Slopfest V PREVIEW

Slopfest V "Frisbee is Not a 'Real' Sport"

The largest California youth tournament is now in it's 5th year, with teams from all over California and Oregon converging upon Castro Valley, CA this weekend (February 25-26th). This tournament is the first of the West Coast Spring Season, and therefore becomes the first proving grounds for State and Western Championship-bound teams. The competition this year is perhaps less competitive as it has been in the past (as the teams draw only from OR and CA), but this tournament should prove to be an exciting kick-off to the HS Spring season.
_______________________________________________

1 Churchill (OR)
This #1 Seed placed 2nd at last year's Western Championships, and played very successfully during their Fall/Winter season. Several scrimmages with neighboring South Eugene HS and University of Oregon-B gives Churchill more playing time this season than probably any other team at this tournament. Should it rain this weekend, Churchill will be far from unfamiliar with the phenomenon, and that could perhaps be an advantage to them. This is a team not short of handlers and athletes (not to mention their spectacular Girls, who will be a major factor in each of their victories), and will be tough to beat all weekend.

2 South Eugene (OR)
Another strong team from Eugene, OR who has also had alot of playing time recently. South Eugene is a tall team that has alot of athletes, including some of the best girls at the HS level. Though perhaps not as strong as their Churchill counterpart, few teams will have the pleasure of beating South Eugene this weekend.

3 Alameda (CA)
This tournament starts off the season for the strongest Alameda team ever. The #3 seed has plenty of tall, fast, disc-savvy athletes, all of which have college-level wins beneath their belts, and almost 5 months of practice this season. Should the entire Alameda squad show up, un-injured and without sickness, they could easily be the hardest team to beat this weekend.

4 Vacaville (CA)
Last year's graduation took Vacaville's captain and other top-level players, but they emerged this season somehow uncompromised. Their entire lineup is fast and athletic, and will be relying on that athleticism to win their games.
(UPDATE: Feb 22nd) They look good this year. They didn't practice before, and now they do? I would be worried.

5 Castro Valley (CA)
Those guys didn't graduate yet? Nope. The same "Big Three" who have led Castro Valley (and played like the best HS Seniors) for four years, are still around. New, young players complement their Aces well, and have helped Castro Valley claim their first College-level wins. This team is likely to break their #5 seed, and will be a big threat to each of the big teams at this tournament.

6 Sheldon (OR)
Don't know too much about this Eugene, OR team, but if they even closely resemble their neighbors, they should be playing well this weekend. Cold weather/rain could prove to be an advantage for this team, as they hail from the less-than-sunshiny Oregon.

7 GBK Prep School (CA)
Still a young team, GBK has some fast Aces and some good disc handlers(not to mention the really, really tall/new guy) Santa Cruz may struggle this weekend because of their lack of playing experience, but their team is definitely stronger than last years.

8 Terra Nova (CA)
Didn't lose (to my knowledge) their best players last year, so they return as a smart, athletic team, capable of beating many of the teams at this tournament. Two tall/fast guys will carry their team to victory several times this weekend, lack of playing experience however, will most likely stop them from upsetting any of the strongest teams.

9 Bitney Springs (CA)
Another team I don't know much about. Their Captain was invited to a World's team tryout camp, and guess what: she's a girl. She and a couple of other Aces will surely play well, but their placement in (perhaps) the most competitive pool will stop them from coming up with many wins on Saturday.

10 Hercules (CA)
I heard of a major injury early in the season (broken leg???), but I expect Hercules's cast of Aces to play strong and come up at least #2 in their pool. Their top players are all fast and like to huck, and their less-than-calm playing style could possibly shake the strong South Eugene. Sometime t's all about the mind games.

11 Churchill B (OR)
Churchill's talent couldn't be contained in just one team, so their B-squad is looking to bring some more wins home to Oregon.

12 Redwood (CA)
A very young, very inexperienced team. I expect to see them struggle on Saturday as they play both Vacaville and Castro Valley. I wouldn't completely write them off however, as they have a couple of Seniors that look like they could do some damage...

13 Acalanes (CA)
Good team last year, but their seeding is unnerving. I know they lost some key seniors, but not sure of the extent of the damage. Someone going to help me out?

14 Foothill Middle College (CA)
Never seen this team in action, nor heard anything about them. We'll see what happens this weekend.

15 Miramonte (CA)
I believe they lost many of their best players last year, but this Track-Team spawn should have the athleticism to at least run everyone into the ground.

16 De La Salle (CA)
another team I've never heard about... I can only hope they don't play like their football team. (Undefeated/Champions for like 20 years or something crazy like that)
_______________________________________________


I don't know very much about some of these teams, and I hope people can add their comments/insights/corrections so we can get some pre-tournament hype going on. Please keep it very cool though, I don't want to see any trash talk.