Thursday, September 11, 2008

Easterns & Westerns 2009 Announced!

The UPA is excited to announce the dates and locations for the following Youth and High School championship events.
- 2009 High School Eastern Championships - May 9-10 - Lebanon, OH
- 2009 High School Westerns Championships - May 16-17 - Blaine, MN
- 2009 Youth Club Championships - August 8-9 - Blaine, MN
- 2010 Youth Club Championships - August 14-15 - Blaine, MN

For more information about these decisions, check out the press releases for each event (2009 HS Easterns, 2009 HS Westerns, 2009-10 YCC).


Posted by Lukester at 8:00 PM

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dylan freechild's avatar

dylan freechild · 864 weeks ago

so what i dont understand is if it was an issue about fairness ( and yes i know that a lot of other factors went in to westerns being in independence last year ) but the fairness factor was big last year and so we had it closer to some of the mid west teams how does it seem fair to have westerns, ycc 09 and ycc 10 in blaine!? that doesnt make any sense. i know that blaine is a good place for ycc cause it is a national tourny but why does blaine also get westerns? just wondering...?

and im guessing seattle didnt put in a bid this year? (which also could have contributed to westerns being in blaine)
2 replies · active 857 weeks ago
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dylan freechild's avatar

dylan freechild · 864 weeks ago

needless to say it will be better than last year. so i guess i am fine with where it is? then again anywhere else would be better than independence.
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del's avatar

del · 864 weeks ago

Easterns in Ohio? Bummer
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anon's avatar

anon · 864 weeks ago

you know what del, ohio is a great place, plus your team, brutal brutal brutal grassburn, wont even get a bid, you suck
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Robbie Shapiro's avatar

Robbie Shapiro · 864 weeks ago

I think they put westerns in MN because they know and people around the country know they are good fields. My only reaction is, if you are going to centralize westerns, (and pretty much easterns in ohio), which makes the commute for most of the Eastern/Western ultimate world pretty large, why not bring easterns to MN as well. Blaine very much so has the space to host over 64 teams, (they do for the youth world cup bringing in like 200 teams (exageration)). These are just my feelings. so a recap

Why centralize nats and not make it true?

Robbie Shapiro
#4
Hopkins
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doug's avatar

doug · 864 weeks ago

ohio has great fields and college nationals were held there for 3 stright years
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yo yo's avatar

yo yo · 864 weeks ago

either place, both are pretty central in the United states, why not hold a true nats in this situation. It takes away the UPA's argument that they dont want teams to have to pay for cross country transportation, and any of these complexes can hold tons of teams
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del's avatar

del · 864 weeks ago

anon-
I was just speaking off what I'd heard from people who went there in 07. If it ends up being nice then that's awesome. No need to hate dude.
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ABCD's avatar

ABCD · 864 weeks ago

IT still isn't fair for teams who had to travel last year for Westerns and YCC, and then having to travel not once but twice in the same year.. lets add up the cost travel alone is 350ish so times that by 4 times, which is about $1400.. and lets add up the cost for the MN players... $40 for gas to travel in the last 2 years, that makes sense... Ad MN isn't the only good place with nice fields.... Just look around! MN fields aren't even that nice, good fields would be in Burlington, WA and the compare to that...
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ABCD's avatar

ABCD · 864 weeks ago

*And and *then
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dylan freechild's avatar

dylan freechild · 864 weeks ago

i agree with robbie that why not just have a nationals if we still have to go across the country to play westerns or easterns. also i agree with ABCD...whoever you are. that it isnt very fair that minnesota has both tournies. how is that fair. i know seattle got westerns twice but minn. got ycc every year and for the most part teams are fine with that. so i dont understand why teams arnt fine with westerns being in seattle or atleast on the west coast...boulder would be cool or idk corvallis (i know you have to put in a bid and have requirements and someday it will be there) whatever.
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Kyle's avatar

Kyle · 864 weeks ago

Folks, it comes down to bids. I don't know what bids the UPA received but typically they don't get a lot for these events - I wouldn't be surprised if these were the only bids that were received. That looks likely since they weren't announced until now. If you want to have these events in your area you should encourage local organizers to put that together and commit to helping make that happen.

I also don't think you can make an argument for Easterns/Westerns location based on YCC location - In most cases the team composition is quite different. Yes there may be a handful of players that play both events but I'd guess that the majority only compete in one or the other.

As for YCC being in the same place every year - as an organizer I love that. It makes planning and budgeting considerably easier since I know what to expect.

Back to Easterns/Westerns locations - Ohio is pretty darn central to the "Eastern" part of the country - 7 1/2 hours from Madison, 7 1/2 hours from Atlanta, 13 1/3 hours from Boston.

Westerns is obviously a bigger challenge since it's a larger geographic area. Boulder/Denver is the only truly central location and, once again, it depends on them putting in a bid.

One of the big reasons we split from Nationals to Easterns/Westerns is because depending on where "Nationals" was it was already a defacto Easterns or Westerns since few teams made the cross country trip.

The benefit of this set up is that players still get an opportunity for national competition at YCC and we can use Easterns/Westerns to help hs development by moving it around the country to locations that are interested in holding it. There is not doubt that by moving it - teams that otherwise wouldn't get the opportunity to compete in the event do because the travel becomes much easier. This is why, ultimately, it really isn't appropriate for HS events to have national level competitions. The cost and logistics of travel will greatly limit the number of teams that can make the trip.
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xyz's avatar

xyz · 864 weeks ago

why not make the tournament in blaine the tournament for the top16 teams, and then make ohio a tournament for the next 16 teams. say i'm from atlanta. I know my team is pretty good, because it's paideia. Paying a little extra to fly to blaine instead of ohio isn't that big of a deal for me...
so that way, 32 teams play and there is a legit nationals.
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anon's avatar

anon · 864 weeks ago

I know its early in the season, but based on what we saw last year, who do you like for this year? If you're going to say lakeside like im sure a good portion of people will, say like a top 5 or something like that.
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del's avatar

del · 864 weeks ago

west: lakeside, seattle academy, maybe south eugene.

East: pennsbury and amherst.
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UPA sucks's avatar

UPA sucks · 864 weeks ago

"There is not doubt that by moving it - teams that otherwise wouldn't get the opportunity to compete in the event do because the travel becomes much easier. This is why, ultimately, it really isn't appropriate for HS events to have national level competitions" - Kyle

Kyle the level of competition at westerns is RIDICULOUS. It has been dominated by the same group of teams for the last 4 years. I can't speak for Easterns but I can tell you right now that there will be atleast 3 if not 4 seattle teams in the finals of Westers. It sucks playing the same teams over and over again because the retarded UPA can't organize a national level youth competition to get west coast teams to play east coast teams. The only reason Seattle team went to Paidea cup was because we never get a fucking chance to play East coast teams with UPA's stupid format. I garuntee you if the UPA comes up with a 16 team format at a centeral location that you could get 16 teams from across the country to hold nationals regardless of cost because by putting both Easterns and Westerns in the center of there divisions you already jack up the average cost of travel. It is not "inappropriate" to have a HS level competition because most teams are already traveling by plane to get to these events.
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me's avatar

me · 864 weeks ago

lets get more looks at top five in the west i think
obviously
1. Lakeside 2. South eugene
3. Hopkins 4. Northwest
5. Seattle Academy
6. Monroe
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dylan freechild's avatar

dylan freechild · 864 weeks ago

i think lakeside and hopkins will be the two best. obviously northwest will be better saas and south eugene lost some key players. churchill is coming back and they are actually pretty good. those are the names that are always mentioned though so i dont really have any insight. cretin could be good and i think catherdral lost players but im not sure. monroe could be good, but personally i think the weather really helped them and i dont think people will stunned this year like they were last year and people will know how to play against them seeing as that was there first major tourny.

1. lakeside
2. hopkins
3. nws/ south eugene/ saas/ churchill
4. saas/ cretin/ cathedral

not a lot of help but its early and i dont even know why we are ranking teams...
2 replies · active 864 weeks ago
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wtf's avatar

wtf · 864 weeks ago

Um, how does hopkins get ranked so high, they have decreased talent and placement with a seventh and ninth place finish, they are always overrated
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John Smith's avatar

John Smith · 864 weeks ago

wtf, have you ever seen hopkins play? The only team that anyone can say will for sure do good is Lakeside. They lost two players. They were good players but they still have pigott and squish. I also hear they have a 7 footer which is always nice to have. As for everyone else it is too hard to tell, I mean SEHS lost Janin, but they still have one of the best players if not the best player in the west in Freechild. Hopkins lost players from last including arenson and sam brick? i know he was on the alternate for worlds last year. They do however, have three seniors this year that are some of the best in the country.

SAAS
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wtf's avatar

wtf · 864 weeks ago

yes i have seen hopkins play, at nationals and state, they lost a Defense capitan, brick arenson and there work horse who played sick D, number 8 dont know his name, and without those kids they have nobody except the Gotleibs and robbie shapiro, three kids cant do anything
1 reply · active 864 weeks ago
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hmm, i think your wr's avatar

hmm, i think your wr · 864 weeks ago

casey ikeda, jeremy norden, Riley McPhee, enough said
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del's avatar

del · 864 weeks ago

Hooper didn't graduate did he? I thought he was a junior this last year? SAAS should be the same I think, if not better.

Also hopefully the above post is a joke
2 replies · active 863 weeks ago
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Sam Brickwedde's avatar

Sam Brickwedde · 864 weeks ago

oh and it's Asa Gotlieb (one t) and Simon Gottlieb (two t's). just so you people know when you're talking about how they destroyed people after paideia and nationals.
1 reply · active 863 weeks ago
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Sam Brickwedde's avatar

Sam Brickwedde · 864 weeks ago

dang well my big long post got screwed up, but long story short, don't be surprised when hurt makes it to the championship of westerns this year.

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