As the return from hiatus continues...
FJR and wife were busy moving from one location to another so life has been a bit crazy over the past few weeks. Intertubes access was a bit spotty, and I spent the bulk of my Ultimate-related time focusing on prep for Stanford Invite and the UPA College preview. Maybe I'll figure out a way to get paid writing this stuff...
THE STEVINSON INVITE - The Dead Cows and the Dirty Ground
While Cultimate generally deserves a fair amount of criticism, making the decision to move to Stevinson was the smart thing to do. Sure, it's not exactly the awesome backdrop of Palo Alto, but it did allow teams to make contingency plans and mentally prep for the relocation. The fields weren't great but decent enough, but the relatively few and entirely full porta-potties left a lot to be desired. There are some images you simply cannot wipe away from the brain.
My major gripe ended up being with the bracket -- the quarters ended up having two rematches with one of them (Wisconsin vs. Stanford) being seeded for a rematch. I fought pretty hard to get our matchup switched since I felt that we deserved a matchup with a different pre-quarter winner since we had previously beaten UCSB to get into the quarters. Additionally, it was annoying to have the rematch be a intraregional matchup, an important consideration since the regional wildcard will swing between the Southwest and the Atlantic Coast.
There's no guarantee that we would have beaten Stanford, Cal or Western Washington but I'm sure that none of those teams would take offense if I thought our chances of winning were much better against them than against the Burning Skirts. This seems like a small thing, but it means a ton to a team like ours. Getting into the semifinals of one of the prestige tournaments is a big step and we finished tantalizingly close to that goal. Hopefully, Centex will bring bigger and better things.
Tier One - Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington and UCSB
Element climbs upward and the Burning Skirts take a bit of a hit after the weekend. UCSB had a disappointing weekend but they will be back; be sure of that.
At this point, there's a good argument for putting Oregon in its own tier (Super One) and the other three teams into Tier Not Quite One. On paper, Wisconsin should be the biggest threat to Fugue but neither of their matchups has been close. Element knows Fugue the best and put up a tight fight in the finals of the Stevinson Invite.
The biggest issue facing Fugue might be the pressure that comes with being undefeated. This is one of those annoying talking points that seems to come up way too often during the pro football season, but there is certainly some truth to it. I'm not even sure how many women's college teams have had a legitimate shot at an undefeated season (I think Stanford actually did it several years ago?). It wouldn't surprise me to see Fugue slip up at either Centex or Regionals. If they remain undefeated going into Madison, I don't think they'll be feeling the pressure at that point (except maybe in the finals). On the contrary, being undefeated will likely give them another level of confidence and make them wicked scary. Like Tier Super One scary.
Tier Two - USC, Stanford, Colorado, North Carolina
Right now, these stand as the current best bets to either climb into the top tier or take out one of the four teams. I'd include UCLA as a dark horse but the season-ending injury to Atari (Sarah Peters) and the serious injury to Hawkins really hurts them going into Centex. Once Hawkins gets back, they'll be a dangerous team during the College Series.
At this point, the only team to take out any of the top four teams (not including those four) is the surprising Hellions from USC. Crazy that.
USC
Let me get this out of the way because these things should be known to everyone outside the Southwest region. Mary Kate 'Uzi' Hogan deserves serious Callahan consideration for blazing a new trail for this team, rising from a regional punching bag to the current heights (7th in the last rankings). I think Lindsey Cross should be on the next Team USA in 2013. Let me move on.
I think we're pretty darn good and getting better. Prior to Pres Day, I guess we had developed the rep as a team that would come really close to big wins but fall just short. Kinda like the Dallas Mavericks. Or Charles Barkley. Or... *gulp*... the Buffalo Bills.
Last year, we had a string of seven straight double game point losses (twice to Cal, Oregon, Ottawa, UCLA, St. Louis, Wash U.). [There was a one point victory over Arizona at Centex but Scorch scored the final point after the hard cap had sounded.] This year, we had two double game point losses at Santa Barbara Invite (UCSB and UCLA), running the total to nine straight.
There was a huge difference in how we handled those losses. The cliche about what doesn't kill you making you tougher is definitely true. We are a much tougher team than we were last year.
This was finally evidenced on a tough Sunday at Pres Day. After beating Element the night before, we were on cloud nine. Of course, we came back to earth with humbling losses to both Cal and UCSB. We had gone from the verge of a bye and a spot in the quarterfinals to a tough pre-quarterfinals game against Carleton. Yikes.
Beating Syzygy on double game point might have been more significant to us for the long term than the win over Element. Obviously, I'd rather take a win over Washington than over Carleton this year, but the way we beat Syzygy meant so much more. After going up 4-0 on Carleton, they roared back to life with five straight to take the lead. We eventually earned our break back, but they broke us late in the game to go up 10-9. In fact, had they taken a little longer to score the hard cap would have sounded and the game would have been over.
Given a second chance, we held serve and got a fairly quick block on double game point. When Bambi hit Jaws for the game-winner, we landed a spot in the quarterfinals, something that had eluded us by the smallest of margins at Pres Day and Stanford Invite the previous year.
We took a major step forward at the Stanford Invite by (a) beating UCSB for the first time ever, (b) advancing to the quarterfinals and feeling confident that we could win, and (c) beating Stanford for the first time ever en route to a 5th place finish. Even better than our actual finish is that the Hellions fully believe that the best is yet to come.
There are obviously consistency issues to deal with (big win over UCSB followed by big loss to Element, solid first half against Bella Donna followed by a poor second half, Sunday at Pres Day), but these issues are great problems to have. They are what separates being very good from being great (one of the top four teams in the division).
Stanford
Emily Damon is one of the top handlers in the nation this year. I love her game and her leadership. Caitlin Rugg is stepping up in the role Jenny Founds possessed last year. Ana Brown is one of the most underappreciated defensive players in the division. And their jerseys still have Stanford written on them. That goes a long way.
The one major hole in Stanford's offensive game is that they are missing a definitive go-to receiver. Last year, they had Danielle Platt and Liz Cassel who could command the middle of the field. They have a number of solid cutters but so far, nobody has stepped up as that person who is going rip down 50-50s and force defenses to shift their focus.
Even still, Stanford is like a zombie (and the zombie film genre) and will keep coming back no matter how many times you think they are dead. Wisconsin owned Superfly in their first two matchups this year, but in the quarterfinals, they were down 8-3 at half. Certainly, it has to be mentally draining for Superfly to know that they had full control of the game and let it slip away, but if any team can handle these kinds of ups and downs, it is Stanford.
The margin of our game against Superfly is misleading. They were down after two grueling games (Wisconsin and a long, tough battle with Cal) but they still kept things close in the first half. We broke the game wide open in the second half and ran away with the game. Plus, they hold the edge in our matchups 2 to 1.
Stanford has a legacy of coming up big at Nationals, and I would hate to be the team to face them in the quarters. They will almost certainly match up with one of the teams in the top tier and be a pain in the ass for that team. Ask Wisconsin about last year.
Colorado
Kali returns a number of players from last year's squad that consistently improved over the course of the season. Tina McDowell is doing a great job as coach, as reflected in their 6th place finish at Pres Day (despite missing a few of their top players). They also won the Midwest Throwdown with relative ease, infusing the team with a great deal of confidence.
With Heather Waugh gone, the heart and soul of this year's team lies with Courtney 'Cougar' Verhaalen. I wrote a bit about Coug in the upcoming UPA preview so I'll let the article speak for itself. Brenna Hokanson is also back after a FJR-esque hiatus from school. FOTY in 2008, her return is a big boost to Kali's handling corps. She gives Kali the ability to stretch the field and can be a consistent source of break mark throws.
Of the teams I've seen this year, I think Kali is the squad that has the potential to improve the most over the course of this season (aside from the Hellions, of course).
North Carolina
I didn't get a chance to watch much of UNC at the Stanford Invite, but Leila Tunnell is the obvious centerpiece of the Pleiades and will be a cinch to finish top 5 in the Callahan voting. You might be able to find five better all-around players, but very few offer the complete Callahan package like she does. Her leadership and commitment to sportsmanship are top notch and set her apart from other players on the Callahan short list. I'm also speculating that Tunnell will benefit from a large East Coast contingent rallying around her.
Tunnell's supporting cast includes Janna Coulter and rising star Lindsay Lang. Only a sophomore, Lang has plenty of Juniors experience and a strong candidate to be on the Juniors Worlds squad.
Despite traveling across the country with only 12 players, UNC was able to play tight games with Stanford and Washington and notch a couple wins against top-tier teams, a 15-6 drubbing of British Columbia and a split of two games with UCLA. Pleiades is a good bet to take the top spot out of the Atlantic Coast and find themselves in the quarterfinals in Madison.
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The next post will be up in a couple days, this one from a guest blogger, Robyn Fennig of Wisconsin Eau-Claire.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
2010 President's Day Recap (Part One of Two)
Here's my official return from hiatus. For reals this time. The ladies of Fugue harassed me this past weekend to deliver the written goods. Since they won a little tourney in San Diego called President's Day, I'll make this post my present to them.
PRESIDENT'S DAY
Before I get to the past weekend's events and the different teams I saw, I want to extend kudos to UC San Diego and all of the teams in attendance at Pres Day. For the second year in a row, the quality and depth of the women's field at President's Day far eclipsed that of Trouble in Vegas. Neither of the elite Canadian teams (Ottawa and UBC) were in attendance, but Wisconsin, Washington and Western Washington made the switch to San Diego this year.
Given all of the problems with this year's TiV tourney (certainly, the weather was not Cultimate's fault but there are certainly other areas where they have dropped the ball), the decision to go to Pres Day was clearly the right one. The weather was perfect, the format guaranteed a number of high quality games, and all of the major needs were taken care of. The TDs did a good job of collecting the scores and reporting them promptly on the UPA score reporter.
I would love to see Pres Day remain an elite-level tourney, and I hope that the tourney organizers continue to elevate the quality of the tourney. Here are a few areas where the tourney can improve:
1) Fields - Originally, the D pool was going to be split between two locations since the RIMAC fields can only fit seven full-sized fields. I think their solution to squeeze another field was the right one for the weekend, and this avoided the headache of having teams shuttle back and forth (and potentially wreak havoc with cap times).
While I liked that the entire tourney could fit at the one field site, I think it's preferable to have full-sized fields. Perhaps most of the teams would disagree with me on this point, but I think UCSD would be smart to get everyone's opinion on this matter.
Considering the relative importance of this tourney, the women's division should have had the two extra fields be located at the same site (Muir or the other field site) and avoid the scheduling / field dimension issues.
2) Scoreboards - They had scoreboards on Monday but not for the prior days. I think this was because the open division was using them. Again, priority should be given to the women's division if the division continues to be of much greater significance than the open division.
3) Observers - I know it's tough to get observers in general, but having observers for the pre-quarters and beyond would be a tremendous start. Having observers at Stanford and Centex last year was great, especially for teams expecting to make the trip to the College championships.
4) Publicity - This is a premiere tourney and better coverage of the games would go a long way to growing interest in the women's division. An improved website, tourney photographers / videographers and game recaps would be a big step in the right direction.
I want to be clear that I'm writing all of the above suggestions because I want to see continued growth for the women's division. Set higher standards, work harder to achieve them, and reap the rewards when you see the division grow in scope and quality.
All right, let's get to the teams.
-----
I'll focus on the teams that finished 1-10 at Pres Day. If I have time, I'll write up a part three detailing thoughts on the other teams. Of the top 10 teams, the only one I didn't see firsthand is Wisconsin, undoubtedly one of the strongest squads in the division this year. Hopefully, I'll get to see them at Stanford.
Tier One - Oregon, UCSB, Wisconsin
Hello, Big Three. These were the three teams that I thought were going to be strongest coming into this season, and the results of this weekend fully validated my predictions. None of these three teams are completely bulletproof to the teams in the tiers below, but barring major injuries or a big upset in pool play (resulting in a brutal quarterfinals matchup between two of these teams), these three should be in the semifinals in Madison.
Oregon
Fugue was my pick to win the tourney (... um, I mean out of all of the teams that aren't named USC...). Several people commented to me this weekend that their roster looks exactly the same as it did last year. While this isn't completely true, it is mostly true. And it is also only mostly true that they could field a line of super-seniors (5/7ths, I think).
Molly Suver? Check. Shannon McDowell? Check. Jenica Villamoor, Julia Sherwood, Tina Snodgrass, Morgan Zajonc? Check, check, check, check (I'm running out of checks here). Bailey Zahniser and Kimber Coles? Only sophomores? Damn.
There is no one single player you can key in on, but I think there's a decent argument for Julia Sherwood as the biggest difference-maker on this squad. She presents a very tough matchup when she is operating in the backfield. She covers a lot of ground, is extremely quick and moves the disc exceptionally well. She's also a fantastic defender. What's not to like?
As their games against Stanford and UCSB demonstrate, Fugue can be beaten, but this squad has a lot of the similar components possessed by last year's championship squad from UCSB. They have depth, a ton of elite-level experience, a great deep game, and a top-notch coaching staff. Their biggest challenge going into Stanford Invite and Centex is handling the pressure that comes with having the big bull's-eye on their back. The fact that Fugue is one of the most easygoing, fun-loving teams in the elite ranks will only help them over the course of the season.
UC Santa Barbara
UCSB also has the look of a team remarkably similar to last year's championship roster, but there is a sizable difference between the 2009 and 2010 versions of the Burning Skirts. Aside from no longer having Andrea Romano, Katie Barry and Kristie Bowen on the roster, Steve Dugan is no longer their coach. Losing the leadership offered by Dugan, Romano and Barry is really hard to measure, but it is substantial.
Fortunately for UCSB, they have oodles of talent to overcome this. Kaela Jorgenson and Carolyn Finney, the Wonder Skirt Twins, are back as their 1-2 punch, but it is Marie Madaras who is now their underappreciated star player. As Fugue learned in the semifinals in Columbus, Madaras is an athletic cutter and defensive playmaker who is now gaining confidence as a thrower. Sophomore Stephanie Karba may be the tallest handler in the women's game and will be a big part of their success this season. Bri Cahn, Shannon Bubb, Emily Bass, Erin Mordecai and Arianne Johnson are all very solid contributors who have the confidence of champions.
Wisconsin
With the College Championships in their backyard this May, the stage is set for this year to be Bella Donna's year. Reigning Callahan winner Georgia Bosscher is back and looking to add a college championship in the same year she won her first club championship. As most people know, Bosscher is a phenomenal player, but it is a huge mistake to overlook how talented the rest of the squad is.
Emilie McKain can dominate for extended stretches and provides a lot of the fire for this squad. Laura Bitterman, Jenny Gaynor and Elizabeth Vu offer a wealth of experience and talent. Bella Donna will only get better when Frances Tsukano returns from her injury.
Though they lost Amber Sinicrope (didn't return to school), Bella Donna made a major addition with Brandon Malacek and Courtney Kiesow taking over the coaching reins this year. Malacek brings a champion's mentality to the team and could give them the vital piece they've been missing the past few years.
In San Diego, Wisconsin took their first major step by dismantling their pool on Saturday, including a 13-4 win over a talented Stanford squad. They fell back to Earth a bit with a narrow win over UCLA, and a loss to Oregon in what was a highly anticipated matchup. Their 13-4 trampling over a very up-and-down Cal squad demonstrated what this team is capable of, but they came up short in their matchup with the Burning Skirts.
The pressure is definitely on Wisconsin to make the finals of either Stanford or Centex. Both Oregon and UCSB already have the confidence of a champion. Wisconsin certainly has the talent and experience, but a win over either squad in Palo Alto or Austin is close to being necessary in order to conquer their demons at the biggest stage.
Tier One Point Five - Washington
Befitting a team led by Shannon O'Stripey, Element is in a tier all by itself. The only one seed to falter in pool play, Washington is going to be interesting to follow all season. This team has plenty of talent, but right now, as O'Malley and Lindsey Wilson go, so go the rest of Element. This team could join the top tier, drop into the second tier or detonate over the Puget Sound and end up as enigmatic as the ending of Akira.
As if their current dynamic weren't interesting enough, everyone's favorite controversy-generator, Cyle van Auken, is now the head coach for Element. Ron Kubalanza has moved to Chicago and is currently coaching the Northwestern women. Last year, the two coaches seemed to balance each other well, leading Element to the finals. This year, it remains to be seen how this dynamic plays out.
I saw the many faces of Element in our pool game on Saturday. There were times when Element looked very balanced and utilized players 1 through 7. At others, they relied heavily on the O'Malley / Wilson combo. As we fought back and got a couple breaks, their two big playmakers were pressing quite a bit and their supporting cast seemed to be thrown out of sync. I continue to be impressed by Cailey Marsh who transferred from UCLA. She came up with some critical plays and was a steady handler for them during crunch time. They'll need players like her to be the difference makers if they are to seriously threaten the top three teams.
On our end, the win over Element was a huge step forward, the kind for which we've been hungering a long time. Our game was the last one going on Saturday, so a number of teams came to watch the end of the game, adding to the excitement of the game. We came back from a four point deficit during an 8-2 run that catapulted us to a 13-11 win. Tied at 11s, we took the game by scoring on a big flick bomb from Jesus to T-Stamp. On the final point, Jaws got a layout D on a reset and Uzi finished the game off by launching a backhand to Screech (who initially misread the disc but was able to spin around and get the disc on a second effort).
Though we lost to Cal in the first game on Sunday (rendering our UW win moot for the purposes of quarterfinals matchups), the win still meant a ton for our confidence and the future of our young program. The list of elite teams we've never beaten got a bit smaller after Pres Day, and we're eager to shorten it even more at Stanford.
PRESIDENT'S DAY
Before I get to the past weekend's events and the different teams I saw, I want to extend kudos to UC San Diego and all of the teams in attendance at Pres Day. For the second year in a row, the quality and depth of the women's field at President's Day far eclipsed that of Trouble in Vegas. Neither of the elite Canadian teams (Ottawa and UBC) were in attendance, but Wisconsin, Washington and Western Washington made the switch to San Diego this year.
Given all of the problems with this year's TiV tourney (certainly, the weather was not Cultimate's fault but there are certainly other areas where they have dropped the ball), the decision to go to Pres Day was clearly the right one. The weather was perfect, the format guaranteed a number of high quality games, and all of the major needs were taken care of. The TDs did a good job of collecting the scores and reporting them promptly on the UPA score reporter.
I would love to see Pres Day remain an elite-level tourney, and I hope that the tourney organizers continue to elevate the quality of the tourney. Here are a few areas where the tourney can improve:
1) Fields - Originally, the D pool was going to be split between two locations since the RIMAC fields can only fit seven full-sized fields. I think their solution to squeeze another field was the right one for the weekend, and this avoided the headache of having teams shuttle back and forth (and potentially wreak havoc with cap times).
While I liked that the entire tourney could fit at the one field site, I think it's preferable to have full-sized fields. Perhaps most of the teams would disagree with me on this point, but I think UCSD would be smart to get everyone's opinion on this matter.
Considering the relative importance of this tourney, the women's division should have had the two extra fields be located at the same site (Muir or the other field site) and avoid the scheduling / field dimension issues.
2) Scoreboards - They had scoreboards on Monday but not for the prior days. I think this was because the open division was using them. Again, priority should be given to the women's division if the division continues to be of much greater significance than the open division.
3) Observers - I know it's tough to get observers in general, but having observers for the pre-quarters and beyond would be a tremendous start. Having observers at Stanford and Centex last year was great, especially for teams expecting to make the trip to the College championships.
4) Publicity - This is a premiere tourney and better coverage of the games would go a long way to growing interest in the women's division. An improved website, tourney photographers / videographers and game recaps would be a big step in the right direction.
I want to be clear that I'm writing all of the above suggestions because I want to see continued growth for the women's division. Set higher standards, work harder to achieve them, and reap the rewards when you see the division grow in scope and quality.
All right, let's get to the teams.
-----
I'll focus on the teams that finished 1-10 at Pres Day. If I have time, I'll write up a part three detailing thoughts on the other teams. Of the top 10 teams, the only one I didn't see firsthand is Wisconsin, undoubtedly one of the strongest squads in the division this year. Hopefully, I'll get to see them at Stanford.
Tier One - Oregon, UCSB, Wisconsin
Hello, Big Three. These were the three teams that I thought were going to be strongest coming into this season, and the results of this weekend fully validated my predictions. None of these three teams are completely bulletproof to the teams in the tiers below, but barring major injuries or a big upset in pool play (resulting in a brutal quarterfinals matchup between two of these teams), these three should be in the semifinals in Madison.
Oregon
Fugue was my pick to win the tourney (... um, I mean out of all of the teams that aren't named USC...). Several people commented to me this weekend that their roster looks exactly the same as it did last year. While this isn't completely true, it is mostly true. And it is also only mostly true that they could field a line of super-seniors (5/7ths, I think).
Molly Suver? Check. Shannon McDowell? Check. Jenica Villamoor, Julia Sherwood, Tina Snodgrass, Morgan Zajonc? Check, check, check, check (I'm running out of checks here). Bailey Zahniser and Kimber Coles? Only sophomores? Damn.
There is no one single player you can key in on, but I think there's a decent argument for Julia Sherwood as the biggest difference-maker on this squad. She presents a very tough matchup when she is operating in the backfield. She covers a lot of ground, is extremely quick and moves the disc exceptionally well. She's also a fantastic defender. What's not to like?
As their games against Stanford and UCSB demonstrate, Fugue can be beaten, but this squad has a lot of the similar components possessed by last year's championship squad from UCSB. They have depth, a ton of elite-level experience, a great deep game, and a top-notch coaching staff. Their biggest challenge going into Stanford Invite and Centex is handling the pressure that comes with having the big bull's-eye on their back. The fact that Fugue is one of the most easygoing, fun-loving teams in the elite ranks will only help them over the course of the season.
UC Santa Barbara
UCSB also has the look of a team remarkably similar to last year's championship roster, but there is a sizable difference between the 2009 and 2010 versions of the Burning Skirts. Aside from no longer having Andrea Romano, Katie Barry and Kristie Bowen on the roster, Steve Dugan is no longer their coach. Losing the leadership offered by Dugan, Romano and Barry is really hard to measure, but it is substantial.
Fortunately for UCSB, they have oodles of talent to overcome this. Kaela Jorgenson and Carolyn Finney, the Wonder Skirt Twins, are back as their 1-2 punch, but it is Marie Madaras who is now their underappreciated star player. As Fugue learned in the semifinals in Columbus, Madaras is an athletic cutter and defensive playmaker who is now gaining confidence as a thrower. Sophomore Stephanie Karba may be the tallest handler in the women's game and will be a big part of their success this season. Bri Cahn, Shannon Bubb, Emily Bass, Erin Mordecai and Arianne Johnson are all very solid contributors who have the confidence of champions.
Wisconsin
With the College Championships in their backyard this May, the stage is set for this year to be Bella Donna's year. Reigning Callahan winner Georgia Bosscher is back and looking to add a college championship in the same year she won her first club championship. As most people know, Bosscher is a phenomenal player, but it is a huge mistake to overlook how talented the rest of the squad is.
Emilie McKain can dominate for extended stretches and provides a lot of the fire for this squad. Laura Bitterman, Jenny Gaynor and Elizabeth Vu offer a wealth of experience and talent. Bella Donna will only get better when Frances Tsukano returns from her injury.
Though they lost Amber Sinicrope (didn't return to school), Bella Donna made a major addition with Brandon Malacek and Courtney Kiesow taking over the coaching reins this year. Malacek brings a champion's mentality to the team and could give them the vital piece they've been missing the past few years.
In San Diego, Wisconsin took their first major step by dismantling their pool on Saturday, including a 13-4 win over a talented Stanford squad. They fell back to Earth a bit with a narrow win over UCLA, and a loss to Oregon in what was a highly anticipated matchup. Their 13-4 trampling over a very up-and-down Cal squad demonstrated what this team is capable of, but they came up short in their matchup with the Burning Skirts.
The pressure is definitely on Wisconsin to make the finals of either Stanford or Centex. Both Oregon and UCSB already have the confidence of a champion. Wisconsin certainly has the talent and experience, but a win over either squad in Palo Alto or Austin is close to being necessary in order to conquer their demons at the biggest stage.
Tier One Point Five - Washington
Befitting a team led by Shannon O'Stripey, Element is in a tier all by itself. The only one seed to falter in pool play, Washington is going to be interesting to follow all season. This team has plenty of talent, but right now, as O'Malley and Lindsey Wilson go, so go the rest of Element. This team could join the top tier, drop into the second tier or detonate over the Puget Sound and end up as enigmatic as the ending of Akira.
As if their current dynamic weren't interesting enough, everyone's favorite controversy-generator, Cyle van Auken, is now the head coach for Element. Ron Kubalanza has moved to Chicago and is currently coaching the Northwestern women. Last year, the two coaches seemed to balance each other well, leading Element to the finals. This year, it remains to be seen how this dynamic plays out.
I saw the many faces of Element in our pool game on Saturday. There were times when Element looked very balanced and utilized players 1 through 7. At others, they relied heavily on the O'Malley / Wilson combo. As we fought back and got a couple breaks, their two big playmakers were pressing quite a bit and their supporting cast seemed to be thrown out of sync. I continue to be impressed by Cailey Marsh who transferred from UCLA. She came up with some critical plays and was a steady handler for them during crunch time. They'll need players like her to be the difference makers if they are to seriously threaten the top three teams.
On our end, the win over Element was a huge step forward, the kind for which we've been hungering a long time. Our game was the last one going on Saturday, so a number of teams came to watch the end of the game, adding to the excitement of the game. We came back from a four point deficit during an 8-2 run that catapulted us to a 13-11 win. Tied at 11s, we took the game by scoring on a big flick bomb from Jesus to T-Stamp. On the final point, Jaws got a layout D on a reset and Uzi finished the game off by launching a backhand to Screech (who initially misread the disc but was able to spin around and get the disc on a second effort).
Though we lost to Cal in the first game on Sunday (rendering our UW win moot for the purposes of quarterfinals matchups), the win still meant a ton for our confidence and the future of our young program. The list of elite teams we've never beaten got a bit smaller after Pres Day, and we're eager to shorten it even more at Stanford.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Back From Hiatus
With Socal Warmup starting up in less than 24 hours, it is time for me to finally return to this blog and the college season. I had originally planned on writing extensively about the mixed division since I was playing with LA Metro this year. I assumed some of the responsibilities of leadership, and I needed some time away from writing about Ultimate.
My team had a fantastic run to Nationals, and we finished 11th in Sarasota. Short of what we were hoping for, but all in all, we had a great season and set the bar higher for Metro and LA Ultimate as a whole. On a personal note, I ended an abysmal streak of 15 Nationals losses in a row (playing with Monster in 2006 and coaching USC this year) with a win over TAU in pool play. The next hurdle is to get to quarterfinals and beyond.
I'll write more about USC in an upcoming preview of the Southwest region, but I feel very good about our chances this year. The bulk of last year's team remains intact and reaching semifinals at Sean Ryan (despite the absence of several key players) bodes really well for the Hellions.
I'm also planning to post some thoughts about how to improve the women's college division as a whole and take a look at some of the hot topics for the 2010 season. If anyone out there is interested in contributing, drop me a line at frho@sbcglobal.net.
My team had a fantastic run to Nationals, and we finished 11th in Sarasota. Short of what we were hoping for, but all in all, we had a great season and set the bar higher for Metro and LA Ultimate as a whole. On a personal note, I ended an abysmal streak of 15 Nationals losses in a row (playing with Monster in 2006 and coaching USC this year) with a win over TAU in pool play. The next hurdle is to get to quarterfinals and beyond.
I'll write more about USC in an upcoming preview of the Southwest region, but I feel very good about our chances this year. The bulk of last year's team remains intact and reaching semifinals at Sean Ryan (despite the absence of several key players) bodes really well for the Hellions.
I'm also planning to post some thoughts about how to improve the women's college division as a whole and take a look at some of the hot topics for the 2010 season. If anyone out there is interested in contributing, drop me a line at frho@sbcglobal.net.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The College Championships - Q&A with UPenn Coach Marc Stachowski (Part 2 of 2)
FJR: Having qualified for pre-quarters after pool play, you had exceeded the expectations of outsiders (including myself). The wins over UNC and Iowa State were solid wins but what came next was something that nobody could have anticipated. The win over Carleton eliminated any doubts about the strength of your squad, and turned Venus into the story of the tourney. Talk about the lead-up to the Carleton game and the game itself. Stachowski: If we made the pre-quarters we'd match up with the winner of the Carleton vs. UNCW pool game. I was hoping it would be UNCW since I had watched them play a little bit and thought they were close to UNC in style and talent. I figured that could be a good way to encourage our team to pull off another upset. Unfortunately, Carleton beat UNCW 15-11. And since that game was happening at the same time as the Stanford/UNC game, I didn't even get to watch Carleton play. Uh oh.
So, on the minus side it looked like Carleton was playing some really good ultimate. On the plus side, I figured we'd be a little more rested since our last game of the day was over two hours before Carleton's... and also since we played a completely open rotation against Stanford to try to preserve our top players for later.
During our warmup after a five hour break, we looked a bit lethargic. Carleton was looking very efficient and sharp doing their warmup drills and I noticed with some concern that they were a very tall team. My message was the same as any other game during the series... play our game... keep a vocal involved sideline. As the game got underway we started out sluggishly but the mental toughness was there. We were making good decisions and working the disc really well and not panicking after they had a couple of monster skies by their tall receivers. We slowly got a grip on the game and took half 8-7.
During half time we seemed to find our second wind and came out very energized... running off 4-5 straight against a tired looking Carleton. When Katie Poulos, a third year player and super steady cutter and defender, made her first career layout grab on a disc that looked like nobody would get to, it was good for the 14th goal and the Penn sideline erupted. A turnover and a few throws later, Opi pointed to a corner of the endzone and Kate Anthony put it there... with Opi out-jumping a taller defender for the final goal. And just like that, we were suddenly in the quarterfinals of Nationals. And unbelievably, another goal change: "Lets make semis!"
FJR: Beating UNC and Carleton was one thing. Getting to the quarterfinals was amazing. But challenging Washington Element, a team that was on everyone's short list to win the title, took Venus from this year's Cinderella to one of the great underdogs in Ultimate history. How were you able to contend with a juggernaut like Element?
Stachowski: Honestly, I felt pretty good about our chances against Washington. We had been doing a great job of focusing on our own game the entire weekend and with a good night's rest I thought we'd be ready to pull off yet another upset. The message to the team was basically: nobody expected us to be here... everyone will be pulling for the underdog... just get out there and show everyone what we're made of and leave it all on the field.
As Penn warmed up up before the game I could tell it would be a much harder contest than anything we'd played in all year. Not only because of our opponent, but also because of the heat. I felt pretty confident that our top 9 could match up well with any other 9 at the tournament, but going against a team so deep and talented I was worried that we'd have fatigue problems towards the end of the game. Still, the girls had shown an incredible amount of fortitude so far... maybe there was another miracle to be had.
And for a while there, I really thought we were going to pull it off. At one point in the first half, we were making huge plays
everywhere... Opi got a huge deflection D then tore downfield for the score to make it 6-3. 6-3!! At that point, a girl from Pitt (we had fantastic support from players from all over the ME all weekend... Pitt, Penn State, Maryland, Cornell) stopped me on the sideline and said something like "Doc, what is going on here?" I shook my head and said "I don't know." I really didn't know. The euphoria of that early lead... the energy and excitement of the Penn sideline... the energy and buzz from the crowd... our team of underdogs playing their hearts out and taking it to the number 2 team in the nation... just an
amazing feeling. That's probably my favorite moment of the entire tournament.
Unfortunately, Washington was able to apply relentless pressure on both offense and defense and the chilly decisions we were making all weekend started thawing quickly. A couple of uncharacteristic drops... and turfed throw here and there... and suddenly it was 7-7. That focus that had been so sharp all weekend was showing some wear.
Still, we took half 8-7 and we were feeling very upbeat about our chances. But the Washington pressure was just too much for us and you could see our energy output dropping dramatically. We traded until about 10-10 or so, then Washington broke us twice I think. We traded again to 12-13 and Washington finished us off with two in a row. We'd come within 3 points of attaining a goal that we would never have thought possible just a few weeks beforehand. Our season was over.
FJR: Now that the 2009 season is over, what are your prospects going into next year?
Stachowski: It's hard to say what our prospects are for next year. We are losing Raha Mozaffari (three time all-region), Whitney Viets (captain, all-region, Callahan nominee), Rachel Shah (captain), and Kate Anthony. Basically, Raha, Kate and Whitney played every point of every victory and the quarters loss. And Rachel played every D point as a defensive handler and had zero turnovers. That's a lot of ultimate skill and leadership to have to replace.
On the other hand, to say that our remaining veterans and rookies have been galvanized by this whole incredible experience is an understatement. Every one of our rookies has signed up for a local league, and/or has written me for things to work on over the summer, and on and on. Hopefully some of the rookies will make good progress over the summer and come back with a purpose. We have a bunch of determined vets who are ready to step up and have their turn as well.
So, with some progress there and another good rookie class... maybe a transfer or two... maybe some hotshot HS player will read our story and decide to go to Penn to be part of our program... who knows?
What I can say is that by the time Sectionals 2010 rolls around, we'll come in with a low RRI but full of fire, determination, discipline and heart... and we'll be gunning for another trip to Nationals... playing our game... one point at a time.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The College Championships - Q&A with UPenn Coach Marc Stachowski (Part 1 of 2)
Lazy sportswriters have relied on finding a team to slap with the Cinderella label as a default storyline for some time now. I am certainly not above being lazy, but UPenn's performance over Memorial Day truly fits the bill and is one of the more remarkable runs in recent memory. In the short time that UPA has been maintaining scores on their score reporter, the only other run that can compete with what UPenn did this year is Northwest's 2007 performance that nearly landed them in the semifinals.
Coming into the tourney as the 20th seed, Venus more than justified the UPA's decision to expand the field to 20 teams this year. What they did this year will undoubtedly inspire future upset-minded teams to do the unthinkable and give fans a lot to chat about.
I emailed Marc 'Doc' Stachowski, the head coach of UPenn Venus, about their run to get a firsthand account of their successful showing at the College Championships. In his third year as head coach, Stachowski was recognized as the Metro East's coach of the year. As a player, Doc has qualified for mixed Nationals five times, twice with Donkey Bomb and is currently on a three-year run with AMP.
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FJR: Before we get to the big run in Columbus, how did you and the team leadership prepare for the College Series?
Stachowski: Sunday at sectionals was the first time all season that our entire team was on the field for a game. Our 5th year player and main handler, Raha Mozaffari, is in dental school and was barely able to make it to any tourneys at all this season. That meant a couple of things: 1. One of our main cutters, Whitney Viets, had to handle all year in Raha's place. 2. As a result of that, and the fact that I couldn't care less about things like RRI, we were a complete unknown even to our regional rivals and maybe even to ourselves.
Regardless, the mantra for our team is always "play our game". We talk a lot about making high percentage plays and factoring risk vs. reward in decision making and our players really bought into those concepts. So heading into regionals, it was all about making sure we were only thinking about the next point, and concentrating on playing our game. The only time we were rattled out of our game was in the semi vs. Maryland where they blew us out 15-4. As lopsided as that sounds, I felt like we were in every point and that most of our turnovers were mental mistakes. Fortunately, we had a great circle after that game and team captain Whitney Viets, who had a huge huge effect on team morale with her speeches, was able to rally the troops and leave everyone feeling confident and upbeat about the following day. "Three more!", was the cheer.
FJR: After a surprising upset win over Maryland (an underrated team who placed 11th at the 2008 College Championships), how did you keep the team motivated going into Nationals?
Stachowski: Prepping for Nationals was... interesting. Chaos, is probably a better word for it. As it turns out, the 2 weeks after regionals were finals weeks for everyone. And then school let out the week before Nationals. So basically, we had 1 or 2 practices between Regionals and Nationals... both of which were thinly attended. Naturally, our team was completely euphoric about our dramatic win vs. Maryland, and to be honest I was a little worried that we'd settle for just having made nationals. I basically told the team that making it wasn't enough: the whole nation thought we were lucky to be there... thought we didn't deserve our spot... nobody was giving us any respect. I told them we needed to go to Columbus and earn our respect one point at a time... with our game... the way we play it... our huge and active sideline... the whole works. If we won some games... so be it... but either way, we'd be able to hold our heads high if we just showed teams we could compete with them.
FJR: What were you and your team's expectations going into Nationals?
Stachowski: I'm a big believer in setting team goals. Our goal for every season I've coached (this was my third year) has been to play our game throughout the series... one point at a time... and ultimately make it to Nationals. So qualifying for Nationals at all would make our season a huge success.
Now that we had actually attained our goal, I had no idea what would happen next. This was the first Nationals appearance for Venus in 13 years. That, combined with the fact that we hadn't faced any other nationals qualifier left me with a lot of uncertainty as to where we'd ultimately place. I was encouraged by the fact that we had beaten Pitt, who had beaten NC a couple of times during the regular season. But beyond that, i had no idea what would happen or how good the competition would be... other than really good.
When the seeds and schedules came out it definitely seemed like we could make a run at pre-quarters if we could pull a couple of upsets... so that became our new goal: "Make pre-quarters!" We would play the 9 (NC) on Friday morning, then the 4 (Ottawa) on Friday afternoon. Then Saturday we had the 16 (Iowa St.) in the morning, and the 5 (Stanford) right after that... with a potential pre-quarters game in the evening. So, we planned to go all out for the two morning games... and if we won, we'd sub deep into our roster for the games against the 4 and the 5 to rest our starters for the potential pre-quarter matchup. That was our overall tourney strategy going in.
FJR: Opening the tourney with a win over UNC was the first surprise of the tourney and obviously huge for your team's confidence. What were the keys to winning against UNC?
Stachowski: Judging from the information we got from fellow ME teams that had faced UNC and/or had seen them play I thought we'd match up pretty well with them. The game plan going in was to poach the lane every time their main thrower Leila Tunnell had the disc, force her to give it to another handler (preferably on force side sideline) and then completely deny a reset back to her. Obviously, you can't keep the disc out of the hands of a player like Tunnell all the time, but I liked the pressure we were applying and the coverage we had downfield. I felt like we did a great job of coming out strong on D and mixing in our break mark/short game with our long shots on O.
Unfortunately one of the turning points in the game was a bad injury to one of UNC's main defenders, Kaitlin Baden. There was a long throw and Kaitlin was going stride for stride with Octavia "Opi" Payne on Penn. Both made a bid for the disc but Opi landed on Kaitlin in an awkward tangle and the play resulted in a torn ACL for Kaitlin. Seeing any player go down to that kind of injury is deflating to both teams. Nobody wants to see another player get hurt... and be reminded just how random and easy it is to be injured yourself. Without question and understandably, UNC was affected more. Kaitlin, along with her teammates had been doing a nice job covering Penn's main cutters Opi and Whitney. With her out, I feel like Penn gained a bit
of an edge both on the field and psychologically, and we were able to pull away in the second half.
I have to say a couple of things about UNC: I have to admit i groaned a little when i saw that we'd play them. Not only because they're good, but also because of that bad rap that teams from North Carolina get... "too intense"... "dirty players"... etc. Well i'm here to say that UNC was the MOST spirited team we played at Nationals. Our game was hard fought, physical, and completely fair. There were very few calls and almost all of them were uncontested. There was no "working" the rules, or ticky tack calls on bumps that had nothing to do with the play. Just ultimate being played at a high level with exciting plays everywhere. The coaches, Lindsey Hack and Brian Dobyns are class acts and their team is a reflection of them. Intense? YES! Fair? Definitely. Spirited? Unquestionably.
Also, in a display of courage that says all you need to know about the women that play this game, when I went to the sideline between one of the points in the UNC/Penn game to seek out Kaitlin Baden and offer my sympathies, she looked up from her chair, huge ice pack on her knee, shrugged, smiled gamely and said simply: "It happens." What a baller. Seriously Kaitlin, my hat is off to you. Come back strong!
FJR: After the upset win, UPenn lost to Ottawa, took care of business against Iowa State and then lost by a huge margin against Stanford, giving them a 2-2 record after pool play. UNC still had a chance to knock Venus out of the pre-quarters with a win over Stanford. Can you describe the anxiety of watching the UNC/Stanford game (knowing that UNC winning would drop you out of the pre-quarters)?
Stachowski: At that point in the tournament, our die was already cast. We had already accomplished everything we wanted to do at Nationals: Upset some teams, get some respect, and get everyone on our huge roster [FJR note: 28 players!] into a game. Of course I wanted us to continue on to pre-quarters but I was satisfied that we had done all we could to put ourselves in a good position. The rest was up to Stanford... and they managed to gut out a huge comeback win against a determined UNC team. With the Stanford win guaranteeing our appearance in the pre-quarter game, another goal had been attained. Time to reset it again: "Lets make quarters!"
Coming into the tourney as the 20th seed, Venus more than justified the UPA's decision to expand the field to 20 teams this year. What they did this year will undoubtedly inspire future upset-minded teams to do the unthinkable and give fans a lot to chat about.
I emailed Marc 'Doc' Stachowski, the head coach of UPenn Venus, about their run to get a firsthand account of their successful showing at the College Championships. In his third year as head coach, Stachowski was recognized as the Metro East's coach of the year. As a player, Doc has qualified for mixed Nationals five times, twice with Donkey Bomb and is currently on a three-year run with AMP.
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FJR: Before we get to the big run in Columbus, how did you and the team leadership prepare for the College Series?
Stachowski: Sunday at sectionals was the first time all season that our entire team was on the field for a game. Our 5th year player and main handler, Raha Mozaffari, is in dental school and was barely able to make it to any tourneys at all this season. That meant a couple of things: 1. One of our main cutters, Whitney Viets, had to handle all year in Raha's place. 2. As a result of that, and the fact that I couldn't care less about things like RRI, we were a complete unknown even to our regional rivals and maybe even to ourselves.
Regardless, the mantra for our team is always "play our game". We talk a lot about making high percentage plays and factoring risk vs. reward in decision making and our players really bought into those concepts. So heading into regionals, it was all about making sure we were only thinking about the next point, and concentrating on playing our game. The only time we were rattled out of our game was in the semi vs. Maryland where they blew us out 15-4. As lopsided as that sounds, I felt like we were in every point and that most of our turnovers were mental mistakes. Fortunately, we had a great circle after that game and team captain Whitney Viets, who had a huge huge effect on team morale with her speeches, was able to rally the troops and leave everyone feeling confident and upbeat about the following day. "Three more!", was the cheer.
FJR: After a surprising upset win over Maryland (an underrated team who placed 11th at the 2008 College Championships), how did you keep the team motivated going into Nationals?
Stachowski: Prepping for Nationals was... interesting. Chaos, is probably a better word for it. As it turns out, the 2 weeks after regionals were finals weeks for everyone. And then school let out the week before Nationals. So basically, we had 1 or 2 practices between Regionals and Nationals... both of which were thinly attended. Naturally, our team was completely euphoric about our dramatic win vs. Maryland, and to be honest I was a little worried that we'd settle for just having made nationals. I basically told the team that making it wasn't enough: the whole nation thought we were lucky to be there... thought we didn't deserve our spot... nobody was giving us any respect. I told them we needed to go to Columbus and earn our respect one point at a time... with our game... the way we play it... our huge and active sideline... the whole works. If we won some games... so be it... but either way, we'd be able to hold our heads high if we just showed teams we could compete with them.
FJR: What were you and your team's expectations going into Nationals?
Stachowski: I'm a big believer in setting team goals. Our goal for every season I've coached (this was my third year) has been to play our game throughout the series... one point at a time... and ultimately make it to Nationals. So qualifying for Nationals at all would make our season a huge success.
Now that we had actually attained our goal, I had no idea what would happen next. This was the first Nationals appearance for Venus in 13 years. That, combined with the fact that we hadn't faced any other nationals qualifier left me with a lot of uncertainty as to where we'd ultimately place. I was encouraged by the fact that we had beaten Pitt, who had beaten NC a couple of times during the regular season. But beyond that, i had no idea what would happen or how good the competition would be... other than really good.
When the seeds and schedules came out it definitely seemed like we could make a run at pre-quarters if we could pull a couple of upsets... so that became our new goal: "Make pre-quarters!" We would play the 9 (NC) on Friday morning, then the 4 (Ottawa) on Friday afternoon. Then Saturday we had the 16 (Iowa St.) in the morning, and the 5 (Stanford) right after that... with a potential pre-quarters game in the evening. So, we planned to go all out for the two morning games... and if we won, we'd sub deep into our roster for the games against the 4 and the 5 to rest our starters for the potential pre-quarter matchup. That was our overall tourney strategy going in.
FJR: Opening the tourney with a win over UNC was the first surprise of the tourney and obviously huge for your team's confidence. What were the keys to winning against UNC?
Stachowski: Judging from the information we got from fellow ME teams that had faced UNC and/or had seen them play I thought we'd match up pretty well with them. The game plan going in was to poach the lane every time their main thrower Leila Tunnell had the disc, force her to give it to another handler (preferably on force side sideline) and then completely deny a reset back to her. Obviously, you can't keep the disc out of the hands of a player like Tunnell all the time, but I liked the pressure we were applying and the coverage we had downfield. I felt like we did a great job of coming out strong on D and mixing in our break mark/short game with our long shots on O.
Unfortunately one of the turning points in the game was a bad injury to one of UNC's main defenders, Kaitlin Baden. There was a long throw and Kaitlin was going stride for stride with Octavia "Opi" Payne on Penn. Both made a bid for the disc but Opi landed on Kaitlin in an awkward tangle and the play resulted in a torn ACL for Kaitlin. Seeing any player go down to that kind of injury is deflating to both teams. Nobody wants to see another player get hurt... and be reminded just how random and easy it is to be injured yourself. Without question and understandably, UNC was affected more. Kaitlin, along with her teammates had been doing a nice job covering Penn's main cutters Opi and Whitney. With her out, I feel like Penn gained a bit
of an edge both on the field and psychologically, and we were able to pull away in the second half.
I have to say a couple of things about UNC: I have to admit i groaned a little when i saw that we'd play them. Not only because they're good, but also because of that bad rap that teams from North Carolina get... "too intense"... "dirty players"... etc. Well i'm here to say that UNC was the MOST spirited team we played at Nationals. Our game was hard fought, physical, and completely fair. There were very few calls and almost all of them were uncontested. There was no "working" the rules, or ticky tack calls on bumps that had nothing to do with the play. Just ultimate being played at a high level with exciting plays everywhere. The coaches, Lindsey Hack and Brian Dobyns are class acts and their team is a reflection of them. Intense? YES! Fair? Definitely. Spirited? Unquestionably.
Also, in a display of courage that says all you need to know about the women that play this game, when I went to the sideline between one of the points in the UNC/Penn game to seek out Kaitlin Baden and offer my sympathies, she looked up from her chair, huge ice pack on her knee, shrugged, smiled gamely and said simply: "It happens." What a baller. Seriously Kaitlin, my hat is off to you. Come back strong!
FJR: After the upset win, UPenn lost to Ottawa, took care of business against Iowa State and then lost by a huge margin against Stanford, giving them a 2-2 record after pool play. UNC still had a chance to knock Venus out of the pre-quarters with a win over Stanford. Can you describe the anxiety of watching the UNC/Stanford game (knowing that UNC winning would drop you out of the pre-quarters)?
Stachowski: At that point in the tournament, our die was already cast. We had already accomplished everything we wanted to do at Nationals: Upset some teams, get some respect, and get everyone on our huge roster [FJR note: 28 players!] into a game. Of course I wanted us to continue on to pre-quarters but I was satisfied that we had done all we could to put ourselves in a good position. The rest was up to Stanford... and they managed to gut out a huge comeback win against a determined UNC team. With the Stanford win guaranteeing our appearance in the pre-quarter game, another goal had been attained. Time to reset it again: "Lets make quarters!"
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