Monday, March 12, 2007

Easterns/Westerns - Bid deadline almost here - (March 23rd)

From the desk of Director of Youth Development Meredith Tosta -

The March 23rd due date for applications to the 2007 HS Eastern and HS Western Championships is quickly approaching!

Go to the Youth Division page for information about eligibility and the application/selection process and to download an application. We are looking forward to an exciting spring of high school Ultimate! Email Will Deaver and Meredith Tosta with any questions.

Thank you!

Meredith Tosta
Director of Youth Development
Ultimate Players Association
4730 Table Mesa Dr.
Suite J-200
Boulder
, CO 80305
Phone: 800-872-4384 ex 115
Fax: 303-447-3483


That said, who has applied? Who plans to apply? Given the likelihood of certain applications, who do you think the Quarters or Semis of each will consist of?

Lets hear it in the comments...

26 comments:

Carl Peaslee said...

Hopkins is applying for Westerns.

We are excited to see Seatle,(if we get in).

I don't want to speculate about the finals, but I know we'd love a second chance at Northwest.

Carl
Hopkins

Anonymous said...

Needham is applying for Easterns. Sounds like it's going to be sick. I think there will be more all around competition this year than in the past with Amherst rolling everyone 15-6 or worse

Anonymous said...

Western Open Semis:

Northwest School v. Churchill
Hopkins v. South Eugene

Open Finals:

Churchill v. Hopkins

Anonymous said...

is churchill actually that good?

Anonymous said...

i have a feeling that the anonymous poster picking churchill over NWS may have a bit of bias... but anything can happen!

Anonymous said...

Not to mention NWS beat Churchill last weekend 13-7 (at PLU BBQ)
NWS had been practicing for only two weeks, and one of there better players was injured.

But hey anything could happen
(it won't, but it could =])

Anonymous said...

Pennsbury v. Columbia
Amherst v. North Hills

Pennsbury over Amherst

Anonymous said...

What ever happened to the UPA's plans for Easterns, Central (I think this was the name they gave it), and Westerns? There seem to be a lot more midwest teams appearing. Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Minnisota, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennesse, Ohio, and Missouri all have teams.

Anonymous said...

What midwest teams (east of the Mississippi) are applying/have applied to easterns??

Anonymous said...

western semis:

Northwest vs. Churchill
Nathan Hale vs. South Eugene

Finals
Nathan Hale vs. Northwest.

there is absolutley no way that churchill could hope to beat Northwest this year. Northwest beat them 13-7 without Sam K.S. who is one of there key players. Churchill is a very good team, but Northwest will toss them.

Anonymous said...

i think that the person that posted that nathan hale would be in the finals has a little bit of a bias. Honestly is it realistic that a team that finished tenth last year make the finals. I THINK NOT. sorry nathan hale keep working hard. see you at the top one day

#45
Northwest School

Anonymous said...

yo #45
i dont know who you are but i think your wrong about what u said. Hale did so poorly because they didnt have Nigel Peltier. He's an incredibly good handler and last year he heldd there team together. Hale is going to be very good this year. Heres hales starting line.

Nigel Peltier- very good handler
Allan Laviolette- very good cutter/defender
Harry Howell- good handler
Brian Ferguson- good deep cutter
Chris Highlander- good deep cutter
Partrick Lennon- very good defender
and one mnore i forget but i think they will get to the finals. The other 3 teams that were in the semis last year have lost most of there players. Churcill finished what like 9th last year? I dont go to hale but watch out for them. What is your name?

Anonymous said...

This year's westerns is definitely going to be sick. I am really looking forward to it. Last year there were a lot of young teams that will now have a lot of seniors. Northwest does have the edge on Churchill right now. NW was missing Sam K-S, but Churchill was also missing two starting seniors. The game between Churchill and NW at PLU was a hard fought game on both sides. I think things will definitely be closer and teams will be able to better compete with NW this year. I understand that they had only been playing for 2 weeks or so. They are going to be the team that everyone will have to prepare for at this year's westerns.
And I am not sure, but I thought the score of our game was 12-7, but I could be mistaken. At one point Churchill brought the game to 7-9 (NW lead). So, I wouldn't say it would be impossible for Churchill to beat NW, but it is definitely going to be a challenge for any team to beat them this year, they do have in my opinion the most talented team in the West. But anything could happen.

How are other teams that competed in last year's westerns looking this year?

Daniel Force
Churchill HS

J. Becker said...

There was a plan in the works to create a Central region? What happened? If anyone knows the answer to that question, I'd be very interested to know.

I think it's a no-brainer. If we ever want the budding/established teams in the Midwest (like the 14 teams currently playing in the St. Louis area) to rise to the next level of competition, and I'm assuming we do want this, we need our own regional competition. Traveling to Denver or Seattle just isn't feasible for these new programs.

Anonymous said...

Ahh what lovely banter. May i remind everyone the last team who was making predictions/ being cocky was Alameda. And last year they ended up being killed 13-4 in the semis by NWS.
You can read their post here: http://playultimate.blogspot.com/2006/05/westerns-preview-alameda-open.html

While id like to know who #45 is too,
it is ridiculous for the poster below him to say "what is your name" without providing his or her own name. Not to mention with that description and apparent love for Nathan Hale, it most likely shows that he or she does in fact go to hale =].
NWS and Hale will be playing a game within the next couple of weeks which will show how good they are in heads up.

I do not know who the missing players were for Churchill, but i have the utmost respect for Danile and expect that Churchill will be strong this year.

Northwest was missing Sam KS who was a junior worlds alternate, and that coupled with the fact that they had been playing for a very short period of time, made their play sloppy. In two months from now at Westerns, they will no doubt be a completely different and impeccable team, one that all teams will be gunning for.

This is gonna be fun guys.
Keep up the work, keep up the play.

And with all this being said, i am going to withhold my name. =]
"go big or go home"

He Who Kicks Hindquarters said...

The NWS vs Churchill quarter-final game at PLU BBQ in Tacoma, WA this last weekend did eventually go to NWS, but Daniel is correct that the score was capped at 12-07. The first point of the game was a break by Churchill going downwind. CHS then had the disc in hand for a second break but dropped it... but, that all doesn't really matter...

What I really wanted to say was my utmost respect for the NWS program, coaches, players, and parents (a few of whom I met this weekend like Casie's father, Riley's parents, and Milo's mom). They are embody what HS ultimate should be about.

As for my predictions this spring and ultimately, Westerns...

NORTHWEST WILL BE THE TEAM TO BEAT

They have the largest target on their back, but they are up for the challenge with their amazing seniors and dedicated underclassmen. Watching them this weekend (especially during our CHS bye round where they upset the number one seed UW) I was once again filled with respect for this team.

A little about their players:

Casie I. He simply ran circles around anyone who got the unfortunate task of guarding him. With calf muscles the size of most people's quads, the boy can take off and get up before you have time to blink. His handling skills are top-notch and by far top 10 of the country. He is also one of the most like-able guys out there and one of the few who can make our Collin Smith laugh (and blush). Here he is on a lay-out grab that he nearly had when NWS was up 9-7 on us:
http://chsultimate.com/Gallery/plubbq2007highlights/PLUBBQ2007_269?full=1

Jeremy N. The quintessential high school player of today. He is everything a HS players wants to be and more. Fast, smart, tall, quick, spirited, hard-working, etc... The offense runs through this kid and he embraces it like he was born for it. In the UW game that they won on Saturday, he had more than a couple huge plays. Here he nearly came up with a disc when the game was by one:
http://chsultimate.com/Gallery/plubbq2007highlights/PLUBBQ2007_123?full=1

Ben ?. One of their many big guys, was huge on both D with more than a few skys of our players. He is deceptively fast and is not afraid to force taller guys deep. One of the best readers of a disc in flight that I have seen. In this play he got more than the disc and unfortunately one of our all-star freshman suffered the wrath of the NWS big man:
http://chsultimate.com/Gallery/plubbq2007highlights/PLUBBQ2007_285?full=1

Milo ?. Some would say he is faster than Casie and I would tend to believe so. Milo has athletisism reserved for very few blessed individuals. Milo is calm and quiet in person (at least from the few times I've chanced to meet him), but louder than hell with his actions. He shut our handlers down with both a killer mark and furious dump defending. He also got a callahan during our game that effectively ended any chance we had at a come-back. Here is one of the few shots I snapped of him while in the UW upset game laying out:
http://chsultimate.com/Gallery/plubbq2007highlights/PLUBBQ2007_157?full=1

Riley ?. He is another senior I believe with intelligence and patience. He is a stand out and seems to exhibit great team leadership while on the sidelines (the few times he is there). Unfortunately, I have no shots of Riley from this weekend.

There are others not mentioned (like Sam) whom I know are dominate players and would be all-stars on any other team, but the fact remains that NWS has some of the greatest talent assembled this year. I believe they have 14 returning seniors, more than any other team in the Northwest. For those lucky enough to play them, you are in for a great game to which you will be inspired and awed.

Our Churchill players respect NWS more than any other team in the nation. They demonstrate the greatest spirit of the game while also the best talent. They were also led by one of the greatest Coaches I ever had the privelige of knowing and coaching against; Mike Mullens. Though he no longer is working with the NWS team, his impact on this current class of seniors I know will not easily be forgotten.

NWS, good luck this season and I hope we meet at Westerns (hopefully, as late as possible on Sunday... maybe the finals?)

-Churchill High School - Eugene, OR
luke johnson - head coach

Lukester said...

that last post was made by me, luke, but I was logged in with a friends username accidentally...

Zach said...

Northwest will be sick again, and probably for years to come, Hopkins will be one team to beat because of our second place finish, but I wan't to know how lakeside and alameda (tied for 3rd) will be this year and if they're applying for westerns.
Zach
Hopkins

Anonymous said...

pennsbury is unlikely to be going to easterns, since it is the same day as their prom.

Mike Mullen said...

Luke,

Thanks for the kind words. I can assure you that all the success I had as NWS boys coach had to do with the great middle school program and coaches, my assistant & JV coaches, and of course the players and their families. It was a tough decision to step down but I had the coaches lined up to replace me that I wanted. And I wanted them to have a run with our great seniors and to get a year in with the 9th and 10th graders. I'm still around the program as a coach emeritus and of course I am still coaching middle school as usual. And I'm really enjoying not working the 60 hour weeks. I will miss being on the sidelines at the big games but I'll still be around.

Thanks - Mike

Mike Mullen said...

By the way. Northwest does not have a #45. Whoever posted that is not a NWS player. In fact the boys program has had a rule about that kind of thing. Frankly it serves no purpose to talk smack. And I know for a fact that the NWS players and coaches have great respect for all their opponents.

Fantusta said...

Pennsbury has actually already made the decision to miss their prom (which is a BIG DEAL at Pennsbury) to attend Easterns, from everything I've heard.

-Chris Vanni
LM grad
Mothership

thomas said...

I got to this discussion a little later than I would have liked, but I feel no bickering high school ultimate post is really complete without me.

---

I'll give NWS and Hopkins easy Semi-finals appearances (and NWS a spot in the final).

This leaves the other two spots to be fought over by Churchill, South Eugene and Nathan Hale(?)

Lakeside won't bother anybody and same goes for Alameda. One more random fills out the quarters.

---

I would contest Mike Mullen's call on smack talk.

---

P.S.

I remember saying,
"If any team beats Alameda weekend after next, they will be truly indomitable and worthy of whatever title they recieve."

That team was Northwest, they just happened to have won and I think they were worthy of that title.

Called it?

Anonymous said...

Churchill def. Hopkins 15-12 in the Finals.

Anonymous said...

when are the teams that get accepted to easterns and westerns going to be announced

Anonymous said...

Madison Memorial is applying for Easterns, though it's also the same weekend as our prom.