YCC Teams Announced

The UPA's post is right here.

Hooray for another fantastic weekend in Blaine! :)

UPA Releases Championship Applications

Today the UPA released applications for the three youth division championship tournaments of 2008. High School Easterns will be held in Pittsburgh on May 10th and 11th, 2008, and High School Westerns will be in Independence, MO on the same weekend. The fourth rendition of the Youth Club Championships will again be in Blaine, MN - this year on August 9th and 10th.

The Easterns and Westerns applications can be downloaded here, and they're due March 21st. The YCC application can be downloaded here, and it's due March 7th. Will YCC's fill every division this year? There are guaranteed spots for every UPA-sanctioned youth league - what leagues and HS leagues will be submitting bids?

Youth Club Championships 2007: Flood HL Video

The 2007 Youth Club Championship Oregon: Flood Girls Team video is now available. This unique tournament experience pitted the top 100 some U-19 girls in a 7 team round-robin format. Everything took place in Blaine, MN on August 11th & 12th. And though this is our video, highlights from each game are shown (not just ours).

ipod video - mp4 - (640x360) - 199MB
stage6 divx stream - divx - (1280x720) - stream

googlevideo - (320x240) - stream

(use this as a last resort, because the quality puts the video to shame)


(Though I did not want to put out a lower quality version, there have been requests made.  I cannot upload this video to youtube as they have restrictions over 100MB, but this is now available on googlevideo to see.  The quicktime stream that I normally do was not getting much use at all in previous videos and its' a headache to get to work right now.  So, I leave you with these three sources)

UPA releases poll on age requirements for YCCs

Fresh off the discussion and debate in the comments here on PlayUltimate regarding YCCs and player age requirements, the UPA has put a poll up on their website asking for member input... Except you dont have to be a UPA member to vote.

Check out the poll by clicking here.

What do you think of their question?

The current age restriction for the UPA Youth Club Championships is under 19 as of June 1st. This allows players with college experience to participate. Should the age restriction be revised so that players must be under 19 and cannot have played on a college roster?

feel free to answer in the comments

reminder: as mentioned previously, PlayUltimate will be holding an open discussion in the coming days as to what you would like the UPA to do for high school ultimate in the united states. specific ideas, specific questions, which will be tallied and put into polls where you can rank their importance, the site will contact the UPA with our findings. Look for those threads to be posted sometime early next week.

YCC reaction from the Pulse

Ryan has posted on his personal blog a quite detailed account of his experience at the YCC tournament this year. Check it out by clicking here.

some excerpts -

Denver was a team that relied a lot on their handlers and big receivers going away from the disc. We were able to limit the damage their handlers could do with give and gos and upfield resets, while taking away the deep options with our marks and shutting down in-cuts with our legs. Standout players on Denver were handlers #8 and #12, along with #10 who was their go-to guy downfield. He came up huge on a lot of early grabs, although we thankfully managed to limit his damage later on. We did have two ridiculous plays of our own - Jesse hucked backhand around a forehand forcing mark, throwing a bullet to the breakside of the endzone, which Stephen tracked down, utterly roasting his defender. And earlier, Jake Rainwater annihilated his defender on a jump ball just outside the endzone, for his first real sky of the weekend. We called the play "Make it Rain."

[...] (<< this means a lot of text was in between these two quotes and they have nothing to do with each other, other than both regarding the YCC tournament.)

During that point, incidentally, I saw/heard some of the nastiest and really uncalled for comments by some Paideia parents. When Noah made a clean bid on Michael Terry (nearly getting the D), his momentum caused him to roll on the ground afterwards, coming up on Terry's ankle/achilles from behind. Mike Terry crumpled to the ground and had to take an injury after this accidental and freak injury. But the Paideia parents accused Noah of trying to injure him, saying that he'd been making reckless and unspirited bids all game, which was just a ridiculous claim. First of all, Michael Terry had taken injury subs earlier in the game after no contact with Philly players, meaning he was nowhere near 100%, and also, Noah's bid was completely clean, as were all of his during that game. It wasn't a no-chance bid where he landed in his knees from behind, it was a legitimate bid where he bumped him from behind after rolling on the ground. Rob Olson and I got loud and obstinate defending Noah at that point.

read the whole account of the weekend cover to cover by clicking here.

Liveblogging - YCC Finals (live score updates)

C/o text messages from Ryan Thompson (The Pulse), minute by minute updates from Blaine, MN and the 2007 YCC finals - (all times EST)

MIXED UPDATES:

4:18pm - SEPDA 7 Atl 5

4:20pm - SEPDA 8 Atl 5 - off dropped pull, Noah to J Principi - Halftime

4:33pm - SEPDA 8 Atl 6 (via Score Reporter)

4:38pm - SEPDA 9 Atl 7

4:42pm - SEPDA 9 Atl 8

4:46pm - SEPDA 9 Atl 9 - All tied up!!! Nail biter in the works!

4:49pm - SEPDA 9 Atl 10 - Atlanta takes the lead on Callahan by Grant! sidelines must be going nuts.

4:51 pm - SEPDA 9 Atl 11 - Atlanta extends lead

4:57pm - SEPDA 10 Atl 11 - philly recovers

4:58pm - SEPDA 10 Atl 12

5:02pm - SEPDA 11 Atl 12

5:08pm - SEPDA 11 Atl 13

5:13pm - SEPDA 12 Atl 13

5:17pm - SEPDA 12 Atl 14 - layout grab by one of the Atl girls #12 Lane

GAME OVER ATLANTA WINS 14-12

OPEN UPDATES:

4:27pm - Seattle 9 New England 5 - callahan by #17

4:35pm - Seattle 9 New England 6

4:41pm - Seattle 10 New England 6

4:45pm - Seattle 11 New England 6

4:51pm - Seattle 12 New England 6

5:01pm - Seattle 12 New England 8

5:02pm - Seattle 13 New England 8

5:07pm - Seattle 13 New England 9

5:13pm - Seattle 14 New England 9

5:15pm - Seattle 14 New England 10

5:20pm - Seattle 14 New England 11

5:25pm - Seattle 15 New England 11

GAME OVER SEATTLE WINS 15-11

GIRLS' UPDATES:

4:32pm - Seattle 8 Oregon 5 (via Score Reporter)

4:36pm - Seattle 8 Oregon 6

4:39pm - Seattle 9 Oregon 6

4:41pm - Seattle 9 Oregon 7

4:46pm - Seattle 10 Oregon 7

4:58pm - Seattle 12 Oregon 8

5:10pm - Seattle 12 Oregon 9

5:14pm - Seattle 13 Oregon 9

5:16pm - Seattle 13 Oregon 10

5:22pm - Seattle 14 Oregon 10

GAME OVER SEATTLE WINS 14-10


Well thats the show, the 2007 YCCs are in the books - Seattle wins Open Girls, Atlanta wins Mixed.


[edited at 10:54pm to correct 5:17pm Mixed division inaccuracy, goal was scored by #12 Lane from Atlanta]

Unbiased YCC Girls Preview!

The girls division of the 2007 Youth Club Championships is rife with storylines and teams with something to prove. The presence of so many 2006 Junior Worlds players doesn't hurt either. The favorites get the top four seeds, but their order is bound to be shuffled, while the bottom three teams look for their chance to cause an upset and burst onto the girls ultimate scene.

Below the fold action...
Seattle earns the number one seed in the tournament, as the defending champions and traditional powerhouse look to remain the only YCC girls winners. Led by junior worlds players Drew Johnson, Alex Snyder, and Fiona McKibben, their deep roster draws largely from Northwest School and Nathan Hale. They will be looking to avenge their losses to Oregon school Churchill at Westerns, as the core of the number four seed has the experience of winning Westerns 15-3 over NWS fresh in their minds. They are joined by former South Eugene captain Julia Sherwood, along with another SEHS player and two from Crescent Valley. Oregon has been in Minnesota for several days already, and they are prepared to defend their title and avenge what appears to be a slight in seeding.

Meanwhile, east coast powerhouse Amherst sends a lot of players to New England, led by junior worlds and Brute Squad player Amber Sinicrope. Like Oregon, the core of their team has the advantage of playing together year-round. But their loss to Seattle at YCC's two years ago, along with their loss at Nationals to the Yale School several years ago, means that the east's dominance in girls ultimate is over. New England will do their best to bring the title to Massachusetts for the first time since Nationals in 2004. But their reliance on Amherst JV girls shows that this is not the strongest team that could come out of the Boston area.

With their own junior worlds and Rare Air stud Brenna Hokanson, Denver is out to prove that their second-place finish and defeat of New England in 2006 was no fluke. They hope to challenge for the title as well, with Box Lunch's Christina Ward adding more club experience to the mix. They beat New England 13-7 in the semifinals last year, in a junior-worlds-affected environment. But without New England's big names returning this year either (besides Amber), Denver is well-poised to repeat in the finals.

Among the other three teams, I can see Cincinnati coming closest to an upset against a team that doesn't take them seriously enough, but ultimately failing and losing a close one to Minnesota. Madison goes winless without the junior worlds studs they've had in the past.

Prediction:
Seattle 6-0
Oregon 5-1
Denver 4-2
New England 3-3
Minnesota 2-4
Cincinnati 1-5
Madison 0-6

Finals: Oregon 13, Seattle 11

The way the brackets work out, Oregon and Seattle could play twice in a row, making their first game meaningless if both go into the game 5-0. If so, I can see Seattle winning that game easily, before Oregon fights hard and reaffirms their Westerns dominance in the finals.

Unbiased Mixed YCC Preview!

At 9 am on Saturday morning in Blaine, seven youth mixed teams from around the country will begin their quest for YCC glory. For three of these teams, they represent the best talent their league has to offer. The other four leagues have bids in both the open and girls divisions, but are still looking to make some noise. It's no surprise that the heavy favorites are the Paideia-heavy Atlanta team I-20 and the Pennsbury-led Philly team SEPDA. Which transportation-based team will reign supreme? If based solely on the merits of their namesakes, Atlanta wins hands down. But this is an ultimate tournament, and there are six guaranteed games for each team.


First Round

Game to Watch: For the neutral fan, the most interesting game of the round looks to be New England vs. Denver, on field 11. This one should be close and back and forth, as the tournament-tested BUDA team takes on Cutthroat, the team from Colorado. Will Cutthroat's coed league experience and improving state strength be able to overcome the players from traditional powerhouse New England? Denver will be relieved to hear that there are no players from Amherst on the roster, and will look for the "upset," but BUDA's pre-YCC tournament experience will lead them through in a close one. Pick: BUDA.

Other games: Seattle d. NEPSUL, Philly d. Minnesota

Second Round

Game to Watch: The second round has a few intriguing matchups, but the most exciting game of the round will be Seattle vs. Minnesota. This is where we'll see if Seattle has the firepower to challenge Philly and Atlanta, or if those two teams are really a cut above the rest. There's been a lot of talk out of Seattle, and their league has proved its depth at Westerns and Spring Reign, while Minnesota has hometown advantage and a large league to draw from as well. But Seattle's depth and mixed experience will reign supreme as they come away with the W. Pick: Seattle.

Other games: New England d. NEPSUL, Atlanta d. Denver

Third Round

Game to Watch: Philly vs. Seattle. This is where SEPDA will get their first test of the tournament, as they come off of their bye to face a presumably 2-0 Seattle team looking for some respect. But they'll run straight into Noah Saul and Carly Maconaghy, who will not allow their team to lose. However, if Seattle can run off a string of points towards the middle of the game, tensions will run high on the SEPDA sidelines and could see the team start to splinter. Pick: Philly.

Other games: New England d. Minnesota, Atlanta d. NEPSUL

Fourth Round

Game to Watch: Here it is, the matchup of the weekend for mixed pool play. Philly vs. Atlanta. In the last game of the day, the two pre-tournament favorites will be battling it out for a win that would guarantee a spot in the finals. The superior depth of the Atlanta girls will make Maconaghy and her Philly counterparts struggle, and I can foresee Atlanta going 3/4 on offense quite a bit. However, SEPDA boys match up well against the Atlanta boys, and only having 3 or 4 of them on the field at a time will help SEPDA more than Atlanta. But Ozone's Alisha Kramer and the rest of the Atlanta women will prove the difference in this game, as they win in a game closer than the scoreline suggests. Pick: Atlanta.

Other games: Denver d. Minnesota, Seattle d. New England

Fifth Round

Game to Watch: On Sunday morning, the dust will have cleared and teams will begin battling for placement instead of the finals. In the Atlanta vs. Seattle game, Seattle has one more chance to clinch a berth in the finals, whereas Atlanta does not want the possibility of deciding the finals on point differential. Atlanta comes out strong and never lets up, crushing Seattle's chances at a medal. Pick: Atlanta.

Other games: Philly d. Denver, Minnesota d. NEPSUL

Sixth Round

Game to Watch: Philly vs. New England stands out in a round of games that don't look close. SEPDA plays exciting ultimate, and with New England looking to play spoiler, the game should be hard-fought until the end. It doesn't mean it will be close, but it will be fun to watch. Pick: Philly.

Other games: Atlanta d. Minnesota, Denver d. NEPSUL

Seventh Round

Game to Watch: Seattle vs. Denver looks to be the pick of this round, as Denver tries to move up in the rankings over a demoralized Seattle team that could come out flat after their bye. Look for this to be the surprise of the weekend. Pick: Denver.

Other games: Philly d. NEPSUL, Atlanta d. New England

Finals (Philly vs. Atlanta)

Players to Watch:
Noah Saul, Mark Dundala, and Scotty Wright (SEPDA, Pennsbury): These three players led Pennsbury to their Easterns win and have been playing a lot this summer both with SEPDA and Roots of Rhythm. They're the stars for the Philly boys, and they can all throw accurate 80-yard hucks.
Carly Maconaghy (SEPDA, CB East): She's the most experienced girl on SEPDA, and she has club nationals experience with Wicked. She's #1 on the line for important points.
George Stubbs, Grant Lindsley, Ollie Honderd (Atlanta, Paideia): These three got the chance to represent the USA last summer, and this summer they're leading Atlanta into the finals. Expect to see them mostly on offense until the finals. Their speed and experience will be their greatest asset, along with George's ridiculous breakmark throws.
Alisha Kramer (Atlanta, Paideia): Playing with Ozone at nationals will allow Alisha to step up and be a star for I-20. She'll throw her body around the field on defense and her speed makes her a threat all day.

Prediction:
Philly comes out strong and well-rested, but the patience and experience of I-20 will help lead them back into the game and over the top. Depth for guys won't matter in this game, but Atlanta's girls will once again prove to be SEPDA's undoing. Atlanta 15, Philly 12.

The roster for the BUDA YCC Mixed Team, "Just BUDA", has been set. There are 19 players on the roster from 11 schools spanning four states.

The team is led by head coach Josh Seamon and assistant coaches Bryan Galante and David Friedman.

So far the team has run two 6 hour tryouts, played in the Easterns Open Division at the Boston Invite, and played in a Juniors Round Robin. The team lost all 6 of their games in the Boston Invite, but managed to score 3,4,3,8,9, and 8 goals in their 6 games against open teams. At the Junior's Round Robin on 7/7 Just BUDA defeated the NEPSUL YCC Mixed team 15-2 and a junior mixed team from Sherbrooke Canada 15-3.

There are currently three team photo galleries online: Tryout #2, The Boston Invite, and the Juniors Round Robin.

The team will be playing in two more tournaments before the Youth Club Champs. The team will travel to Scotia, NY for the 23rd Annual Ow My Knee on 7/21-22 and to Hingham, MA on 8/4-5 for the 20th Annual Hingham Invite.

Pittsburgh Impulse Team Roster and Review

Experiencing what the coaches referred to as the hardest tryouts, toughest cuts and deepest pool of talent to hit PHUL to date, being able to release a roster and begin to focus on that one goal for the rest of the summer has to come as relief for some of the players and especially the coaches. There were two cuts necessary to reach this final roster of 22 players that have the makings to be a national champion. Some of the players are already noticing a difference in the team and truly believe this is the strongest Pittsburgh Impulse team to take the field.

So, I present to you the 2007 Pittsburgh Youth Club Team (Impulse):

Name	School	Grade	Years with team	College
Blanciak, Eddie	Kiski (played with North Hills JV)	9	1	N/A
Cervone, Zack	North Hills	11	1	N/A
Conner, Colin	North Hills	11	3	N/A
Fleiner, Paul	Montour	12	1	Cal Tech
Funk, Ben	North Hills	11	3	N/A
Gazdik, Jack	North Hills	11	3	N/A
Hausman, Julian	Mount Lebanon	12	3	Pitt
Hess, Nathan	Hampton	10	1	N/A
Hoggard, Tim	Montour	12	1	Pitt
Imler, Pete	Mt. Lebanon	12	3	Penn State
Kush, Joe	North Hills JV)	8	1	N/A
Lippert, Chris	North Hills	11	2	N/A
Macurak, Dave	Bethel Park	12	2	UNC-Wilimington
McInnis, Cody	Hampton	11	1	N/A
Olko, Jeff	North Hills	11	2	N/A
Rakers, Allen	Hampton	11	1	N/A
Reinhardt, Zach	Bethel Park	12	3	Pitt
Ross, Jack	North Hills	10	1	N/A
Thorne, Alex	North Hills	11	3	N/A
Truckenbrod, Lukas	Hampton	12	1	Pitt
Washburn, Bennett	Wichester Thurston	11	3	N/A
Wilson, Greg	Fox Chapel	12	1	Allegheny

Perhaps the most noticeable thing about this list is the amount of talent coming out of North Hills. Sending ten players, many of whom have already played on the YCC team, there was a reason why North Hills made a name for both themselves and Pittsburgh Ultimate. Led by PHUL Finals MVP Alex Thorne, this team accomplished a lot over the season. From finishing 2nd at the Paideia cup and PA States to a repeat of PHUL champions, North Hills has gained the experience, respect and talent needed to be a force in the Juniors Ultimate scene. Using the momentum and motivation of this past year allows for these players to bring everything they have to a team with a YCC championship on their mind.

The other two powerhouses in PHUL send 6 players to the field: Hampton (4) and Mt. Lebanon (2). With PHUL MVP Julian Hausman (Mt. Lebanon) and PHUL standout Lukas Truckenbrod (Hampton) on the team, the handling game on Impulse has really opened up. Both of these players posses the poise, control, arm strength and talent to make any throw and make it right.

Aside from how the team is comprised, something that may or may not be overlooked is where the seniors are going to college; half of the the seniors will be attending the University of Pittsburgh. This just goes to show the community involvement and integration that is Pittsburgh Ultimate. Recruitment comes a little bit easier when your friend and teammate in another league (Winter/Summer/Spring) just so happens to go a college near you. I know this is a high school website, but the amount of talent that will be pouring into Pitt in the next couple years is amazing and will continue to move Pitt and the Metroeast up the College Ultimate ladder.

I could go on for pages about how each and every one of these players will contribute to the team, but I simply do not have the time to do so. However, before I finish, I just want to say that each player on this team has the talent and field awareness to make a name for himself on the national level. This is a great team and as high as my expectations are for them, I'm sure they have just as high (if not higher) expectations for themselves.

Writers note: I'll have another one or two articles about this team before YCCs (most likely after their tournaments) and I am hoping to have a Pittsburgh girls YCC preview up as soon as I receive some information on the team.

2007 YCC Team Preason Preview: Pittsburgh Impulse

It might be early for some people to start thinking about Youth Club Championships, but try telling that to the coaches and players of Pittsburgh Impulse who were devistated by a 14-12 loss to Philadelphia (SEPDA) in semifinals last year. And even though finishing fourth in the nation is still a great accomplishment, there is something about that loss that leaves a bittersweet feeling inside these players.

This year coaches Nick Kaczmarek (Pitt Ultimate) and Ben Banyas (Edinboro Ultimate and Metro East All Region Team) will look to utilize what appears to be PHUL's strongest depth of players ever.

Although tryouts for the team will not begin until Monday (Memorial Day), the main core of players on the team from last year will be playing again this year; Impulse lost 7 players from last year (6 graduation; 1 age restriction). As can be expected, PHUL standouts Julian Hausman (Mt. Lebanon) and Alex Thorne (North Hills and PHUL Finals MVP) will be the playmakers on this year's team. Although early, PHUL's three powerhouses (North Hills, Mt. Lebanon and Hampton) will look to contribute a significant amount to the team's roster.

The team will hold 5 tryouts between May 28 and June 6 with the final roster being formulated the night of the final tryout. Before attending YCCs in August, Impulse hopes to attend at least two tournaments. Any PHUL player reading this and wants to have more information can contact the team at youthclubcoaching AT gmail DOT com.

There will also be a Pittsburgh Impulse B-team that, although not competing at YCCs, will attend a couple tournaments over the summer and be used as a building block for 2008 and will be for those who do not make the team to improve their skills.

Look for a more in depth analysis of the team sometime after June 6 when final rosters are announced.

NOTE: There is also a girl's Pittsburgh team being formed that will compete in 1-2 tournaments before attending YCCs in August. More information on this team will be done later.

YCC Bids Awarded!

The emails have been sent... Teams and programs have been given the word as to whether they've been awarded a bid or not...

And, now here is the list for those who will be going to the big show in Blaine, MN this coming August 11th & 12th.

3/19/07 - Teams Announced on UPA Website

Girls Division
BUDA High School Ultimate League - New England - HS
Denver Youth Summer League - Denver, CO - Youth/UPA
Disc Northwest Spring Youth Single Gender League - Seattle, WA - HS/UPA
Eugene, OR - at-large team
Madison Youth Spring League - Madison, WI - HS/UPA
Minnesota High School Ultimate League - Minneapolis, MN - HS/UPA
Pittsburgh High School Ultimate League - Pittsburgh, PA - HS/UPA
Youth Ultimate Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH - HS/UPA

Mixed Division
Atlanta High School Ultimate League - HS
BUDA High School Ultimate League - New England - HS
Denver Youth Summer League - Denver, CO - Youth/UPA
Disc Northwest Spring Youth Single Gender League - Seattle, WA - HS/UPA
Minnesota High School Ultimate League - Minneapolis, MN - HS/UPA
New England Prep School Ultimate League - New England - HS
New York City High School Ultimate League - New York, NY - HS
Philadelphia High School Ultimate Educational League - Philadelphia, PA - HS

Open Division
BUDA High School Ultimate League - New England - HS
Denver Youth Summer League - Denver, CO - Youth/UPA
Disc Northwest Spring Youth Single Gender League - Seattle, WA - HS/UPA
Madison Youth Spring League - Madison, WI - HS/UPA
Minnesota High School Ultimate League - Minneapolis, MN - HS/UPA
New Jersey High School Ultimate League - New Jersey - HS
Pittsburgh High School Ultimate League - Pittsburgh, PA - HS/UPA
Youth Ultimate Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH - HS/UPA

YCC early application deadline coming soon...

C/o rsd announcement by Will Deaver -

Early applications for the 2007 UPA Youth Club Championships are being
taken until Feb 28th (next Wednesday). The early bid process is for
league-based teams only, with bid priority first to UPA youth leagues
and second to UPA high school leagues. Please check out
http://www.upa.org/juniors/championships/index.html for more
information on eligibility, competition guidelines, and a link to the
application.

Will Deaver
UPA Championship Director

Deadline is quickly approaching, what leagues have sent in bids? Will it be roughly the same field as last year? Will Philly repeat as champs? Will (should?) the field be expanded to 16 teams? Are there enough competitive leagues in the US so handle such an expansion?

All these thoughts and more, in the comments....

(Remember to post your college choices in the earlier thread if you haven't already done so)