Flaming Moe didn't qualify for Nationals 2007, where we likely would have been seeded, like, 5th. Weird? Frustrating? Absolutely. Every time I look at the Nationals seedings I realize I'm still looking for our name. But that's that. The season is over, and we're all still fine (and great Ultimate players). Maybe you can get more out of me in person, but that's all I plan on writing about it.
Fortunately, there's still cool stuff on the internet.
Like this ballerina image.
Apparently, some people can see this spinning one way, and some the other. I can only see it spinning one direction, but I won't tell you which until after you look at it (in case the suggestion could affect how you see it?).
And ok, one more thing about Flaming Moe.
We did have a great season. I'm not going to say that it was so good that not going to Nationals doesn't matter, but we still did get to play with the top teams in competitive games all season, and those are experiences that we shouldn't soon forget.
Best of luck to Poodle, the VBBs, Rackages...
Showing posts with label Flaming Moe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flaming Moe. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
2nd place is the first loser?
Heavyweights in Chicago lived up to its name this year with Elite contenders from all over the nation. Going into the tournament Flaming Moe was the 2nd seed to Slow White - we'd seen Slow once in Boston (where Moe won) and once at Spawnfest (where Moe lost). Slow proved themselves the better team once again in Chicago, beating Moe handily, 15-7.
What this means: Unfortunately, barring some disastrous upsets early in the series, Moe doesn't have a shot at a #3 seed going into Nationals.
What this also means: Holy sh!t Moe! So you lost to the [now] #3 team in the nation... That makes us what? The worst team ever to be the 4th best team in the nation? Yeah...whuh? Hell no!
Moe has earned it's place at the top this season. Start owning your successes Moe! Realize who we are. If you're on Flaming Moe 2007, you're on the fastest, toughest, hardest working, best looking team in Mixed Ultimate. It doesn't get much better. It CAN'T get much better than this.
Sure, there's room for improvement, and we're going to make adjustments. But from here on out, for every point and every game, you're going to know - but more importantly, we are going to know - that Flaming Moe is on the field.
P.S. - I don't think that my readership extends very far into the Ultimate world (or the world in general) but for those of you that do read this; yeah, this is a rather candid and personal look at Flaming Moe, but I couldn't be prouder to be the first to tell you how well this team is going to play throughout the 2007 club series.
...So watch out.
What this means: Unfortunately, barring some disastrous upsets early in the series, Moe doesn't have a shot at a #3 seed going into Nationals.
What this also means: Holy sh!t Moe! So you lost to the [now] #3 team in the nation... That makes us what? The worst team ever to be the 4th best team in the nation? Yeah...whuh? Hell no!
Moe has earned it's place at the top this season. Start owning your successes Moe! Realize who we are. If you're on Flaming Moe 2007, you're on the fastest, toughest, hardest working, best looking team in Mixed Ultimate. It doesn't get much better. It CAN'T get much better than this.
Sure, there's room for improvement, and we're going to make adjustments. But from here on out, for every point and every game, you're going to know - but more importantly, we are going to know - that Flaming Moe is on the field.
P.S. - I don't think that my readership extends very far into the Ultimate world (or the world in general) but for those of you that do read this; yeah, this is a rather candid and personal look at Flaming Moe, but I couldn't be prouder to be the first to tell you how well this team is going to play throughout the 2007 club series.
...So watch out.
Monday, June 25, 2007
2007 Boston Invitational
This kind of says it all:
http://upa.org/scores/tourn.cgi?div=68&id=3537
Or maybe it doesn't if you're unfamiliar with the UPA Score Reporter, or the Club Mixed landscape... (Hint: Those are considered 8 of the very top mixed teams in the nation. Look at our seed going into the tournament, and look at the final standings.)
Yeah, we did very well.
Exactly HOW well we did is just sinking in too. Especially considering how much room for improvement there is on our team (just having a full roster would improve us for our next big tourney). Certainly it's possible (maybe even likely) that the other teams we played in Boston will improve as much as I see Moe improving by the time the series rolls around. But even if that's the case, it feels like Moe is going to have a much more competitive, productive and meaningful season than ever before.
Speaking of productivity - I'm starting Acceleration training tomorrow. Yikes.
I'm still a little worried about burning out physically, but I should hit my peak just around the Spawnfest tournament (Burlington, WA) in August, which is pretty much ideal. Between then and now... I just hope I have all the energy that I want for practice, etc... not to mention life in general. (I think Jeff has me a little over-anxious about his sprint-and-jump-'til-you-puke training stories from Acceleration.)
I am really looking forward to having a more structured workout program though. The idea of having an authoritative training figure (like it was to have a coach) back in my athletic life sounds good. We'll see how it goes.
http://upa.org/scores/tourn.cgi?div=68&id=3537
Or maybe it doesn't if you're unfamiliar with the UPA Score Reporter, or the Club Mixed landscape... (Hint: Those are considered 8 of the very top mixed teams in the nation. Look at our seed going into the tournament, and look at the final standings.)
Yeah, we did very well.
Exactly HOW well we did is just sinking in too. Especially considering how much room for improvement there is on our team (just having a full roster would improve us for our next big tourney). Certainly it's possible (maybe even likely) that the other teams we played in Boston will improve as much as I see Moe improving by the time the series rolls around. But even if that's the case, it feels like Moe is going to have a much more competitive, productive and meaningful season than ever before.
Speaking of productivity - I'm starting Acceleration training tomorrow. Yikes.
I'm still a little worried about burning out physically, but I should hit my peak just around the Spawnfest tournament (Burlington, WA) in August, which is pretty much ideal. Between then and now... I just hope I have all the energy that I want for practice, etc... not to mention life in general. (I think Jeff has me a little over-anxious about his sprint-and-jump-'til-you-puke training stories from Acceleration.)
I am really looking forward to having a more structured workout program though. The idea of having an authoritative training figure (like it was to have a coach) back in my athletic life sounds good. We'll see how it goes.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Poultry Days 2007
By far, the best Ultimate trip to Ohio that I've ever experienced. (In college I went to a tournament in Ohio, and with all of the crappy traffic we hit, and the crappy games that we played, I vowed never to return to that state... I've obviously, and gratefully gone back on that pledge. Flaming Moe and Poultry Days have saved Ohio for me.)
At the end of last week, Änna and I suddenly realized that we were actually going to play Ultimate - at a tournament - with Flaming Moe! ...something that we felt we hadn't done in a really long time... (7 months!) ...and something that we hadn't realized we'd been missing as much as we had.
Bright and early Friday morning, with expectations high, we got on the road.
The trip was relatively quick, and uneventful... which was great. We picked up Alicia in Rochester on the way down, ate some fast food, listened to some Dan Brown... We got into Versailles with enough light to set up tents and hang out/throw for a bit, before going to bed (early - like, 10pm... maybe trying to sleep a little extra for those who wouldn't be arriving for another couple hours).
Saturday we were matched up against a variety of teams that weren't as good as we were. :) Where every once and a while there would be a player on the other team that could match some of our players in individual skills/talent/speed, no team could match the cohesive offense and stifling team defense that Moe is already showing this early in the season. All of the tryouts vying for the last few spots on the team played well, both generally, and with in the Moe O and D systems. I do not envy the captains in their upcoming decisions.
Saturday night was fun. Much food was eaten. Lasagna, breadsticks, cheeseburgers, apple sauce... funnel cake! Watching Alicia in the All-Star game. Awkwardly walking through the carnival, waiting for it to get as fun as it looked. :) Circling back up at the tents, Moes expressing love via sarcasm. (Good point in your email, Dave, about how this can translate to the field.) Also, pistachios and vanilla wafers.
Sunday morning started off a little weird. The TD went nuts at us because we went into a huddle for a quick talk when the game was supposed to start. Instead of just letting us start a minute late, he yelled at us to get seven on the line, argued with us about the importance of starting on time, and caused us to start the game 2 minutes late. Pick your battles, dude. Anyway, Dave later talked to him and he regretted the incident, blaming the pressures of TDing for his attitude.
Then a major blow - Anton dislocates his shoulder laying out for a deep pass. It looked really painful. That sucks. Especially for Anton as one of the last few tryouts. I have no idea what the recovery process can be like for a dislocated shoulder (probably depends on if/what he tore), but I hope he can bounce back from this.
We got a bit down, and down on each other after this, and it showed in the game. Even up 7-4 at half some of us looked like we'd not only just lost the game, but that we'd caught our own teammates kicking puppies behind the wood pile on the other sideline. Dave said something like, "Come on guys! We're BFFs! We're winning! And those were evil puppies!" And everybody got there heads on straight to finish the game.
The next game we had was against a much higher caliber team. The kind of caliber that Moe most enjoys playing against. There were great plays coming from both teams, making the game easily the most exciting to both play in and watch. It seemed like we traded points in groups of three. Us, them, break, break. After our last run we were tied at 10s, they take a time out, and eventually score the last three. It'd been better if the pattern wouldn't have stuck there at the end of the game, but start-to-finish, each point was played hard, every disc contested, so I'm still happy with the result. Quarters finish for our first tournament.
Highlights: Mike and Elliot had some memorable layouts. Jaime ('that tiny girl!') kept beating everyone covering her. John was good in the air on 'O'. Mike's pulls. Jeanine and I got Callahans. Änna flicking everybody off.
I shouldn't have gone there...
The drive home's highlight was Ruby Tuesdays. We gorged on salad bar and burgers for a good hour. We got home just after 1am, which is so much better than 5am (although I think I'd still be able to blog at work either way). Meeting tonight to decide the final '07 team. I don't see how it can go smoothly. :) But I'm excited for the next tournament either way.
*Oh, and maybe I'll bring the video camera to check out footage from the weekend. I don't think I got anything awesome, but it could still be fun. (Could a Video Blog Post be on the horizon?!)
At the end of last week, Änna and I suddenly realized that we were actually going to play Ultimate - at a tournament - with Flaming Moe! ...something that we felt we hadn't done in a really long time... (7 months!) ...and something that we hadn't realized we'd been missing as much as we had.
Bright and early Friday morning, with expectations high, we got on the road.
The trip was relatively quick, and uneventful... which was great. We picked up Alicia in Rochester on the way down, ate some fast food, listened to some Dan Brown... We got into Versailles with enough light to set up tents and hang out/throw for a bit, before going to bed (early - like, 10pm... maybe trying to sleep a little extra for those who wouldn't be arriving for another couple hours).
Saturday we were matched up against a variety of teams that weren't as good as we were. :) Where every once and a while there would be a player on the other team that could match some of our players in individual skills/talent/speed, no team could match the cohesive offense and stifling team defense that Moe is already showing this early in the season. All of the tryouts vying for the last few spots on the team played well, both generally, and with in the Moe O and D systems. I do not envy the captains in their upcoming decisions.
Saturday night was fun. Much food was eaten. Lasagna, breadsticks, cheeseburgers, apple sauce... funnel cake! Watching Alicia in the All-Star game. Awkwardly walking through the carnival, waiting for it to get as fun as it looked. :) Circling back up at the tents, Moes expressing love via sarcasm. (Good point in your email, Dave, about how this can translate to the field.) Also, pistachios and vanilla wafers.
Sunday morning started off a little weird. The TD went nuts at us because we went into a huddle for a quick talk when the game was supposed to start. Instead of just letting us start a minute late, he yelled at us to get seven on the line, argued with us about the importance of starting on time, and caused us to start the game 2 minutes late. Pick your battles, dude. Anyway, Dave later talked to him and he regretted the incident, blaming the pressures of TDing for his attitude.
Then a major blow - Anton dislocates his shoulder laying out for a deep pass. It looked really painful. That sucks. Especially for Anton as one of the last few tryouts. I have no idea what the recovery process can be like for a dislocated shoulder (probably depends on if/what he tore), but I hope he can bounce back from this.
We got a bit down, and down on each other after this, and it showed in the game. Even up 7-4 at half some of us looked like we'd not only just lost the game, but that we'd caught our own teammates kicking puppies behind the wood pile on the other sideline. Dave said something like, "Come on guys! We're BFFs! We're winning! And those were evil puppies!" And everybody got there heads on straight to finish the game.
The next game we had was against a much higher caliber team. The kind of caliber that Moe most enjoys playing against. There were great plays coming from both teams, making the game easily the most exciting to both play in and watch. It seemed like we traded points in groups of three. Us, them, break, break. After our last run we were tied at 10s, they take a time out, and eventually score the last three. It'd been better if the pattern wouldn't have stuck there at the end of the game, but start-to-finish, each point was played hard, every disc contested, so I'm still happy with the result. Quarters finish for our first tournament.
Highlights: Mike and Elliot had some memorable layouts. Jaime ('that tiny girl!') kept beating everyone covering her. John was good in the air on 'O'. Mike's pulls. Jeanine and I got Callahans. Änna flicking everybody off.
I shouldn't have gone there...
The drive home's highlight was Ruby Tuesdays. We gorged on salad bar and burgers for a good hour. We got home just after 1am, which is so much better than 5am (although I think I'd still be able to blog at work either way). Meeting tonight to decide the final '07 team. I don't see how it can go smoothly. :) But I'm excited for the next tournament either way.
*Oh, and maybe I'll bring the video camera to check out footage from the weekend. I don't think I got anything awesome, but it could still be fun. (Could a Video Blog Post be on the horizon?!)
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tryouts '07
Well, Flaming Moe had its third tryout for the '07 season last night. And I finally started playing. The first two tryouts were fine, but I was playing quite "conservatively." I had a couple opportunities that I could have done more with on D, especially. Last night was a little bit better though. I shut down a couple people, beat someone out in the air, and had a couple of nice throws completed. I don't want to sound like Lou here (wink wink), so I will admit that I'm still a work in progress for this season... I just finally felt like I was coming into my own a little bit. (It's a true luxury to be a returner at tryouts, because I have the opportunity to 'come into my own...' I'm trying to take as little advantage of that as possible though - it's definitely a lot more comfortable to play my way onto the team.)
Other than on the field, it's been fun talking to tryouts on the sidelines and getting an idea of what Moe '07 could look like. There's going to be a lot of weight on the returner's shoulders this year - and especially, I think, in the handler postitions. But when I take a step back and consider only the top 10% of the field (the top tryouts), I see Moe being better than before (Best Case Scenario), or just within reach of the talent we had last year (and that's Worst Case Scenario). Best of luck captains.
Other than on the field, it's been fun talking to tryouts on the sidelines and getting an idea of what Moe '07 could look like. There's going to be a lot of weight on the returner's shoulders this year - and especially, I think, in the handler postitions. But when I take a step back and consider only the top 10% of the field (the top tryouts), I see Moe being better than before (Best Case Scenario), or just within reach of the talent we had last year (and that's Worst Case Scenario). Best of luck captains.
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