More Mind-numbing Blowing, due to Ultimate Frisbee

Nationals....right around the corner. And ultimate is driving me crazy.

Three more regionals going on, and I have an exam at 8 am, Monday morning. I'm worthless for a few more days.

Northwest Region....WTF!? UBC is not going? They looked super strong at Centex beating a super strong Wisconsin team in the 3rd place game. Oregon getting pwned by Washington in the crossover game 5-13, AND losing to Stanford in the semis? They did set themselves up nicely to take that third bid, with a pretty easy game vs. Humboldt State in the backdoor semis, while UBC had a more difficult game vs. California. That's some crazy stuff, from a crazy awesome region. I really wish they had four bids. If there was a cause to argue for an additional bid to a region, I think the pure strength of this region for sure is argument enough. I WISH that I could have seen these games....especially the 3rd place backdoor game. I told Martha it was my prime game I wish I could watch.

New England. I'm a little nervous to see how Dartmouth and Northeastern perform. To say the least, Dartmouth got smoked in the "upper tier" of Centex, where most of these nationals teams fit in. Northeastern got smoked 1-15 by Carleton. I wouldn't mind seeing these teams pull a few upsets, but I'm going to say that they finish towards the back of the pack.

Great Lakes: played out nearly how I had imagined. Other than Notre Dame winning out their pool over Northwestern quite handily. Michigan takes the 1, Illinois takes the 2. As long as it's not too windy, Michigan could place fairly high. Illinois is a personal fav of mine. If they play consistent, they have a shot too. From what I saw of them, they can be a little streaky, but when they're playing well, they're playing well and can hang with some ballin' teams.

Nationals discussions coming soon.

-Robyn

Womens College Ultimate--Pre-Nationals Discussion Part 1

Chatter from April 25-26 Regionals

Atlantic Coast: UNC-Wilmington (1), UNC (2)
Central: Wisconsin (1), Carleton College (2), Iowa State (3)
Metro-East: Ottawa (1), Pennsylvania (2)
South: Washington University (1), St. Louis University (2)
Southwest: UC-Santa Barbara (1), Colorado (2), UCLA (3), USC (4)


Robyn:
Atlantic Coast
This one played out exactly how I thought it would. UNC and UNC-Wilmington are really strong teams. The 3rd - 5th place teams are good, but still not on the same tier as UNC and UNCW.

Central
Maybe I'm a little biased, but Wisconsin Bella Donna will be in the semis this year. They are stacked top to bottom. Their big losses were at Centex, in heartbreakers. I think their team has pushed hard to improve since then, and they are looking better than ever. Georgia Bosscher, leading the way, is a Callahan Nominee at the head of the pack of skilled players. Supported by handlers Amber Sinicrope, Emelie McKain, Jenny Koll, and several others...with cutters like Frances Tsukano, Laura Bitterman, Sandy Jorgenson, and Jenny Gaynor playing ridiculous defense and scoring on you all the time. Carleton College...I guess they're peaking at the right time. Ana Snyder is pretty fly. Iowa State is going to surprise some really good teams this year. I think they were completely overlooked by a lot of teams outside of our region. They can play in the worst weather (i.e. Midwest Throwdown and Central Regions) and can hold their own in the good stuff as well. Very versatile, and deep roster. Melissa Gibbs rules the skies, and Jasmine Draper will layout D you with her eyes shut.

Metro-East
I'm really surprised how the Metro-East Played out. Maryland gave Ottawa such a great game in the finals, and lost in universe point to Pennsylvania. That's a real heartbreak. Maryland's Charlie Mercier is one of the best women in college ultimate, and a really great leader. She did a lot for her team this year, and last year. They finished 10th at Centex. Ottawa is one of the best teams out there. They've got some good height and can run for days. The Lady Gee Gees should be looking to finish better than they did last year, in their first UPA College Series and first UPA College Championship appearance, ending in the quarters (placed 5th). Pennsylvania? Where did this team come from. Yes, they won their section, and were seeded 3rd, but they have really been missing on the "upper" level tourney circuit this year. Excited to see how they place.

South
The real Cinderella story of the 2009 UPA College Championships is Washington University. WUWU has made huge strides of improvement that most other teams did not. When we saw WUWU in fall, I did not think they were nationals-contending at all. But when I saw them play at Centex, it was a completely different team. They won the South, and are ready to surprise some people, I think. They beat SLULU, who has challenged some great teams this season, and pulled lots of upsets at Centex themselves. SLULU is very physical, very scrappy, and a great team. My question, is what happened to Texas? They lost to SLULU twice in the weekend, which I think is crazy.

Southwest
Once again, UC-Santa Barbara is leading the pack. Heads and shoulders above every other team in their region (their closest game was in the semis, 16-7 vs. UC-San Diego). They have only lost three games all year; that is saying something big. I think this team is for sure semis, if not finals bound this year. Colorado is peaking at the right time this year. In the fall, they had two losses to UW-Eau Claire, which I'm super proud of. Granted, fall season isn't a huge indicator of a team. But this team is a totally different team from then. Having some strong cutters back in their line-up, they've got a veteran team full of ballers. UCLA...their win over UCSB in sectionals is huge, but I would say that UCSB must have had a bad game. It's not that UCLA isn't good, they finished 3rd in a ridiculous region, but I don't think that they're capable of pulling out that win nine times out of ten this year. Blu is an ultimate dynasty and perennial nationals qualifier. Let's see what they can do. USC Hellions of Troy, despite their pokey skills off of the field, is a great team. They have been putting up good scores against good teams all season, but have come out of the woodwork to get to nationals. They played 15 games within 2 weeks. Pulling out some key wins says that this team is in good shape.

Regional Wrap Up....Coming Soon

SOL finished 4th, one spot shy of a UPA College Championship bid.

SOL accepted a bid to compete at D-III Nationals in Versailles, OH.

-Robyn

Central Regionals, It's Anyone's Game, We're Breaking Marks and Taking Names

So rather than finish my hypothesis testing homework for my stats class, I started thinking about Regionals ....again. I swear that everytime I look at the seeding/bracket, it has changed from 10 minutes ago. I can't think of anything else right now. Maybe it was my failed attempt at basketball last night, or homework at the library last night with the Cool Squad are truthful examples of such behavior.

This weekend it can be anybody's game. Let's be honest. Northfield, MN...quite similar geographically to Eau Cleazy. Fo' sheazy.

I'm expecting crap-tastic weather. Hopefully really crap-tastic. Guess who loves crap-tastic weather? THIS TEAM. This may, or may not come as a shock to you. SOL owned up at Centex on Saturday. . In the cup (and please note that it is an environmentally friendly cup made of 100% fully recycled material...because nomba one tree-hugging Robyn would have it no other way), we have Anna Hettler breaking hearts, and taking names. She get's more handblocks than a tae kwon do expert. That's all I'm saying.

We are ready to come out with more intensity and ferocity than a Katelyn Mater raptor. And that's pretty intense.

Sweet new cheer this weekend? I think you'll just have to wait and see...Get fired up to break some marks, and take some names, good SOLmates.

The greatest thing about this season, thus far, has been the fact that we are a team. One solid unit cohesively working towards the same goal. We work hard, push each other, challenge each other to improve, hold each other accountable to achieving our individual and team goals; but we do it all together. We have a very interesting, unique team dynamic, that cannot be compared to any other team. We have such an eccentric mix of personalities, learning styles, playing styles, leadership styles, etc. but it comes 2gether in a way, such that it has created a dream season for me to be apart of. I want to continue to be apart of this ...I'm not ready for it to be done. We win together, we lose together, we grow together, we fall together, we build together, we strive together, we learn together. No one has the answers, but we're working to figure them out. Regardless of where we come out this weekend, WE will be together. I don't even have to question it. The foundation that this team is built on is strong. Rock solid...like my geology class.

I'm excited about the challenges that our team will be facing as the season goes on. Tough teams, new looks, new ideas, new growth. We've been through some new experiences (No Wisconsequences, Centex) and been challenged by teams we've never seen before (Illinois, Pittsburgh, Georgia), and fought against some of the best (the Bella Donnas). We're ready to be tested once more this weekend.

HFP, (kind sir, or madam....please keep in mind that we say this with the nicest of intentions, but if you saw the colors of our white jerseys or our spray paint tats, you'd have to agree)

Let's do it up.

SOL Love,

(The Wisconsin State Bird)

Robyña

Regional Info

Respond to Martha (harrism@uwec.edu) with the following info ASAP:

1) Do you plan to attend Regionals?
2) Do you plan to attend the Girl Scout Training camp from 3:45 to 5:00 pm at Putnam Heights Elementary School?
3) What time can you leave for Northfield, MN (earliest departure = 5:30 pm)
4) Do you have a car to use?

Schedule and seedings = HERE

TELL YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AQUAINTENCES to come cheer us on! WE NEED EVERY VOICE WE CAN GET!

SIS Buddies
Don't forget to do something for your partner before our first game on Saturday to get them pumped and ready to kick butt!

• Lauren Novak (#00) and Anna Hettler (#2)
• Jess Haller (#1) and Melissa Jordan (#23)
• Roxie Schmidt (#3) and Tracie Anderson (#45)
• Beth Wright (#4) and Heather Wroten (#41)
• Iansa Zaldarriaga (#5) and Kate Peot (#37)
• Amy Brown (#6) and Ali Zellmer (#48)
• Steph Zinken (#7) and Paula Meyer (#72)
• Brit Gartner (#11) and Robyn Fennig (#44)
• Martha Harris (#10) and Cole Lence (#14)
• Shannon Abbott (#13) and Jen "J-Gro" Groshek (#17)
• Whit Esson (#25) and Rachel Culver (#33)
• Adele Christensen (#40) and Taylor Jenkins (#42)

**Kate Peot, Shannon Abbott, and Steph Zinken are all coming on SUNDAY only. Plan to exchange before Friday if necessary.....

Let's do this, SOL!

Hugs, Hucks, and High Fives,

Robyn