Everything that could be said about this weekend has probably been said twice already. I'm tired of talking about team goals, personal goals, strategy, and whatever else. It's time to go do or do not. I don't feel the nervousness that I felt before sectionals (not yet anyway). I have full confidence that Smaug has the talent to go to nationals; it's only a question of whether we have the grit and desire to grind it out against equally talented teams.
The season up until now has been great. We've had huge highs (beating Cal) and devastating low (losing to the Squids). We've seen beautiful conditions (Stanford) and also the most miserable conditions I've ever played in (Vegas, beating out Denver last October and Edinburgh in January.) We've been in pretty much every situation that a team can be in, and it's time to put all the chips on the table.
Saturday, our must win game is SLO. They are very talented and experienced this year, and we had a tough loss to them at sectionals. However, I don't think that result was necessarily representative of our capabilities. We got the better of them at Pres Day, but this game will be a battle. Assuming that the winner of this game wins the pool, the winner will play Colorado in a cross over game.
We would likely rest our starters in this (relatively meaningless) game so we could be fresher going into the important ones Sunday. If we fall to SLO, every game becomes "must win" as we try to fight our way through the back door.
It's kind of surprising to think that this is my first college regionals ever. I've still never won a game at the regionals level, either. Just at the worst time, I came down with a very annoying cold and, of course, there's a good chance of rain in Colorado. Why would we ever play regionals outside of California, anyway? It's the most efficient in terms of travel for most teams, and it's basically guaranteed good weather at this time of year.
Anyway, gripes aside, it's time to either do or do not. The results of this weekend have already been decided by the months of preparation we've invested. If we can remember why we play this game that we've sacrificed so much for, we can relax and play unconsciously.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Follow us on Twitter!
We just set up a Smaug twitter account so people can follow our results at regionals.
Check us out at:
http://twitter.com/smaugultimate
Check us out at:
http://twitter.com/smaugultimate
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
SoCal Sectionals
This weekend had one of the most soul crushing losses I've ever had playing ultimate. But I'll get to that later.
Saturday-
SLO-B 11-0
Chumps. Bageled.
USC 11-1
I was really looking forward to this game, because I haven't gotten to play against the 'birds since WTOYL last semester. That wasn't with actual Smaug, though. I felt fairly sure we could bagel them and we came really close. Kenny D scored on an upline throw at 10-0. They were just coming off a tough loss on universe point against Long Beach, and to be fair, they weren't playing the game to win it. I think ATM and Parrell wanted to make it as quick and painless as possible so they could rest for more important games. Unfortunately, Ghetto finished 14th (losing to Redlands in the process), 3 spots away from qualifying for regionals. Next year will hopefully be a big step for them, though. It was fun playing against my old teammates, even though it seems like half the team is new. I'm pretty sure at one point they tried to iso me deep with Grant so he could sky the balls off me and they could have some revenge, but the throw was bladey and short and it didn't work out. Maybe next year.
Long Beach 11-7
I think we kind of assumed after USC took them to universe and Smeltzer was hurt that the Stalkers would roll over. I did, anyway. Instead they jumped us and went out to a 4-1 lead. They really, really wanted that game, because winner took the pool and would go to semis Sunday morning. They played super tight lines with Marcos and the handler dude with glasses playing almost every point. We finally got our heads on straight and started playing tight D. I think we took half, but I really don't remember this game that well. (I know some people have suggested that my blog is a little too self centric, but a.) I remember the things I did the most and b.) this is MY blog, not Smaug's blog.) It started getting windy and we both were running zones with a strong cross wind, I think. Anyway, we showed some grit and pulled out a nice come from behind win.
Pepperdine 11-0
I feel like Pepperdine goes to one tournament a year: Sectionals. I don't remember seeing them anywhere else, ever. They were surprisingly bad, actually. After a few points of playing zone on them in the wind, we stopped because it just seemed bad-spirited. The young guys got lots of playing time and the vets got to relax and cheer from the sidelines. Lots of guys had a chance to shine. Falco got like 4 D's by being faster than everyone, and Scarecrow completed the first huck of his competitive college career.
UCSB-B 11-1
They played a lot of Box zone on us. They weren't that bad at running it, but they didn't really have the athletes to do it succesfully. It was interesting because they didn't go to man on the endzone line like most teams but instead clamped down the zone harder. We stayed super patient to calmly put it in again and again. I feel personally responsible for allowing the 1 point that they scored, but I'll just decline to talk about that point.
Overall, a very succesful Saturday. 5-0, won our pool and we were going to semis at a luxious 11AM the next day. We had some Roscoes for dinner and I passed out immediately for a good 10 hours as soon as I got home.
Sunday
UCSD - 14-15
This game was the defining game of the weekend, and up to this point, the most memorable game of the season. We came out of the gate smoking hot. I hit Sultan and Concord early for quick scores and we were playing some psycho D. The sidelines were going crazy with Bro!!! cheers and we were on a motherfucking boat. It was real. The Box that had killed us last time we played them didn't seem imposing anymore, and they stopped running it after a couple points. We were playing super tight lines, and everyone was fired up because we felt like we the Squids in the bag finally. Avatar made a couple of huge layout blocks on in cuts. DaVinci made a huge layout catch on a huck for us to take it to half. People were playing out of their minds. After giving up a break or two, we got some breaks of our own back to go up 13-8. Then things went to hell.
We got a false confidence in our lead and Concord, Chotchkie and I all up terrible hucks which the Squids promptly marched up the field for scores. The wind had picked up by this point, mostly cross wind with a slight downwind. We put another score in to make it 14-11. I remember that guy Biel catching some crazy bladey hucks. That guy is pretty baller. They put up a desperation floater to the tall guy I was on and I went up early and tipped it back to him in the wind. We were receiving going upwind and they pulled a huge bladey flick pull...which we dropped in our own endzone. Quick score for them. Soft cap had already blown, and things were happening really fast. Our starters were pretty tired by this point because we had been playing pretty much every point. We received and worked it down the sideline and DaVinci put up upline throw to Linux but the wind pushed it down and Linux was about a foot short from catching the winning score. They worked it back up the field and scored on some not-very-pretty throws, but they put it in right after the hard cap blew, 15-14.
The next half hour or so I wandered around the field like a stunned survivor after a nuclear bomb, looking at the fallout. There was no outlet that I could find to express how I felt. I wanted to quit ultimate then and there and go home and just be a law student. It wasn't that I was angry or frustrated. I was just in shock and felt like I was suffocating and wanted to throw up all at once. It was one of the most emotional experiences I've had playing ultimate (the remaining list of which would be an interesting blog post).
I think there were 3 things that we could have done to change the outcome of this game:
1. Use the upwind side of the field. During the Squids' run, we forced it down the downwind sideline throw after throw. If we had swung the disc more effectively, we would have had better looks and opened up the field for our cutters and throwers more.
2. Opened up the lines a little. At 13-8 we had a little bit of leeway to get some younger, fresh legs in. Instead, we kept the same guys in and tired us out for the end of the game when we needed to close.
3. Not changing our offense. When we get up in a game, we tighten up too much. We changed the mindset of our offense from "attack" to "don't give up the lead," and this just doesn't work. The problem was exacerbated by problems 1 and 2. This more conservative mindset leads to more bad hucks because we're not getting the same open looks and flow that we're used to, so people are more apt to force a huck under these conditions, too. I think the saying is "ride the horse that brung ya." They way we were playing had put us up by 5 at that point in the game, and then was not the time to change it. People still need to play responsibly, but the looseness and fun needs to stay a part of it.
SLO 13-9
There was no way we were going to win this game. I think everyone, to one degree or another, was feeling the same way I was. They came out fired up after a close game with Tide and they were fired up. We wanted to crawl under a rock. Our sidelines were quiet. I have to give them credit. Bacon is a phenomenal thrower and that guy Paul (#1) in the short shorts deserves to be all-region. They got multiple lay-out D's on in cuts, something that usually doesn't happen to us. They wanted it more and they got it. Props to them for going and beating Tide immediately after the Squids rolled all over Tide in the finals.
APU 15-7
I was really surprised to see APU in the 4/5 game, ahead of Claremont, Long Beach, SDSU, etc. They really don't have much talent, and but they run a pretty effective zone. They asked us if we would agree to tie for 4th because they were tired. They only had something like 12-14 guys on the team. There was no way we were going to agree to that, though. It became clear pretty quickly that they were just going to huck and zone every time they were on O. They're zone was super porous, and by this time we were over the trauma of the Squids game and ready to nut on someone a little bit. I went a little bit crazy in this game, probably as a release some of the emotion from the earlier. In a trap zone on the sideline, I nutmegged my mark to Chotchkie on the dump and the whole B team on the sideline went crazy. I'd like to think that this was when they basically gave up and we rolled through the rest of the game. I threw whatever I freakin felt like and it was a pretty good way to end a terrible day. And we threw in an "Azusa Pacific, that was terrific!" cheer to boot.
So in the end, we finished 4th. As heartbreaking as Sunday was for us, I think there are still some positives that we can take from it. The number one thing is that we are that much saltier. I don't think that it we will ever let that happen again. The that we are lacking is big game experience, and that was about as much experience as I can handle at once.
I'm thankful that our meltdown, if it had to happen, happened at sectionals and not at regionals. Instead of going into regionals as a top seed with lots of expectations, were still the underdog and I think we like it that way. We have the memory of the squids game to remind us how good we can be, and how much focus we need to maintain. What can kill us is if we let that game affect our confidence, but I don't think that it will. We know that we can play with the big boys at regionals.
I want to thank everyone that came out to watch us this weekend, especially the Blu girls, Fei, and the Death Fist guys that were super energetic on the sidelines. It was exciting and helpful to have lots of people talking and cheering on the sidelines. I have a terrible taste in my mouth after this weekend, and I sure could use some of that sweet, sweet beer from Shifter's to wash it out.
Saturday-
SLO-B 11-0
Chumps. Bageled.
USC 11-1
I was really looking forward to this game, because I haven't gotten to play against the 'birds since WTOYL last semester. That wasn't with actual Smaug, though. I felt fairly sure we could bagel them and we came really close. Kenny D scored on an upline throw at 10-0. They were just coming off a tough loss on universe point against Long Beach, and to be fair, they weren't playing the game to win it. I think ATM and Parrell wanted to make it as quick and painless as possible so they could rest for more important games. Unfortunately, Ghetto finished 14th (losing to Redlands in the process), 3 spots away from qualifying for regionals. Next year will hopefully be a big step for them, though. It was fun playing against my old teammates, even though it seems like half the team is new. I'm pretty sure at one point they tried to iso me deep with Grant so he could sky the balls off me and they could have some revenge, but the throw was bladey and short and it didn't work out. Maybe next year.
Long Beach 11-7
I think we kind of assumed after USC took them to universe and Smeltzer was hurt that the Stalkers would roll over. I did, anyway. Instead they jumped us and went out to a 4-1 lead. They really, really wanted that game, because winner took the pool and would go to semis Sunday morning. They played super tight lines with Marcos and the handler dude with glasses playing almost every point. We finally got our heads on straight and started playing tight D. I think we took half, but I really don't remember this game that well. (I know some people have suggested that my blog is a little too self centric, but a.) I remember the things I did the most and b.) this is MY blog, not Smaug's blog.) It started getting windy and we both were running zones with a strong cross wind, I think. Anyway, we showed some grit and pulled out a nice come from behind win.
Pepperdine 11-0
I feel like Pepperdine goes to one tournament a year: Sectionals. I don't remember seeing them anywhere else, ever. They were surprisingly bad, actually. After a few points of playing zone on them in the wind, we stopped because it just seemed bad-spirited. The young guys got lots of playing time and the vets got to relax and cheer from the sidelines. Lots of guys had a chance to shine. Falco got like 4 D's by being faster than everyone, and Scarecrow completed the first huck of his competitive college career.
UCSB-B 11-1
They played a lot of Box zone on us. They weren't that bad at running it, but they didn't really have the athletes to do it succesfully. It was interesting because they didn't go to man on the endzone line like most teams but instead clamped down the zone harder. We stayed super patient to calmly put it in again and again. I feel personally responsible for allowing the 1 point that they scored, but I'll just decline to talk about that point.
Overall, a very succesful Saturday. 5-0, won our pool and we were going to semis at a luxious 11AM the next day. We had some Roscoes for dinner and I passed out immediately for a good 10 hours as soon as I got home.
Sunday
UCSD - 14-15
This game was the defining game of the weekend, and up to this point, the most memorable game of the season. We came out of the gate smoking hot. I hit Sultan and Concord early for quick scores and we were playing some psycho D. The sidelines were going crazy with Bro!!! cheers and we were on a motherfucking boat. It was real. The Box that had killed us last time we played them didn't seem imposing anymore, and they stopped running it after a couple points. We were playing super tight lines, and everyone was fired up because we felt like we the Squids in the bag finally. Avatar made a couple of huge layout blocks on in cuts. DaVinci made a huge layout catch on a huck for us to take it to half. People were playing out of their minds. After giving up a break or two, we got some breaks of our own back to go up 13-8. Then things went to hell.
We got a false confidence in our lead and Concord, Chotchkie and I all up terrible hucks which the Squids promptly marched up the field for scores. The wind had picked up by this point, mostly cross wind with a slight downwind. We put another score in to make it 14-11. I remember that guy Biel catching some crazy bladey hucks. That guy is pretty baller. They put up a desperation floater to the tall guy I was on and I went up early and tipped it back to him in the wind. We were receiving going upwind and they pulled a huge bladey flick pull...which we dropped in our own endzone. Quick score for them. Soft cap had already blown, and things were happening really fast. Our starters were pretty tired by this point because we had been playing pretty much every point. We received and worked it down the sideline and DaVinci put up upline throw to Linux but the wind pushed it down and Linux was about a foot short from catching the winning score. They worked it back up the field and scored on some not-very-pretty throws, but they put it in right after the hard cap blew, 15-14.
The next half hour or so I wandered around the field like a stunned survivor after a nuclear bomb, looking at the fallout. There was no outlet that I could find to express how I felt. I wanted to quit ultimate then and there and go home and just be a law student. It wasn't that I was angry or frustrated. I was just in shock and felt like I was suffocating and wanted to throw up all at once. It was one of the most emotional experiences I've had playing ultimate (the remaining list of which would be an interesting blog post).
I think there were 3 things that we could have done to change the outcome of this game:
1. Use the upwind side of the field. During the Squids' run, we forced it down the downwind sideline throw after throw. If we had swung the disc more effectively, we would have had better looks and opened up the field for our cutters and throwers more.
2. Opened up the lines a little. At 13-8 we had a little bit of leeway to get some younger, fresh legs in. Instead, we kept the same guys in and tired us out for the end of the game when we needed to close.
3. Not changing our offense. When we get up in a game, we tighten up too much. We changed the mindset of our offense from "attack" to "don't give up the lead," and this just doesn't work. The problem was exacerbated by problems 1 and 2. This more conservative mindset leads to more bad hucks because we're not getting the same open looks and flow that we're used to, so people are more apt to force a huck under these conditions, too. I think the saying is "ride the horse that brung ya." They way we were playing had put us up by 5 at that point in the game, and then was not the time to change it. People still need to play responsibly, but the looseness and fun needs to stay a part of it.
SLO 13-9
There was no way we were going to win this game. I think everyone, to one degree or another, was feeling the same way I was. They came out fired up after a close game with Tide and they were fired up. We wanted to crawl under a rock. Our sidelines were quiet. I have to give them credit. Bacon is a phenomenal thrower and that guy Paul (#1) in the short shorts deserves to be all-region. They got multiple lay-out D's on in cuts, something that usually doesn't happen to us. They wanted it more and they got it. Props to them for going and beating Tide immediately after the Squids rolled all over Tide in the finals.
APU 15-7
I was really surprised to see APU in the 4/5 game, ahead of Claremont, Long Beach, SDSU, etc. They really don't have much talent, and but they run a pretty effective zone. They asked us if we would agree to tie for 4th because they were tired. They only had something like 12-14 guys on the team. There was no way we were going to agree to that, though. It became clear pretty quickly that they were just going to huck and zone every time they were on O. They're zone was super porous, and by this time we were over the trauma of the Squids game and ready to nut on someone a little bit. I went a little bit crazy in this game, probably as a release some of the emotion from the earlier. In a trap zone on the sideline, I nutmegged my mark to Chotchkie on the dump and the whole B team on the sideline went crazy. I'd like to think that this was when they basically gave up and we rolled through the rest of the game. I threw whatever I freakin felt like and it was a pretty good way to end a terrible day. And we threw in an "Azusa Pacific, that was terrific!" cheer to boot.
So in the end, we finished 4th. As heartbreaking as Sunday was for us, I think there are still some positives that we can take from it. The number one thing is that we are that much saltier. I don't think that it we will ever let that happen again. The that we are lacking is big game experience, and that was about as much experience as I can handle at once.
I'm thankful that our meltdown, if it had to happen, happened at sectionals and not at regionals. Instead of going into regionals as a top seed with lots of expectations, were still the underdog and I think we like it that way. We have the memory of the squids game to remind us how good we can be, and how much focus we need to maintain. What can kill us is if we let that game affect our confidence, but I don't think that it will. We know that we can play with the big boys at regionals.
I want to thank everyone that came out to watch us this weekend, especially the Blu girls, Fei, and the Death Fist guys that were super energetic on the sidelines. It was exciting and helpful to have lots of people talking and cheering on the sidelines. I have a terrible taste in my mouth after this weekend, and I sure could use some of that sweet, sweet beer from Shifter's to wash it out.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Showtime
http://upa.org/scores/tourn.cgi?div=127&id=5879
It's sectionals week. Things feel different at practice. People have a sense of urgency that may or may not be a good thing. It's kind of funny how the series is the only important tournament we play in all year. Stanford, SB Invite, Pres Day - those were practice for the big show.
I think we have a really good draw for sectionals. We play 5 games on Saturday. The toughest one will be Long Beach, who we haven't played yet this year. They have some talent but I have no idea what to expect from them. I also don't know how healthy Smeltzer is right now, which will be important to their success.
I'm glad we're in the same pool as USC, because otherwise Smaug wouldn't have gotten a chance to play the 'Birds all year. USC played Smaug last year in pool play, and it was a pretty good beat down, 13-3. It should be something similar this year, although USC was looking surprisingly good last week when I went to their scrimmage. They're the 11 seed, so if they can hold seed they'll be going to regionals for the first time since 2004. That's something that I never got to experience when I was there, so I hope they can pull it out.
If we can hold seed and win our pool, we'll face Squids in Semis. If we can pull that one out, we'll face Tide in the finals. We'll have to play better than we have all season to win those games, but it's definitely possible. They're both formidable teams, but we need to get over the logos on their jerseys and realize that we can ball with anyone.
It's sectionals week. Things feel different at practice. People have a sense of urgency that may or may not be a good thing. It's kind of funny how the series is the only important tournament we play in all year. Stanford, SB Invite, Pres Day - those were practice for the big show.
I think we have a really good draw for sectionals. We play 5 games on Saturday. The toughest one will be Long Beach, who we haven't played yet this year. They have some talent but I have no idea what to expect from them. I also don't know how healthy Smeltzer is right now, which will be important to their success.
I'm glad we're in the same pool as USC, because otherwise Smaug wouldn't have gotten a chance to play the 'Birds all year. USC played Smaug last year in pool play, and it was a pretty good beat down, 13-3. It should be something similar this year, although USC was looking surprisingly good last week when I went to their scrimmage. They're the 11 seed, so if they can hold seed they'll be going to regionals for the first time since 2004. That's something that I never got to experience when I was there, so I hope they can pull it out.
If we can hold seed and win our pool, we'll face Squids in Semis. If we can pull that one out, we'll face Tide in the finals. We'll have to play better than we have all season to win those games, but it's definitely possible. They're both formidable teams, but we need to get over the logos on their jerseys and realize that we can ball with anyone.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tryout Season
To my amazement, more than one person has asked for updates to my blog. So Concord and Diesel, I dedicate this post to you.
We're heading into try out season again, one of my favorite times of the year. The season lies before you like a clean slate. Everything that happened last season seems like forever ago and there's nothing but possibilities. Tryout's themselves are really fun because you get to play with and meet a bunch of new people. It's awesome to see everyone going all out to impress the captains. You are trying out the team, too, to see if you want to spend the next several months with them. Of course, the dark side of it is the possibility of getting cut. You just have to hope that they'll do it in a classy way and give you some feedback so you know what to work on in the future.
These are my favorite pieces of advice that I've heard for tryouts:
1. Be an animal on Defense - no matter what your position is, teams always need someone who can go and get turns for them. This is the easiest way to impress your evaluators.
2. Don't turn it over - People tend to remember the negatives more so than the positives. Don't take chances; let the returners turn the disc over.
3. Do what you do well - You know what you're good at. Showcase it.
Anyway, this weekend I'm going up to Santa Cruz to playin Fool's West. The team is "Boso Chulo," or "sweet mustache," and I stole a pretty good fake mustache from my friend Brent last weekend. The team is gonna be ballin. It's pretty easy to say that this is the best team that I've played with so far in my career, and I'm super excited. It's a little early to say it's a tryout tourney, but it never hurts to impress.
Roster (complete with commentary from Orin):
We're heading into try out season again, one of my favorite times of the year. The season lies before you like a clean slate. Everything that happened last season seems like forever ago and there's nothing but possibilities. Tryout's themselves are really fun because you get to play with and meet a bunch of new people. It's awesome to see everyone going all out to impress the captains. You are trying out the team, too, to see if you want to spend the next several months with them. Of course, the dark side of it is the possibility of getting cut. You just have to hope that they'll do it in a classy way and give you some feedback so you know what to work on in the future.
These are my favorite pieces of advice that I've heard for tryouts:
1. Be an animal on Defense - no matter what your position is, teams always need someone who can go and get turns for them. This is the easiest way to impress your evaluators.
2. Don't turn it over - People tend to remember the negatives more so than the positives. Don't take chances; let the returners turn the disc over.
3. Do what you do well - You know what you're good at. Showcase it.
Anyway, this weekend I'm going up to Santa Cruz to playin Fool's West. The team is "Boso Chulo," or "sweet mustache," and I stole a pretty good fake mustache from my friend Brent last weekend. The team is gonna be ballin. It's pretty easy to say that this is the best team that I've played with so far in my career, and I'm super excited. It's a little early to say it's a tryout tourney, but it never hurts to impress.
Roster (complete with commentary from Orin):
AJ “I skied beau on double game point awhile back” Jacobs
Allen “when my foot is not broken you best recognize” lai
Eric “venom” brach
George “enlightened caveman” van pelt
Ian “I am blond and I foul” meyer
Matt “i have a hat and a laser backhand” mihm
Matt “the cleat hooved gazelle” welsh
Andy “boffa deez nuts on your chin” sammons
Orin “it’s not a travel, just mad rhythm” moore
Dan “UCLA, USC, what’s the difference?” oettinger
Dean “I have a movie star name” Bolton
Jeremy “the mysterious addition” pearson
Jacob “my nickname is zip so I better be good” ?????
Taywaz “the tazmanian” block smith
Lafitte “I will stare through your eyes to your soul” embergo egan
Sam “this is football, right? Because I am good at football” regnier
Part time players:
Markham “I don’t know your last name but apparently you are blowing up the college scene”
Bob “the wiley asian handler we have been missing” Liu
90% in:
Mike “holler at your” kiyoi
I've looked up to a lot of these guys as I've developed in LA ultimate, and it will be sweet to play with them instead of against them.
We're a 1 seed. Down Town Brown is the other 1 seed. 808 posted their roster and they are stacked with ballers. Our first game Saturday is against the Matzoh Balls, who were ridiculous at Potlatch. There will definitely be some battles ahead of us. I'm just going to relax and do what I can do.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Exuberance (Post Stanford)
Some weekends remind you why it is that you spend so much time playing this silly sport. I'm on such a high after this weekend that it almost doesn't matter that I'm hopelessly swamped with schoolwork.
The fields were worth going all the way to Ripon. They were grassy, flat, and perfect. I have yet to play on fields like that playing Ultimate. The weather was 70 and sunny with almost no wind on both days. This is how ultimate is meant to be played. We had a lot of really fun match-ups, and we made huge strides both on the field and in our team demeanor and attitude.
Anyway, the big news: we beat Cal on universe, 12-11. We went 5-2 on the weekend, but the last game is the one that will define this weekend in for me. Coming into this weekend, I felt like we really needed to take the next big step in our development as a team, and I think we did. The last two games with Cal we lost 13-4 and 13-6. It looked like we didn't belong on the same field with them.
I'll do a full write up of the weekend later. I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but I had a big sky to tie the game at 11's and caught a hammer for the win. It felt amazing.
I'm so proud of how Smaug played this game. We really grinded it out even though we were tired after a long weekend. Granted, a few of their ballers were hurt, but this was still a huge win for our resume and for our confidence. We finally won a big game. Hopefully we can build on this huge win and peak at the right time going into the series. I'm exhausted but completely reinvigorated for the rest of our season. Too bad sectionals are a month and a half away...
The fields were worth going all the way to Ripon. They were grassy, flat, and perfect. I have yet to play on fields like that playing Ultimate. The weather was 70 and sunny with almost no wind on both days. This is how ultimate is meant to be played. We had a lot of really fun match-ups, and we made huge strides both on the field and in our team demeanor and attitude.
Anyway, the big news: we beat Cal on universe, 12-11. We went 5-2 on the weekend, but the last game is the one that will define this weekend in for me. Coming into this weekend, I felt like we really needed to take the next big step in our development as a team, and I think we did. The last two games with Cal we lost 13-4 and 13-6. It looked like we didn't belong on the same field with them.
I'll do a full write up of the weekend later. I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but I had a big sky to tie the game at 11's and caught a hammer for the win. It felt amazing.
I'm so proud of how Smaug played this game. We really grinded it out even though we were tired after a long weekend. Granted, a few of their ballers were hurt, but this was still a huge win for our resume and for our confidence. We finally won a big game. Hopefully we can build on this huge win and peak at the right time going into the series. I'm exhausted but completely reinvigorated for the rest of our season. Too bad sectionals are a month and a half away...
Friday, March 6, 2009
On the Eve of the Stanford Invite
We're at The Curse's parents house in Stockton settling in for the night. I scored a nice couch spot and, no joke, a hello kitty blanket. I've been mentally preparing myself for this weekend all week by watching ultimate highlights and the Friday Night Lights TV (season one is excellent, btw, I'm totally hooked). It's going to be great to get all the stress of school out of my head and focus one thing only.
Our schedule looks really fun:
All out of region match-ups and no one that we've played before. Not the best Byes, but I'm sure there will be some great match ups to watch.
This is our last tournament before Sectionals. Let's make some noise tomorrow.
Our schedule looks really fun:
Sat Rd 1 (8:30) - Washington
Rd 2 (10:25) - Oregon
Rd 3 (12:20) - Oregon State
Rd 4 (2:15) - BYE
Rd 5 (4:10) - Whitman
Sun Rd 1 (8:00) - Pacific Lutheran
Rd 2 (9:55) - BYE
All out of region match-ups and no one that we've played before. Not the best Byes, but I'm sure there will be some great match ups to watch.
This is our last tournament before Sectionals. Let's make some noise tomorrow.
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