Cooler is over and it was cooler than usual (or at least last year). This weekend wasn’t what I expected on a lot of levels, but in the end, it was an ultimate tournament and those make me happy. Friday we left early and got in Milwaukee at about 7:30ish. We setup camp, threw around, and then some Dingers joined us for some hanging out. We grilled brats for din-din and built a camp fire which became the focal point of the area. Hanging out at Cooler wasn’t as awesome I as I thought it would be. Our site seemed to be a little fractured with everyone doing their own thing in selective groups. This seemed to be even more the case with more people hoteling it up this year. Let’s just say, I expect more to from this group in terms of fun. That being said, there was still awesome banter and good laughs. The weather ended up being chilly and that night, which was refreshing until I couldn’t sleep due to shivering. Oh well.
So Saturday morning rolled around, and after a quick trip to the McD’s right past the enchanted forest, we were on our way to the fields. We got to the fields and I left almost immediately. I had forgotten my cleats back at the camp site. When I returned the rest of the team was done warming up, but since I was worried about missing the start of the first game, my adrenaline was already pumping a little bit. I was able to get warmed up faster than usual.
Avoiding the detailed game by game recap, here is what I noticed about our playing this weekend. Historically, we have had a tough time coming out fired up, more so on Sunday. We did a good job of mental preparation before our games started and we were able to really jump on the competition. D-Line O still needs a lot of improvement. I think maybe some of our troubles come from the convert-it-fast mentality that we have been breeding this year. While the break is more devastating when completed in a couple throws, it is not worth sacrificing the break in its entirety. Our Defensive handler sets seem to have some disconnects with certain player combinations. This could be solved by talking it out, but I am not sure if this is happening, or if egos are getting in the way. Respect your teammates, man. Early on, I noticed the handler set was very tight to one side of the field, I said something to Lou and they spread out. I didn’t notice later if it continued to get crowded or not. What we need to work on in the cutting department is less obvious to me. I think our continuations need to improve. A lot of times when I get the disc underneath I don’t really have something until stall 4 or 5. Most of the time, I just look dump to keep the disc movement, or the strike cut from one of the handlers. We also do not make enough deep cuts to make us a threat in that direction. That being said, we played hard ass D for the majority of the weekend. We still had peaks and valleys when it came to defensive efforts. I hope that everyone is stepping on the field with D-intensity that makes them play as hard as they can.
O-Line had some hills to climb this weekend as well. The games that are burned into my mind are, the Machine game in Semis, and the Haymaker consolation game we played. Welcome to turnover city. To be fair, both lines had a truck load of turns in these games. Drops and drops and drops and drops. We also had plenty of throwing turnovers as well. At every tourney we go to, we seem to be D-line heavy in players as well. We subbed in some D-players to the O-Line as some of them got fatigued. We didn’t wait as long as we did at MUDI, but I think this could have happened earlier even still. I believe it is what we need specifically to keep our tournament endurance solid. If we plan on being a high end team, this is greatly important. So, once the O-Line can find a balance between pool play efforts and bracket play, I believe this will change our performance radically. Also, I was included in the O-Line rotation and it was a great time. I still got the chance to play some tough D on that side of the disc as well. What I noticed from playing O points, is that the O-Line moves the disc side to side a little better than the D-Line. This made a lot of cuts easy for me. Most players make the mistake of not constantly readjusting to the disc placement, especially if the cutter is standing still. On O, I felt it was easier to be a deep threat and with a lot of success as well.
The playmakers award this weekend goes to Joe ‘The Slot Machine’ Nickels. Joe played huge in the Machine game specifically, coming up with clutch D’s all over the place. Plus, Joe has sick layout grabs all the time. Maybe a contender for the ‘Softest Hands in Ultimate’?? Watch out Ben.
Personally, I thought I played well this weekend. I had some throwing turns, but not as many as I am known for. I had a lot of D’s this weekend and a lot of scores as well. If Lou would keep some god damn stats for me, I could blurt out some great plus/minus counts for my playing. I said it before, and I will say it again. This tournament marks a year in competitive ultimate for me. I feel like I have come a long way in a year and it really excites me about the future. I have recieved so much support from all the veterans on my team, which is almost 100% responsible for where I am today. That being said, if anyone has some recomendations on improving my D or O game based upon this weekend or practice, I am all ears. Hit me up in the comments, in email, on the phone, on the pager, with smoke signals, or with just road flares. Get my attention some how.
In separate news, it looks like the Central Region was represented well at ECC this weekend. I only know of one Sub Zero blog, and I have already requested an update. I hope these guys are carrying the Central banner without fear.
This is a big week at work, for bachelor parties, and workouts. Kevin and Lana will soon be joined in the handcuffs of marriage. How sweet.
1 Comment
August 20, 2007 at 8:25 am
How did I not mention the rain? I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the weather enough. It rained and rained this weekend. Mud and coldness. I drove back home with dried mud caked up and down my legs. It was nice to finally get to shower.