Pres Day Recap

UCSD:
UCSD was a fun team to play against. They had some good players and some newer players, but they were very spirited throughout the game. THey mostly played a vert stack with looks to their two best cutters, #4 and #17. We played a poachy defense on their vert stack but they learned how to throw over and around our poaches. Their two handlers were also very good and relentless, always looking to get the disc back after a cutter got it. We didn't look too strong in this game, so I'm glad it was our first. We were able ot get our drops and bad throws/decisions out of the way so we could focus on our next games. We had a three hour bye at the end of the game due to being at the backup fields. So we went to Panera, had a study part/nap sesh, and headed back to the fields a few hours later

WESTERN WASHINGTON:
We Were able to see a little of the UCLA?Western Washington game and noticed that #12 on Chaos was involved in many of the plays. We looked to do a special zone focused on her but she was only played D points and then stopped playing for the rest of the game. We traded a few in the beginning but then were able to pull it out. Tee wind got quite strong during this game but we were able to work it upwind a few times for the breaks. Again, it was a pleasant game to play except for the cold rain that was beginning to form.

UCLA:
Two years ago, UCLA broke our hearts at Nationals. The few of us still on the team from that year remember that loss adn have always wanted to beat them since then. Additionally, one of our handlers, Finn, played there while doing undergrad so she especially wanted ot beat them. Flywheel came out strong and showed them that we were not going to be easily beaten. #23 is a great player. Not only does she have great throws and catching abilities, but she never let emotion get in the way. She was modest and friedly yet fierce and intense when she played. IT was a lot of fun to mark up against her. Additionally, #7 is a strong cutter and will draw the foul when looking to break the mark. Off a stopped disc they liked to get it to the breakside and off to a huck. They knew how to break a poachy zone against their vert stack so we stuck to man and threw a few various zones to mix things up. At the end of the game is whe the rain and hail started hardcore, making us very cold and uncomfortable.

WISCONSIN:
THe whole day we were really looking forward to play Wisconsin. We didn't play them at all last year and wanted a chance to play against a fellow Midwest team. Wisconsin had a bye before our game so while they had to warm up in the rain, they had not played for a while in the rain - which proved to be an advantage because they scored the first three. Flywheel was cold and wet and Wisconsin took advantage but Flywheel was not going to allow that to continue throughout the rest of the game. We fought back and traded points for a while. Towards the end of the game, the rain and wind had stopped but everyone was still really cold. The score was 5-7 when the soft camp went on making it a game to 9. We knew we had to fight and dig deep to win the game. After an extremely long point with great D's and fortunate drops by Wisco, we were able to pull out a point. Then hard cap went on making it a 6-7 game. Flywheel had to score the next point in order to force a universe point. However, Wisconsin was able to put it away. For the most part Wisco was looking to get it on the open side. A few times they went for the I/O or the around break, but really they were looking to the open side. Of course they hucked it deep a few times but did not always connect on them. They tried to poach off our handlers when we were on offense, but we were able to use that to our advantage. It was a sad loss but we were happy to get in the warm car and drive all the way back to San Diego - 2 hours away.

UNC:
After the pool play games on Saturday, we were seeded into a power pool with UNC, Wisco, adn UCSB. Our first game was against UNC who we had beaten at CCC in the fall by 3 points. We were excited to play them again because we knew what they liked to do on offense and defense and knew the matchups to take. However, UNC came out rolling and scored three quick points off of hucks, mostly from Leila. Then they came down in a zone that Flywheel had never really seen before. Mentally, we had dug ourselves into too big of a hole and played like we gave up. We started to get some offensive flow when we started opening the lines up more (definitely a learning point from this weekend). UNC's handlers loved to fake the forehand and then whip out a nice backhand huck. For the most part they played ho-stack looking to get it deep off of the hucks. Additionally they knew how to use the rules which definitely affected our team. We were bullied into a few calls and it got into our heads. Final score was 3-13. Handler Leila and cutter Britt were the two that played the best in that game against us. My freshman year we lost to them in Feb and beat them at Nationals. My sophomore year we lost to them in March and beat them at Nationals. I'm seeing a trend?

UCSB:
We were definitely excited to play Santa Barbara but our energy was a little low from the previous loss. Personally I've always enjoyed playing this team - they are spriited, run hard, fight hard, and work hard. We traded points in the beginning (5-7 at half) but the Skirts ran away with it 8-13. I sat out for that half due to my foot and quad hurting and tired to take note of that game. We played pretty good defense but could not capitalize on our chances. Our offense had hit a stall and plays weren't being run effectively, throws weren't being executed, and everyone looked a little sloppy. I was surprised to see Madaras (#14) handling for most of the game. I remember her being a dominant cutting force last year at Naitonals so we were prepared for that. She is s till a good player, but definitely more effective downfield. The game finally ended - blah.

SONOMA STATE:
The team had a motto going into this game: "Game time. Fun time. Win time" and I would like to say that it worked - but then I would be lying. We came out strong against Sonoma scoring the first few but their team kept fighting back. Brinn (#13) and Maggie (#4) definitely ran the show. Sometimes Brinn would handle and other times she would cut. They got it deep on us a few (too many) times to keep the score close. Additionally our defense was almost non-existent at times. There were many mis-ommunications that lead to easy scores for them, which is definitely not acceptable. We were ahead adn couldn't pull out the W. We lost on universe and boy did that hurt. We didn't allow for ourselves to be sorry for too long so we quickly decided on a taco place to eat, cheered for RIGOBERTO (the name of the taco shop), and drove off. The night ended in Flywheel bonding over M&Ms and lots of Flylove being shared.

ARIZONA:
Turning to the next day, we wanted our team to be happy about spending the money on plane flights. That meant we had to play well and (hopefully) win. I sat out all of Monday due to pain in my foot so I got to witness Flywheel's transformation. We played Arizona and won 14-12. Prelsnik (#%) is their main handler. She has great throws and pretty hucks. Their handlers looked to get it on the give-go and then to the huck. We opened up our lines completely because our starting seven just weren't getting it done the previous days. Our rookies played amazing and it was great to see that! Even though the score was close, Flywheel always felt in control and there was no "bad nervous" energy out there.

CARLETON:
This was, by far, Michigan's best game of the weekend. Flywheel came out strong and never looked back. We stifled them on offense with great handler D. This caused them to put up throws high in the stall count, but our positioning was just right in order to D them. They tried to throw a zone on us (something that destroyed us last year at Centex) but our handlers broke through it with ease. The team really came together during this game - the sidelines, the coaches/captains, the offense, and the defense. Final score was 13-5. It was a great end to the weekend - something that is going to propel us into Spring Break and then Easterns.

CONCLUSIONS AT THE END OF THE WEEKEND:
1. Our rookies are awesome. We didn't open up lines as much as we wanted to the first two days and that was our mistake. They proved themselves and I can't wait to see what happens at our next few tournaments.
2. For the most part, our zone offense was great. The past few years, Flywheel has not been able to break though zones. But this year - that is definitely different. The only team that caused us trouble was UNC. We figured out how to break their zone towards the end but it was too little, too late.
3. All of the teams we lost to were/are beatable. We weren't blown away by one team in particular. I can't wait to face them again after Flywheel has had some time to practice outdoors.
4. Our team is basically awesome. I was disappointed and upset after our loss on universe in pre-quarters but my team did not allow anyone to be sad or upset. We turned it around and had a great night. Additionally we had to play in the rain and hail and wind but no one really complained. FlyLove was all around.

Watch out Women's Ultimate - Flywheel is getting strong and ready for our tournaments and new opponents.

Time Spent On Ultimate

Whenever I talk to my dad on the phone, I am always telling him of new developments on my team, details on the tournament I'm about to attend, or a recap of the tournament weekend. He always manages to ask, "Do you still have enough time for school and studying?" I, of course, always reply yes whether that is 100% the truth or not (*Most of the time it is. I am not saying that I purposely lie to my dad all the time).

It got me thinking about how much time do I ACTUALLY spend on Ultimate or Ultimate related things. So this past week I decided to write down everything I do throughout the day and how long each activity lasts.

The results were, at first, surprising, but then when I actually looked at it - they weren't that surprising.

After writing down everything I broke it down into 5 categories:
1. Ultimate: Practice, throwing outside of practice, debriefing about practice with my roommate Bemu, planning practices, answering emails, reading Ultimate sites (RSD or Sky'd for example), scouting other teams for our upcoming tournament, etc
2. Homework/Study: Self-explanatory. This is how much time I am physically doing homework or studying for an exam/presentation/class
3. Work: I work in the Natural History Museum on UMich's campus and this is just the time I spend there per week. Granted, this number changes depending on the number of tours per week but I think it is about the same per week
4. Physical Therapy: I was tempted to include this in my 'Ultimate' category. But I did not get surgery because of Ultimate so I figured I have to include it in its own category.
5. Other: Hanging out with the roomies, playing Jeopardy with the roomies, watching TV, doing nothing, taking naps. (Note that this does NOT include actual sleep. The graph is just for my time spent when I am awake)


So, in conclusion, I do not spend most of my time doing Ultimate related things. However, when it is broken down into specifics, Ultimate definitely takes up the most amount of time. But honestly, I am okay with that. This is my life. I love the sport, the culture, the people, the teams. I would be a little nervous if my "Homework/Study" category was a significantly lower percentage. But I am doing just fine in school so it does not matter that I am spending more time with Ultimate. At the end of the day, this semester has been awesome and I'm extremely happy. And that can only mean that the amount of time I spend doing certain activities is, at the least, alright

How do you compare?

Ask yourself "Why?"

I'm sitting in lecture of one of my favorite classes right now. It is a class about WW2 in the Pacific and our professor mentioned the analytical approach of Japan's strategy in the years leading up to Pearl Harbor. This made me start thinking about Ultimate, obviously. To really make yourself a better Ultimate player or Ultimate leader, you really need to analyze situations carefully and not just look at them. The big question you need to ask yourself is, “Why?”

We’ve all had the experience of seeing someone play on the field and think, “I wish I could play Ultimate like that!” You notice either the throws, the defense, the skies, or any combination of those or other skills. You then decide it is going to be your goal for the next few weeks, or the rest of the year, to be able to throw like _____, play defense like ____, or sky like _____.

However, you will not make a lot of progress unless you ask yourself “Why?”. Why are those players good? What are they doing that allows them to excel on their team or against other opponents? And the answer isn’t simple like “He/She breaks the mark”. You really have to look at the player’s fakes, the body motion, the vision of that player, and the actual mechanics of the throw. Do not just look at the skill but how and why the player is good at that skill. Analyzing the situation can only make you better. It is only after this when you can start to improve your game.

The same question applies when discussing strategies for your opponents. Your opponents huck a lot. Okay noted. But why? Is it that the throwers are relentless and going to huck no matter what? Do the throwers get the disc and huck it before the mark is put on? Are the cutters always going deep on a turn? Analyzing the smaller tendencies of a team will only help your strategy. Another situation: Our opponents keep beating us up the line – we need to stop that. Okay noted. But why? Are the opponents faking going for the dump? Are we, as defenders, on our heels and not expecting it? Are we in bad positions or not keeping enough cushion to defend the up the line?

As a Ultimate player looking to improve your skills or a captain/coach looking to beat an opponent, you cannot just look at the big picture. Nor can you just look at a smaller picture. You need to look at the SMALLEST picture, and analyze the situations at hand, in order to fully succeed.

When injured...

Back story:
Its been 5 1/2 weeks since we started practice for the winter season and unfortunately I feel like I've only been practicing for 1 week. August 2nd I got reconstructive foot surgery (bunionectomy plus a double osteo-something or other) on my right foot. My foot looked somewhat like this and I was fed up of having pain in my foot, shoes not fitting right, and a resulting knee pain from compensating. This was discovered my junior year of high school but I kept putting it off until this year. I wanted my senior season to be incredible and by fixing my foot, I felt like I could be a better athlete. The date Aug 2 was decided upon. 2-3 weeks in crutches, 1-2 weeks in a boot, 1-2 weeks recovering and BOOM - I'm good to go on Sept 20.

However, complications occurred.

To make a long story short and spare you from all of the yummy details about my tendons and bones, crutches and the boot were finally removed 18 weeks after surgery on Nov 24 but I was only allowed to start running on my foot Dec 22. Even now, 7.5 weeks after that occurred, I still cannot bend my big toe all the way which makes running and jumping extremely difficult.

I want so badly to play at 100% with my teammates but I cannot yet. Little movements like marking and sprinting are incredibly hard to do which makes playing Ultimate not the easiest task. I didn't think my senior season was going to be spent on the sidelines. Granted, there is still a long time before the Series and I have time to recover - but it is still annoying.

I've definitely had times of being a Negative Nancy where I've thought I will never be able to bend my big toe again, not being able to run as fast, or start to digress and become a terrible Ultimate player. Surprisingly though, I have found some positives amidst the standing on the sidelines. If you are injured, I encourage you to take part in the following activities:

1. Watch the field. Many times on the sideline I have just watched the movement of the disc. But you need to do more than just that. You need to watch how players are setting up their cuts, how they are moving down the field, and how the defense is responding. Understanding patterns and timing can only help improve your game. All of this time on the sideline has really helped me evaluate my game in comparison to what I am seeing - which is extremely helpful, especially for when I eventually get back out there at full force.
2. Cheer your heart out. You have no excuse not to cheer for your team when injured (of course if you have gone mute, I will give you a pass). If you are remaining positive and encouraging your teammates when they are playing, it will only help them. Many times in the fall, either at Fall Brawl or CCC, I found myself out of breath. Not because of running up and down the sidelines (crutches make that kind of difficult...) but because I was cheering my teammates on. Everyone appreciates it and it is something anyone can do, regardless of skill, talent, or athleticism. Just bring a loud voice!
3. Talk to your players. While you may not be able to make a great catch or throw to impact the game, you can definitely change the outcome from the sidelines. Assign yourself to talk each point to someone (I require that everyone on my team do so regardless of injury status - but especially do so if you are injured) and let them know what is going on. On the mark let them know if it is an inside throw or an around throw. In the backfield, let them know if there is a threat deep or in. Call "UP!" or "Strike!" or other informative things. If you can successfully talk to your girl, and she responds, you can really change the outcome of a game
4. Take care of yourself. There have been so many times where I have wanted to play or push myself a little more but really I shouldn't. I would rather be 100% for the Series because I was careful during the season than be 70% at Natties because I tried to help my team win a few games at Pres Day, Easterns, or Centex. This is WAY easier to say than do because I've already violated it during our Michigan Indoor. I really should not have played one point but all I wanted to do was get out there and play for the first time since College Nationals. Since then, I have tried to be really good at this and have limited the amount I play and what I do. Pres Day is coming up and I should really read this post 88395285 times before then and 2989374982 during the weekend
5. Work out in a way that is beneficial. If you cannot run, try biking or swimming. If you cannot move your shoulders, try squats or lunges. Working on your core is really easy to do since there are so many different exercises. Do things to keep you somewhat in shape - it will only make your return that much easier.

I'm sure there are more things to do when injured, but I need to stop procrastinating. Studying about Malaria and Small Pox is calling my name. Lucky me

Winning badly vs. Losing greatly

If it is a close game, you want your best players on the field. However, what happens if they are not playing up to standard? What if they are throwing the disc away many times on errant hucks but you know they can throw that I/O off a stopped disc to get it immediately to the break side? Or what if they are forcing bad decisions and causing confusion in the backfield but yet they can sky any girl out there? It is my personal opinion that if a player is not playing up to the team's standards, that player sits. I would rather lose the game 13-9 playing our best Ultimate than win 13-12 with us somehow scoring amidst all of the trash on the field. (Now, that might change if we were in the finals of the College Championships. I would like to say it wouldn't but honestly, who knows - I've never been there). It is a really tough call and I've found myself on both ends of the dilemma. I've been the player that sees all of the things going wrong on the field but still found myself sitting on the sidelines. But I've also been the player that when the game is tied and about to go into cap and I am not leaving the field.

Once I was elected captain, I read the book Bo's Lasting Lessons to get some leadership advice. It is a book written by one of the best, if not the best, Michigan Football coaches Bo Schembechler. In his writings he talked about this dilemma and how to choose between winning badly or losing greatly. I adopted his thinking after reading his book and I stand by that feeling. It does no good for your team if you can only win by having your best players out there forcing bad throws or decisions. It makes your practice time worthless. During practice you have a certain agenda and certain goals that you want your team to accomplish. You draw out a game plan and adopt a certain identity throughout the year. The people who deserve play time are the players that implement that into games. Your star players do not deserve to be on the field just because they can run faster, jump higher, or throw farther than other players. In fact, they do not deserve ANYTHING unless they earn it - just like anyone on your team.

I think it is essential for your program and its future if captains/coaches implement this. You have to follow by your words and encourage your rookies to try really hard at practice so they can get the valuable playing time. Like I've stated in my previous post, captains and other star players can be wrong. Just because you have been elected to a position or have been named All-Region does not mean anything if you can't play FOR YOUR TEAM. By playing for your team you are acknowledging when your star players aren't playing well or when your rookies actually are playing to your system. And it isn't just acknowledging, it is acting upon it as well. It is really easy to get in the mindset of "Well, I know we aren't dumping and swinging and we are making terrible decisions with the disc but ____ can throw better than almost any other player on the opposite team so we are just going to let her work out her kinks on the field" - or something of the like. Players can work out their kinks on the sideline after you talk to them about what they are doing wrong. Additionally by doing this, you are putting trust in your other players to make the plays as stated in game plans or practices. Putting trust in EVERYONE on your team is essential for a championship caliber team. And really, it is essential for a successful team whether you make it to Natties or not.

So I challenge all the teams out there to implement this. (Of course, that is if you agree with this post. If you do not, well - you are entitled to your own opinion.) It will help the development of your team throughout the season as well as in the next year as well. You need to put trust in your rookies and you need to not let your star players run all over the place. Keep your team balanced and shoot to be a better team, not just to win.