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Day 4 Recap: Sunday, Nov. 1

2009 UPA Club Championships
Sarasota, Fla.
Mixed Division
By Matthew Spillum

Championship Game
Axis of C’ville 15, The Chad Larson Experience 11
Daylight savings gave all the spectators staying in Siesta Key a little extra time to rest up from the beach parties, we prepared for the start of another beautiful day for Ultimate. As Axis and Chad Larson trickled onto the field to start warm ups, Axis’ Kevin Kusy let me in on his thoughts for success on the day: “You don’t get many of these days, so you have to take advantage of them.” On the sidelines, Axis of C’ville warmed up sporting their light-blue button-down shirts with animal patches sewn on. “These are our spirit animals. Someone decided at Regional Championships that we were all animals, and these are the animals that we were given,” said Emily “T.J.” (peacock) Estrada.

On the other half of the fields, The Chad Larson Experience warmed up, some of them in their skin-tight pink “spankies” that they wore in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Melissa Gibbs also loved the style, “I was promised the spankies would be part of the uniform . . . it was a lie.”

As the teams prepared to get started, both captains seemed confident. “We’re going to play strong handler defense, try to cause turns in the backfield, and not change up much. We feel we have the athletes to stick with them. With two similar teams, it’s going to come down to who executes better,” said Chad Larson’s Kevin Seiler. “It’s a fine line between the fire in the belly and that fire seeping up into the brain,” said Axis’ Oliver (platypus) Platts-Mills. “We don’t really know these guys, but nothing changes on our end.”

With Axis receiving, the Chad Larson defense forced an early turn, only to give it right back on a Chase (gecko) Sparling-Beckley “D,” which was in turn answered by Lana Seiler for Chad Larson laying out for the turn. From there, Chad Larson would score the first point of this championship on a Zach Eastlund to Joe Brisbois strike. Axis responded immediately with two quick points, the second after an unlucky Chad Larson drop near the end zone. Giving a team like Axis easy scores inevitably proved costly, and Axis took the early break back.

After Chad knotted it up, they had yet another chance to renew the break when Joe Brisbois reached deep for a huge layout “D,” only to sail the ensuing huck long. Chase quickly hit Justin (badger) Weber for the goal. At this point, Chad Larson looked a bit tight on offense, and Axis was more than happy to take advantage of any mistakes. Axis’ Tyler (Odie – think Garfield) Conger’s “D” was matched by a Melissa Gibbs “D” for Chad Larson, whereupon Axis once more took advantage of a miscue to grab another break on a Jay (grouper) Guise throw to Chris “Scuttle” (stag) Barker pass.

At this point, Chad looked to regroup with a time out, and pulled one back afterwards, with Jon Staron hitting Kurt Brorsen to pull to 4-3, Axis. The ensuing point saw Chase leave the field on a blown-out cleat, but Axis’ Andrea (unicorn) Duran put the goal in to hold the break.

Chad Larson needed a spark at this point, and they found it in Christine Rosen, who bolted past her defender to reel in a huck, dumped the disc back and sprinted open to score on a pass from Kevin Seiler. All weekend long, one could see Rosen wide-open in space, torturing defenders with her quick first step and blazing speed. After another hard-fought point found Chad Larson’s Zach Eastlund hitting Dan Kresowik to bring the game to five-all, the teams traded scores to half, with Axis staying on serve, ahead 8-7.

At the half, both captains held their cards close to the chest, but there was no mistaking the faith each had it their team. Axis’ Oliver Platts-Mills: “This is how we roll, our offense always has butterflies early, and our defense spends the first half stalking the other team . . . figuring them out. They are a good team, though – athletic and patient.” Similarly, Kevin Seiler for Chad Larson felt that “our offense came out a bit tentative. We had a couple of drops, but I feel we’ve cleaned it up the last few points. Now, we’re just looking for the defensive break . . . their defense looks good, and breaks will be at a premium. Still, we’re going to get that break, and never look back.”

Certainly, things remained close following the half, after Chad Larsen’s Kevin Seiler hauled in a huge put by Mike Lun, and found Kurt Brorsen to tie the game at eight. However, Chad could not capitalize on an Axis turn the next point, and from there, the game began to change. At 10-8 in favor of Axis, the teams traded several turnovers until a Kevin Seiler hand block allowed Jon Staron to hit Amy Sheldahl for a Chad Larson goal. While the teams would trade for the next few points, two things began to stand out: Axis became energized by any error they committed, and Chad Larson became tighter.

After a Mike Lun to Brorsen score made it 11-10, Axis scored the next two with smothering defense forcing turns and a quick-strike counter-attack that seemed unstoppable. Chad Larson, on offense, put the same seven out every point in the second half, and, as the game progressed, the crew looked progressively more fatigued. While they would take another point back (Lun to Brorsen), the end was not in doubt by then, and Axis would win it as they had so many points this tournament, by putting in a quick turnover.

Huddling together, the newly minted Mixed Division Club Champions gathered their energy. In the words of Chase Sparling-Beckley: “This was about us . . . we made it about us. Way to gut it out . . . way to take it!” Axis’ Oliver Platts-Mills offered this after the game: “This team won all weekend with defense, and I want people to remember that Chase isn’t on our defense lines. He is a great ambassador for the sport, and a great teammate, but this was a team effort all around. Now, we can all look forward to Prague!”

Kurt Brorsen, for The Chad Larson Experience, mentioned the “three turns we had right on the goal line. That was the difference, and you can’t make mistakes like that against great teams, which Axis certainly was.”
And so it goes into the books. Congratulations, Axis of C’ville: 2009 UPA Mixed Division Club Champions! Also, congratulations are due to all the teams qualifying for 2010 World Ultimate Club Championships in Prague, Czech Republic: The Chad Larson Experience, Mental Toss Flycoons and Quiet Coyote!

On a personal note, I would like to thank all of the teams competing at Club Championships this year; your cooperation and tolerance made it easy to do my job, and your spectacular play made it fun to cover. Thank you all. And on to Worlds!

 

Day 3 Recap: Saturday, Oct. 31

2009 UPA Club Championships
Sarasota, Fla.
Mixed Division
By Matthew Spillum

Quarterfinals
Chad Larson Experience 15, D’oh! 10
Coming into the semifinal rounds, Chad Larson Experience had had a few off moments over the course of the weekend. They always seemed ready to bring it back, however, in close wins against Jukebox Hero and Mental Toss Flycoons. Still, Saturday morning had them feeling loose. “We’re just playing catch out there,” said a sanguine Michael Brisbois. On the other side, D’oh! had scrapped into the quarterfinals with a tough pre-quarters win over One Trick Pony. The weekend had been a rougher road for D’oh!, and sometimes being put to the test is what you need. Still, in the early going, D’oh! struggled to score on CLX’s defensive lines, which were effective in putting away mistakes.

Big defensive efforts, particularly a huge layout by CLX’s Steven Meyer, saw the score reach 7-3. D’oh! had no quit in them, however, and a Josh Lang “D” set up a D’oh! score to bring it to 7-5. CLX’s offense responded immediately, with Mike Lun finding Kurt Brorsen for half. The game would continue in that vein, with CLX taking a break here and there to slowly build their lead. Sarah Solarz felt that “our offense still isn’t clicking on all cylinders, but our defense is still getting us turns.” While D’oh! would continue to fight, CLX kept up the pressure for the win. D’oh!’s Ester Katsaros was disappointed, but said of the game, “They were an awesome team, and we have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Axis of C’ville 15, Barrio 12
Axis of C’ville also had passed every test put before them on the weekend, usually winning comfortably with their huge long game and counterattack. Only a slow start against METRO and a tough game with familiar foes AMP had stood between them and cruising to Quarterfinals in relative ease. Opposing them, Barrio had been up and down for most of the weekend, with losses to Flycoons and CLX marring their record. They played with grit and determination, however, and their pre-quarters game against Slow White was a tough battle that showed they could grind it out with anyone here.

Axis vx. Barrio
Photo by Bil Elsinger

Barrio’s short game was on display early, as they took the first point, but Axis answered with a couple from there. The teams looked solid in trading, but Barrio’s unforced errors were adding up as Axis took half 8-5. Hannah “Gonzo” Green was a force for Axis, while Jodi McCloskey and Brandon Palmer were keeping Barrio in the game. Axis slipped another break in as they pushed their lead to 11-7. Tyler Conger of Axis summed up the action thusly: “Our defense is playing really well . . . we got our breaks early and are holding serve.”

After another Axis point, Barrio seemed to bear down for the fight, getting a couple of points for each of Axis’ to pull with in 14-12. But Axis kept their cool under pressure, and another spot in the semifinals was sealed with a Jay Guise to Anna Neeras throw.

Quiet Coyote 15, AMP 14
To this point, the story of the weekend was the steady run of Quiet Coyote. Asked if they were ready to keep the dream alive before the game, Jason Adams replied wisely with, “We have another opportunity.” AMP’s Stacy Janz was also cautious: “(Quiet Coyote) have some weapons we’ve got to contain. Our road here hasn’t been an easy one, though, and we are taking nothing for granted.” The game began with AMP getting the early break, and Quiet Coyote’s Jeremy Maunus noted, “Our offense has been having to head into the wind every point.”

Still, the game was tight all the way. AMP went once again to their zone, looking to stop the Quiet Coyote flow, and Quiet Coyote answered with “heart, drive and a one-three-three zone that changed their offense a bit,” according to Quiet Coyote’s Caroline Linehan. With that surge, and a Roy VanCleef layout “D” on the goal line, Quiet went into half up 8-6. AMP, of course, wasn’t going away and the second half was nip and tuck the whole way. On double game point, time cap on, Quiet Coyote’s Mat Packard forced turnover with a huge layout near the end zone, and Tim Cobbett picked up for the quick toss to Packard, keeping the dream alive again.

Mental Toss Flycoons 17, Bucket 16
After coasting a bit Thursday, and being punished for lack of focus Friday, Mental Toss Flycoons had to be thinking of showing their championship mettle in their quarterfinals game. They would face Bucket, who had never looked out of any game they played, and earned their way into this match with hard work. Flycoons would flow in the first point fairly easily, and then almost get the break but for a drop in the end zone, letting Bucket knot it up. On the following pull, Bucket’s defense flew down the field, with Doug Sindelar laying out for a Callahan score to take the early lead. From there, the teams hustled and ground their way back and forth, with Bucket taking half 8-6 on a hammer from Colin Belair to Joe Rougeux. Defense ratcheted up in the second half, as neither team gave an inch.

Skyla Sisco had a couple of monster layouts to force turns, and seemed to be ready to, in the interesting coinage of Mental Toss’ Tom Perry, “opportunalize.” Still, Bucket would not break, and, after a turn, Colin Belair found Alisha Kramer to tie it at 14 all. Flycoons would take the lead for a moment on Andy Neill’s throw to Captain James Kennedy, but Bucket would answer with two straight, going to game point with Belair finding Fred Sieling for 16-15. Mental Toss was hardly out of it yet, though, and Mark Aagenes launched a huge strike to Marissa Dunbrasky to bring it level again. On double game point, Bucket driving, an unlucky drop gave the Flycoons the disc, and Eric Rasmussen found Tim Murray for the win.

After the struggle, Mark Aagenes said, “That’s how we need to play to win. Yesterday, we played tentative, lots of uncharacteristic mistakes. Today, we feel we’re just hitting our stride.” From Bucket Captain Victor Wu: “Overall we played well, our team really embodied the camaraderie inherent in Mixed. Our men and women really enjoy the sport and the process of becoming a great team.”

Semifinals
Chad Larson Experience 15, Quiet Coyote 7
The first of the semifinal games was a rematch from Thursday’s pool play. Quiet Coyote’s Ryan Scribner felt as though the previous match was behind them: “They haven’t seen our best shot, so we have that in our back pocket…we are grinders, a tough team.” Chad Larson’s Kevin Seiler also seemed at ease: “We feel good about seeing them again, that win has to make us confident going in.” The game started with defense; three separate plays in a series of forced turns, from Chad Larson’s Zach Eastlund, to Misha Horowitz of Quiet Coyote, and finally Jasmine Draper got the disc back for Chad Larson to open scoring.

The game’s pace was full throttle, and the speed seemed to favor The Chad Larson Experience. While Quiet Coyote held it even from 6-3 to 8-5, they couldn’t seem to force the crucial turn when it was needed. Quiet Coyote’s Ryan Scribner, in discussing what needed to be done, could be heard to say, “They are definitely more athletic top to bottom…we’ve got to cut harder.” Not to say that the Coyotes weren’t giving 100 percent. Mat Packard, Julie Goff, Tim Cobbett and Jason Adams were racing to discs and playing tough defense, and Misha Horowitz put it all on the line. But Chad Larson ramped up its own effort after the half, busting through both matchup and zone defensive looks to take the next three points to 11-5.

From there, The Experience just kept going, riding great plays from the entire roster. Rachel and Amy Sheldahl flung themselves after every disc, and Melissa Gibbs and Christine Rosen seemed to be always open. In the end, the teenaged Rosen found a leaping Kevin Seiler to book their place in Sunday’s finals. Chad Larson’s Steven Meyer, asked how his team got here, offered “I think we’re a deep team, we have the legs to carry us through . . . 27 solid athletes on this roster and we don’t quit.”

Axis of C’ville 15, Mental Toss Flycoons 9
Axis of C’ville, like Chad Larson Experience, had not lost a game going into the semifinals. True, they had been tested, but they had always found a way to win. On the backs of their roster of big throwers and huge defensive plays, they had broken through every challenge to that point. Between them and the finals were defending champions Mental Toss Flycoons. Seemingly a different team after a listless showing on Friday, Flycoons hoped to take some momentum from their clutch victory over Bucket in the quarters.

This game started fast and furious from the start, with no cut or throw going uncontested. In the first half, points traded to 5-4 in favor of Mental Toss, until Scotty Conway made a huge layout “D” (coming off the field injured in the process), setting up a James Kennedy to Andy Neill score. The injury was fortunately minor, but Flycoons were already without the services of Tim Murray, who had injured a hamstring earlier. At 7-6 in favor of Mental Toss, an epic point ensued, with many turnovers, including two big “D” plays by Axis’ Chris “Scuttle” Barker. After an Axis drop on their own end zone line, Mark Aagenes found James Kennedy to take half 8-6. And then it began. Coming into the second half, the Axis troops seemed that much more focused. Building momentum, Axis ripped disc after disc from a hard-working Mental Toss offense. Even when Mental Toss scored at 12-9, Tyler Conger almost made the layout “D.”

Flycoons vs. Axis of C'Ville
Photo by Bil Elsinger

Up and down the roster, Axis was forging plays from thin air and with their never-slowing legs. “Scuttle” Barker continued to fly all over the field on defense, and Kevin Kusy, Natasha Sienitsky, Justin Weber, Karin Rafaels and Keith Stanley all had huge parts to play in Axis’ second-half domination. Not to mention Chase Sparling-Beckley. All over on long cuts and under, Chase was ever a force to be reckoned with. And when it came time to put the final touch on, who better than Mr. Sparling-Beckley to tear down a ridiculous two-handed layout catch high in the air for the win?

Axis’ Oliver Platts-Mills had this insight to add after the game: “We got here by picking up a lot of young players, who inspired us to work harder than we’ve ever worked before . . . late-night running, early-morning workouts, ridiculous stuff like that. But, when we were down 8-6, we found we had the legs. For tomorrow, we feel good . . . not nervous, no real injuries, which is just incredible. We’re ready.”

Ready, indeed. Congratulations to The Chad Larson Experience and Axis of C’ville, on making it to Sunday’s finals. Also, kudos to Quiet Coyote and Mental Toss Flycoons for qualifying for 2010 World Ultimate Club Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

 

Day 2 Recap: Friday, Oct. 30

2009 UPA Club Championships
Sarasota, Fla.
Mixed Division
By Matthew Spillum

On Friday, the Mixed Division broke into the power pools to determine who among them would be playing in Friday’s Quarterfinals. In the upper pools, the top four overall seeds held serve, while 10th overall seed Bucket and 14th overall Quiet Coyote took their places among the top eight, forcing One Trick Pony and Slow White to try to climb back to their seed from the lower pools. How would the Thursday Cinderellas fare? Only playing out the games would tell.

First on the plate for the upwardly mobile was Mental Toss Flycoons facing Quiet Coyote. Quiet had looked very confident against One Trick and Jukebox Hero earlier, but had had little luck against CLX. Would the prospect of facing the defending champions be too much to handle? Quiet’s Roy VanCleef seemed to think the answer was just to “play our game, focus on defense.” The byword of this match was defense all game long. While the points kept trading, it was clear that Mental Toss was out of sync.

Uncharacteristic errors kept piling up, and at 8-6, Quiet Coyote took the half. Flycoons came out of the break having still not cleaned up their effort, and Quiet Coyote was able to “dictate on D.” As the half progressed, Flycoons were unable to find the door back in, and Coyote pulled off the upset of the day with Jason Adams finding Sally Lambert for the 15-12 win.

Over on the next field, CLX put their dynamic game against the equally exciting Barrio squad. The game started much the same, with defensive pressure leading to many turns and rushed decisions from both teams. CLX’s Rachel Sheldahl and Barrio’s Jodi McCloskey in particular seemed to be everywhere on “D.” With the game remaining tight at 6-5, Barrio had an unlucky drop near their own end zone, and CLX made them pay immediately. The next point saw a Jeff Grobe pass sail a bit, and the Iowans would take half, 8-5. While the second half stayed hard fought, CLX used that cushion to build their lead, finally taking the win as Taiwo Anjonrin-Ohu found Dan Kresowik to take the game 15-9.

Philadelphia’s AMP had blazed themselves the hardest trail of any of the top seeds on Thursday. Facing Seattle’s D’oh!, they knew they would have to step up their game. Of all the teams AMP went to zone the most readily, and early on, D’oh! seemed to struggle with it, going down a couple points. The lead would not stand, however, and D’oh! would knot it at threes as both teams maintained all-out defense, causing turn after turn. AMP’s short game took until the second half to look poised, but their defense ticked off a few more breaks as the game wore on. Under the cap, AMP managed to break open the game with great break looks, and Nurit Bloom slipped a pass to Sean Murray to win 14-10.

Atlanta’s Bucket played every game on Thursday all the way to the wire. Coming out against a powerful Axis of C’ville side, there was no question of being intimidated, but would they be able to overcome Axis’ long game? Early on, the answer appeared to be “yes,” as Bucket stepped up their pressure to keep the game tight. As the game wore on, and the morning breeze grew in strength, Bucket’s pressure looked less even. Going to a zone look, Bucket was undone by Axis’ quick disc movement, especially Justin Webster’s excellent popping. Soon, the C’villians were pulling ahead comfortably. In the words of Bucket’s Jeremy Goecks, “both teams played great D, we gave the disc up and they didn’t, and their long game was going.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the complex, One Trick Pony held off a late surge by Brown Chicken Brown Cow to win 15-13, Jukebox Hero put away the athletic but uneven Edmontonians Psychoplastique 15-10, Slow White rolled past TAU 15-8 and METRO hung on to overcome Bashing Piñatas 16-15.

Quiet Coyote, coming off their huge win in the first round, looked to seal their place in the quarters as they faced off with Barrio, who would absolutely need a win here to avoid the play-in game. Ecstasy versus urgency would prove to be no contest, as the Tucson team looked just a bit more game most of the way. Barrio spectator Kurt Haugen noted, “they love the backhand huck and we are taking that away.” In the second half, Barrio was able to slowly edge further ahead, as Quiet Coyote began to look tired. As the game finished 15-10, leaving both teams 1-2 in the power pool, the majority of both rosters filed over to watch the nip and tuck game on the next field.

CLX and Mental Toss started off with the defending champs continuing to look out of sorts and tentative. Against a team as solid as CLX, that proved nearly fatal, and, when Steven Rice found Jasmine Draper for the 5-1 lead, it looked like the unthinkable would happen twice. However, championship teams are not built of people who put their heads down, and Flycoons chose their moment to make a run, capitalizing on CLX shortening their offensive bench under pressure. Ahead 9-7, it looked like the Flycoons had finally turned it around. Both teams continued to hustle on “D,” forcing turn after turn. After a huge layout “D” by Flycoon Andy Neill, Mental Toss scored on a Scott Conway to Ken Billington pass to bring it to elevens. Taking it to 13-11, the champs would let it slip away again, as CLX stormed back to a 14-13 lead. With each team gaining a team’s worth of fans (Barrio needing Flycoons to win and Quiet Coyote needing CLX), the game raced on. Nevin Root would find Scott Conway to tie it at 14-14, while CLX would answer with Jon Staron hitting Kurt Brorsen the next point, and, fittingly, winning it with Melissa Gibbs catching a pass from Zach Eastlund, who was quite literally everywhere in this game.

D’oh! and Bucket’s meeting was yet another game with an excess of “D” and little smooth offense. This game went back and forth early, with a lot of turnovers and little in the way of flow owing to a lot of ticky-tacky calls. Down 2-4, Bucket began to make a run, and the D’oh! sideline began to tense up as Atlanta took the half 8-5. Michelle Young from Bucket credited “the D, definitely. We’re taking away what they want to do.” Leading 9-5, Bucket would get another huge “D,” this time from Tim Ernst, and score to go ahead five, a margin that would hold the rest of the way.

Axis and AMP, at the same time, were reliving the Chesapeake Open and Mid-Atlantic region final. Once again, it was defensive intensity that defined this game. Axis and AMP traded runs the whole way, with AMP mixing in zone and match-up looks, and Axis riding the power game. Both teams leaned hard on their playmakers, with Axis going to the well of Chase Sparling-Beckley, Tyler Conger and Jon Jay, while AMP countered with Nurit Bloom, Sean Murray and the “D” of Matt Glazer. Ahead 12-7, Axis looked to be pulling away, but AMP would pull to 14-12 before finally succumbing on a Conger to Jay score.

 

 

The lower pool second round went to the higher seeded teams, as One Trick Pony and Slow White moved up into the pre-quarters with wins over Psychoplastique and METRO, respectively. Jukebox Hero would also edge out BCBC, and TAU would prevail over Bashing Piñatas.

One Trick Pony and D’oh! matched up in a tight contest featuring (what else?) lots of “D” and lots of turnovers. While the offensive side was sloppy for both, they were both going super hard out there. In a back and forth effort, D’oh! managed to take half 8-6, on the backs of their “D,” especially Dan Hostetler and Mickey Thompson. Dave Karstens, Abby Stephens and Joe Mac Donald countered for One Trick Pony, who brought the game back to trading level points. The entire second half was a back-and-forth affair, but D’oh! simply had more in the tank, and they moved into the quarterfinal match with CLX on Dean Stevens’ layout score, 15-13.

Slow White and Barrio would not have surprised anyone as a possible quarterfinal matchup going into the tournament. Then Thursday came, and the season was left to come to this one game. Win and move on…lose and play for pride. This was one of the closest games of the tournament so far, with no team ever finding more than two points of breathing room the whole way. Both teams were ridiculous on defense, and pressure turnovers were everywhere. When Emily Baecher found Mike Miller for 6-4, it looked like Slow might have found their rhythm, but then Jeff Grobe got going. To this point, Grobe had been a focus for opponents’ “D.” Slow White seemed to lose track of him for a bit, though, and he would account for all four of the next Barrio points as they took half 8-7. Still, Evan Patisteas, Baecher and company kept the pressure on, and the teams traded to fourteens and double-game point. Barrio kept the disc moving, under relentless pressure, and finally sealed the win with a Jodi McCloskey to Jon Miller pass.

So, the quarterfinalss are set, and the field is ready to be whittled down further in Saturday’s games. Will the party-crashers continue their ride to the top, or will the top seeds reassert themselves? We’ll find out tomorrow, under the Florida sun.

 

 

Day 1 Recap: Thursday, Oct. 29

2009 UPA Club Championships
Sarasota, Fla.
Mixed Division
By Matthew Spillum

Thursday’s games under the Florida sunshine at the UPA Club Championships were a bit of a test. Whichever teams could navigate the hot conditions best stood to reap the rich rewards of Friday's power-pool play. On a day ripe for a few surprises, the Mixed Division delivered:

Round One
The early games hinted that there would be few shocking surprises. Standing on the sidelines of defending champions Mental Toss Flycoons, one got the sense of calm, even ease. Captain Tim Murray offered, “We never gave up a three-point run last year, and when our ‘O’ plays well, no one can beat us.” Certainly, Psychoplastique wasn’t looking like that team, as the Flycoons led at the half, 8-2. Even after the rotation opened up for Flycoons, the resulting trading of points never left the outcome in doubt. Brown Chicken Brown Cow faced off with Barrio nearby, and the close calls began. Playing with abandon, the L.A.-area squad took their fellow Southwesterners to the brink behind scrappy play, particularly No. 14 Marie Madaras. In the end, the more experienced Tucsonians (is that a word?) pulled away.

Likewise, Pool D featured close games between the highly-fancied Axis of C’ville and L.A.’s METRO, as well as Seattle’s D’oh! and TAU of North Carolina. With Matt Welsh for METRO keeping Axis’ Chase Sparling-Beckley from running away with the game, the Angelistas took it to the wire before falling just short. As METRO captain Keegan Uhl put it, “A couple of West-Coast time zone turnovers less and we’d be up on them.” D’oh! also struggled to put TAU away. Both teams' women looked particularly strong in this match. After taking the first half 8-6, TAU could not maintain the pressure on Seattle, as D’oh! pulled away to the win.

The Chad Larson Experience was also slow to wake up, letting Florida's Jukebox Hero surge to a 7-6 lead before the Iowans took the first half, 8-7, in long points featuring many ill-advised hucks. The battle continued in the second half, but CLX looked just that much stronger. The Central Region's other representative, St. Louis' One Trick Pony, was not as fortunate. In a game featuring two of the funkiest jersey designs on the fields, Boston's Quiet Coyote jumped out to an early lead over the higher seeded Ponies, and then weathered the run to give us the first upset of the day.

 

Round 1: Bucket vs. AMP
Photo: Bil Elsinger

 

The first round’s only blowout came with Slow White running over Bashing Piñatas. Pool D’s other game was a battle between AMP and Atlanta’s Bucket. AMP came into the day's action with impeccable credentials, winning big games against the best on offer all year. Bucket, however, was clearly hungry, and their southern familiarity with the heat showed in point after point as AMP could never get that all-important break to get breathing room. All the way to the time cap, the two teams fought it out, with AMP finally prevailing in a turnover-filled 16-15 game.

 

Round 1: Slow White vs. Bashing Piñatas
Photo: Bil Elsinger

Round Two
The breeze began picking up, giving more zone looks, floaty throws and turnovers. Not much relief from the heat though. Every passing cloud was a blessing.

Axis of C'ville used their slow start to the day to get in gear clearly, and put TAU away with a nearly unstoppable counter-attack. By the end, TAU was clearly saving it for the next round. D'oh!, on the other hand, continued to look vulnerable in their game with METRO. This game seemed very similar to their match with TAU, and METRO hung with D'oh! until the end. D'oh! looked to be uncomfortable with taking a big lead.
Flycoons continued their pattern of getting up fast in games and then letting their opponent trade with them. BCBC would doubtless be pleased with the look of the 15-9 score, but their flow-oriented offense had too little organization to mount a serious comeback against the defending champs. Psychoplastique/Barrio would be more of the day's signature-type game. Both teams played ridiculous “D” only to turn it right back. Psycho was plagued by drops in the first half of games all day. Barrio, in the end, would prove that much smoother, and tuck away the 15-12 win.

AMP looked very comfortable early in their game against Bashing Piñatas, but, on returning later, I found that they had left the door open a bit, finally winning the game after Piñatas made a run. Meanwhile, Slow White faced Bucket in a dogfight. The perennial contenders hadn't been challenged in their first match, but Bucket was an entirely different breed of team, and with both teams having a hard time settling down on “O,” pints traded back and forth until Bucket's Colin Belair came down with a tough catch to give us upset No. 2 on the day, 16-14.

CLX came into their second round game with Quiet Coyote a bit more focused. After the Iowans took a solid lead, Coyote likely decided to save a bit for the all-important last round, with CLX cruising to the win. One Trick Pony was loathe to take the easy road to anything on their inaugural visit to the show. Facing off against Jukebox Hero, the St. Louis squad fought tooth and nail against the Floridians, finally taking it 17-16 on a Dave Karsten point block and assist to notch their first-ever Championships victory.

Round Three
No one had really mounted a challenge to Flycoons early in a game to this point, but Barrio was certainly not going to shy away from it. Coming out hard, the Arizona natives put the first point on the board (as, apparently, they had in each of their games, courtesy of Trish Thoms). It is open to debate whether that helped them here, though, as Flycoons ceased open rotation and pounded Barrio with solid “D” and mistake-free “O” to finish their day on a powerful note. BCBC and Psychoplastique squared off nearby, each needing a win. Early on, Psycho's drops once again put them in a hole, and BCBC took the half behind solid play and Chuck Kindred's violin on the sidelines. However, the Canadians seemed to find themselves after the rest, and held off BCBC for the win.

Quiet Coyote could assure themselves of power-pool placement with a last-round win over Jukebox Hero. The homicide, for their part, would still have a shot with a win and a OTP loss. The Florida side fought hard, but Quiet Coyote kept edging ahead with a break here and there, and put the game out of reach to put their stamp on the Championship's first day. CLX, prepping for yet another game against OTP, could perhaps be excused for their slow start, but OTP made it clear from the beginning that they would go down swinging, taking half on the Iowans. Again, though, this seemed to get CLX interested in the game, and their deep, athletic roster rolled in the second half.

The Axis/D'oh! matchup seemed on paper to be one of the day's best, but Axis had other ideas. With their long game going strong, and a powerful defensive squad, C'ville rolled Seattle and served notice to the field that they would contend. METRO and TAU was yet another close game with lots of “D” and lots of momentum turns. TAU once again took half on an opponent, only to watch METRO make a run. Though TAU would answer, they struggled to contain METRO's transition, led by the athletic Barrs Lang. Pressure mounting, METRO would weather it to take the game.

Bucket, with their victory over Slow White, had thrown Pool B into chaos. Scrappy and resilient, they seemed tailor-made to thrive in "a battle of grinding it out underneath," in the words of Bucket's Dani Kaplan. Never one for the easy route, Atlanta fought through many long points with Bashing Piñatas before finally prevailing. Slow White, conversely, needed the win over AMP to hold onto their spot. Early on, AMP seemed too much for Slow, pushing to an 11-7 lead. One thing that Championship experience does, however, is keep your heart in must-win games. Surging back into the game, Slow White pushed the score to 13-14, but could not get the last stop when they needed it.

With just one day in the books, the Mixed Division already looks a bit different than what some might have thought, but Friday is another day. Another opportunity to persevere and thrive under the sun at the UPA Club Championships!

 

2009 UPA Club Championships
Mixed Division Preview
By Matthew Spillum

The 2009 Championships have arrived, with pared-down rosters, exciting play and the continual change and renewal that is Mixed Club Ultimate. Of the 16 teams that graced Sarasota’s fields a year ago, only seven have returned. Gone are all but Flycoons from last year’s semifinalists. Perennial challenger Slow White returns for the fifth-straight season, joined by fellow quarterfinalists AMP and Barrio. Of the teams from 2008’s lower half, D’oh!, Bucket and Quiet Coyote are the only ones to make the trip this year.

So, who are the new faces? Iowa’s The Chad Larson Experience returns to the UPA Club Championships after a few seasons split up in other divisions. They are joined by Axis of C’ville, St. Louis’ One Trick Pony, Edmonton’s Psychoplastique, Jukebox Hero from Florida, METRO and Brown Chicken Brown Cow from Los Angeles, North Carolina’s TAU, and New York’s Bashing Piñatas. Not all of these teams are truly new to the UPA Club Championships. Even on the rosters of the returners, change is often the rule. But how does the field break down for the actual games? Let’s take a look at the matchups, pool by pool.

Pool A
(1) Mental Toss Flycoons, (8) Barrio, (9) Psychoplastique, (16) Brown Chicken Brown Cow

Pool A, or the Western pool, matches the first and third-place finishers from the Northwest and Southwest Regions. On the face of it, first overall seed and returning champion Mental Toss Flycoons have a smooth ride of it. They’ll look to their dynamic offense and athletic D to become the first two-time Mixed Champion since Donner Party. This team is the total package, with the right pieces in the right places and all the confidence required to be holding the hardware for a second straight season.

Barrio comes in as the eighth seed, with a lot of questions yet to answer. While losing some of their star power, the Southwest champs have been making the transition to more of a balanced look. Heart and soul of the team, Jeff Grobe, still demands constant defensive attention from opponents, and Barrio’s youthful legs will help over the long weekend.

Psychoplastique comes out of the always-competitive Northwest, beating out Mischief, CTR and Golden Spike, among others. The Canadians have had a difficult record against the teams they’ll face in Sarasota, but displayed resilience in taking the last bid to Regionals from Big Sky.

Brown Chicken Brown Cow also arrives in Sarasota through unique circumstances, with Cougars taking third in the Region but not going. Of the field at the UPA Club Championships, BCBC has played only fellow Angelinos, Metro. Will that unfamiliarity mean intimidation, or will BCBC simply treat every opponent as just another game and play like they have nothing to lose?

Pool B
(2) AMP, (7) Slow White, (10) Bucket, (15) Bashing Piñatas

If Pool A is the Western Pool, Pool B is the Eastern version. And the top seed here, Philadelphia’s AMP, has as difficult a road as any second overall seed in memory, with two other Regional champions waiting in the weeds. Still, their confidence has to be high going into the tournament, with a strong body of work against elite competition, including their Regionals revenge victory over Axis of C’ville. With an impressive track record in previous trips to Sarasota and an influx of solid talent from Brute Squad and Pike, AMP has to have high hopes for Sunday.

But not if October darlings Slow White have anything to say about it. The perennial challengers from Boston have once again assembled a solid line-up, and are battle-tested after facing off against elite competition at the Boston and Philly Invites and ECC. As much as any team here, Slow White is built to peak in Sarasota, and no team can afford to relax against these clutch performers.

Bucket, too, has the potential to put away anyone. After finally taking their Region’s reins, the talented and hard-working side from Atlanta will want to put last year’s last-place finish well behind them. Their competitive showing at Chesapeake showed that they were ready to run with the top teams.

Bashing Piñatas returns after a down year looking to bring their unquenchable spirit and solid play into the upper pools. Still, will they have enough power to get past a pool of Regional champions and tally a couple of surprises?

Pool C
(3) The Chad Larson Experience, (6) One Trick Pony, (11) Jukebox Hero, (14) Quiet Coyote

Pool C, then, would be the Mid-America pool. The Central Region sends one of the stronger contingents it has ever fielded, and they are left to square off here for a ticket to the power pools. Third overall seed The Chad Larson Experience returns after their three-season hiatus to once again showcase a dynamic, athletic game that is the equal of any team here. With a solid core of veterans and a potent batch of young talent, the Iowans seem poised to play deep into the upper bracket in 2009.

Right on their heels, St. Louis’ One Trick Pony is built on a disciplined group that fell just shy last season. This season, they have added some strong talent, helping them to a decent showing at Philly against some very good opposition. That confidence and experience has to have them feeling good about their chances of springing an upset or two.

Jukebox Hero rounds out the Southern Region’s representatives after winning a nail-biter of a game-to-go at Regionals against Rival. The home-state side will look to push past their seeding with the relentless play and fearless attitude that we have come to expect from Florida teams.

Quiet Coyote
Initially formed in 2007 and hailing from Cambridge, Mass., Quiet Coyote has had an impressive run in its infancy. This is their second consecutive appearance in Sarasota after coming in as a 12th-seed last year.

Pool D
(4) Axis of C’Ville, (5) D’oh!, (12) METRO, (13) TAU

The theme of Pool D looks to be Ambush Pool, as not a single team here is a Regional champ, and yet whoever comes out of it is going to be a serious threat to advance. Fourth overall seed Axis of C’ville has defeated a lot of strong teams this year, and hit the roster I-win button with the addition of Chase Sparling-Beckley. Axis’ talent is the equal of any team in the Championships, and they have to be considered serious contenders for the title.

Seattle’s D’oh! comes in at the overall fifth seed looking to improve on last season’s 12th-place finish. Able to draw on the bottomless pool of talent available in Seattle, the veterans of D’oh! have built a team with both wily discipline and potent athleticism. The shadow of Shazam Remains no longer on them, perhaps D’oh! blooms in the Florida sun.

Southwest runner-ups METRO have a difficult road ahead of them trying to break past the higher seeds. Good wins over Golden Spike and CTR are balanced against losses to Barrio and Mischief. It remains to be seen which METRO makes the trip to Sarasota.

Thirteenth seed TAU comes to Florida in the same boat as Metro. Will the side that we see be the TAU that left Hooray and Olio in the dust of Regionals, or the one that Hooray and Bucket bumped out at Philly?

The table is set, the schedule written. It remains only for each team to take the field and make it happen in Sarasota. Until that first pull, then!