Ultimate Fryjol

by Frankie Rho

Much is riding on the line in the Open Division of the 2008 UPA Club Championships. One team is in the process of laying claim as the next great dynasty. Another team believes that it is the heir apparent and feels that after last’s year tight final, it’s time for a rematch. One contender has risen from the ashes of past greats in the hopes of returning their city to the days of glory.

This year, there will be a lot of new faces (El Diablo, Bodhi, PoNY) to join the teams that we have all grown accustomed to seeing in Florida. Also, for the first time in many years, the field will be missing the once proud champion Furious George.

Thursday’s lineup is all set. Upsets are guaranteed. It is time for all glory seekers to show up and blow up.

POOL A
Sockeye / GOAT / Doublewide / El Diablo

Sockeye has demonstrated why they are the defending champs with a remarkable season where they have lost only twice, once to Ironside at the Labor Day tourney in Santa Cruz and once in the World Championships final to Team Canada. Winners of three of the last four titles, the Fish are aiming to surpass the number of titles held by their absent rivals from the Great White North, Furious George.

Though GOAT and Sockeye have not faced each other this season, GOAT’s personnel includes five members of Team Canada (Hassell, Ouchterlony, Nicholls, St-Amant, Vasilyev), so they will be going into their matchup with some confidence. Though they have had a bit of an up-and-down season, the Toronto squad made it to the semifinals last year, and their tall lineup will keep them competitive in every game.

Doublewide has become a familiar face in Sarasota, but they are still seeking to take the next big step up, their best finish being 7^th back in 2003. While they remained competitive at Labor Day, they failed to notch a victory so their Regionals triumph over Chain Lightning came as a surprise to many. The Austin-based team may also be able to draw some confidence from their one-point loss to Sockeye in Santa Cruz.

One of this year’s newcomers to Sarasota is El Diablo, a young combo team drawing players from Charleston, Atlanta and Savannah. Everyone on their entire roster will be making their first appearance in the Open division of the Championships. Their best chance of an upset comes in the third round against Doublewide, especially if the GOAT / Doublewide matchup ends up being a long, tightly-fought battle.

POOL B
Johnny Bravo / Sub Zero / Chain Lightning / PoNY

Anything short of bringing the title back to Boulder will be a disappointment for the Boys from Bravo Company. Aside from a surprising loss to Ronin at the Chesapeake Open, Bravo has lost only twice, once to Ring of Fire and once to Sockeye. They will be tested early with a very difficult pool regarded by many as the toughest from top to bottom.

Sub Zero has undergone a youth movement in recent years as the team grows deeper with recent graduates from Carleton and Wisconsin. On paper, this squad has the makings of a team capable of reaching the top tier, and the addition of Hector Validivia could provide the extra insight and focus needed for this team to go far in the tourney.

In losing to Doublewide at Regionals, Chain Lightning complicated the seeding in Sarasota and essentially ensured itself of a difficult pool for Thursday. Prior to their double game point defeat, Atlanta had only three losses, all of them to teams who earned a one seed for the Club Championships. They beat PoNY and Sub Zero handily at the Chesapeake Open and have yet to play Bravo this year.

PoNY is making their first trip to the Club Championships but their squad is full of players who have been to Sarasota before. Seth Crockford and Aaron Bell were major additions to the squad this season, but for the New Yorkers to succeed, they will need their depth to step up and contribute on a consistent basis.

POOL C
Ironside / Jam / Condors / Bodhi

The days of DoG may be in the past (or in the Masters Division), but Boston is back in contention. Having spent the bulk of last year gelling, Ironside tore through the competition this season, suffering only three losses by a combined five points. Loaded with great young talent (Gibson, Stubbs, Neff) and steady veteran leadership (Mueller, McCarthy and Graham), Ironside may be operating under a new name, but they feature the same intelligent offense and crafty defense that has been synonymous with Boston Ultimate. Could Ironside join the Red Sox and the Celtics in the greatest sports year a city has ever witnessed?

Below Boston is Jam, last year’s top seed going into the Club Championships. Experienced, talented and extremely familiar with each other, Jam is quite a bit like the Phoenix Suns at their peak. They have the makings of a championship squad but their window is closing fast. This may be their best remaining opportunity to end the twenty-year long drought since a San Francisco team won the Open division title.

The Condors have retooled their squad, incorporating several players from Monster and a couple of recent Santa Cruz graduates (Karlinsky and Van Pelt). Several stalwarts remain including Whit Clark, Tim Paymaster and Steve Dugan, the embodiment of the word ‘venerable’. The team’s growing pains were evident in their hit-and-miss season. Fortunate for them, the Condors match up very well with Jam and have a 2-1 record against them this season (albeit early in the season). A tightly contested match against Johnny Bravo at the Southwest Regionals may indicate that this team is gelling at the right time.

Boston Ultimate would be incomplete without a second club team full of young stars on the rise. Filling that role now is Bodhi, featuring a few former Juniors Worlds players including their captain Andrew Hollingworth. They open with a match against Jam, which will be an interesting contrast of experience versus youth. The key for them will be maintaining their confidence and keeping on an even keel.

POOL D
Ring of Fire / Revolver / Truck Stop / Machine

Ring of Fire has been flying a bit under the radar all season, perhaps attributable to a light schedule and an early exit in bracket play at the Chesapeake Open. At the Labor Day tourney, they demonstrated that they could run with any of the big dogs, displaying the trademarks of North Carolina Ultimate – aggressive defense and a healthy dose of swagger.

After being the odd team out last year, Revolver returns to Sarasota with some key additions including Seth Wiggins and Martin Cochran. They are going into the Championships with as much confidence as any team in the field. Their matchup with Ring of Fire has the makings of the game of the day.

Truck Stop made a lot of noise last year when they beat Furious George in the first round of play of the tourney. The DC-based squad looked poised to improve upon last year’s quarterfinals appearance with a solid showing at the Colorado Cup, but the losses racked up at the Chesapeake Open and at Labor Day. In order for them to return to the quarterfinals, they will need to address their lack of variety on offense, a factor that may have been part of the blame for their tight losses in Santa Cruz.

Another perennial guest in Sarasota, Machine had a shaky performance at the Central Regionals but managed to regain their footing when it mattered. If they go in playing loose, they could reprise Truck Stop’s first round shocker from last year. Wins over Sub Zero and Revolver suggest that they are capable of putting an unprepared team in the morgue.