1. Oregon's Dominance
This was simply a start-to-finish clinic on how to be a champion. Honestly, the same could be said for their entire season with the only blemish being a loss to Wisconsin at Centex. Lou and the Fugue leadership should chronicle the entire season and publish any related thoughts and notes in a book titled 'Idiot's Guide to Building a Championship Team'.
Regarding this year's College Championships, there certainly are a couple of what ifs. What if Maryland had beaten Wisconsin in pool play? That would have set Wisconsin as the likely quarterfinal matchup for Fugue (and an absolutely unthinkable Wisconsin v. Washington pre-quarter). What if Washington hadn't collapsed this weekend and set up UCSB as Fugue's likely semifinal opponent?
Fugue certainly benefitted from a favorable draw (UCLA in the quarters after their emotional and exhausting win over Washington, Colorado in the semifinals after a similar win over California, and UCSB in the finals after a similar comeback win over Wisconsin). That said, they earned the favorable draw by being the dominant team over the course of the season. In my estimation, they were also the most prepared team at the tourney. Check Lou's blog out to get the details.
This was the best team from top to bottom I've seen in the four years I've coached. I'd be curious to see how Fugue would perform in the club season. No, I don't think they are going to beat the likes of Fury or Riot this season, but if they could keep the same nucleus playing together for 2-3 years, is it out of the question to think that they could join the elite teams?
2. The Southwest - The Best Region in 2010?
Landing 4 teams in the quarters, 2 teams in the semis and one team in the finals makes a pretty compelling case for the above. Anyone who questioned the validity of the region getting four bids should come over to FJR's Country Fried Crow Shack and order the all-you-can-eat lunch special.
In the battle between the two best regions, the Southwest came out on top 6-4. Aside from Oregon's 3-0 romp through the Southwest, the lone NW victory was Cal over USC in pool play. Sorry to let the region down. Apropos of a team whose color is the opposite of yellow, Washington's three losses on the weekend were to the same Southwest teams Oregon beat.
Part of the region's success had to do with Hawkins and Kodiak getting healthy for the big tourney. This greatly enhanced UCLA's chances as the duo was a big part of their wins over Stanford and Washington.
3. Colorado - The Comeback Kids
I already wrote about Kali in my previous post, but what they did was simply amazing. Eight straight against Washington to win 14-12. Down 11-13 to Stanford, scoring 4 straight to win 15-13 in the pre-quarters. Down against Cal in the quarters, but coming back to win on double game point.
As Lou mentioned on his blog, the fact that Tina did this while looking after her kid is remarkable. I can barely keep track of my Nalgene and sunscreen while I'm coaching.
4. UCSB Makes it Four Finals in a Row
I'm pretty sure that the only other squad to match this feat is Stanford. After their poor performance at Centex, I'm guessing that nobody saw this coming. Getting Kaela healthy and enlisting Steve Dugan's help at the tail end of the season played a big part of their turnaround. The Burning Skirts have a champions' mentality and that goes a very long way. It definitely showed in their semifinals victory over Wisconsin. Bella Donna played not to lose at the end of that game while UCSB kept gunning and exuded the confidence that they were going to come back and win. With a big lead in the second half and a heavily partisan hometown crowd, Wisconsin had complete control of that game. While it wasn't on the same scale as Washington's loss to Colorado, this was a much more significant collapse and cost BD the coveted spot in the finals.
5. UPA Becomes USA Ultimate
Nobody saw this coming. Not a single person I chatted with had a clue that the name change was in the works. Initially, it freaked me out; ever since the release of New Coke in the mid-80s, I've been wary of relabeling. When Phylicia Ayers-Allen married Ahmad Rashad and completely changed the look of the Cosby Show intro, I was scarred for weeks. I can't even begin to go into the Valerie / Valerie's Family / Hogan Family debacle.
After having a couple weeks to soak it in, I think the name change is perfect. I have some issues with how the organization is presenting itself (the youtube clips were silly), but the name change is a necessary step for the growth of the sport. Ultimate no longer sounds like an adjective as it did to a lot of people upon hearing the name 'Ultimate Players Association'.
6. Shannon O'Malley Wins the Callahan
I thought she was going to finish in the top 5, but I never thought that she would win the award. Based on various people I spoke to at the ceremony, I'm guessing a lot of people were surprised (and disappointed) by this result. I can only speculate, but it's quite possible that the Huddle endorsement had a big effect. I'm sure that her remarkable performance at the 2009 College Championships also left a lasting impression.
Even more so than I did before the tourney, I stand by my prior statements. There were a number of players who should have finished above her, and her performance and attitude at this year's tourney only served to strengthen my feelings. I'm certain that she and Element read my previous comments, and she had an awesome opportunity to prove me wrong and inspire me to write an apology post. Instead, I only feel stronger in my convictions having witnessed an absolute lack of maturity and general conduct becoming of a Callahan winner.
I'm sure that winning the award feels like a giant middle finger pointed in my direction, but I only see it as further evidence that the current system is broken. She absolutely should not have won the award this year, but the fact is that she is this year's Callahan Award winner, and I hope that she wears the title well.
