(Counterpoint) TiV

Trouble in Vegas 2010 was a learning experience for pretty much everyone involved. While Cultimate was laughing their asses off for the weekend and rolled in gold coins like Scrooge McDuck, the wimmynz team learned how to play brrr pong, Ball Sachs learned how to spike a game point score, and Jake learned how to spell the word "catheter" (he spelled it "cathider" in a 12:46 pm text message to the Bungalo Bros). Even Hupps learned a new word, "coliseum," though I'm not sure he knows how to use it yet. And while I'm more prone to associate him with the sitcom character Alf than the Alph River, we're certainly very proud of him.

Three things we can work on before Spring Break (!oow) to get some solidified coke lines and build some full-strength conditioning shampoo:

-in cuts. Even from the limited footage I took, it is increasingly obvious that running back and forth horizontally (or just standing still) is not a good way to get the disc in your hands. Cut in. If you don't get the disc, clear to the wings. If you get the disc, take a second or two to look upfield and maybe throw in a fake or actually make that continuation, but if you've got nothing, then get it back to a handler.

-handler movement. Guilty as charged. For example, we were by and large unable to run the wrap on the sideline and even when we did, it was not as effective as it should have been at opening up the rest of the field. This is definitely something we can drill over and over indoors, but we've got to really get on the same page with this.

-cheers. With the exception of Smutbro's "Sons of Gondor, of Rohan" speech, there was a serious paucity of pump-up cheers. I'm looking at you, Bänkenstein. "h" is Planck's constant. Bohr doesn't have a constant. He's got models and formulae galore, but he used Planck's constant and had no constant to his own name.

As Hupp-Alf said, we've been cooped up in Crown all season, and we'll be cooped up for another few weeks. Let's make the most of our time. Let's get mentally and physically fit. Also, we really need to work on our tans.

Baby Craig

Captain

University of Chicago Mens Competitive Tanning Team

Look Out World...

Well, I've finally decided that it's time to due my fatherly duty and enter the ring with Jake and Craiggers. This coliseum will erupt with manly pleasures, people weighing under 150 pounds, and one summer of club experience. Words will spew forth like Alph, the sacred river, and I will point out a similarity between Jake and Skyla with every post.

Vegas was hella frustrating (and a little scary on Sunday morning). We've been cooped up in Crown since the beginning of the calendar year, and our one chance this quarter to play outside was cut short. Balls. We didn't get a chance to really see people's strengths, and we didn't get many opportunities to work on offensive and defensive sets we wanted to try. Now we're back indoors until Spring Break (woo!), and we'll have to do what we can to get some solidified lines and build some full-field chemistry. When we get back from Georgia, we'll have just a few short weeks to pull our shit together for Sectionals, but at this point, we're restricted to small spaces, visualization, and hard conditioning. That being said, Vegas most certainly had its moments, like Dinger Dan pulling off a chest hair for Shane/Zubair, and it was just really unfortunate to have rain for the second year in a row. While I anticipate that we will look at other winter tournament options going forward, I would say that there is still a good chance we'll be returning to Vegas next year with hopes of good weather and great ultimate.

At this point, we're continuing on with our pod workouts, looking forward to Spring Break, and getting pumped for Sectionals and Regionals.

Arriving fashionably late,
Hupps


P.S. - Jake and Skyla have the same number of vowels in both their first and last names (y-inclusive).

Pre-Vegas Thoughts

My primary thought at the moment is how much of a bitch Baby is.

After that however, I have, as I'm sure all of you have as well, been spending a lot of time thinking about Vegas these past few days, hell, these past few weeks. I haven't done most of my work for this week, not because I couldn't but because I haven't wanted to, haven't cared, haven't been that worried about school when ultimate is occupying so much of my consciousness.

I think this focus and attentiveness is good. It feeds desire to win. It makes me think that we are a better team than we are, and if we think we are a better team, we push ourselves and expect ourselves to play like a better team. And FUCK, I think we should be a better team.

However, don't let the excitement about Vegas build it up into something it is not. This is our first tournament of the year. We are all still adapting to new positions, new teammates, new genders (in Craig's case). I can't wait to get out on that field and play, but it would be unreasonable for me not to expect to be rusty. Coming off a long injury and only a week being back, I want to do everything I can, knowing that I am not in the physical shape that I would like to be in. I hope everyone's approach is the same. We want to play the best ultimate and be the best team that we can be, but don't get down during or after this tournament.

Come Sectionals; Come Regionals; We will be ready.

Fuckin' Sweet.

-Jake