I decided not to go to club nationals to spectate this year, although I'm sure it would have been a blast. It was partly because of the money, but mostly because I felt like I wanted to earn a trip instead of being a hanger-on for some other team.
I followed the weekend pretty closely on twitter and the inconsistent coverage from USAU, although I missed the finals live stream on Sunday because of beach league. The most exciting result of the weekend for me was Polar Bears winning the national championship. Amazing. Their average age is probably 24 and I don't think they have more than 2 guys over six feet tall.
When I heard they were planning on taking their Lei-Out team that went to finals to the Series, the idea of them winning nationals never even came close to entering my mind. Going into nationals, I thought they would do well, quarters or maybe even semis, but I figured they would fall to one of the traditional co-ed franchises just because they're a young first year team.
I think they brought a combination of things that other co-ed teams couldn't match. They were deeper in athleticism and disc skills and had younger legs than almost every other co-ed team, so they could outrun most teams on defense. They had a great collection of throwers and team chemistry from their core playing together for years. As a group, they were probably the closest and most dedicated group of any of teams at nationals.
I'm really, really impressed by their performance this weekend, and I'm super happy for my friends on the team.
As for Open, it looked all weekend like Revolver and Ironside were destined to meet in the semis. I'm glad that the young guys on Revolver finally got to see their young team make it all the way. They're the most talented team in the world, and they deserve the win. I hope that we see parity among the top teams continue to grow, though, and we don't see them go on to win the next bunch of nationals. (ie. Fury).
I was pretty disappointed with the Southwest's showing. For the first time that I can remember, we had no one in quarters in any division (Masters doesn't count). I was a little surprised Bravo didn't come through, disappointed for Metro's pre-quarters loss, and bummed out about Streetgang fizzling out. I really thought Metro had a chance to go on a run after their strong showing at regionals.
So that's how 2010 club season comes to a close. Next year Co-ed and Open will both get 2 bids, barring some sort of shake up. I'm left with just Lei Out, Kaimana, and lurking around Smaug to get me through the long offseason.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Recovering
1. Metro*
2. Barrio*
3. 7 Figures
4. BCBC
I'm having some serious post-tournament blues today. Everyday life is seems boring compared to the series. My body is sore like I haven't been sore in a long time.
I'm really happy for Metro taking the region in our own backyard. It's good to see all their hard work paying off in the end. I actually didn't get to see them play at all this weekend, but from far away I could see their big receivers making some huge grabs.
I'm having mixed feelings about the results of our season. I feel like we probably did about as well as we should have, all things considered. On the other hand, things could have been different if we had not had some key injuries and if we had put our team together with a little more organization. That's kind of the nature of the beast, though.
A pretty good measure of an ultimate player is how fun a he or she is to play with. Players that flow well, make big plays, and make you look good are awesome teammates. By that measure, BCBC has some of my favorite teammates that I've ever played with. I would be very tempted to come back to the team just to play with some teammates that are crazy ballers. I doubt that any team (that cared about winning) had as much fun off the field as we did this year, too.
I had a great time during my very short club season and I'm pretty bummed that it's over. BCBC was basically what I wanted out of this summer. We had copious amounts of fun and played some good ultimate, too. In the end, the wins and losses will be buried in score reporter, but my friends and memories will stay with me.
Still, another regionals has gone by and I'm again on the outside looking in.
2. Barrio*
3. 7 Figures
4. BCBC
I'm having some serious post-tournament blues today. Everyday life is seems boring compared to the series. My body is sore like I haven't been sore in a long time.
I'm really happy for Metro taking the region in our own backyard. It's good to see all their hard work paying off in the end. I actually didn't get to see them play at all this weekend, but from far away I could see their big receivers making some huge grabs.
I'm having mixed feelings about the results of our season. I feel like we probably did about as well as we should have, all things considered. On the other hand, things could have been different if we had not had some key injuries and if we had put our team together with a little more organization. That's kind of the nature of the beast, though.
A pretty good measure of an ultimate player is how fun a he or she is to play with. Players that flow well, make big plays, and make you look good are awesome teammates. By that measure, BCBC has some of my favorite teammates that I've ever played with. I would be very tempted to come back to the team just to play with some teammates that are crazy ballers. I doubt that any team (that cared about winning) had as much fun off the field as we did this year, too.
I had a great time during my very short club season and I'm pretty bummed that it's over. BCBC was basically what I wanted out of this summer. We had copious amounts of fun and played some good ultimate, too. In the end, the wins and losses will be buried in score reporter, but my friends and memories will stay with me.
Still, another regionals has gone by and I'm again on the outside looking in.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sectionals Recap
Sectionals played out just about how they were supposed to. 7 Figures, Metro, BCBC. There weren't any real surprises in open, either.
Saturday we played some games that were tighter than they should have been, and all the injuries to our men really started catching up to us. We went into our game against Metro, the third game of the day, with only 8 guys. Calle, Fever, Tom Hall, Whitey, and Mike Nowak were all unable to play, and we definitely missed having the depth as the game dragged on. They went up 7-3 to start the game after we dropped the disc all over the field. We started playing some serious defense and shifted the momentum of the game to bring it back to 7-7, but then they toughed out a series of progressively longer points to end the game 11-7 at soft cap. The last point lasted around 20 minutes, and I had to come off near the end because my calves started cramping.
I had to take off after this game, missing our last game and leaving us with only 7 guys. We won something like 13-3, but I still felt guilty about putting the extra strain on everyone else. Fei bought me a ticket to see Grizzly Bear and Phoenix at the Hollywood Bowl, which was an awesome show. The tourney schedule changed at the last minute because we unexpectedly lost a field. Oh well.
Semis against 7 Figures was a tough match up. We definitely earned our D's against them, but our offense wasn't nearly as efficient as theirs. They're really good about taking smart deep shots and they use the open space on the field much better than other co-ed teams. The game was pretty heated, but it was never really close. The Lunch Money 3/4 game was much tighter than it should have been. It was a classic letdown game combined with us seriously underestimating them. The 7Figs vs. Metro final was tight until about 5's, when 7 Figures turned on the jets and left Metro in the dust.
Looking back on my weekend, I accomplished about half of my goals. I only turned the disc on about 8% of the points I played, which I think is pretty good considering how much I was touching the disc. I played hard and enjoyed playing a lot more points than I have so far. On the other hand, I didn't get many D's. I think it's a combination of still being a step or two slower than pre-injury and still being a little hesitant to make full speed cuts on my ankle.
I went to the the first Smaug vet practice of the year tonight, and I realized by comparison to my match-ups that I'm nowhere near in the shape that I was in last year. Some of that effect might be from the slower speed and sloppiness of playing mixed. Some of it also might be fatigue from lots of lifting and workouts. I think it's time to start tapering down and letting my body recover for the next week.
Playing with Smaug today gave me some very mixed feelings. I haven't played with those guys since Prez Day, so I was super happy to be on the field with them again. A lot of people have really improved over the summer, and there are some really good transfers and rookies that are showing some promise, so I'm really excited for the team this year. At the same time, I won't be on the field with them, which is tough after losing basically all of last year. For that reason, I'm not looking forward to the end of the club series. I won't have a team anymore.
Look for a write up on Regionals and BCBC in general in the next week or two.
Saturday we played some games that were tighter than they should have been, and all the injuries to our men really started catching up to us. We went into our game against Metro, the third game of the day, with only 8 guys. Calle, Fever, Tom Hall, Whitey, and Mike Nowak were all unable to play, and we definitely missed having the depth as the game dragged on. They went up 7-3 to start the game after we dropped the disc all over the field. We started playing some serious defense and shifted the momentum of the game to bring it back to 7-7, but then they toughed out a series of progressively longer points to end the game 11-7 at soft cap. The last point lasted around 20 minutes, and I had to come off near the end because my calves started cramping.
I had to take off after this game, missing our last game and leaving us with only 7 guys. We won something like 13-3, but I still felt guilty about putting the extra strain on everyone else. Fei bought me a ticket to see Grizzly Bear and Phoenix at the Hollywood Bowl, which was an awesome show. The tourney schedule changed at the last minute because we unexpectedly lost a field. Oh well.
Semis against 7 Figures was a tough match up. We definitely earned our D's against them, but our offense wasn't nearly as efficient as theirs. They're really good about taking smart deep shots and they use the open space on the field much better than other co-ed teams. The game was pretty heated, but it was never really close. The Lunch Money 3/4 game was much tighter than it should have been. It was a classic letdown game combined with us seriously underestimating them. The 7Figs vs. Metro final was tight until about 5's, when 7 Figures turned on the jets and left Metro in the dust.
Looking back on my weekend, I accomplished about half of my goals. I only turned the disc on about 8% of the points I played, which I think is pretty good considering how much I was touching the disc. I played hard and enjoyed playing a lot more points than I have so far. On the other hand, I didn't get many D's. I think it's a combination of still being a step or two slower than pre-injury and still being a little hesitant to make full speed cuts on my ankle.
I went to the the first Smaug vet practice of the year tonight, and I realized by comparison to my match-ups that I'm nowhere near in the shape that I was in last year. Some of that effect might be from the slower speed and sloppiness of playing mixed. Some of it also might be fatigue from lots of lifting and workouts. I think it's time to start tapering down and letting my body recover for the next week.
Playing with Smaug today gave me some very mixed feelings. I haven't played with those guys since Prez Day, so I was super happy to be on the field with them again. A lot of people have really improved over the summer, and there are some really good transfers and rookies that are showing some promise, so I'm really excited for the team this year. At the same time, I won't be on the field with them, which is tough after losing basically all of last year. For that reason, I'm not looking forward to the end of the club series. I won't have a team anymore.
Look for a write up on Regionals and BCBC in general in the next week or two.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sectionals Preview
The major players are 7 Figures, Metro and BCBC. 7 Figures has come on strong late in the season and clearly established themselves as the team to beat. Metro and BCBC are both coming off disappointing showings at Labor Day and are going to have something to prove.
I really enjoy Saturday of sectionals. There are lots of people you know, but it still has a special occasion feel to it. I enjoy the ego boost of beating up on teams in pool play, and I'm looking forward to spectating during our bye. Our bye should be especially sweet because it will have the match-up between Condors and The 405, as well as Recess (UCLA) versus USC. Should be good times.
Obviously, the most important game of the day is B1 v. B2, Metro BCBC. It's happening late in the day, so there's a good chance that the wind will have picked up by then. One of the strange things about Mixed is that teams throw zones in good weather as well as in the wind, but if it's windy it might push our game more towards zone and tedium. Winner will play 7 Figures in the finals. Loser will play 7 Figs in the semis.
I think our teams are actually pretty evenly matched this year, so the mental and strategic aspect of the game will be especially important. I think the best way we can approach it is to not treat it differently than any other game and simply go about our business doing what we do. We shouldn't get too worked up about who's on the other line.
I'm going to be playing mostly D line this weekend, which I'm pretty cool with. I haven't played much D in the past few years, but D-line is where the glory is.
My personal goals for the weekend:
a. Value every point that I play equally, with as much intensity as I can bring.
b. Don't force things. Go with the flow.
c. Sky/layout D some fools. I haven't been doing all this work for nothing.
I guess this isn't much of a preview, but Hammie already did a much better preview of both pools and all the teams anyway.
I have a really good feeling about sectionals. My body felt great tonight at our track workout. My throws have been crisp all week. The last time I played at Sectionals in Long Beach, we won it.
There's not too much to be said really. It's time to play things out and we'll go from there.
I really enjoy Saturday of sectionals. There are lots of people you know, but it still has a special occasion feel to it. I enjoy the ego boost of beating up on teams in pool play, and I'm looking forward to spectating during our bye. Our bye should be especially sweet because it will have the match-up between Condors and The 405, as well as Recess (UCLA) versus USC. Should be good times.
Obviously, the most important game of the day is B1 v. B2, Metro BCBC. It's happening late in the day, so there's a good chance that the wind will have picked up by then. One of the strange things about Mixed is that teams throw zones in good weather as well as in the wind, but if it's windy it might push our game more towards zone and tedium. Winner will play 7 Figures in the finals. Loser will play 7 Figs in the semis.
I think our teams are actually pretty evenly matched this year, so the mental and strategic aspect of the game will be especially important. I think the best way we can approach it is to not treat it differently than any other game and simply go about our business doing what we do. We shouldn't get too worked up about who's on the other line.
I'm going to be playing mostly D line this weekend, which I'm pretty cool with. I haven't played much D in the past few years, but D-line is where the glory is.
My personal goals for the weekend:
a. Value every point that I play equally, with as much intensity as I can bring.
b. Don't force things. Go with the flow.
c. Sky/layout D some fools. I haven't been doing all this work for nothing.
I guess this isn't much of a preview, but Hammie already did a much better preview of both pools and all the teams anyway.
I have a really good feeling about sectionals. My body felt great tonight at our track workout. My throws have been crisp all week. The last time I played at Sectionals in Long Beach, we won it.
There's not too much to be said really. It's time to play things out and we'll go from there.
Labor Day Wrap-Up
This was my first Mixed Labor Day, and I had a great time hanging out in San Francisco rather than Santa Cruz. Some of my teammates put up the whole team in a really fun area with lots of good restaurants around. Usually, when I travel for ultimate, I feel like I don't really get to experience much of the city that we've traveled to, but not so for this weekend.
I also enjoyed the turf fields. I really like the flatness and reliability of it. I know that some people really disliked it (and we lost some people to ankle and knee injuries over the weekend) but I think I'm pretty used to it after playing on turf at SC for years. Just be sure to cover any skin that might be sliding on rubber pellets and you will come out much happier.
We started Saturday off strong win over AIR, a team that we've struggled with this year. We jumped out to an early lead and held on to it to finish 11-9ish. Next we faced Barrio, last years SW regional champions. We took half on them 8-6, but they picked up their defensive intensity and stopped throwing unforced turnovers. They came back to win by a couple. Our last pool play game was against CTR, another good Bay Area team. It's silly how much talent there is in the Bay Area, by the way. Mischief, Polar Bears, AIR, CTR, FUNK, American BBQ, and Death Star are all very talented club teams, not to mention Revolver, Wolf, Fury, etc.
CTR came with a field change and a change in the weather. It became pretty windy, and our games were pretty strongly upwind-downwind. It wasn't strong enough that there wasn't a good deal of upwind scoring, but punt and zone was a pretty legitimate option. We toughed out this game to take 2nd in our pool and played Death Star in pre-quarters. The Death Star game was similarly zoney and windy, but they were either slightly better or we played slightly worse and we lost by a couple to end the day.
We played Metro in beer-bracket quarters and lost by a couple. Neither team looked particularly good, but I think we were really showed the signs of partying away our sorrows the night before. Metro didn't have Barrs, (The Uncoverable) Jeff Chai, or Yugo playing, so our next match up at sectionals should be somewhat different. Anyway, this game was ugly for us as a team and for me as a player. Calle also tore his ACL in this game, which really put a damper on our spirits.
In our last two consolation games of the day, we beat Killjoy and then instead of playing AIR or CTR again, we played Operation Kapow, another regional rival. I don't think Kapow was very excited about playing this game, which was again windy and zoney, because they folded and we didn't even finish the game because we up so much.
Overall, I'm feeling pretty strong about our performance, even though we didn't finish particularly highly in the tourney. We got some quality wins, some excellent experience playing together in the wind, and we renewed our confidence that our team can ball when we want to.
This was my first "high level" tourney back from my injury, and my body felt really good afterwards. I played just below 50 points, a relatively light load compared to what I've done with other teams, which makes it easy to perform physically but more difficult mentally. The weekend was full of lots of highs and lows for me. I lead the team in turnovers, but also was near the top in D's and Assists. This says to me that I'm trying a little too hard and that I need to relax and trust in my teammates and the system. It also shows that I'm getting to where I want to be physically, and it makes me want to work even harder.
I also enjoyed the turf fields. I really like the flatness and reliability of it. I know that some people really disliked it (and we lost some people to ankle and knee injuries over the weekend) but I think I'm pretty used to it after playing on turf at SC for years. Just be sure to cover any skin that might be sliding on rubber pellets and you will come out much happier.
We started Saturday off strong win over AIR, a team that we've struggled with this year. We jumped out to an early lead and held on to it to finish 11-9ish. Next we faced Barrio, last years SW regional champions. We took half on them 8-6, but they picked up their defensive intensity and stopped throwing unforced turnovers. They came back to win by a couple. Our last pool play game was against CTR, another good Bay Area team. It's silly how much talent there is in the Bay Area, by the way. Mischief, Polar Bears, AIR, CTR, FUNK, American BBQ, and Death Star are all very talented club teams, not to mention Revolver, Wolf, Fury, etc.
CTR came with a field change and a change in the weather. It became pretty windy, and our games were pretty strongly upwind-downwind. It wasn't strong enough that there wasn't a good deal of upwind scoring, but punt and zone was a pretty legitimate option. We toughed out this game to take 2nd in our pool and played Death Star in pre-quarters. The Death Star game was similarly zoney and windy, but they were either slightly better or we played slightly worse and we lost by a couple to end the day.
We played Metro in beer-bracket quarters and lost by a couple. Neither team looked particularly good, but I think we were really showed the signs of partying away our sorrows the night before. Metro didn't have Barrs, (The Uncoverable) Jeff Chai, or Yugo playing, so our next match up at sectionals should be somewhat different. Anyway, this game was ugly for us as a team and for me as a player. Calle also tore his ACL in this game, which really put a damper on our spirits.
In our last two consolation games of the day, we beat Killjoy and then instead of playing AIR or CTR again, we played Operation Kapow, another regional rival. I don't think Kapow was very excited about playing this game, which was again windy and zoney, because they folded and we didn't even finish the game because we up so much.
Overall, I'm feeling pretty strong about our performance, even though we didn't finish particularly highly in the tourney. We got some quality wins, some excellent experience playing together in the wind, and we renewed our confidence that our team can ball when we want to.
This was my first "high level" tourney back from my injury, and my body felt really good afterwards. I played just below 50 points, a relatively light load compared to what I've done with other teams, which makes it easy to perform physically but more difficult mentally. The weekend was full of lots of highs and lows for me. I lead the team in turnovers, but also was near the top in D's and Assists. This says to me that I'm trying a little too hard and that I need to relax and trust in my teammates and the system. It also shows that I'm getting to where I want to be physically, and it makes me want to work even harder.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Chico Recap
Chico proved to be as good of a time as I could have hoped for. I think the trick to making the most of Discos Calientes is to not take it things too seriously. It's going to be ridiculously hot, the schedule will be weird, it will take 9 hours to get there, and the level of competition probably won't be the highest. If you can get over the shortcomings of the tourney and focus on the good, you can have a great time there. I probably enjoyed this years tourney more than the other three DIscos that I've been.
It definitely helped that we were staying with a completely awesome family that took our entire team into their home. Saturday night, I got to take part in the epic rematch of 8 BCBCers vs. the Sir Bjorn, his daughter, and his best apprentice. It ended very much like the battle last year, (with all of us getting our asses handed to us.) Sir Bjorn explained to us that medieval martial arts happens at tournaments around the country, with a small but avid following and rules predicated on chivalry towards your opponent. Hmm... sound like any other sport you know of? No wonder we get along so well.
The mixed division on Saturday started late, at about 2:30. It was nice to have a leisurely breakfast and relax in the shade at the fields before we had to cleat up, although we did start in the worst heat of the day. The temperatures were not nearly as bad as they could have been, though, probably in the low to mid 90s. It didn't end up being a big issue for us because of massive roster that we brought.
Saturday didn't bring too much in the way of competition. Our closest game was against the first team of the day, Sesame Street out of Davis, which was probably about 13-7. We also played Butter and TFT in pool play. We played a pre-quarters game under the lights at the end of the day against some young Humboldt players, but this game was more silly than anything else.
Quarter Finals:
Sunday started bright and early at 8 AM. We had American BBQ as our match-up, who had several recent UCLA grads, including Diesel, DaVinci, Kobe, and Artoo. They had lost only to Death Star, the number 1 overall seed at the tourney, and I was expecting them to be sharp. We started sleepily, getting broken again and again until they took half 7-3. This was really the turning point of the tournament for us. Instead of rolling over, we poured on the defensive pressure and stared running a triangle junk D which gave their offense lots of trouble. Whitey, in particular, got about 3 incredible layout D's in big moments, and we managed to claw our way back into the game and then into the lead. I think we finished up about 11-9 at the hard cap, saving our weekend. American BBQ has some seriously good players, and this was their first time playing together as a team. They were impressive, but it's not a game that a team that considers itself a nationals contender should lose.
Semis
We drew Kamanawanaleaa (or something like that) while 7 Figures and Death Star matched up in the other semis. I don't really know where they were from, although they had ex-BCBCer Tyler Bacon playing with them. By this point in the day, we had gotten over our early morning hiccups and rolled through the game without too much drama. I think we won around 13-8. I was really happy after this game because I felt like was finally getting into a rhythm and had found my stroke.
Finals
7 Figures came into the game with intensity, warming up with focus while we sat in the shade before the game. Our relaxed attitude carried into the game and we quickly went down a bunch of breaks. 7 Figures was by far the best team we had faced up until that point in the weekend, and we weren't ready for the step up in quality of play. In the semis, we had gotten away with a few marathon points where neither team could run an effective offense. That was not the case in the finals, were 7 Figs quickly took advantage of our turns with quick deep strikes. 7 Figs were clearly the better team on Sunday, and easily took the game 13-4.
We've seen this year, with the Polar Bears, the success an experienced Open team can have by connecting with some good women and moving into Mixed. The 7 Figs guys have played together for years, and also picked up some nice players such as Joe Forbes, Milhouse and Chucktown to round out their men (I'm not commenting on their women mostly because I don't really know them, other than Minh and Tai, who are ballers).
I don't think the difference in the score of finals is too huge of a worry in terms of how we will match up in the series. BCBC is a younger team and has a lot more growing left to do this year (not to mention that we have yet to even finalize the roster - can we get on that please?). However, the finals score does show that we will need to bring a different mentality to Labor Day if we want to play with the big kids.
All in all, it was a great weekend, and I'm left with the feeling that I somehow didn't get enough ultimate. I can't wait for our retreat up to SLO.
At least tomorrow is the LA Summer League tournament and party, one of my favorite events of the year. I'm picking up with the Black team in Co-ed, the last place finishers this year. Hopefully Knuckles will come down and Bakersfield and we can surprise some people tomorrow.
It definitely helped that we were staying with a completely awesome family that took our entire team into their home. Saturday night, I got to take part in the epic rematch of 8 BCBCers vs. the Sir Bjorn, his daughter, and his best apprentice. It ended very much like the battle last year, (with all of us getting our asses handed to us.) Sir Bjorn explained to us that medieval martial arts happens at tournaments around the country, with a small but avid following and rules predicated on chivalry towards your opponent. Hmm... sound like any other sport you know of? No wonder we get along so well.
The mixed division on Saturday started late, at about 2:30. It was nice to have a leisurely breakfast and relax in the shade at the fields before we had to cleat up, although we did start in the worst heat of the day. The temperatures were not nearly as bad as they could have been, though, probably in the low to mid 90s. It didn't end up being a big issue for us because of massive roster that we brought.
Saturday didn't bring too much in the way of competition. Our closest game was against the first team of the day, Sesame Street out of Davis, which was probably about 13-7. We also played Butter and TFT in pool play. We played a pre-quarters game under the lights at the end of the day against some young Humboldt players, but this game was more silly than anything else.
Quarter Finals:
Sunday started bright and early at 8 AM. We had American BBQ as our match-up, who had several recent UCLA grads, including Diesel, DaVinci, Kobe, and Artoo. They had lost only to Death Star, the number 1 overall seed at the tourney, and I was expecting them to be sharp. We started sleepily, getting broken again and again until they took half 7-3. This was really the turning point of the tournament for us. Instead of rolling over, we poured on the defensive pressure and stared running a triangle junk D which gave their offense lots of trouble. Whitey, in particular, got about 3 incredible layout D's in big moments, and we managed to claw our way back into the game and then into the lead. I think we finished up about 11-9 at the hard cap, saving our weekend. American BBQ has some seriously good players, and this was their first time playing together as a team. They were impressive, but it's not a game that a team that considers itself a nationals contender should lose.
Semis
We drew Kamanawanaleaa (or something like that) while 7 Figures and Death Star matched up in the other semis. I don't really know where they were from, although they had ex-BCBCer Tyler Bacon playing with them. By this point in the day, we had gotten over our early morning hiccups and rolled through the game without too much drama. I think we won around 13-8. I was really happy after this game because I felt like was finally getting into a rhythm and had found my stroke.
Finals
7 Figures came into the game with intensity, warming up with focus while we sat in the shade before the game. Our relaxed attitude carried into the game and we quickly went down a bunch of breaks. 7 Figures was by far the best team we had faced up until that point in the weekend, and we weren't ready for the step up in quality of play. In the semis, we had gotten away with a few marathon points where neither team could run an effective offense. That was not the case in the finals, were 7 Figs quickly took advantage of our turns with quick deep strikes. 7 Figs were clearly the better team on Sunday, and easily took the game 13-4.
We've seen this year, with the Polar Bears, the success an experienced Open team can have by connecting with some good women and moving into Mixed. The 7 Figs guys have played together for years, and also picked up some nice players such as Joe Forbes, Milhouse and Chucktown to round out their men (I'm not commenting on their women mostly because I don't really know them, other than Minh and Tai, who are ballers).
I don't think the difference in the score of finals is too huge of a worry in terms of how we will match up in the series. BCBC is a younger team and has a lot more growing left to do this year (not to mention that we have yet to even finalize the roster - can we get on that please?). However, the finals score does show that we will need to bring a different mentality to Labor Day if we want to play with the big kids.
All in all, it was a great weekend, and I'm left with the feeling that I somehow didn't get enough ultimate. I can't wait for our retreat up to SLO.
At least tomorrow is the LA Summer League tournament and party, one of my favorite events of the year. I'm picking up with the Black team in Co-ed, the last place finishers this year. Hopefully Knuckles will come down and Bakersfield and we can surprise some people tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Easing into the Season
I finished my first full track workout of the summer today. I've been working extra hard to try to catch up my fitness with the rest of my team, and it's been rough. My body isn't ready to perform the same way that it used to. Lifting has really helped start to regain the leg muscle that I've lost. I won't really be able to tell where I'm at until I give it a go this weekend.
I did a little bit of offensive handling at the BCBC retreat last weekend, but it was a little uncomfortable when we turned it and I had to play D on a cutter. Luckily, though, I'm still seeing big gains in my ability every week. I imagine it will plateau into a very slow return to 100%, and my doctor says that it could take up to a year to feel completely normal again.
It feels amazing to play again, though. BCBC is full of awesome people, and I'm really excited for all of our upcoming events. It was hard to gauge where we're at from last weekend both because we were missing a bunch of people and because I was a little too focused on my own playing and health. Also, I haven't played high level coed in years, so i don't really have a barometer for what is really good.
Chico is almost always 90-100 degrees, but it has some redeeming factors that make it worthwhile: Sierra Nevada, the river, the party, and the Castle. I'm really excited about staying in the medieval themed house that BCBC traditionally stays at in Chico. Actually, I think the Castle is a good part of why we're going to Chico instead of ECC. I can't say that I complained too much.
We're leaving on Thursday to head up to Sac and do a river float down the Sacramento River on Friday. An extra full day in the sun couldn't hurt, right?
I did a little bit of offensive handling at the BCBC retreat last weekend, but it was a little uncomfortable when we turned it and I had to play D on a cutter. Luckily, though, I'm still seeing big gains in my ability every week. I imagine it will plateau into a very slow return to 100%, and my doctor says that it could take up to a year to feel completely normal again.
It feels amazing to play again, though. BCBC is full of awesome people, and I'm really excited for all of our upcoming events. It was hard to gauge where we're at from last weekend both because we were missing a bunch of people and because I was a little too focused on my own playing and health. Also, I haven't played high level coed in years, so i don't really have a barometer for what is really good.
Chico is almost always 90-100 degrees, but it has some redeeming factors that make it worthwhile: Sierra Nevada, the river, the party, and the Castle. I'm really excited about staying in the medieval themed house that BCBC traditionally stays at in Chico. Actually, I think the Castle is a good part of why we're going to Chico instead of ECC. I can't say that I complained too much.
We're leaving on Thursday to head up to Sac and do a river float down the Sacramento River on Friday. An extra full day in the sun couldn't hurt, right?
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