Progression of UC Irvine Ultimate

As the case in most sports, it is really cool to see how a team progresses as the years go by. I've only been playing on an organized team since 2005, 2006ish, and have been part of many teams, most notably UC Irvine, LA Metro, and Frorida/City Wok.

I guess this post is more for my own enjoyment as to see how teams I've been a part of have progressed and morphed into what they are today. I'll talk about UC Irvine today. Metro and Frorida will come another time.

University of California, Irvine

'04: Urban Sprawl
'05-'06: Bone

'06-'07: ICU
'07-present: NightLife

The names we've flown by over the years already demonstrates the progression that this young program has had in the past. In a previous post, I talked about the very beginnings of UCI Ultimate.

It started out in 2003 with several grad students. The first undergrads began to trickle in and a team was formed. We flew under "Urban-Sprawl" and from video, you can see that our play was not very high level and we did not qualify for Regionals. One [suspension] year later, we begin anew with a new freshmen class and the team name, "Bone."

The progression made was not only in numbers, but also in level of play. I believe this was the first year we began running serious practices with strategy and white board sessions. We established a Vertical Stack offense and despite such "organization," we still played a very loose style of ultimate with hammers and gratuitous layouts being very obvious. Our "HUGE" win was over UCLA-B on double game point in the consolation bracket.

Winning over Smaug-B to us back then (ranked #238 in the nation) was like winning Nationals. It's very trivial to look back and see that win as such a huge accomplishment, but I still remember the rush of winning and the joy my teammates and I shared as we celebrated our qualifying for our first ever Regionals, taking the last qualifying spot behind UCSD-B.

2008-2009 saw another landmark, with the first permanent coaching figure at UCI. Under the direction of KG who served as a captain as well as a primary coach, the new team saw it's first rebuilding year as well with the graduation of literally the starting 7 from the '07-'08 campaign. 2009-2010 was another breakthrough with the formation of the first ever UCI B-team, in addition to full-time coaches coaching both the A and B squads.

It is scary to think that after my graduation from the program, there were thoughts that UCI would not survive the next several years, but through th determination of the players, coaches, and alumni, the program is gaining steam and had progressed from mediocrity to a competitive team that is expected to compete with the best in the Region. In addition, Irvine Ultimate is represented on local Elite Club teams such as LA Metro, Monster, Strike-Slip, Street Gang, and Safari by current players and alumni alike. To see Irvine players holding their own on their respective teams is very encouraging in addition to seeing them make crucial plays and not simply ride the bench.

The progression of the Men's program also translated into the establishing and growth of the UCI Women's program, the Grass Ninjas, coached by Allen Lai, this team started out as "Pink Posse" in 2006-2007, not knowing much about the game, and now has morphed into a team with 20+ players, qualifying for Regionals and showing positive signs of growth and player development.

At this juncture, we have players playing on National level teams in Safari, Metro, and San Diego. These players all play big roles on their respective teams and can be seen contributing on all levels of the game. I had a friend once say to me that it is "easy to spot an Ultimate player who went to UCI." Apparently we all throw the same way and can handle. Irvine's players are slowly making themselves known in the area. It is very encouraging to see our players getting recognized on the club level and even taking up leadership roles in the Los Angeles Ultimate community.

Additionally, Irvine has become a "farm" system for local club teams such as Monster that have recruited Irvine players the past 3 years or so. Despite the somewhat absence of club ultimate in SoCal, Irvine players are starting to put their fingerprints on the teams. Hopefully in the future more players from NightLife and the Grass Ninjas will play important roles on club teams, and/or possibly start up new club teams in the area.

On-field play aside, the culture of Irvine Ultimate is something to behold. The Women's and Men's teams are one cohesive bunch, hanging out with each other all the time, throwing with each other, and practicing with each other. Not many schools get that luxury of having both programs work so closely together and as the years go by, I hope that this is something that won't soon fade from Irvine's Ultimate culture. The video below simply shows that despite the sport that holds us together, Ultimate in Irvine is all about the players and the people. Smiles all around. I love this program. So proud to be an alumni.

zot zot zot!

Hammie #10
UC Irvine Nightlife Alumni 2008