. We took it in stride, using the lay-offs to work on focusing in, and playing high level disc post byes. So in a sense... it was a blessing in disguse.
----
LA METRO vs. Cancun BCBC OCD
These guys were good. Mostly consisting of college students from UCSD, they established a great deep game and were able to score very efficiently by hucking to their tall guys as well as their women. They had experienced players from the recent Air Squids National team from '09 and definitely played very well throughout the first half. We were able to put it away after taking half 8-5 and cruised onto a 13-7 win. The ability for our team to adjust and realize our female matchups were much more favorable gave us the versatility we didn't have quite enough of last year. Good win for us after a long layover.
----
LA Metro vs. BCBC OCD
The A1 A2 matchup proved to be all it was hyped up to be. We came out strong with a first-point break and jumped out to a 3-1 lead but they settled down to tie it at 3's. After trading for 4's we go on a bit of a run to take half 7-4. Points were long, gritty, and tiresome with many great defensive stops and/or contested throws. Soft cap came on shortly after the second half began with the game going to 10. We are sitting happy at 8-4 thinking that we had the luxury of 1 for their 2 scores. Our problems began right after half and they rattled off 4 straight points (3 breaks) to tie it at 8's. Hard Cap blows, universe point, on offense. We don't lose faith, we don't get worried, and before we know it, the disc is in the endzone and they never had a shot at winning it on universe. Our O was chilly and led us calm and cooly to a 9-8 universe point win.
----
LA Metro vs. OCD
Last game of the day against an energetic, scrappy team that had nothing to lose against us. They played well in the beginning, pushing us around a bit, getting good D's and solid movement with the disc however we never looked back after taking half at 7-3. A combination of zones and hard man pushed the score up and we ended the day 4-0 with a 13-3 win. Emphasis for this game was focus, and we showed that despite fatigue and exhaustion, we could maintain that high level of play.
----------------------
SUNDAY
----------------------
LA METRO vs. Merge In N' Out Finals
Horrible start to the game. First throw off the pull was turfed and Merge jumped out with an early break. We recovered well and found our stride and took the lead 4-1 on the backs of our defensive lines. We generally played well, and better than we had before against this very well-rounded team. It was difficult to maintain focus and intensity against Merge because they are practically our sister team. Almost everyone knows each other on the two teams and although the captains demanded our seriousness and intensity, it was both fun seeing our friends from LA and playing a fun game together. We cruise to a 13-6 win.
---
LA METRO vs. In N' Out Finals
These guys were fun. They had a lot of my friends whom I play pickup back in Irvine with, and also had a bunch of young runners who could move the disc. This game was the biggest mental breakdown for our team as they went up 6-4 and then took half on us 7-6. The halftime demeanor was just stunned silence. It was as if we just expected to waltz into this round and beat them up and move on, but In N' Out played great, inspired ultimate as they moved the disc very easily through our lines. Refocus... deep breaths... here we go. We come out strong in the second half and score 6 in a row to 12-8, and win 13-9. We were definitely not in "championship mode" and In N' Out deserves all the credit in the way they played. Great job guys.
---
FINALS
LA Metro vs. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
After the In N' Out game, we had some time to refocus, refuel, and rest. It was already assumed before the tournament that to win the Section, a team would have to beat us twice. So after all round-robin games had been played out, it came down to (no surprises), a rematch between BCBC and LA Metro. The previous year, the finals of Sectionals had been the first meeting between the two teams but the finals this year would be the 5th. Both teams were very familiar with each other and knew what we were both capable of. The last game had come down to Universe point, and we both knew that the winner would be the team that showed the most passion and desire for the title.
We start out on defense with our top D line, and their best O-line. The point literally lasts 10 minutes as both teams have chances to score but the defense would find a way to put up a stop. Their O-line finally scores but it was hard fought. D looks good. Offense goes on and boy do we look rusty. First O-point results in a bad throw-away. BCBC converts. Second O-point results in a bad drop. BCBC Converts. Sitting in a 0-3 hole, things don't look good. We refocus our lines and before we know it our O-line finds an easy score and our D-line converts on the next two to bring it to 3's. We then trade to 5's with both offenses looking fluid against formidable D-lines. At 5's, Jeff Chai comes up with a HUGE play, a full tilt lay out grab of a disc that was inches from the turf. Sick grab. Next point the disc slides out the back and they start on their end line. Keegan on the mark, I'm on the dump D. Keegan gets a deflection on a point block and it deflects quickly by me. Out of complete reflex and reaction, i stick my left arm out to try to tap the disc down but without even seeing the disc... I somehow find myself standing in the end-zone with the frisbee in my left hand... with a complete look of disbelief... staring at keegan who had the same expression. Everyone on the team had the same expression... and then it hit us.
Callahan or as my friend Tom Hall puts it... "callahandblock." 7-5 Metro takes the lead.
My teammates mobbed me... Keegan was still standing there with his hands on his head... eyes wide open, jaw dropped in disbelief. I felt the same way. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Keegan deflected a backhand throw about 5 feet away from me and it deflected towards me and i somehow had the reflexes to snag it as it zinged past me. Wow... one of the best plays I have ever made.
We were on D again... same Line. And this time Keegan comes up with the HUGE layout D and as the opposition is on its heels, Barrs goes for the juggular and Keegan puts him perfectly in the back of the end-zone for HALF at 8-5. Sick Nasty turn of events.
But BCBC wasn't done. They are a great team with veteran players and great leadership and they found a way to claw back into the game with two straight breaks after our Offense scores the first point to bring it to 9-5. Our offense comes out flat and we found ourselves holding onto a lead with the time simply not going by fast enough. At 10-8, softcap blows and it is game to 12. BCBC scores the next two and again it is Universe Point with Hard Cap blowing. We started on offense, with our top guns out there. But BCBC's defense calls our raise and my buddy Bacon makes a ridiculous lay out D that amazes both teams and all spectators. But we get it back. On a jumbled offensive play, we then turn it again on an errant throw, only to be bailed out by a mis-thrown Huck from BCBC. We call time-out and set up the offense. After some FRANTIC end zone offense. Linsey Cross has the disc with no open dumps. Stall 8, stall 9... puts it up floaty in the back of the end zone. Who's there? JEFF CHAI. He skies for the disc... falls to the ground... and we've escaped.
We can finally breath again as we rush the field for a final cheer and the Sectionals Crown. It was a hard fought game that showed what both teams were made of. We had given up a 9-5 lead, but we had escaped with yet another Universe point Win.
LA Metro wins the 2009 Southern California Mixed Division Sectionals
-----------
In the post-game huddle, we talked a lot about heart, about poise, swagger, and about focus. We stressed "championship-level play," consistent focus, and playing our game. True we had gone undefeated, but we had so much more to work on. Regionals is in two weeks and we learned so much about our team, what we're capable of, and what else we need to work on. I want to thank everyone who was out there watching us, supporting us, heckling us. It's been a long season and now is the time to step up and play championship level ultimate.
Full week of punishing my body with workouts and sprints, practice over the weekend, and then a full week of rest before what will probably be the biggest tournament of my ultimate career.
Till then,
Hammie
#10 LA Metro
Exhilaration and Defeat
"Game-Winner."
Open Division Finals
Strike-Slip vs. Street Gang
photo by: Adam Newon
Ultimate is beautiful in many ways. Congratulations to Los Angeles Strike Slip, Your 2009 Southern California Open Division Champions.
-Hammie
Southern California Sectionals Champs!
We finished the tournament strong with another Universe Point win over rivals Brown Chicken Brown Cow 11-10.
Final Results
1. LA Metro
2. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
3. Cancun
4. Merge
5. OCD
6. In N' Out
7. Lunch Money
-----------------
A BIIIG friggin congratulations to LA STRIKE-SLIP. Going undefeated in the tournament and capping it with a 15-13 win over San Diego Street Gang to take the Sectionals title. Great work! Making history in that this is the first time the title has come back to LA in almost a decade.
A little bit of Irvine Boasting... all 3 Sectionals champs in all 3 divisions were well represented by Night Life and Grass Ninja Alum. =) Safari (Annie, Iris), Strike-Slip (Jerry, Allen), and LA Metro (Enway, Hammie). So proud of everyone for all their hard work. But there's still a lot left to be done. Regionals in 2 weeks.
FULL Sectionals update coming soon.
-hammie #10
Final Results
1. LA Metro
2. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
3. Cancun
4. Merge
5. OCD
6. In N' Out
7. Lunch Money
-----------------
A BIIIG friggin congratulations to LA STRIKE-SLIP. Going undefeated in the tournament and capping it with a 15-13 win over San Diego Street Gang to take the Sectionals title. Great work! Making history in that this is the first time the title has come back to LA in almost a decade.
A little bit of Irvine Boasting... all 3 Sectionals champs in all 3 divisions were well represented by Night Life and Grass Ninja Alum. =) Safari (Annie, Iris), Strike-Slip (Jerry, Allen), and LA Metro (Enway, Hammie). So proud of everyone for all their hard work. But there's still a lot left to be done. Regionals in 2 weeks.
FULL Sectionals update coming soon.
-hammie #10
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Southern California Sectionals Initial Results
Win vs. Lunch Money (15-0)
Win vs. BYE
Win vs. BYE
Win vs. Cancun (13-6?)
Win vs. Brown Chicken Brown Cow (9-8 hard cap)
Win vs. OCD (13-4?)
Who gives the #1 seed in the tournament the worst schedule in the tournament? Seriously... not cool.
Tomorrow:
1st Round BYE
2nd Round vs. MERGE
3rd Round vs. In N' Out
Bracket play
-Hammie #10
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Southern California Sectionals 2009 Preview
California State University, Long Beach
Long Beach, CA
A1: LA Metro
A2: Brown Chicken Brown Cow
A3: Merge
A4: Cancun
A5: In N' Out
A6: OC Disorder
A7: Lunch Money
Bids to Regionals: 5
----------------------------------
Format for this tournament is again round-robin with a championship game the final round of the second day. Similar to last year, Metro and BCBC take the top two seeds in the tournament followed by the up-start Merge team. Top 5 teams gain bids to the Southwest Regionals in Scottsdale, Arizona in two weeks. I am pretty disappointed that Southern California was unable to field more teams as there are numerous quality ultimate players in the section. Round-robin format is not neccessarily my favorite format, but then again it allows us to play every team in the tournament. Should be a great tournament and a crucial tune-up tournament for us.
----------------------------------
A1. LA Metro
We field our biggest roster ever with the full alloted 27. Point taken... we will probably have the biggest/loudest/obnoxious sideline at the tournament. This will be the first tournament all season where we will have everyone not only present, but healthy. Aside from the normal wear and tear from the long season, we're looking close to finally having everyone on the active list. That's a big pick-me-up and having a full amount of subs makes breathers more frequent resulting in harder cutting. It starts here for us.
A2. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
Another typical preview for this team... No one will know anything about this team and who they have until they get there. All I know is that they bring a consistent small core of players from last year as well as some very talented/athletic women to the table and are always a threat to run away with it all. They're a very good team and their veteran leadership as well as many years of experience tells the tale.
A3. Merge
I love this team. Not only are they the new, fun, upstart team in Southern California, they're good. They surprised everyone with their performance at Chico and have the parts to make some noise in the Southwest just like Inferno did last year. They've got solid handlers in Diesel and Mark Hartford and if I remember correctly, have a whole slew of fast women who have many years of experience. Their core group of players did well last year at Sectionals and broke seed at Regionals so who knows how well this team wil do this year. Metro <3's Merge
A4. Cancun/A7: Lunch Money
This is where the ambiguity for me begins. These two teams are out of San Diego and are pretty much teams that haven't really played all season but are put together just to compete at Sectionals and potentially Regionals. If I can any kind of scoop on these teams, I'll let you know. All I have heard about these SD teams is that they are a mix of current UCSD Air Squids + Psycho players which means we all know they can play. They're gonna probably rely on their youth, speed, and athleticism. I always find these unkown teams the most dangerous. You have no scouting report on them at all... and then all of a sudden you find yourselves greatly underestimating them. Can't do that with these teams. Gotta show them respect.
A5. In n' Out
Playing this team will be very different for me. The majority of this team I have played pick-up with on Mondays and Wednesdays in Irvine with a group called "Rocketsauce." They're a fun bunch of players with a lot of years of experience playing the game we all love. This will be a fun game although the guys who are playing on this team have been smack talking me all month about marking up on me. I know that my demeanor come tournaments is very different than pickup in terms of intensity. I'm looking forward to this matchup and to play against my friends from pickup. =)
A7. The OC Disorder (OCD)
More friends from pickup in Irvine! Well... only one or two, but the majority of this team plays for Chapman University and also playe dat last year's Sectionals in Oxnard, CA. They're a pretty athletic team but are less experienced. Don't know much more about this team other than they have several key ballers that are able to match up on anyone in the tournament.
Predicted Mixed Results
1. LA Metro
2. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
3. Merge
4. In n' Out
5. Cancun
6. Lunch Money
7. OCD
===============================
Open Preview
There are 14 teams in the Open division and the teams are still TBA as of today. The top 4 teams will most likely be Strike-Slip, Street Gang, Condors, and Monster. However there is a new Masters team in the SB area (Beyondors) that has a very impressive roster and should matchup well against the open teams.
Strike Slip
LA's finest has had a very up and down season. The loss of AJ, Keith, and potentially several others to injury hurts the young squad and it will be interesting to see how they will respond. They recently scrimmaged the Condors and Beyondors and emerged 2-0 with 13-9 and 12-11 wins respectively. They had a disappointing showing at Chico in letting teams sneak back into the games late but their latest scrimmage results are optimistic. It's all mental for this team. They have the weapons to break out and win the Section, but it all comes down to mental toughness and if cool heads can prevail.
Condors
As I posted previously, they are a very young team that returns only 2 players from the Nationals team in '08. They are relying heavily on youth and athleticism and after seeing them at Chico, looked surprisingly good. Jeff Silverman is still a beast in the cutting lanes and with no other clear superstar, they have and will have to be more "team-oriented" in moving the disc. As a good friend of mine put it... this is the first sectionals in which the Condors aren't the clear favorite in over a decade.
Street Gang
I haven't seen them play since CalStates, but by then I was already impressed by how they played. They had a rough going at Labor Day beating only Rhino, but their early wins over Strike-Slip, Sub-Zero, and Truck Stop show that this team has what it takes to be Elite. Put this team in a section like the Bay Area, they would struggle against the likes of Jam, Revolver, and End Phase, but against the (sorry to say) softer Southern California Section, this team has what it takes to lock up the sectionals title.
Monster
aka... "smaug-vine," these bunch of guys have the "surprise" factor in their back pocket. Mostly a mixture of current or recent college players from UCLA, UCI, and CSU Long Beach, they have a simple offense, a simple defense, but run it well. In addition to the local players, they've managed to pick up some other key players from various college programs, some with multiple years of college nationals experience. They've had up-and-down success, the biggest highlight being a loss to Strike-Slip at Chico 11-12 on hard cap. The biggest strength of this team will be their motivation to ruin teams. When they're good... they're good. When they're down... they're iffy. They're a young team with mostly college experience and will find that although it's not enough at the elite club level, they’ve still got many players who have club experience as well as the motivation to mess you up if underestimated. Go Monster! I'm gonna be on their sideline most of the day.
=========================
Predicted Open Standings
1. Street Gang
2. Strike Slip
T-3. Condors
T-3. Monster (only because I love you guys so much)
Long Beach, CA
A1: LA Metro
A2: Brown Chicken Brown Cow
A3: Merge
A4: Cancun
A5: In N' Out
A6: OC Disorder
A7: Lunch Money
Bids to Regionals: 5
----------------------------------
Format for this tournament is again round-robin with a championship game the final round of the second day. Similar to last year, Metro and BCBC take the top two seeds in the tournament followed by the up-start Merge team. Top 5 teams gain bids to the Southwest Regionals in Scottsdale, Arizona in two weeks. I am pretty disappointed that Southern California was unable to field more teams as there are numerous quality ultimate players in the section. Round-robin format is not neccessarily my favorite format, but then again it allows us to play every team in the tournament. Should be a great tournament and a crucial tune-up tournament for us.
----------------------------------
A1. LA Metro
We field our biggest roster ever with the full alloted 27. Point taken... we will probably have the biggest/loudest/obnoxious sideline at the tournament. This will be the first tournament all season where we will have everyone not only present, but healthy. Aside from the normal wear and tear from the long season, we're looking close to finally having everyone on the active list. That's a big pick-me-up and having a full amount of subs makes breathers more frequent resulting in harder cutting. It starts here for us.
A2. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
Another typical preview for this team... No one will know anything about this team and who they have until they get there. All I know is that they bring a consistent small core of players from last year as well as some very talented/athletic women to the table and are always a threat to run away with it all. They're a very good team and their veteran leadership as well as many years of experience tells the tale.
A3. Merge
I love this team. Not only are they the new, fun, upstart team in Southern California, they're good. They surprised everyone with their performance at Chico and have the parts to make some noise in the Southwest just like Inferno did last year. They've got solid handlers in Diesel and Mark Hartford and if I remember correctly, have a whole slew of fast women who have many years of experience. Their core group of players did well last year at Sectionals and broke seed at Regionals so who knows how well this team wil do this year. Metro <3's Merge
A4. Cancun/A7: Lunch Money
This is where the ambiguity for me begins. These two teams are out of San Diego and are pretty much teams that haven't really played all season but are put together just to compete at Sectionals and potentially Regionals. If I can any kind of scoop on these teams, I'll let you know. All I have heard about these SD teams is that they are a mix of current UCSD Air Squids + Psycho players which means we all know they can play. They're gonna probably rely on their youth, speed, and athleticism. I always find these unkown teams the most dangerous. You have no scouting report on them at all... and then all of a sudden you find yourselves greatly underestimating them. Can't do that with these teams. Gotta show them respect.
A5. In n' Out
Playing this team will be very different for me. The majority of this team I have played pick-up with on Mondays and Wednesdays in Irvine with a group called "Rocketsauce." They're a fun bunch of players with a lot of years of experience playing the game we all love. This will be a fun game although the guys who are playing on this team have been smack talking me all month about marking up on me. I know that my demeanor come tournaments is very different than pickup in terms of intensity. I'm looking forward to this matchup and to play against my friends from pickup. =)
A7. The OC Disorder (OCD)
More friends from pickup in Irvine! Well... only one or two, but the majority of this team plays for Chapman University and also playe dat last year's Sectionals in Oxnard, CA. They're a pretty athletic team but are less experienced. Don't know much more about this team other than they have several key ballers that are able to match up on anyone in the tournament.
Predicted Mixed Results
1. LA Metro
2. Brown Chicken Brown Cow
3. Merge
4. In n' Out
5. Cancun
6. Lunch Money
7. OCD
===============================
Open Preview
There are 14 teams in the Open division and the teams are still TBA as of today. The top 4 teams will most likely be Strike-Slip, Street Gang, Condors, and Monster. However there is a new Masters team in the SB area (Beyondors) that has a very impressive roster and should matchup well against the open teams.
Strike Slip
LA's finest has had a very up and down season. The loss of AJ, Keith, and potentially several others to injury hurts the young squad and it will be interesting to see how they will respond. They recently scrimmaged the Condors and Beyondors and emerged 2-0 with 13-9 and 12-11 wins respectively. They had a disappointing showing at Chico in letting teams sneak back into the games late but their latest scrimmage results are optimistic. It's all mental for this team. They have the weapons to break out and win the Section, but it all comes down to mental toughness and if cool heads can prevail.
Condors
As I posted previously, they are a very young team that returns only 2 players from the Nationals team in '08. They are relying heavily on youth and athleticism and after seeing them at Chico, looked surprisingly good. Jeff Silverman is still a beast in the cutting lanes and with no other clear superstar, they have and will have to be more "team-oriented" in moving the disc. As a good friend of mine put it... this is the first sectionals in which the Condors aren't the clear favorite in over a decade.
Street Gang
I haven't seen them play since CalStates, but by then I was already impressed by how they played. They had a rough going at Labor Day beating only Rhino, but their early wins over Strike-Slip, Sub-Zero, and Truck Stop show that this team has what it takes to be Elite. Put this team in a section like the Bay Area, they would struggle against the likes of Jam, Revolver, and End Phase, but against the (sorry to say) softer Southern California Section, this team has what it takes to lock up the sectionals title.
Monster
aka... "smaug-vine," these bunch of guys have the "surprise" factor in their back pocket. Mostly a mixture of current or recent college players from UCLA, UCI, and CSU Long Beach, they have a simple offense, a simple defense, but run it well. In addition to the local players, they've managed to pick up some other key players from various college programs, some with multiple years of college nationals experience. They've had up-and-down success, the biggest highlight being a loss to Strike-Slip at Chico 11-12 on hard cap. The biggest strength of this team will be their motivation to ruin teams. When they're good... they're good. When they're down... they're iffy. They're a young team with mostly college experience and will find that although it's not enough at the elite club level, they’ve still got many players who have club experience as well as the motivation to mess you up if underestimated. Go Monster! I'm gonna be on their sideline most of the day.
=========================
Predicted Open Standings
1. Street Gang
2. Strike Slip
T-3. Condors
T-3. Monster (only because I love you guys so much)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day Recap
At the end of the 2008 Labor Day tournament at the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, I remember sitting around with the team just reflecting on a tournament where we only won one game. and lost maybe 5 or 6. It was a very difficult tournament in that we had a shortened squad, but there was no excuse as to how we played. We showed very little heart, a lot of nerves, and pretty much let down the Section and the Region that we represented.The team has changed a lot since last year but the veterans from '08 knew that we had to step it up this year and prove to ourselves that we could achieve all we set out to do.
-------
Round 1 vs. A.I.R.
Not a good start as AIR came out firing on all cylinders and had us down in an early 2-7 hole. Our offensive lines could not find a rhythm and we had some key drops and turns in our own end zone that led to easy scores. One key time-out later and a hungry defensive line finally got on the field and closed the gap from 2-7 to 7-8. Good way to end the half but we were still down, starting on D. We began to develop some "swagger" as Matt Welsh put it, and started dictating the game and closed strong after trading from half till 11's. Game to 13, we take the last 2 points of the game to win 13-11 and complete the comeback victory. AIR was, no pun intended, pretty deflated after that game as it was a very gutsy win for us avoiding another repeat of Chico and coming back to win from being down 4 breaks.
Round 2 vs. Denver Ultimate Club
We had a dreaded BYE the second round and I don't know if it was a factor, but we started flat again going down 0-2 but then begin to set the pace of the game. DUC played well, but we were able to contain their H-stack as well as run our offense efficiently. We threw a lot of counterpunches in transition D-->O and took care of the disc a lot better than we did in the previous game. We take half 8-4 and then storm up to 12-4. We took our foot off the gas near the end and take the game 13-8. Our offense feels a lot more fluid but our defense was still a bit sluggish. Good win after a bad start in the first round.
Round 3 vs. Night Train
I have no idea what happened this game. We currently had a 3-0 lifetime record against Night Train and I felt like we didn't take them seriously at all as they went up on us 2-6 quite easily. Our defense seemed soft and our offense confused and we simply could not establish a rhythm on offense and/or generate D's on defense. It was frustrating to watch them take the game 15-10, but our 20 throwaways told the story. We didn't play well at all and Night Train deserved the victory as they ran a DEEP H-stack that opened the entire under-lane for easy in-cuts that we neglected to respect. As our captain put it... it sucks to lose when we don't play well.
Round 4 vs. CTR
This was a friggin awesome game from the start. Both teams running their respective offenses well. CTR ran a standard vertical stack and relied on two main handlers to facilitate the offense and open up the deep game. We were in it from the start despite giving up an early break. We trade until 9's and then we go on a run to win it 13-11. We played this game with a lot of desire, and Barrs went crazy this game. It was wet, cold, foggy, and the last round, but we showed a lot of resilience against a very good CTR team and showed that despite the elements and a disasterous loss in the previous round, we could recover and bounce back, play our game and win.
3-1 on the day... went to sleep upset about the Night Train loss... in addition to the pain from partially dislocating my shoulder again on a lay-out D against DUC.
------------
Sunday
------------
Game 1 vs. Mischief
How do we even start with this one. We got pwned... nuff said. Mischief played a very sound game with minimal throw-aways which made our margin for error even smaller but we managed to give the game away right on the get go. We came out super flat at 8:00am and were never in it. These guys are a solid team... even at 8:00 in the morning. We are a great team... but we need to strive to be a team that's great whenever we take the field.
Game 2 vs. Golden Spike
Golden Spike is a good team. Well rounded with solid cutters, handles, and deep game, they surprised us out of the gate and went up 5-2 with relative ease. It was a very heated game with arguments, disputes, and finger pointing going on from both sides but that aside, it was a very intense and fun ultimate game. We had great offensive flow as did they, but our defense stepped it up and from 10-8, we go on a 5-0 run to take the game 13-10. This game had a lot of heated moments, but it was good to see our team keep our cool and work things out in a way that was both spirited and true to the game. Birthday boy Mark Miller catching the final score for the win through a defender was pretty sweet as well. Our ladies played well and made some pretty grabs. Great play all around. Great team win.
Game 3 vs. White Wedding
We STILL spotted them a 0-2 lead! There was a lot of wind in this game and we found ourselves on the field that had a straight up and down wind so a lot of zone was implemented (atleast from our side). We worked on zones and transitions and also played great offensive transition. This team was very short on numbers but it was very admirable to see them play the way they did against such great competition.
--------
In all, this tournament was very successful in that it helped us gauge where were and where we need to be for the series. We have one full practice before Sectionals, and then two practices until Regionals. It's the heart of the season right now, and when it all counts. Time to finish healing up injuries (in my case), to hit the track, to eat healthy, and to be in top shape because when you're in the game to go to nationals, you don't have a second shot. Life then goes point by point until a winner is decided. Overall it was a great tournament for us outside our two losses. We showed heart, grit, and passion with every point we played, every deficit we clawed back from, and every game that we won or loss. Sectionals in Long Beach in a week and a half.
Till then,
Hammie #10
------------------
Elite-Mixed Final Standings
1. Mischief (6-0)
2. LA Metro (5-2)
3. A.I.R (5-2)
T-4. CTR (4-3)
T-4. BCBC (4-3)
6. Golden Spike (3-4)
7. Night Train (2-5)
8. White Wedding (1-6)
9. DUC (1-6)
-------
Round 1 vs. A.I.R.
Not a good start as AIR came out firing on all cylinders and had us down in an early 2-7 hole. Our offensive lines could not find a rhythm and we had some key drops and turns in our own end zone that led to easy scores. One key time-out later and a hungry defensive line finally got on the field and closed the gap from 2-7 to 7-8. Good way to end the half but we were still down, starting on D. We began to develop some "swagger" as Matt Welsh put it, and started dictating the game and closed strong after trading from half till 11's. Game to 13, we take the last 2 points of the game to win 13-11 and complete the comeback victory. AIR was, no pun intended, pretty deflated after that game as it was a very gutsy win for us avoiding another repeat of Chico and coming back to win from being down 4 breaks.
Round 2 vs. Denver Ultimate Club
We had a dreaded BYE the second round and I don't know if it was a factor, but we started flat again going down 0-2 but then begin to set the pace of the game. DUC played well, but we were able to contain their H-stack as well as run our offense efficiently. We threw a lot of counterpunches in transition D-->O and took care of the disc a lot better than we did in the previous game. We take half 8-4 and then storm up to 12-4. We took our foot off the gas near the end and take the game 13-8. Our offense feels a lot more fluid but our defense was still a bit sluggish. Good win after a bad start in the first round.
Round 3 vs. Night Train
I have no idea what happened this game. We currently had a 3-0 lifetime record against Night Train and I felt like we didn't take them seriously at all as they went up on us 2-6 quite easily. Our defense seemed soft and our offense confused and we simply could not establish a rhythm on offense and/or generate D's on defense. It was frustrating to watch them take the game 15-10, but our 20 throwaways told the story. We didn't play well at all and Night Train deserved the victory as they ran a DEEP H-stack that opened the entire under-lane for easy in-cuts that we neglected to respect. As our captain put it... it sucks to lose when we don't play well.
Round 4 vs. CTR
This was a friggin awesome game from the start. Both teams running their respective offenses well. CTR ran a standard vertical stack and relied on two main handlers to facilitate the offense and open up the deep game. We were in it from the start despite giving up an early break. We trade until 9's and then we go on a run to win it 13-11. We played this game with a lot of desire, and Barrs went crazy this game. It was wet, cold, foggy, and the last round, but we showed a lot of resilience against a very good CTR team and showed that despite the elements and a disasterous loss in the previous round, we could recover and bounce back, play our game and win.
3-1 on the day... went to sleep upset about the Night Train loss... in addition to the pain from partially dislocating my shoulder again on a lay-out D against DUC.
------------
Sunday
------------
Game 1 vs. Mischief
How do we even start with this one. We got pwned... nuff said. Mischief played a very sound game with minimal throw-aways which made our margin for error even smaller but we managed to give the game away right on the get go. We came out super flat at 8:00am and were never in it. These guys are a solid team... even at 8:00 in the morning. We are a great team... but we need to strive to be a team that's great whenever we take the field.
Game 2 vs. Golden Spike
Golden Spike is a good team. Well rounded with solid cutters, handles, and deep game, they surprised us out of the gate and went up 5-2 with relative ease. It was a very heated game with arguments, disputes, and finger pointing going on from both sides but that aside, it was a very intense and fun ultimate game. We had great offensive flow as did they, but our defense stepped it up and from 10-8, we go on a 5-0 run to take the game 13-10. This game had a lot of heated moments, but it was good to see our team keep our cool and work things out in a way that was both spirited and true to the game. Birthday boy Mark Miller catching the final score for the win through a defender was pretty sweet as well. Our ladies played well and made some pretty grabs. Great play all around. Great team win.
Game 3 vs. White Wedding
We STILL spotted them a 0-2 lead! There was a lot of wind in this game and we found ourselves on the field that had a straight up and down wind so a lot of zone was implemented (atleast from our side). We worked on zones and transitions and also played great offensive transition. This team was very short on numbers but it was very admirable to see them play the way they did against such great competition.
--------
In all, this tournament was very successful in that it helped us gauge where were and where we need to be for the series. We have one full practice before Sectionals, and then two practices until Regionals. It's the heart of the season right now, and when it all counts. Time to finish healing up injuries (in my case), to hit the track, to eat healthy, and to be in top shape because when you're in the game to go to nationals, you don't have a second shot. Life then goes point by point until a winner is decided. Overall it was a great tournament for us outside our two losses. We showed heart, grit, and passion with every point we played, every deficit we clawed back from, and every game that we won or loss. Sectionals in Long Beach in a week and a half.
Till then,
Hammie #10
------------------
Elite-Mixed Final Standings
1. Mischief (6-0)
2. LA Metro (5-2)
3. A.I.R (5-2)
T-4. CTR (4-3)
T-4. BCBC (4-3)
6. Golden Spike (3-4)
7. Night Train (2-5)
8. White Wedding (1-6)
9. DUC (1-6)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Labor Day 2009 Preview
1. Mischief, San Francisco, CA
2. LA Metro, Los Angeles, CA
3. CTR, San Francisco, CA
4. Golden Spike, Salt Lake City, UT
5. BCBC, CA
6. Night Train, Davis, CA
7. Denver Ultimate Club (DUC), Denver, CO
8. White Wedding, Eugene, OR
9. A.I.R., San Francisco, CA
Format: Round Robin
---------
This year's Labor Day Tournament takes us away from the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park to a new all-weather turf in Oceanview, about 10 minutes south of downtown San Francisco. The move brings groans from the non-turf crowd, but also makes those veterans of the Polo Fields happy. (Worst fields in Ultimate). I saw a field last year at Labor Day with 5 or 6 hazard discs.
This year's format is also a round robin, instead of pools and bracket. We will be playing the same number of games, but this format allows for teams to play teams from other regions and allow for more variety. Our current schedule has us playing all the teams in the bunch EXCEPT for BCBC but this could change with placement for finals, etc.
---------
1. Mischief
Probably one of the most well-balanced teams I've seen in the co-ed circuit. They have great leadership, discipline, as well as poise that explains why they are so successful. They did struggle a bit at ECC, but look for Mischief to continue their success as they gear up for another Nationals run in the always difficult Northwest division.
2. LA Metro
---
3. CTR
They've established themselves as a surprise contender and a solid #2 in the Bay Area behind Mischief. They surprised everyone and made finals at ECC and from when we played them, showed a lot of talent and athleticism drawing talent from Cal and the the rest of the bay.
4. Golden Spike
No one knows anything about this team. Myself included. All I know is that they play/practice at altitude. Probably going to be running harder than anyone out there.
5. BCBC
What team will they come up with next?
6. Night Train
Another surprise in the NW, they made finals at Chico, beating the likes of BCBC and BAG along the way. They've got a lot of experience on their side, and Mel is their go-to handler.
7. DUC
Denver Ultimate Club is a conglomeration of Bad Larry and Ripe, two teams that placed in the top 10 at regionals last year. Don't know too much about this team... but like Golden Spike, they live/practice at altitude. Should be one of those run and run teams.
8. White Wedding
I haven't a clue about this team. But if they're anything close to what Oregon Ultimate is known to be, there's no way anyone can take these guys lightly.
9. A.I.R.
Another Bay Area team, these guys gave us a close game up at Stanford, and beat us twice at Labor Day last year. It will be interesting to see how things pan out, and it's scary to think that a team THIS good in AIR is a 9th seed.
Predicted Final Standings
1. Mischief
2. LA Metro
3. Golden Spike
4. CTR
5. BCBC
6. DUC
7. White Wedding
8. AIR
9. Night Train
I will be updating scores and video-blogging on my posterous starting Saturday morning.
See you all in SF, best of luck to those playing in Santa Cruz.
-Hammie #10
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