Ultimate Fryjol

El tercer equipo de Ultimate en Ibague, que comparte campo con nuestros padawans abre sus puerta virtuales

http://adictodisc.blogspot.com/

Larga vida a los adictos al disco!

PERSONAL

PREGUNTA: Santiago, Lugar y fecha de nacimiento?

Bogota, Mayo 1 de 1982

P: Háblanos un poco de tus otras ocupaciones, a parte del Ultimate a que te dedicas?

Soy medico Veterinario, me dedico a la conservación animal, trabajo en un Bio-paruqe que se esta creando cerca de Bogota.

P: Que hay en la vida de Santiago en su tiempo libre?

Ultimate…

P: Que música escuchas?

De todo un poco, soy abierto a l musica.

DEPORTIVO EN GENERAL

P: Cuantos anos llevas en el ultimate?

3 años y 10 meses

P: En que equipos has estado?

Empece con el equipo de la u( la Salle), pero simpre e estado en Séregon. A, y Gravedad Zero para torneos informales, cuartetos, quintetos, mixed.

P: Hablemos un poco de la actualidad, en este momento, con que equipos te encuentras vinculado y de que manera?

Pues en compañía de mi mentor (Migue OsO) dirigimos la selección de la Universidad de la Salle actualmente, estamos buscando meternos a E.A.F.I.T (valga la cuña), y en Seéregon vinculado totalmente, en este momento soy el coordinador tecnico y tactico junto a peter77.

P: Como va el proceso de Seregon? Que jugadores son fundamentales? Cuales jugadores ves con mucho futuro?

El proceso de Séregon a sido un video, a entrado y salido mucha gente (unos por “mi” culpa). Desde la fundación del equipo por halla en el 2oo4 hasta ahora solo quedamos Pedro y yo, el resto a volado. Ahora nos encontramos en un proceso de transformación quie lleva como un año largo y en este momentol estamos trabajando con un grupo de gente nuevo, con otro equipo de la farándula bogotana. Tratando de unir poderes.

Jugadores fundamentales, para mi, todos los que van a un entreno y se la meten toda, saln sonados.

P: Cuando esta pensando en Seregon en un campeonato? Como lo ven dentro del proceso interno?

Pues llevábamos un buen proceso hasta la mitad del año pasado, habíamos jugado muy buenos torneos en el comienzo de la temporada, pero hubo un retroceso en la base del equipo, entonces fue como empezar de nuevo para enfrentar el nacional, duro trabajo.

La mentalidad ahora es seguir entrenando, duro!!! Para meternos en la jugada de la Elite. Hacer partidos importantes, con mentalidad y preparación, repito, es un trabajo duro.

P: Santiago, cual es la versión oficial de Seregon frente al episodio con los jugadores que se movieron a Euforia. Que paso?

Pues en realidad no puedo dar una versión por todos los que nos sentimos faltoniados, pero le doy mi versión.

En realidad los 3 casos para mi son diferentes, con un par de estos personajes compartí resto de tiempo, viajes y parche, pero a la final no compartíamos nuestra visión de “ganar” en el ultimate, hubo un poco de afán. El otro personajes emigro por cuestiones de costo/beneficio, nada que decir.

P: Marcación en Hombre o en Zona?

Mixta, depende como uno lea el rival y el ambiente del partido. Pero personal siempre será mas caliente, a la defensiva me gusta jugar mas personal.

P: Juego cortico y rápido, o largo?

Largo, Séregon se a caracterizado por definir desde lejos. Aunque hay momentos de inspiración en que se ve un flujo rebonito (porahi de ves en cuando).

P: Jugadas preparadas o flujo?

Jugadas preparadas para salir, para iniciar avances, flujo para definir.

P: El mejor jugador que ha enfrentado?

De afuera a Pablo y a ese chinito malcriadito del 3 en 1, tremendos chamos pa jugar.

En el rigor criollo, pa que, hay que admitirlo, al negro del Choko y a Juan Pablo Zuluaga antes de su lesion y Tulio.

P: El mejor equipo que ha enfrentado?

Uyyy, Kwata en sus epocas doradas.

P: Su momento mas feliz en el ultímate?

Uyyy, cuando le ganamos a Urutao en Cajica, ganarle a ese equipo a sido de lo mas llenador en l ultimate, asi gol de oro, un aguacero el HP,, no no no!

P: Su momento mas triste en el ultímate?

Cuando se acabo el DV2600 del año pasado. Hacer el recuentro del trabajo del año y ver como el proceso echo para atras me dio duro.

HISTORIA SEREGON

En que año se fundo su equipo?

Marzo o Abril del 2004.

Como nace su equipo? Lugar? Miembros originales?

Pues nace de la union de las selecciones de la Sabana y la Salle de ese momento. Eso fue aca en Bogota. Y pues miembros originales, Pedro y yo, luego entro Diego Pelos que aun sigue guerreando con nosotros, de resto es gente de un año para aca que a entrado y se a quedado.

Usualmente siempre hay un hecho que marca el nacimiento del equipo, un partido, una reunión, un torneo, cual fue ese hecho que definió el nacimiento del suyo?

Coimpresores, Medellín, 2004. jugar ese torneo nos frito la cabeza a Pedro y a mi, desde ahí, entregados por completo al equipo.

Alguien o algo los inspiro para la creación del equipo?

El abuelito, El anciano Mayor, el Migue oso. Pero lo que mas nos inspiro creo que fue el echo de ver jugar a los mejores equipos y las ganas de hacerles buenos partidos en la cancha.

En el momento en que nació el equipo, se pensaba en que fuera un conjunto recreativo o competitivo?

Jajajaja, gracias por aclarar mi cabeza con esa pregunta. Creo que cuando nacio el equipo (y en este momento) hubo poca gente con mentalidad competitiva y muchos con mentalidad recreativa y farandulistica.

Quien fue la fuerza fundamental detrás de esos primeros días del equipo?

El rpoceso universitario, eso ayudo a que la gente del equipo entrenara 5 dias a la semana.

En esos primeros momentos del equipo, había personas que habían jugado ultímate antes? Quienes?

Nada, todo a sido un proceso empírico, nunca hemos tenido un entrenador o preparador, puro ultivillage y rebuscar en Internet. Pero todos éramos renuevones cuando empezamos

Cuanto tiempo paso antes de que sucediera el primer entrenamiento formal?

Nada, un día jugamos Salle contra Sabana, hicimos una reunión, creamos el equipo y esa misma semana empezamos a entrenar.

Háblanos un poco de cómo eran esos primeros entrenamientos? Cuantas personas asistían?

Pues practicabamos mucho pero mucho disco, casi nada de fisico, y veneco a la lata, maldito drill ya me sabe a cacho.

Quien fue su maestro, en fundamentación y táctica?

Lo repito, la Internet y los videos, hubo un video que marco, la final de F George contra Condors del 2004, que partidazo. Y obviamente los equipos Top de la farándula criolla aportan ideas y conceptos.

Ha sido importante el espíritu en el proceso histórico de ustedes?

Si claro, es lo que nos rige.

Cual fue el primer torneo en el que participaron? Cuantos jugadores tenían? Recuerdan algo de la táctica que usaron para ese torneo?

Fuimos como 12 personas a Coimpresores, la tactica era “porlomenos marcar un gol en cada partido” y de echo nunca nos dejaron en ceros, ni en nuestro primer torneo.

Hubo algún momento específicamente muy problemático al principio de su historia? Cuales eran esos problemas se enfrentaron en ese entonces?

Antes existian como 3 grupitos, los gomelos sabaneros, los agropecuarios de la salle y unos locos de la san martin que entrearon luego, cada grupo jalaba para su lado, hasta que nos dimos cuenta que tocaba jalar pal mismo lado o paila, empezar a pensar un poco mas como equipo.

Cual fue el primer partido que jugaron como equipo? Resultado? Cuéntanos un poco de ese juego?

Uyyy, fue contra un equipo que se llamaba UFO, los manes llevaban como 2 años jugando y en nuestro primer partido quedamos 7-5 perdiendo, pero fue imprsionante la energia que se sentia, esa nergia que se va perdiendo cuando se hace importante ganar a como de lugar.

Cual ha sido el momento mas triste del equipo desde su creación?

Hace poco estubo a punto de morir el equipo, de acabarse, por orgullos idiotas, pero como todo, superamos ese momento a través del dialogo, que es algo que le e aprendido al Ultimate.

Cual ha sido el momento mas feliz?

Como lo dije antes, cuando le ganamos a Urutao en Cajica, y cuando le ganamos a los Mamoots en Sopo.

Cuantos miembros originales del equipo juegan aun?

Pues Pedrin y Yo.

Los que se han retirado del equipo, por que lo han hecho?

Por hambre de Triunfo, por encontrones personales, sobretodo con migo, que no me callo nada. Por oportunidades de estudio, como nuestro amigo titi que esta en Chan-gay. Y por falta de cojones para el deporte.

De aquellos que se fueron, quien es la personas que mas falta les hace?

Titi, porque tubo que irse por razones externas, no por pelotudo. Además estaba jugando resolido antes de irse.

Cual fue su primer nacional? Cual fue el balance del torneo?

El de coimpresores, el balance general fue que aprendimos un resto.

Aparte de los jugadores, ha habido personas y organizaciones que los hayan apoyado? Patrocinadores?

Yo creo que los papas de todos nosotros son nuestro Patrocinadores oficiales. La empresa de seguridad Bolivar nos patrocino para el guerreros del viento del año pasado.

Cual es su rivalidad por excelencia, ese equipo con el que siempre que se enfrentan y hay un partido duro?

Absolut, sin duda, cuando ud juega contra esos manes puede desplegar todo su juego, sin pensar en que le van a cantar guebonadas o le van a hacer la trampa. Contra Euforia también existe una rivalidad muy chévere en la cancha, nunca les hemos podido ganar, pero algunos de esos encuentros han sido pura candela.

Cual es el plan a mediano plazo de su equipo?

Consolidar una base de por lómenos 20 personas consagradas y metidas en el cuento. Para ser campeón no sirven 7 u 8 valientes. Se necesitan por lómenos 15 o 20 personas entrenando reduro y con la misma idea metida en la cabeza.

EL TORNEO NACIONAL

P: En el ultimo DV2600 Seregon no paso de la fase de grupos, que paso?

Llegamos con bajas duras, y el irrespeto ente el grupo de jugadores bajo el animo con toda, ademas hubo un par de partidos que se nos fueron de la mano teniendolops casi en l bolsillo.

P: Como sintió Seregon el torneo?

Duro, lo sintio duro, yo personalemte Sali super aburrido, pero con mas gnas de entrenar que nunca.

P: Como defines el estilo de Seregon?

Freestyle, mejor dicho, no buscamos acomodarnos a un estilo de juego, estamos en proceso de crear uno propio con los elementos que tenemos.

P: Tocando mas a fondo del nacional, que equipos lo sorprendieron gratamente, cuales lo decepcionaron?

Muy bueno lo de Mamoots, esos manes en menos nada la totean. Me desepsionaron algunos jugadores de Arena Roja, la verdad no conozco a ninguno, pero vi una actiotud fea de los manes contra Enanos, quemando tiempo y provocando al rival, algo muy futbolero.

P: Santiago, tu opinión acerca de Oso vs Waraos?

Vi todo el partido. De todo se debe aprender, ese dia aprendi mucho acerca del Ultimate, tremendos equipos tan asperos, equipos completos, jugando a algo que no se le parecía al ultimate. También aprendi que por un par de personas irrespetuosas no se puede criticar a un equipo completo, no se puede ser prejuicioso en ese sentido.

Quisiera ver el próximo encuentro de esos dos equipos a ver si es que se van a dar en la geta o que.

EL ULTIMATE COLOMBIANO

P: Hablando un poco del ultímate paisa en general, ves alguna diferencia significativa en los estilos comparándolo con el Ultimate bogotano?

Los estilos de juego son muy parecidos, la diferencia solo esta en los resultados de los torneos en los ultimos 3 años (hablando en masculino), en femenino es obvio que las paisas, o mejor dicho Revolution manda la parada.

P: Santiago, si tuviera que hablar de equipos que hoy en dia no figuran en los primeros lugares, pero que se ven con una proyección importante, cual o cuales serian?

Uyy, Raza con toda, que buen equipo, que buenas personas. El proceso y el movimiento de los ibaguereños es abismal, el ultimate esta pegnado con toda en la tierra del indio pijao.

P: El mejor espíritu de Colombia? En femenino y en masculino?

En todos los equipos existren personas que promueven y utilizan el espiritu de juego y lo aplican a sus vidas, eso es lo importante. En algunos equipos la mayoria tiende a comportarse bien en la cancha, hay eventos aislados que marcan la “falta” de espiritu en Colombia.

P: Hay buen espíritu en Colombia?

En general si, aunque la sed de triunfo hace que se presenten inconvenientes.

P: Un mensaje a los nuevos del ultímate, (los que llevan 1 día a 2 anos)

Utilicen este deporte como una herramienta para canalizar su energia y por ende su vida. La clave es el trabajo constante, repeto y disciplina.

Un gran saludo a toda la comunidad de ultimate, les damos la bienvenida para este nuevo año con el torneo

ZUEÑA ULTIMATE COED 2008 que dará inicio el último viernes de Febrero a las 3 de la tarde en el estadio Municipal de Sopó.

Preinscripción: Vía zuecolombia@gmail.com desde ya hasta agotar cupos. Nombre del equipo y número de jugador@s.

Entrega de planillas hasta el lunes 18 de Febrero.

Pago Inscripción hasta el viernes 22 de Febrero.

Costo por persona: $30.000

*Costo inscripción extraordinaria: $34.000

Condiciones:

- Mínimo 3 jugadores de cada género en cancha.

- La defensa elige la proporción de géneros (4-3 o 3-4)

- Mínimo de jugadores inscritos por equipo: 14 (6 mujeres-8 hombres o viceversa)

- No hay límite máximo de inscritos

VEA LA INVITACION ONLINE

Siéntase libre de avanzar este mensaje a quien crea conveniente.

--
ZUEña Ultimate.

Contacto.

ZUE COLOMBIA LTDA.
+ 57(1) 2871195
CEL: 317- 4 303340 / 315- 5 95 71 08
zuecolombia@gmail.com

Encontrados en:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NEBnOSu1Pc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E2nU0LHf-Y&NR=1

http://www.icultimate.com/N05/Rutgers2.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/image/88050578
http://www.icultimate.com/tournaments/photos/Vegas06/Kali4.jpg
http://www.icultimate.com/tournaments/photos/Vegas06/Lisa.jpg
http://www.icultimate.com/tournaments/photos/Vegas06/Maddog2.jpg
http://www.icultimate.com/tournaments/photos/Vegas06/UCLA6.jpg
http://www.icultimate.com/tournaments/photos/Vegas06/Kali14.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/image/88050581
http://www.icultimate.com/tournaments/photos/Vegas06/PoojaAlex.jpg
http://www.icultimate.com/tournaments/photos/Vegas06/UCLA2.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/image/88050796
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/image/88050799
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/image/88050802
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/image/88050804
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/image/88050805

Bonus track para el publico masculino. Foto del '95





Fotografias tomadas de:
http://pope.smugmug.com/gallery/3263356_ry97H#180752839
http://pope.smugmug.com/gallery/3263345_jfgCF#180752193
http://wwwradig.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/people/steger/ultimate/pics/wucc-95_e.html

Pupi, en los cuartetos.

Fotos tomadas de Grupo de Facebook

Esa fue en la semi del torneo de cajica....Fue STU vs MAMOOTS....Yo jugue con STU....es tulio es muy cerdo volando...esa fue l respuesta del gol anterior q esteban z. hizo de vuelo tambn fue muy cerdo.Dos vuelos, cuentan en el grupo, que de el mismo juego. EL primero es un ilustre amigo de Fenix, Tulio

Ninos y Ninas de Fenix,

Nueva tanda de uniformes grises. 25 mil pesos, el plazo para confirmar el pedido es el 12 de marzo. Mas informacion a fuli_187@hotmail.com.

Por favor, como direccion de la capitania, si ud no tiene el uniforme gris, haga el esfuerzo de mandarlo a hacer. No importa si es femenino, padawan o blanco. Probablemente no habra otro pedido antes del torneo Nacional de Barranquilla.

Tomado de la pagina de Jim Biancolo, Above and beyond.

Alguien puede descifrar esto:

HISTORY

Please, tell us something about the history of the team, how was created, who made it possible?

Doublewide was started in Austin, TX out of the disbanded “Houston Houndz”. Tthe team was originally fostered and captained by Keith “Homesuck” Sandel and Tal “Ted” Tversky in 2001. Few people know that the original name of “Doublewide” was actually the result of a team vote.

http://austinultimate.org/doublewide/

How many players did you have as an average in the first year as a team?

Doublewide has on average 23 players on the roster.

How long was it before competing in a high level?

In our first year of competition, 2001, we finished 1^st in our Section, 2^nd in our Region and 16^th at Club Nationals. Since then we have advanced to Club Nationals 5 out of 7 years.

What is the age average for this team?

The average age of our players is 25.

What about the height average?

Our average height is 6’0”, or 1.82m

TACTICS

Man defense or zone defense?

Doublewide uses a mixture of zone and man defenses to keep our strategy fresh and our opponent off guard. The fundamental defense and our favorite attack is to play hard man fronting defense. Nothing is more fun than a hard 1x1 battle!

Quick passes or hucks?

Our offensive team uses quick passes to keep the defense out of position while. Meanwhile our defensive team uses longer throws and hucks to take advantage of offensive players which are now out of position. Definitely, we love to put the disc deep as it is more fun for our players and our fans!

Flow or scripted plays?

We focus a lot of our time training on understanding and practicing flow. It is fundamental for being able to ‘communicate’ with each other on the field and to have a basic strategy for how we will move the disc. Flow is absolutely critical, and while difficult and time consuming to learn, it is necessary so that we can build team chemistry and learn how we each play.

But even with flow we have numerous scripted plays in our playbook which are crucial for starting the offense or for making a quick score when we need it. We try to keep our playbook concise with compact plays so that our brains are not overwhelmed with too much information while we play.

Happiest moment on ultimate?

Our happiest moment was winning the regional title in 2007 securing our place at the Club National Championships. It was a 1 point victory and a well fought game by both teams.

Saddest moment on ultimate?

Doublewide competed at the 2006 WFDF World Championships in Perth, Western Australia and disappointedly finished in the quarterfinal round after having a 3 point lead at half. It was a hard fought loss and our opponent went on to finish 1^st place.

Best match ever played?

Club Nationals 2005 featured an exciting comeback, down 7 points at the half against a strong opponent. We answered in the second half to win the game on ultimate point and securing our place in the quarterfinals.

How different is the international game from the UPA?

The international game has much more fun and camaraderie on the sidelines. The post-game spirit circle is definitely an eye opening exchange amongst players and cultures. These aspects make it a most memorable experience and offer more opportunities to meet players and share stories and ideas. All of us relish our opportunities to play internationally and try our best to know our opponent’s language, culture and even different styles of play.

How would you describe the style of your team?

We try to be a laid back team, controlling our emotions and competing while maintaining fair spirit. We’re basically a bunch of brothers that all want to party and have fun but when it comes time to rumble on the Frisbee field we are all ready to fight to win.

TRAINING

How many times a week do you train?

During the season we train in the gym 2 times per week and on the field 3 times per week.

How many times a week do you guys do game practice?

We scrimmage twice per week and try to vary the types of scrimmages we play in order to keep the games fresh and interesting. Making the games challenging and fatiguing is always our priority.

How hard do you stress fundamentals?

Fundamentals are critical to our season. Especially in the pre-season and early season moments we are certain to cover our critical fundamentals. It is the basis for more advanced concepts which we will be learning during the season, and also to ensure that we have more in depth strategy ready against new opponents.

What would you advice for the younger teams as for the training routines?

For younger teams, focus on playing Frisbee as much as possible. Do not over-train by running drills too much and forgetting that the reason to play the game is for the fun of playing. It is important to devote sections of your training for intense drilling and training, but be sure to balance the drills with plenty of game play.

Drills which emphasize cutting, space, marking, and pivoting are excellent for younger teams as these are basic building blocks for future success. Be sure to learn all aspects of the game – don’t just be a receiver or only a thrower.

If you had to choose one between fundamentals, tactics or fitness for the first 2 years of a team, what would you choose?

For any young team, the first two years are critical to the long term success of the program. In particular, players need to have fun while playing and the team goals should be a bit relaxed to ensure there is not too much pressure on results. But it is also important to win games so you cannot lose site of fundamentals and strategy. As far as fitness, try to keep your training light and use game play to train your body. Play savage 7 games and push your body and endurance through long sessions of play without taking long breaks.

Bottom line, you have to focus on fundamentals early on with your team.

Please, give us a little description of one typical training in your team

We use various training routines to get in shape and ‘peak’ at certain moments during the season. Using Interval Training is one of the best ways to build your endurance and expand your cardiovascular capacity.

The following is an example of an interval run called a ‘Fartlek’:

- sprint 90% effort for 1 minutes

- jog 20% effort for 3 minutes

- repeat 5 times (total 20 minutes)

We also focus heavily on good core strength doing push-ups, crunches, planks, squats, and calf raises. All of these exercises can be done out on the field and without the use of weights or extra pieces.

SPIRIT

How do you guys define spirit of the game inside your team?

We define spirit as follows: To play your hardest for yourself and for your team, honor your opponent by always playing your best and with fairness and respect.

How do you guys regulate that in game situations?

Competitive play means that it is especially important to play with good and fair spirit. Your first step is to practice controlling your emotions during game play and at weekly team practices. This often will require a captain or captains which are vocal with their players and able to keep them in line when somebody steps out of line.

Is it possible to be a great ultimate team while having a great spirit of the game?

Yes, it certainly is possible and many teams do play great and maintain great spirit. It starts with both teams committing to making the effort to hold each player accountable and respecting their opponent. And each teammate must work to keep each other in line. We have to remember that we are all humans and we cannot forget the important lessons our Mothers have all taught us!

What is the reaction of you guys when facing a team that is taking advantage of the spirit of the game to do calls and turn the game in their favor?

These are always difficult situations and the best method to handle them is to have a team captain that is willing to discuss the situation with the opponent’s team captain. Sometimes this will be a political or cultural battle but it is most important to realize that really, what we all want, is to play hard and play clean. It is in our best interest to let our game speak for itself and not use our voices and our calls to make the plays. Play with ganas or don’t play at all!

Finally and seriously, what would it take for your team to compete in a tournament here in Colombia?

Hahaha. I can tell you that it would not take much! If you can arrange for a couch or two that would be the best!!

Jim,

Let’s say you have to introduce yourself to a room full of new ultimate players. Go ahead!

Hi, my name is Jim Parinella. I’ve been playing ultimate since 1983. I’ve been playing on Boston club teams since 1989, most notably DoG (Death or Glory), which won 6 National titles and 3 World titles in the Open division, and last year won the Masters Nationals. What I do best is to get open downfield.

Now please, can you give us the very brief story of the DoG, How long was it before competing in a high level?, it’s historic relevance, your rivalry with NYNY? What else can you say about this subject for the newbie?

The top Boston team had always been one of the top handful of teams since about 1980, but won only one Nationals title in 1982 (the Rude Boys). The team would often change names, sometimes with a change in leadership or personnel or philosophy. DoG formed in 1994 with most of the core from the previous team which had lost many times to NYNY. That year, NYNY also split up into two. We beat one of the new teams (Cojones) that year in the semifinals of Nationals and that was the start of our dynasty. We went on to win six Nationals in a row, never losing a game at Nationals in that time.

What was the preferred style of game on DoG? Offense? Defense?

We did both well. Sometimes the offense would carry the team, sometimes the defense would. Our best games were when the defense was able to score consistently when they got the disc. (We had separate offensive and defensive squads, with only a few players playing both ways.) On offense, although we liked to throw long, we rarely forced it, and didn’t mind dumping it or taking a lot of short passes to score. On defense, we mixed up what we were doing, playing clam, zone, or man.

Are you currently playing in any team? I understand that you played in last UPA finals with a Masters DoG? Tell us something about the different experience between Open and Masters? Did you miss matching up with the big names of the game?

We won the Nationals (UPA finals) in Masters in October. We had about 15 of the old DoG players from the 1990s, and with the club team deciding to call themselves “Boston Ultimate”, we decided to call ourselves DoG again. The differences are about what you’d expect: it’s not as fast, less in-your-face, players are generally a little more skilled with the disc. I did miss playing against the top teams, yes. I haven’t had any personal favorites to play against in a few years, though.

Ok, let’s get in another topic, right now Ultimate as a sport is getting to intermediate cities. There are at least 6 or 8 teams trying to run a serious project. Every single one of those teams deals with the same kind of problems, recruitment, a very small number of players, and the worst of all, thanks to the cost of transportation, these teams are facing a season where their members just go to 3 tournaments per year, whereas other teams in Big cities play each other in a weekly basis. There is a very slow learning curve, what would be an advice for this?

That’s a hard one to answer. In the US, even where there aren’t a lot of club teams, there are summer leagues, so players get competition. Besides getting more games in, each of the serious players on a summer league team gets to play a more important role than they normally would on the club team. So if you could form recreational leagues with local players, that could be a solution.

Keeping in the New Teams topic, new players have a tendency to avoid fitness training and find boring fundamentals training. That is a problem with recruitment, besides having to explain and introduce people to a complete new sport, they have to go trough some training periods where they do not get game practice at all. How do teams in USA manage this issue?

Some colleges have to manage this when they are forming. I don’t know how I would go about managing this.

Jim, How can we handle the fitness training? It is clear this sport requires big time athletes, new teams here can be created without the presence of a physical trainer or someone who has academicals knowledge. Is it internet a good teacher?

Yes, you can learn from the Internet, but of course you can’t believe everything you read. Use it to get ideas, check out some good exercises, see what works for some other people. Remember that the person who writes it might not be in the same situation that you all are in.

I guess we share the same curiosity about tactics that many other teams all around the world, so why is there so little creativity with tactics. I mean, I can think at least 3 or 4 formations for a zone defense that I have never heard of, we just lack the number of game to test those. Is there any new macro tendencies coming soon? Or is it everybody happy with the sport as it is right now?

I’m not sure if the spread (horizontal) offense counts as “new” or not, but that is the biggest strategic change in the game the last few years. The Buzz Bullets from Japan had a new zone/man defense, although I’ve never seen it. People are always trying out new things, mostly small differences. Ben Wiggins from Sockeye gave a talk last year at the Ultimate Coaches and Players Conference in Boston in which he discussed changing the marking technique to fit an overall defensive strategy.

Another one for the new players, how many times a week did you practice when you started playing?

I started in a summer league when I was 18 and played one game two nights a week. I played on a club team that fall, two nights a week plus Saturday and Sunday. That’s been pretty much my schedule for the last 25 years.

In the Peak days of DoG, what was the over under for years of ultimate experience in the team? And in your concept, how long before a teams gets to it’s highest level?

Probably it was an average of 10-15 years. Most players began playing in college and we had an average age of about 30-32 for those years. For a team to reach its peak, even if you start with experienced players, you still need 3-4 years of playing together to really know each other.

How hard do a team should stress fundamentals in it’s first 2 years? And then after that?

I guess you always stress fundamentals, but what you mean by “fundamentals” changes. For a newer team, that includes just catching and throwing. Later on, it includes marking, cutting, and defending, and eventually more advanced concepts like field positioning.

If you were in a team, and you could only choose one of these things to rely on that and win a game, what would you choose between, fundamentals, tactics, and athleticism?

It wouldn’t be tactics, since other teams can always adjust. Between the other two choices, it would depend on where you would put “field sense”. It’s very important to know when and where to cut, how to position and reposition yourself on defense, and anticipate what is going to happen next.

Man defense or zone defense?

Man, but not just seven one-on-one matchups. The team needs to be able to trust the mark and to provide help from each other and the sidelines where needed.

Quick passes or hucks?

Whatever is open. But look for the huck first, take it if the receiver has good separation from his defender, and go short if not.

Flow or scripted plays?

Flow with a structure. You can’t just have seven guys running around randomly. Near the end zone, scripted plays or a more formal structure are good.

Happiest moment on ultimate?

No single moment stands out. Making Nationals for the first time in 1989, winning it for the first time in 1994, or winning Worlds in Scotland in 1999 when we weren’t expecting to are all good ones.

Saddest moment on ultimate?

Again, lots of moments to choose from. 1992 finals loss to NYNY, 2002 semis loss to Furious George (Vancouver).

Best match ever played?

Teamwise, the 2002 semis loss to Furious. We had three turnovers, they had two. Individually, the best I played was in 1995, the finals against Sockeye, I was wide open everywhere against their best defenders. The most emotional game I was involved in was the 1998 semifinal against Ring of Fire, where we were losing 10-4 before coming back to win 17-15. I made some mistakes that game, but felt so in control and dominant.

How different is the international game from the UPA?

I haven’t seen much of it lately. There seem to be different (but not necessarily better) attitudes about what is acceptable or what is spirited. I’m looking forward to Worlds in Vancouver to check out what’s been going on lately.

How different is the international player from the UPA player?

Probably the same at heart, but the US player is probably more battle-tested and maybe a little stronger mentally. Teams are bigger here, so the US player is probably more of a specialist, while international players might need to be more well-rounded.

Best team ever?

It’s hard to compare across eras. NYNY was great, we had our run, and Sockeye now has a lot of great players and has won some titles. Both NYNY and DoG were more dominant than Sockeye, but maybe there are more top-level teams now. Our best teams were 1996 and 1999, I’d say.

Best team ever played against?

Those old NYNY teams were tough.

Toughest guy to defend?

These days, anyone under 30.

How do you guys define spirit of the game inside your team?

Even within a team, everyone has a different definition. O players and D players look at it differently. But everyone is mindful of the rules and tries to avoid deliberate violations while accepting that sometimes playing hard will result in fouls.

How do you guys regulate that in game situations?

Mostly, it doesn’t get regulated. If someone goes over the line (either with a bad foul or just a bad call), teammates will usually just let it happen. If a player has a history of it, it will also come up in practice and someone will say something to him, either in anger during play or on the sideline or away from the field. Once in a while, teammates will overrule a player’s bad call because it’s the right thing to do. Even more frequently, players will call teammates out of bounds or rule a disc down. For the most part, everyone is most concerned with getting the call right, but you also have to support your teammate. Also, you try to avoid having to regulate during the game by stressing during practice what is ok and what is not. Teach players to work hard on the mark and not to grab with the arms, and you have fewer problems with arm-grabbing during the game.

Is it possible to be a great ultimate team while having a great spirit of the game?

Absolutely. At its core, spirit is simply good sportsmanship. Play hard, play fair. Even on the “bad” teams, most of the players play fair, and even on the nicest teams, some players make bad calls or play with disregard for the rules.

Let’s talk about Vancouver next year, who is your favorite to win it all? What strong teams do you see?

Masters is too hard to predict. I like our chances, but I don’t know who’s going and whether any of our opponents will have a lot of 33 year olds who really should still be playing Open.

Name the world’s top teams?

Sockeye should be the favorite at Worlds. Buzz Bullets won Worlds in 2006, although none of the top US teams were there, and so the Japanese team will probably be the 2^nd favorite. Furious George still has a lot of top players despite their bad finish at Nationals. JAM also has a lot of great players but still hasn’t won it all here so they are a step below. The full Australia team is good but they are on different teams in their regular season.

Can you make a top10 of ultimate players?

I don’t see enough of the top players to say who really belongs.

Finally and seriously, what would it take for your compete in a tournament here in Colombia? Or maybe give a conference? Chase Sparling from sockeye came here earlier this year, ha gave some clinics and played in a national tournament.

That is very nice of you, but it’s really just too hard for me to make the time to come down, especially with Worlds in 2008. I hope you can continue to get others to come, though. I’ve heard very nice things about Chase, so I am glad he was able to spend time with you.

Thank you very much, you are being part in building the Colombian ultimate Community, we will remember that forever, you have now a home in Colombia, you are welcome any time you want

Thank you. I had the pleasure of playing against the Colombian team at Worlds in Minnesota in 1999, and saw some of you briefly at Junior Worlds in 2006. Good luck with your development.

Andres Felipe Angel C

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