The pools went up on the USA Ultimate score reporter earlier this week, and by most standards, it was a bit wonky to say the least. I am unsure whether this will be the final format for a 13-team field, but generally the seedings are a bit suspect and I am unsure as to whether the seeding was done on purpose, or if the TD's threw darts at team names on the wall to determine #'s 1-13. Well anyway, I'll be going on what they have up currently.
Pool A
1. AIR
2. Barrio
3. Dogfight
4. Polar Bears
Pool B
1. CTR
2. LA Metro
3. Slow White
4. Ranier Rapture
Pool C
1. District 5
2. FunK
3. Mischief
4. Swagger
5. Psychoplastique
----------------------
With 3 of the top 5 seeds from the Bay Area, it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. Personally I believe several teams are ridiculously under-seeded (Mischief, Barrio, Polar Bears), not to mention Nationals contenders Psychoplastique. ECC has always been THE tournament I've wanted to attend in club. Being a young player, I would see the ultivillage tapes of the top teams in the nation competing it out in a "pre-nationals" tournament that would feature... like I said, National-caliber teams. A good example would be to look at the Open side of the tournament.
The mixed division doesn't have the star power the Open or Women's divisions have, but with 5 teams that have participated in Nationals within the past several years, (Metro, Mischief, Psychoplastique, Swagger/Doh', Barrio), there will be plenty of good play. Seeding is still a bit weird for me... as they do not reflect the way teams have been playing in the past several tournaments.
If you look at CalStates and Revolutions, it simply does not fit. Polar Bears won the tournament going 6-0 and they're seeded last in their pool. AIR posted losses to Mischief and FunK and sits on top of the field. It's trends like this that have me questioning the validity of the pools/rankings, but hey... it's still early in the season and who knows how good these teams actually are. The two teams from the East Coast, District 5 and Slow White are looking good. District 5 has only lost once in the past month or so, to perennial Nationals team, AMP from Phily. Slow White has only lost twice all season... both to District 5... so these teams show great strengths early on. Mischief has two losses all season, to District 5 and Slow White. Interesting huh? It'll be pretty neat to see all these Regional powerhouses go at it in Seattle.
We could talk about seeding/rankings all morning... why someone is underseeded, why someone is overseeded, but at the end of the day, it's all proven on the field. We're out of the "pre-season" now and working into the heart of the season. It's ECC, then Labor Day, and then the all important Series. We'll be posting score updates and tournament shenanigans here.
Wish us luck. Hopefully we can make Southern California proud.
-hammie #10
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
GRUB 2010 Recap
Overcoming obstacles is a staple of any sports team's season. Whether it be struggles with team chemistry, logistics, or strategy; a good team finds ways to overcome and exceed expectations in the face of adversity. Such was so in our first trip to GRUB (Grass Roots Ultimate Benefit) in Boulder, CO. Already going into the tournament without 3 of our main offensive handlers as well as a dominant offensive cutter, we knew that the remaining 19 or so would have to step up our game offensively but after losing our main O-line handler Friday night due to a "freak injury," the cards were stacked that much more against us. Factor in the travel, the altitude, and temperatures in the high 90's... we had the beginnings of a potentially disappointing turnout.
We were seeded 4th overall in the tournament with Colorado's Liver Punch and Pimpin' Hoes, and Arizona's Barrio seeded 1-3 respectively. We already knew that the altitude would be a factor for us sea-level dwellers, but the heat didn't help... hitting nearly 100 degrees in the sun with very little breeze. We knew about the odds we were facing, the adversity, and we knew that it would require every single player to step up his/her game for the team to succeed.
----
Saturday
Round 1 vs. Mesteno
Mesteno was a team we faced in Regionals the previous year. They feature a line of athletic cutters and one or two real throwing threats. Biggest surprise to many was the success the O-line had from the get-go in terms of chemistry and flow. We had only 2 practices since CalStates and despite the absence of our top line handlers, the disc flowed without resistance while our defense was a bit slow to figure out Mesteno's offense. We eventually figured out their offensive strengths, forcing them into tough decisions and risky throws which added up to a 15-11 win. We were up big at some point, but definitely showed a lack of poise in allowing Mesteno to steal some easy breaks at the end. D-line closes the door 15-11.
Round 2 vs. Colorado University
We knew we had to improve and play better against the College team from Boulder, CO. In pre-game, we referred to them as "kids" but we all knew that we had to play better than them to merit such judgement. The offense continued to gel and play well together while the D-line worked to contain their deep shot oriented offense. Additionally, this team wasn't very effective at cross-gender flow so the D-line had a field-day exploiting their matchups and forcing risky up-field throws by harassing the throwers on the mark. Metro wins easily 15-9.
Round 3 vs. Operation Kapow
The last time we played each other, a bid to Nationals was on the line with Metro prevailing 15-9. This time around, the stakes were not as high, but bragging rights were definitely desired. We started the game by trading the first couple points. Our women were consistently winning their matchups and it came down to the men working harder to step it up and win theirs. Our hard defense and patient offense began to wear down the team from Denver, and before we knew it, we had taken half 8-4 in the midst of a 9-0 run that put Kapow away 15-4. At half up 8-4, the mood was loose, smiles all around. But every single player demonstrated that they were not satisfied and being up 8-4 was by no means grounds to relax. The defense continued to be relentless. Big D's, hand-blocks, run through D's, we forced Kapow into very uncomfortable situations and dictated their throws rather than reacting. Metro wins 15-4 to take Pool D.
Cross-over vs. Liver Punch
Liver Punch was the #1 seed overall in the tournament with top players from CU as well as Bravo and Box/Rare Air. They really did not have a weakness and was a team that would not turn the disc on their own accord. We went down early, playing flat and uninspired offense as well as "prevent" defense rather than actual defense. Despite only being down 1 break at the half, fatigue and the effects of a long day in the sun were starting to show. Throws were a little bit too far... discs were being dropped, but we were right there. Liver Punch was good but they did not put us away right away and allowed us to "hang around." Losing 12-15 to them might have felt as a relief in being able to go home, but to many it was a bitter defeat. We knew we were good enough to beat them and despite many opportunities to punch in breaks, we were unsuccessful.
-------
Sunday
Quarterfinals vs. Barrio
Big games require big performances. Whether it comes on the defensive side, or the offensive side... it simply has to happen. Against Barrio, we all knew that the big plays would have to come from the defensive side of the disc. Our offense was playing well all weekend and had the simple assignment of scoring each time. The defense was facing a very disciplined, very well coached team that would not give up breaks easily and whose defense could break us back just as easily. We started on D, and to our surprise, generated a turnover and punched it in for the 1-0 lead and quick break. The next 5 or 6 points or so were very intense with each team's offense moving it effectively and without incident. Barrio then threw a zone and got their break back after a series of bad decision on our part. They had the momentum, and were looking for their offense to continue to trend. But our defense stepped up big time and generated a stop, and not one... but two breaks to put us up 8-6 at the half, on offense to start.
But oh how the wind can change. We pushed it to a 9-6 lead with an offensive gem of a point after half but after the defense failed to make a stop to make it 9-7, Barrio's defense showed their teeth in the form of a standard zone that proved to be our downfall. They scored 4 straight on the zone to bring it to 10-11 and hard-cap on (first to 12 wins) with Metro on defense. We were on Defense trying to force universe, and Barrio calmly moved the disc down for the 12-10. It was a very bitter loss for us. We ALL knew what had happened, and we all knew what we "coulda woulda shoulda" done. Turnovers did us in, and it was a team effort in the loss... and we all knew that things could have been different.
Placement Game (5th) vs. Love Tractor
This could have easily been a "throw-away" game where we just tune out and "let things go." This might have been the case last year, or the year before, but I can vouch for everyone there that not one person wanted to relax and would much rather take their frustrations out on the next game. We came out firing generating 2 or 3 breaks right away behind the solid play from the defense. Love Tractor was a solid team that had formidable throwers and deep threats and we didn't really contain their offense until late in the first half. The offense continued to flow very well behind stellar play from Keegan and Karen Ko who paced the team to a 15-6 win. Throw in a post-game chat and a sudden 20 minute thunderstorm, and we had the punctuation point to a very successful showing at our first ever GRUB.
------
We now have two weeks off to rest and relax before a series of practices in preparation for ECC in August. GRUB really served as a barometer for our team in terms of where we stack up in the Region and things look optimistic and bright as we head into the meat of our season.
-Regards
Hammie
LA Metro #10
We were seeded 4th overall in the tournament with Colorado's Liver Punch and Pimpin' Hoes, and Arizona's Barrio seeded 1-3 respectively. We already knew that the altitude would be a factor for us sea-level dwellers, but the heat didn't help... hitting nearly 100 degrees in the sun with very little breeze. We knew about the odds we were facing, the adversity, and we knew that it would require every single player to step up his/her game for the team to succeed.
----
Saturday
Round 1 vs. Mesteno
Mesteno was a team we faced in Regionals the previous year. They feature a line of athletic cutters and one or two real throwing threats. Biggest surprise to many was the success the O-line had from the get-go in terms of chemistry and flow. We had only 2 practices since CalStates and despite the absence of our top line handlers, the disc flowed without resistance while our defense was a bit slow to figure out Mesteno's offense. We eventually figured out their offensive strengths, forcing them into tough decisions and risky throws which added up to a 15-11 win. We were up big at some point, but definitely showed a lack of poise in allowing Mesteno to steal some easy breaks at the end. D-line closes the door 15-11.
Round 2 vs. Colorado University
We knew we had to improve and play better against the College team from Boulder, CO. In pre-game, we referred to them as "kids" but we all knew that we had to play better than them to merit such judgement. The offense continued to gel and play well together while the D-line worked to contain their deep shot oriented offense. Additionally, this team wasn't very effective at cross-gender flow so the D-line had a field-day exploiting their matchups and forcing risky up-field throws by harassing the throwers on the mark. Metro wins easily 15-9.
Round 3 vs. Operation Kapow
The last time we played each other, a bid to Nationals was on the line with Metro prevailing 15-9. This time around, the stakes were not as high, but bragging rights were definitely desired. We started the game by trading the first couple points. Our women were consistently winning their matchups and it came down to the men working harder to step it up and win theirs. Our hard defense and patient offense began to wear down the team from Denver, and before we knew it, we had taken half 8-4 in the midst of a 9-0 run that put Kapow away 15-4. At half up 8-4, the mood was loose, smiles all around. But every single player demonstrated that they were not satisfied and being up 8-4 was by no means grounds to relax. The defense continued to be relentless. Big D's, hand-blocks, run through D's, we forced Kapow into very uncomfortable situations and dictated their throws rather than reacting. Metro wins 15-4 to take Pool D.
Cross-over vs. Liver Punch
Liver Punch was the #1 seed overall in the tournament with top players from CU as well as Bravo and Box/Rare Air. They really did not have a weakness and was a team that would not turn the disc on their own accord. We went down early, playing flat and uninspired offense as well as "prevent" defense rather than actual defense. Despite only being down 1 break at the half, fatigue and the effects of a long day in the sun were starting to show. Throws were a little bit too far... discs were being dropped, but we were right there. Liver Punch was good but they did not put us away right away and allowed us to "hang around." Losing 12-15 to them might have felt as a relief in being able to go home, but to many it was a bitter defeat. We knew we were good enough to beat them and despite many opportunities to punch in breaks, we were unsuccessful.
-------
Sunday
Quarterfinals vs. Barrio
Big games require big performances. Whether it comes on the defensive side, or the offensive side... it simply has to happen. Against Barrio, we all knew that the big plays would have to come from the defensive side of the disc. Our offense was playing well all weekend and had the simple assignment of scoring each time. The defense was facing a very disciplined, very well coached team that would not give up breaks easily and whose defense could break us back just as easily. We started on D, and to our surprise, generated a turnover and punched it in for the 1-0 lead and quick break. The next 5 or 6 points or so were very intense with each team's offense moving it effectively and without incident. Barrio then threw a zone and got their break back after a series of bad decision on our part. They had the momentum, and were looking for their offense to continue to trend. But our defense stepped up big time and generated a stop, and not one... but two breaks to put us up 8-6 at the half, on offense to start.
But oh how the wind can change. We pushed it to a 9-6 lead with an offensive gem of a point after half but after the defense failed to make a stop to make it 9-7, Barrio's defense showed their teeth in the form of a standard zone that proved to be our downfall. They scored 4 straight on the zone to bring it to 10-11 and hard-cap on (first to 12 wins) with Metro on defense. We were on Defense trying to force universe, and Barrio calmly moved the disc down for the 12-10. It was a very bitter loss for us. We ALL knew what had happened, and we all knew what we "coulda woulda shoulda" done. Turnovers did us in, and it was a team effort in the loss... and we all knew that things could have been different.
Placement Game (5th) vs. Love Tractor
This could have easily been a "throw-away" game where we just tune out and "let things go." This might have been the case last year, or the year before, but I can vouch for everyone there that not one person wanted to relax and would much rather take their frustrations out on the next game. We came out firing generating 2 or 3 breaks right away behind the solid play from the defense. Love Tractor was a solid team that had formidable throwers and deep threats and we didn't really contain their offense until late in the first half. The offense continued to flow very well behind stellar play from Keegan and Karen Ko who paced the team to a 15-6 win. Throw in a post-game chat and a sudden 20 minute thunderstorm, and we had the punctuation point to a very successful showing at our first ever GRUB.
------
We now have two weeks off to rest and relax before a series of practices in preparation for ECC in August. GRUB really served as a barometer for our team in terms of where we stack up in the Region and things look optimistic and bright as we head into the meat of our season.
-Regards
Hammie
LA Metro #10
Friday, July 16, 2010
Follow Metro at tournaments via Twitter
Off to (even hotter) Colorado today. 5,000+ feet closer to that big ball of flame in the sky.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
GRUB 2010 Preview
Pool A
A1: Pimpin' Aint Easy, Boulder,CO
A2: Golden Spike, Salt Lake City, UT
A3: Operation KillJoy, Fort Collins, CO
A4: Midnight Threat Level, KS
Pool B
B1: Liver Punch, Boulder, CO
B2: Swingline, Colorado Springs, CO
B3: Blast Susie, Denver, CO
B4: Red or Green?, ABQ
Pool C
C1: Barrio, Tuscon, AZ
C2: Trollhaveners, San Francisco, CA
C3: The Business, Denver, CO
C4: Love Tractor, Boulder, CO
Pool D
D1: LA Metro, Los Angeles, CA
D2: Operation Kapow!, Denver, CO
D3: Mesteno, Denver, CO
D4: Rule of Thumb, Boulder, CO
----------
This is the first tournament that we are participating in that will feature our new squad for the 2010 season. The tryout process started way back in May and now in mid-July, our roster has been finalized and we are ready to roll. This is also the first time our team will be attending GRUB (Grass Roots Ultimate Benefit Tournament), which is now in its 19th year (http://gru.org/play/grub-2010).
This tournament will feature some of the top teams from the Southwest Region, most notably perennial powerhouse Barrio from Tuscon, Arizona, and the new upstarts in Operation Kapow as well as some other solid teams from the Denver/Boulder area. I am not familiar with the majority of the teams going to this tournament, but the ones I do know about are the Trollhaveners from San Fran, which are a bunch of BCBC players + friends. Mesteno, Swingline, and Love Tractor were all teams that we played in Regionals in Arizona. They are solid teams and it will be interesting to see how they stack up in the Region. Golden Spike is a team from the Northwest Region that gave us a very good game last year. They were athletic and very skilled in our only meeting at the Labor Day Championships in SF.
Essentially, this tournament is a barometer for our team in the region. We are already slated to play against Operation Kapow, which will prove to be a tough match since word has it that they have been actively recruiting in the Colorado area to improve their already talented team. If you remember, Operation Kapow was the team that we beat in the Semifinals of Regionals last season to secure a bid to Nationals. It was a close game in the beginning but with our team breaking it open with a 6-0 run to pace us to a 15-9 win. I guess it's safe to say that this is a pretty anticipated rematch between the two teams. Although our team won't be at full strength with several key players being absent, this tournament will be an indication to our team identity, our style of play, and what we need to work on in preparation for ECC and Labor Day. Regional Champs Barrio will also be there, and although it might not line up for our teams to play each other, it will be a good thing to have an early gauge on how difficult the road to Nationals will be. We still believe that the road to Nationals goes through Southern California with the likes of Metro, BCBC and 7 Figures, but this tournament will allow us to see what the Colorado and Arizona teams have in store for us.
The altitude will definitely play a role, and I've been running my track workouts with that fact in mind. The air is thinner, the oxygen density in the air is less, and the Colorado teams will definitely have an advantage being acclimated to that altitude for months, while we have mere hours to do so. I'm stoked to play this tournament, and I am anxious to be playing at top level again. Ten more days until first pull.
-Hammie #10
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Anteaters on Club teams
Congratulations to the UC Irvine Eaters who have made the roster for their respective club teams for the 2010 season.
---
LA Metro (SoCal Sectionals Champs, Regionals Runners up, 11th place finish at Nationals)*
-Enway Hsu (3rd season)
-Hammie Chen (3rd season)
Metro returns over 3/4 of it's squad but only 3 women, including Enway. After winning Sectionals on universe point, and taking 2nd at Regionals, the Metroids look to make a return to Sarasota and improve on their surprising 11th place finish. The journey starts at GRUB in Colorado where they will see Regionals rivals Barrio and the retooled Operation
Kapow. The roster will be finalized this upcoming weekend with practices starting right thereafter.
San Diego Safari (SoCal Sectionals Champs, 3rd place finish at Regionals, 12th place finish at Nationals)*
-Iris Leung (2nd season)
-Annie Ngo (2nd season)
-Melissa Spalding (1st season)
Safari is ready to make another run at Nationals despite losing many players to Knockout and the Mixed division. They have a solid core of ladies that have plenty of experience and will again have to do battle against Rare Air and possibly the Lady Condors (if it happens), to qualify. Iris and Annie have both improved immensely during their past season here with the Grass Ninjas and look for these two to be solid role players on this team who will be crucial to Safari's success. Melissa is a great addition to the team in that she brings speed and athleticism to the cutting core. Despite it being her first year or so playing, she will learn so much from Safari and I know will develop into a baller player for the crew from San Diego.
San Diego Street Gang (SoCal Sectionals Runner-up, Regionals Runners-up, 15th place finish at Nationals)*
-Allen Lai (1st season)
-Evan Valdez (1st season)
I am so proud of these two guys. They have worked very hard to get where they are and have been rewarded for their efforts with roster spots on Southern California's best open team (atleast for now). Allen and Evan both bring a lot of speed and experience to this already veteran roster and will play important roles in their huck-heavy offense. After a heartbreaking loss in the finals at Sectionals and a somewhat disappointing show at Sarasota despite a very surprising and impressive win over Boston's Ironside, Street Gang has retooled their roster and look to do some damage late into the season. They will face their rivals the Condors, and Johnny Bravo(?), but I have these guys winning the Region this year, if their top players can stay healthy.
----
Good luck on the season and hopefully we'll throw the zot-zot-zot at the Polo Fields in late-October.
*-2009 Series results
Hammie #10
---
LA Metro (SoCal Sectionals Champs, Regionals Runners up, 11th place finish at Nationals)*
-Enway Hsu (3rd season)
-Hammie Chen (3rd season)
Metro returns over 3/4 of it's squad but only 3 women, including Enway. After winning Sectionals on universe point, and taking 2nd at Regionals, the Metroids look to make a return to Sarasota and improve on their surprising 11th place finish. The journey starts at GRUB in Colorado where they will see Regionals rivals Barrio and the retooled Operation
Kapow. The roster will be finalized this upcoming weekend with practices starting right thereafter.
San Diego Safari (SoCal Sectionals Champs, 3rd place finish at Regionals, 12th place finish at Nationals)*
-Iris Leung (2nd season)
-Annie Ngo (2nd season)
-Melissa Spalding (1st season)
Safari is ready to make another run at Nationals despite losing many players to Knockout and the Mixed division. They have a solid core of ladies that have plenty of experience and will again have to do battle against Rare Air and possibly the Lady Condors (if it happens), to qualify. Iris and Annie have both improved immensely during their past season here with the Grass Ninjas and look for these two to be solid role players on this team who will be crucial to Safari's success. Melissa is a great addition to the team in that she brings speed and athleticism to the cutting core. Despite it being her first year or so playing, she will learn so much from Safari and I know will develop into a baller player for the crew from San Diego.
San Diego Street Gang (SoCal Sectionals Runner-up, Regionals Runners-up, 15th place finish at Nationals)*
-Allen Lai (1st season)
-Evan Valdez (1st season)
I am so proud of these two guys. They have worked very hard to get where they are and have been rewarded for their efforts with roster spots on Southern California's best open team (atleast for now). Allen and Evan both bring a lot of speed and experience to this already veteran roster and will play important roles in their huck-heavy offense. After a heartbreaking loss in the finals at Sectionals and a somewhat disappointing show at Sarasota despite a very surprising and impressive win over Boston's Ironside, Street Gang has retooled their roster and look to do some damage late into the season. They will face their rivals the Condors, and Johnny Bravo(?), but I have these guys winning the Region this year, if their top players can stay healthy.
----
Good luck on the season and hopefully we'll throw the zot-zot-zot at the Polo Fields in late-October.
*-2009 Series results
Hammie #10
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
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.
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.
Hammie #10
UC Irvine Nightlife Alumni 2008
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
'05-'06: Bone
'06-'07: ICU
'07-present: NightLife
'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 knowi
ng 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.
ng 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
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Cal-States 2010 Mixed Wrap-Up
So go ahead and ignore the post I made with the pools. Slug Ultimate sent out an email with that set-up but it was altered upon arriving at the fields. Instead of a pool with AIR, TWSS, and Classy, we were put in a pool with CTR, Classy, and Dutch Rudder. The schedule had it where the 1 seed and 2 seeds in each respective pool were playing each other first round on Saturday. Which I am honestly not a fan of.
(Note: Cal States did not have anything online regarding scores or pools so this is really just me trying to recollect everything so don't get upset if the score is off).
First round vs. CTR
Came out FLAT. CTR was a talented group of players from the Bay Area. The easy excuse for us in the performance we had the first half would have been that we were trying out new players, but the truth was that we didn't come prepared. People were late, people weren't mentally ready, and we just came out playing tentative and were trying to be "too cute" with the disc rather than power it/move it like we knew we could. We went down 12-5 with CTR simply out-matching us, with the majority of the turnovers being on our miscues. After recollecting ourselves, we began to go on a little bit of a run and actually pulled it to 11-12 after a 6-0 run. However; the run was stopped at 6 and CTR scored the winning goal to win 13-11. Despite the loss, we had our heads up as we definitely brought it the second half and knew that if we hadn't spotted them such a huge lead, we would be right there with them.
Round 2 vs. Classy
Much better play this game with a lot of good disc movement. Last time we played Classy, we got ourselves down in a hole of 1-9 as a #1 seed in Chico. It was terrible and although the game was pretty much decided after 5 points, we continued to push and ran away with the game 13-5(?)-ish. Much better movement, much better decision making led to a much better result.
Round 3 vs. Dutch Rudder
Again, we carried our momentum into this third game and won the game within the first half. We were executing very well and our new recruits were definitely bringing their game, especially the new women who were simply outclassing the opposition in terms of speed, agility, and throwing. Showed us that our play wasn't simply a fluke and that we were able to be consistent in our level of play. Metro over Dutch Rudder 13-6(?)
Pre-Quarters vs. That's What She Said (TWSS)
Since we placed second in our pool, we were not granted a bye into Quarters but had to play TWSS in Pre-Quarters. We came out on fire in the first half with great play by our returning guys in addition to hard harassing defense that generated many turns. I believe we only turned it once in the first half to take a 7-1 or 7-2 lead into half, but kind of let up afterwards, but still winning by a wide margin. I was not pleased with the fact that after we took half, people got distracted, watching other games, screwing around, etc. etc. I know it was an early tournament and we were up big, but the poise begins now. The experience is gained now. Our team has a history of focus issues after generating leads and we didn't capitalize on an opportunity to stay disciplined and focused. Lessoned learned.
End of Saturday
--------
Quarterfinals vs. (#1)Polar Bears
As I stated in the preview, Polar Bears were the logical #1 seed for this tournament and despite winning their pool, teams that played them said that they struggled a bit in the early going but I am more than sure that their early round struggles were similar to ours in trying out new players, and getting things back into gear. This was a 10:30am start for us and was the featured game after a very great Wolf vs. Condors battle in which the storied club team from Santa Barbara upset Wolf on Double Game point. We were warming up on sidelines and right when that game was over, it was 7 on, ready to go.
Polar came out strong and quickly got a break on us. We had some bad miscues that resulted in turnovers in our own red-zone which (with their throwers) led to easy break scores. After that first break, we managed to break back at around 5's, but quickly lost that break right after half. It was 9-10, with Polar Bears generating a red-zone turnover again and calling time/out to set up a play. This proved to be the turning point in the game with our defense holding the line and Yugo making a very smart and timely poach D. [Insert Transition/fast break offense here] Before we knew it we had worked it down the field on the fast break and scored to tie it at 10's. Big swing of momentum and later on after a couple near breaks for us, we punched in a break to take the lead.
That ultimately led to Universe point, with Metro going up-wind on offense. A lot of people had begun crowding to watching this game, and the final point did not disappoint. We had a stellar line out against their best defensive line and after some calm disc work, Keegan hucks up a break-side backhand huck to Barrs who goes up high and wins the 50/50 for the dgp win. It was a good win for us and we showed a lot of grit and a lot of heart even on the brink of being down two breaks late. Defense won us that game... albeit it was great defense after an offensive turnover. We took a lot from this game, and knew that these adjustments would need to be worked on over the course of the season if we wanted to step up higher into that Elite level of play during the Series.
On another note, I think the mentality was pretty good for the last point. Most of our team had no idea it was dgp until it was over (myself included), and if you think about it, DGP is like any other point really,. Great win for us... and we were "rewarded" with a bye before Semi-finals.
Semifinals vs. A.I.R.
This was a battle. Both teams were very balanced but I felt like AIR integrated their women into their game plan a lot better than we did. We began to fall back into some of our habits and found ourselves down a bit and it was a "trade-points until we ran out of time" scenario. We couldn't generate a break and even times we'd get a turn, we couldn't punch it in, or we'd turn it right back. It was a very intense game and to their credit, AIR has really taken that extra step since the last time we played them in 2009. They have solid throwers, very dangerous deeps, and their women held their own and were very effective. AIR wins 13-11 to advance to Finals vs. Mischief.
3rd place game vs. FunK
In typical Metro fashion, we spotted the team 3 points before rallying back to force DGP at 11's. We fought hard but there were some moments where we just let golden opportunities slip by. They were a solid group of players that matched up well against our crew, but as the heat continued to increase, fatigue definitely became a factor in this game. Early season, no one is quite in shape and it showed as we had some uncharacteristic drops, and some untimely mental lapses. It was a well fought game and we were proud of ourselves after this one with our 4th place finish.
---
In all, it was a great tournament for us. We got to see our new recruits show off their abilities and to really get a sense of how our team would be this year and quite frankly, it's looking a lot better than in years previous. Our next tournament is not for another month, so after finalizing our roster within the next weeks, we will be practicing full-time to get ready for GRUB in Colorado. Just wanted to say that everyone played well and all the try-outs were ballers and that the decisions to trim our team to a final roster will be difficult.
Other Notable Results:
Our sister-team from Los Angeles, 7-Figures, also played well this weekend with a DGP win over Polar Bears and a solid showing. Their women were running circles around players and they look poised to do a lot of damage in the very competitive mixed Southwest Region.
Wolf was upset by the Condors in Quarters on double game point. I watched the majority of this game and the Condors played a very sound team-oriented offense. Of course there were the huge bombs put up by Arbiter to a streaking receiver... but other than that, it was a very good win for the Condors who surprised a lot of people with this win.
Open Finals were between Revolver and Street Gang. All weekend these two teams had simply been rolling but the finals was clearly a mismatch with Street Gang's deep game simply not being effective enough against the athletic and skilled Revolver team. The hucks that were hitting receivers open by 15 yards for Street Gang in earlier rounds began to float into 50/50's as the wind picked up. it was a one-sided affair with Revolver pulling away 15-6 for the tournament win.
Till next time,
Hammie #10
(Note: Cal States did not have anything online regarding scores or pools so this is really just me trying to recollect everything so don't get upset if the score is off).
First round vs. CTR
Came out FLAT. CTR was a talented group of players from the Bay Area. The easy excuse for us in the performance we had the first half would have been that we were trying out new players, but the truth was that we didn't come prepared. People were late, people weren't mentally ready, and we just came out playing tentative and were trying to be "too cute" with the disc rather than power it/move it like we knew we could. We went down 12-5 with CTR simply out-matching us, with the majority of the turnovers being on our miscues. After recollecting ourselves, we began to go on a little bit of a run and actually pulled it to 11-12 after a 6-0 run. However; the run was stopped at 6 and CTR scored the winning goal to win 13-11. Despite the loss, we had our heads up as we definitely brought it the second half and knew that if we hadn't spotted them such a huge lead, we would be right there with them.
Round 2 vs. Classy
Much better play this game with a lot of good disc movement. Last time we played Classy, we got ourselves down in a hole of 1-9 as a #1 seed in Chico. It was terrible and although the game was pretty much decided after 5 points, we continued to push and ran away with the game 13-5(?)-ish. Much better movement, much better decision making led to a much better result.
Round 3 vs. Dutch Rudder
Again, we carried our momentum into this third game and won the game within the first half. We were executing very well and our new recruits were definitely bringing their game, especially the new women who were simply outclassing the opposition in terms of speed, agility, and throwing. Showed us that our play wasn't simply a fluke and that we were able to be consistent in our level of play. Metro over Dutch Rudder 13-6(?)
Pre-Quarters vs. That's What She Said (TWSS)
Since we placed second in our pool, we were not granted a bye into Quarters but had to play TWSS in Pre-Quarters. We came out on fire in the first half with great play by our returning guys in addition to hard harassing defense that generated many turns. I believe we only turned it once in the first half to take a 7-1 or 7-2 lead into half, but kind of let up afterwards, but still winning by a wide margin. I was not pleased with the fact that after we took half, people got distracted, watching other games, screwing around, etc. etc. I know it was an early tournament and we were up big, but the poise begins now. The experience is gained now. Our team has a history of focus issues after generating leads and we didn't capitalize on an opportunity to stay disciplined and focused. Lessoned learned.
End of Saturday
--------
Quarterfinals vs. (#1)Polar Bears
As I stated in the preview, Polar Bears were the logical #1 seed for this tournament and despite winning their pool, teams that played them said that they struggled a bit in the early going but I am more than sure that their early round struggles were similar to ours in trying out new players, and getting things back into gear. This was a 10:30am start for us and was the featured game after a very great Wolf vs. Condors battle in which the storied club team from Santa Barbara upset Wolf on Double Game point. We were warming up on sidelines and right when that game was over, it was 7 on, ready to go.
Polar came out strong and quickly got a break on us. We had some bad miscues that resulted in turnovers in our own red-zone which (with their throwers) led to easy break scores. After that first break, we managed to break back at around 5's, but quickly lost that break right after half. It was 9-10, with Polar Bears generating a red-zone turnover again and calling time/out to set up a play. This proved to be the turning point in the game with our defense holding the line and Yugo making a very smart and timely poach D. [Insert Transition/fast break offense here] Before we knew it we had worked it down the field on the fast break and scored to tie it at 10's. Big swing of momentum and later on after a couple near breaks for us, we punched in a break to take the lead.
That ultimately led to Universe point, with Metro going up-wind on offense. A lot of people had begun crowding to watching this game, and the final point did not disappoint. We had a stellar line out against their best defensive line and after some calm disc work, Keegan hucks up a break-side backhand huck to Barrs who goes up high and wins the 50/50 for the dgp win. It was a good win for us and we showed a lot of grit and a lot of heart even on the brink of being down two breaks late. Defense won us that game... albeit it was great defense after an offensive turnover. We took a lot from this game, and knew that these adjustments would need to be worked on over the course of the season if we wanted to step up higher into that Elite level of play during the Series.
On another note, I think the mentality was pretty good for the last point. Most of our team had no idea it was dgp until it was over (myself included), and if you think about it, DGP is like any other point really,. Great win for us... and we were "rewarded" with a bye before Semi-finals.
Semifinals vs. A.I.R.
This was a battle. Both teams were very balanced but I felt like AIR integrated their women into their game plan a lot better than we did. We began to fall back into some of our habits and found ourselves down a bit and it was a "trade-points until we ran out of time" scenario. We couldn't generate a break and even times we'd get a turn, we couldn't punch it in, or we'd turn it right back. It was a very intense game and to their credit, AIR has really taken that extra step since the last time we played them in 2009. They have solid throwers, very dangerous deeps, and their women held their own and were very effective. AIR wins 13-11 to advance to Finals vs. Mischief.
3rd place game vs. FunK
In typical Metro fashion, we spotted the team 3 points before rallying back to force DGP at 11's. We fought hard but there were some moments where we just let golden opportunities slip by. They were a solid group of players that matched up well against our crew, but as the heat continued to increase, fatigue definitely became a factor in this game. Early season, no one is quite in shape and it showed as we had some uncharacteristic drops, and some untimely mental lapses. It was a well fought game and we were proud of ourselves after this one with our 4th place finish.
---
In all, it was a great tournament for us. We got to see our new recruits show off their abilities and to really get a sense of how our team would be this year and quite frankly, it's looking a lot better than in years previous. Our next tournament is not for another month, so after finalizing our roster within the next weeks, we will be practicing full-time to get ready for GRUB in Colorado. Just wanted to say that everyone played well and all the try-outs were ballers and that the decisions to trim our team to a final roster will be difficult.
Other Notable Results:
Our sister-team from Los Angeles, 7-Figures, also played well this weekend with a DGP win over Polar Bears and a solid showing. Their women were running circles around players and they look poised to do a lot of damage in the very competitive mixed Southwest Region.
Wolf was upset by the Condors in Quarters on double game point. I watched the majority of this game and the Condors played a very sound team-oriented offense. Of course there were the huge bombs put up by Arbiter to a streaking receiver... but other than that, it was a very good win for the Condors who surprised a lot of people with this win.
Open Finals were between Revolver and Street Gang. All weekend these two teams had simply been rolling but the finals was clearly a mismatch with Street Gang's deep game simply not being effective enough against the athletic and skilled Revolver team. The hucks that were hitting receivers open by 15 yards for Street Gang in earlier rounds began to float into 50/50's as the wind picked up. it was a one-sided affair with Revolver pulling away 15-6 for the tournament win.
Till next time,
Hammie #10
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