I'm coming back.....

Nation,

I'm coming back... what do you want to discuss?

Steven

A good reason for not posting

Nation,

I'm on my honeymoon. Little or no posting this weeks folks.

Publish Post

Have to say that I am excited for the sectionals taking place this weekend.

It's the busiest sectionals weekend of the year? Which Canadian teams will be joining the likes of Capitals in Regionals?

Why don't we have an award for the Top University Player?

Nation,

Poll question is simple: Should CUPA have an award for top female and top male university players?

And, if you think so, what should be the criteria
-Excellence at the respective CUUC
-Combination of play at regional and national college championships?

How should it be selected?
-Selected by CUPA and tournament director
-Selected by the winning teams of each division
-Based solely on a poll and popular opinion

What should the name of such trophies be?

Hot and Heavy... Chicago Heavyweight Championships

Nation,

This weekend, UPA semi finalist GOAT will not defend their title at the Chicago Heavyweight Championship tournament. Thus, a new contender must emerge and seize the title, and earn the right to wear the belt.

Haven't used so many boxing phrases since the late 80's... you know.. when boxing was relevant and Larry Holmes was dropkicking opponents off of cars in the parking lot!

The tournament schedule is here and the tourney site is here. Clearly, there is still lots of talent among the 40 teams in the division. Given the amount of relative unknowns in the four elite pools, I think by the end of Saturday there could be some upsets. That is, teams note ranked first in their pool may be sitting in the quarterfinals come Sunday.

The only Canadian team making the trip down is Phoenix from Ottawa. It has been a wild season for the club, experiencing great highs in some tournaments and disappointing lows in others. This tournament will serve as both a tryout for new players and as a team primer for the sectionals and regionals tournaments that are quickly approaching.

On the women's side, there are many teams but few of the elite ones that will be in Sarosata in November. One team that I would definitely love to see is Showdown from Texas. A strong Chesapeake Open and the fact that these ladies are Texas girls is enough for me! Seriously, they could be an emerging team.

Friday predictions for the finals?

Should Throwers have a "Pitch Count"?

Nation,

It seems like every single one of us, when we start this game and started to take it seriously, was instructed the very same advice by wiser/better players:

"If you want to improve your throws, go outside of practice and throw."

I also heard the following

• If you want to get better at throwing, you have to throw as much as you can
• You should emulate players before you who (allegedly) threw thousands of discs a week to improve

Hard to argue at the macro level. Practice and you will greatly increase your chances of getting better. Here comes the but...

BUT

I have the following issues with that advice that is given to so many players

1. Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect, but it surely makes permanent. I see a lot of players learn less than optimal techniques for throwing, and then ingrain them into their throws. Players might be able to throw a lot less if they do it right.
2. Face it, we're evolving as a sport. It's not just about throwing anymore, one has to improve their overall fitness in order to throw further and more accurately.
3. Now that we have so many young players who start well before the age of maturity, I worry that the mechanics of throwing big throws in ultimate (the pulls, the flick bombs, and the huck)
   

The idea about youth and their throwing patterns comes to me as a result of another sport I am passionate about- baseball. I feel very alone cheering and watching baseball these days, but I always enjoy "experts" talking about managing young pitchers. We're talking about the young arms of the Oakland A's in the early 1980's. the Texas Rangers of the mid 80's the Chicago Cubs of this decade (See token Kerry Wood and Mark Prior picture) and the list goes on.

Do you know who Mike Norris, Edwin Correa, and Jeff D'Amico? Probably not. Mismanagement by coaches and managers cut short very promising baseball careers.

Baseball is very slow to change, but after witnessing the destruction of many young and talented arms before their respective times, baseball teams are realizing that they can't stay ignorant anymore- these young pitching stars are too valuable and costly.

I'm not saying that throwing a disc is nearly as tough on the body as throwing a baseball. However, with the amount of former players in the 30's who complain of shoulder and back problems, I wonder if our arms and bodies have only so many throws in them, and what we can do to increase our throwing lifespan. (core training, fitness, proper technique, etc). I also worry that if guys who started in their 20's are hurt in their 30's what kind of injuries can we expect from players who will have over ten year's experience by the time they reach university?

Do you think players (especially youth players) should have a "Throw Count" during practices and outside of games?

Best School for Ultimate?

Nation,

As tryouts for universities quickly approach I wonder the following question:

• Which school provides the best ultimate choice for males and females entering university?

Of course, only the hardcore would choose their college based on the ultimate program. I'm glad I didn't know about the game at that time in my life.

Nonetheless, if a soon to be fresh asked you who the best school was for their gender, which school would you pick, and why?

I have put some options in the polls to the right. I can only put up so many schools, so for those of you who select "other" please post what school and why.

Can't wait to do the college preview.

Possible Factors??

-Graduation Rate of Players to Club Teams
-Experience on the Field (Satisfaction rates)
-Off Field Experience (Parties, Organizational Culture, Etc)
-Development Opportunities for New Players
-Planning and Structure
-Conditioning and Fitness
-Playing fields and access
-School view on the sport and the club

CUC 2008 Review- Judging the Experience

Nation,

Just starting to get back into a groove after a solid nationals experince. I will have reviews for all of the divisions, but first I wanted to focus on the non-ultimate add ons that help make or break a tournament experience.

What I Liked

• The volunteers were great. Really. I know everyone says that no matter what, but I mean it.
  
• The water supply for all fields was constant and of good quality
• I didn't like the lack of free field food, but I did enjoy the quality of food sold. One particular business at GAP fields had a great soup and sandwiches.
  
• The website was great.
• The tournament manual was great
• I heard good things about the tournamanet party, shuttle, and field food. Unlike Toronto, people claim there were hearty amounts of food for all.
  
• The fields were relatively decent and acceptable for nationals play. Yes, there were some fields that had baseball diamond infield for
  

What I Didn't Like

• I would have liked to have seen the schedule and results listed on the upa site in addition to website updates.
  
• The showcase game (at least the one on friday featuring Nomads and Phoenix took place at the same time all teams played. Thus, these teams didn't get the fan support and interest they deserve.
  

What I Hated

Due to intense heat for three days and sun burn, I decided to watch the men's finals online with some friends who don't play ultimate, but had great interest. Getting the chance to watch it for free in low bandwith via ultivillage was greatly appreciated.

However, the commentary for the finals (provided by compeitive players) was terrible. Jeters has made a post with regards to it as well. Why did I hate it so much? It's pretty simple:

-They were biased
-They talked about their own friends and their league teams
-They made comments about some girl on the sidelines in a red dress
-They offered no type of intelligence or insight.
-They didn't have a single clue who anyone on Mephisto was (outside of 5 guys)
-They didn't take it seriously

Ultivillage, if you want to be taken serious, get some decent commentators. Selecting players because they are elite players is not a good idea. You have only a few years to nail down the ultimate market before a real online streaming Giant (e.g. Mediazone) wakes up and challenges you, so make your product tough to beat.

Players who commentate, please step up to the challenge. Study the team rosters and know the players. Know their records and their tendancies. Don't make bad jokes, don't talk about your stupid league teams, and don't tell the viewers who you're "cheering for".

Before the legions of fans for these commentators put intheir inflated two cents, watch some real commentators and compare it to the Sunday performance. You'll be hard pressed to find the positive.