Southwest Mixed Regionals 2010 Preview

I finally have a slight break in the action to sit down and pound this out. My apologies if it is not as thorough as you guys are accustomed to. I'm putting together the last parts of the tournament in addition to the captain's packet + other logistical issues.

-ham
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With AMP, wHagonweel, Mischief, Polar Bears, Bucket, Conspiracy Theory, and Dirty Birds qualifying for the show this past weekend, 9 spots remain going into the weekend. As many of you have now experienced or heard of, the planning for the Southwest Regionals was simply disastrous and resulted in the divisions being split up around the SB/Oxnard area. There has been very little information about the Open division, but for the most part, the Mixed division has been ready to go since early September.

Two bids to Sarasota, Florida. Here is the team-by-team preview:

The Contenders
Here are the "big guns," or the teams that have the complete package to make a run to the show. This of course being the top 4 teams in the tournament, the headliners of each pool, and the teams that have all been there before.

7 Figures, Los Angeles, CA
Here we have the "talented upstarts," the first year mixed team who have proven that they are the top dog in the city of angels. The 7-Figures concept is nothing new. Add one part experienced open player, add another part experienced womens player, turn up the oven and broil for the duration of a season. In some cases, the recipe is wrong and the result is a team that has so much talent but simply can't play with each other. In this case, the result has been golden. 7 Figures has demonstrated over the season that this recipe works and when done with a group of guys and girls who have been playing with each other for years, you get quite a team construct. Winners of Chico, and finalists at Labor Day, they have run away from the rest of the field in the SoCal Section, beating Metro in the finals by 9. They are by far the rightful one-seed at Regionals and know that despite their success, other teams are coming after them.

Barrio, Tucson, AZ
Barrio finds themselves in the awkward position of the #2 seed in the tournament. For the past several years, they have been the perennial favorites to advance to the USAU Championships and despite having a successful year, they have not performed as dominantly as they have in the past. With solid wins over Dogfight, AIR, BCBC, and Golden Spike, Barrio likes to play with everything in balance. They are solid up and down the board and in my experience against them, any one of them can beat you. Of course with Jeff Grobe still playing top level Ultimate, he is still a force to be reckoned with. Barrio is the #2 seed... but watch for them to simply catch fire at the right time and show off that team chemistry they are known for.

LA Metro, Los Angeles, CA
It's been an up and down season for the orange and blue. A 11th place finish at Nationals last year was indeed successful but it left many with a hunger for more. However; with many key losses and a shuffling in the roster, it's been a rollercoaster ride of a season in 2010. Key wins over Polar Bears, Barrio, Dogfight, AIR, offset tough losses to 7-Figures, Killjoy, and Swagger. Injuries have ravaged the team including bouts of mono that have resulted in having incomplete rosters for all tournaments played this year, including Regionals. But Metro is ready, and has proven time and time again that you can't beat a formula that has already proven to work.

Masters of the Universe, Denver, CO
From what I've heard and been told, these are the Cougars from '08 and '09. You can almost expect a mix of ex-open and women's players a la 7-Figures. They have a lot of skill and experience and in the past two years have qualified for Nationals (only attending in '08). They have picked up some new faces and breezed through the Rocky Mountain Section with relative ease. They will be a "tough out" to put it in baseball terms.


The Dark Horses
These are the teams that will simply ruin a top seed's tournament. Brown Chicken Brown Cow and Killjoy are teams that have hung with the best all season but haven't quite cracked the top yet... but that doesn't mean that they aren't poised to do so. I would even put Red or Green in this category.

Brown Chicken Brown Cow (like Metro), has had a relatively up and down season with good wins coupled with very bad losses. Such a result could be caused by the fact that they don't ever have a definitive roster until the day of (sans the Series), in addition to making final cuts 2 weekends before the Series. What this means is that there is a plethora of talent on this team, but chemistry must be produced on site. They lost some players to injury but look them to give MotU all they can handle.

Killjoy is in the same boat. With them as the 6 seed overall, it sets up a rematch against Metro, whom they beat at Labor Day 14-11 for their only win of that tournament. They have solid throwers, and from what I remember, a pretty stingy defense. Red or Green is from New Mexico and from what I am told, they bring a lot to the table. As a humble 10 seed... they are technically in the middle of the pack, but gave Barrio a very good game at Sectionals in addition to some good wins at GRUB. I have never seen this team, but am basing this off of what I've heard/been told. They could wreak havoc in Pool A... or they could pack it in and just have a fun tournament. We shall see.


Middle of the Pack
Teams from ranks #7-->#14 are what I call, the pack. These are teams that have qualified for Regionals because they are good... but don't have what it takes to hang with the top teams in the Region.

Operation Kapow and Swingline hail from the Rocky Mountain Section and are a good example. They have a couple solid handlers and cutters but for the most part, depth is a major issue. In 2009, Operation Kapow made it all the way to the Semifinals, relying on their deep game male handlers, but in the couple games we've had against them, they have a solid top line but simply did not have the depth to keep up for 15 points. Maybe they did not have their full squads out at those tournaments, but it seems like they are in the middle of the pack, with losses to Swingline, Funk, Golden Spike, and really big losses to Metro, 7 Figures, and BCBC. Who knows about this team. Again... depth is an issue.
Party Van and Mesteno were teams who advanced to Quarters in '09. These teams have lost some players over the past year with Mesteno being less deep from what I remember from last year. They both have the potential to play hard against the top teams but again simply do not have the athleticism and depth to compete until the soft cap.

What would make me happy? One of these teams to prove me wrong and play balls out and do something crazy this weekend.

The Happy to be Here's
The bottom two teams in the Regional are the Expendables and LOFT... both from the Southern California Section with Loft advancing because SC6 Fork in the Road was unable to attend. These teams have nothing to lose and have an infinite amount to gain. There are two ways for these types of teams to play Regionals. One, as a spoiler to teams ranked above them to prove the TD wrong... or two, for fun. This would usually involve some drinking and consequently some forfeitures in the later placement brackets on Sunday but it doesn't matter. Ultimate is for fun right? It's great just to see these two teams out and I am very glad they decided to come play.


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It is now 8:55pm, and since my first keystroke on this entry, I've consumed a Pastrami Sandwich from the Hat in addition to two glasses of Merlot that I'm trying to finish before it goes bad. So to say the least, I apologize if this post was not as focused and poised as my previous previews.

I just want to add that serving as the Southwest Mixed Regionals Coordinator for this season has been quite a learning experience for me and I have come to appreciate any person who has had to set up and/or run an entire tournament. It is not easy and with the drama surrounding the venue changes and what not, it has been one wild ride. Thank you to ALL who have offered encouragement and support through the season. I don't think I could have done it all without you all.

T-minus 4 days until Regionals. 4 more days until the most important tournament of the year. 16 teams... all start off with a clean slate at 0-0. In the end, two teams will earn the right to extend their seasons and travel to Sarasota, Florida. Time to realize why we ran all those sprints, all those miles. Why we did all those push-ups, all those sit-ups. Time to realize that all our efforts on the season lead up to this tournament, and that if there was ever a time to leave it all on the field... now is the time. Envision greatness... picture yourself achieving your goals.

It's go time...


-10