Fall 2013 USA Ultimate Magazine

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VOLU M E X X X I V ISSU E T H R EE

FALL ISSUE LEFT SIDE, TOP TO BOTTOM:

San Francisco Fury will be looking for their eighth consecutive national title come October. Photo: CBMT Creative Odyssée and the Polar Bears met in the U.S. Open finals in July, and they’re both in the field again for Nationals 2013.

Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos Atlanta’s John Stubbs playing tough D in the YCC U-19 Open finals against DiscNW. Photo: Alex Fraser/Ultiphotos

P33 NATIONALS PREVIEWS P15 U.S. OPEN RESULTS

P43 Masters CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS ABOVE: Boneyard’s Tuba Benson-Jaja gets big in the finals of the 2013 Masters Championships. Photo: William Brotman/Ultiphotos

P38 HIGH SCHOOL RESULTS P57 YOUTH CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS ON THE COVER: U.S. National Teams went 36-0 en route to 4 gold medals and a spirit medal in international competition this summer. Photos: CBMT Creative

U S A U lt i m at e

FALL 2013 3 Letter to the Members 5 By the Numbers: International U.S. NATIONAL TEAM COVERAGE 7 World Games: Matty Tsang’s Latest Challenge 11 U-23 World Championships: Winning the Right Way U.S. OPEN COVERAGE 15 Men’s: 4 Days at the U.S. Open 19 Mixed: The International Advantage

23 Women’s: Scandal Making a Name on the Big Stage 27 U.S. Open Convention: Through Failure, Athletes Learn to

Succeed

31 National Championships Previews 33 Men’s: A Picture of Parity 36 Mixed: Frisco or San Francisco?

39 Women’s: Winds of Change MASTERS Championships Coverage

43 Men’s: A Winning Formula 47 Q&A with Marty Bakko Winner

48 Women’s: A Return to Godiva

52 Grand Masters: All About Intangibles

YOUTH CLUB Championships Coverage

57 U-19 Open: Success in Simplicity 60 U-19 Girls: A Q&A with DiscNW Coach Chris Forsberg

63 U-19 Mixed: True Team Identity

66 U-16 Open: The Evolution of U-16 70 Ultimate Infiltrates the Government 76 Above the Competition 78 Nutrition Matters 81 Cleats & Cones 82 What’s the Call 84 Spirit Column 87 Coaches’ Playbook 90 Local League Spotlight 92 News & Notes Discraft President’s Reception

USA Ultimate 4730 Table Mesa Dr. Suite I-200C Boulder, CO 80305 303.447.3472 www.usaultimate.org info@usaultimate.org USA Ultimate Board of Directors Mike Payne – President Gwen Ambler – Vice President Kathy Hendrickson – Treasurer Mike Kinsella – Secretary Stephen Hubbard Greg Downey Mandy Eckhoff Colin McIntyre Mary-Clare Brennan Ben Slade Sandy Park Henry Thorne USA Ultimate Staff Matthew Bourland – Manager of New Media Melanie Byrd – Director of Membership & Sport Development Dr. Tom Crawford – Chief Executive Officer Will Deaver – Managing Director of Competition & Athlete Programs Julia Echterhoff Lee – Director of Finance & Development Byron Hicks – Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (Club) Ryan Gorman – Manager of Membership & Sport Development Andy Lee – Director of Marketing & Communications Michael Lovinguth – Manager of Education & Youth Programs Baker Pratt – Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (Youth) David Raflo – Events Manager Anna Schott – Manager of Membership & Sport Development Stacey Waldrup – Manager of Communications & Publications USA Ultimate is a non-profit organization and serves as the national Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate in the United States. Founded in 1979 as the Ultimate Players Association (UPA), USA Ultimate is one of the first flying disc sport organizations in the world and the largest, with more than 40,000 members and a national volunteer network.

USA Ultimate USA Ultimate is the official publication of USA Ultimate, published quarterly.

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S PEC I A L G U E S T AU T H O R

LETTER TO THE MEMBERS

A Message to the USA Ultimate membership from WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch.

BY

Robert “Nob” Rauch World Flying Disc Federation President

USA Ultimate is excited to have World Flying Disc Federation President Robert “Nob” Rauch fill in for this issue’s Letter to the Members and provide an international perspective on ultimate’s growth and future.

Games Program of the Olympics is capped at 28 sports and 10,500 athletes for logistical purposes, so for a new sport to be added, a current sport must be dropped. The IOC decides upon the program seven years in advance. You may have seen the highly political discussion going on earlier this year regarding the 2020 Olympics where wrestling was removed from the core program only to be reinstated in the end. Along with the other two finalists for the spot, baseball/ softball and squash, these IFs spent millions of dollars and made a number of revisions in the way they conduct their competitions and in their governance to position themselves as favorably as possible for consideration. Accordingly, getting ultimate included in the Olympics is a long-term objective for WFDF, measured in decades.

Dear USA Ultimate community member: Forty-five years since the development of the game of ultimate, the sport continues to evolve.

From the parking lot at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J. in 1968, 2013 has seen the introduction of a new competitive format for national competition in the U.S.A. and professional coverage by ESPN, the world’s premier sports broadcaster. Equally important, ultimate was part of the featured program at the World Games in Colombia, drawing over 45,000 spectators and the top live-streaming audience of any sport. And of great long-term significance, the international sport governing body for all flying disc sports, the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) – of which USA Ultimate is a member – received official “Recognition” by the International Olympic Committee.

So then what does Recognition actually mean? At its most basic level, we are on the “bench” of the Olympics Sports Program, one of 34 members of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF). We are in a position to have an ongoing dialogue with the IOC staff, and we are provided certain financial resources from the IOC. We gain credibility in the world of sports businesses, educators and governmental authorities, and the visibility of WFDF and flying disc sports is raised with potential sponsors and broadcast media. We have greater access to learn directly from the most organized global sports. In return, we are challenged to fulfill the additional requirements of the IOC and to get better at what we do. A more complete presentation can be

Unfortunately, WFDF’s Recognition by the IOC as an International Federation (IF) does not mean that ultimate is automatically going to be a part of the Olympic program. There are several additional requirements that must be met, including having organized members in no fewer than 75 countries (WFDF currently has 56). Moreover, the Summer 3

U S A U lt i m at e

found at: http://www.wfdf.org/about/congressfiles/doc_download/416-wfdf-congresspresentation-ioc-recognition.

among these three elements. On branding, I think it is useful to remember that it is the flying disc itself and its flight characteristics which help define and differentiate ultimate from other sports. In a world where participation by kids in organized sports is falling because of overspecialization and win-at-all costs coaching approaches, we also can’t ignore the aspect of FUN which is at the roots of Frisbee sports. I also think we should view flying disc sports in a lifetime continuum, one that allows people to start with basic throwing and catching as kindergarteners, play ultimate in their athletic prime and be playing disc golf in their golden years. Finally, Spirit of the Game is an incredible strength. While other sports value sportsmanship, like golf or tennis, it is a key part of our branding message because we continually highlight it as such an integral part of the sport. On growth, we need to continue to take a multi-tier approach with attention to elite, recreational and youth play.

In many ways, youth are the future, for numbers and awareness, and this will makes coaches’ training increasingly important. And we need to make sure there are lots of local opportunities for play. Finally, on commercial development, we need to showcase our elite competition nationally and internationally. This will require us to accommodate the inclusion of a spectator focus while maintaining the best aspects of the player focus that has always been our primary culture.

Broadcast media is what drives the economics for Sport, and USA Ultimate’s partnership with ESPN is very exciting in learning how to present the sport to a broader audience.

In announcing that it had recognized WFDF, the IOC stated: “The EB (Executive Board) has granted provisional recognition to the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) after the International Federation fulfilled all the criteria of the IOC recognition procedure. The EB noted that the WFDF is a rapidly growing Federation with tremendous youth appeal, a strong grounding in Olympic ideals, gender equality and good governance, including WADA compliance.” The Recognition process has two stages. We are now in a two-year provisional period of Recognition, leading up to our consideration for permanent approval in 2015.

The IOC has given us constructive criticism, both pros and cons, so that we will be in a position to be successfully confirmed for permanent Recognition.

They indicated that the strengths of our application included: “value added” due to our emphasis on Spirit of the Game, popularity and growth, youth appeal, gender inclusiveness and development as an IF. However, they highlighted areas for improvement, including gender balance on the board, participation in more of the established global multi-sports events and broader country strength in competitions.

Over the next 18 months, we will be seeking to address the concerns raised by the IOC so that we are more fully embracing the “best practice” standards they set out, and we are working to increase the number of countries that are a part of the WFDF family. As a federation of member associations, WFDF seeks to pursue its objectives through our members and represent their interests in the international arena. Therefore, another very important area for us is to have our members pursue and achieve Recognition by their National Olympic Committees, and we understand that USA Ultimate is currently working through this process.

As a prerequisite, this requires certain changes in the way our organizations operate, which drove the recent Bylaws changes enacted by USAU. We believe the benefits over time will outweigh the difficulties of making changes.

If we can highlight elite competition and get attention through the broadcast media, we will spur growth. This will require us to provide opportunities for participation on a local level.

More people will be drawn to the sport if they understand why ultimate is different, and we must avoid the trap of trying to be like “other sports,” which studies show are losing participation. If we can grow, then the media and sponsors will want access to our competitions. This is the virtuous circle we are trying to set in motion. Ultimate has many of the elements the IOC wants in its games – fair play, youth appeal, popularity, athleticism, gender equality – and, if we can achieve the above, we will find our path to the Olympic sports program.

Finally, I would like to offer my thoughts on what it is going to take to be successful in the world of Sport. I view there as being three main themes – branding, growth and commercial development – with the key being to establish a virtuous circle FALL 2013

4

BY THE NUMBERS

INTERNATIONAL ULTIMATE 7 FLYING DISC SPORTS

5,225,710

in the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF)

Estimated number of ultimate players worldwide (including non-active players)

59 MEMBERS of WFDF 81% Regular 19% Provisional

1,079

Beach Ultim ate

ate tim l U

university teams worldwide

Mal e: 7 8,7 United Stat 55 es: 9,14 6

olf cG Dis

118,256

13,626

ons & 2 org nati an iza 46 ti 9 34 : rld

Total WFDF Players

s on

Rest of the **

0 : 73 es

10 nations 1 organizatio& n

*

SMALLEST GROUP

Fre est yle

Un

Fem ale : 3 9,5 84 ada: 2,000 Can Au str i a :8 ated 5,0 00, : estim 86 tes 00 0 Sta

Gu ts

United States: 44,521 Canada: 33,067 Australia: 5,200 Japan: 3,195 Great Britain: 2,978

Sta t

OF ACTIVE MEMBERS IN FLYING DISC ASSOCIATIONS:

d ite

Goaltimate

wo

*Germany: 419 **Finland: 308

United

LARGEST GROUP

OF ACTIVE MEMBERS IN FLYING DISC ASSOCIATIONS:

Luxembourg: 15 Indonesia: 20 Estonia: 80 Turkey: 84 Portugal: 100 Slovenia: 100

c Court ble Dis Dou

MEDAL COUNT 1983-2013 WFDF Championship events and World Games competitions UNITED STATES

73

31

30

COLOMBIA

2

1

1

CANADA

16

21

16

NETHERLANDS

0

2

2

JAPAN

6

13

12

NEW ZEALAND

0

0

2

SWEDEN

10

13

6

CHINESE TAIPEI

1

0

0

FINLAND

2

8

9

BELGIUM

0

1

0

AUSTRALIA

1

7

8

PHILIPPINES

0

1

0

GERMANY

0

5

11

FRANCE

0

0

1

UNITED KINGDOM 2

2

5

LATVIA

0

0

1

AUSTRIA

4

1

SWITZERLAND

0

0

1

0

Youth members (U-19) active worldwide

Source: World Flying Disc Federation 2013 Census

ACROSS THE WORLD

14 NATIONS 4,018 18 NATIONS 17 NATIONS HAVE WON A MEDAL represented in USA Ultimate

at a WFDF Championships or World Games

37

tournaments (approx) worldwide

have hosted the World Games or a WFDF Championship event*

Largest number of nations to compete in a single WFDF Championships or World Games event (2010 World Ultimate Club Championships, Prague, Czech Republic)

*WFDF Championship events include the World Championships of Beach Ultimate, World Junior Ultimate Championships, World Ultimate Club Championships, World Ultimate and Guts Championships, and the World Under-23 Ultimate Championships.

The U.S. National Team left the World Games in Colombia undefeated and with a gold medal. Photo: CBMT Creative

Matty Tsang’s Latest Challenge

world games By: Jonathan Neeley

“ Part of why I coach is to inspire and to be inspired.” – United States National Team coaches Matty Tsang (left) and Alex Ghesquiere get an icy shower while celebrating the team’s victory in the gold medal game. Photo: CBMT Creative

Tsang

United States National Team Assistant Coach Matt Tsang and his wife, Arlie Stern, are tossing a disc across the pool at El Viajero, a hostel in Cali, Colombia. The team is here to compete in World Games, a 3,800athlete event governed by the International World Games Association and International Olympic Committee and hosted for sports that aren’t part of the actual Olympic Games. It’s one of Cali’s signature calm, cool summer nights, and the simple tempo of throwing back and forth is a respite from what has been a hectic couple of days.

Tsang’s throws are flat and his wrist snap well oiled, but his concentrated gaze is what’s most noticeable.

Chewing his gum in a steady rhythm, he is attentive to every catch and release. Transmitting the same level of focus throughout the tournament will be his most important contribution to the team’s gold medal run.

As the National Team’s embedded reporter, I was tasked with writing something – anything – about the World Games experience, and as the week progressed, I was continually drawn to how Tsang managed the team’s energy. The 41-year-old Bay Area native who teaches middle school and is affectionately referred

to by just about everyone as “Matty” was pivotal in guiding one of the most talented groups of ultimate players ever assembled – one that ran the risk of operating only as a collection of individual superstars – toward playing as a hyper-engaged, positive and selfless team the entire time they were together.

Matty Tsang is the mind behind San Francisco Fury, ultimate’s most dominant dynasty at any level, ever.

The women’s team has amassed a staggering record of 375 wins and 22 losses since Tsang joined in 2006, which is good for seven consecutive National Championships as well as gold medals at two separate World Championships. Tsang is a legend, and his intuition for keeping players dialed in was an obvious choice to complement United States head coach Alex Ghesquiere’s mastery of evaluating situations and giving actionable instructions.

Top: One last huddle. The team huddles up outside the arena, medals and gifts in hand. Photo: CBMT Creative Middle: The National Team women have some fun before competition begins. Photo: CBMT Creative Bottom: United States National Team assistant coach waves to US fans during halftime against Japan. Worth noting: Japan was up 7-6. Photo: CBMT Creative

FALL 2013

8

Even world-class players get nervous It’s the night before the first game of the tournament, and tomorrow the US will play Australia and then Canada. Players have verbalized a series of whatifs – fears of letting each other or their supporters down; of a teammate getting injured; of something, somehow, going wrong – at a team meeting, all of them acknowledging the anxiety accompanied by the start of an event that is often the pinnacle of an athletic career.

“Start narrowing your focus,” Tsang tells the team during their final evening meeting. “We can alleviate fears by staying in the moment. Don’t think about Canada. We haven’t earned the right to think about Canada.” His advice takes the edge off before the team goes to bed.

“I see myself as responsible for the energy of the group,” Tsang tells me later. “As I’ve coached longer and longer, I’ve realized that the difference between you and your closest competitor is mental. The best coaches create a perception that then becomes a reality. Let’s say you win a close game. You can point to a bunch of reasons for why you won: dump sets, sidelines, playing for each other. You speak that into reality. Whatever you want the team to see as their identity, you as a coach create that perception.”

While reviewing the first day’s wins, Tsang highlighted Sarah Griffith’s effective deep cuts and Mac Taylor’s shutdown defense on a top Canadian handler. Griffith had struggled with confidence in the previous day’s practice, and she was still pretty broken up about Rohre Titcomb, a close friend and club teammate who was injured and unable to make the trip to Colombia with the team. Taylor is a workhorse who was motivated by quick notes about how effectively he had played or how well he would play.

Tsang started using this kind of public praise a few years ago with Fury. “It’s about building the sense of how everyone’s role is important and acknowledging qualities in a person’s play that lead to the team being successful,” he said. “Things go unnoticed: work on the mark, good D on a long point. I’ll uplift that quality and say ‘let’s emulate this person in that way.’”

Top: Mike “Tank” Natenberg lays out for a goal in the U.S. National Team’s pool play game against Japan. Photo: CBMT Creative Middle Left: Georgia Bosscher beats her defender to the disc and turns up-field to keep it moving against Japan. Photo: CBMT Creative Middle Right: Chemistry was the team’s top priority. Here, Ryan Farrell and Cree Howard exchange a low five during practice in Colombia. Photo: CBMT Creative Bottom: The team celebrates after the gold-medal winning score.

Photo: CBMT Creative

and I refused to coach them back in the day,” Tsang told me. Once aboard, he led a transformation that yielded Spirit Awards at the Club Championships in 2008, 2010 and 2012, an accomplishment he ranks alongside all of his tournament wins. “Those are the only medals or trophies that I know where they are.”

Tsang’s coaching career Tsang began his coaching career at the University of California-Berkeley in 1996, where he coached the women’s team after being sidelined by an ACL tear.

“They would win nationals, then the next year they wouldn’t have a team. A big goal for me was to form a program that would be nationally competitive each year. There were eight players my first year and two teams of 25 when I left.”

Tsang has coached multiple clinics in Colombia’s growing ultimate community, and when the country asked him to coach their World Games team this summer, he gave it serious consideration. “Mentally, I was dealing with coaching a favorite a lot, and how basically unless you win you failed. I was thinking a lot about that, and a new challenge – coaching an underdog – made me consider it.”

When Tsang started coaching Fury, the team had a reputation for poor sportsmanship. “I hated Fury, 9

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Sarah “Surge” Griffith was the first one to reach Ashlin Joye after he caught the final score of the gold-medal match. Photo: CBMT Creative

Tsang told them they could either succumb or see this setback as an opportunity. “You immediately think ‘Why is this happening?’ and ‘It’d be different if the situation were different,’” he said. “But it’s just another thing to solve. It’s important, mentally, to say ‘Yes, this sucks, and we won’t replace Alex and Ash. But this is what it means to win a championship.’”

“Part of why I coach is to inspire and to be inspired,” Tsang said. “That was one of my favorite days: looking around at the team and realizing what we accomplished. On the outside, you wouldn’t really know it if you looked at scores. But looking at how hard Ryan [Farrell] and Dylan [Tunnell] pushed themselves and how hard the women had to work without a woman in that handling position…that was one of those moments where I was really inspired.

After that game, talking to Ryan and giving him a hug and feeling that emotion pour out…that’s one that I’ll remember from Worlds.”

In the end, he decided that working with the US team When the disc is on the sideline would be an equally valuable new experience, but for “When the disc is on the sideline, let’s get it to the a different reason: being Ghesquiere’s assistant. “The middle. When it’s in the middle, let’s use wide-open more I thought about it, I wanted the opportunity to lanes to get it down field. If we do this, we get to coach under somebody that I had heard a lot of great the end zone, where we’ll be organized in our set.” things about. I’m constantly wondering how other The United States is huddled before the start of people coach.” Tsang took the first few practices to the tournament final against Australia, and Tsang is adjust to a role he had not played before, and by the speaking in a soft, melodic tone. He reminds the team time the team was in Cali, he and Ghesquiere had of its step-by-step strategy and then urges them to a rapport that functioned seamlessly and without savor the experience. “We’ve created a special team, hierarchy. and 80 minutes goes by real quick. Have fun with your teammates.”

Finding new walls to scale is what keeps Tsang going, and the 2013 postseason could be Fury’s biggest “Seeing people surprise you or rise to a new level, test yet. Long-time rival Seattle Riot has acquired to start in one place and wind up in a completely Ben Wiggins, another of the game’s most respected different one, I felt lucky to be around those people coaches, while D.C. Scandal, a newer but formidable during that time,” Tsang said. “I was definitely sad. contender, has added Ghesquiere to their bench. “I All the training and practices for one moment, and it want everyone to get better. I want my opponent to ends so quickly. I think from my past experiences that play the best because that’s when it highlights the it was important to make sure that we were enjoying best on my team.” each moment.”

FALL 2013

the second day of the World Games

After the final

On the second day of the World Games, the United States’ Alex Snyder woke up with a migraine, Ashlyn Joye woke up with food poisoning and both were unable to play. Rosters at the Games are limited to 13 players – meaning at least one player always has to play two points in a row – and games are played to only 13 points, making the margin for error very slim.

The team was visibly dejected.

After the final, ultimate players and fans gather at a club for dancing and celebration. Tsang and Arlie immediately hit the dance floor and start to groove, a controlled one-two step that feels intimate despite the party going on around them. They grin and twirl every so often, finally relaxing as they lose themselves in the songs being played. In this moment, Matty Tsang is satisfied.

10

Under-23 World Championships By: Eric Brach

Winning the

Right Way Like Caesar, they came, they saw and they conquered.

But the victories were far from the only things that mattered.

At the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) Under23 World Ultimate Championships in Toronto this summer, three U.S.A. teams entered, representing the country in the mixed, open and women’s divisions. Each team took home the gold, and what’s more, each of the three teams ran the table, going a combined 30-0 over seven days of play.

The U-23 mixed team huddles up in Toronto. Photo: CBMT Creative

The summer has come and gone, though, and the scoreboards have been packed away. Now, in the aftermath of the competition, what resounds isn’t really the wins or even the hardware the players earned to commemorate their success. It’s the memories. It’s the tough match ups. It’s the way the games were played.

Jack Hatchett gets up against Venezuela in the semifinal round in Toronto.

Photo: CBMT Creative

And they were played well.

At the WFDF U-23 Championships, the three U.S. teams comported themselves in a manner to which we as ultimate players should all strive. Anyone who watched the live stream of the World Games bronzemedal match between Canada and Colombia knows there are times when our sport fails to live up to its central tenet, the thing that sets us apart: the responsibility of each player to uphold the Spirit of the Game and protect its integrity. The final (ultimate!) and simple rule taught to every new player is as follows: Ultimate stresses sportsmanship and fair play. Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect between players, adherence to the rules and the basic joy of play. But this doesn’t always happen, as we too well know. Players are human and, therefore, fallible. They occasionally argue. They sometimes cheat. They may even make egregiously bad calls and abuse the trust that has been placed in them by our sport.

But none of that happened for the U.S. in Toronto.

In winning their games and winning their golds, the 70 players on the three U.S. teams that traveled to Canada represented our nation, and they did it the 11

U S A U lt i m at e

Top Left: Claire Desmond with a layout grab in the end zone against Team Japan at the U-23 World Championships in Toronto. Photo: CBMT Creative Bottom Left: The U.S. open team celebrates with champagne showers after winning their gold-medal match. Photo: CBMT Creative Right: Ben Lohre was a steadying offensive presence for the U.S. open team at the U-23 World Championships. Photo: CBMT Creative

right way. They carried themselves with pride, and they did something many elite players sometimes forget to do: they had fun. They made friends. They treated their opponents and each other with respect, and in doing so, they kept the U.S.’s impressive performance from turning them into a hated Goliath.

see the game in person, America was unquestionably there in full force in spirit. On the bus ride to the game, a visibly excited New Zealand squad hounded U.S. mixed player Mike Ogren for the words to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” At the stadium, huge swaths of players – from Japan, Colombia, Venezuela and other far corners of the earth – took turns singing variations on quintessentially American tournament heckle songs. Imagine what it must have been like for thousands of unsuspecting baseball fans to hear, from the top of section 528 and some twenty-odd stories in the air, voices ringing out in heavily accented chorus bellowing, “Weeeeee’rrrrreee onnnnnn theeeeeeee leeeeeeefffft side, we’re on the left side, we’re on the left side of the plate! Where are you?”

Instead, they made their teams paragons of the game, squads to look up to and emulate.

The best example of the U.S. teams’ on-field class and distinction came, surprisingly, off the field. During the event, tournament organizers set up a trip to an MLB baseball game, marking for many foreign attendees their first chance to ever watch America’s national pastime. Because of scheduling conflicts, the U.S. open and women’s teams were unable to attend. But though many team members couldn’t FALL 2013

Never mind that it’s silly. Never mind that many 12

Under-23 World Championships of these players didn’t even speak English! What mattered was that the American competitors and their foreign counterparts were able to find a way to connect with and engender respect for one another, on and off the pitch. It carried even into trade night, as young men and women of all nationalities came running up to the American team members and brokered swaps for U.S. jerseys, hats and warmups, tangible mementos of the positive experiences created while competing with and getting to know the U.S. players at the Championships.

And that all started with the way the U.S. teams won: with the kind of dignity, effort and fair, hard play that turns opponents – strangers – into lifelong friends.

When we think about tournaments, far too often, we concern ourselves solely with wins and losses. When we’re at the water cooler and we see a friend from another team walking towards us, empty Nalgene in hand, our first question is rarely, “How’d you play?” or “Enjoying yourself?” Often it’s, “Did you win?”

And yes, these American teams won. They all won handily, in fact, pushing the bar ever higher for future U.S. teams in international competition. But more than winning, more than conquering, more than decimating their opponents, they built something.

They forged connections. They inspired teams. And through it all, they did it with class, integrity, and yes, the simple joy of play.

Naturally, this means the next time around, national squads from all over the earth will likely be that much stronger, having seen what a team can be and worked that much harder to get there. Next time around, all the foreign competitors may be really gunning to take down the American juggernaut. And in fact, that’s a good thing. It’s good for the development of our

sport. It’s good for our growth. And it gives us good hope that in all future tournaments – regardless of age, gender or level of competition – teams can take a page from the U.S. under-23 playbook and play well.

HOW DID THE PLAYERS THEMSELVES FEEL? In a word, inspired. Ring of Fire and USA U-23 open team player Ian Toner had this to say: “I cannot say enough about the preparation and scouting that Bob, Hector and Joe provided for the team. Their methodical approach to all the details helped us enter the right mindsets during warm ups, team meetings and games.

For example, the speed ladder exercises [they prescribed] not only warmed up our feet and legs – they warmed up our minds, as nontraditional movements made us think and focus.

The coaches made clear that these activities were dual purpose, both before and during each two-a-day session.

I wish I could play every practice, game and tournament under their direction.”

Toner’s words are representative of the uniformly positive experience enjoyed by all the players who earned their ways onto the U.S. National Team rosters and traveled to Toronto to compete. The three American teams were an inspiration to the friends, family and fans who got to watch them play.

The entire U-23 U.S. National Team contingent gathered for a photo after the last final. Photo: CBMT Creative

U S A U lt i m at e

By: Jonathan Neeley

4

Days At the U.S. Open

Revolver’s Zach Travis fights around Ironside’s Danny Clark, trying for the D in the U.S. Open finals. Photo: Kevin Leclaire/Ultiphotos

I make my way across the WRAL Soccer Complex to check out home team Ring of Fire’s opener against Boston Ironside and notice that I’m not the first one there: some early-20-somethings are naming Ring guys they played with or against in college while waiting for the game to start, and by the time Boston takes half the sidelines are scattered with fans in folding chairs. North Carolina has thriving youth and

It’s Thursday, July Fourth, and I’m in Raleigh, North Carolina to report on the men’s division at USA Ultimate’s second annual U.S. Open. Held for the first time last year in Colorado Springs, the Open is designed to showcase ultimate at its highest level as well as host an all-purpose convention, welcome

15

MEN’S

international teams and encourage fans to come out and watch. It’s a key part of USA Ultimate’s vision for the future.

My first moves at the U.S. Open Championships are to snag my press pass from the volunteer tent and drop my bags off in the media room. You don’t find either – press passes or media rooms, that is – at all that many tournaments.

U S A U lt i m at e

MEN’S rec leagues today and was home to six college champions “Our goal is to be the best foreign team at the tournament and also maybe upset one or two American teams,” says in the 90s. The fans here know their stuff.

Ragnarok captain Mads Bakkegaard. “We know we’re up “We get Ring and [Atlanta] Chain Lightning but not [San against tough opponents, so we wanted to have a feeling Francisco] Revolver and Ironside,” says Miller Yoho. A that we had come off the field doing what we could. I tell Triangle-area native who drove up from Charlotte, he enjoys the team ‘whenever you step on the field, go in and make watching players he’s familiar with – Yoho played college the play, whether it’s a block or holding the mark or shutting ultimate at Clemson – up close. “You can hear everything: down the dump: focus on what your test is and measure the calls and what they’re talking about on the line.” success based on whether you did your job.’”

Ironside wins the game 15-10, and I catch up with their coach, Josh McCarthy. “Our cutters, on defense in particular, need Once Thursday’s games wrap up, tournament and a little time to gel. It’s 16 or 17 guys, and you’re never with convention attendees trickle into the Raleigh streets to buy the same four. That’s always the case with the D line. We’re food from street vendors and wait for the fireworks. Hammers and scoobers may not be universally recognizable, but psyched to get going.” festivals and fireworks on the Fourth certainly are. Ultimate

San Francisco Revolver and Boston Ironside, two of the most successful men’s teams of the last five years met in the finals in Raleigh. Photo: Kevin Leclaire/Ultiphotos

There are eight Men’s teams here. By seed, they are Revolver, players from all over the world as part of such a mainstream Doublewide (Austin, Texas), Ironside, Ring of Fire, Euforia event feels emblematic of where a lot of folks envision the (Bogotá, Colombia), Ragnarok (Copenhagen, Denmark), sport going.

Mephisto (Montreal, Canada), and Chicago Club. After roundrobin play, the top four will advance to a championship Games get a late start on Friday to allow for more convention bracket. And while each team is unique, they’re all focused presentations, and I still find myself sitting alone for the beginning of Revolver and Ironside’s noon match up. These on early-season development. are the best two men’s teams of the last half decade, and “Our goal is to win Nationals,” says Doublewide captain Mike my seclusion doesn’t last long. As Ironside’s 3-0 lead turns Natenberg when explaining why his team brought only 17 into a 5-4 deficit, I’m joined by members of the National players. “We feel it’s just not a realistic goal to prep yourself for Team (they’re practicing here this weekend, and while most winning the U.S. Open in July and the championship in October.” of them are also playing in the tournament, a handful are FALL 2013

16

not), USA Ultimate staff and Spin Ultimate merchandisers.

By the time it’s tied at 14-14, a crowd has gathered. Revolver receives and works the disc the length of the field only to turn it over on the goal line, and Ironside capitalizes with a quick huck for the win.

Evan Lepler, USA Ultimate’s choice anchor for ESPN’s upcoming bracket-play broadcasts, is impressed. “One reason I watched that game so closely was that these are definitely teams we’ll see in the semis,” Lepler tells me. “We’d be lucky if we got a finals game that good.”

“Throw with me for 20 minutes,” says Will White, a local who came to check out the tournament after reading a Raleigh News & Observer story about Ring standout and National

As White and I finish up, Ragnarok’s Bakkegaard comes over and points me toward Henrick Thomeson, a long-time teammate who just told the huddle this tournament would be his last. “It’s sad and a relief,” Thomeson tells me. “I played for 19 years, and it’s the first time I’ve played in the States. If it wouldn’t have been for this tournament, I probably wouldn’t have played this season. I wanted one last time to meet the club teams of the world.” Thomeson embodies what we all know: the sheer fun of ultimate is enough to outweigh how time consuming, expensive and physically draining it can be.

He is satisfied with a career well-played. “I’ll take care of my three kids,” he says with a grin. “Maybe a beach tournament or two on a tropical island.”

Ring of Fire opens their semifinal game, a rematch of the tournament’s first round, against Ironside with a 3-0 run, takes half 8-5 and holds a three-point lead as late as 12-9, but Boston still pulls out a 14-13 win with a secondhalf surge. Revolver blows out Doublewide 15-6 in the other semi, setting up a rematch of Friday’s exciting Boston-San Francisco game for Sunday. That night, Doublewide comprises one half of the ringleaders at Raleigh’s Tir Na Nog, where eliminated players gather for a night of revelry. The other key driver is Krupnikas, a honey liquor distilled by a local player.

Sunday’s final is clean and entertaining.

Each team broke the other only three times: Revolver to go up 4-3, 5-3 and 11-8 and Ironside to bring the score to 10-8, 13-12 and 13-13. On the last play of the game, Revolver’s Beau Kittredge turns on the jets Top Right: Ironside’s Josh Markette throws around Revolver’s Taylor Lahey in the final. Photo: Kevin Leclaire/ Ultiphotos Bottom Right: More than a tournament, the U.S. Open brings the ultimate community together. Ring to blow by one Boston defender and leaps of Fire’s Brett Matzuka was able to catch up with team veterans and their jersey collections. Photo: Alan Hoyle over another to grab the final goal with authority. Lepler couldn’t have hoped for a Team member Brett Matzuka. “It kills me to just watch.” It’s much better ending.

Saturday morning, and a weekend as a spectator has made I’ve been in huddles that have elected to play behind me itchy to play as well. I gladly pick up a disc and join him. Kittredge, knowing he’ll get open but hoping to keep him In between throws, he talks enthusiastically about his long- out of the end zone. I’ve marveled over what I would teach lost playing days from the 80s: helping to found RADL (he if a kid that fast and powerful turned up on one of the high pronounces it “rattle”), the Raleigh Area Disc League, a school teams I coach. I’ve been on conference calls that predecessor to today’s Triangle Flying Disc Association; how discuss the best ways to promote star ultimate players, and Air Police, the local team, became Mr. Puce thanks to a poor I’ve gasped and let out uncontrolled shouts when I’ve seen stencil and spray-paint job; a neighborhood watch formed impressive plays like Kittredge’s grab. As members of the expressly to stand guard against disc golf basket thieves. ultimate community, we juggle a lot of hats: player, coach, “I lived this for 20 years,” he tells me. organizer, writer and fan. The U.S. Open was a chance for me to wear them all.

17

U S A U lt i m at e

MEN’S RESULTS

The World Games team met at the U.S. Open for a rare weekend of practice.

Those not competing also found some time to catch the Fourth of July fireworks in Raleigh. Photo: Adam Shapiro

REvolver – 16 Jersey #

NAME

goals

ASST

DS

TO

IRONSIDE - 15

0

Devon Anderson

2

2

Taylor Lahey

Jersey #

3

Tom James

0

Jacob Taylor

4

Jon Levy

1

Teddy Browar-Jarus

6

Josh Wiseman

2

Seth Reinhardt

7

Russell Wynne

3

George Stubbs

2

3

8

Patrick Baylis

4

Matt Rebholz

1

2

9

Cassidy Rasmussen

5

Josh Markette

2

1

11

Zach Travis

6

Rusty Ingold-Smith

1

1

12

Sam Kanner

7

Will Neff

8

Peter Prial

4

3

9

Misha Sidorsky

1

1

4

1

3

1

2

NAME

goals

14

Alexander Brammer

15

Joel Schlachet

18

Eric Greenwood

11

Christian Foster

19

Ryo Kawaoka

12

Alex Simmons

20

Nick Schlag

13

Brandon Malecek

21

Andrew Hagen

14

Miles Montgomery-Butler

22

Marcelo Sanchez

16

Jamie Quella

23

Jordan Jeffery

17

Alex Cooper

2

2

1

1

2

1 3

1

1

27

Ashlin Joye

18

Jim Foster

28

Nathan White

21

Misha Herscu

32

Jordan Marcy

23

Ryan Holmes

34

Evan Boucher

25

Matthew McDonnell

35

Lucas Dallman

33

Russell Wallack

40

Mac Taylor

50

Beau Kittredge

99

Tim Gilligan

Totals

1 1

1

1 1 4

16

1

3

16

5

5

2 2 1

1

1

Piers MacNaughton Adrian Banerji

1

77

Danny Clark

1

84

Alex Kapinos

88

Robin Meyers

INDIVIDUAL Spirit WINNERS

2

2

1

15

15

3

Chicago Club – Tim Fergus

2. Ironside

Doublewide – Andrew Walch

Mephisto 12.57

3T. Doublewide

Euforia – Jaime Segura

Chicago Club 12.57

3T. Ring of Fire

Ironside – Rusty Ingold-Smith

Doublewide 12.50

5. Chicago Club

Mephisto – Maxime Garros

Ring of Fire

6. Euforia

Ragnarok – Jørgen Alsted

Ragnarok 12.00

7. Mephisto

Revolver – Joel Schlachet

Ironside 11.88

8. Ragnarok

Ring of Fire – Bryan Conklin

Euforia 10.00

18

4

Team Spirit SCORES

1. Revolver

FALL 2013

TO

1

35

Totals

DS

1

38

To see each team’s WFDF spirit score broken down by category, visit usaultimate.org/usopen.

Final Standings

ASST

1

Revolver 13.63

12.00

By: Anna Levine

Odyssée’s Véronique Ellyson looks up-field to captain Jean-Lévy Champagne during the U.S. Open finals. Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos

The International

Advantage

Odyssée Makes History at the U.S. Open

The two international teams in the mixed division, Odyssée and Team Colombia, faced very different

sets of challenges and advantages at the U.S. Open than their home-grown competition. Team Colombia’s biggest challenge was simply fielding a full squad in Raleigh. Key Colombian players faced passport issues at customs, leaving the team with only 13 athletes, more than a full line of players fewer than their competitors. The extreme heat, combined with back-to-back tough games, made having a small squad an extra-large impediment.

As an elite team in the midst of Canada’s competitive season, Odyssée’s abundance of on-field experience in 2013 proved to be a significant advantage against their less-practiced opponents from the United States. The Canadian Ultimate Championships take place in August, a full two months earlier than the USA Ultimate Club Championships. In preparation for their own season, Odyssée held tryouts, started 19

MIXED

At the 2013 U.S. Open Championships, Montreal, Canada’s Odyssée made history as the first international team to take home the gold in any division at the Championships. Not only was Odyssée the only international team to make the finals this year, outside the masters women’s division, the last time a Canadian team took gold at a USA Ultimate club-level championship event was Furious George at the 2005 National Championships. The time was certainly right for Odyssée to claim a big win for the international ultimate community, and the team was justifiably elated. “It feels very good to have won,” smiled Odyssée captain Christian Mathieu after coming out on top 12-10 against San Francisco Mischief in the finals.

U S A U lt i m at e

The San Francisco Polar Bears gave Odyssée a run for their money in the semifinals, losing by a mere two points. At the game’s outset, Odyssée’s offense had some rare misfires, and the Polar Bears took advantage, scoring three quick breaks. The Bay Area team looked particularly strong offensively, working give-and-goes down the line and waiting patiently to hit open cutters deep. Odyssée stepped up their handler-dominated offense despite PBr’s tough pressure. The Canadians’ up-line cuts were virtually unstoppable, and the Polar Bears couldn’t keep Odyssée from responding with two breaks of their own.

Odyssée’s consistent and lightning-fast handler movement put their opponents on their heels.

Lagging emotionally and struggling to maintain possession, the Polar Bears ended up on the wrong end of an insurmountable 13-9 lead.

Odyssée captain Christian Mathieu lays out for a picture-perfect catch in the U.S. Open finals in Raleigh. Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos

practicing together and attended tournaments far earlier in the year than their U.S. competitors.

MIXED

“The U.S. Open is our fifth tournament this season,” Odyssée captain Christian Mathieu explained. “This spring, we split our squad by gender and went to two tournaments each. Then we attended the Boston Invite and went to a fun tournament in Montreal.”

Odyssée also put a substantial amount of effort into conditioning, working with a professional trainer for months before the U.S. Open. Come July, Odyssée was hitting their peak, having already had plenty of on-field opportunities to smooth out their game’s rough edges and learn to perform under pressure alongside new teammates.

FALL 2013

While U.S. teams had certainly been working hard prior to arriving in Raleigh, many hadn’t seen elite competition prior to the Open. For Ambiguous Grey and Drag’n Thrust, the U.S. Open marked their first tournament of the season; Polar Bears, Mischief and Blackbird had only attended one tournament.

Although Odyssée’s extra, early-season preparation gave them an advantage, it certainly didn’t guarantee a Canadian victory. Five of their games ended with a point differential of two or less. Ultimately, they finished the weekend with a 6-3 record and a gold medal.

Odyssée’s semifinal win earned them a match up with another Bay Area opponent and perennial Nationals contender in the finals. Mischief hoped to outpace the Canadian team offensively by firing off their deep throws quickly and accurately. To prepare their defensive strategy, Mischief watched video footage of their opponents and learned that they needed to be extra vigilant in making travel calls.

“We noticed that Odyssée was traveling, which was giving them an advantage on break throws. We knew we needed to look out for that and be aware of that possibility on defense,” Mischief captain Matt West said. Mischief knew that they would have to put a stop to Odyssée’s offensive flow with tight handler defense and appropriate calls.

Meanwhile, Odyssée was preparing to tackle Mischief’s deep game. Looking at stats provided Odyssée with some key information about their own defensive strategy. “We looked at the stats online and found that Mischief’s key players often throw to the same few people in the end zone,” Odyssée captain Christian Mathieu explained. “For example, we know that Kevin Smith likes to huck the disc and has 18 assists, while Tyler Grant and Kate Pearson have something like 14 or 15 goals.”

Odyssée started off strong. Although they started on defense, Odyssée was able to take advantage of an early Mischief drop to score the first point, Gustavo Castano finding Anne-Marie Jubinville in the end zone. But Mischief’s defense was on fire 20

and succeeded in slowing down their opponent’s flow. Chuck Cao got two massive defensive blocks on underneath and deep cuts, quickly followed by Candice Tse slapping the disc away from an Odyssée handler. Odyssée’s trusty handler movement was stymied by their defenders’ no-around mark; their dump cuts often had to be attempted multiple times before they got off at high stall counts.

As the game progressed, Odyssée adjusted to Mischief’s tight handler defense and started to put the disc deep earlier. To up the score to 4-2, Jan Bouchard put the disc to a wide-open JeanPhilippe Riopel; to take half, Riopel foot-blocked his opponent and caught the ensuing score for bookends. Their game wasn’t as clean as usual, but Odyssée was taking what Mischief gave them and running with it.

Mischief wasn’t about to go down without a fight. They came out of half reinvigorated, and their characteristic hucks began working more consistently. Tyler Grant brought his team back, first with a goal of his own before assisting on two consecutive points to tie the score at 9-9. The Bay Area team turned up their defensive pressure even more, forcing Odyssée to overthrow deep looks and commit uncharacteristic turns. Mischief’s Kate Pearson, who had been effectively shut out on offense by Genevieve Dufresne, stepped it up on defense and made a spectacular grab in Odyssée’s end zone for the turn.

Odyssée’s Jean-Leévy Champagne skies his Mischief defender for a goal at the 2013 U.S. Open.

Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos

the Australian national team just a few days after their weekend in Raleigh. Soon after that, the team was scheduled to attend the Philly Invite, followed by the Canadian Ultimate Championships at the end of August. “We want to qualify for Worlds this year,” grinned Mathieu.

As the Club Series continues to grow and change, no one knows what sorts of advantages and disadvantages will greet international teams at future U.S. Opens. With recent discussions about moving the USA Ultimate season early in the summer, the possibility exists that U.S. athletes’ peaking and tournament schedules would align more closely with Canada’s. That shift may eliminate one of the Canadian teams’ biggest advantages at the U.S. Open. But while many things are uncertain, one thing is guaranteed – competition at the U.S. Open will remain fierce.

Yet Odyssée’s offense proved creative, and their resiliency ultimately won them the championship.

With the game capped at 12 and Odyssée receiving the pull up 11-10, the nervous energy was palpable.

Mischief was doing their utmost to again stymie Odyssée’s flow by taking away the around throws and staying tight on the handlers. Odyssée broke Mischief’s tight defense with two long hammers to the break side. When captain Christian Mathieu found himself with the disc at the front of the end zone, Philipe Camiré was just a few yards away to secure the winning score.

With the win, Odyssée officially became the first international team to win a division at the U.S. Open.

Although they had every right to bask in the glory of their big win in Raleigh, Odyssée had no plans to slow down after the tournament. The U.S. Open champions had scheduled a showcase game against 21

Mixed Division Odyssée - 12 Jersey #

Mischief - 10 NAME

goals

ASST

0

Julie Tremblay

1

1

Gustavo Castano

1

3

Raynald Nemours

4

Julie Beaulac

1

6

Philippe Camiré

2

11

Yoland Cabot

1

12

Philippe Thivierge

13

Claudie Turcotte

14

Isabelle Ascah-Coallier

17

Frédérique DesbiensBlais

19

Pierpaul Maillé

20

Nicolas Brochu

21

Gabriel Monfette

23

Hugo Lefrançois

49

Félix-Antoine Daigle

50

Jean-Lévy Champagne

TO

Jersey #

1

1

Warren Schechter

2

Adam Brown

2

3

Chris Doyle

2

4

Ethan Brown

1

5

Matt Crawford

6

Lori Eich

7

Chuck Cao

9

Preeti Nalavade

12

Candice Tse

13

Tyler Grant

4

1

14

Kirk Willmarth

1

1

19

Shirley Wu

20

Jenny Wang

23

Kate Pearson

24

Adam Leventhal

29

Eric Shaw

33

Kyle Smith

36

Matt Heffernan

77

Beth Liebert

1

80

Kevin Smith

1

88

Linh Hoang

1

2 1

2

3

70

Véronique Ellyson Geneviève Dufresne

1

82

Anne-Marie Jubinville

1

86

Jean-Philippe Riopel

2

88

Christian Mathieu

93

Yan Bouchard

2 1

1 2 1

1

3

3 1

12

12

goals

Matt West

1

1

NAME

0

1 3

77

Totals

DS

1

ASST

DS

TO

1

1

1

1

1

1 1

2

1

1 1 1

1 1 1

1

1 1 2

1

3

2 2

Totals

10

10

9

7

14 11

To see each team’s WFDF spirit score broken down by category, visit usaultimate.org/usopen.

Final Standings

INDIVIDUAL Spirit Winners Team Spirit SCORES

1. Odyssée

Ambiguous Grey – Zack Thompson

Team Colombia 12.57

2. Mischief

Blackbird – Sally Mimms

Drag’n Thrust 12.50

3T. Polar Bears

Cahoots – Ryan Bell

Polar Bears

3T. Drag’n Thrust

Drag’n Thrust – Anna Hettler

Ambiguous Grey 11.14

5. Blackbird

Mischief – Jenny Wang

Blackbird 10.43

6. Cahoots

Odyssée – Julie Blais

Cahoots 10.29

7. Ambiguous Grey

Polar Bears – Casey Ikeda

Mischief 10.25

8. Team Colombia

Team Colombia – Julian Gaviria

Odyssée 10.00

FALL 2013

22

11.50

By: Erin Wiltgen

Fury may have won the day, but the squad from Washington, D.C., certainly made a statement.

Scandal surprised more than a few people at the U.S. Open Ultimate Championships, launching from the fourth seed to advance to the finals and giving the No. 1-ranked team from San Francisco a run for their money.

on the Big Stage

“It felt like we belonged there and that we were just showing the ultimate community what we knew was a long time coming,” Scandal captain Octavia Payne said. “We’re still working out kinks and experimenting – sometimes unsuccessfully, as evidenced by our loss to Riot in pool play. However, every game was a success in that it revealed and reminded us of weaknesses that weren’t necessarily obvious to us before those losses.”

Showdown’s Katey Forth goes up with Fury’s Michela Meister during the semifinals at the 2013 U.S. Open. Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos

23

Women’s

Scandal Making a Name

U S A U lt i m at e

Fury’s Maggie Ruden makes a highlight-reel layout grab during the semifinals at the U.S. Open. Photo: Kevin Leclaire/Ultiphotos

WOMEN’S

Scandal held seed on paper during pool play of the U.S. Open, losing to third-seeded MUD of Japan, second-ranked Riot and top squad Fury. But the D.C. contingent hung in all three matches, giving the San Franciscans the toughest fight in the 15-11 loss.

FALL 2013

The big upset came in the semifinals, when Scandal – who had caved to the girls from Seattle 15-8 in pool play – pulled out a 13-7 upset. While Riot had two girls out with an ACL tears, another recovering from the same injury and yet another tired after practice with the U.S. National Team every morning before tournament play, Scandal’s success can’t be written off as a fluke. Especially when the Washington girls wound up taking half 8-7 over Fury in the finals, almost pulling out an upset; the Californians managed to rack up several scores in the end to take the title 15-11.

“We’ve had a lot of respect for Scandal since we first played them in 2010,” Nancy Sun of Fury said. “They are disciplined, highly skilled and athletic…We are excited to play them again throughout the season.”

Scandal surfaced around 2007 from a team originally called Bnogo. Though the squad rose to the top of the Mid-Atlantic Region early on, it took a few years for them to make a name on the national stage.

Scandal made their first appearance at Nationals in 2009, where they finished 11th. The next year, the D.C. team broke into the top 10, finishing sixth.

“I think that was the year that things began clicking for our team,” Payne said. “We had a solid rookie group come in and had a knowledgeable coach, Nate Miller. That year, we made a pretty good run against Fury, taking half, and missed quarters by a few points. We kind of showed ourselves that we were a team on the cusp and that being a top-tier team was a reachable goal. Each year since, we’ve proven ourselves right with a step closer to the championships, and that has helped feed our fire.”

In 2012, Scandal took off, advancing to the finals of the inaugural U.S. Open – losing to Riot while Fury competed at the World Ultimate and Guts Championships – and finally making the breakthrough to advance to the semifinals at National before finally tying for third.

Despite the steady progression, Scandal has actually gotten younger, rather than more seasoned, bringing in new talent from D.C. colleges.

“There’s also been a fair amount of turnover since 2010 with only a few of the players on that team remaining on our roster today,” Payne said.

24

Scandal’s Lauren Sadler gets the D against Nova on the first day of pool play, en route to the finals at the U.S. Open.

Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos

“The young legs and the new faces on our roster have really changed our program. The original Scandalites set a great foundation for us to build upon, and the new talent has brought different playing systems and schools of thought that have added immensely to that foundation.”

But even with the revolving door of personnel – a product of living in a transient city like the nation’s capital – Scandal has kept a long-term vision, keeping old systems in place and tweaking them.

“It’s definitely paying off in a very tangible way, evidenced by a better finish at nationals every year than the year before,” Payne said. “We’ve had some very speedy cutters from year to year even though the faces have changed, so our goals have focused on finding a system that best exploits those players’ talents.

“We are also trying to find the balance between implementing a system early on and giving ourselves ample time to perfect that system throughout the season and allowing players to play beyond their limits and push their skills so that they come out of a season a stronger individual player than they were in the beginning of the season.”

And the U.S. Open certainly helped the athletes make that step. Though Scandal has competed at the top level for several years, 2012 was the first season the D.C. contingent advanced to the finals of an elite tournament and qualified for the semifinals at Nationals.

“Not only is the team new to this stage – compared to the likes of Riot and Fury – but we have a lot of young players who are individually very new to this level of play,” Payne said. “So there’s definitely a mental aspect that we’re working out. But practice makes perfect, and hopefully we’ll get a lot of practice playing in the finals this season.”

U.S. Open Victors Despite having nearly a handful of athletes doing double duty – practicing with the U.S. National Team in the morning and competing in the U.S. Open in the afternoon – Fury waltzed poised and confident to the tournament finals and, eventually, the podium.

The perennial powerhouse used the tournament as a way to fine-tune early in the season and get a scope of the competition field.

“From a self-assessment standpoint, we think we put out a strong first step forward in the season, but each team we played showed us things we need to work on and improve,” Fury captain Nancy Sun said. “The tournament format meant that every game mattered, and it was a great experience to play under that type of pressure.

We were challenged to close out a game and hold onto a lead when we were up in the score and challenged to figure out how to win a game when we were down in the score.”

But the U.S. Open wasn’t all work. A major value of an intense early-season tournament came in the form of team bonding.

“From a team perspective, the U.S. Open was also an invaluable experience to spend dedicated time together,” Sun said. “A lot of my best memories of the tournament are off the field and come from the shared experiences of taking shuttle buses, watching Fourth of July fireworks from our hotel rooms, team activities and generally the crazy things that happen when you bring together 26 awesome people for four days in a new place.”

Scandal’s Alicia White runs through the disc against Fury in pool play. The two teams would meet again in the finals.

Photo: Kevin Leclaire/Ultiphotos

U S A U lt i m at e

Women’s Division FURY - 15 Jersey #

NAME

goals

ASST

3

Castle Sinicrope

4

Alex Snyder

1

1

5

Kaela Jorgenson

1

3

DS

TO

1 4

Scandal - 12 Jersey #

NAME

1

Christie Lawry

3

Amy Wickner

goals

Alicia Dantzker

1

7

Claire Sharman

1

8

Nancy Sun

4

Sarah Itoh

1

9

Loryn Kanemaru

5

Allison Maddux

1

10

Genevieve Laroche

7

Kimberly Beach

11

Lauren Casey

8

Kristin Franke

12

Kristie Bowen

1

9

Octavia Payne

13

Cree Howard

2

10

Jenny Fey

14

Liz Penny

11

Kirsten Unfried

15

Alden Fletcher

13

16

Michela Meister

18

Julia Sherwood

22

Arlie Tsang

26

Lisa Pitcaithley

27

Ness Fajardo

33

Anna Nazarov

42

Darragh Clancy

44

Maggie Ruden

51

Claire Desmond

66

Lakshmi Narayan

71

Manisha Daryani

77

Carolyn Finney

Totals

1

1

1

1

3

1

1

3

2

14

Sam McClellan

1

16

Leah Tsinajinnie

1

19

Alicia White

1

20

Alika Johnston

23

Lauren Sadler

2

1

1 1 1 1

1 3

1

1

Amy Hudson

2

Sandy Jorgensen

1

1

42

Alisha Kramer

1

55

Molly Roy

3

15

5

2

2

1

71

Sasha Bugler

10

77

Quinne Farenwald

91

Jessie O'Connor

Totals

1

2

24

1

1 2

37

1

15

Kath Ratcliff

Crystal Davis

1

2

2

Shino Yoshen

1

TO

1

2

17

2

1

1

18

2

DS

1

6

1

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1 1

1

12

12

5

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To see each team’s WFDF spirit score broken down by category, visit usaultimate.org/usopen.

Final Standings

INDIVIDUAL Spirit Winners Team Spirit SCORES

1. Fury

5. MUD

Fury – Gen Laroche

Revolution 13.29

2. Scandal

6. Revolution

MUD – Ai Fukano

MUD

3T. Riot

7. Phoenix

Nova – Marie-Eve Beauchemin

Fury 13.13

3T. Showdown

8. Nova

Phoenix – Rachel Johnson

Riot 12.63

Revolution – Ana Rojas

Nova 11.86

Riot – Heidi-Marie Wiggins

Phoenix 11.64

Scandal – Jessie O’Connor

Showdown 11.63

Showdown – Rachel Massey

Scandal 11.38

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By: Jason Parker

University of Pittsburgh En Sabah Nur coach Nick Kaczmarek spoke about the importance of failure at the 2013 U.S. Open Convention in Raleigh. Photo: CBMT Creative

There’s a silent myth that pervades American sports culture: failure is inherently bad.

At professional levels, coaches and athletes are paid to win. At amateur levels, teams are expected to succeed at all costs.

Every ultimate team is chasing something: championships, tournament wins, a winning season.

Not all teams reach their goals. Most teams chasing championships or bids to Nationals will fail. My team went 0-5 at regionals last year. It was sobering, and it opened my eyes to the fact that there are just as many teams that finish last as finish first.

Nick Kaczmarek took the coaching job at the University of Pittsburgh following a disappointing 27

season for En Sabah Nur. In a talk he gave at the USA Ultimate’s U.S. Open Convention in July, he explained that the team’s captains understood the need to refocus.

The team had to learn that mental toughness would be vital to their success. The team philosophy the captains developed not only allowed for failure, it required it and learned from it. According to Kaczmarek, “We’re more responsive than a lot of sports communities when it comes to failure. I wouldn’t think this way if I hadn’t been a part of the ultimate community.”

The Pitt Ultimate program has since won back-toback national championships. “Failure for us,” said Kaczmarek, “is an essential component.”

CONVENTION

Through Failure, Athletes Learn to Succeed

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The Paradigm Shift: Failure as a Growth Opportunity Learning from failure in competitive sports requires a mental shift for most athletes, said Gregory Dale, Ph.D., Director of Sports Psychology and the Leadership Program for Duke Athletics. “Athletes have to encounter failure so that they can learn how to deal with it, to self-advocate and to self-correct.”

According to Dale, great coaches teach mental toughness as a fundamental part of the game. “In practice, athletes need to practice in situations where they are failing,” said Dale. “Whole practices, even, can be devoted to dealing with failure.”

Coaches, captains and team leaders at all levels of the game are driving this psychological shift. It’s a fascinating topic, and the concept makes sense in principle, but how do ultimate players, captains and coaches translate this concept into actionable success?

Change the Rules

CONVENTION

Great coaches build and construct an atmosphere where their players must deal with unfair situations, mistakes or failures. Dale suggests it’s the only way to teach mental toughness.

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At an En Sabah Nur practice, you might see Kaczmarek change the incentives of the game for his players by changing the rules. Pitt will scrimmage with a shorter stall count, play on a different-sized field or change the entire scoring system. It works, says Kaczamarek, “because these skills translate into real game scenarios.” It builds mental toughness, and it builds the ability to perform the layers of individual skills required to perform at a high level.

“You cannot learn without making mistakes,” said Kaczmarek. “Mistakes are what allow us to build.”

Change Your Player’s Perception of Success and Failure Youth players are especially motivated to win, according to Dan Raabe, head coach of Memorial High School Ultimate in Madison, Wis., yet they need to fail in order to learn how to deal with adversity.

While the team may fail to reach certain objectives

– like the 2013 Wisconsin State Championship game – it doesn’t mean the year was a failure.

Memorial Ultimate improved this year, despite not reaching the state championship. For Raabe, it is the improvement that is valuable for individual athletes and the program at large, not winning.

The key is in how a coach or team leader speaks with their players after a disappointing loss, especially one that ends the season. It’s important “to talk to them about what they did achieve and the successes that they had,” said Raabe.

In doing this, Raabe was able to change his athlete’s perception. “I wanted them to feel pride and ownership for what they created, and for the underclassmen, that failure became motivation.”

Set Process Goals, Not Outcome Goals “The most successful teams are really careful about their goal setting,” said Gwen Ambler, a captain of Seattle Riot and current vice president of the USA Ultimate Board of Directors. A captain or a coach can’t control whether or not their team will appear in a championship game, but process goals “are in your control – these are things within your power to improve upon.”

Riot’s goal is “to improve one percent every time that we are together,” said Ambler, “monitoring how we’re improving on certain skills.” Viewing success and failure from this perspective means that every game, no matter what the result, is an opportunity to improve.

Tiina Booth never says ‘winning’ or ‘championship’ during a season. Booth is the head coach of Amherst Regional High School’s ultimate team in Amherst, Mass., and one of the sport’s most prolific leaders.

Though the team does set an outcome goal at the beginning of the year, Booth never mentions it during the season.

“The more we can keep them away from focusing on the outcome, the more likely it will be a good one,” said Booth. The more you talk about winning and the more you talk about future points or games or tournaments, the less likely your players are to remain in the present moment.

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Have A Team Value Dedicated to Mental Toughness The term “mental toughness” is common in sports vernacular. Athletes often refer to this mindset as “playing in the zone.” In basketball, jump shooters are described as being “on fire.” It’s the same concept.

It’s possible for athletes to train their minds as well as their bodies, said Bradley Hack, Ph.D., Director of Sports Psychology for the Athletics Department at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. In training for mental toughness, athletes develop the ability to perform at a high level.

It’s often the differentiator between good athletes and great ones, and it’s important to understand the concept of mental toughness and instill it as a value within your team or program.

“Mental toughness is not refusing to lose,” said Hack.

“It is not being phased by anything that goes wrong or goes right.” It’s playing in the moment and not getting caught up in thinking about the outcome of the point, the game, the tournament.

“It includes knowing that you can tolerate losing, or a bad call, or a teammate messing up. It’s really about resilience and a clarity of purpose and team values.”

Putting it All Together Failure can be a motivator for an individual or a team.

After regionals, where we finished dead last, I told my team that I never wanted to end a tournament that way again. And I meant it.

It’s the benchmark – the outcome goal – that we’re working towards this year. At practice, we work to build fundamental skills and are training our mental toughness muscles just as hard as our legs. Like Raabe’s youth team, we didn’t fail without learning something. And like Pittsburgh’s captains approaching Kaczmarek with intentions of refocusing the team, we rallied our teammates and dedicated ourselves to improving.

Team captain George Stubbs, one of the world’s best, frustrated with himself after a mistake at the World Games in Colombia. Photo: CBMT Creative

Our community is full of brilliant coaches, strategists and players who come together regularly to improve and learn together. The U.S. Open Convention is just one such opportunity. I encourage you to pursue conversations like those I’ve pursued in writing this article because, as Dr. Gregory Dale told me, “These concepts can help the weekend athlete as well as the professional athlete and everyone in between.”

We set team values and are pursuing them.

Regardless of how our season ends, I know we’ll be able to reflect on our experiences certain that each player improved and competed at a high level while playing and living our values.

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INTERNATIONAL FLAIR Seven international teams from four different countries – Canada, Colombia, Denmark and Japan – traveled to Raleigh, N.C. to compete in the 2013 U.S. Open Championships, giving the event a unique and special feel.

Clockwise from Top Left: Martin Bille Hansen of Copenhagen’s Ragnarok sneaks a throw past Juan Perdigon of Bogota (accented a)’s Euphoria.

Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos Tokyo, Japan’s MUD faced off against Colombia’s Revolution at the 2013 U.S. Open Championships.

Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos Mephisto’s Mikael Lacombe looks to throw around his Ragnarok defender during pool play.

Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos Team Colombia arrived at the U.S. Open short-handed, but their great play still made an impact in Raleigh.

Photo: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos Constance Rancourt for Montreal’s Nova at the 2013 U.S. Open. Photo: Christina Schmidt/Ultiphotos Teams from Colombia participated in each of the three divisions at the U.S. Open. Photo: Christina Schmidt/ Ultiphotos

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Photos: Brandon Wu/Ultiphotos

Discraft president’s rECEPTION

iscraft hosted a D President’s Reception for the USA Ultimate Board of Directors, event sponsors and Convention speakers at the U.S. Open Championships in Raleigh.

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By: Bryan Jones

Denver Johnny Bravo and New York PoNY are two of the most talked about teams in the men’s division this year.Photo: CBMT Creative

A Picture of Parity. That’s what we’ve seen throughout the 2013

club season. Whether it’s Revolver winning the U.S. Open or GOAT taking the Pro Flight Finale, every major tournament has seen a different winner. In 2012, Ironside ruled the regular season, and in 2011, it was Revolver. For the first time in a while, the Championships picture looks wide open.

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cutter or handler. Look for PoNY to battle in close games and have a much-improved finish from last year.

However, their top-end talent may not be enough to come through the bracket at the Club Championships.

> The Defending Champs Do a Shuffle – Doublewide GOAT’s Jeff Lindquist throws upfield during the finals of the Pro Flight Finale, a 14-11 win for GOAT over Doublewide. Photo: CBMT Creative

> Retooled Revolver Revolver has seen the exit of two of their top athletes in Bart Watson and Robbie Cahill but started off the season in championship form with a win at the U.S. Open. Beau Kittredge is still running amok downfield with the help of throwers Cassidy Rasmussen and Ashlin Joye. Mark Sherwood is also a big defensive loss, but new recruit Lucas Dallmann has already stepped up to help fill the void.

The talent advantage for Revolver isn’t what it used to be when they were winning tournaments with relative ease.

Their strategic advantage and culture is still there which should make them a contender at the Championships, despite their quarterfinal exit at the Pro Flight Finale over Labor Day weekend.

> A Leak in Ironside’s Hull Ironside brought back much of the same roster as 2012, but since a finals appearance at the US Open, they just haven’t been the same juggernaut we’re accustomed to seeing. Two defeats by Sub Zero at Chesapeake and a last-place finish at the Pro Flight Finale is uncharted territory. Their typically efficient offense has been sloppy, putting more pressure on the defense to make up for it.

The upside for Boston is that they still FALL 2013

have some of the biggest stars in the game today. George Stubbs and Peter Prial pack a one-two punch that’s difficult for any opposing defense to control. Jacob Taylor and Josh Markette are potent weapons other teams would love to have. It seems to be an issue of chemistry, not talent. Maybe sailing under the radar is just where they want to be.

> P utting the Pride Back in N.Y. 2012 wasn’t exactly a banner year for PoNY, with no wins at Nationals and no regular-season wins against the top 16. 2013 has been a different story. A surprise win at Terminus and semifinal berths at Colorado Cup and Chesapeake made this team the story of the early regular season. How have they done it? Improved play from the handlers has allowed them to be a possession-oriented offense that has no problem scrapping for every single possession. Chris Mazur and Kevin Riley keep the disc alive while cutter Markian Kuzmowycz doesn’t ever seem to stop moving downfield.

However, the biggest contributor to their success can be seen in the defensive depth department. A host of young players from last year’s squad are starting to see more and more playing time. Their biggest addition is Jonathan Cox, the speedster who is now often locking in on a top opposing 34

Despite losing Brodie Smith, Tim Gehret and Cole Sullivan, Doublewide pulled a George Steinbrenner and went after two of the best free agents available in Tyler Degirolamo and Alex Thorne. Fresh off of their second National Championships, these college superstars have taken their game to the next level. Doublewide often doesn’t perform well in the regular season, but a win at Colorado Cup and a finals appearance at the Pro Flight Finale suggest they’re right in the title hunt again.

Kurt Gibson had an incredible performance during the windy Club Championships games in 2012, and in 2013 we can still expect him to be on the top of his game. He’s recovered from a torn PCL that came from a huge defensive play against Australia in at Worlds in Sakai, Japan last year. He’s joined by U.S. National Team member Mike Natenberg, who had a huge performance at the World Games this summer. We’ll be waiting to see if the finished product can repeat in Texas.

> THe greatest of this year?

GOAT Toronto exited the last two Club Championships at the hands of Austin Doublewide, but this year may be different. After avenging those quarterfinals losses with a victory in the Pro Flight Finale, GOAT is looking stronger than ever. What’s more impressive is that they managed to get through the Finale’s top teams with a roster of 16 players. Mark Lloyd leads the way and is playing his best ultimate yet.

Ring of Fire – Brett Matzuka helps lead a feisty group that is in need of some consistency. They’ll be playing meaningful games in Frisco that will help shape the Championships.

Seattle Sockeye – A win over Revolver at the West Coast Cup and not too many roster changes mean we’ll probably be seeing them in quarters. Just not sure they have enough to get over the hump.

Johnny Bravo – They’ve had a quiet year but have tons of talent.

Additions include Nick Lance, Eric Johnson and Bart Watson to a lineup already featuring Josh Ackley, Ryan Farrell, Jimmy Mickle and more. Bravo in the past has matched up well with man defense, but it’s been the offensive conversion that’s suffered.

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Kurt Gibson – Doublewide – May be the best all-around player; precise and accurate throws with top-end speed

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Beau Kittredge – Revolver – Toughest match up across the board for anyone to contain

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George Stubbs – Ironside – One of the best cutters in the game; incredible field awareness

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> Other Teams to Watch

> P layers to Watch in Frisco:

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Often times, it takes a few years for teams to reach their championship potential. We saw it with Revolver, winning in 2010 after coming together around 2007. Doublewide took several years to put it together for their championship run last year. Is it possible we’re seeing a team that can truly contend? With top-end talent and a little international flavor, GOAT is going to be dangerous in Frisco.

Mark Lloyd – GOAT – Look for a break-out performance from this cutter Peter Prial – Ironside – Tall, fast cutter who almost always has the under and has played more defensive points this year for Ironside than usual

> Predictions

Tyler Degirolamo – Doublewide – Took the club scene by storm with his performance last year with NexGen; we might be seeing the start of something special

Semis: Revolver, Ironside, Doublewide, GOAT

Brett Matzuka – Ring of Fire – One of the better field generals in the game; he’ll be critical in guiding Ring’s offense in Frisco

Quarters: Revolver, Ironside, Doublewide, Sockeye, Machine, Ring of Fire, GOAT, Johnny Bravo

Finals: Doublewide, Ironside National Champion: Doublewide

Machine – Machine has been the man in the middle the past two years.

A semifinal finish at the Pro Flight Finale suggests they’re looking to go deeper this year.

> Dark Horses Chain Lightning – Chain Lightning a dark horse? Well under normal circumstances, no. This team will live and die by the huck, so if they’re on a hot streak, no team is safe.

Sub Zero – Grant Lindsley handled this squad to a Chesapeake Invite victory, but they fell flat at Chicago Heavyweights. Which team is going to show up for the Championships?

GOAT’s Jonathan Martin gives chase to Ring of Fire’s Ken Porter at the Pro Flight Finale in Davis, Calif. Photo: CBMT Creative

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Editor’s Note: The mixed preview was submitted before the start of regional competition and, therefore, before Nationals bids were determined.

By: Kevin Smith

Frisco or San Francisco? With the regular season having

come to a close over Labor Day weekend and Sectionals already in the books, it’s time to look ahead to the final leg of the Triple Crown Tour. A new playoff format features an abbreviated post-season for the Pro and Elite Flights, while the remaining teams still had to battle their way up through the entire Championship Series. the bubble teams sat idle in the final weekend, San Jose’s BW Ultimate went undefeated in a local tournament to knock the Southwest’s Groove and 7 Figures out of the top 16, leaving the top-heavy region with only three bids.

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Bid allocation to the Club Championships was also different this year, with only four strength wildcards up for grabs in the mixed division compared to last year’s eight.

Scoreboard watching was no less dramatic. As many of

CLX captain Kevin Seiler makes the catch despite the effort from Polar Bears’ Adam Raty at the Pro Flight Finale. Photo: CBMT Creative

The Northeast, on the other hand, managed to secure five bids to the Championships thanks in part to a strong season from New York’s newly formed SHUYAMOUF. So who are the teams to watch this year in Frisco, Texas?

Well, let’s just say the town is aptly named.

Southwest: 3 teams San Francisco teams not only took three of the top four spots at the 2012 Championships, they’ve also bolstered their rosters and turned in very respectable 2013 seasons.

Despite an earlier-than-expected exit from the U.S. Open, the Polar Bears rebounded to win the Pro Flight Finale and finish second in the regular-season rankings. The recent addition of Alex Nord (yes, that Nord) to an already talented roster makes the Polar Bears an early favorite to play on Sunday for a third straight year. Mischief, after reaching the finals of the U.S. Open, went on to win both Revolution and the Elite-Select Challenge en route to sixth place in the final rankings. The return of Lori Eich and Tyler Grant add gold-medal club experience to a team with 10 new players that hopes to improve upon last year’s semifinal finish. Blackbird, the perennial late bloomer, also managed to end their season in the top 10, despite some early growing pains. A regional talent magnet in the off-season, the two-time defending champions add key players Karen Ko, Rachel Holz, Adam Farren and Robbie Cahill. Blackbird’s chances at a three-peat will no doubt be affected by a new competition format that sees all 16 teams advance to the elimination bracket. Other teams in the mix: LA’s 7 Figures, San Francisco’s American BBQ, Groove, BW Ultimate.

American BBQ uses height to their advantage against Drag’n Thrust at the Pro Flight Finale in Davis, Calif. Photo: CBMT Creative

the board, their women deserve most of the hype; expect U-23 gold medalists Rebecca Miller, Cami Nelson, Magon Liu and Sarah Pesch to continue their hot streak in Texas.

Minneapolis’ Drag’n Thrust has once again proved they belong in the conversation, amassing a winning record against top teams at the U.S. Open and Pro Flight Finale.

With Erica Baken to generate Ds and quick-strike targets in James Hron and Brian “Strings” Schoenrock, Drag’n looks to reach semis for the third time in four years.

Northwest: 1 team With only one bid, the mighty Northwest is the single hardest region to predict this year. Seattle’s The DOH Abides, Portland’s Engine 45 and Missoula’s Mental Toss Flycoons would all be contenders in Frisco, yet two of these teams will be staying home. Trying to figure this out based on head-to-head match ups doesn’t get you very far either; the three teams have only two results between them. In fact, had a one-point DOH victory over Engine from early August gone the other way, the two teams would have identical records. That win helps DOH enter Regionals as the number one seed, which may be the determining factor, but never count out a Missoula team who entered last year as the four seed and swept the tournament. Look for Dan Shaw to get some key Ds for Engine, Flycoon women to be dominant as ever, and did I see Ray Illian on DOH’s roster? Yes, yes I did.

Other teams in the mix: Wisconsin’s NOISE.

Great Lakes: 1 team Indianapolis’ Interrobang! burst onto the scene late in 2013.

Indy didn’t play their first tournament until mid-August but quickly amassed three tournament wins in just four weeks. Perhaps even more impressive is that they’ve only lost one game in 2013 (a two-point loss to Bird in the cap that they avenged the next day). Star receiver Keenan Plew punctuates an offense that sees him score as many goals as he throws, but how they play against elite competition is this team’s biggest question mark.

North Central: 2 teams Iowa’s Chad Larson Experience reached the finals in both of their regular-season tournaments but suffered losses to the hometown favorites in each one. Getting edged by AMP at the Philly Invite and outlasted by the Polar Bears at the Pro Flight Finale was just enough for both teams to pass CLX at the top of the rankings. Despite depth across

Other teams in the mix: Cincinnati’s Steamboat, Columbus’ Santa Maria, Michigan’s Underhaul.

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MIXED Northeast: 5 teams

becoming the clear favorite to come out of the Mid-Atlantic for the ninth straight year. Taking advantage of Southpaw folding in the offseason, they picked up several talented men who have added needed depth to their roster. AMP appears ready to return to their pre-Southpaw form where they made quarters or better from 2006-2009. But don’t let all this talk about the men fool you; Philly returns lofty veterans Diana Cornell (from AMP’s Donkey Bomb days) and Stacy Huffstetler (from Wicked’s Nationals years), posing big match-up problems for any would-be defenders.

Three Boston teams are poised to have strong showings in Texas. Traditional powerhouse Slow White barnstormed the east coast this summer, winning three tournaments along the way. Their steady core has proven itself as consistent as it is ageless, and the Miller-to-Patisteas connection should once again be in full swing at Nationals. Surely looking to avenge their pre-quarters loss from a year ago, Slow should be a solid pick to still be in contention on Saturday. The Ghosts have been true to their name, unseen for the last six weeks of the regular season after a semifinal exit at the Philly Invite. Though sidelined with an injury for most of the season, 2013 saw Jeff Graham solidify his reputation as one of the best receivers in the country – in any division. Even in his absence, this talented roster has still performed as a top-eight team. With Graham’s likely return for the series, The Ghosts remain as scary as ever. No doubt one of the best teams in an extremely competitive region, they have more to prove after only reaching the quarterfinals in each of the last two years. Wild Card emerged as a new player in the Boston scene in 2012, qualifying for Nationals in their first year but settling for 15th place. They may have taken a step forward in 2013, ending an up-and-down season on a high note by beating top-ranked AMP to reach the finals of the Elite-Select Challenge in Seattle. North Carolina transplants Lily Steponaitis and Thomas Sayre-McCord are just two of several newcomers who have made immediate contributions for Wild Card. An extremely young roster with immense up-and-coming talent, this team can compete with anyone, but it remains to be seen whether they will have the consistency and depth to make a run in Frisco.

This year, the Mid-Atlantic earned back its second bid, and New Jersey’s Termite’s Entourage is hoping to secure it just as they did in 2011. A cornucopia of LSU alumni, local talent and several former AMP players, Termite’s will likely have to hold off D.C.’s Ambiguous Grey, a team that has finally succeeded in consolidating much of Washington’s mixed talent. In a role reversal of last year, battle-tested AG is hoping to play spoiler by stealing a Nationals berth from bid-earners AMP or Termite’s Entourage, neither of whom have seen Ambiguous Grey all year.

Other teams in the mix: Virginia’s Ant Madness, Pittsburgh’s Muff’n Men.

Southeast: 1 team Atlanta’s Bucket has had a quiet year, starting the season with two surprising losses to crosstown foe Southern Revival and going winless on day one of the Philly Invite. However, it seems their struggles ended then and there. Bucket finished the season 9-1, avenging both Revival losses and winning their final tournament in Chattanooga over Labor Day. In a second year with only one bid for the Southeast, Bucket will have to pay heavy attention to both Cahoots and Raleighwood if they plan on qualifying for their sixth straight year. Both North Carolina contenders want nothing more than to disrupt Bucket’s plans, but will first have to get through each other. Head-to-head, the teams are 2-2 this year. Look for 2008 mixed and champion Tim Murray to come up big for Cahoots at Regionals.

Montreal’s Odyssée returns after a 2012 season which saw them win the Canadian Ultimate Championship (CUC) and finish sixth at the USA Ultimate Championships. They started even stronger in 2013, with captain Jean-Lévy Champagne leading them to victory at the U.S. Open, but they suffered a surprising quarterfinal loss at this year’s CUC. Depending on how the seedings fall across the five northeast teams, a potentially under-ranked Odyssée could do damage in pool play. First year SHUYAMOUF rises from the ashes of Bashing Pinatas and Puppet Regime, both Nationals contenders in their time. Captain Seth Canetti and defensive star Emma Stoltze have led this New York squad to semis or better at every tournament this season, most impressively to the finals of the Chesapeake Invite with a big win over Ambiguous Grey. Other teams in the mix: New York’s 7Express, Boston’s The Lions.

South Central: 1 team Cosa Nostra’s regular-season record may not look too impressive at first glance (4-9), but there’s a reason why a losing record can still put you in the top 16: tough competition.

Twelve of those 13 games were against teams that competed in Sarasota last year. At the Pro Flight Finale, they handed the Polar Bears their only loss on home turf, and there’s no doubt a strong home crowd will travel well from Austin to Dallas in support. They’ve also increased depth on both ends of the experience spectrum, adding Tejas captain Dave Street and Texas TUFF standout Ryan Piersall.

Mid-Atlantic: 2 teams Philadelphia’s AMP has restored its stature as one of the top teams in the country, finishing first in the regular-season rankings to win the second leg of the Triple Crown and FALL 2013

Other teams in the mix: Boulder’s Love Tractor.

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By: Carolyn Matthews

By: Carolyn Matthews

Austin Showdown’s Enessa Janes outreaches her Toronto Capital’s defender at the Pro Flight Finale.

Photo: CBMT Creative

Winds of Change Change came in waves

this season with the implementation of the Triple Crown Tour, the move from Sarasota to Frisco, Texas, and the recent announcement of the new championship format. Changes were made across rosters – some of those across state lines and some mid-season. Teams got new coaches and some elected new captains. Strategy changes were made and new schemes were developed. Fresh tournaments sprouted up, and old tournaments hosted new faces. Teams who usually play each other in the summer won’t face off until the fall.

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WOMEN’s With these shifting climates, who will adapt and be deemed the fittest in October? Fury is vying for its eighth national championship and goes into series play ranked number one, securing the regular-season crown with only three losses. Riot and Scandal are close behind and Nemesis’ star may continue to rise. After that, there are a dozen teams in the mix eager to prove their mettle. The Pro Flight Finale saw chunks of Fury’s glacial presence at the top drop into the Pacific. Will one or two degrees of regression be enough to flood the semis with true contenders?

Narayan and Kaela Jorgenson, throw in National Team coach Matty Tsang and a roster of seasoned athletes and throwers and you get a whole lot of championships. This year’s championship is Fury’s to lose, and they’ve proved vulnerable against Riot and up-and-comer Nemesis.

Riot Riot is long overdue for a blue ribbon.

They looked strong at the Pro Flight Finale, securing a finals win over Scandal in windy conditions. Handlers Shannon O’Malley, Gwen Ambler and Drew Johnson move the disc quickly

Scandal With one of the game’s fastest players in Sandy Jorgenson, an all-around star in Opi Payne and World Champion coach Alex “Dutchy” Ghesquiere, Scandal is a force to be reckoned with. Allison Maddux and Kath Ratcliff bring great throws and field sense to the team. Scandal is on the brink of defeating the likes of Riot and Fury, and with a lighter Nationals schedule, fresh legs could run down a finals berth for the D.C. squad. But if weather kicks up, Scandal may struggle.

Brute Squad Brute Squad had a tough Nationals in 2012, but this year they’ve restocked with new talent in Julie Eagle, Leila Tunnell and other major players. Brute likes to move the disc quickly using players like Tid-Bitt (Kelly Tidwell and Laura Bitterman) and Claudia Tajima to get the offense moving. On defense, Brute has a look that takes away dump resets and places a poacher in the lane. This may disrupt teams early and generate some quick breaks for the Boston squad.

Nemesis

Seattle Riot’s Katy Craley snags the disc over Showdown’s Jess Hyunh at the Pro Flight Finale in Davis, Calif.

Photo: CBMT Creative

Quarterfinalists Fury With National Team players Anna Nazarov, Cree Howard and Alex Snyder as well as Lisa Pitcaithley and Claire Desmond from the U-23 National Teams, Fury continues to carry the country’s top talent. Add Lakshmi FALL 2013

and break with ease, making it hard for even the best defenders to contain their offense. Sarah “Surge” Griffith, Hana Kawai and Kodi Fong round out an offensive line that is fast, strong and has big-game experience. Defensively, Callie Mah and Shira Stern will shut down team’s offensive threats, and Riot’s poaches will give teams trouble if they aren’t prepared.

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Nemesis should always be said in the same tone Jerry Seinfeld uses to say, “Newman.” They are going to cause trouble for a lot of teams in Texas. Kelly Johnson, Kami Groom, Lien Hoffman and now Lindsey Hack make up a quick team that’s not afraid to huck it to speed. Their person-toperson defense is one of the best in the country, and as long as they can convert on their Ds, they have a shot at the semifinals.

Showdown Despite a rocky finish at the Pro Flight Finale, the takeaway of the weekend was that Showdown has the talent and athleticism to beat Riot. With a solid core of Cara Crouch, Holly Greunke, Sarah Blyth, additions of Anna Schott and Enessa Janes and young talent like Diana Charrier, Showdown can be a

Scandal’s Sarah Ito competes with Ozone for a catch at the Pro Flight Finale. Photo: CBMT Creative

as the weather and their red-zone possessions remain calm. Their victory at Virginia Fusion was just the thing to break their second-place finish curse and give them the confidence to carry them into Sunday play in Frisco.

offensive flow where the disc moves effortlessly across the field. Teams that can keep the disc moving quickly with bumps and changes of field with breaks and dumps/swings will prevail over those who live or die by the huck.

Dark Horse

Depth

Heist Heist had a great season last year and this year added a coach with collegiate semifinal experience. They have a mixed record this season, but personnel like Georgia Boscher make them a contender. Especially given the new format, Heist is positioned to steal an elimination game from a top seed.

threat to the top four if their heads and legs are in the right place.

Skills for Survival

Molly Brown

Consistency

Molly Brown is still on its way up.

Captains Lindsey Cross and Lauren Boyle, with help from Sally Lambert and Dena Slattery, have lead Molly Brown to victories over mid-range competitors. The return of Tina Snodgrass from Oregon and the addition of Claire Henly from Brute Squad have pushed the team forward both defensively and offensively. This young team has potential to step up against the top tier.

This category is pretty allencompassing and simple: play well all the time. Over the course of a championship weekend, there will be several ups and downs – neither of which should severely alter play. At the Pro Flight Finale, Showdown showed they have the talent to beat Riot, the eventual champion of the tournament.

Yet they finished last overall. Nemesis had their moment on top by beating Fury that same weekend, but they could not sustain the momentum.

Teams like Ozone and even Scandal tend to start strong then falter late in a weekend. The team who can fall back on fundamentals when things get tough will be your champion.

Traffic Traffic already won gold this summer at the Canadian Ultimate Championships thanks to a deep squad made up of Ashlee Davison, former Capital Danielle Fortin, Candace Chan, Catherine Hui and Mira Donaldson. Despite this victory, Traffic may go underestimated in Texas, and teams who don’t expect great things from them will go down early.

Winner Scandal Why? Because picking Fury is boring?

Possibly. Or perhaps Scandal has all the pieces to contend as long

Disruptive Defense An effective clam or poaching defense will stop disc movement and can neutralize deep games. Brute Squad, Riot and Fury each have disruptive looks that they can quickly transition out of if broken. If held, these defenses can halt an offense.

Disc Movement It’s a beautiful thing to see great 41

With a lighter schedule this year, depth may be less of concern – possibly opening the door to teams like Nemesis or Ozone who play tighter rotations. But having lots of good looks and match ups can go a long way even in a short weekend. With a month left until Frisco and then the tournament itself, keep an eye on teams’ disabled lists. On any level of sports, injuries will impact a season. Notable losses this year include Rohre Titcomb and Sarah Davis from Riot and Michela Meister from Fury.

Variables Weather We can hope for upper 60s and sunny, but October is the second rainiest month in the Lone Star State. Scandal has looked less confident in adverse conditions, and weather will make it harder for them and Nemesis to utilize their deep games.

“Spring” This category is a combination of athleticism, grit and confidence. Brute Squad, Scandal and Nemesis are great examples of teams with a spring in their gait thanks to young talent and solid regular seasons. It’s like swagger in the sense that it’s hard to quantify, but you know it when you see it – and it’s hard to stop.

Element of Surprise Traffic played Terminus without their full roster and since then have only played Riot, Fury and teams in their section. Traffic has potential to surprise some teams, particularly with their deep roster of Canadian National Team players.

U S A U lt i m at e

FALL 2013

42

MEN’S

A Winning Formula After writing the preview for the Masters Championships, my friend Tim Strait of Crawl commented that I needed a fact checker as I had some inaccuracies. For example, it was not Crawl’s first appearance at the show but their second. Tim also corrected me in saying that there weren’t power pools at this tournament. Details, details, I say! The quarterfinals and semifinals could be considered power pools, right? Talking with many friends and acquaintances over the weekend, another common theme was teams not having everyone on their roster show up. Did I mention this was a masters writeup? Thankfully, one thing that did not rear its ugly head was the weather. Remember when I said it would be hot and dry? Remember the threat of crazy thunderstorms wrecking time frames? Well weather wasn’t a big issue, except for the outrageous wind at the end of Friday play that hit a couple games and made the last few points arduous. It really was a great weekend of weather – more cloudy than sunny and even a little humidity to complement the mid-to-high 80-degree temperatures. And at this high elevation, a little

Johnny Encore’s Jeff Berget lays out for the D against Tejas’ Lenny Correll at the 2013 Masters Championships. Photo: Jeff Albenberg/Ultiphotos

By: Jason Brask

extra moisture goes a long way. Turns out Denver should probably host every summertime national event!

I also got some static for my dismissal of the lower eight teams, and probably rightly so in terms of, “Hey! We made it here too.” I apologize for any slight, but it turns out that this tournament did indeed end up as a battle of traditional powerhouses from the late 90s and early 2000s. That is not to say some of those ninealist contenders won’t be competitive in the future, but this was a retrospective on a bygone era. Ring, Sub Zero, Houndz, Bravo, Sockeye, Rhino Slam and Chain were all represented in the final eight. I should also note that these teams each came with more than 24 players, another piece of the preview I got flak about from the lower eight.

Friday play went pretty much to script. Each of the number one seeds except Tejas took their pools with relative ease.

Tejas took it on the chin in their match up against Kelt. The Seattle side managed to jump up early and close out the

43

U S A U lt i m at e

game in the aforementioned wind storm – final 15-10. There was some mid-range seed flipping with Slow Country Boil (and their 17 dudes!) upending Ra to win the battle of the Carolinas. Burnside dropped to third against the New York boys, scoffing in the face of my prediction that Burnside would be the dark horse of the tourney. Reckon suffered mightily on day one due to low numbers and a significant chunk of those missing being impact players. They fell to Black Cans & Highlands (formerly Chesapeaked) in the second game of the day 10-15 for a thirdplace finish in the C pool. Over in the D pool, Crawl also had a pretty tough day. They could not pull out a pool play win in their sophomore appearance at the show. They would redeem themselves, however, with a strong finish to win the nineals bracket. It’s not easy to bounce back and win out after a day on which Crawl captain Tim Strait reflected, “We just cannot catch or throw.”

I said the best quarterfinal was going to be Tejas v. Encore which turned out to be a mediocre 13-8 game, so I was a little wrong there. I thought highly of Burnside going into this thing, who then got handled

by Boneyard in pool play, so I was a little wrong there as well. Burnside was, however, able to turn things around and defeat Black Cans in their pre-quarterfinal on Saturday morning 12-10. But their efforts came up short when they lost to Kelt 12-11 in the quarterfinals. That expenditure of effort probably ended up costing Burnside, although they would eventually finish strong, defeating Borderline for seventh overall.

The other quarterfinal match ups were atomic in result. Let’s talk Reckon for a second’. I previewed high expectations for my southern brethren, but I say, I say gosh darn! Them boys came light to the show, and I might note, the crick did indeed rise for them! They got housed by a couple of teams they have Many teams picked up ringers for the Masters Championships this year, including Boneyard, who picked up current Chain Lightning member traditionally competed well against. Their Jared Inselmann (right). Photo: William Brotman/Ultiphotos quarterfinal versus Surly was a nondescript, 15-5 affair. I expect them to get their chip on and rise again. One team I haven’t discussed much is Borderline, a Northeastern team primarily comprised of Canadians. They did yeoman’s work to earn second place in their pool on point differential before getting BLOWN up by Boneyard, 15-4, in the quarters.

I suspect they will be decidedly stronger with a year of experience under their belts.

Surly and Boneyard faced off in the Masters Championships final for the third time in four years in 2013. Photo: William Brotman/Ultiphotos

The semifinal between Surly and Kelt was a great game. The former Sockeye guys and Sub Zero and friends battled hard, as always. I walked over (after my own team was summarily destroyed) to see two teams trading points and awaiting the dreaded, end-of-game error. Alas for Kelt, they found themselves on the short end of the stick after battling to 10-10, only to lose 12-10. It’s always a pleasure to watch greats like Alex Nord, Ron Kubalanza and Bart Watson duke it out on the field.

The other semi was dreadful, so there’s no need to mention it here.

FALL 2013

But I suppose that would be unfair to Boneyard, so here goes. It was an epic showdown! Bravo v. Ring! A hate match years in the making! The home team, Encore, was ready to defend their home turf. The challenger, Boneyard, was ready to chase a title that had eluded them only nine months earlier. The game started like many club match ups with some point-trading. When Timmy Paymaster made a sick grab in the end zone to make it 4-4, I assumed it was just another point in what was going to be a 15-14 game.

Alas, it turned out Encore would opt to be efficient in a 5-15 loss. I believe it was Keith Borshiem who said, “Man, those guys were just better than us.” Those Carolina boys schooled us that day. Our only consolation would be if they took home the title...

I mention the 3 v. 4 game because it had Worlds implications.

Sockeye and Bravo have a long history, so this one was worth watching. First of all, it was quite a chore getting up for an 11am game, and you could tell as both teams started slow. This game was more of a classic point-trading affair, and both sides showed their strengths. Both offenses clicked well to start, and big names showed up. Rouisse, Nord, Paymaster and Monahan, to mention a few, were all working as expected. Encore took half, and things felt like they were going our way until the crazy meltdown at 11-11.

The cap came on, and it was a game to 13. I am not sure what happened (even though I was right there watching), but the gentlemen from the northwest came out victorious 13-11 (saving Encore about $2000 a player – thanks dudes!).

Finals! So SURLY, right?! What is it with this vanilla crew of repeat offenders? “Let’s pick up Bart and have him throw like 18 turnovers (scoobers even), only to have him positively reinforced that a shooter-has-to-shoot his way to the next trophy on his mantle.” I think that boy needs a mixed and a grand masters title now to hit for the cycle. I like his chances.

He’ll bring his act to Colorado, he will age, and he will probably become friends with some girl and end up playing at least one series with her. Then, I predict he carries a Love Tractor team to the title after growing bored with all that young talent on Bravo. But I digress.

The finals was a decent contest between two schools of masters thought: Surly with their savvy leadership and strong handlers versus a Boneyard crew with not quite the handler skills but big hitters and a more sizeable stable of young receivers. It turns out patient experience still wins over athletic excitement. Man, it’s like DoG from the 90s all over again. Still, it was a good game to watch as masters games go.

I can’t say enough about how well the tourney went. The weather was great, the fields were pretty good, and the game times were awesome! Seriously, I have to get up at the crack of 10am to eat and be ready for a 1pm game? That is freakin’ outstanding! Even with Friday’s late games, there were only a couple teams still going when the windstorm

MEN’S of all windstorms hit. In general, kudos to Denver on a great event! Let’s go ahead and do it here every year!

One thing about which I was spot-on is the whole numbers thing. There was no way you were going to have success beyond the quarterfinals with a roster of less than 20. I realize that is low-hanging fruit, but it is interesting to consider that the team with the shortest rotation in the quarters and semis was probably Kelt, and they were stacked with legends like Nord, Kubalanza, the Monahans and Fleming.

Surly certainly seems to have the right formula dialed up for winning the Masters Championships.

ABOVE: Black Cans & Highlands upset Reckon in a hard-fought pool play match up on Friday in Denver. Photo: William Brotman/Ultiphotos

45

U S A U lt i m at e

MEN’S RESULTS

Final Standings 1. Surly

9. Crawl

TO

2. Boneyard

10. Slow Country Boil

1

3. Kelt

11. New York

4. Johnny Encore

12. Flashback

5. Tejas

13. Black Cans & Highlands

6. Reckon

14. OrCA

7. Burnside

15. Ra

8. Borderline

16. Old Stones

SURLY – 13 Jersey #

NAME

goals

ASST

DS

0

Ricky Eikstadt

2

1

Matt Wilken

1

2

Alex Fraser

4

Timmy Murray

1

1

5

Todd Owens

3

1

6

Bart Watson

2

2

3

7

Kevin Seiler

1

1

8

David Kuettner

9

Andrew Dikeman

10

Jon Remucal

11

Mark Enright

12

Randy Gage

13

Dan Kresowik

14

Mark Humphrey

16

John Sandahl

18

Seth Grossinger

1

1

1

BONEYARD – 12

1

Jersey #

2

21

Zach Eastlund

1

22

David Boardman

1

24

Charles Reznikoff

27

Sam O'Brien

28

Sam Rosenthal

31

Bryan Paradise

33

Graham Brayshaw

37

John Chandler

44

Sky Davey

46

Andy Wineberg

67

Benjamin Cohen

82

Brian Rupert

86

John Fenske

Totals

1

2

1 1 1

1

1

1

1

1

1 2 1

13

1

13

1

1

7

12

NAME

1

Sandy Hartwiger

2

Mike Moore

3

Tim Brooks

4

Mike Resnick

5

Tim Lupo

6

Brian Sherry

7

Ray Parrish

8

Josh Mullen

9

Jimmy Mangum

10

Jimmy Holtzman

11

Brian Lang

12

Terry Kramer

13

Jared Inselmann

14

Stephen Poulos

19

Chrystian Plachco

22

Robbye Brooks

24

Kris Bass

DS

TO 1

1 1 1 1

1

1 1

1

3

1

3

2

1

2 1

Brian Gane

27

Kevin Kusy

30

Jon Proctor

32

Bobby Veit

35

Dave Allison

1

37

Nick Poore

1

42

Alan Hoyle

47

Roger Lassiter

55

Trey Katzenbach

99

Datubo Benson-Jaja

2

unknown

1

Totals

46

ASST

1

25

?

FALL 2013

goals

1 2

1

2 1

1

12

1

1

1

12

4

11

INDIVIDUAL Spirit NOMINEES

Black Cans & Highlands – Reid Whitten Boneyard – Brian Sherry Borderline – Pierre Castonguay Burnside – Mark McGhee

Q&A WITH MARTY BAKKO WINNER

Crawl – Quan Nguyen Flashback – Doug Kennedy Johnny Encore – Jeff Berget Kelt – Aaron SwitzeR New York – Joe Gara Old Stones – Dominic Scarfe OrCa – Joey Stewart Ra – Geoff Bell Reckon – Ben Nanny Slow Country Boil – Jason Chasteen Surly – David Boardman Tejas – Alfonso Acosta

Team Spirit SCORES 5.00 - Flashback* 5.00 - Surly 4.86 - Borderline 4.83 - OrCa 4.71 - Black Cans & Highlands 4.71 - New York 4.71 - Slow Country Boil 4.67 - Boneyard 4.67 - Old Stones 4.50 - Crawl 4.43 - Burnside 4.33 - Ra 4.29 - Tejas 4.17 - Johnny Encore 4.17 - Kelt 4.14 - Reckon

Alfonso Acosta (third from left, in white) celebrates winning the 2013 Marty Bakko Award with his Tejas teammates.

Q&A with Alfonso Acosta – 2013 Marty Bakko Award Winner

1. How long have you been playing ultimate, and what got you involved in the sport?

I have been playing ultimate since the fall of 1994. I was a freshman at Rice University, and the ultimate team was recruiting on-campus. I had heard about ultimate, so I decided to give them a look. I attended the first practice, followed by a teamsponsored dinner. I could eat a lot back then, so I was one of the last people at the dinner (Buffalo-style chicken wings). The other two people still standing were returning players who were talking frisbee. They voted themselves the team’s president and vice-president, made me the treasurer, and I haven’t looked back since.

2. As you know, Spirit of the Game is a major aspect of what sets our sport apart from others.

What does winning the Marty Bakko Award mean to you?

There are two parts to this answer.

I was taught by my first captain, Emeka, that ultimate is more than winning and losing. Spirit of the Game was first and foremost in our philosophy. Emeka also explained that Spirit of the Game extended beyond simply playing.

He said something along the lines of, “If you play a game of ultimate and don’t meet someone on the other team, you have failed yourself as an ultimate player.”

I took those words to heart and have abided by them throughout my career. Because of those words of wisdom, I have made friends all over the country and the world through ultimate. That is a reward in and of itself.

Winning this award is a great honor, and it means a lot to me, more than I can express in words.

It is a recognition of living up to the high standards Emeka set out for me and all the other players

CONTINUED ON PAGE 75

A RETURN TO GODIVA At 34, a lot of my peers have retired from competitive women’s ultimate. Given that I started playing in my fifth year of undergrad and into grad school, that’s saying something.

Most of my “peers” are three to four years younger than me. Regular-season tournaments get lonely when your favorite rival team has mostly unrecognizable 22-year-olds.

Needless to say, I was excited heading into the weekend of Masters Nationals. I couldn’t wait to see familiar faces with their newly born, unfamiliar babies.

On the field, I was ready to play Godiva ultimate. Godiva’s last year as a club teams was 2009, after a long and illustrious 24 years that produced nine championships and five Hall of Famers. I didn’t have the privilege of experiencing a Godiva championship having joined the team in 2005; Godiva won their last gold in 2002. Still, I loved that team because of everything it stood for and how they saw the game. Since the team’s end, I longed for its professional, logical, businesslike organization; its sharp-witted rhetoric; and its fluid, well-oiled machine of vertical offense and around breaks.

I played in a lot of different systems both before and after my time with Godiva, but the style of Boston’s powerhouse always made the most sense to me. It was a welcome relief to come back to something that felt so intuitive.

FALL 2013

By: TRACY WOO

Despite the familiarity, there were noticeable departures from Godiva tradition as well. Instead of the usual black jerseys with 3/4 inch high “Godiva” arching over our left front pocket in tiny blockhead font, we displayed “Godiva” loudly across our chests on red and blue jerseys with a Canadian maple leaf dotting the “i”. It was an apt tribute since half of our team was Canadian, having no former relation to Godiva. Friday we cheered, “Capital G!” I think I almost cried. I didn’t realize how much I missed those words until I screamed them out that weekend.

The weekend went relatively smoothly. In true Godiva fashion we were focused, serious, and making no changes with each victory. We did get a kick start into the tournament with observers in our first match against a loaded Atlanta team. Legendary handler Chris O’Cleary was picking our defense apart. I ceased to mark her conventionally, choosing instead to stand straight up with arms overhead in hopes of stopping the hammer. That match was our tightest game until we reached the finals. We won by a narrow margin, 15-13. In the quarterfinals on Saturday, emotions were high as reaching the finals seemed within grasp. I was grateful for the presence of old teammates on the sideline. Shar Stuht of Safari and Shelly Peyton and Betsy Calkins from 48

WOMEN’S Vancouver Stickdog’s Ashlee Davison started the Masters Championships off right with a big bid in the first round of play.

Photo: Alex Fraser/Ultiphotos

Brute Squad. They represented bookends on my career, Stuht was my first mentor, and Peyton and Calkins were two of my favorite teammates from Brute Squad, my last club team. Between points, the four of us joked about player nicknames that could confuse a game. “Tinjury!” Peyton says laughingly. “Pontact! Pontiac!” Stuht yells out. “And as play stops I’ll ask, ‘Is...that your...Pontiac in the parking lot?’”

The game was windy, and we kept the rotation tight to close out the game quickly, efficiently taking us one step closer to a championship.

In the semifinals, we were most intimidated by the stacked Vancouver team, Stick Dog, and the boiling hot turf that raised the on-field temperature at least a good 10 degrees.

We were lucky Stick Dog had been seeded first. They played all of their games on that turf. Fortunately for us, all of our previous games had been on grass. Each point was long and hard fought, though we managed to persevere and come out on top of most of them. The biggest factor was Stick Dog’s struggle against our 2-3-2 zone. Still, Vancouver made the victory tough with their expertise and athleticism. Their height and speed made scoring tough but fun to match up against.

High temperatures turned the turf into a bouncy hot plate.

It was burning a new layer onto the bottoms of our feet.

In my high-altitude haze, I heard the national anthem on the loudspeaker. Cannons boomed in the stadium next to us. I groggily wondered if the commotion was for the

grand masters final. Eagerly, I hoped we would get the same ceremony if we made the finals. It took me about 10 minutes to realize I was hearing the sounds of Denver’s Major League Soccer team, the Colorado Rapids, playing a match on the other side of the parking lot. On the next field over, Baylands Kite Flying Team had a big lead on BH&G. A meeting with Baylands looked inevitable.

Baylands Kite Flying Team consisted mostly of current and former Fury players. For the second time all tournament, we warmed up as a team with the classic end zone drill. Over the next 30 minutes, we went through several variations as Stick Dog heckled us from the sideline, “Change the drill! We are bored!” It may have been uninteresting to the crowd, but Godiva was never one to cater to its audience. In the end, we used one of those same end zone variations to score our first point, giving credence to our philosophy of always being prepared. Godiva’s team mantra from season to season had always been, “Control the things you can control.” There were others too like, “sink or swim,” “bags” and “Are you bwushing your tweeth?” But the first phrase was repeated the most, believing as a team we could reach our destiny by ignoring all uncontrollables. We went out strong with two rapid scores. Baylands responded quickly, and the score stayed tight the rest of the game. We won the half but went down a break in the point immediately after half.

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U S A U lt i m at e

woMEN’S RESULTS INDIVIDUAL Spirit NOMINEES Atlantiques – Chris O’Cleary

Baylands Kite Flying Team – Kate Wilson BH&G - N/A Brood Squad – Emily Elstad Cougars – Shelley Su Dark Horse – Jessica Wilson DirtyXXX – Helen Huang First Ladies – Karin Rafaels Godiva – VY Chow Jezebel – Yelena Onnen Lady O – Rebecca Tucker Retro – Mandy Davis Safari-tarians – Beth Thomas Stickdog – Karen Wright STORMBORN – Merm Rosenbaum Well Done – Marley Steele-Inama

Women largely representing the two biggest dynasties in women’s ultimate history, Lady Godiva and Fury, faced off in the Masters Women’s final in Denver in July.

Photo: William Brotman/Ultiphotos

Eleven-eleven, universe point, and we got the turn. The offense moved quickly for a wide-open backhand to a runner streaking deep. The crowd held its breath and even starting cheering in anticipation of a score, but exhaustion and a slight misthrow made the pass fall incomplete. Luckily, Baylands turned it again.

A quick transition to a score, just past the outstretched arms of a bidding Baylands defender, ended the game 12-11. Our victory earned us the one guaranteed bid to the 2014 World Ultimate Club Championships. It was an unbelievable accomplishment given the teams we faced along the way. Incredibly, we had achieved our goal and perhaps a world championship is in our future. But for now, we bathed in the honor of earning the right to represent the U.S. in international play.

Team Spirit SCORES 4.83 - Brood Squad* 4.83 – BH&G 4.83 - First Ladies 4.50 - Cougars 4.33 - Dirty XXX 4.33 - Lady O 4.33 - Safari-tarians 4.29 - Well Done 4.14 - Atlantiques 4.14 - STORMBORN 4.00 - Baylands Kite Flying Team 4.00 - Dark Horse 4.00 - Godiva 3.86 - Jezebel 3.67 - Retro 3.60 - Stickdog

FALL 2013

50

Final Standings GODIVA – 12 Jersey #

NAME

9. Atlantiques

goals

ASST

DS

TO

2. Baylands Kite Flying Team

10. Lady O

2

2

1

1

3. Stickdog

11. Safari-tarians

1

4. BH&G

12. Well Done

5. Jezebel

13. Cougars

6. Dark Horse

14. Brood Squad

7. Retro

15. First Ladies

8. STORMBORN

16. Dirty XXX

2

Anna Hare

3

Emily Estrada

4

Joanne Chong

7

Sarah Weeks

8

Shana Mueller

9

Kathy Heyman

11

Eva Cham

12

Aura Mackenzie

17

Matissa Hollister

18

Marie-France Hivert

19

Jill Calkin

20

Sarah Cook

21

Karen Grossberg

27

Maureen McCamley

2

29

VY Chow

4

30

Rose Carlton

31

Chris Cianfrani

33

Megan Atkinson

1

1

51

Alison Fischer

1

1

82

Tracy Woo

Totals

1. Godiva

1

1 1

2

1 2

1

1

BAYLANDS KITE FLYING TEAM – 11

1 1

1

1

2

1 2

12

2 4

12

4 1

2

9

16

Jersey #

NAME

0

Maggie Mathias

2

Chelsea Putnam

4

Jen Beck

5

Crystal Davis

6

Amanda Dauphinee

7

Heidi Binder

8

Dominique Fontenette

9

Alicia Barr

10 11 12

Leean Nounnan

14

Robin Davis

15

Martita Emde

16

Kerry Soo Von Esch

17

Delia Chiu

18

Samantha Salvia

19

Alicia White

20

Kimber Zabora

21

Erin Percival

22

Jennifer Donnelly

24

Jody Dozono

goals

ASST

DS

2

1 1

1

2

2

2

Genevieve Laroche

1

1

1

Julie Baker

1

1

1

2

6 2

2

1

1

1 2 2

25

Cathy Erickson

26

Katherine Wilson

1

27

Bryn Martyna

1

28

Dara Linkfield

30

Julia James

44

Maya Conrad

52

Lyrica McTiernan

71

Angela Lin

Totals

TO

2

1 1

2

1

11

1

11

1

7

18

Godiva’s Maureen McCamley extends for a score during the 2013 Masters Championship finals. Photo: William Brotman/Ultiphotos

U S A U lt i m at e

Arnold Sanchez came up big for No Country througthout the weekend, including in this pool play game against Old Line.

Photo: Bob Hume/Ultiphotos

All About Intangibles In 2007, “No Country for Old Men” walked away with four Oscars. In 2013, No Country, the ultimate team named after the movie, walked away with 21 gold medals, one for each member of the crafty team that parlayed a fifth-place finish at the 2012 Masters Championships into a victory at the 2013 USA Ultimate Grand Masters Championships. Eight players returned from the fifth-place masters squad, and 16 were added to form the new grand masters roster.

What was their formula? Interestingly enough, they didn’t do it with the overrated tangible clichés of “youth” and “speed.”

They did it with intangibles: “smarts” and “buying into the system,” according to captain Jim Olson. Before arriving in Denver, No Country had played only three games together with an incomplete roster.

“When we showed up here we needed to get on the same page on both sides – O and D,” said Olson. “Obviously, we had some big names and those guys played as expected.

Big cuts, big throws and big Ds from guys like [Steve] Dugan, [Arnold] Sanchez and [Steve Finn].”

Indeed, to win a championship in any sport, your stars have to shine. Sanchez led the tournament with 11 Ds; Dugan led with 23 assists.

“The story for us as a whole though was a bunch of guys who bought in quickly. Smart risks on O, but value the possession and work hard to get turns and then score,” said Olson. “The offense kept the pressure off the D while we figured out what we wanted to do and who could do what. By the time we got to quarters, we were clicking. We used big runs by the defense to get solid leads in each game, and the O made very few mistakes to keep it rolling. We stepped up the manto-man on Saturday, playing mainly force flick, mixing in some clam. Our D line converted at a very high level.”

“By the end of the first half of each of the three bracket games, we had built a pretty solid lead. Other than a rare hiccup by our O coming out of the half of our semi game against the Colorado boys, we maintained or built on this lead in the second half.”

The semifinal against local crew Yomo Fog Oho was a microcosm of the tournament for both teams. After pool play, all four number one seeds held serve, having gone 3-0. The point differential after day one: Yomo Fog Oho +27, Surly +24, No Country +18, Georgetown Brewing +9.

By: Randy Ricks

The long-awaited Yomo-No Country semifinal match up was hauntingly similar to the inaugural 2009 grand masters championship game between Yomo and DoG, a game DoG won on universe point after Yomo couldn’t hold the lead. Many of the players from the 2009 Championship game were back in this semifinal. This year, No Country handed the offense over to DoG’s core of the last few years: DeFrondeville, Parinella, Simon and Dugan, plus Scrapple’s Billy Maroon. That’s a tough offense.

The teams traded early, with Randy Ricks hucking a long forehand to “Tall” Tom Etchison to tie the game at 2-2. Yomo’s tenacious D, led by Captain Matt Krei, kept producing more turns, but the D line was struggling mightily to convert these turnovers into goals. Witness: after Yomo turned No Country over two more times, they proceeded to turn it back twice on stall counts. Finally, Krei found Jim Nolte in the right corner for a short pass, and Yomo had the first break of the game to go up 3-2. Next point, Yomo forced another turn and hucked it deep to Tall Tom again, who caught it on the goal line. Now it looked certain that Yomo would go up 4-2. Instead, Etchison, who was Yomo’s leading goal scorer, inexplicably appeared to get in a hurry.

He threw a big fake before floating a short pass out of bounds. The game seemed to turn on this play. No Country took it the length of the field to tie the game at 3-3. Two point swing. This would be the first of many frustrating goalline turnovers committed by Yomo. It was the difference in the semifinal outcome. Despite Yomo having the depth, speed and talent to win it all, they didn’t have the patience and mental toughness. When Yomo went cold, No Country got hot and went from down 3-2 to scoring six in a row to take half at 8-3.

Yomo came out in the second half determined to get back in the game. And they did. They ran off a few scores, got more Ds and quickly were back in the game, 9-7. Then Dugan had a rare deep turn. Yomo could go upwind and cut the lead to 9-8. They patiently worked it up-field, using the swings all the way to the 10-yard line. Then came the play that turned the second half around. Heath Mackay, who was having a great tourney for Yomo, collided with Jim Parinella and got hit in the nose with the disc. It happened so fast it was hard to tell exactly what happened. The ruling was turnover. Bad break for Yomo. Yet No Country turned it back

GRAND MASTERS U S A U lt i m at e

No Country rolled to a 15-8 victory in the Grand Masters finals, despite tough defensive play from Georgetown Brewing.

Photos: Bob Hume/Ultiphotos

yet again; Yomo calls time. No Country forces a high stall count on the sideline, and Yomo’s Brendan Pardington puts up a desperation pass with the stall count on nine.

NC gets the D in the end zone and works it all the way up the field to go ahead 10-7. Then came the controversy.

Apparently, the observers informed No Country that the cap was on, game to 12. But they didn’t tell Yomo until after No Country made it 11-7, thus giving Yomo only one point’s notice. Yomo’s spirit was broken at this point, and they succumbed to the deserving No Country squad, 12-8.

No Country had just played their best game of the tourney while Yomo had played their worst.

Meanwhile, in the other semifinal, a retooled Georgetown Brewing team was facing off against a depleted, but then “retooled-for-Grand Masters” Surly team. This semi was close throughout, and ultimately the difference was Georgetown’s O which wasn’t broken the entire game.

Georgetown’s leading scorers were Jeremy Clark and Renzo Verbeck. Their leading throwers were Daryl Nounnan and Dennis Karlinsky. GTB hung on to win, 13-10, and advance to their first title game.

“We lost three players to the Seattle masters team and lost Barney to play with friends on Surly,” said captain Dan Powers, who has continually improved Georgetown since starting the team three years ago, this year with help from Dennis Karlinsky.

A lot of credit goes to Surly. They came into this tournament as the defending grand masters champions yet knew they were losing many of their best players to Surly Masters. They retooled with guys like Andrew Rutledge from Scrapple and Barney Ahouse from Seattle. They were given the first overall seed by virtue of being defending champions, but even they knew this may be a stretch, and fittingly brewed a new beer called “Overrated.” They wore the “overrated” tag with class all weekend and had fun with it. Surly was led by ageless stalwart receiver Paul Anderson who scored 18 goals. On the assist side, they were led by Johnny Hock and Barney Ahouse.

it 14-7, and it was all over but the crying. No Country 15, Georgetown Brewing 8. Your 2013 Grand Masters Champs – NO COUNTRY! “Besides the big names you know like De Frondeville, Parinella and Billy Maroon, guys like Darren Kupinsky and Joel Thompson were always open and kept our O humming,” said Olson. “Big Ds by Bobby Doane and others bought us leads and Fritz Burkhardt covered many talented big guys on other squads all tourney long. Jeff Brown (Tufts coach) deserves props for keeping our defense focused and other teams off balance. There were big plays in the semis and finals, but it was really the buy-in by everyone that carried us throughout.”

2013 was a great year for Grand Masters Nationals. All 16 teams played hard and had fun. The formula to winning the Grand Masters Championship is not simply “youth and speed.” If it were, the continually improving and this year’s fifth-place finishers The Le Grande Tigre would have won it all. The formula is not simply a big squad, maxed out at 29 players, which always seemed key in Sarasota’s humidity.

For example, Yomo Fog Oho had a strong and deep roster of 27 players, but with sparse playing time, they couldn’t get into a rhythm and had a lot of proven winners standing on the sideline watching.

No Country carried 21 athletes on their roster which kept everyone loose and in rhythm. Their formula allowed the team to grow more cohesive as the weekend progressed.

Ultimately, it paid big dividends for them.

Team Spirit SCORES

In the championship game, Georgetown was able to hang around for a while, but soon No Country’s methodical, DoG-like offensive precision started to wear them down.

After taking half comfortably at 8-5, No Country came out and rolled in the second half. When defensive standout Arnold Sanchez got wide open deep, his catch made FALL 2013

54

5.00 - WSUC

4.43 - Sick Hammers

4.83 - Charred Guys

4.43 - The Le Grande Tigre

4.83 - Kingfish

4.33 - Ozark Hillbillys

4.71 - T-Rex

4.29 - Afterburn

4.67 - Surly GM

4.17 - No Country

4.57 - BigWheel

4.00 - BIGS

4.50 - Yomo Fog oho

4.00 - Georgetown Brewing

4.43 - Old Milwaukee

4.00 - Old Line

GRAND MASTERS RESULTS

Final Standings

NO COUNTRY - 15 Jersey #

NAME

0

Brian Nichols

1

Alex De Frondeville

6

Billy Maroon

7

Pete Nevin

8

Jim Olson

10

Marshall Goff

11

Woody Clift

12

Bob Doane

goals

1

ASST

DS

TO

1

1

1

3 1 1

13

Jed Geary

1

14

Simon Verghese

2

15

Darren Kupinsky

1

18

Dan Sage

1

19

Jon Bakija

22

Arnold Sanchez

2

2

24

Joel Thompson

1

1

27

Patrick Trevino

33

Steve Dugan

1

3

34

Jeff Brown

37

Fritz Burkhardt

1

1

58

Steve Finn

1

1

71

Larry David

88

Jim Parinella

3

1

Totals

15

15

1. No Country

9. BiGS

2. Georgetown Brewing

10. T-Rex

3. Surly GM

11. Sick Hammers

4. Yomo Fog oho

12. Old Milwaukee

5. The Le Grand Tigre

13. WSUC

6. Old Line

14. Charred Guys

7. BigWheel

15. Ozark Hillbillys

8. Afterburn

16. Kingfish

Georgetown Brewing - 8

1

Jersey # 1

1

1 1 1

4

4

INDIVIDUAL Spirit NOMINEES

NAME

0

Daryl Nounnan

1

Renzo Verbeck

2

Spencer Reeder

3

Jamie Walker

6

Wolfe Maykut

7

Hartti Suomela

8

James Matsusaka

9

Mark Moore

10

Terry Crowley

11

Jude Larene

13

Dennis Karlinsky

goals

1 1

1

Dan Powers Larry Arnstein

1

19

Jeremy Dewitt

1

25

John Springer William Bartram

1 1 1

Afterburn – Nic Porter

Old Milwaukee – Jim Stearns

29 30

Jeremy Clark

BIGS – Jim De St. Germain

Ozark Hillbillys – Joe Garrett

32

Steve Joye

42

Alex Blanton

BigWheel – Rusty Borman

Sick Hammers – Scott Cilento

50

Josh Feinstein

55

Seth Bundy

Charred Guys – Ralph Lange

Surly GM – Jeremy Alden

66

Charlie Yood

72

Fraser Stanton

1

Kingfish – Kenneth Taylor

The Le Grande Tigre – Trey Paulissen

1

Georgetown Brewing – Wolfe Maykut

T-Rex – Mike Riley

No Country -

WSUC – Gary Bazzoni

Old Line – Matt Foley

77

Donovan Thomas

88

Travis Frazier

92

Justin Hughes

99

Jerry Keister

Totals

TO 1

1

14

Ken Joye

DS

3

18

28

ASST

1

2

1

2 1 1

1 1 1

1

8

8

1

10

Yomo Fog oho – Tad Miller

55

U S A U lt i m at e

YOUTH ULTIMATE SUMMER CAMPS Several locations across the U.S. See website for details.

Boys & Girls | Ages 7-19 | All Skill Levels

REGISTER TODAY! TAKE YOUR GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

By: Erik Wyse

Success in Y T I C I L P M SI

Another quality often found in championship caliber teams, and evident in Atlanta’s execution, was the ability of every player to make plays and contribute. John Stubbs, the only U.S. high school player on this year’s Under-23 World Championship teams, was undoubtedly the ATLiens’ central star, but with loads of collective talent surrounding him, he never had to force himself to make plays for the team; rather, he operated as one more piece, working within the offensive flow. At the youth level of ultimate, where single players of immense talent often are relied upon to do more (sometimes to a negative final end), it is all the more refreshing to witness a talented team content to spread out the playmaking responsibilities. A parallel might be the current San Antonio Spurs or, in the ultimate world, a team such as this year’s San Francisco Revolver: skills across the board and the ability to utilize each player.

Caleb Shorthouse was one of Atlanta’s biggest playmakers all weekend, ending with 3 goals in the finals alone.

Photo: Alex Fraser/Ultiphotos

U-19

OPEN

Defense wins championships. It is a popular motto – teams in every major sport swear by it, building their entire identities around it in the hopes of winning a championship. Of course, defense can only get you so far, especially in a free-flowing, two way sport such as ultimate. For the Atlanta ATLiens, winners of this year’s Youth Club Championships in Blaine, Minn., what stood out more than anything was their smooth flowing, calculating offense.

Indeed, as a team they remained steadfast in their principles, rarely turning the disc over, content to take the easy swing or reset throw to a handler.

Seeing the different aspects all manifested into one cohesive mechanism was a thing of beauty – seven youth ultimate players working off of one another, in tune to each other’s movements, skills, preferences.

57

Atlanta relied on their smooth vertical stack offense to success from the first round of pool play through the finals, but that was not the original plan. “We had intended to have both a horizontal and vertical offense in place, but due to low practice numbers throughout the summer, we were unable to install that flat stack. You can practice vert with fewer numbers, as the concepts, cutting spaces and progressions are pretty much the same, even with only 4 v 4. I find it tougher to teach and install a flat stack with so few athletes in attendance. As a result, Frito [assistant coach Jason Monforti] and I, along with input from the players, decided to go strictly vertical,” coach Michael Baccarini shared.

Driving home the tenants of the vert stack were vital for the team, honing in on the simplest core concepts. Sometimes simpler is better for a sports team, an ethos Baccarini and Monforti shared and used with some of the best youth players in the Atlanta area. “Frito and I were able to keep things

U S A U lt i m at e

The ATLiens’ Nathan Haskell looks upfield during the U-19 Open YCC finals.

Photo: Christina Schmidt/Ultiphotos

as simple as possible for the boys, which was a goal for us going in. Fewer moving parts meant less thinking and more doing for the players,” explained Baccarini.

The driving simplicity of the Atlanta offense had its counterpart in the team’s adherence to a strong manto-man defense. As Baccarini said, “We kind of hung our hat on hard man to man defense, all the way.” The man defense proved strong enough to throw a talented Seattle Kingpin team off their game in the finals. Facing a consistent pressure for the first time all tournament, Seattle forced deep looks and found little success. Even after jumping out to a substantial early lead, Atlanta never let up the pressure, maintaining a stronghold on their cushion and ensuring the outcome of the game from beginning to end. Seattle and Atlanta displayed a marked contrast in style and execution in their finals match up.

Atlanta always looked comfortable and assured, executing the simple schemes they had honed throughout the summer, leaving no room for confusion. Seattle, on the other hand, employed a variety of styles, both offensively and defensively. Alternating between various zone sets and regularly changing the defensive force, there were occasional moments of confusion within the Seattle club.

Likewise, in trying to best integrate their plethora of talent, Seattle may have tried to do too much, effectively acting

FALL 2013

as a foil to Atlanta’s simple strategy. Kingpin’s offense never appeared as in sync as Atlanta’s, and the occasional defensive miscue provided enough room for the ATLiens to take control.

The final factor for consideration in this Atlanta team’s success was their mental game. Atlanta had the right mixture of group energy and composure that the best teams often display. Their solid mentality helped them maintain their early finals lead, just as much as their hard man defense or strict vertical stack. After the team’s first early-season tournament, an open tournament where the ATLiens finished sixth, the coaches had an idea of what the team could achieve. Present were the seeds of something great. Those seeds bloomed in Blaine.

Final Standings 1. Atlanta 2. DiscNW 3T. DeVYL 3T. TYUL 5T. Chicago 5T. Pittsburgh 7T. BUDA 7T. Denver 9. Cincinnati 10. DiscNY 58

11. Minnesota 12. TYUL-B 13. Birmingham 14. North Texas 15. Indiana 16. Minnesota-B 17. South Dakota 18. Iowa 19. Missouri

INDIVIDUAL Spirit NOMINEES

U-19

OPEN

Atlanta – Eli Motycka Birmingham – Hank Womble BUDA – Mac Hecht Chicago – Tommy Gallagher Cincinnati – Ryan Kindell Denver - Joel Anton DeVYL – Jagger Linsky DiscNY – Yuval Pearl DiscNW – Miko Bagaoisan Indiana – Harrison Pfeiffer Iowa – Kegan Wakefield Minnesota – Malone Mischke Minnesota-B – Matt Dunn Missouri – Joanna Zhang North Texas – Ragho Chamkura Pittsburgh - Jimmy Towle South Dakota – Sterling McMichael TYUL – Ben Maxson TYUL-B - Crispin Whittier

Team Spirit SCORES 5.00 - South Dakota 4.80 - DiscNY 4.67 - Cincinnati 4.67 - Iowa 4.67 - Missouri 4.60 - Denver 4.57 - Atlanta 4.57 - DiscNW 4.50 - DeVYL 4.40 - North Texas

atlanta – 13 Jersey #

4.33 - Birmingham 4.33 - Minnesota-B 4.33 - TYUL 4.33 - TYUL-B 4.00 - Indiana 3.80 - BUDA 3.67 - Chicago 3.67 - Minnesota 3.67 - Pittsburgh

Disc nw – 7 NAME

DS

TO

Jersey #

1

1

1

Owen Freed

1

2

Christian Golden

Christopher Carson

3

Dennis Casio

6

Riley Erickson

4

Jack Baba

7

Jack Smith

6

Alex Olson

8

Sebastian DiFrancesco

7

Tyler Monroe

9

Eli Motycka

1

2

8

Cameron Stanish

10

Joe Lavine

1

1

9

Sam Lehman

12

Felix Jaffin

2

10

Rodel Santos

13

Jack Spiva

3

11

Eli Savelle

14

John Stubbs

12

Steven Benaloh

16

Anders Olsen

13

John Kadavy

1

Caleb Shorthouse

2

Michael Dillard

3

goals

ASST

3 1

1

3

1

2

1 1

goals

3

Jack Buckner

17

Grant Mitchell

29

Sam Trent

22

Robbie Farwell

31

Leo Warren

23

Miko Bagaoisan

40

Jay Tolbert

26

Eric Soria-Patrick

72

Rylan Gordon

32

Homer Aalfs

85

Danny Stevenson

1

45

Mikey Sylvester

88

Nathan Haskell

3

55

Jake Ritmire

96

Jacques Perivier

73

Jordon Lim

1

97

Mike McGinnis

95

Natan Lee-Engel

2

Totals

7

3

4 59

2 1

16

13

2

1

Conor Brownell

13

TO

1

Ben Mapes

1

DS

1

21

1

ASST

1

24

Totals

1

NAME

1 1

1

1

1

2

3

7

2

9

U S A U lt i m at e

A Q&A with

DiscN W R ampa ge

COA CH

Chris “Foz z” Fo r s be

rg

After eight st raight years coaching the champion

DiscNW U-19 YCC girls’ teams, Coach Forsberg is putt ing down his clipboard. Here are some part ing thought s

from the perennially successful coach.

1. You’ve been coaching the DiscNW girls’ team since 2006. How did this year’s team differ from those of past years?

2. How do you keep each YCC experience unique and exciting for your returning athletes?

The last few teams have been more athletic than the teams from years past. That’s not to say that those earlier teams were not athletic, they were, but the level of athlete now playing high school girls ultimate in Seattle has increased.

Also, with last year’s team losing so many potential players (8 or was it 9?) to the USA Junior Worlds team, younger players had to step into larger roles earlier than they would have otherwise. This made this year’s team a very experienced bunch, including the return of four of those Junior Worlds players.

That starts (and pretty much ends) with each year’s captains. We usually have two or three captains, always seniors, and always from different high school teams.

Thus, each year, we have new player leadership. Even if I’m saying the same things from year to year or stressing the same points at the weekly practice, the captains put their style and attitude onto each team. Whether it’s at the various unofficial team/small-group gatherings, team name, warm-up jersey design, cheers, Facebook groups, etc. I leave it to captains to make a collection of individual players into a unique team. Further, due to the depth of Seattle girls ultimate, few girls play more than two years on the girls team, so there aren’t too many years to get bored with me saying, “play fast!” “stop the bubbles!” “we win seven deep on the field and team deep on the sidelines!” etc.

3. DiscNW girls’ teams have won the U-19 girls’ division each year at the Youth Club Championships, making 2013 your ninthstraight title. How do you maintain the level of success achieved by DiscNW teams in the girls’ division each year?

Minnesota is a home away from home for the DiscNW girls; they left Minnesota with a ninth-consecutive Youth Club Championships title. Photo: Alex Fraser/Ultiphotos

FALL 2013

I think it’s a combination of factors. It starts with the fact that Seattle has a publicly funded middle school league. Thus, starting in sixth grade, any interested girl at any Seattle Public School has a team to play on, which leads to years of throwing experience. Throwing can only be learned by repetition, so the earlier they start the better. By the time the girls reach the YCC program, the vast majority have 60

U-19 GIRLS

Colorado Cutthroat’s Nhi Nguyen shows off her athleticism against BUDA in the semifinal round in Blaine. Photo: Alex Fraser/Ultiphotos

DiscNW’s Claire Revere manages to stay in bounds during a tough catch for a score in the finals against Colorado. Photo: Christina Schmidt/Ultiphotos

solid throws even in difficult weather conditions. Second, though it hasn’t grown nearly as well as the boys, the presence of single-gender high school girls’ ultimate allows the girls to take on roles that might not be as available in a coed setting. On those girls’ teams, the girls must learn how to be the main handler, how to pull, how to win battles in the sky, etc. These opportunities are not always available in coed, where teenage boys have a tendency to attempt to dominate. Then finally, over the course of the summer, we stress throwing, doing things our way and playing to our standards. Though we went undefeated on Saturday, the team knew we hadn’t played up to our standards. Sunday morning, we emphasized that we had one day left as a team together and needed to play to our level. And that’s exactly what they did for most of Sunday.

case anymore. There are many solid players throughout the division now. However, what hasn’t changed much is the lack of communities sending teams. Personally, I’m disappointed that boys’ club ultimate has grown so much, but that growth hasn’t been matched in the girls’ division.

This year, there were 19 U-19 open teams, 9 U-16 open, 7 U-19 mixed, and just 8 U-19 girls’ teams and no U-16 girls’ division. (Side note the U-16 Seattle girls are dying for there to be a U-16 girls division). Not sure of the reasons, but I’m just disappointed that more cities don’t make it a priority to send a girls’ team.

4. How has the landscape of girls’ ultimate changed since you first started coaching the DiscNW girls?

Final Standings

The athleticism seems to be going up, and the quality of competition has definitely improved. More importantly, the average throwing ability of youth teams has definitely increased over the years. Once, the default in girls’ ultimate was to throw zone regardless of the weather; that’s not the

1. DiscNW 2. Denver 3. DeVYL 4. BUDA

61

5. Cincinnati 6. TYUL 7. Minnesota 8. DiscNY

U S A U lt i m at e

DiscNW - 13 Jersey #

NAME

goals

ASST

DS

TO

2

Mia Bladin

2

1

1

3

TianQing Yen

1

4

Maddie Gilbert

1

5

Tiffany Phan

1

2

6

Jessie Thoreson

1

1

8

Elena Harriss-Bauer

1

9

Michaela Yaman

1

11

Miyo McGinn

1

12

Leah Mulholland

1

3

14

Nina Job

1

1

1

17

Mariah Webb

2

18

Melanie Jochheim-Atkins

1

21

Nikki Bruce

22

Jaclyn Verzuh

2

1

23

Linnea Soo

2

28

Claire Revere

1

1

2

32

Alissa Soo

2

3

1

33

Margo Heffron

2

This year’s team played one of the cleanest games of ultimate that I’ve seen on the youth level (boys or girls) in quarterfinals. They committed a total of six turnovers in the entire game. It was unfortunate that there wasn’t better sideline/write-up coverage as that was an amazing game. (Grumpy coach note – covering a tournament with 43 teams across that much field space leaves a lot of missed action, including an amazing double bid by Mia Bladen and Nhi Nguyen in the finals. It was filthy. The game didn’t get sloppy.

That’s not why it didn’t make it to 13. It got tough.) On the lighter side, the team dance (which was part of the spirit gift routine) was choreographed and taught to the team by Tian Qing Yen (who missed last year’s tournament to climb Mt. Rainier – the girl has a variety of interests). It was great to see who messed up what moves and timing each round. Some of them are much better ultimate players than dancers. Granted, some of them are excellent ultimate players.

36

Sophie Johansen

1

1

43

Ella Hansen

1

1

55

Julianna Werffeli

1

unknown

1

1

Totals

13

13

goals

ASST

DS

TO

?

10 12

Denver - 6 Jersey #

NAME

0

Alison Walker

1

3

Nhi Nguyen

1

2

8

Jean Russell

1

1

3

9

Jackie Turner

11

DD Alter

13

Jessica Kostelnik

1

19

Kaci Cessna

1

2

1

2

21

Meg Henderson

1

23

Hannah Brown

1

26

Caitlyn Lee

1

1

29

Jennica Kelm

32

Lauren Winchester

33

Ellie Cameron

65

Megan Ives

1

1

71

Kelsea Kilbride

72

Belinda Pak

1

77

Poulami Wielga

1

99

Kelsey Bennett

1

3

5

Totals

6

6

5

16

FALL 2013

5. Do you have any fun or interesting anecdotes you can share about this year’s championship team?

62

INDIVIDUAL Spirit NOMINEES Cincinnati – Alora Reiff Denver – Jackie Turner DeVYL – Maggie Hart DiscNY – Emma Chin DiscNW – Jessie Thoreson Minnesota – Jessica Kostecki TYUL – Amanda Maxson

Team Spirit SCORES 4.67 - DiscNW* 4.67 - DiscNY 4.33 - BUDA 4.33 - Minnesota 3.83 - Cincinnati 3.83 - Denver 3.83 - TYUL 3.00 - DeVYL *won tiebreaker

U-19

mixed

t rue team ide nt it y By: Erik Wyse Two teams stood above the rest in the mixed division at this year’s Youth Club Championships – Red Tide hailing from Maine and BUDA from the Boston area.

With only seven teams in attendance for the mixed division, the competition format consisted of a round robin, followed by a single championship game. Of the seven, Boston and Maine proved their mettle, having the best top-end talent in the field. Maine in particular had a small number of players on whom they relied heavily, superior athletes rising above the rest.

Another separator for the two finals teams was their height. Maine was fortunate to have height across both genders, and BUDA had just the right number of tall guys consistently making plays.

While neither team had much difficulty in pool play, displaying an assured control and command over each of their opponents, their own matchup proved a letdown. In both games in which they faced off – in pool play and again in the finals – BUDA won handily. Their success was due to a combination of depth, decisionmaking, and execution. On defense BUDA was able to win many of the 50/50 or otherwise ill-advised looks downfield. On offense, BUDA had the reserve to grind out points if need be, while being selective about their own deep looks. Their adherence to high-percentage looks created a gap between them and Maine.

Both BUDA and Maine had big playmakers who battled in the air throughout the weekend.

Photo: Nick Lindeke/Ultiphotos

Recapping the final, one notices the teams traded the first few points. Indeed, the game was eerily similar to

63

U S A U lt i m at e

their pool play meeting. Of note is how Maine’s studs played nearly every point, on both offense and defense, contributing to an early fatigue which Boston was able to exploit. While the combination of a tight rotation and a loose, gunning style worked for Maine against other competitors, it simply wasn’t effective against BUDA – Boston was talented enough and smart enough to counter the Maine’s firepower. Boston was comfortable playing a balanced team game, having established the precedent from the very beginning of their season.

Coach Ben Feng explained, “We have a team strategy that encourages all seven players to trust each other on offense and on defense. It doesn’t matter if we’re winning by five goals or losing by five goals, everyone plays each point with tremendous heart and intensity.

BUDA is a true team: a group of amazing teammates who love playing with each other.” By the time YCC rolled around, the team’s confidence was clearly high, though there were challenges in driving home the team ethos.

“YCC teams tend to have top high school players on their rosters. However, this can represent a big challenge.

Most players are primary handlers or primary cutters on their high school teams. They are used to getting open on every throw, even if that means making inefficient cuts or clogging space. It’s a challenge to implement a team

philosophy that sacrifices individual touches in favor of team success,” said Feng.

As with any championship-caliber team, there existed an environment for individual personalities to shine out from within the greater team framework. For Boston, the team identity only grew stronger from the collective force of the individuals. “Our leadership and team chemistry was born out of each and every player,” said Seamon.

“Each player had a moment when they stepped up and took responsibility on the field and fired everyone up in their own way. From the quiet player busting out the primal yell to the loud, goofy player calmly stepping around his mark and busting out a cross-field, 25-yard IO backhand for a goal and then walking to the line like nothing special had happened – everyone stepped up to contribute something big. “

Maine - 4 Jersey #

BUDA - 13 Jersey #

NAME

goals

ASST

DS

TO

1

Sage Tanner

NAME

2

Sophie Hulbert

1

1

4

Sierra Bates

5

Callie McMahon

goals

ASST

DS

TO

6

Kyle Megathlin

0

Cam Morose

7

Payson Sowles

2

Emily McCarter

8

Thomas Edmonds

1

3

4

Piper Curtis

2

9

Doug Mitiguy

6

Justinne Guarin

10

Emma Massey

9

Carlo Cincotta

2

1

1

11

Giles Holmes

10

Zach Norrbom

3

12

Andre Clement

1

1

2

11

Greg Smail

13

Nick Plummer

3

2

12

Tannor Johnson

1

15

Katrina Meserve

13

Valerie Willocq

1

1

17

Sarah Sparks

15

Rory Palmer

3

21

Noah Robinson

1

1

1

16

Kathryn Taylor

1

1

22

Cameron Jack

18

Grayson Sanner

3

2

1

24

Elias Robinson

21

Anthony Scrima

1

1

1

25

Emily Rioux

25

Lucy Grossman

26

Jacob Brady

1

1

2

27

Sarah Lynch

1

28

Megan Tammaro

28

Aren Tulp

31

Isabel Clarke

29

Max Swenson

32

Jared DeWolfe

34

Nick DiOrio

1

49

Marijke Rowse

44

Liam Henry

1

50

Ben Smith

60

Caitlin Go

1

1

1

2

51

Zoe Hall

67

Peter McGinn

3

3

63

Krista Marble

88

Dan Bernstein

3

1

97

Henry Babcock

1

5

Totals

13

13

11

7

Totals

4

4

5

15

FALL 2013

64

At a tournament with such a plethora of skilled and experienced teams, it took more than pure talent to come out ahead. Boston managed to find the right balance between individual talent and group identity, and along the way laid the groundwork for many of their player’s future successes. As Coach Seamon was eager to note, upon reflecting back on the tournament and the season as a whole, “By being at YCCs, youth players get a chance to see what ultimate can be. What it should be. And it’s a great place. That feeling and vision propel youth players in a powerful way into their college and club years.”

INDIVIDUAL Spirit NOMINEES Bay Area – Charlie Weatherford BUDA – Rory Palmer Chicago – Maggie Kennedy DiscNW – Paolo Eleccion Maine – Thomas Edmonds Minnesota – Alexa Schroeder Pittsburgh – Reed Antonich

Team Spirit SCORES 4.83 - DiscNW 4.67 - Minnesota 4.43 - BUDA 4.43 - Maine 4.33 - Pittsburgh 4.17 - Bay Area 4.17 - Chicago

U-19

mixed

Final Standings 1. BUDA 2. Maine 3. Minnesota 4. Bay Area 5. DiscNW 6. Chicago 7. Pittsburgh

BUDA’s Caitlin Go catches a goal during the finals versus Maine’s Rising Tide.

Photo: Alex Fraser/Ultiphotos

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T he n o i t u E vol 6

-1 U of

Seattle and TYUL faced off in the U-16 finals for the second time in three years at the Youth Club Championships. Seattle’s win brings their finals series to 1-1.

Photo: Christina Schmidt/Ultiphotos

By: Jennifer Waldrup The face of youth ultimate is changing. In the seven years I have been working with youth ultimate, the players have changed dramatically. As coaches, we are starting to see U-16 players that have played ultimate for two to five years prior to stepping onto the tryout field for Youth Club Championship (YCC) teams. Gone are the days of YCC coaches teaching basic skills and trying to discover the appropriate position in which to place a player. The players of the new generation are coming in with years of experience, advanced skills and knowledge of on-field roles. This evolution has changed the coach’s approach to creating a U-16 YCC team. The coach doesn’t necessarily want the best players; we want the best team.

My first experience with U-16 players came as a middle school coach and Vice President of the Triangle Youth Ultimate League (TYUL) in Raleigh, N.C. I was the coordinator of the area middle school league and eventually became co-coordinator of the high school as well. In these positions, I watched player participation increase before my very eyes. By 2011, TYUL had sent a FALL 2013

U-19 team to compete at YCC on several occasions, and we were excited to find out that USA Ultimate had decided to add a U-16 division. After forming our team, we began practice with an interesting group of players who had varying levels of skill and experience. We had no idea what to expect when we traveled to Blaine, Minn. for YCC. What ended up happening that year was unbelievable.

After two double-game point wins and lots of yelling and pacing by the coaches, we found ourselves in the finals against an indisputably strong Seattle team in our second meeting of the weekend. That game showcased exactly what U-16 teams looked like a few years ago. They were stacked with impressive athleticism and some skill. Each team depended on three or four players for the throwing, and the rest came down to great athletic plays. Spectators saw numerous layout grabs and Ds from players like Nathan Kwon (TYUL) and Mahki Sanders (DiscNW) as well as possession playing from Eli Miller and Sol Yanuck. The game was a perfect example of the juxtaposition that existed within the teams: athleticism vs. skill.

66

U-16

open

Plays like this one from Dillon Lanier helped TYUL’s NC Hammer climb back into the finals in the second half.

Photo: Nick Lindeke/Ultiphotos

In July 2012, I moved to the Atlanta area, and before I knew it, I was head coach for the brand new Atlanta U-16 team.

Anyone who has been around the sport for any length of time knows Atlanta has a great history of youth ultimate.

Area schools like Paideia have been mentioned in the same breath as Columbia and Amherst for more than 20 years. But despite the long high school ultimate tradition, 2012 was the first year Atlanta competed at YCC in the U-19 division. And in 2013, I found myself in a similar position to the one I’d had in Raleigh. I was tasked with picking and coaching another U-16 start-up team, but this time, I would notice a major difference in the players.

In just two years, the U-16 game had changed dramatically.

The players who walked onto the field for tryouts this past March were not the same youth players I was accustomed to seeing. These athletes had years of playing experience and were equipped with all the basic throwing skills. Coming from high school ultimate giants like Paideia and Grady, these players opened up a whole new world of coaching possibilities for me. I was able to choose the best players for each position as opposed to the best players, resulting in the best team. Practice became less about working on basic skills and more about strategy and team building.

Final Standings 1. Seattle 2. TYUL 3. DeVYL 4. Atlanta 5. Minnesota

6. Pittsburgh 7. Cincinnati 8. Bay Area 9. Maine

I wondered if this evolution was occurring elsewhere around the country. I didn’t have to wonder for long. My questions were answered the moment the first game started on Saturday at this year’s YCC. We had the luck (or the misfortune) of playing TYUL first thing on Saturday morning. Within four points, I was certain of one thing: athleticism and skill were no long mutually exclusive in U-16 ultimate. This theme continued into the finals on Sunday where Seattle Dynasty took on TYUL’s NC Hammer in a game of precision, strategy and athleticism.

As a spectator, you saw give-goes, hucks, zone defenses and end-zone sets. If you didn’t know better, you might have thought you were watching a college game. Seattle managed to grab an early lead with some possession play against TYUL’s zone, eventually taking half 7-5. However, TYUL came out calm and composed in the second half and was able to tie the game at 9s. In the end, Seattle pulled out an impressive win 12-9.

The U-16 game has changed a great deal over the last three years. The athletes playing in today’s game are more skilled than the athletes of the past and still just as athletic. As a result of this evolution, we could have easily started to see egos emerge akin to those so prevalent in major league sports, but we have not. Why is that? What separates us from other sports? I think it is Spirit of the Game (SOTG). Coaches place a great deal of emphasis on SOTG throughout training and competition, and the result is clear – the players are buying in. The athletes are applauding good play by their opponents. We are bringing back spirit circles and recognizing players who demonstrate good spirit and excellent play. The team that wins the spirit award receives almost the same amount of applause as the team that wins the tournament. I am still

67

U S A U lt i m at e

INDIVIDUAL Spirit NOMINEES

getting emails from players on other teams thanking us for the spirit we showed during our games in Blaine back in August. So, despite the level and skill of the competition, these players still have the capacity to play with sportsmanship and appreciation for their opponents.

Atlanta – Bryson Levisay Bay Area – Max Orland Cincinnati – Ben Reutener DeVYL – Nicco Chin Maine – Eli Babcock Minnesota – Jim Kiser Pittsburgh – Travis Terrell Seattle – Eli Conard TYUL – Yuma Kobayashi

Where will U-16 ultimate go from here? What do we have to look forward to in the future? I am encouraged as I look around the country and see more and more areas creating organized opportunities for youth play such as the Nike Ultimate Camps, Learn to Play clinics and all of the school-based leagues. I believe we will continue to be surprised by the increased level and skill of play on the U-16 field. I can’t wait to meet next year’s team!

Team Spirit SCORES 4.67 - Maine* 4.67 - Bay Area 4.60 - Cincinnati 4.50 - Atlanta 4.50 - Pittsburgh 4.17 - DeVYL 4.00 - Seattle 4.00 - TYUL 3.50 - Minnesota *won tiebreaker

U-16

OPEN TYUL - 9 Jersey #

NAME

goals

ASST

DS

goals

ASST

DS

TO

0

Nick Tansey

1

Tyler French

1

3

TO

2

Conor Chickos

1

Ethan Cole

Seattle - 12 Jersey #

NAME

1

Derek Mourad

1

3

4

2

Cedric Ith

1

8

Jonathan Phillips

4

Connor Donegan

10

Ethan Bloodworth

6

John Randolph

1

11

Sean Murray

1

1

1

Liam Searles-Bohs

3

4

8

Eli Wilson

2

1

1

12

9

Carson Turner

13

Chathan Driehuys

3

10

Manuel Eckert

5

5

14

Dillon Lanier

3

1

2

13

Max Berner-Hays

1

18

Everett Dang

1

1

1

Thomas Williams

1

21

Lucas Chen

1

2

1

20

22

Morgan Temkin

1

25

Avery Acierno

1

1

23

Eli Conard

1

30

Yuma Kobayashi

1

24

Daniel Mah

1

42

Austin vonAlten

27

Vinay Keefe

45

Rees Braam

Teddy Randby

29

Yuval Arian

64

30

Nels Schimek

2

1

69

Marichi Gupta

1

1

1

33

Nicholas Hirning

3

3

1

1

71

Matt Carson

35

Justin Ting

1

81

Rhys Gretsch

1

Jeffrey He

1

2

unknown

2

Totals

9

9

7

15

77

Jacob Klusmeier

1

88

96

Aldous Root

2

1

1

?

Totals

12

12

6

15

FALL 2013

68

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By: Kasha Patel

Ultimate Infiltrates

the Government Every Friday morning for two years, a group of U.S. government employees from the military and State Department played pickup ultimate on a rugged, torn field in the “Green Zone” in Baghdad, the center of the city’s international presence.

Then, one day, they invited Iraqi civilians playing soccer to join their game. Neither group knew the other’s language, nor did the Iraqis know the rules of ultimate. After some very slow conversations of broken English between both groups, the Iraqis and Americans were soon running down the field together, throwing passes to one another for scores and cheering each other on in the 130-degree weather.

“Somehow, they were able to communicate with each other through the game itself, not because they spoke each other’s language,” said Janessa Gans Wilder, an American official in Iraq who participated in and helped organize the pickup games. “It was the language of teamwork and sportsmanship.”

From left to right, Master Sgt. Mark Copp, Cory Walters and Lt. Col. Joe Austin Jr. prior to playing a game of ultimate at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. Photo: U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner

W

hen Fred Morrison invented the Frisbee disc 65 years ago, he probably did not anticipate his plastic toy would someday infiltrate the government.

Government employees, from the U.S. military to government agencies like NASA, are picking up that plastic disc and bringing the benefits of the game of ultimate — camaraderie, mental escape, fitness and good-humored fun — to military training bases in the United States, overseas war zones and even research centers in the South Pole.

Frisbee Flies Overseas When U.S. military troops were deployed to Iraq, they formed an unexpected connection with Iraqi civilians through ultimate.

FALL 2013

Wilder, who was in Iraq in 2003 after the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime, became a political liaison to the Iraqi leadership to help form a representative government and a democracy. In a way, the games were a microcosm of her larger duties in Iraq— working alongside Iraqis to achieve a common goal.

“The games weren’t Iraqis versus Americans,” said Wilder, who has played the sport for over 10 years in college and city leagues. “We had normal, friendly interactions between so-called enemies. I really saw that on the field.”

The teams were divided, so each had both Americans and Iraqis, most of whom were in their 20s and 30s. The Iraqi civilians learned to throw a backhand and the basic rules of the game. Running with the disc, like in a football game, was initially a common mistake. Some Americans also had to learn the rules, as only a handful had played before. The games did not have a strong presence of technique, but both sides generally followed USA Ultimate rules. Fouls and even picks were called, and stall counts were used for those who spoke English.

Through the passes, scores and conversations, the Americans and Iraqis bonded. The two groups would encourage each other with a thumbs-up, then a high-five 70

Ultimate leagues are offered year round at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Photo: Amiee Quon For a short time, Iraqi citzens and American military personnel were able to transcend language barriers and cultural differences with a game of ultimate.

and eventually a hug. A few of the U.S. military members even bought tennis shoes for the Iraqi civilians who were playing barefoot.

“From defensive positioning to reading a mark and knowing which side of the field is open and who can throw and catch, it all helps to get an edge on an opponent that has superior athletic ability,” said Francera.

The two groups played ultimate together for a few months, but were forced to stop when the Iraqis started receiving death threats from Iraqi insurgents who found out about the interaction. But for that short time, Wilder said both groups agreed it was the first time they were seeing the other side as human beings — and felt like they were being seen as human beings.

He met people from many different ethnic backgrounds, including Filipinos, Canadians, Europeans, other Americans, Indians and some locals. Francera and a few other dedicated players, including some military personnel, even formed a traveling team called Causeway that played games and tournaments in New Delhi, Dubai, Qatar, Philippines and Abu Dhabi.

In zones of political unrest, Ultimate can also provide a mental escape, as it did for players at the Naval Support Activity Bahrain, a U.S. Navy base in Manama, Bahrain.

“Ultimate has helped me survive Bahrain,” said Francera, whose name has been changed for anonymity. Since the protests of the Arab Spring reached Bahrain and the subsequent repression of the Bahraini people, it has become difficult for him to enjoy living in the country.

Bahrain, a nation smaller in size than Kansas City, Mo., has a very small population, and military personnel and civilians are constantly shuffling in and out of the country. About two years ago, military personnel established pickup games at the U.S. Navy base. The group — consisting of enlisted men, helicopter and jet pilots and master divers — enjoyed playing the game for the exercise. They were allowed to bring a limited number of civilians on base, which created a good mixture of people with different experience levels and military and non-military backgrounds. For about nine months, groups of 12-25 people played twice per week on the base.

“We have had a handful of games since 2011 where the field was overrun by a cloud of tear gas, so we needed to pause play since it burns your throat,” said Francera. “We often had games on the base with pillars of black smoke as a background from protestors burning tires in nearby villages.”

The games on the base, which slightly eased the difficult living situations in Bahrain for Francera, stopped after the military cohort who started the games ended their rotation and left the base. Francera and his friend Brad Knowles, a member of the U.S. Navy and an experienced ultimate player who has also played in Florida and Guam, tried to continue the games off-base, but there were no large grass areas available or enough people to cover the cost of paying for a field. The ultimate scene remained quiet for about three months until Francera stumbled across a group of Filipinos

Sam Francera, a civilian who played intramural ultimate in college and pickup and summer league in the United States, welcomed the games. They provided a fun weekly activity and also tested Francera’s ultimate IQ, as he had to find other ways to gain an advantage over the military guys who were in fantastic shape.

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U S A U lt i m at e

playing with a disc and joined the game. The games are very amateur, but Francera and Knowles, whose name was also changed, are slowly teaching the group to not strip the disc and to call travels — baby steps. For Francera, it’s just nice to touch the disc again and have the mental escape.

Playing with Plastic in the United States Tuesdays and Thursdays cannot come fast enough for Master Sergeant Mark Copp, a combat crew communications superintendent at Grissom Air Reserve Base located just north of Kokomo, Ind. On those days, his conversations at work will usually include the word “Frisbee” and might even mention a new trick or throw he saw on YouTube that he plans to try. Around lunch-time, he will change his clothes, grab his cleats and meet up with other officers and base employees to play a game of ultimate. “[On the field], I don’t have deadlines or papers to write. I just catch the Frisbee,” said Copp, who has been at Grissom for 10 years.

The games started on the base five years ago. If enough people are present, they play seven-on-seven and generally play to 10 in order to maximize the number of games they can fit in during their lunch hour. The games are very competitive and physically active.

Above and below: Players with all levels of experience participate in the leagues at Johnson Space Center. Photos: Amiee Quon

“Ranks seem to disappear, and we all want to win,” said Copp. “The bonus is the fitness.”

Cory Walters, a 434th Civil Engineer Squadron biological scientist at Grissom, appreciates ultimate as a way to vary his fitness routine. The lunchtime games require an hour’s worth of running, which is much more interesting in the context of an ultimate game than simply running sprints on a track. “[The games are a] good adjunct to other work outs, [such as] running long distances, strength training, push-ups and sit-ups,” said Walters, who has also been at the Air Force base for 10 years. Walters, considered a “ringer” by some fellow teammates, also welcomes the opportunity to meet first lieutenants, captains, majors and lieutenant colonels.

The game allows officers to team up with enlisted members, such as Copp, and base civilians, such as Walters, in a way in which they normally do not.

“This hour at lunch is a great way to get to know the guys,” said Walters. Of course, Walters finds it extremely satisfying “whenever [he] Ds a colonel or officer.”

The group consists of players with a variety of ultimate experience but still adheres to the official USA Ultimate rules. Although, because of the physically demanding nature of their jobs, they added a rule stating all players must stay an arm’s length away from each other at all times to ensure no one is injured.

“Playing this game, we’ve attracted members from other organizations around the base,” said Lt. Col. Joe Austin Jr., a 434th Operations Support Squadron chief of current operations and pilot who has been a member of the Air Force for 16 years. “I probably wouldn’t have had much chance to meet other people.”

FALL 2013

Keith Bryant (right) started playing ultimate at Tufts University. These days, he continues to play with coworkers at Goddard Space Flight Center.

Photo: Kasha Patel

72

Whether the disc is thrown by U.S.

Soldiers and civilians at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., a heavily-populated military town, share a similar sentiment with their pickup games. Fort Bragg is one of the larger army bases in the United States, so the post is bound to have people who play ultimate, but finding them would be harder without the organized biweekly pickup games on the base.

officials in Iraq or Bahrain, military personnel and civilians on an army post in North Carolina or Indiana, or NASA scientists taking a break from

Civilians Nick Crawford and his wife Sharon, who collectively have over 22 years of ultimate experience, started the pickup games on the base in 2010 when they moved to the area and discovered there was no active ultimate scene. The pickup games last for two to three hours and are open for anyone to join, although the majority of players are enlisted officers. Crawford describes the games as “the most athletic pickup games ever played.”

building satellites, ultimate brings people together for sport and for fun – and just as an excuse to remain silly. And as ultimate continues to grow, expect to stumble upon more

“You have a lot of fast guys who could jump really high,” said Crawford. Some of the players have previous experience, and some are just raw athletes who picked up the game quickly.

Crawford, who is a certified USA Ultimate observer, would go over the rules at the beginning of the games and later take the time to explain a call or a mistake made. The skill level is above average for a pickup game – teams run definite stack formations and occasionally zone formations. Players like Crawford and his wife, who is a captain of the women’s club team Phoenix, often dictate the quality of play.

games in unexpected places.

Chasing UFOs at NASA While ultimate has spread into the military, scientists and engineers at NASA facilities around the United States are also chasing down UFOs, or ultimate flying objects, as they soar through the sky.

Similar to the Grissom Air Force Reserve, the game seems to overshadow the military rankings at Fort Bragg. There are no “sir” calls. All ranks — sergeants, captains and privates — play, but they are dressed in gym clothing with no features identifying their military distinction. But the military discipline still carries over to the field in some respects.

Once a week, teams with names like the Floppy Discs and the Argonauts meet on a field at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Starport, the morale and welfare organization at Johnson that operates league sports for the community, hosts four ultimate leagues year round. NASA and non-NASA employees can form teams and pay to register and play, similar to a city league or college intramural sports league with playoffs. If a team makes it to the playoffs and wins the bracket, they earn NASA jerseys and can brag about their victory, at least until the next league begins a few weeks later.

“The guys are like work horses,” said Crawford. “They help set up a field really fast.” At the end of the game, the military members help pack up the field before leaving. Crawford did not have to ask who was going to pick up the cones, a common refrain after typical pickup games.

The ultimate league, which has only been around Johnson for about a year, began due to the popular demand and is already the fourth most-popular sport at the Space Center.

About 115 players sign up each season, of which half are NASA employees or government contractors. Players are as young as 16-year old high school interns and as old as 69-year olds who were around during the Apollo flight program. The scene at Johnson is also one of the biggest ultimate scenes in the area, as the league also attracts athletes from local elite club teams including Space City, Inferno and Showdown.

Crawford also extended the ultimate scene at Fort Bragg beyond pickup games. He formed a team two years ago with a few veteran and active military members to enter the Backstreet Invitational, a fun tournament a few hours away from the base. The team, called ‘Merica, wore red, white and blue and won the tournament.

Throughout his time in Fayetteville, Crawford was always worried the games would die off. Fort Bragg often had a quick turnaround for soldiers at the post, as many had to leave for duty or ended their terms. Some nights at pickup, they play full seven-on-seven games, while other nights Crawford and the others played three-on-three.

However, the games have continued, and there are always newcomers. After three years of ultimate at Fort Bragg, Crawford is moving to Charlotte, N.C. for a new job.

“Ultimate pulls everyone together,” said Steve Schade, the Director of Athletics and Recreation for Starport. “I don’t see it slowing down.”

While the flourishing ultimate scene at Johnson is still relatively new, scientists, engineers, interns and technicians at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., have been playing pickup games for 27 years, and they’re still going. After so many years, the Goddard ultimate culture is filled with tradition, jokes and a grueling game sometimes followed by beer — it’s like playing with a more intellectual version of your college team.

“It’s one of the sad things that I’m leaving that ultimate scene,” said Crawford. However, pickup will continue, as Crawford passed the cones to another civilian to make sure the games carry on.

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U S A U lt i m at e

‘Merica, an extension of the play at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., won the Backstreet Invitational, their first tournament together, several years ago. Photo: Rick Oelfkev

Al Kogut has been playing ultimate at Goddard for 26 years with the Goddard Ultimate Frisbee Club. The club, which is required to have a constitution and elected officers and has no fees, is one of many special hobby clubs at Goddard for interested employees to join.

After work, scientists, engineers and a few non-NASA employees meet up for a round of ultimate that typically lasts between two and three hours. The age group ranges from young interns to veteran ultimate players in their 50s.

The pickup games are not immensely competitive, but the players have a decent level of skill, especially since a majority of people played in college.

“The games are pretty good quality – most of the players are quite experienced,” said Kogut, who played pickup games at Princeton University and club games at California-Berkeley before coming to Goddard. “People are friendly, and while there is heckling, it is always in a good nature.”

give everyone a thumbs up and drove home. He ate the weenie pie that year.

Before the games began in 1987, hardly any of the players knew one another. Since that time, not only have the players gained a lot of friends, but they have created a lot of memories. Like that time when a defender, burned on a long cut to the end zone, turned around and mooned the guy who burned him. Or the time a few of them played ultimate on a frozen lake, after drilling a hole in the ice to make sure it was strong enough to run on, of course. Or the time when Kogut traveled to the South Pole for astrophysics research and played threeon-three ultimate during a break.

“There’s no doubt about it,” said Keith Bryant, a Principal Scientific Software Developer who played ultimate at Tufts University. “We’re definitely addicted.”

The official rules of ultimate are respected; picks, fouls and stalls are often called, but the defense might not necessarily define the force. However, if a disc is dropped on the pull, someone will most likely yell, “Ugly!” If someone misses a catch, you might hear, “He didn’t want it!” referring to the club’s motto: You don’t have to have it. You just have to want it.

Perhaps one of the club’s biggest forms of off-field entertainment is the annual voting of Weenie of the Year.

Weenie of the Year, as invented 19 years ago by Kogut, is a designation given to someone who inconsistently attends the games but is expected to regularly show up — basically, light-heartedly calling out those who skip for no reason. At the end-of-season party, the elected weenie must eat the fabled weenie pie, a pizza covered with cold, slimy miniature Vienna sausages.

Del Jenstrom holds the distinction of earning the most titles, having been elected five times. One year, Jenstrom, who has been at NASA for nearly 24 years, drove by the ultimate field during one of the games, slowed down to FALL 2013

Brian Wright, left, and Andrew Robinson fight for a disc during a game of ultimate at Grissom Air Reserve Base. Robinson is a son of Capt. Chris Robinson, 72nd Air Refueling Squadron assistant flight commander, and Wright is a Grissom combat readiness technician. Photo: U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner

74

Q&A WITH MARTY BAKKO WINNER (continued from p47) he mentored. It is also a tribute to Emeka and all the other mentors who keep the Spirit of the Game alive by teaching it to the next generations.

The second part of my answer is more personal. I have had a few “life” challenges outside of ultimate. Most recently, this past April, I had a bad accident where a shattered glass bowl cut nine tendons, two nerves and an artery in my right (dominant) hand. Although I have been working hard and seeing improvements, my hand has been mostly paralyzed ever since. The timing of any accident is never good, but this one happened in the middle of training for what seems like one of a few ultimate seasons left in my career. It happened before final cuts were made for my team and not long before Regionals and Nationals. I talked with the captains, offering to gladly give up my spot if they needed it for another player to help us qualify for Worlds 2014. In the end, they decided to keep the last roster spot for me. After a few more discussions with them and my wife, I decided to go to Nationals. It was not an easy decision. I wasn’t sure how being at Nationals without being able to play would affect me. I am a positive person, but emotions from the accident were still raw.

Nationals was the first tournament I attended afterward, so I expected the seriousness of my injury to really hit home.

Being nominated by my team for the Spirit Award meant a lot to me, and receiving the Marty Bakko Award was a huge shining light at a time when it meant the most to me.

Photo: Jeff Albenberg/Ultiphotos

• Winning the C division at Poultry Days with the Rice alumni team two years in a row.

• Playing in costume at Harvest Moon in Little Rock, Ark. • Running trick plays as a new college team against teams that were crushing us • Throwing no-look throws through the cup to break a zone • Throwing a disc with a friend between the ruins at Machu Picchu • Playing with Don Tom • Eating crawfish in the parking lot of our hotel at an “impromptu” crawfish boil at the Mardi Gras tournament

3. What are some of your favorite ultimate memories?

4. What are some of the biggest and best changes you’ve seen across the sport since you began playing?

• Rice Cloud 9 making College Nationals in ‘97 and ‘98 and winning the Spirit Award both times.

• The fact that kids are playing from a much younger age, which has really raised the level of ultimate across the board. It has also helped spread top-tier talent geographically.

• Any of the years I played at Paganello in Italy with No Tsu Oh • Traveling to Scotland, Australia and Hawaii for Worlds (Houndz, Doublewide, Otis)

• Ultimate players embracing the roles of coaches and mentors at all levels

• Playing with the flying Nones at Potlatch (Nones On Ice) and Bozo-Fest (This is None-al Tap)

• The mixed division flourishing to the point where it is attracting and keeping top-level talent (would like to see this continue)

• Driving to Alaska and finding ultimate connections and a fun tournament up there; being recognized a year or two later at Potlatch as one of “those Texas guys” by the Alaska team.

• The sheer growth in numbers of people playing ultimate

• Pretty much the whole team dying our hair crazy colors for Payasos Con Pistolas at Nationals.

• The addition of ultimate to the World Games

• 30-hour drive in a 15-passenger van to play at the Stanford invite...twice.

5. After a long career, what keeps you coming back to play?

• The growth of beach ultimate I love the game and the competition, but the biggest reasons to keep playing are the friends I have made over the years.

I am pretty close to most of the guys on my team, but the support I have received from them over the years has been astounding. Ultimate has introduced me to some of my closest lifelong friends.

• Convincing people a 30-hour drive to play in a tournament was a good idea.

• Rolling out of a tent on the beach and body surfing before games at Kaimana Classic 75

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Advanced speed, strength and conditioning training tipS

ABOVE THE COMPETITION

Linear Speed Mechanics: Acceleration

BY

Tim Morrill, M.A., CSCS, HFS Owner of Morrill Performance & Explosive Ultimate

The time has come to discuss linear speed: beating your defender to the disc. In the last two editions of Above the Competition, we introduced the concepts of IFP, OFP and drills such as the Serpentine and 300 Shuttle for agility development. In these drills, a change of direction step occurs (Jab Step or Crossover), followed by a getaway step. The getaway step represents the first step in which your hips have turned toward the direction of your new target and you are now running in a straight line. This straight-line sprinting can be improved by developing Linear Speed Mechanics.

season by weight training (Olympic lifting and functional training) is critical for you to live up to your potential as an ultimate player. Refer to Above the Competition 2010 for strength and power training tips.

Acceleration Mechanics – The Big Three 1. Body Angle: The steeper and more rigid you can make your body without falling over, the greater potential you will have to accelerate.

Think about this in terms of simple physics. If you apply force straight down vertically, you will jump straight up. If you apply force horizontally, you will lay out. Acceleration is found somewhere in between vertical and horizontal force vectors.

Linear speed can be broken down into acceleration and top end speed. Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity that allows you to achieve maximum speed in the shortest amount of time. Top end speed is the point at which you reach peak velocity (Morrill, 2013). Due to the field size and frequent change of direction in ultimate, acceleration occurs significantly more often than top end speed. If you accelerate faster than your defender, you’ve created a gap, allowing you to get to the disc first. The greater the gap, the lower the chance your defender will make a play.

- Drill: Tall-Falls: Use a partner to create a 45-degree body angle. There should be a straight line from your head through to your ankles. Your partner will count down from three, drop you and move out of the way. You should feel as if you are going to fall on your face. Aggressively push hard into the ground for 10 yards. Cue yourself to forcefully push the ground behind you. (Figure 2) 2. Arm Action: The harder you punch your elbows back, the faster your body will be forced to move forward.

Simply stated, the main way to improve acceleration is to apply more force into the ground. The capacity to produce force can be enhanced via strength and power training.

Therefore, putting in the hard work in the off FALL 2013

- Drill: Partner Arm Action: Your partner will place their hands just high enough to challenge your mobility. Keeping your belly tight and your 76

- Drill: Sprinters Skip: In a skipping pattern, cue knee up, toe up and 90-degree arm angles.

Forcefully push into the ground.

elbows locked at 90 degrees, move from the shoulders and hammer back into your partner’s hands for 20 seconds. (Figure 3)

Summary

3. Leg Action: Thigh separation refers to the distance between the thighs. The greater the thigh separation, the longer the stride length and, therefore, the greater potential for speed. Front side leg action (lead leg) involves utilizing the cue knee up, toe up. Back side leg action (push leg) involves efficient use of the glutes and hamstrings accompanied with adequate hip flexor length in order to reach full hip extension. This is the reason too much sitting can be detrimental to performance. The short, tight hip flexors developed by sitting can decrease your ability to reach full hip extension. If you work a desk job consider routine hip flexor stretching and bridging throughout the day.

1

In order to develop your acceleration potential, you must develop the capacity to apply force into the ground (e.g., weight-room training) while developing adequate linear speed mechanics.

The development of great mechanics involves body angle, arm action and leg action. Although acceleration should take precedent over top end speed, ultimate players should have an understanding of how acceleration mechanics differ from top end speed mechanics. In our next issue, we will take on top end speed mechanics. Utilizing the concepts of IFP, OFP, acceleration mechanics and top end speed mechanics will set you on a path toward rising Above the Competition!

2

3

Figure 1. Sub Zero’s Logan Weiss – Acceleration Mechanics. Notice the straight line from the head through to the ankle, the significant body lead, 90-degree arm angles and knee up, toe up on the front side and great extension on the back side.

4

Figure 2. Ken Porter and Katy Harris demonstrate the Tall-Fall Drill at a Morrill Performance clinic. Notice the rigid torso and straight line from head to toe.

Figure 3. Machine’s Charles Hubbard demonstrates the partner arm action drill.

Figure 4. Tim Morrill demonstrates the Sprinters Skip for arm action and thigh separation. This is a great drill to use in your warm ups!

References: Morrill, T. P. (2013) Chapter 3 - Speed. The Foundation: Strength, Power, Speed, Agility.

Editor’s Note: Above the Competition 2010 can be found in the USA Ultimate magazine archives online at usaultimate.org.

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Athlete-specific nutritional infor­mation to help you perform your best

NUTRITION MATTERS Healthy Eating Habits for High Performance

BY

Katy Harris, MSPH, CSCS Lifestyle Educator, Phoenix, NC Ultimate

sooner you start, the better. These habits help your body get the quality nutrients it needs, in the right amounts, at the right times. Not only will your performance improve, but the advances in your health will last a lifetime.

You are in the height of the season – chemistry building, emotions flying, personalities clashing – everything is like one big dream with only your teammates included. Playing, laughing, eating, sleeping, working tirelessly toward your team’s goals. One day you feel great – feel like you have it all figured out, you’re playing well, getting faster, stronger. The next, you may struggle to fit it all in – life, training and workouts, practice and three or four out-of-town tournaments all in the span of a little more than a summer.

Eating Habits for High Performance 1. Balance Nutrient Groups • Eat each nutrient group at each meal – lean protein sources, healthy carbohydrates and good fats. This allows the food to mix in your stomach, slowly releasing carbohydrates over a three-to-four hour period and ensuring you get all the nutrients needed each day.

Of course, we think we’re used to a rigorous athletic schedule, but unfortunately and all too often, we don’t think about good nutrition until late in our careers. But it matters every step of the way – both for performance and health.

Some experts say good nutrition can affect your performance up to 15 percent.

• Healthy carbohydrates should be about 60 percent of the plate. Sources should be varied, including some fruits and vegetables, whole grain carbohydrates, grain/legume combinations, dairy, natural soda, juice and/or electrolyte drink and some small desserts (e.g., dark chocolate with nuts). Healthy carbohydrates contain fiber which prevents blood sugar highs and lows.

To get that 15 percent improvement, all you need to do is follow a few good habits. Actually developing good habits can take years, so the

• Lean protein should be about 20-25 percent of the plate. Complete sources of protein contain all 20 essential amino acids, of which our bodies produce only 11, and include meat, fish, poultry, shellfish, game, etc. (90 percent lean or above).

Protein provides the building blocks of all cells and is essential to health and performance.

More protein is needed if you do strength and/ or power training in addition to ultimate.

• Good fats should be about 15-20 percent of the plate. Sources include nuts, oil, olives, avocados, flax seed, butter and buttermilk, hummus, etc.

These fats are liquid at room temperature and are necessary for cell membranes, lubrication Photo: CBMT Creative

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protein sources include all 20 necessary amino acids, and it is essential for your performance and health to consume roughly your needed protein requirements on a daily basis. It is best to contact a professional to help you determine your protein requirements and how you will meet them. Lean sources are the healthiest and most effective way to meet your protein needs and include beef (93 percent lean or above), chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, venison, bison, ostrich and eggs. Soy and dairy and some legume and grain/ legume combinations are also complete proteins (e.g., peanut butter and bread, beans and rice), but they are not ‘lean’ sources due to their carbohydrate content. Vegetarians in particular should seek the advice of a professional before starting a rigorous strength training schedule, as consuming more of certain legumes is needed to absorb the amount of protein necessary to maintain your health.

of the joints and proper function of the immune and nervous systems.

2. Eat Whole Foods • Whole foods, including whole grain carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources and healthy fats, should be the basis of any healthy diet. These foods provide fiber, nutrients and anti-oxidants and have antiinflammatory properties to boost the immune system and promote recovery.

• Whole grain carbohydrates provide energy to all cells in the body and support our activity.

In order of amount of carbohydrate content, sources at each meal could include: a. nutrient-dense veggies like squash and zucchini, greens, broccoli, etc., b. starchy veggies like corn and potatoes, c. fruit, d. g rain/legume combinations (e.g., whole grain bread and nut butter), e. legumes (e.g., beans and rice), f. d airy as tolerated from full-fat sources, 100 percent juices, and fluids and sports drinks at appropriate times and in appropriate amounts for ultimate (see Replace Fluids below).

• Healthy fats provide cell membranes and improve brain function, among other essential functions. Healthy sources include nuts, oils at room temperature (olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, etc.), butter and buttermilk (avoid margarine which is all trans-fat), olives, avocado, flax seed and hummus.

A focus on nutrient-dense vegetables as the only sources of carbohydrates promotes fat burning, whereas all sources are commonly needed at each meal for leaner athletes.

• Fruits and veggies provide carbohydrates for energy, antioxidants and fiber to support a healthy gut and hormone levels. Each meal should always contain some nutrient-dense veggies if possible. These foods provide many nutrients but are low in calories.

• Lean, complete protein in provides the building blocks for all cells and muscle mass. Complete

Photo: CBMT Creative

Table 1: Summary of Whole Food Sources and Benefits Food

Sources

Benefit

Whole Foods

Unpackaged, raw foods that come from an animal, plant, fungus or other naturally-occurring food

Low-glycemic; high-fiber; anti-inflammatory

Whole grain carbohydrates

Nutrient-dense veggies, starchy veggies, fruit, dairy, whole grains, legumes, 100% juice

Energy for all cells, activity; and stress; low-glycemic; high-fiber; anti-inflammatory; muscle-sparing

Complete Protein: Lean Sources

Meat, fish, shellfish, game, eggs

Muscle-promoting; anti-inflammatory

Complete Protein: Non-lean sources

Legumes (beans and rice), grain/legume combinations (black beans and flour, refried beans and corn), soy, dairy

Provide additional complete protein sources as well as carbohydrates; low-glycemic; high fiber; anti-inflammatory

Good Fats

Nuts, oil, avocados, olives, hummus, dairy (butter, buttermilk)

Promote new muscle cell growth; provide lubrication; anti-inflammatory

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3. Eat Enough and On Time.

• Eat enough protein and calories for your body and sport. Ultimate is a strength and power sport, and many players also train aerobically, so both carbohydrate and protein needs are high.

More healthy carbohydrates and/or protein are necessary to support a high metabolic rate, stress or activity. Fewer calories may be needed from carbohydrates and more protein and veggies to promote fat burning.

• Eat and drink within an hour of waking up and every 2-4 hours, and try to get 2/3 your calories before 5pm. Replacing what is lost overnight is essential to recovery, and eating often allows the body to get what it needs on time. Not consuming enough healthy nutrients throughout the day could delay recovery, lessen training effects and/ or lead to overtraining.

• Eat mostly healthy carbs prior to a workout or game to ensure digestion. It takes approximately 15-20 minutes for the heart rate to exceed 70 percent of its maximum, where blood leaves the stomach and goes to the extremities, so before a practice, game, or tournament, consume the relative amount of carbohydrate and protein needed based on how long it will be until you reach 70% of your maximum heart rate. For example, eat one gram of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight one hour before a workout, two g/kg two hours before, etc. (see Table 3 below).

• After a game, workout or tournament, eat a snack or meal within 20 minutes to two hours to enhance recovery. All cells, especially muscle cells, are more absorbent of carbohydrates that will be ‘locked’ into the muscle after exercise, and the bloodstream is also slightly more absorbent of protein, so missing this window on a regular basis can lessen your training effects and lead to poor health. If it takes you longer than normal to return to a normal appetite after workouts or games, especially in the heat, try to get in the habit of cooling down as soon as possible.

Take a cold shower or use cold compresses on your head, hands and feet. The sooner you can cool down and return to a normal appetite, the sooner you can absorb the nutrients you need to promote recovery. Make sure to include protein after a strength or sprint workout.

4. Replace Fluids • Constantly replace fluids and electrolytes as needed to avoid voluntary dehydration. Fluid consumption is essential to performance, and thirst typically indicates dehydration, so regular drinking throughout the day and during competition ensures you are consuming enough.

An easy rule of thumb is to consume 1/2 your weight in ounces each day, not including workouts or caffeinated beverages. Fluids should be palatable, however soft drinks and caffeinated beverages should be avoided due to their dehydrating properties. Plain water is preferred by some athletes, but fresh lemon, lemon or lime juice, fruit, a splash of 100 percent fruit juice and/ or seltzer water are tasty additions.

• During competition, the body absorbs about 8-11 ounces efficiently, but less or more is not absorbed as efficiently. Therefore it is important to do more than just take sips during water breaks.

Athletes training or performing in the heat must consume fluids every 15 minutes and replace the ounces lost in weight following exercise to avoid voluntary dehydration, overheating and high heart rate. Consuming some carbohydrates also increases absorption and can help maintain blood sugar levels.

• Most athletes training for sports, including ultimate, need electrolytes as well as water on a daily basis to replace what is lost during training. Electrolytes are the sodium, chloride and potassium needed for every muscle contraction, and low levels must be replaced. Gatorade and commercial sports drinks should typically be consumed only during competition due to dyes and high sugar content.

It is best to rely largely on coconut water and juice, soups or Celtic sea salt to meet electrolyte needs.

Table 2: Carbohydrate and Protein Consumption Prior to Exercise References:

Time Prior Carbohydrates Protein to Exercise 1 hour

1gram/kg body weight

1/4 of normal meal portion

2 hours

2 gram/kg body weight

1/2 of normal meal portion

3 hours

3 gram/kg body weight

3/4 of normal meal portion

4 hours

4 gram/kg body weight

Full meal portion

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http://www.necc.mass.edu/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ ath-plans-for-athletes.pdf http://www.ohio.edu/people/hoffmar1/every%20day%20 nutrition%20vs%20game%20day%20nutrition.pdf Hartwig, Dallas and Melissa (2012). It Starts with Food. Victory Belt Publishing.

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CLEATS & CONES U U LTIMATE DRILLS AND SKILLS BY

CUTTING

LTICOACH

Cutting

Movement, or cutting on the ultimate field, creates the flow needed on any given point to score a goal. It is the aim of any ultimate team to have all 7 players cutting on the field with a purpose. While each player is working individually to beat his/her check, it is also important to work together as a unit to create space and create open cutting lanes for teammates.

Key Concepts for Strong Cutting Whether you are a handler or a cutter in the lanes, there are several keys that can be used in both situations to be succesful. Go 100 percent! All cuts need to be, or at least should appear to be, viable options for the thrower. This will engage and force the defender to cover you, making it much easier to gain separation with a change of direction cut. Focus on footwork and body control. Use small ‘chop’ steps to slow down, keep your weight centered over your feet and hips, and drive your arms foward as you are accelerating out of your cut.

Focus For Each Development Level BEGINNER

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

Focus on running at full speed before you start your cut and maintaining balance as you change directions. Remember to keep your head up and eyes on the field to find the open space and recieve the pass.

Continue working on the mechanics while focusing on minimizing the amount of time and steps it takes you to slow down and change direction. Work on being able to change direction quickly without sacrificing balance.

Seeing the play and adjusting your cuts to where the disc is and where your defender is will increase your ability to cut at a high level.

Changing directions when your defender is close to you will give you the best opportunity to get open; wait for these moments and react quickly.

ABOUT THE BEGINNER DRILL

ABOUT THE INTERMEDIATE DRILL

ABOUT THE ADVANCED DRILL

As with any skill, learning the basics well and practicing strong fundamentals will provide you with the tools to succeed. This simple cut, when done sharply and at full speed, will give any ultimate player the basic framework to get open on all areas of the field.

Actively attacking the up-line cut will open up the swing pass to the middle of the field. Do all the cuts at 100 percent. if you don’t, your defender will have an easy time in coverage come game time. The thrower should use a disc fake a second before each change of direction by the cutter to help ‘sell’ the cut and move the mark to create an easier throw.

Truly great cutters can read the field and keep track of the disc’s position while cuting at full speed. Use this drill to get comfortable turning your head while running and adjusting your cutting direction on the fly depending on disc position.

Grind the Lanes

6 10+

Sideline Handler

1 2-4

B

USEFUL FOR: ● Sharp change of direction, footwork, cutting METHOD: ● After throwing go to cutting line ● After cutting go to throwing line PERFORMANCE TIPS: ● Always run through the disc when receiving ● Drive arms forward after you cut to gain speed ● Make sharp decisive cuts ● Hard cuts deep get you open underneath CHALLENGE: Add markers & defenders (force straight-up)

USEFUL FOR: ● Handler cutting movement near sideline METHOD: ● Two options to receive the disc, thrower makes decision: A) Receive the disc up line B) Cut back, beat your check for a wide swing pass ● 5 reps each then rotate PERFORMANCE TIPS: ● Thrower should pivot & fake throws ● Swing pass should go to middle of field CHALLENGE: Add markers & defenders (force sideline)

3

Option 1

A

Field Direction

1

Cutter Option

A

Option 2

A

USEFUL FOR: ● Offensive awareness, cutting, throwing, chemistry METHOD: ● All players start cutting at the same time ● Thrower chooses option 1 or option 2, either the behind the disc cut or the up field swing cut ● Cutter (A) looks back at disc before cutting in and cuts in appropriate direction for either option 1 or 2 PERFORMANCE TIPS: ● Cut at 100% speed ● Focus on field awareness and seeing the play in one quick look

Images & Text © UltiCoach 2013. All Rights Reserved.

ulticoach.com

Created by world champion players and coaches, UltiCoach is the world’s premier provider of Ultimate training and coaching materials. For more drills, skills, and Ultimate stuff visit www.ulticoach.com

USA Ultimate’s Standing Rules Committee Chair responds to common rules

WHAT�S THE CALL

BY

Jon Bauman

questions.

If the disc crosses the perimeter line and a defender knocks it down or catches it, the disc comes in on the playing field nearest to where it was touched. What if the same thing happens when the disc is touched by an offensive player out of bounds? Isn’t the offensive player technically part of the out-of-bounds area? If a huck flies out-of-bounds, doesn’t come back in and a receiver chases it down and touches it out-of-bounds, does it go all the way back, or does it come in closest to where the offensive player touched it?

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Though the outcomes are essentially intuitive and fair, the details of the in- and out-of-bounds rules are surprisingly complex. No player is ever part of the out-of-bounds area, but a player may be considered in-bounds or out-of-bounds according to their last ground contact. So, the answer to your question is that it depends on whether the receiver’s last ground contact before touching the disc was in- or out-of-bounds. If it was in-bounds, making their touch sort of like a failed greatest, the disc is put into play nearest the point of the playing field proper where they touched it (IX.H.2). If their last ground contact was out-of-bounds, the disc is put into play at the point it crossed the perimeter line (IX.H.1).

was made with any defenders. The offensive team argued that he had stopped rotation and taken a step, so it was a completion, and the subsequent drop didn’t matter. The defensive team argued that stopping rotation isn’t enough, as clap catches have been explicitly stated to not be a score, and since the receiver never controlled his momentum, the catch wasn’t complete. Who’s right?

The offensive receiver initially catches the disc in the end zone. He was running at more or less full speed and took a step or two after catching it but hadn’t really controlled his momentum. At this time, one of his own teammates ran into him and caused him to drop the disc. No foul was called as no contact

A goal is scored when an in-bounds player catches any legal pass in the end zone of attack and retains possession of the disc throughout all ground contact related to the catch.

Since contact with a teammate is not a foul, it is irrelevant, and we can imagine the situation as though the receiver simply dropped the disc. The only real issue in question then is whether it was a catch.

Rule XI.A states:

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In-out calls on the sidelines are understandably some of the most common calls in any game and what to do afterward isn’t always immediately obvious.

Photo: CBMT Creative

But what is a catch? Rule II.O elaborates:

If a defender hits the disc out-ofbounds, but it comes back in-bounds and is caught by the offense, is that okay? Or since it contacted a player while he or she was outof-bounds, does it make the disc out-of-bounds and, therefore, a turnover?

Possession of the disc: Sustained contact with, and control of, a non-spinning disc.

1. Catching a pass is equivalent to establishing possession of that pass.

2.

Loss of possession due to ground contact related to a catch negates that player’s possession up to that point.

So, what makes a clap catch not a catch is that the “control” requirement is not met. If the receiver demonstrated control of the non-spinning disc for a step or two – that is, not bobbling it as they ran – it would satisfy the primary definition of a catch. The only other question is whether II.O.2 applies. If a receiver catches a disc, falls over and consequently loses possession, it is not a catch.

However, the loss of possession in this scenario is not due to ground contact, so II.O does not apply.

As described, this situation is a goal.

Rule IX.E states: A disc becomes out-of-bounds when it first contacts the out-of-bounds area, contacts an out-of-bounds offensive player, or is caught by an out-of-bounds defensive player.

So, when an out-of-bounds defensive player touches but does not catch a disc, it does not make the disc out-of-bounds, and it is not a turnover.

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Reflections on spirit from members of the ultimate community

THE SPIRIT CIRCLE The Challenge of Keeping Spirit Alive and Well

BY

Mike Lovinguth, USA Ultimate Manager Youth & Education Programs

In the summer issue of USA Ultimate, Chase SparlingBeckley, the new head coach of the U-19 National Team and a World Games team member, opened The Spirit Circle with an excellent discussion of balancing the challenges of officiating in sports with the goals of respect for opponent, self and game. I highly recommend you re-read it as, despite his assertion that he isn’t a writer, he’s quite eloquent on the subject. You may have noticed the tiny italicized blurb I had stuck into the article just before publication: The Spirit Circle is one of the many efforts of USA Ultimate’s Spirit of the Game Committee to make spirit real for today’s ultimate players and community.

Those words were deliberately chosen, plucked from USA Ultimate’s current Strategic Plan. The Spirit Circle is one of several initiatives our newly invigorated committee has discussed or planned, all with the goal of bringing the ultimate community together for a more open discussion and continued adoption of Spirit of the Game principles. I hope you agree with me that this is not only a big challenge, but a worthwhile and achievable goal. This goal can only be met by combining efforts both at the grassroots level, by players, teams and coaches, and top-down programs, like the Spirit Committee.

Committees are easy targets for jokes and criticism.

The truth is that they serve as the lifeblood for sport organizing bodies – volunteers are able to inject new ideas and guidance into a sport with little cost, whether it be of time or money. High school athletic directors from around your state meet each year in committees to tweak rules, season dates and guidelines for each state-sanctioned sport. In an example from my own past, the Soccer Committee of the Colorado High School Athletic Association expanded the boys’ playoff structure for small schools FALL 2013

from 16 to 32 in 2008. This allowed newer schools (like the one I worked at as an athletic director) greater participation in the postseason at a time when established programs had dominated the playoffs for years. My school made the playoffs as the winner of our league the year before the change in just our third season but came in as the 16 seed. The additional round of playoffs greatly benefited teams from our league, adding two additional bids and much more appropriate match ups than what we had seen the previous year. It was a welcome change that I was able to participate in by voting at the annual AD meeting.

The Spirit Committee is well connected within USA Ultimate; it’s one of three groups that make up the Spirit, Officiating and Rules (SOaR) Committee.

These three topics often overlap in our sport, so communication between the three groups helps solve questions that span topics. The Spirit Committee connects, through SOaR, to the USA Ultimate Board of Directors. The committee is also well connected with the international game – the two staff members on USA Ultimate’s committee, myself and Will Deaver, Managing Director of Competition & Athlete Programs, also sit on the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) SOTG committee.

One way the USA Ultimate board has interacted with spirit initiatives is by setting goals for Spirit Programs.

The current strategic plan is one example. In 2007, the board, USA Ultimate staff and volunteer committee members created spirit ranking guidelines (see Table 1). Around the same time, WFDF developed a similar ranking system. By no means were either of these the first of their kind, as each drew from other systems, organizers and athletes. Each system addresses similar topics or what I’ll call the components of Spirit.

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Events like the World Games place heavy emphasis on Spirit of the Game and utilize the World Flying Disc Federation’s system for spirit scores.

Photo: CBMT Creative

Both systems utilize what’s known in education as a rubric – a measuring tool for concepts that aren’t generally quantifiable. Essentially, you and an opponent play a game of ultimate, and afterward, you look for the number that best describes how you and your opponent played that game.

The WFDF system breaks Spirit down into five components, each rated from 0 to 4: Rules Knowledge, Fouls and Body Contact, Fairness, Positive Attitude, and Your Spirit Compared to Ours.

This system allows players to assign different grades about aspects of their opponent’s play, i.e., Joan and Johnny’s team had a very positive attitude on the field (4) but didn’t know a thing about the rules (0).

Sum the components, and you get a final score. The system is less subjective and contains more detailed information but simultaneously is more complicated and takes more time to complete. It also incorporates a self-reflective component to spirit – how was our spirit in the game compared to the other team?

The USA Ultimate rubric has only five choices, combining each of the topics listed above into a paragraph. As you progress from 5 to 1, each of the topics is addressed in less positive terms. There are many strengths to this approach. It is an easy system for athletes to internalize, remember and communicate with tournament central. It also allows for a flexible interpretation of an inherently subjective concept (what is a 4 to you may be a 2 to me, but

The USA Ultimate SOTG committee decided to

The Spirit Circle is one of the many efforts of USA Ultimate’s Spirit of the Game Committee to make spirit real for today’s ultimate players and community. if push came to shove, we’d probably both accept the average at a 3). However, because it’s possible to have each component of Spirit evaluated differently – i.e, I can have excellent rules knowledge (5) but also play with an abysmal attitude (1) – the USA Ultimate rubric can also be seen as either overly simplified or confusing, depending on the situation. And it may not be preferable for individuals who seek a more objective approach.

explore WFDF’s system in two experiments, one each in the college and club seasons. Not only would we collect information about how the WFDF system tracked spirit (and what it said about spirit), but also how practical it could be to be implemented, what athletes thought of the system and what it could teach us about Spirit overall.

The first experiment took place at the Division I College Championships in Madison, Wis., this past May. Teams 85

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and coaches were given the option of participating in the WFDF model alongside the traditional USA Ultimate model. The second experiment took place at the U.S. Open Championships in July. The WFDF system was used as the official scoring system and data was collected by scorekeepers at the end of each day of play. Adding to the experiment was a team jersey prize for the winners in each division by sponsor AB Pro. Each event was followed up with a survey. For college, only captains and coaches were invited to respond to the survey. For the U.S. Open, all participants were invited. At both events, we eliminated the “Our Spirit Compared to Theirs” category and instead added a line to score your own team in each category.

Mostly, we were looking to see if anything struck us as odd – did winning and losing affect scores? Was there a difference between self-given scores and opponent-given scores? What was the difference between USA Ultimate- and WFDF-style scores at the College Championships? For stat-heads, the answers to these questions wouldn’t be statistically significant (some of the averages look different, but not different enough). The U.S. Open averages are extremely close, out to the thousandths of a point. But in general, the big revelation was that nothing stuck out as too different.

• Averages for self-given vs. opponent-given scores at the College Championships were lower but were higher at the U.S. Open.

• Whether teams won or lost didn’t affect spirit scores.

• USA Ultimate-system scores were higher than WFDF scores at the College Championships.

• Many people responded that they discussed scores between coaches and captains (42.9%).

• Discussing scores as a whole team was a bit larger (28.6%) than assigning scores based on one person’s opinion (21.4%).

• Respondents saw the categories of the WFDF system as the biggest benefit (80%).

• They saw the time (38.9%) and having the median score as a 2, rather than a 3 (44.4%), as the biggest disadvantages.

• Most people who took the survey (73%) thought the WFDF system should be explored further for USA Ultimate championship events.

Of course, looking at spirit as numbers and percentages probably has more than a few readers cringing for reasons beyond the math. There is an ongoing discussion in our community about what exactly comprises a spirited ultimate game and how we should deal with the positive and negative consequences of excellent and poor spirit.

As the strategic plan unfolds, USA Ultimate will be asked to clarify what the community thinks about these issues, and the SOTG committee is looking into further programs to highlight and celebrate spirited ultimate.

These include ways to track spirit performance over multiple events, commendations and sanctions for poor spirit performances, mechanisms for teams to track and improve their own spirit performances and further experimentation and collaboration with WFDF’s spirit scoring system.

We also asked the athletes and coaches at each event what they thought of the WFDF-style scoring system and how they participated.

TABLE 1

FALL 2013

College

U.S. Open

Average Spirit Score given to loser, WFDF

10.41

11.859

Average Spirit Score given to winner, WFDF

8.05

11.857

Overall Average Spirit Score (Self), WFDF

7.88

12.39

Overall Average Spirit Score, WFDF

9.46

11.858

Overall Average Spirit Score, USA Ultimate (converted from 3.99/5 to a scale of 16)

12.77

n/a

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COACHES’ PLAYBOOK

x x

Insight and tips from coaches, for coaches

Authentic Ultimate: Part Two

BY

KYLE WEISBROD

This is part two of a series on Authentic Ultimate. Part one (Summer 2013, USA Ultimate) provides background on coaching philosophies, defines Authentic Ultimate, and provides the reason for Authentic Ultimate. Parts two and three will focus on strategies to achieve an Authentic Ultimate team.

Creating an Authentic Ultimate Team

Standards are explicit statements about how the team will live up to the values stated.

Standards can be broken down into categories like “accountability” (e.g. “we arrive at practice on time”), “communication” (e.g. “we communicate openly, honestly, and directly”), or “support” (e.g. “we make eye contact with our teammates”). Both values and standards should be created by the team themselves. As a coach, you can moderate

So, hopefully, I’ve made the case for an Authentic Ultimate team. But, how do you create it? One thing I’ve learned in the past several years of coaching is that there is only so much that you can do. You cannot force players to be honest, open and accepting of themselves and each other.

What you can do is create opportunities that allow for players to be real and positive, encourage supportive behavior, and model the values that you want your team to display. Here are a few strategies that can help:

Establish Team Values and Standards Once your team is set, have your team meet to determine what the team’s values and standards will be. The values should be three or four core traits that the team will strive for throughout the season. San Francisco’s Revolver is well known for their IHD philosophy (Integrity, Humility, Discipline).

2013 University of Washington Element’s values were Embrace Challenge, Integrity, and Family.

Values can ground the team and its players. They can provide motivation, ideals to strive for, and can provide guidance when working through tough decisions. These values can last longer than one season but it is important to reaffirm them to establish buy-in each year. Since these values will be the driver of much of what follows, failing to get everyone bought in at this, the highest level, may result in a motivation gap.

Matty Tsang does a little one-on-one coaching with Cara Crouch at the World Games in Colombia. Photo: CBMT Creative

this conversation and provide direction, but the words and the commitment to the words, should be coming from the team. If you want more information on establishing team standards look into “The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team” by Mike Krzyzweski.

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Honor the Whole Player

impact long lasting. Go to their off-season sporting events, dance performances, art shows, and music performances.

In order for people to feel known, it is critical that you create opportunities for players to shine in ways other than excellence on the field. Even great players have other interests and passions.

There are many ways to do this. I love to do riddles, word games, and tell jokes with players on long road trips. While these might seem like just your standard time-killing activities in the car, they can also allow players to showcase a side

The key here is to create opportunities for players to be people. Even just asking about someone’s interests, course of study or career goals can open a window that is bigger than their Ultimate persona.

Communicate Directly Hopefully, your team’s standards include some that give direction on how to structure communication. Regardless, as a coach, it is important that you create a standard for clear and direct communication. Clear communication builds trust and helps mitigate and resolve conflict that may impede progress toward individual and team goals.

Getting to know your players is a big step in creating an Authentic Ultimate team.

Photo: CBMT Creative

of themselves that you might not otherwise see.

Over time I’ve collected a large stable of riddles – some of them are more word based, some logic, and some mathematic that suit different types of thinkers. As a coach it is helpful to know how your players think and process problems and listening to them think through a riddle can help you coach a player better.

Talent shows also present great opportunities for players to showcase a unique side of themselves that they are proud of. The 2012 U-20 girls did a talent show that featured, among other things, unicycling, rabbit showing, and some impressive musicianship.

Clear and direct communication also means addressing conflict directly.

If you have constructive feedback for a player it is important that you address it with that player instead of talking about them to a third party. Talking about a player behind his or her back destroys trust. Not only does it not allow the player whom you are concerned about to hear and act on the feedback,

If your players have other things they participate in or commit significant time to, make an effort to learn about it. While coaching is already a significant time commitment, the bonds you create outside of the Ultimate field will be the ones that will make your relationship and your FALL 2013

My first rule of thumb on communication is to limit the use of sarcasm. I say “limit” instead of “don’t use” sarcasm because I think there are situations where nuanced communication can help teams feel more comfortable with each other and because when I’ve tried to stop using sarcasm all together, I’ve failed. The problem with sarcasm is that it often depends on homogenous life experiences, values, and understanding of the world to be effective or inclusive as communication. For teams with diverse communication styles, what is clearly sarcastic to players that share your point of view may be confusing to others. This creates an inside/outside dynamic where some players feel that they “get” the coach better or other players feel that their lack of “getting” something is at their expense. Where sarcasm can be effective is in one-on-one settings and in situations where the whole team is “in” on something. And, if sarcasm fails, I’ve found that it’s helpful to call yourself out for not living up to your own standards.

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it sows distrust in the third party that you are talking to; inevitably they are wondering “what do they think about me that they aren’t saying?”

By communicating clearly and directly, you build trust and can ensure that your words have the best chance of being understood and acted upon.

Structure Positive Feedback There are several teaching and coaching sources that recommend a 4 or 5:1 positive to negative feedback ratio as the optimal ratio for encouraging learning and development. I know for me, getting to that ratio takes work and a few structured positive feedback forums can really help it.

Highlights are my favorite. It is pretty common for players to informally reminisce about sweet plays that happened over the course of the weekend.

Highlights are a structured way to do that where the whole team swaps their favorite stories about their teammates. A few tips: • In order to remember more highlights, do it the same day you play, either immediately after play or that evening if you are at an “away” tourney.

• Give space for each highlight. Don’t feel that you need to rush one on top of the other and make sure one person is speaking at a time.

• Encourage the players to build context for the highlight. “That sweet lay-out D that John got” isn’t nearly as much fun or memorable as “we were down 5-8 and things were looking bleak.

John was matched up on a 6’5” giant. John shut him down on the away cut with his positioning and footwork but then the giant came under and the throw went up. John was 5 steps behind, then 4, then 3, then launched himself 5 and half feet in the air and flew between the giant’s arms and somehow got the block.”

• Don’t force highlights. If you can’t highlight every player on your team, that’s okay. It’s more important to be sincere than to have everyone highlighted.

•If it doesn’t work the first time, keep doing. The first time I did highlights with the Paideia Girls, there were hardly any highlights. The players had never made an effort to remember their own or each other’s plays. This is exactly why highlights are great – it helps create a positive, supportive team

As head coach of the U.S. World Games team, Alex Ghesquiere had the unique challenge of turning 13 individual all-stars into one cohesive team. Photo: CBMT Creative

environment where players become aware of their own and other’s efforts and accomplishments!

If you want to take structured positive feedback one step further, I recommend “Playing the Tape.” Playing the tape is telling a highlight type story about a teammate to someone that wasn’t present for the highlight, in front of the teammate that the highlight was about. This tactic is in the playbook for every good wingman/woman looking to help a friend out. The only thing that feels better than someone saying something genuinely nice about you, is for them to say it in front of someone that you are trying to impress.

The result is a huge boost of self-confidence and gratitude in your teammate. Is your team going out to the tournament party? Challenge them each to play the tape for at least one teammate.

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A look at local leagues around the country

LOCAL LEAGUE SPOTLIGHT

Minnesota Youth Ultimate BY Jason Curtis, Minnesota State Youth Coordinator

The Minnesota High School League (soon to be renamed Minnesota Youth Ultimate) is one of the biggest and longest-running youth leagues in the country. A lot of the initial leg work and setup was done

by Michael Stanefski, a community educator who had never played or even seen ultimate before. After many emails to athletic directors around the Twin Cities, the league officially began with just 11 teams in the spring of 2002.

It is a fantastic opportunity to witness some of the highest levels of competition and spirit from around the country.

In the 11 years since its founding, the league has seen steady growth each year, reaching 77 teams – 57 open teams and 20 girls’ teams – in the spring of 2013, accounting for just over 1200 participants. The league’s growth was accomplished with very little direct recruitment of new teams, instead using a focus on quality and allowing growth to come naturally. We are sure to focus on educating coaches and ensuring players have quality experiences. We have also always done our best to uphold high standards of Spirit. The rare cases of poor spirit have been addressed quickly by our conduct committee.

As the name change suggests, we are currently working to develop playing opportunities for youth prior to their high school years. This past spring, we started a middle school league. It was great to see the players’ intensity and enthusiasm, and the league is sure to grow quickly in the coming years.

The league is run now by a board of directors, led by Bruce Mebust, along with a host of other coaches and volunteers who are all passionate about spreading the love of this amazing sport to our youth. Having a great cast of volunteers to organize and teach is, of course, the key to success.

Even with the league’s many successes, there are always challenges. The spring high school league generally starts in the first week of April. This year’s first games were scheduled for April 2. But there was still snow on the ground come April 23, so our first year of conference play was hampered a bit by hasty make-up games and shaky rankings. “How to Dress for Ultimate in Freezing Weather” is typically the first and often the most common lesson a Minnesota coach gets to teach. Tournaments as late as May can involve bitter winds and players huddled in blankets and tents for warmth.

All teams in the state have been allowed to participate in the State Championships. That is, until this year when we finally outgrew the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. Rather than try to find a location larger than the “World’s Largest Amateur Sports and Meeting Facility,” we instead finally had to implement a qualification system using league play. Along with that change, we also introduced conference play similar to what is seen in other high school sports to encourage some friendly rivalries amongst schools. Conference Championships have added another opportunity for the teams to earn trophies and bragging rights.

Continued growth also brings challenges as we continue to debate the best ways to structure the State Championships and accommodate our expanding geographic range. But with the support of a fantastic Minnesota community of players and volunteers, the league will surely continue to grow and thrive for years to come!

The organization has also been very proud to host the Youth Club Championships since 2005, each year of the event’s existence, at the National Sports Center.

FALL 2013

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NEWS & NOTES

News and updates from USA Ultimate headquarters in Boulder, Colo.

Board of Directors VOTING Member voting for elected positions on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors will be open from October 4-18, 2013. One at-large board member and one elite athlete board member will be elected during the voting period.

Log on to usaultimate.org to view candidate statements, photos and video interviews and to vote.

All current USA Ultimate members are eligible and highly encouraged to vote.

2013 USA Ultimate National Championships The 2013 Club Championships are headed to Frisco, Texas, Oct. 17-20. The best of the best will meet to fight for the final leg of the inaugural USA Ultimate Triple Crown Tour. Forty-eight teams, 16 in each of the men’s, mixed and women’s divisions, will take the field in Frisco for an opportunity to compete live on ESPN and to take home bragging rights for the coming year.

Ultimate Hall of Fame

The schedule and seedings are available for viewing at usaultimate.org and for the respective divisions on ScoreReporter at scores.usaultimate.org.

The 2013 Class was recently welcomed to the Ultimate Hall of Fame. The Class of 2013, includes open division inductees Joey Giampino (deceased), Jim Ingelbritsen (San Diego, Calif.), Christopher Van Holmes (Minneapolis, Minn.) and women’s division inductee Christine O’Cleary (Atlanta, Ga.).

USA Ultimate Annual Report USA Ultimate recently released its first-ever annual report!

The four inductees were selected by the current USA Ultimate Hall of Fame voting members from a final “Slate of Eight” short list of candidates. The finalists were chosen from an accomplished pool of athletes and contributors by the USA Ultimate Hall of Fame Vetting Committee as part of a process recommendations from peers and the general USA Ultimate membership.

The report includes information on all things USA Ultimate from calendar year 2012, from championship event results and the club series restructure to program and membership growth statistics to financial information.

AGE 18644

GENDER

9026

It is available for viewing at usaultimate.org.

6159

Female 31%

121

2519

Male 69%

39 12 &UNDER

L ANNUA

2012

13-18

19-24

25-34

35-54

55 & UP

T REPOR

GROWTH IN YOUTH MEMBERSHIPS

AGE

2012 MEMBERSHIP

The Class of 2013 is the 10th to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

2002

18644

GENDER

2003 2004 2005

AGE

2006

9026

18644

2007

Female 31%

6159

GENDER

2008 2009 2010

Male 69% 2519

2011

13-18

19-24

25-34

35-54

2000

4000

6000 Female 31%

55 & UP

8000

10000

Youth

Lifetime

Adult

Coach/Player

Coach

College

Volunteer Staff

Friends and Family

Male 69%

2012 MEMBERSHIP

In 2012, USA Ultimate membership grew 5 percent to 36,508 members across all levels. Youth memberships saw the largest percentage of growth, adding 730 new members, good for 8 percent growth from 2011 to 2012. Memberships in nearly every other category increased as well: lifetime, adult, college, coach/player, coach and friends & family.

13-18

19-24

25-34

35-54

55 & UP

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP GROWTH 40000

Coach/Player College

2009

Volunteer Staff

Friends and Family

30000

2012 MeMberships 0

2000

4000

6000

8000

Youth – 9,923

Lifetime – 451

Coach/Player – 522

Adult – 8,570

Coach – 247

29311

15000

2004

10000

2005

5000 Youth

0

2007

2006

2007

Coach/Player 2010 2011 College

Volunteer Staff

2010

18644

Lifetime

Adult 2009 Coach

2008

2009

GENDER

36508

34894

31588

2012 MEMBERSHIP

20000

2003

2008

10000

Volunteer Staff – 203 AGE

27396

24633

25000 2002

2006

2011 2012

35001

35000

Lifetime

Adult Coach

2010

12 &UNDER

GROWTH IN YOUTH MEMBERSHIPS Youth

2007 2008

2012

Friends and Family

AGE

2011 2012 0

2000

4000

6000

8000

GENDER

18644

2003

2005

39

GROWTH IN YOUTH MEMBERSHIPS Membership Growth 2002

2004

2006

121

2519

12 &UNDER

0 6159

39

121

9026

2012

10000

College –MEMBERSHIP 16,467 Friends & Family – 125 ANNUAL GROWTH 36508 Female 31%

6159

Male 69%

39

121

15000 10000

12 &UNDER

13-18

19-24

25-34

35-54

30000 25000

0

16

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 MEMBERSHIP

2002

29311

34894

36508

31588

12 &UNDER

19-24

25-34

Female 31% Male 69%

35-54

55 & UP

usaultimate.org

17

GROWTH IN YOUTH MEMBERSHIPS

10000

2012 MEMBERSHIP

2002 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2003 2004

2007

2010 2011

Youth

Lifetime

2005

Adult

Coach/Player

2006

Coach

College

2007

Volunteer Staff

Friends and Family

2008

92

2009 2010

2012

2011 0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

2012 0

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP GROWTH 40000 35000

13-18

15000

0

2005

FALL 2013

27396

5000

2003 2004

2006

2008

24633

20000

2012

GROWTH IN YOUTH MEMBERSHIPS

2009

35001

35000

55 & UP

5000

2519

2519

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP GROWTH 40000

121

34894

6159

35001 31588

29311 Membership retention also held steady, maintaining 58 percent of the 27396 2011 membership in 2012.

24633

25000

9026

35000 30000

20000

39

9026

40000

35001

34894

2000

4000

6000

8000

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP GROWTH

36508 40000

10000

Youth

Lifetime

Adult

Coach/Player

Coach

College

Volunteer Staff

Friends and Family

USA Ultimate Reaches Thousands at Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play USA Ultimate joined Nickelodeon at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, to help celebrate the network’s 10th annual Worldwide Day of Play and promote ultimate to thousands of kids and parents. USA Ultimate staff and volunteers from league affiliate DiscNY spent the day teaching kids the basics of the game and how to throw and catch.

Over 35,000 kids and parents gathered in Prospect Park to mark the occasion, with an estimated 50,000 participating in Worldwide Day of Play events hosted around the globe. Partnering with the leading entertainment brand for kids provides USA Ultimate the opportunity to showcase ultimate to kids and parents who have, so far, been unfamiliar with the sport. It is a big step toward growing youth, college and league ultimate, Goal 2 in the current USA Ultimate strategic plan.

USA Ultimate is Hiring!

USA Ultimate is looking for a new team member!

We are accepting applications for a Manager – Administration & Development in the Finance and Administration department.

Check out the Get Involved page on usaultimate.org for more details and to find out how to apply.

Upcoming Events We are down to our last major event of the 2013 club season! It all comes down to this.

Event

Date

Location

Board of Directors Member Voting Window

Oct. 4-18, 2013

Nationwide

National Championships

October 17-20, 2013

Frisco, TX

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