Ultimate Fryjol

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!!