In the wake of Easterns...

Amherst wins again.

Extending the streak... 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007?

Familiar story? Pretty close -

2003 - the Hurricanes won 15-10 over Paideia in High School nationals
2004 - 15-5 over the Northwest School again at nationals
2005 - the switch is made to easterns and westerns, Amherst wins 15-9 over Columbia
2006 - continued dominance, this time Amherst over Madison West 15-6, which was the most points scored against the Hurricanes all weekend (McCallie of Tennessee racked up the same number and they finished tied for 13th)

The highest score by any high school team this year versus Amherst was 10, by Hopkins, who wasnt at Easterns.

Quite simply put, no one got close - at least thats what the scores say. So what is it? Is it an unmatched superiority rivaled by none east of the Mississippi? Are the Amherst players simply just better athletes? Better fundamentals? Better coaching? Varsity support by the school?

Is there a team in the forseeable future which will be able to unseat Amherst? Once they are beaten will it mark a huge watershed in high school ultimate - perhaps that there can be more than one concentration of elite high school ultimate?

One thing i used to tell my team, and think to myself after we would lose a game, or before we were going to play a new opponent - "look at them, figure out the difference between us and them, and close it. what do they have that we dont have? throws? athletic ability? know-how of the game? nothing is unchangeable in sport."

you just have to look at the differences between those who are better than you and yourself and close the gap.

perhaps gradually, but those scores will get closer, and not just because amherst has an off day or someone else plays out of their skull. they will get better because people will realize what they need to do better and they will start to do it.

i am in no way rooting for amherst to lose, but i know if i played for amherst and in an entire year no one got within 5 points of tieing us it would get a little bit boring. not that i would ever advise bringing ones play down, rather i think it would be more exciting and enjoyable if the entire level of competition were raised.

within the next two years amherst will lose a game to a high school team. an illusion of invulnerability will fall, and as a result USA high school ultimate as a whole will rise to a whole new level.

i can only dream.

Easterns Day 2

Well day two of the 2006 UPA High School Eastern Championships has just kicked off moments ago.

The quarterfinals show...
Amherst vs. Lebo
Columbia vs. Pennsbury

Madison West vs. Wissahickon
Princeton vs. Yorktown (HB Woodlawn)

updates? post em if ya got em, its gonna be an exciting day at the fields, looking forward to hearing the results.

Easterns Live Updates!

We are nearing the conclusion of round two - c/o of commentors and Nick Kaczmarek at the fields we have the following updates -

Round 1
Pennsbury won their first game 13-8 over Lincoln Sudbury
Princeton beat Milton 13-9

Round 2
Madison West is currently beating Pennsbury 10-9 with the cap on

also at this point it has come to my attention that we are the only source for updates at the moment - RSD is silent (and by in large hates juniors) and the score reporter has been closed to updates from anyone other than the TD, so keep it tuned here.

if you have any updates, post em as a comment.

it begins in less than 8 hours...

[to be read exclusively in voice of monday night football celebrity tease]

You want a tournament? Ive got your tournament.

16 teams - most have already made their long car rides or flights, and are nestled tight into their Holiday Inn sheets and blankets, they sleep - dreaming of a glimmer of coming glory.

Its the UPA Eastern Championship, featuring the best teams from the Mississippi to the Atlantic Ocean, from Massachussettes to Wisconsin to Tennessee - and everywhere in between. These teams carry with them the dreams of their cities, their schools, their local leagues, and their team mates. Battle forged by seasons of long practices and trips to some of the most prestigious high school tournaments in the country - The Paideia Cup, the Amherst Invite, the 13th Annual Hip Hop on Pop.

But no matter what road led them to the tournament, they will all descend upon the same Pittsburgh fields at 8am tomorrow morning.

Seedings, late drops and team signups, injuries, games lost - they all mean nothing now. Its time. You wanna game? I got your game right here. Grudge matches, bragging rights - whos taking it home - Amherst? Pennsbury? Columbia? Wissahickon? a dark horse from the south or west?

Two days. One championship. Right now. Its Easterns time baby

Colorado State Championship Preview

Although Easterns action is sure to overshadow it, May 12-13th mark the final days of High School Ultimate in Colorado. This year’s championship looks to be a toss up. The strongest team in the state (Lakewood) has decided to split into two teams for the tournament, spreading it’s skill across both. The thought process behind this can only be that they are looking to Westerns as their priority. This puts several teams in vying position for first. The tournament will be played in a 5-2 mixed format. The 6 teams to look at for contention to first place are: Broomfield (1), East (3), Cherry Creek (4), Lakewood Orange (5), Lakewood Black (7), and Fairview (8). Even split up Lakewood’s teams could surprise a few schools. With 24 teams participating in the tournament, each team will play five, 85 minute games on Saturday with no byes (except for lunch and in A pool). Read on for more.

The final seedings are as follows:

1. Broomfield
2. Arapahoe
3. East
4. Creek
5. Lakewood Orange
6. CA
7. Lakewood black
8. Fairview
9. Dakota Ridge
10. Boulder
11. Open
12. A-West
13. Monarch
14. Columbine
15. North
16. PS1
17. Grandview
18. DU High school
19. Compass
20. Overland
21. Rocky Mountain
22. CA-B
23. Heritage

Twenty-three teams is a few too many to do a profile for, so I will opt instead to profile the top 8, the “contenders”:
1. Broomfield. This may be Broomfield’s year. Following with the usual cycle of junior’s ultimate in Colorado; this team has a line up of mostly seniors with a legitimate ability to play. After a reasonable finish at the OPEN East invitational (5), the team looks poised to strike, if they can beat East—who they lost to 14-6 at the Invitational.
2. Arapahoe. The 2nd seed is given to Arapahoe mostly for their season record (they did not participate in the East Invitational). Arapahoe will fall in seeding at the end of Sunday, though they do have the ability to remain in the top 6.
3. East. A team that, annually, has the highest level of intensity, East finally has the skill to match. The only team in Colorado with a team USA member (junior Brenna Hokanson), East may well be crowned champion by the end of Day 2. Their OPEN team at the Invite took third after a Fairview forfeit and their Women’s team took first in the women’s division. The mixed format certainly favor East.
4. Cherry Creek. Creek is one of the best teams in the state every year. In the first year of a state tournament, this was the school that won. With the number four athletic program for public high schools in the nation, athleticism is a perk Creek enjoys. This year Creek is in a “rebuilding” year, with a team consisting of several seniors and juniors and a lone freshman. The team could be a dark horse of sorts, seeded fourth and poised to win their pool.
5. Lakewood Orange. The first division of the otherwise dominant (9-0 in Open, 8-0 in Mixed) Lakewood team, may be strong enough to upset seed. Certain to beat anyone seeded below them in their pool, their biggest challenge on Saturday will be whether or not they can overcome the #1 seed in their pool, earning a bye on Sunday and a near certain semi’s berth.
6. CA. Colorado Academy is a school with amazing spirit. This year they certainly have the ability to place in the top four, though 6th is likely where they will end up (narrowly beating Arapahoe).
7. Lakewood black. The second division of the ever so dominant Lakewood squad, this team WILL take their pool, earning a bye on Sunday.
8. Fairview. At the East invitational Fairview took fourth place (though they did come out of a much weaker pool). This team is coached by Club/College all-stars Hector Valvidia (Bravo) and Josh “Richter” Ackley (Mamabird/Bravo).

Predictions:
Finals: East-15 to Broomfield- 9
3rd Place Game: Lakewood Orange-15 vs Creek- 12

These are guesses, but who knows. Here are the pools, updates Sunday evening.

A (in order): Broomfield, Fairview, Dakota Ridge, PS1, Grandview
B (in order: Arapahoe, Lakewood Black, Boulder, North, DUHS, Heritage
C (in order): East, CA, Open, Columbine, Compass, CA-B
D (in order): Creek, Lakewood Orange, A-West, Monarch, Overland, Rocky Mountain

Easterns (Open) Preview: Virginia

The LC Bird team has been in existence for 5 years now. Last year the team surprised many by playing both Columbia and Amherst tough, and finishing tied for 5th. This year, we probably won't be sneaking up on too many people. A few standouts from last year's team remain including senior Chris Bowling and junior Alex Foldenauer, both handlers. The offense has solid handlers returning with plenty of playing experience and our deeps (Chris Wu, Matt Harris, Robbie Atherton, and Brian Bondurant) are smart and quick. Over the course of the last month, our defense has been clicking well with players growing more accustomed to their roles. We are 9-2 this school year with a close win against Yorktown on a windy day in D.C. in March, and the two losses coming to Pennsbury and Chapel Hill in December.

Speaking of Yorktown, I will do my best to talk about them, unfortunately I don't know any of their names. They are the longest running high school team in Va, with a wealth of knowledge from their coaches they are generally ready to play. They are a smart team that has been tested. Many of their players play in various WAFC leagues. They have lost to LC Bird and Pennsbury this spring. I know they were somewhat disappointed after last year's finish and they are working to finish better this year.

Easterns (Open) Preview: Both Sides of the Delaware

Easterns (Open) Preview
Both sides of the Delaware

Princeton.
Wissahickon.
Pennsbury.
Columbia.

Wissahickon.
Columbia.
Pennsbury.
Princeton.

???

Who knows what the right order is. Whatever it is, I agree that those 4 teams should constitute the 2-5 seeds at Easterns, after Amherst. Unfortunately, they've been moved about, and curiously Mount Lebanon was given the 3rd seed. Princeton's tanking at the Amherst Invitational may not be indicitave of anything, and they come out with the 2 seed, but Pennsbury and Columbia have clashed 3 times this spring, with Colubmia winning 2, but Pennsbury winning the more recent (at Amherst).

My personal evaluation of the 3 teams I have seen live, puts it at Wissahickon, Pennsbury, Colubmia. Did Princeton overperform at Hiphop? Underperform at Amherst? (Probably yes to the latter, without many top players... but yes to the former also, I think, with Columbia missing their own players... and what if they hadn't made that comeback against CB East Nasty in pool play? Princeton also performed much more poorly in the fall than the other programs.)

Wissahickon plays a spread offense, and knows exactly how to take exactly what the defense is giving them. Aman Nalavade has a top speed unmatched in PHUEL, and Kyle Baines has the throws to get it to him anywhere on the field deep. They have the speed, endurance, and discipline to keep up with anyone.

Pennsbury has no lack of players who know what they're doing with the disc. Noah Saul and Mark Dundala are patient, skilled handlers, though who knows when Noah will be injured. Franky Frank's dreads have the ability not only to psyche out inexperienced teams, but the guy can read a disc like a children's book and layout smoothly right at any disc. Their entire offense flows smoothly, but their defense can be lazy at times.

Columbia has the experienced, patient team you'd expect from the school that invented the sport, but lacks the athleticism some top teams are demonstrating.

Princeton has... Eddie Huang. And he's cool. I wish I had seen them play.

Unfortunately, there's nothing to suggest that Amherst will get a real run from this groups, though Pennsbury did give them the best game of their own invitational, losing 15-9.

open thread - Easterns Edition

we should have some previews coming in soon from our contributors, but holy hell the Easterns tournament is only 3 days away!!!

So feel free to ask your questions, make your predictions, call your favorites - anything you want about easterns - just comment here...

PlayUltimate Contributors - Nick Ligatti

Name: Nick Ligatti

High school team: I played on the Monacan Ultimate Club in the early 90's and currently coach LC Bird High School from Chesterfield, VA.

College team: I didn't play in college, the school I went to didn't have a team and made us jump through a lot of hoops to get it started so we gave up.

Current residence: Chesterfield, VA

Where you first heard of ultimate: A few of my friends would play after school every Friday and I joined them. After about a year it became an official club, our sponsor was the principal. Sadly the team dissolved a couple of years after my class graduated. Many of my teammates went on to play at UVa, William and Mary and Virginia Tech.

Notable accomplishments while playing: I was an average player at best. My favorite memory was during summer league a few years ago my team (purple) was playing against the top team (white) and we went savage through the first half, our captain showed up at halftime, we finished with 8 players and beat the number one team. At least that's the way I remember it.

Why you have expertise on the region you are reporting on: I have been coaching LC Bird for 5 years, and we have been competing at a high level for the past four years. I am the UPA State Youth Coordinator for VA and we host a tournament every December to raise money for the leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Any high school or college accomplishments in regards to writing/journalism: No. I was a History of Math major so I wrote some long papers on David Hilbert and Francois Viete, but nothing journalistic.

Westerns Preview - Alameda Open

Two years ago, a team traveled to Corvallis, Oregon to compete in the 2004 UPA National High School Championships. They lost every single game. By a lot.
- - - -
Two years later many of the same players will step back into the National spotlight, not as the unknown, undisciplined 16th seed, but as one of the most feared teams in High School Ultimate.

Since those awful defeats in 2004, Alameda has spent nearly every waking hour perfecting their game, throwing discs through hail storms and desert heat, preparing for their perfect season. Now, May 2006, their time has come. Alameda began training in September (practice began on the first day of school) and has not taken a single break since the Fall. Thrice crowned tournament champions, the season found them unrivaled, placing second only to Churchill HS (when more than 1/2 of Alameda's players were injured), their only loss on the season. Rarely was an Alameda player out run, out leaped or out thrown all year and they found themselves slicing through competition with controlled, athletic offense and vicious D. Now, on the verge of National competition, Alameda celebrates their achievements with sprints up San Franciscan hills, weekend-long beach endurance training and mandated frisbee-throwing periods (12:00-1:00, 3:00-4:00) everyday.

The team is led by a core of seasoned Juniors and Seniors, who have played together for 3+ years, living and breathing Ultimate from sunrise to sundown. These talented veterans are complemented by a group of athletic Sophomores who have earned themselves a spot on the A-Team, and a trip to Colorado. Training together for 7 months, these players have become a family, bonding through the sweat and blood of Ultimate and the sweet taste of victory.


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

Quick St. Louis HS League update

Division 1
Parkway North (5-0)
Desmet (4-1)
FHC Varsity (3-2)
Clayton (1-3)
Lindbergh (1-3)
CBC (0-5)

Division 2
Marquette (5-0)
Priory’s Jeromans (4-1)
Parkway Central (2-2)
SLUH (2-2)
FHC Junior Varsity (1-4)
Kirkwood (withdrew from league)

Notes:

*You’ll notice that several teams are a game short (most have five, some have four). Division 2 especially was plagued with forfeits and even had a team that dropped out in week 4. This was a serious annoyance for other teams who then had fewer games. Disappointing to say the least.

*These last two weeks of the league are for seeded, cross-division play (the 1 & 2 seeds from division one play the 1 & 2 seeds from division two, the 3's and 4's play each other, as do the 5's and 6's).

*Because Marquette, seeded second, lost to the tournament's 4-seed, Desmet, at the MO HS State Championships, the league’s two undefeated teams, Marquette and Parkway North, never faced off! Although they do scrimmage often, that will be the game to see this year.

OHSUR - Full Feature Film (Oregon State Tournament)

This is my first full feature film of the 2006 Oregon High School Ultimate Remix State Tournament for our open and girls division. The film is only of our open team, but chronicles their fight to the top spot in Oregon. The film is much longer than anything else I've ever done for Ultimate (nearly 18min), but hopefully this will be a preview of what is to come with Westerns in a few weeks.

OHSUR Feature (ipod video - mp4 - 107.1MB)
OHSUR Feature (mpg - 184MB)

weekend open thread - Amherst Invite / GCC edition

a little bit late posting this one, but alas i am out of town and away from my computer (bumming one from a friend at the moment.)

this weekend is really something of a easterns preview - at the Amherst Invite (Division A) we've got pennsbury, amherst, columbia, paideia all in one place. (also essentially a rematch of the Paideia Cup)

The same goes for the women's side of things - Amherst, Amhert JV, Beacon, and Andover will all be at easterns this year.

Feel free to use this thread to post any updates you hear from the fields, speculation and the like.

for our friends in the midwest - Granite City Classic is shaping up in St. Cloud, Minn. featuring the #2 team from the Paideia cup - Hopkins HS as well as some other big names from the "star of the north" state in a preview of the Minnesota state championships.

love to hear results and updates from anyone whos got em there too.

Spiking: 7OnTheLine

The UPA just posted the latest in their magazine's "7 on the Line" Survey question... The question is:

Do you view disc spiking as harmless celebration or in bad taste and against Spirit of the Game?

Many of you commented on this subject... I would encourage you to again share your comments with the UPA in their online survey submission. And maybe, just maybe, you'll be put in the magazine...

Click the image below to head to their online submission page:

OMSUC - Highlight Video

The highlight video from the first ever Oregon Middle School Ultimate Championship was finished earlier this weekend in preparation for our MS Banquet. The video shows the highlights from both the B Spirit Game as well as the Championship game between Kennedy and Roosevelt Middle Schools. Congratulations to Kennedy on their 12-7 victory!

OMSUC HL (ipod video - mp4 - 18.6MB)
OMSUC HL (mpg - 33.3MB)