USA Ultimate Magazine: 2013 Winter by USA Ultimate

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Local League Spotlight p49 Women’s Division p17 Mixed Division p13 Men’s Division p7 National Championships Coverage

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WINTER ISSUE

P13 NATIONALS MIXED Results Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust celebrates their first-ever national championship victory in Frisco, Texas. Photo: CBMT Creative

P7 NATIONALS Men‘s Results Revolver’s Devon Anderson (far right) and Ashlin Joye (center) go up for a disc over Sockeye’s Jacob Speidel (left) in the championship finals. Photo: Christina Schmidt/Ultiphotos

P17 NATIONALS women’s Results

Showdown’s Bex Forth gets a hand on a throw from Bent’s Elizabeth Middleton as it’s released during the pre-quarters round in Texas. Photo: CBMT Creative ON THE COVER: Washington D.C. Scandal players react to having won their first-ever National Championship title after defeating seven-time champions San Francisco Fury 14-10. Photo: CBMT Creative

U S A U lt i m at e

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WINTER 2013 3

A Letter to Our Members

By the Numbers: National Championships

National Championships COVERAGE 7

MEN’S: Triple Crowned: The Next Great Dynasty?

Farricker Award Spotlight

MIXED: A Moment of Joy for Drag’n Thrust

WOMEN’S: Scandal Rises to the Top

Pufahl Award Spotlight

Discraft Reception Photo Spread

Hall of Fame Photo Spread

27 The Dutch Piece: How Alex “Dutchy” Ghesquiere Completed Scandal’s Championship Puzzle

31 Mixed Ultimate: Novelty and More

USA Ultimate Board of Directors Mike Payne – President Gwen Ambler – Vice President Kathy Hendrickson – Treasurer Mike Kinsella – Secretary Stephen Hubbard Greg Downey Mandy Eckhoff Colin McIntyre Mary-Clare Brennan Ben Slade Sandy Park Henry Thorne USA Ultimate Staff Matthew Bourland – Manager of New Media Melanie Byrd – Director of Membership & Sport Development Dr. Tom Crawford – Chief Executive Officer Will Deaver – Managing Director of Competition & Athlete Programs Julia Echterhoff Lee – Director of Finance & Development Byron Hicks – Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (Club) Ty Krajec - Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (College) Ryan Gorman – Manager of Membership & Sport Development Andy Lee – Director of Marketing & Communications Michael Lovinguth – Mantager of Education & Youth Programs Baker Pratt – Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (Youth) David Raflo – Events Manager Anna Schott – Manager of Membership & Sport Development Stacey Waldrup – Manager of Communications & Publications USA Ultimate is a non-profit organization and serves as the national Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate in the United States. Founded in 1979 as the Ultimate Players Association (UPA), USA Ultimate is one of the first flying disc sport organizations in the world and the largest, with more than 40,000 members and a national volunteer network.

34 Above the Competition 37 Nutrition Matters 41 Cleats & Cones

USA Ultimate USA Ultimate is the official publication of USA Ultimate, published quarterly. All ideas expressed in USA Ultimate are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of USA Ultimate, the National Governing Body. USA Ultimate assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

42 Coaches’ Playbook 44 The Spirit Circle

Editor-in-Chief Stacey Waldrup

46 What’s the Call

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49 Local League Spotlight

Change of Address USA Ultimate is not forwarded by the post office. To update your address, please contact USA Ultimate.

51 News & Notes

For a complete list of contacts, please visit www.usaultimate.org

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A LETTER TO OUR MEMBERS

A message from USA Ultimate’s CEO on Ultimate happenings in the U.S.

Dr. Tom Crawford USA Ultimate Chief Executive Officer

2013: A Look back

•W e launched a new broadcast relationship with ESPN, extending our national coverage beyond the college division to the club division and Triple Crown Tour, gaining significant credibility and national visibility, and making great strides to fulfill our vision for the sport.

Each December, I take some time to reflect back on the year and take a measure of how we performed as an organization and also ask, did we successfully and strategically fulfill our Vision and Mission?

•W e launched the Triple Crown Tour, enabling us to put some structure around the club division and attract ESPN as our new broadcast partner.

Vision: Ultimate is widely known, played, and respected in the United States as a sport that inspires athletic excellence and integrity among participants and fans. Mission: To advance the sport of Ultimate in the United States by enhancing and promoting Character, Community and Competition.

•W e launched our new technology platform, giving us much-needed internal operating efficiency and stability and providing our members and league affiliates with new and improved tools.

I believe 2013 was another very exciting year for USA Ultimate, and here’s why.

•W e launched the League Affiliate Program, a critical step in building the infrastructure necessary to grow our sport nationwide.

A lot happened in 2013. • We launched the first year of our new six-year strategic plan with increased visibility for the sport as a top priority. ESPN, Time Magazine, SB Nation, The Economist, National Public Radio and Freakonomics Radio all provided coverage of ultimate over the course of the year.

•F or the first time, we sent teams to the World Flying Disc Federation’s Under-23 World Championships. All three teams came home with gold medals, and the mixed team won the division’s spirit award. •W e launched the Youth Club Championships Talent Identification and Development Camp. • We held our first online coaching course.

U S A U lt i m at e

The United States National Team won gold at the World Games in Colombia and was part of an international effort that went 36-0 over the course of the summer. Photo: CBMT Creative

2 012

A N N UA L

RE P O RT

• We published our first-ever annual report. And more!

•W e grew significantly, breaking the 40,000member mark for the first time, with our youth division continuing to lead the way with over 13 percent growth.

• We went an amazing 36-0 at the World Games and U-23 World Championships. • Ultimate was recognized by the International Olympic Committee and welcomed into the Olympic family.

•W e sanctioned nationwide.

400

events

•W e did the research and planning to launch our Beach Ultimate program.

• We carefully revised/modernized our organizational by-laws and board structure to reflect the structure of a national governing body and align with the Olympic movement.

WINTER 2013

approximately

BY THE NUMBERS

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

OVERALL RECORDS

Since the first USA Ultimate Club Championships, held in 1979 in State College, Penn.

Most Championships by One Team

Most Consecutive Nationals Appearances (Active)

LADY GODIVA & FURY

Most Consecutive Championships FURY

By Division MEN’S: DOG

MIXED: DONNER PARTY & BLACKBIRD

9 7 7 25 26

WOMEN’S: FURY

Most Championships by City SAN FRANCISCO

Most Nationals Appearances OZONE

RING OF FIRE

Most Consecutive Nationals Appearances LADY GODIVA

Most Consecutive Finals Made FURY

Most Consecutive Semifinals Made (Active) RIOT

Most Consecutive Semifinals Made LADY GODIVA

17 22 8 13 18

2013 FACTS AND FIGURES Total Athletes MEN

1243 563 1976 30.9 23.7 26.8

WOMEN

680 Longest-Running Team CONDORS (FOUNDED IN 1974, BEGAN PLAYING AS THE CONDORS IN 1976)

Oldest Team ODYSSÉE (ONLY TEAM AT NATIONALS WITH AN AVERAGE AGE OVER 30)

Youngest Team WILD CARD

Average Athlete Age

Smallest Roster ODYSSÉE

Most Points Played IRONSIDE & SOCKEYE

Fewest Points Played SCHWA

Total Games Played

Most World Games Team Members REVOLVER

Most U-23 National Team Members CHAIN LIGHTNING, CLX, PHOENIX*

22 177 131 150 4 4

*Non-Nationals team Madison Club had the most overall with 5

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By: Peter Doyle

MEN’S REcap

Sockeye’s Mario O’Brien marks GOAT’s Adrian Yearwood under the lights during Nationals pool play in Texas. Photo: CBMT Creative

Triple Crowned: The Next Great Dynasty? Hundreds

of hours of sprints, drills and competition culminated in Frisco, Texas this October at the USA Ultimate National Championships with one word still looming on the horizon – Revolver. In the months leading up to the National Championships, the internet was abuzz with chatter, predictions and rants about the elite teams and how the Championships would play out. Significant off-season roster changes for defending champions Austin Doublewide kept spectators wondering if the Texans would be able to cook up the same dish with a new recipe. Johnny Bravo’s Triple Crown Tour performances made their seeding hard to place and their finish harder still to predict. Commanding regular-season wins from GOAT made them the leading upset contender while the wide-ranging highs and lows of Ironside’s season gave fans pause to wonder what kind of ultimate Boston was going to play in Texas. But the placement of Revolver at number one was never questioned. U S A U lt i m at e

MEN’S REcap

lend itself to achieving their goal. After Florida United scored their second point to make the score 5-2 Bravo, a short yet exclamatory speech refocused Bravo who finished the game 15-6. The highly touted GOAT ended their season tied for seventh after falling to hometown Doublewide in the first round of elimination. Toronto found some fight in the game’s second half, but the damage had been done, and Doublewide came away with a 14-11 win. With all teams battling to stay alive, the Sub Zero v. Ring of Fire and PoNY v. Machine games played out like two-hour highlight reels. The final score between Sub Zero and Ring of Fire doesn’t accurately reflect how close the game was. While Sub Zero never lost their lead and ended up advancing, Ring was relentless on defense, bringing the score within one point twice and even tying it once. Late in the game, Ring’s Ken Porter had one of the most spectacular head-level layout Ds of the tournament to bring his team back within striking distance. But the masterful handling and ceaseless activity of Sub Zero’s Simon Montague and Grant Lindsley ended those hopes and closed the door on the game and Ring of Fire’s season.

Jimmy Mickle was a big part of Johnny Bravo’s run to the semifinals in 2013, finishing in the top four in both goals scored and assists at the Championships. Photo: CBMT Creative

One field over, a clash of equal intensity was playing out between PoNY and Machine. Both of these teams can produce a line of seven to rival any of the top four teams in the tournament, but they each have one player that stood out as the man to contain: Chicago handler Bob Liu and New York cutter Jack Marsh. PoNY earned their first lead of the game at 12-11 after three back-to-back scores. Whenever Marsh was on the field, so was opportunity, which is what generated PoNY’s late comeback. In the time cap, Machine stepped up their game and won 13-12.

At the end of day one, Revolver and Bravo stood alone as the one seeds to hold rank in their respective pools. GOAT’s early acclaim had seemed deserved, but a first-round loss to Sub Zero sounded an early warning for the Canadians. After squeaking out a win over fourth-seeded Madcow, GOAT struggled again in the third round and lost to Sockeye. Some solace could be found in the loss as the Seattle team drove over opponents Friday and Saturday to advance on to the finals. Over in the pool of death, three 2012 semifinalists battled it out on day one. Ironside and Doublewide met twice in the regular season, each claiming a win over the other. The Nationals match-up between the two giants was evidence that maintaining possession is critical to success at the elite level. Reflecting on the game, Doublewide’s Dalton Smith remarked, “Ironside played a good and clean offensive game…our offense played pretty well, we made a few communication errors and a few minor mistakes, and Ironside just capitalized.” A commanding overall performance from the Ironside roster led to a hard-earned 15-11 victory over the defending champions, setting the tone for their strong run into Saturday.

> With half of the teams now out of contention, the separation between the good and great teams became clearer. Revolver, Sockeye and Ironside each showed that their physical preparation and mental toughness wouldn’t be cut short by anyone less than top competition. High levels of athleticism across the Revolver bench carried them through the season and to the 2013 title. Every able-bodied Revolver player saw the field in the quarterfinals, while Sub Zero’s dependence on a few players dug them an early, inescapable hole. Revolver was confident and relaxed: playful joking between teammates on the sideline quickly switched to complete, intense focus once called onto the field. With hanging heads and weary legs, Sub Zero just couldn’t run with Revolver and eventually fell 14-10.

> With each team facing elimination, game play picked up speed on Friday. Top seeds Revolver, Johnny Bravo, Sockeye and Ironside each walked through their pre-quarter games with little opposition. While each of these teams was clearly favored to advance, Johnny Bravo’s coach made it loud and clear that lackadaisical play wouldn’t be tolerated and wouldn’t WINTER 2013

A similar bout was unfolding a field away as Ironside held a lead over Chain Lightning from beginning to end. Chain branded themselves an effectively scrappy team, but what had worked for them against Truck Stop in pre-quarters, a recipe of turnover then hard defense followed by a big play for the score, was 8

San Francisco Revolver celebrates their third national title in four years on the stadium field in Frisco, Texas. Photo: CBMT Creative

easily exploited by Ironside. Boston’s stingy disc possession and defensive conversions were again the deciding factor. The highly anticipated quarterfinal between Doublewide and Johnny Bravo drew the largest spectator crowd at the tournament. Both teams had strong pre-quarters wins, providing ample rest time before their rematch of the regional championship. The Austin offense was again marred by small mistakes leading to large repercussions. Boasting one of the tallest and most athletic teams in the division, Doublewide still had little answer for the size and power of Bravo’s Jimmy Mickle. Late in the second half, it looked as if Doublewide had it in them to turn things around when they brought the score within one at 14-13. In the final point, intense defensive pressure on the Doublewide handlers resulted in a failed dish to captain Kurt Gibson. Bravo’s Nick Lance quickly launched an open force-side shot to Mickle, down the line and into the end zone to close out the game. Sockeye walked into their quarterfinal against Machine after a game against the tournament’s 15th-seeded Condors. Machine, on the other hand, had narrowly won their physically and mentally demanding game against PoNY just minutes before having to take the field against the sprinting blur of the Seattle cutters. Preparation in the months prior to Nationals can only go so far; pool play finishes and the resultant seeding proved the difference maker in this game. Machine never found their legs, and Sockeye earned a 15-9 win and a spot in the semifinals.

The four remaining teams had each displayed composure above and beyond their competition. Ironside and Sockeye were two of the most evenly matched teams to face off all weekend – height, speed and disc skills all seemed like mirror images, differentiated only by the color of their jerseys. Points were traded in the first half before a D from Reid Koss allowed Sockeye a break point to take half. This game showcased the extreme athleticism and casual style of Matt Rehder. His daring throws, huge skies and ability to gain separation were instrumental in Seattle advancing to the finals. In the cap and down two, Ironside tightened their laces, tying the game at 13-13 and forcing double-game point. On the final point, a pragmatic and systematic Sockeye worked the disc downfield 9

into the red zone, looking off imperfect cuts before calling a crucial timeout. Out of the TO, breaks around the mark and an easy swing allowed Rehder to clap the disc in the end zone and send Seattle on to Sunday’s final. The first points of each game at Nationals were typically traded, playing like survey points designed to evaluate and refine the strategies that would get a win. This pattern held true in the semifinal between Revolver and Johnny Bravo. Tied at 5-5, Revolver forced and converted on a series of Bravo turnovers to take half 8-5. Despite two breaks from Bravo early in the second half, Revolver was too athletic and sound with the disc for the outcome to change. Always cheering for the underdog, the stadium stands were chanting “Let’s Go Bravo” before being silenced by Revolver’s Martin Cochran standing in the end zone, disc in hand, taking Revolver into the finals and ending Bravo’s exceptionally strong 2013 season.

With the highest winds of the weekend making an appearance for the finals and gusting across the field, Sockeye and Revolver both made adjustments to position themselves for victory. Revolver played a game that went 40 yards wide and 70 yards long, utilizing every inch of available grass. The ability of Revolver’s d-line to convert on turnovers is what makes San Francisco so deadly. As a result, no one expected a 13-turnover point in the first half. Athletic Ds and unforced errors plagued both sides early, but eventually, Revolver settled back into the pattern of consistency that got them to the finals and broke for half 8-5. A three-point deficit against the top-ranked team in the nation was not where Sockeye wanted to find themselves. Seattle continued to battle but couldn’t make up the ground lost in the first half; the Revolver offense was fundamental and their defense relentless. With a closing throw from Beau Kittredge to Josh Wiseman, Revolver claimed their third title in four years. After the game, Sockeye’s Adam Simon remarked, “Having Beau was a big x-factor. If no one else was open and they needed to move the disc to somebody, Beau was available, and we had to respect him deep because that’s a 100 percent shot for them.”

U S A U lt i m at e

MEN’s FINAL STATS REvolver – 14 Jersey #

NAME

Devon Anderson

Taylor Lahey

Tom James

Sockeye – 10 goals

ASST

Jersey #

NAME

Donnie Clark

Tyler Kinley

Jacob Speidel

Jon Levy

Aly Lenon

Martin Cochran

Vehro Titcomb

Josh Wiseman

Phil Murray

Russell Wynne

Mario O’Brien

Patrick Baylis

Xtehn Titcomb

Cassidy Rasmussen

Sam Harkness

Zach Travis

Adam Simon

Sam Kanner

Alexander Brammer

Joel Schlachet

18 19

1 1

goals

ASST

1 1 1

Reid Koss Matt Sewell

Matt Rehder

Eric Greenwood

Nate Castine

Ryo Kawaoka

Mark Burton 2

Nick Schlag

Andrew Hagen

Marcelo Sanchez

Jordan Jeffery

1 1

Ashlin Joye

Nathan White

Jordan Marcy

Evan Boucher

Lucas Dallman

Mac Taylor

Beau Kittredge

Tim Gilligan

Totals

Revolver huddles up one last time after defeating Seattle Sockeye 14-10 in the finals of the 2013 National Championships. Photo: CBMT Creative

WINTER 2013

1 2

Chris Kosednar

Michael Caldwell

Spencer Wallis

Danny Karlinsky

Joe Sefton

Frank Devin Barich

Tim Gehret

Duncan Linn

1 1

Erik Doesburg

Adam Holt

Julian Hausman

1 4

1 2

2 4 1

unknown

Totals

13 1

Beau Kittredge 2013 Peter Farricker Spirit Award Winner

Final Standings

By: Peter Doyle

1. Revolver 2. Sockeye 3. Ironside 4. Johnny Bravo 5. Doublewide 6. Machine 7T. Chain Lightning 7T. GOAT 9T. PoNY 9T. Sub Zero 11. Ring of Fire 12. Florida United 13. Condors 14. Furious George 15. Truck Stop 16. Madcow

In 2006 when Beau Kittredge famously jumped clear over an opponent to grab a huck, and landed in ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10, he not only propelled himself into the national spotlight, he elevated exposure of the competitive sport of ultimate across the country. As an athlete, Beau has won several titles at the Revolver’s Beau Kittredge receives the 2013 Farricker Award from Joe national and international levels, Durst and Ultimate Hall of Famer indisputably casting himself Jim Herrick. Photo: CBMT Creative among the top ultimate players in the world. However, many of the parallels between Beau and his elite ultimate peers end there. As a competitor, Beau consistently exhibits the original tenets of Spirit of the Game that allow us to continue to play a highly competitive, selfofficiated sport. Very deservedly, Beau Kittredge was awarded the 2013 Peter Farricker Spirit Award for his responsibility, integrity and fairness on the field, along with his highly elevated level of play.

Team Spirit Scores 5.00* – Revolver 5.00 – Machine 4.71 – Johnny Bravo 4.67 – Chain Lightning 4.67 – Doublewide 4.67 – Furious George 4.50 – Florida United 4.50 – PoNY 4.43 – Sockeye 4.33 – Condors 4.33 – GOAT 4.33 – Sub Zero 4.29 – Ironside 4.17 – Madcow 4.00 – Truck Stop 3.92 – Ring of Fire *won tiebreaker

To Beau, Spirit of the Game is “the ability to play the game the way it’s meant to be played no matter how competitive or how much is on the line, it goes back to the fact that you want to play fair and within the rules.” In this sense, Spirit of the Game isn’t a set of commandments dictated to players, but rather an elective path dedicated to playing the game the right way. Having played for multiple elite-level teams, Beau is perceptive to differences in Spirit among players as individuals as well as teams as a whole: “Sometimes the culture of a team is bigger than the individual player, and individual players get swallowed up in that culture. It doesn’t matter if you’re a really nice person, when you’re surrounded by 25 guys acting a certain way, you’ll just become one of those 25 guys.” Often times, a player’s on-field attitude is greatly different than the one they adopt off-field. “Some people carry their attitudes from their normal lives onto the field, but a lot of people have an on-field presence that’s a lot more aggressive,” Beau explained.

Individual Spirit Award Winners Chain Lightning – Byron Liu Condors – Mark Elbogen Doublewide – Max Cook Florida United – Daniel Petronio Furious George – Nathan Dandurand GOAT – Andrew Ouchterlony Ironside – Peter Prial Johnny Bravo – Joe Durst Machine – Dane Olsen Madcow – John Wilder PoNY – Rob Baker Revolver – Beau Kittredge Ring of Fire – Josh Norris Sockeye – Tyler Kinley Sub Zero – Harper Garvey Truck Stop – Cody Johnston

When reflecting on his experience playing this year both with the gold-medal winning U.S. National Team and national champions Revolver, he thought the National Team’s “spirit may have been a little bit higher just because we were going as probably the number one team in the world, and therefore, everyone would be looking to us. [However,] on Revolver, we’re also very spirited, but with 27 guys on the roster, it’s hard to control. I think on both teams, they share a similar passion for playing the game the right way.” In addition to Beau being named the Farricker Spirit Award winner, Revolver was awarded the 2013 Men’s Division Spirit Award.

U S A U lt i m at e

By: Greg Gipson

MIXED REcap

A Moment of Joy for Drag’n Thrust

At this point in our sport’s development, it is becoming increasingly common knowledge that as a spectator sport, ultimate is an appealing drama. The shifts in momentum, the unpredictability, the pure energy, it may as well be its own genre of theatre. I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing many a tournament across this country, each with its own unique story. But prior to the 2013 USA Ultimate National Championships, I had yet to personally witness the drama of the grandest stage in American ultimate. Furthermore, I had never personally witnessed a team’s immediate response, the sudden celebration of winning the sport’s most coveted prize. Every athlete – no matter how lofty the idea may seem – has imagined his or her “championship moment.” The final play, how one would react, the comments one might make, these things are all considered when playing out those countless mental scenarios. But save for the elite handful who have hoisted the trophy, these moments will remain mere fantasy. But in Frisco, the men and women of Minneapolis Drag‘n Thrust were the first of three teams to see their dreams become reality as they defeated the gritty San Francisco Polar Bears 13-11. They got to conclude their season with a championship moment of their own, the myriad emotions coming in tides.

In his first year with the Polar Bears, Alex Nord added a sizeable presence for the San Franciscans, helping them reach the finals for the fourth consecutive year. Here, he defends Drag’n Thrust’s Jeff Trosvig. Photo: CBMT Creative Drag’n Thrust fans make the trek from Minneapolis to support their team in the national finals in Frisco, Texas. Photo: CBMT Creative

Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust pulls to the San Francisco Polar Bears in the National Championship finals at Memorial Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Photo: CBMT Creative

The Jubilance The observers couldn’t confirm the winning goal soon enough for Erica Baken. Awaiting the call, she jumped in place, careful to not to break protocol but eager to embrace her teammates in the end zone. It was quite an appropriate reaction considering how the point transpired for her. Just moments earlier, Baken brought down a floating disc, landing just in-bounds along the sideline to salvage Minneapolis’ most critical red-zone possession. If not for that play, San Francisco would have been afforded an opportunity to break for a 12-12 tie. Instead, Minneapolis clinched the victory, and the obligatory end-zone rush commenced.

Exhausted from the mix of emotion and adrenaline, Minneapolis’ volume lowered as they quickly settled into the moment, although the buzz of the win very much remained. No one could have been more exhausted than Jordan Hupp. During the semifinal round, the mixed division’s leading scorer flew to Tennessee to attend his sister’s wedding. Still he managed to find the time to watch the game on ESPN3. The next day, he arrived back in Frisco to do his part in winning a championship. “I had to get up pretty early this morning. I just got to the fields as my team was about halfway through warm ups, so I had to kind of get up to speed, but I’m definitely glad I came back,” said Hupp.

Upon returning to the sideline, the festivities continued with actions you’d expect from any newly crowned champion: one last huddle, hugs, tears, phone calls, pictures, there was even a kiss or two. But Coach Jake Henderson was perhaps the most impacted by the win. He was overjoyed to the point of briefly sitting on a bleacher in isolation, as if to better acclimate to the rush of victory.

It’s safe to say the hassle and sacrifice were returned tenfold.

“We fought every single game. We’ve got so much grit. We had a tough season, and we just brought it every single game,” Henderson managed to explain in a raspy voice. The intensity of the game and its final result had taken their toll.

“It started in the head, we kept saying it, no one could stop up us,” one player emphatically stated in the post-game huddle.

WINTER 2013

The Validation A year removed from a third-place finish at the 2012 Championships, Minneapolis had far more than a puncher’s chance to win it all this time around. To them, it was in the cards all along. And this moment was as good as any to revel in their justifiable confidence.

Another shouted, “Have you ever seen a sexier Nationals winning point in your life?” 14

Despite an expression that at times conveyed disbelief, Coach Henderson’s words reflected a leader who also approached the tournament with absolute confidence. “I’ve been telling these guys, the older guys have been saying, it’s the team that just comes out and plays hot this tournament. It doesn’t matter what we’re seeded, if we go out and we play [our game], nobody can play with us. It’s just an unbelievable ride.” Jeff Trosvig in particular did not shy away from acknowledging his own notable performance when interviewed by ESPN’s Mike Couzens. The wind, which had proved tricky for many in FISD’s Memorial Stadium, was no impediment to his superior throws. “It was like I was born to play this game. It was perfect,” he reflected. But this was no display of bravado; it was simply a matter of an athlete realizing his game was clicking on all cylinders at the perfect time. In fact, Minneapolis as a team maintained respect and humility in victory. Many players commented on San Francisco’s defensive intensity and persistence throughout the game, especially in the second half. Facing an 8-5 deficit following halftime, the Polar Bears did not go away quietly. Drag’n Thrust grinded out those tight, final points and were honored to have defeated a worthy opponent.

The only thing left to do was immerse themselves in a feeling that is largely unattainable in athletic competition.

The Contentment With every season left unfulfilled comes a restless offseason full of hindsight and rehashing. There are always throws, plays and games one wishes they could do over. Drag’n Thrust won’t have that burden

looking back on this season. There’s no need for them to curb their excitement to maintain a competitive drive. There’s no next tournament to prepare for. These men and women earned a state of peace, a level of satisfaction most teams will never know but will continue to strive for. This was fully apparent as the team walked the stadium grounds with gold medals draped around their necks. Two more championships were yet to be

RESULTS Final Standings

1. Drag’n Thrust 2. Polar Bears 3. The Ghosts 4. Wild Card 5. Chad Larson Experience 6. AMP 7T. Odyssée 7T. Slow White 9T. Cosa Nostra 9T. Mischief 11. The D’oh Abides 12. Cahoots 13. 7 Figures 14. 7Express 15. Ambiguous Grey 16. Steamboat

Team Spirit Scores

4.57 – Wild Card 4.50 – Chad Larson Experience 4.50 – Steamboat 4.29 – The Ghosts 4.25 – 7 Figures 4.17 – Cahoots 4.14 – Polar Bears 4.00 – 7Express 4.00 – AMP 4.00 – Cosa Nostra 4.00 – The D’oh Abides 3.86 – Drag’n Thrust 3.83 – Ambiguous Grey 3.67 - Mischief 3.67 – Odyssée 3.67 – Slow White

decided. The hotbed of competition that was the 2013 USA Ultimate National Championships would continue for a few hours longer. But for Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust, their minds – if not yet their bodies – could finally be at ease. That is, until next season.

Individual Spirit Award Winners

7Express - Ben Ivers 7 Figures - Russell Gaskamp Ambiguous Grey - Matt Greytak AMP - Andrew Baill Cahoots - Kyle Silva Chad Larson Experience Cami Nelson Cosa Nostra - Matt Bierschenk The D’oh Abides - Jackie Williams Drag’n Thrust - James Hron The Ghosts - Eric Stevens Mischief - Kirk Willmarth Odyssée - Raynald Nemours Polar Bears - AJ Shankar Slow White - Rosie Ano Steamboat - Ryan Gorman Wild Card - Anna Chute U S A U lt i m at e

Sarah Meckstroth gets a run-through D for Drag’n Thrust while guarding the Polar Bears’ An-Chi Tsou. Photo: Christina Schmidt/Ultiphotos

Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust huddles up before the start of the mixed finals at the 2013 National Championships. Photo: CBMT Creative

MIXED FINAL STATS Drag’n Thrust – 13 Jersey #

NAME

Polar bears – 11

goals

Alicia Carr

Jeff Trosvig

Tom Bomberg

Pat Niles

Erica Baken

Jake Mckean

David Shirley

Claire Oakley

Jay Drescher

ASST

Jersey # 1

Scott Roeder

2 1 1

NAME

goals

ASST

Kevin Cocks

Alex Nord

Meeri Chang

Rebekah Sexton

Greg Marliave

Sonny Zaccaro

Clay Miller

Casey Ikeda

Martha Harris

Aj Shankar

Andrea Crumrine

Natasha Won

Eric Olson

Thomas Li

Anna Hettler

Alexa Kirkland

Dulcy Docken

Matty Sung

Daniel Naruo

Austin Lien

Patty King

Brian Schoenrock

James Hron

Morgan Paulson

Pete Carr

Tamiko Younge

Simon Higgins

Josh Wardle

Paige Kercher

Palak Shah

Dave Klink

Mike Petersen

Jess Haller

Josh Hemmesch

1 2 1

Jaime Glader

Ben Hubbard

Tallis Boyd

Adam Raty

Jordan Hupp

An-Chi Tsou

Sarah Meckstroth

Bianca Sievers

Jane Lucas

Kevin Liantono

Totals WINTER 2013

Totals 16

1 1

2 2

Scandal’s defense set them apart at Nationals. Here, Allison Maddux lays out chest-high to contest a catch by Riot’s Kathryn Lawson in the semifinals. Photo: CBMT Creative

WOMEN’S REcap

By: Brady Winsten

For the past seven years, the USA Ultimate National Championships have been an exciting battle of talented teams, but the conclusion was rarely surprising. San Francisco Fury had a tight rein on the women’s division, beating out their opponents for seven consecutive years. However, 2013 finally provided an exciting result and cause for an ultimate celebration in the nation’s capital. Washington D.C. Scandal played an excellent 7-0 tournament and bested Riot 15-7 in the semifinals and Fury 14-7 in the finals to bring home the trophy. Scandal’s ascent to the top spot in the women’s division is a product of years of hard work, a talented roster and coaching staff, and a renewed team mentality. Scandal

Rises

the

Top.

U S A U lt i m at e

WOMEN’S REcap

Open Championships. In that match, Scandal used their athleticism and tough defense to win the first half 8-7, but they couldn’t hold onto their lead in the second half. They eventually fell to the Bay Area powerhouse, but the game illustrated Scandal’s grit and potential to win against any team. Scandal captain Opi Payne mentioned that the team struggled a bit in these earlier tournaments with feeling pressure to prove they could beat the best teams in the country. However, two months later, the same match up would produce a much different result.

World Games teammates Cree Howard (left, Fury) and Opi Payne (right, Scandal) went head-to-head in the finals in Texas. Photo: CBMT Creative

Four years ago, Scandal was a dominant force in their region, although not yet on the national stage. However, players joining the team in the last few years felt something building, and each season, Scandal continued to build on their previous successes. In the 2013 season, Scandal adopted team habits that have been effective for other highly successful teams. Fury, and other elite ultimate teams, have led the way in using psychological tools, such as body language, to a team’s advantage. Also, many successful women’s teams are highly spirited, which seems to add to their sense of trust and respect for teammates and opponents. Over the past year, Scandal made seemingly small changes like touching in the huddle, cheering more and planning more team events. Together, these efforts created an increased sense of trust, dedication and positivity that helped the team create a mentality of winning together. The team also remembered to keep things lighthearted. The two most unsung heroes of the Scandal roster were Napoleon (a carrot) and Napolita (a stuffed beaver), the team’s mascots. They traveled to Frisco with the team and were the source of jokes that helped create a unique team culture. These seemingly small changes contributed to the team’s first national title and the secondhighest team spirit score at the National Championships. Scandal’s defeats of Riot and Fury considering their previous match the year. The team from D.C. had Riot this season and fell to Fury WINTER 2013

were surprising to some, ups over the course of a mixed 1-3 history with in the finals of the U.S. 18

The addition of coaches Mike LoPresti in 2012 and Alex “Dutchy” Ghesquiere in 2013 had a huge impact on Scandal’s success as well. Together, LoPresti’s years coaching the University of Maryland women’s team and Ghesquiere’s time coaching the U.S. World Games Team, Revolver, Zeitgeist and California-Berkeley lent years of experience building team culture and strategy. LoPresti’s focus on the big picture and Ghesquiere’s ability to make changes on the fly helped build confidence in the team system and gave the players stability. The two also lent a hand in important personnel decisions, such as switching Captain Opi Payne to the defensive line and assisting with the placement of incoming players, including Anne Mercier and Kath Ratcliff. Veteran Scandal player Kimberley Beach places strong emphasis on each coach’s influence, citing LoPresti’s “remarkable impact by recognizing our unrealized potential and by starting our collective mental shift” and Ghesquiere’s “steady, solid development of our

Defended by Fury’s Anna Nazarov, Scandal’s Anne Mercier looks upfield during the finals at the 2013 National Championships. Photo: CBMT Creative

strong mental game relating to focus, intensity, optimism and emotional commitment.” The team’s mental shift was instrumental in defeating seven-time champions Fury, who have intimidated many opponents with their legacy of winning. Captain Opi Payne says the team “focused on taking it one point at a time” which “took a lot of pressure off our mental game” to help overcome possible intimidation factors. Anyone in the crowd watching their games against Riot and Fury could attest to Scandal’s fearlessness against the two renowned teams. In addition to a new coach, 2013 brought even more talented players to the already deep Scandal roster. Team Canada’s Anne Mercier, former Molly Brown player Kath Ratcliff and multiple other experienced club players joined World Games players, Junior Worlds players, college all-region players and veterans of the elite club circuit. It’s safe to say every player contributed to the team’s success, but many spectators were particularly captivated by the performances of the defensive line, who consistently took control of games and dismantled their opponents. In the first point of Scandal’s semifinal against Riot, a speedy Allison Maddux sprinted downfield to intercept a cross-field dump and tally a Callahan and make a definitive statement about Scandal’s intention to dominate the match up. Opi Payne frequently launched upwind deep hucks to Sandy Jorgensen, who was a sure bet to come down with any disc that otherwise may have been 50-50 at best. Jorgensen was also a huge defensive presence in the backfield, batting away many of the hucks Fury felt confident putting up. Scandal’s defensive line cutters consistently showcased their grit, as illustrated by Kimberly Beach holding onto discs while being knocked around by her defenders and Jessie O’Connor laying out in the end zone to snag a score. Scandal’s offense operated with trust and efficiency. Handlers Anne Mercier and Kath Ratcliff racked up touches on every possession and worked the disc up-field through Fury’s junk defense. Molly Roy made big plays that belied her 5’3” frame, and Alicia White was a consistent presence and key receiver, getting open easily for under and up-line cuts. Scandal is so stacked with talented players that once you start naming highlight plays, you’ve talked about everyone on the roster. However, their biggest strength is that everyone plays together and in a role that most suits them. Payne says that “more than any past season, we operated as a unit rather than a collection of individuals,” which ultimately helped make the difference in 2013.

Scandal’s Sandy Jorgensen uses her height to outreach Molly Brown’s Lindsey Cross during pool play at Nationals. Photo: CBMT Creative

trust and love between the players. The team from D.C. made their city proud and even received a proclamation from the D.C. Mayor’s office and the City Council, stating that October 20, 2013, was “Scandal Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team Day” in the District. Yet another first for the team to celebrate.

Although some were surprised to see an east coast team finish atop the women’s division, for Scandal fans, their championship run feels like an organic progression. The years of hard work, team buy-in and strong leadership has paid off, and it was evident on the field that there was a deep level of

U S A U lt i m at e

WoMEN’s FINAL STATS SCANDAL – 14 Jersey #

Fury – 7 NAME

goals

ASST

Jersey #

NAME

goals

ASST

Christie Lawry

Castle Sinicrope

Amy Wickner

Alex Snyder

Sarah Itoh

Allison Maddux

Kimberly Beach

Kristin Franke

Octavia Payne

Jenny Fey

Kaela Jorgenson

Alicia Dantzker

Claire Sharman

Nancy Sun

Loryn Kanemaru

Genevieve Laroche

Lauren Casey

Kristie Bowen

Cree Howard

2 1

Kirsten Unfried

Kath Ratcliff

Samantha McClellan

Leah Tsinajinnie

Liz Penny

1 1

Shino Yoshen

Alden Fletcher

Crystal Davis

Michela Meister

Alicia White

Julia Sherwood

Alika Johnston

Arlie Tsang

Lauren Sadler

Lisa Pitcaithley

Amy Hudson

Sandy Jorgensen

1 1

7 1 2

Ness Fajardo

Anna Nazarov

Alisha Kramer

Darragh Clancy

Molly Roy

Maggie Ruden

Sasha Bugler

Quinne Farenwald

Anne Mercier

Jessie O’Connor

Totals

1 1

WINTER 2013

Claire Desmond Lakshmi Narayan

Manisha Daryani

Carolyn Finney

unknown

Totals

Scandal’s Opi Payne shows her athleticism with this defensive bid against Riot’s Nora Carr in the semifinals at the 2013 National Championships. Photo: CBMT Creative

12 26

1 1 1

Final Standings 1. Scandal 2. Fury 3. Riot 4. Showdown 5. Nemesis 6. Brute Squad 7T. Capitals 7T. Traffic 9T. Nightlock 9T. Ozone 11. Molly Brown 12. Heist 13. Bent 14. Phoenix 15. Schwa 16. Nova

Team Spirit Scores 4.43 – Riot 4.36 – Scandal 4.33 – Phoenix 4.33 – Schwa 4.17 – Heist 4.17 – Nemesis 4.14 – Fury 4.14 – Showdown 4.00 – Bent 4.00 – Brute Squad 4.00 – Nova 3.83 – Capitals 3.83 – Molly Brown 3.83 - Traffic 3.67 – Nightlock 3.00 – Ozone

Individual Spirit Award Winners

Bent - Anna Membrino Brute Squad - Courtney Kiesow Capitals - Carla Di Filippo Fury - Nancy Sun Heist - Robyn Wiseman Molly Brown - Carolyn Matthews Nemesis - Christine Dube Nightlock - Lily Lin Nova - Andréane Bourgeois Ozone - Kirsten Shell Phoenix - Shellie Cohen Riot - Alyssa Weatherford Scandal - Crystal Davis Schwa - Emily Flanders Showdown - Cara Crouch Traffic - Tasia Balding

Nancy Sun

2013 KATHY PUFAHL Spirit Award Winner By: Brady Winsten

Since 2004, the Kathy Pufahl Spirit Award has been presented annually to a female player who exhibits ”personal responsibility, integrity, and selfless contribution to Ultimate, combined with a high standard of playing ability.” Kathy Pufahl personified these qualities and was a pioneer for ultimate on and off the field.

Fury’s Nancy Sun was presented the 2013 Pufahl Award by cadre of Ultimate Hall of Famers and friends of the late Kathy Pufahl. Photo: Kevin Leclaire/Ultiphotos

Since 2008, San Francisco’s Fury has been a standard for spirited teams. They recorded the highest spirit scores at the National Championships in 2008, 2010 and 2012. And in each of the last two years, and three of the last four, women from Fury have received the Pufahl Spirit Award. This year, the honor went to team captain Nancy Sun. Gwen Ambler, the 2011 Pufahl Award recipient from Seattle Riot and a member of the 2008 Fury squad, says that the team’s spirit that year was a result of “a multi-year process of focusing on creating a more supportive environment on the team.” Incidentally, 2008 was also the year Nancy Sun joined the Bay Area dynasty. Ambler says Nancy “has been a wonderful leader and teacher on Fury... helping the team continue to find success.” Michelle Ng, the 2010 Pufahl Award recipient and a former teammate of Sun’s with Brute Squad, says that Nancy “was a player I aspired to be like not just because of her skill, but because of the way she carries herself on and off the field.” Opponents and teammates know Nancy Sun to have a calm, steady demeanor and an ability to reach anywhere on the field with the disc. She can pick apart the defense with her precise throws and build teammates up with her sense of spirit. As Ambler says, “If Nancy makes or contests a call, everyone respects it.” The Pufahl Spirit Award recipients are among the most celebrated players in women’s ultimate and are deeply respected by their peers. These players know spirit can help build a strong, resilient team that enjoys playing together. Ambler explains, “A team increases its chances of finding success on the field by creating a culture of camaraderie and support, which dovetails incredibly well with the trust and respect that Spirit of the Game emphasizes.” Michelle Ng adds, “Good spirit is about respecting the heart, hard work and investment that your opponents make to compete against you.” On the field, Kathy Pufahl inspired respect and awe, playing with intensity but never losing her cool. She helped start one of the nation’s first women’s club teams, the Housewives, in New York in 1981 and led Washington D.C.’s Andromeda to Nationals in 1983. She served tirelessly for the then-Ultimate Players Association (UPA), acting as its first Managing Director and second Women’s National Director, working to promote women’s ultimate around the country. She was an essential part of organizing the first Easterns tournament in 1984, co-wrote the UPA Tournament Directors Handbook and helped write the first update to the Ninth Edition Rules of Ultimate. Teammates and friends remember her as a highly intelligent, talented and spirited player who touched the lives of those around her. Nancy Sun and the other talented and dedicated winners of the women’s division spirit award help to carry on Kathy Pufahl’s legacy, honoring the work she did for ultimate on and off the field.

U S A U lt i m at e

Welcome Reception

As part of the USA Ultimate National Championships, Discraft hosted a reception for the athletes as a welcome to the Championships, leading up to the first day of competition at the FC Dallas Complex in Frisco, Texas. Photos: CBMT Creative WINTER 2013

U S A U lt i m at e

Discraft Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony As part of the 2013 USA Ultimate National Championships program, Discraft and USA Ultimate hosted the Discraft Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Frisco, Texas. The last five Hall of Fame classes (2009-13) were formally inducted with notable players and contributors to the sport from all eras of ultimate history on-hand to celebrate their peers through a full slate of activities and ceremonies.

Class of 2009 Andy Borinstein Robert Evans Pat King

Class oF 2010 David Barkan Michael Glass Peggy Hollinger Jeremy Seeger

Class oF 2011 Kenneth Dobyns Tom Heimann Cliff Marhoefer Mike Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dowd Wende (Coates) Pinz

Class oF 2012 Nancy Leahy Glass Molly Goodwin Keay Nakae Dennis Warsen

Class of 2013

Joey Giampino Jim Ingebritsen Christine Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Cleary Christopher Van Holmes WINT TE ER 2013

Members of the Ultimate Hall of Fame gathered in Frisco to reconnect with old friends, watch the best ultimate in the world and have their accomplishments celebrated throughout the weekend. Photos: CBMT Creative 25

U S A U lt i m at e

How

Alex “Dutchy” Ghesquiere Completed Scandal’s Championship Puzzle

Ghesquiere huddles up with his team after a practice and before the start of the World Games in Cali, Colombia. Photo: CBMT Creative

BY: JONATHA N NEELEY There’s no place like home. Or is it that there’s nothing like championships? When Alex Ghesquiere, a lanky Belgian who looks a lot taller than his stated 6’1” and is known throughout the ultimate world by his college nickname, “Dutchy,” came on board to coach Washington, D.C. Scandal, the squad was knocking on the door of a national title. But in the women’s division, where nobody had touched San Francisco Fury in seven years, the knob had practically rusted shut. Ghesquiere, however, returned from San Francisco to the east coast city where he grew up with quite the tool collection: appearances with Revolver in the past four straight men’s national final games, including wins in 2010 and 2011, along with gold medals from Worlds in 2010 and 2012 and the World Games this past summer. Not a bad way to say, “I’ve been there before.” Getting there again with Scandal, a new team in an unfamiliar division, would mean both convincing the group they had the pieces to contend as well as guiding them through the assembly of the puzzle. All they needed was a little faith. 27

U S A U lt i m at e

Although better known for being pragmatic and focused, Ghesquiere has a lighter, softer side as well. Photo: CBMT Creative

Alex Ghesquiere is well known in the ultimate world for having an unmatched ability to analyze players and lay out successful game plans. Photo: CBMT Creative

take a moment and some slow breaths and correct your trajectory. The best mentality is one of challenge. It’s the morning of the national final, which doesn’t start until 1:30 p.m. In the lobby of the Homewood Suites, Ghesquiere is leading Scandal through their final meeting before the game. The strategy: use flat marks to stop Fury’s short, inside-out throws; allow long swings, which the Texas wind will make difficult to complete; make them throw deep. Other teams had yet to throw a wrench into the most basic parts of Fury’s attack, said Ghesquiere. If his team could do that, they would win the game. Nobody lays out a game plan like Ghesquiere. Players from every team he has led laud his ability to turn a strategy into a system of inputs and outputs that is at once thorough and actionable – because Seattle Riot had killed Scandal with a trap on the downwind sideline at Labor Day, he told the offense to keep the disc away from that part of the field when the teams met in the national semifinal; when tweaking Scandal’s handler poaches, he emphasized not drifting too far downfield but being able to move as far toward the sideline as possible. His tone when he addresses the team seeps confidence but is devoid of swagger. Knowing both that there is a correct answer and, more importantly, that he has it, is simply a matter of fact. Ghesquiere is naturally inclined to solve puzzles. In “real life,” he is a biomedical engineer that heads research and development for a team that makes glucose meters for diabetics. In his free time, he and girlfriend Kath Ratcliff – also a new addition to Scandal this year – host board game nights at their house in Chevy Chase, Md. Ghesquiere’s favorite game changes whenever he gets the itch for a new challenge, but right now it’s a tie between Family Business and Diplomacy, both of which require players to forge alliances while also aiming to be the last one standing. The popular Pandemic is “cool, but too cooperative for my competitive side,” he says. Getting through to players, for Ghesquiere, is all about WINTER 2013

pushing the right buttons. Before playing Australia in the World Games final, he pulled Mac Taylor aside and told him the game was riding on his match up with Aussie stud Tom Rogacki: if Taylor could force him away from the disc and deny early stall hucks, the United States would win. Taylor, a long-time Revolver teammate of Ghesquiere’s, stewed for a moment before looking back at his coach with a nod and a quiet “I’m ready.” Similarly, with Scandal, Ghesquiere came to understand that Octavia Payne is unstoppable when she is calm but intense; Alicia White is successful when she believes she’s the best player on the field; captain Molly Roy leads best when she doesn’t have to worry about logistics and is encouraged to set an example solely by play. “All players are different,” says Ghesquiere. “What I’ve learned is you have to respect that there are players that need a lot of positive energy and players that you have to fire up by telling them that what they’re doing isn’t good enough. You get to know each player and what works for them.” Ghesquiere prepared Scandal by asking them to visualize their path to the top. At the Chesapeake Invite in late August, he acknowledged the possibility of underperforming in a speech to the team, listing behaviors like tanking, choking and losing their tempers. “When you feel negative mentalities encroaching,” he told them, “take a moment and some slow breaths and correct your trajectory. The best mentality is one of challenge.” Ghesquiere both confronted natural fears and gave Scandal substance to put in their place: optimism, a willing mentality and confidence became the focus. In the week leading up to Nationals, Ghesquiere sent out emails about sleep patterns, sports psychology, and physical preparation. “We are going to win,” he signed them. 28

Ghesquiere started playing ultimate in 1993 while in high school at Sidwell Friends School in D.C. and continued when he arrived on campus at Dartmouth in 1996. He joined Boston’s Death or Glory in 2001, two years after the team’s run of six consecutive championships had come to a halt but with plenty of championship pedigree still on the roster. Ghesquiere – along with Josh Ziperstein and a number of other Boston greats who played during DoG’s twilight – names Billy Rodriguez, who won five consecutive titles with New York, New York before the run with Boson (11 total, if you’re counting), as his biggest leadership influence. Off hand, Ghesquiere estimates that he’s attended thousands of ultimate practices and tournament days, all of which have given him ample opportunity to make mistakes. He blames poor subbing and too long a warm up for Revolver losing the 2009 title game and recalls a college regional final when California, who he coached from 2005 until 2011, lost to Oregon because they stayed in man defense too long. “[Coaching] is a 10,000 hours thing,” he says. “I didn’t step on the field and immediately become a good coach. You have to want to do it and you have to practice and you have to overcome the fact that you’re not necessarily good at it to start. I’ve put myself in situations where I could improve at it and made a real effort. You can work at it by practice, work at it by reading, you can work at it by talking to people. You get better as you go along.” One of his proudest moments as a coach is Cal’s 2010 run to the national quarterfinals, when the team qualified out of the brutal Northwest Region and upset the overall top seed in pre-quarters, despite finishing dead last the year before. “We had no superstars. All the focus was on how we worked as a team,” explains Ghesquiere. Ghesquiere says that while his teams have been hedged by some of the game’s top talent – Beau Kittredge and Taylor with Revolver; the entire World Games roster; and this fall, Payne, Jenny Fey, Sandy Jorgenson, Anne Mercier and White – talent underachieves without leadership and structure. Though he is now strategically removed from Revolver, he points to the team’s 2013 title as evidence of a system with role players who willingly do their jobs to perfection. Adam Simon, who played for Revolver in 2011 and 2012 and helped lead Seattle Sockeye back to the national finals this year, has frequently named Ghesquiere as the best coach he has ever played for – this from a star Ghesquiere asked to focus on catching dumps and throwing swing passes. Without buy-in like that, Ghesquiere asks, how could Revolver have won without Robbie Cahill, Bart Watson and Mark Sherwood, all greats who did not play for the team this year? “You always need talent,” he says, “but ultimate is more than talent. There are so many examples of teams I thought had more talent than Revolver, but they would lose consistently and by fair margins because they didn’t have the right strategy or right mentality, or they weren’t ready to play.”

Ghesquiere gives feedback to Mike Natenberg and Beau Kittredge during the U.S. v. Japan match at the 2013 World Games. Japan was the only team to take half on the U.S. In Cali. Photo: CBMT Creative

Ghesquiere spent five seasons with Revolver and many more in the Bay Area. 2013 was his first with Scandal, and he didn’t have that much time with the team because of his World Games duties, which included six practice weekends throughout the spring and summer and culminated with a week-long trip to Colombia in July that he and Ratcliff followed up with another week of hiking in Peru. “Scandal to me is very much a work in progress,” he says. “But in the limited time I had with them, I could immediately see that the team needed to become tighter. Getting to know and have faith in each other was a widespread and big-picture thing.” Ghesquiere planned numerous bonding activities throughout the season. For the drive to Virginia Fusion, the team’s final regular-season tournament, he set up a scavenger hunt, giving each car a list of various tasks with corresponding point values – go through a carwash without a car; eat an ice cream cone from the McDonalds dollar menu as fast as possible; snap a group photo with a cow. “One of the most important parts of a team that often gets overlooked is fostering a good mentality,” says Ghesquiere. “Teams that are successful are teams that spend a lot of time outside of pressure situations where they can have a good time and get to know each other outside of ultimate. That’s been a consistent focus for me, and I think that teams have been really clutch in big situations as a result.” Of course, team bonding is not all ponies and rainbows, and like any other coach, Ghesquiere has faced his share of trials. In his first year captaining Revolver, a program that is vocal about how much it values its history and roots, he was part of a leadership group that cut a number of veterans; as coach of the World Games team, he was tasked with running tryouts for the country’s best players – and then cutting the vast majority of them; when he agreed to coach Scandal, he joined co-coach Mike LoPresti, who was on board for last year’s semis berth but had far less big-game experience – and Ghesquiere admits to having a hard time taking direction. But he sees the bearing of burdens as part U S A U lt i m at e

You need to have faith in yourself and put yourself in a position where the team trusts you to make those calls.

Alex “Dutchy” Ghesquiere celebrates with Washington, D.C. Scandal after winning their first-ever national championship in his first year with the team. Photo: CBMT Creative

The 2013 women’s final was a battling of coaching wits. Ghesquiere implemented with Scandal some of the things he learned while coaching the World Games team with Fury’s Matty Tsang this summer. Photo: CBMT Creative

of his responsibilities to the team. “As a coach, the team depends on you to make hard decisions. You can’t shrink away from the things that are difficult. You need to have faith in yourself and put yourself in a position where the team trusts you to make those calls.” When Ghesquiere sees something on the field that needs correcting, he will speak sternly or even yell if he thinks it appropriate. But he stresses that his aim is always to bring out the best in his players. He explains, “I’m for positivity. But I’m also for accountability. If someone has made a mistake – a throw they shouldn’t have or they’re positioned wrong – I will go and tell them. But you have to bring them that information in a constructive and positive way, and in a way that every player knows you have faith in them that they’re going to do it right next time. You reach any competitive person with the fact that you want them to win. That’s a common platform to build from.” Scandal is a chance for Ghesquiere to balance his impressive résumé with learning new lessons – to make more strides as a coach. He wants to blend the intensity he has come to expect at east coast practices with the easy-going, teamfirst ethic he found out west, and he says one of his biggest takeaways from the World Games experience was gleaning tidbits on how to manage a women’s team from Fury coach and USA assistant Matty Tsang. “There’s some really exciting new stuff I’d like to try,” he says. “And with a little luck, I’ll have the chance to do it.”

Before the final, Ghesquiere gave Scandal one last nudge of belief. Players disagree on whether it was “I got you, we’re winning this,” or “Let’s do this,” but whatever the phrasing, Ghesquiere went around the huddle and, one by one, had each player look another in the eye and say it. The team executed the game plan perfectly, jumping out to an early lead and not looking back en route to a 14-7 win. “It just seemed like the right thing for that moment,” he says. “We needed to get the whole team to buy into what we were going to do so that they believed it was going to work. When the whole team is on the same page, it builds confidence. That’s what Scandal needed going in.” Ghesquiere’s pragmatism sometimes borders on aloofness. After I congratulated him on winning gold in Colombia, he just grinned. “Yeah, I’d say it worked out alright.” At Chesapeake, I asked how the South American vacation was, and he shot me a similar shrug and smile. “Peru is pretty cool.” When pressed about the dynamic with LoPresti, a sensitive subject, he paused before pointing, logically, to the championship. “Seems successful, right?” But he has a soft side too. At a recent D.C. ultimate gathering, he rolled up on a Capital Bike Share bike, laughing because Ratcliff had ridden multiple city blocks on the middle bar. Spend five minutes around the couple, and it’s obvious how much he loves being with her, and he’ll tell anyone he wouldn’t have coached Scandal had she not played. His playful banter with the Revolver contingent of the World Games was a laughing point for the entire group, and after the tournament, he wrote that the best kind of team identity is one of trust and love. Every year, Ghesquiere relaxes with both a ski trip to Jackson Hole and a visit to his parents’ house in Belgium. But perhaps most human about Alex Ghesquiere is that he speaks openly and confidently about his achievements. He does not feign humility; he is proud, but not cocky. That, and his simple but deep love for the game of ultimate. “As a coach, I get nervous and excited. I lose my voice after every game. It still is the highlight of my weekend and the highlight of my fall. Just like players, you come home after a tournament and still feel that everything is muted and quiet compared to the excitement and thrill of the weekend.”

Mixed: Ultimate

Novelty and More By

ixed is the most common way to play ultimate. The format of choice for many recreational leagues and tournaments, it is also how the World Flying Disc Federation showcases our sport at the World Games. Here in the U.S., there are relatively few opportunities to play mixed at the youth and college levels, but we are privileged to have a thriving mixed club division. 2013 was a big year for mixed. At the U.S. Open Convention, World Flying Disc Federation President Robert “Nob” Rauch explained that the International Olympic Committee, which recently recognized ultimate, is excited about mixed, and it could be the format which someday makes it into the Olympic Games. USA Ultimate

: D av

e K lin k

Both women and men have to adjust their game strategies to maximize advantages in the mixed division. Different adjustments for each new opponent are not uncommon. Photo: CBMT Creative

included mixed alongside the men’s and women’s divisions in its new Triple Crown Tour which represents the highest level of ultimate in North America. At the USA Ultimate National Championships, announcer Evan Lepler stated that ESPN was intrigued to see men and women sharing the field, and the network covered several mixed games over the course of the weekend. It would seem that mixed has become a selling point for our sport. But is it just novelty, or is there something more to it?

Why Play Mixed? I reached out to mixed players around the nation about why they play in the division. Everyone I spoke with noted how much fun it is to be on a team with 31

both men and women. For those who spend their evenings and weekends practicing and traveling across the country for tournaments, the fun factor can’t be underestimated, either on or off the field. Vicki Chang of Boston Slow White explained the allure of the division for her: “Mixed ultimate is a great way to experience a quicker-paced game (I think) than women’s ultimate. It mixes in the technicality of women’s ultimate and the athleticism of open, which I find very exciting and fun to be a part of.” Patty King of Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust (DnT) noted that both men and women must adjust to succeed in mixed. “The women that play mixed are unique because they are stepping U S A U lt i m at e

Mixed ULTIMATE

women, and the pulling team matches that ratio for the point. Though the policy is gender-neutral on its face, in practice, it is more common to see four men on the field. This is partly just a numbers game; most mixed captains will tell you that they struggle to recruit enough talented women. But there are also mixed teams in the division, such as AMP, who are blessed with enough female talent that they are able to take advantage of the fourwoman option, often giving them a leg up on their competition.

Sports where men and women compete together are rare. The mixed division has become something of a selling point for ultimate in the wider world of sports. Photo: CBMT Creative

out of their comfort zone into a fasterpaced game. The men that play mixed are unique because, by the nature of the division, they have to trust, respect and rely on women.” King began her club career in mixed, spent three seasons in the women’s division and then returned to mixed in each of the past two seasons, leading DnT to a national championship in 2013. Explaining what brought her back to mixed, King said, “The atmosphere of the mixed division is completely different…the presence of both genders creates an instant level of respect and trust. The men cannot play without the women, and women cannot play without the men. By its nature, it creates an innate level of being teammates that the singlegender divisions can never truly have.” WINT TE ER 2013

For Kevin McCormick of Philadelphia’s AMP, one of the best parts of mixed is the strategy. “The range of height, speed and jumping ability across the 14 players in a [men’s] or women’s game is typically far smaller than that of a mixed game, and so creating strategies to capitalize on your team’s strengths or exploiting an opponent’s weakness is far more advantageous in mixed, relatively speaking. [Men’s] and women’s are similar to checkers, where your pieces are all the same, but mixed is more like chess.” One strategic aspect of mixed is the decision of how many men and women to put on the field. Under current USA Ultimate rules, the receiving team chooses four women and three men, or four men and three 32

Another team which famously wins with their women is Missoula Mental Toss Flycoons (MTF). Sarah Megyesi told me, however, that it isn’t all about the gender ratio. “The MTF leadership has often found that, against some teams, it is much likelier that a team can find a greater mismatch in a women’s match-up than in a men’s match-up. In other words, it seems that the highestcaliber women have a greater chance of dominating a match-up than the highest-caliber men. When we find that we have the chance to call four women (and even when we stay with three) to take advantage of that dominating match-up, it completely diverts the focus to a strategy based on the female mismatch.”

Player Development A criticism of the division is that mixed is not as effective at player development, especially for female players. The mixed players I interviewed expressed a range of views on this topic, from acknowledging the challenges to disputing the notion vigorously. Two in the former camp were Christie Dosch of DnT and Chang. Dosch noted that, especially at the lower levels of mixed, women can be treated as placeholders on the field, and it may be harder for novice players to develop in the division. However, said Dosch, “It doesn’t have to be this way,” and a successful mixed team “needs

to really value women’s development in all aspects of the game.” For her part, Chang explained, “I definitely think it’s more difficult for women to develop into well rounded players in mixed compared to if they just played women’s. However, I find that women do develop as players in other aspects that can benefit their teams.” Angela Mallon of MTF has a different view: “The assertion that women can’t develop as players in mixed implies an erroneous and ignorant assumption that men end up doing all the hard work, and women end up relegated to ‘girl jobs.’ This isn’t just stupid; it’s illogical. At practice, I work on breaking marks against wing spans six inches longer than mine. To make up for differentials in quickness and strength, I time my cuts more strategically and apply my defensive footwork more efficiently. My team has specific offensive and defensive sets which capitalize on the speed and athleticism of our women and exploit any underestimations of their ability.” McCormick also weighed in. “The main factors in player development are personal motivation and access to resources such as knowledgeable coaches; if you want to become a better player and live reasonably close to good players who are willing to teach you, you will get better. Division is not a factor in and of itself, although in some parts of the country, it may be hard to find adequate knowledge or leadership for a team in each division. Female players can absolutely develop in the mixed division. Raha Mozaffari has played [club] mixed exclusively since 2006 and is now one of the top female players on the east coast. The women’s division will teach more females to throw, especially deep (out of necessity), but on average, females in the mixed division will learn just as much.” Erica Baken of DnT offered a more nuanced view: “Women learn to

The main factors in player development are personal motivation and access to resources such as knowledgeable coaches.

Wild Card’s Lily Steponaitis celebrates a toe-the-line score with teammate Scott Gatto in the third-place game against the Polar Bears at 2013 Nationals. Photo: CBMT Creative

play a different style when playing with men, not a worse style. Having played extensively in both women’s and mixed, I prefer the style of mixed, but I typically have a bigger impact on the game in women’s. I have to be more disciplined, cognizant of poaches and knowledgeable about individual players’ skills in mixed than I do women’s because of the greater diversity within a team.”

players in the U.S. compete in the men’s and women’s divisions, and that remains true today. However, since its inception in 1999, the mixed division has become more competitive each year. The talent gap is closing, and as several of the players I interviewed noted, there are some areas of the country where the top team competes in the mixed division.

King put it similarly, “I think that it all depends on what type of a player that you want to be. I think that both divisions will develop females; however, mixed ultimate will develop them into good mixed players, and women’s ultimate will develop them into good women’s players.”

Novelty

Though mixed players will tell you there is more to the division, they also embrace the novelty. As Baken put it, “No two mixed games are the same.” Whether you are an ultimate player thinking about the next club season or a fan looking to catch a One important aspect of player great game, give some thought to development is level of play. the excitement, strategy, challenge Traditionally, many of the best and fun of mixed. 33

U S A U lt i m at e

Advanced speed, strength and conditioning training tipS

ABOVE THE COMPETITION Top-End Speed

Tim Morrill, M.A., CSCS, HFS Owner of Morrill Performance & Explosive Ultimate

What a great year in Above the Competition! We started the year by teaching our two main change of direction patterns: the Jab Step for IFP and the Crossover for OFP. In our fall issue, we discussed the pattern that comes after a change of direction – Linear Acceleration. In this issue, we will discuss Top-End Speed, the final of the four main patterns in ultimate.

Gaining hip flexion above 90 degrees will allow your knee to stay up longer, therefore increasing your stride length and top-end speed. Exercise: Disc Hip Flexion (Figure 2) • In a push-up position, place a disc under one foot. • Maintaining a strong core, slowly bring the disc towards your chest.

We may reach top-end speed when aggressively sprinting down after the pull, chasing a huck or when making a long straight-line cut. Top-end speed is enhanced by increasing stride length (the distance between foot contacts) and stride frequency (the speed in which the legs move through a full cyclic motion from foot contact to foot contact). Let’s break these down and give you some exercises to enhance your top-end speed, so you can get to the disc quicker than your opponent.

• As your hip reaches and surpasses 90 degrees, your psoas muscle will begin to work. This is the most important part of the movement. Keep your belly tight as you focus on bringing your knee towards your chest without rounding your back. •E nsure the extended leg stays in full extension without any movement. Exercise: Donkey Kicks (Figure 3) •P lace a pad or hoody under one leg. This will help to keep your spine neutral.

Training for Stride Length Stride length is enhanced by increasing thigh separation or the distance between the front hip in flexion and the back hip in extension (see Figure 1). This requires strengthening the hip flexors on the front side and the glutes on the backside.

•O n your elbows, take the free leg through full flexion and into extension. Pause for two seconds at the top of each rep and squeeze your glutes. •K eep the free leg knee at 90 degrees. Focus on relaxing the hamstring and isolating the glute.

In order to train the front side, we must target and strengthen the psoas muscle. The psoas works to create hip flexion at hip angles above 90 degrees. WINTER 2013

Track Workout Tip:

to the 2010 issues of Above the Competition for strength training tips, and keep an eye out for next year where we will take on kettlebell training for athletic development. Until then, get out there and groove these patterns!

Use these drills at the track. After a set of Disc Hip Flexions, run a 70-yard sprint. Cue yourself “knee up, knee up.” This will allow you to integrate the psoas strength into your sprint technique. Do the same with the Donkey Kick cueing “glute, glute, glute” after each foot contact. This will allow for a stronger and glute driven backside push.

Editor’s Note: Above the Competition 2010 can be found in the USA Ultimate magazine archives online at usaultimate.org.

Training for Stride Frequency Stride frequency is enhanced via plyometics and eccentric hamstring work. Plyometrics work to decrease ground contact time (GCT) (the time the between the foot contacting and leaving the ground) by developing the elasticity of the Achilles tendon.

Exercise: Pogo Hops (Figure 4) • Keeping your toe up hop back and forth over the line. Keep your toe facing forward. Hop for height and speed. Developing eccentric hamstring strength creates a faster cyclic pattern. Most hamstring injuries occur at top speed when the hamstring cannot tolerate the eccentric action of keeping the lower leg from over extending as the leg swings through the cycle. Therefore, Eccentric Hamstring Curls act as not only a performance enhancing exercise but also a great injury reduction exercise.

Figure 1. Boston Ironside’s Jim Foster shows us great thigh separation. Notice the flexion on the front side and the great backside extension.

Exercise: Eccentric Hamstring Curl (Figure 5)

Figure 2. U.S. National Team Captain George Stubbs demonstrates Disc Hip Flexion.

• With a valslide or disc under each foot, bridge up and squeeze your glutes.

Figure 3. Boston Ironside Captain Russell Wallack demonstrates the Donkey Kick.

• Keeping your glutes engaged, slowly extend your knees on a 5 count.

Figure 5a/b. Boston Ironside Captain Matt Rebholz demonstrates the Eccentric Hamstring Curl.

Figure 4. John Kerr demonstrates the Pogo Line Hop.

• When reaching full knee extension, rest on the ground, bring the knees back into flexion, bridge up and repeat.

Developing speed and agility for ultimate requires the development of the Jab Step, Crossover, Acceleration and Top-End Speed patterns. This year, we discussed the drills and techniques used to make these patterns more efficient. Remember that while you need to practice grooving these patterns, you must also develop the ability to put force behind these patterns in order to further increase your speed, quickness and vertical jump. The capacity to put force into the ground is developed via strength training. Refer

U S A U lt i m at e

NUTRITION MATTERS

Quality Nutrients Lead to Quality Play

Athlete-specific nutritional information to help you perform

Katy Harris, MSPH, CSCS Lifestyle Educator, Phoenix, NC Ultimate

your best

The OFF SEASON...

positive effects on your health from improving asthma to helping relieve arthritis.

Not the most exciting time for most of us. PTD (Post Tournament Depression) has set in, and you may be looking for things to do with your ‘normal’ friends, maybe even getting back into the gym. But there may be an even better place to start preparing for next season – with the food you put on your plate.

Quality Play Below are some tips on foods to eat to reduce inflammation all over the body. Eating mostly these types of foods will help reduce the risk for over training, heart disease and cancer an improve performance. The simple takeaway should come as no surprise – eat mostly protein (naturally raised and fed meat, fish, eggs, etc.), veggies, fruit, and good fat. Avoid foods high in sugar or carbs, avoid additives and preservatives, and alcohol isn’t good for you. Good foods help you stay healthy, recover quickly and perform better. They also have antioxidants that help reduce free radicals, the small particles created throughout the day by your body, the environment, stress and exercise.

Quality Nutrients If nutrition can improve performance by up to 15 percent, good habits are the first approximately 10 percent, and the last five percent comes from an anti-inflammatory diet. For your overall health, the good foods create an environment that promotes healing and building rather than breaking down. For your performance, eating these foods means a faster 40 time, a higher vertical and better lateral speed and agility – all from the same training stimulus in the same amount of time. If you are trying to train harder to get these advantages, read on to see how you can improve your performance just by what you eat.

Avoid these foods. Foods you should avoid, like those listed below, put you at higher risk of inflammation and disease, injury, poor performance and/or over training. They may be responsible for any current health ailments, and they can be addicting, cause an unhealthy hormone imbalance, create a ‘leaky gut’ and cause systematic inflammation. Seventy to 80 percent of your immune system is in your gut – so what you eat and your health really ARE related.

Chronic, systematic inflammation from the foods we eat (along with stress, over-exercising and genetics) puts our health and performance at risk. And no one is immune – even 40-year-olds can die of a heart attack while running marathons. So no matter your age, cleaning up your diet can have

Table 1: Foods to eat to reduce inflammation and improve performance Foods to Eat

Function

Fish, meat, and eggs (naturally raised when possible, avoid fat in conventionally raised meat)

Protein synthesis and muscle building, cellular structures

A wide variety of veggies and fruit

Anti-oxidants, carbohydrates and fiber

Healthy Fats – animal fat, nuts, avocadoes, oils, olives, butter (clarified), coconut

Cellular structures, proper brain function, lubrication of joints

U S A U lt i m at e

Sugar and sweeteners.

(i.e., too many omega-6s and not enough omega3s). Your body then tries to use its good fats in cell membranes, but they are not as stable, leading to disruption of normal cell function.

These foods cause an immediate and overstimulating effect on the body and cause too much energy to be stored but with no nutritional value. Insulin, a hormone released after a meal, tells your body to store energy, so too much too quickly can trick your body into thinking it is full and/or has received useful nutrients, causing blood sugar lows, unhealthy eating patterns and addiction. Sweeteners are 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar, and sugar feeds the bad bacteria in your gut and causes your body to prefer to burn carbs for energy rather than fat.

Grains and legumes, enriched or whole grain. These enriched foods are stripped of their nutrients and fiber before being added back in. This process also spikes insulin levels unnaturally, leaving only the carbohydrates, and the nutrients are no longer absorbed well by the body. These foods will be high in calories but will not contain the nutrients you need to support your training, performance and good health. Since we only store about 90 minutes worth of carbs and a tournament is two days long, your body being able to burn fats is crucial to performance on Sunday.

Alcohol. All the best and worst things in one glass – decreased inhibitions, empty calories, alcohol to dissolve your gut lining and lead to inflammation, and sugar to disrupt your normal fat-burning process and feed the bad gut bacteria that causes diarrhea, gas, bloating, etc.

Whole grains and legumes include some nuts and seeds, corn, potatoes, dairy, beans, peanuts and soy. Whole grains are a convenient source of carbohydrates, but they are not a necessary component of the diet, and all the nutrients in grains may be found in more bioavailable sources like fruits and veggies. Although healthier than enriched foods, they contain chemicals called phytates that render the nutrients useless. Some of the proteins are indigestible and can pass through the gut barrier and cause inflammation; gluten, which mimics the structure of other “allowed” proteins, is one example. One in three women is gluten-sensitive,

Seed Oils. Conventional seed oils (canola, flax, hemp, peanut, sesame, soybean, sunflower, etc.) are less stable than extra-virgin olive oil, and can easily become ‘oxidized,’ creating free radicals. Preparing, cooking and storing these oils leads to further oxidation, as the oils are exposed to light, air and heat. They are also found in many conventional products and so can disrupt the normal ratio of good fats to bad fats

Table 2: Summary of foods to avoid for increased health and performance. Food

Examples

Harmful Effect

Replace With

Sugar and sweeteners

Packaged foods, bread and crackers, grains, pasta, cookies, sweets, desserts, drinks, etc.

High blood sugar, inflammation, gut permeability, addiction, disease

Avoid for optimal health

Alcohol

Wine, beer, hard liquor

Increased gut permeability, overgrowth of gut bacteria, hormone disruption

Fluids, stress reduction

Seed oils

Canola, flax, hemp, peanut, sesame, etc.

Oxidation inside and outside the body, imbalance of healthy fats

Extra-virgin olive oil, animal fat (grass-fed lard), coconut butter, coconut milk

Soft drinks, liquid calories

Sodas, gatorade

High blood sugar, addiction, disease, inflammation

Seltzer water, coconut water, 100 percent juice

Grains and legumes, enriched or whole grain

Meal replacements, bars, bread, crackers

High blood sugar, inflammation, gut permeability, nutrient deficiency, addiction, disease

Nutrient-dense veggies, starchy veggies, fruit

Conventionally-raised poultry, meat and fish

Poultry, fish, beef, pork

Build-up of heavy metals, toxins and hormones from fat, antibiotic resistance, fat storage

Wild-caught fish, grass-fed or pastured beef and pork

Dairy – whey and lactose

Milk, ice cream, whey protein powder, protein bars

Insulin release, growth factors, hormone disruption, inflammation

Healthy, lean protein sources, fruits, veggies, good fat

Additives and dyes

High-fructose corn syrup, packaged foods, sweets, soda, many commercialized sports drinks

Harmful build-up and fat storage, allergies, inflammation

Avoid altogether, especially if higher body fat

WINTER 2013

so if you are female and are having problems with excess body fat, acne, allergies, depression, asthma, etc., at any age, consider going gluten-free for a few weeks. Fill that void with healthy, lean proteins, veggies, fruits and good fats. Your body will thank you, and your health and performance will improve.

Soft drinks and excessive liquid calories. These products also contain sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and many other additives that increase inflammation. Too many liquid calories lead to overconsumption, since you consume them at a rate that does not allow the brain to send the signal that you are full.

Conventionally-raised fish, beef and pork. These animals are typically higher in fat, usually due to an unnatural, high-fat diet of grains which, in turn, requires excessive amounts of antibiotics to keep the animals healthy. These hormones and antibiotics appear in the food and in our bodies and pose a number of personal and public health concerns. Most pork chops, pulled pork, etc. are healthy for most athletes, but bacon and deli meats are covered in preservatives and should be consumed alongside other foods, not as the main attraction, and in their nitrite-free versions if possible. Since the fat on meat contains many hormones and additives (e.g., heavy metal residues), trim or drain the fat from any conventionally-raised meat.

A diet comprised of quality nutrients can increase your on-field performance by up to 15 percent. Photo: CBMT Creative breast, colon and prostate. Whey is promoted by the fitness industry for this very property, but this is not actually necessary given the natural increase in insulin release and absorption rate in the 20-minute to two-hour window following exercise. If you like the taste of dairy or would like to continue eating it as a part of your diet, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to have small amounts with full fat at meals to enhance the taste of the nutritious foods (e.g., cheese, cottage cheese, butter, whole milk). Dairy is also not a good source of calcium, which is better absorbed from more bioavailable sources like leafy greens and some fish such as salmon, sardines, perch and rainbow trout.

Be wary of dairy, even whey protein powders. Although dairy is a good source of healthy fat (e.g., butter), the protein and carbohydrates in dairy can cause an inflammatory response in many people. The carbohydrates in dairy (lactose) are not easily digested by most people after weaning, so everyone has a slight inflammatory response. Greek yogurt is usually better tolerated since its enzymes have already digested most of the lactose.

Additives and dyes. Additives such as partially hydrogenated oils (also known as trans-fats), high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, dyes, etc. are all addictive. They can make the gut more permeable and lead to inflammation and build-up while becoming toxic in fat cells. Trans-fats are solids at room temperature (think Crisco) and cannot be easily broken down by the body, so they can build up in tissues and cause inflammation. The body tries to use them in cell membranes, which then become rigid and impermeable, disrupting normal cell function. Highfructose products in Gatorade and other sports drinks can cause unnecessary blood sugar spikes if the body is not looking to absorb carbohydrates quickly (e.g., during exercise or after a game or tournament) and should be avoided most of the time. Good substitutes include coconut water, 100 percent juice, seltzer water, soups with broth and Celtic sea salt.

There are two major types of protein in dairy: casein and whey. The casein constitutes about 80 percent of the proteins and is known to have morphine-like effects. The whey makes up the remaining 20 percent and is a highly insulinogenic compound of hormones and protein that includes insulin, immunoglobulin, IGF-1, estrogen and other growth factors. Therefore, whey is also associated with high amounts of insulin release. Although the hormones and growth factors cannot pass through an intact barrier, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what happens when they pass through a leaky gut; these growth factors are also associated with cancers such as 39

U S A U lt i m at e

Don’t let this be

your last issue of

USA Ultimate! It’s the holiday season again, which means it’s also time to renew your USA Ultimate membership! Get the most out of your membership by renewing early, plus take advantage of discounts available only in December! Anyone who purchases a new multi-year membership will also receive a one-time 20 percent discount in the USA Ultimate Store at shop.usaultimate.org! In addition to playing in USA Ultimate events, members’ dues support the growth of ultimate at all levels – from youth to college to club and masters. They also support educational and youth development, coaching programs, event sanctioning, the championship series and much, much more!

Renew your membership today!

DOWNFIELD DEFENSE

CLEATS & CONES U U LTIMATE DRILLS AND SKILLS BY

LTICOACH

The Downfield Defender A strong downfield defender has speed, quickness and, above all, a solid understanding of defensive positioning and the ability to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the field. A great downfield defender has the ability to dictate where their check can go on the field using quickness and their body positioning. Lastly, downfield defense relies on mental toughness to constantly react to the disc while maintaining correct defensive positioning.

“Quadrant D” Defensive Positioning

Key Concepts for Strong Downfield Defense The diagram to the right shows the basic concept of Quadrant man-to-man defense. The field is divided into 4 quadrants, each of which requires different positioning. Generally speaking, you should be in between the disc and your check, and the closer your check is the the disc, the tighter your coverage should be.

Focus For Each Development Level BEGINNER

INTERMEDIATE

Commit to staying within arms reach of your check. Keep in mind the direction of the force and try to stay on the correct side of your check. Try to avoid chasing; dictate where your check can go on the field.

Denying the “underneath” or short pass should be your priority for most situations. Force your check to go deep, while staying close enough that you can challenge the lower-percentage long throw.

ADVANCED

Continue to focus on denying the underneath cut and pass, but be mindful to position yourself according to where the disc and the force dictate. Watch the hips, not the head, for an indication as to where your check will cut.

ABOUT THE BEGINNER DRILL

ABOUT THE INTERMEDIATE DRILL

ABOUT THE ADVANCED DRILL

As with any skill, learning the basics well and practicing strong fundamentals will provide you with the tools to succeed. An effective downfield defender relies on proper positoning, quick feet and balance. Remember to try to stay on the open side, don’t over-pursue when defending a break side cut.

Use this drill to simulate one-on-one situations going deep. Focus on timing your jump to catch or ‘D’ the disc at the highest point you can. Additionally, this is great for footwork, agility and endurance.

Truly great downfield defenders can simultaneously be in position to dictate where their checks can go on the field and be aware of where the disc is at all times. Stay as close as possible as the offensive player is going deep, while maintaining position to deny the underneath cut.

Action Box

6 4+

USEFUL FOR: ● Guarding cutters, cutting METHOD: ● Cones are spaced 10 yards apart ● Cutter starts on edge of box or in middle. Cutter has 10 seconds to get open, defender’s goal is to force turn ● Expand box to allow for deep cuts PERFORMANCE TIPS: ● Defenders: experiment with positioning on cutter ● Cutters: experiment with different ways of cutting COMPETITION: ● Play tournament style, person who catches moves on

Fast Feet, Shuffle, Deep

6 3+

USEFUL FOR: ● Guarding cutters, cutting METHOD: ● 2 players start between cones, side by side, doing fast feet (running on the spot) ● Player with disc motions for pair to shuffle left, right, forward or backward ● When thrower says ‘go’ the 2 players run deep and try to catch disc that is quickly thrown PERFORMANCE TIPS: ● Focus on driving arms forward when you hear “go” ● Find the disc and its trajectory as fast as possible COMPETITION: ● Play tournament style, person who catches moves on

Defending in the Lane

1 3+

USEFUL FOR: ● One-on-one defense, offensive cuts METHOD: ● Aim to receive underneath pass by cutting deep, then cutting in ● Throws can be short or deep ● Defenders try and stop all throws CHALLENGE: Have a marker on the thrower COMPETITION: 1 point for deep pass completion, 2 points for in cut completion

ulticoach.com

Created by world champion players and coaches, UltiCoach is the world’s premier provider of Ultimate training and coaching materials. For more drills, skills, and Ultimate stuff visit www.ulticoach.com

x x

Insight and tips from coaches, for coaches

COACHES’ PLAYBOOK

Authentic Ultimate: Part Three

KYLE WEISBROD

This is part 3 of a series on Authentic Ultimate. Part 1 (Summer 2013, USA Ultimate) provided the background on coaching philosophies, defines Authentic Ultimate, and provides the reasons for Authentic Ultimate. Part 2 described foundational strategies and tools for achieving an Authentic Ultimate team. Part 3 is focused on what I believe to be what is both the capstone strategy as well as the driving reason for Authentic Ultimate.

Give Opportunities for Players to Be Open

they are feeling about the team. These checkins can also include goal-setting discussions and other team related talk but the space should be there for players to talk about any subject that is on the players’ mind. You can also do these in less formal ways practice to practice, but setting aside time often results on more focused/ present discussion for both you and the player.

From my experience, I believe that if you are on a team of 20 or so people for four or more months, there are at least 1 or 2 people and likely 3 or more that during that time are dealing with a significant life event outside of Ultimate. These events could include the passing or serious illness of a close friend or relative, a parents’ divorce, a season-ending injury, a break-up of a significant relationship, a change in or realization of sexual identity, or a mental-health disorder (e.g. depression or anxiety). For HS and College teams there are always seniors working to process an upcoming life transition and decisions around college or career. This is where creating authentic relationships makes a real impact on players lives, going beyond just on field success.

•B uddy Check-ins: Have everyone assigned to a buddy group and give them check-in opportunities throughout the season. Friday or Saturday evenings of tournaments provide a great opportunity for these talks. It’s helpful to provide structure to this talk. For example, players can talk about where they are in achieving their own personal goals, but space should be there for players to talk about non on-field topics.

The strategies listed in the previous issue are helpful in creating a positive, supportive environment where every individual feels valued. Giving opportunities for players to be open is about creating space for players to share their challenges and receive support. I call these “check-ins” and check-ins can take one of a few different forms.

• Team Check-ins: Set aside time for every player to talk to the whole team. The team check-in is important because for really difficult issues that a player wants their teammates to know about, giving them an opportunity to say it once to everyone can make it much easier. These can be challenging at a tournament because of the amount of time that they may take, but are great the day after a tournament when your team needs a day of physical recovery but also has the opportunity to get together as a team. If you

• Coach/Player one-on-ones: Set-up 10-20 minutes with each player at least once per season to check-in about how they are doing and how WINTER 2013

Team check-ins provide players the opportunity to address the whole team and share any issues, challenges or concerns. Photo: CBMT Creative

done in group settings, other players on the team will know what the player needs to hear in response. I have been continually impressed by my players’ ability to provide emotional support to each other. But do make a point to checkin with players later and offer them support, particularly for ongoing issues or issues that they are processing.

want to do it at a tournament, you can ask them to keep their check-ins short (1-3 sentences) and then, if a player brings a significant issue to the table, either give them more time or follow-up with them in a one-on-one.

A few things to keep in mind about check-ins:

• If you learn of a situation as a coach that raises concerns about a players’ health and or safety (e.g. you suspect they are victims of domestic abuse or have the potential to harm themselves or others), it is your ethical (and in some situations legal) duty to get help. If you have those concerns, immediately contact experts/ authorities who can assist you.

• Players will share what they are comfortable sharing. You shouldn’t force anybody to share anything or “out” a topic that you know about. Most check-ins will be focused on immediate, team or personal Frisbee related topics and that’s completely okay. The purpose of these check-ins is to provide space for players to talk not to manufacture a discussion. And some of those Frisbee related topics may need addressing as well (e.g. a player feeling like his game wasn’t on, a player concerned about team dynamics, a player who isn’t happy with her playing time).

Check-ins of any sort are valuable for any team regardless of the groundwork the team has already done to create a supportive culture. However, when players do feel individually supported and valued, check-ins can be season changing for a team and, even more importantly, life-changing for a person. It is also the foundation of lifelong relationships because the intimacy, personal knowledge, and skills learned in these settings can extend for years and decades after the team no longer steps on a field together.

•D on’t stress out about the response to important issues that players share. When I began doing this, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t know how to respond to something serious and personal that a player of mine was sharing. In some cases I shied away from these discussions, but what I learned is that it really is not about my response. For most people sharing a significant life challenge/issue, the act of talking about it and being heard itself will make a positive impact. In many cases where the sharing is

The conclusion of Authentic Ultimate will be in Spring 2014 issue and will focus on team decision making within the framework of Authentic Ultimate.

U S A U lt i m at e

Reflections on spirit from members of the ultimate community

THE SPIRIT CIRCLE The Basic Joy of Play

Martin Aguilera

The United States U-23 Mixed National Team traveled to Toronto, Canada this summer for the 2013 World Flying Disc Federation’s Under-23 World Championships. They left Toronto with a perfect record, a gold medal, the team spirit award and dozens of new friends. Head Coach Martin Aguilera recounts his team’s approach to the Championships, their own team dynamic and all those competing around them. reasons, I also knew that we/I had to have fun. Win or lose, things would be better if we had fun together. The long points would be easier, and the stories would be better. The fun we had in training camp built connections between players that carried through the tournament. The games became less about the score and more about shared experiences with friends.

I had the good fortune of coaching a wonderful group of individuals this past summer, the United States U-23 Mixed National Team. Along with my assistant coaches, Jason Simpson and Jamie Nuwer, we set to work creating a positive team dynamic as soon as we arrived in Buffalo, N.Y., for training camp, a dynamic anchored in respect for teammates and competitors alike. As a result, we were earned gold in both the tournament and the mixed division’s spirit rankings. Many of my players had competed in Worlds tournaments before, but this was my first appearance. I knew, and still know, that I may never get another chance to represent the United States. And while winning was terribly important to me for selfish WINTER 2013

As far as I could tell, our team did the things other teams did, so I’m not sure what in particular set us and our spirit apart at the World Championships. We had lots of cheers, we did spirit circles after each game with our opponents, and we kept the focus on our good plays rather than their bad plays. If there was one thing that seemed to make us unique amongst the other competitors, it was our faithful companion “Boomie,” a boom box that played tunes everywhere we went. It served as the soundtrack to at least one dance off and made us very easy to find in the stands of the showcase games. While Boomie wasn’t the sole source of any lightheartedness, it certainly led to a lot of fun. It seems likely that our “good spirit” came from the inclusive nature of the fun we had playing together. One team member put it well, later writing, “We had a lot of fun being there, so it was fun to be there with us.” We constantly pulled other players and teams into being as goofy, as loud and as playful as we were. We did it with respect and out of the sense that it is more fun to involve more people. We avoided jeers and jumped into any cheer, whether we started it or not. At the end of the tournament, one player referred 44

to the team as “the most fun team” they’ve been on. The players are young, but even as a 21-year veteran of the sport, I would agree that the U-23 mixed squad was probably the most fun team with which I have ever been involved. Finding out we had won the spirit award was quite a surprise. Upon hearing we had won, one of our captains turned to me and told me they’d never won a spirit award before. As for me, the last time I remember winning a spirit award was in 1992. It’s not an easy or everyday accomplishment. There are clearly lots of elements of spirit I am not touching on in this piece, and I could easily dissect the spirit of individual plays or specific philosophies, as many do. But the main thing I am left with at the conclusion of this article is that our good spirit in Toronto likely came from not putting the focus on winning the argument, the point or the game, but on having more fun with more people.

The fun we had in training camp built connections between players that carried through the tournament. The games became less about the score and more about shared experiences with friends.

One thing I know for sure is that I was fortunate to have the players I did. Without them, we probably wouldn’t have won the tournament, and we certainly wouldn’t have won the spirit award.

The basic joy of play earned the United States U-23 Mixed National Team both a gold medal and a spirit medal at the 2013 WFDF Under-23 World Championships in Montreal this summer. Photo: CBMT Creative

U S A U lt i m at e

USA Ultimate’s Standing Rules Committee Chair responds to common rules

WHAT�S THE CALL

Jon Bauman

questions.

Situation: Game times were predetermined for the bracket; the round in question had a hard time cap at 3:50 p.m. with no soft time cap. At 3:50, the score was tied, and a point was in progress. At 3:51 p.m., one of the teams scored. No horn was blown at 3:50 due to an error by the TD. Does the scoring team win or do they keep playing until the horn?

When is a hand check required, other than after a dead disc? Is a pull out of bounds that someone else touches a dead disc that must be checked into play by the defense? A check, either by having a defender touch the disc or by touching the disc to the ground when no defender is near enough, is only required on a dead disc (i.e., after a stoppage of play due to a call or dispute). See VIII.D. A ground touch, which does not require defensive readiness, is required any time a live disc is put into play, such as when you are walking a disc to the appropriate spot and then setting a pivot. See II.R.2.

Since the rule is based on time, and a time was specified, I would interpret that as time being the normative indicator. The point of horns is to be an impartial signal of time. However, when the horn is absent it makes sense to go by the best available source of time rather than playing indefinitely. Assuming there was no disagreement about the time at which the goal was scored, the game should be played according to the hard time cap being applied at 3:50, so the game was over when the goal was scored at 3:51.

There is no rule which states a pull out-of-bounds touched by anyone is a dead disc. An out-ofbounds pull is a live disc and therefore requires only a ground touch – not defensive readiness – when it is put into play.

The intent of time cap rules is to make games end. In the case where there is disagreement about the timing of the goal, I would tend to argue in favor of the interpretation that causes the game to end. Ultimately, such disputes are to be settled by the event organizer, but to make a game go on longer to the benefit of the team which did not already have the lead seems contrary to the spirit of the rule. WINTER 2013

Hand checks are only required on a dead disc and require defensive readiness. Photo: CBMT Creative

Although the rule may seem a little confusing, a team must have at least two and no more than seven players on the field in order to signal readiness. Photo: CBMT Creative

In rule VIII.B.3, the sentence, “The pull may be made only after the puller and a player on the receiving team both raise their hands to signal their team’s readiness to begin play. A team must have a minimum of two players AND a maximum of seven players on the field in order to signal readiness.” is a little ambiguous only because I am not sure if the word “and” should be “or.” Should a team have both two players minimum and seven players maximum or either of the two criteria? Which is the correct answer here? There are two propositions in this sentence – call them P(x) and Q(x) where x stands for the number of players on the field. We wish to combine the two propositions to determine whether a team with x players on the field should be allowed to signal readiness.

P(x)

Q(x)

P(x) AND Q(x)

P(x) OR Q(x)

false

true

false

true

false

true

false

true

P(x) is true if a team has a minimum of two players. That is, P(0) and P(1) are false, but P(2), P(3), … , P(∞) (any x > 2) are all true.

true

Q(x) is true if a team has a maximum of seven players. That is Q(0), Q(1), …, Q(7) are all true (any x in the range [0, 7]), but Q(8), Q(9), …, Q(∞) (any x > 7) are all false.

true

false

true

⋮

We know the values of P(x) and Q(x) for all values of x from zero to infinity. The question is, should the rule be P(x) AND Q(x) or P(x) OR Q(x). We can settle that pretty easily with an examination of the values of the two expressions for different values of x:

∞

true

false

true

So, we can see, if we use “AND” there are five different situations that allow a team to signal readiness: when they have two, three, four, five, six or seven players on the field. If we use “OR,” a team would be allowed to signal readiness if they had any number of players from zero to infinity on the field. I think it’s clear we want “AND.” Either that or we’re going to have to make the field bigger.

U S A U lt i m at e

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LOCAL LEAGUE SPOTLIGHT

A look at local leagues around the country

Dallas Ultimate Association BY Jeff “JJ” Jordan

a U-19 team that competed at the 2013 Youth Club Championships. They were the first Texas-based team to compete at the Youth Club Championships since 2006. We will be offering our first non-high school based youth league in 2014.

Ultimate players have been playing in winter leagues in the Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) Metroplex since the 1980s. The Dallas Ultimate Association (DUA) was formally founded in the 1990s to promote the playing of ultimate in North Texas. The association was formed as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization that could sign legal contracts for fields, source and supply insurance, and organize ultimate’s growth in the DFW Metroplex. 2013 marks the 25th anniversary of the Dallas Winter League, the area’s largest league. A whole bunch of volunteers have helped DUA run its leagues in the past 25 years: organizing, captaining, constructing schedules, lining fields, preparing and serving food, and generally assisting and directing play.

Like most local organizers, we struggle with field access and rental issues. Just getting enough fields to play on is a continual challenge. But we’ve forged relationships with the two polo field entities in our area and various city parks and recreation departments. We run some of our leagues under city umbrellas and some of them on our own, using our own general liability insurance policy to provide coverage for play. Our webmaster maintains our WordPress site, dallasultimate.org, which allows us to do league registration and payment directly, helping us avoid having to pay a third party for the service.

DUA now runs co-ed leagues year round with over 1000 participating players. Winter League has grown from 200 players in 2000-01 to over 600 players for 201314, in which 26 teams will compete over 10 weeks and across two divisions: recreational and competitive. We serve food on the fields after play to provide a great social experience for the players after competition. For our other leagues, we encourage after-play attendance at selected restaurants.

In 2013, DUA partnered with USA Ultimate as the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the National Championships held in Frisco, Texas. Volunteers supplied over 2000 man hours to assist USA Ultimate in providing a great tournament experience. We matured as an organization in meeting the varied requirements of being the LOC for a Triple Crown Tour event and have already experienced increased interest in ultimate and registration for our leagues as a result of Nationals being held locally. The increased interest across the spectrums of age and experience presents more opportunities for us to continue to grow ultimate in our hometown.

Since its inception, DUA has supported teams from the DFW area across all divisions, from youth to college and all club divisions, in addition to running its own co-ed leagues. We set up field reservations for teams under our umbrella and supply stipends to teams and tournaments on an as-needed basis. We also support an annual summer tournament, the Texas 2 Finger. Local high school coaches, mostly teachers, have been instrumental in the growth of high school ultimate in our area over the past three to four years. As a result, DUA organized its first high school league in 2013 for 12 area teams. We also sponsored Texas Two Step, 49

U S A U lt i m at e

NEWS & NOTES

News and updates from USA Ultimate headquarters in Boulder, Colo.

2014 USA Ultimate Championship Events

USA Ultimate Board of Directors Adds Four for 2014

2014 College Championships – Cincinnati, Ohio

Following October’s election period and the recently completed appointment process, the composition of the 2014 USA Ultimate Board of Directors has been finalized.

Dates: May 23-26 Venues: Heritage Oak Park, Mason High School

DeAnna Ball (Columbus, Ohio), Brian Garcia (San Francisco, Calif.) and Val Belmonte (Chicago, Ill.) will be joining the Board in 2014. Current Board of Directors President Mike Payne (Oakland, Calif.) will rejoin the group for a fourth term.

2014 U.S. Open Championships – Blaine, Minn. Dates: July 3-6 Venue: National Sports Center

Ball won the At-Large election while Brian Garcia will fill the Elite Athlete position after running unopposed. Val Belmonte and Mike Payne will fill two of the Board’s appointed positions. Both bring considerable industry knowledge and leadership abilities to the Board of Directors.

2014 High School Regional Championships Centrals – Ames, Iowa Dates: May 17-18 Venue: Iowa State University Northeasterns – Portland, Maine Dates: May 10-11 Venue: Wainwright Recreation Complex

The new directors replace outgoing Board members Greg Downey, Mandy Eckhoff and Colin McIntyre.

Southerns – Greenville County, S.C. Dates: May 10-11 Venue: MeSA Complex Westerns – Corvallis, Ore. Dates: May 31 – June 1 Venue: Crystal Lake Sports Fields

2014 Youth Club Championships – Blaine, Minn.

DeAnna Ball

Brian Garcia

Mike Payne

Val Belmonte

Dates: August 9-10 Venue: National Sports Center Stay tuned to usaultimate.org for all the details on USA Ultimate’s 2014 championship events.

U S A U lt i m at e

NEWS & NOTES New Team Member Joins USA Ultimate Staff Tyler Krajec was recently hired as USA Ultimate’s new Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs – College. He will oversee the organization’s college division programs, as well as other programs throughout the year. He will assist in the management of events, including event direction/management, registration and processing, event communication and support of personnel and relevant committees. Krajec played ultimate at the University of Georgia as both an undergraduate and a graduate student while earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration in management and a master’s degree in kinesiology: sports management and policy. Professionally, he has held internships with the University of Georgia Club Sports Department and Core Soccer. He has also worked as a program director for the Boy Scouts of America and as a claims case manager for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

New Technology Platform for USA Ultimate On Dec. 2, USA Ultimate officially launched a new technology platform featuring a variety of new services and benefits designed to serve members and the greater ultimate community. Upon initial launch, several features were readily accessible, while others will be part of a second phase launch in early 2014.

• Improved team management features, including master season roster, team personnel management, team history and event registration USA Ultimate continues to test phase two, which for the first time will include USA Ultimate’s own fully integrated event builder and score reporting function. The event builder will be synched with team databases, player profiles, and registration and payment functionalities. The new event management system will integrate team rostering and event registration with public team and event pages. Additional details about the new technology platform and the upcoming new features are available on the USA Ultimate website.

Time to Renew Your Membership! Now is a great time to renew your USA Ultimate membership! Renew today to ensure you continue receiving great benefits, including USA Ultimate magazine. USA Ultimate also offers discounted rates for multi-year, youth, coach and coach/player memberships. Remember, your membership dues support the development of ultimate programs, including youth programs, coaching education, event sanctioning and more. Sign up today, save money, and continue supporting the growth and development of ultimate across the United States!

Highlights of the new system available now include: • Membership registration • Enhanced payment features, including the ability to purchase multiple memberships with a single transaction • More individual member account features such as history, event activity, member roles, clinic registration, certifications and notifications

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