This is a brother post to KB's post. http://kbthemovement.blogspot.com/2015/09/2012.html
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I can't really sleep. I'm tense with nervous excitement. When my alarm goes off, I've already been awake for 30 minutes, but it feels like I barely slept at all. My back feels a bit stiff, but manageable.
It's cloudy outside, chilly, might rain. I stuff my rain jacket into the bag I had packed the night before.
Q is already up, ready to go. He no doubt feels the same excitement, even though USAU won't let him cleat up today. This is his team, too.
We pick up Ramu and Tubes and head to Naperville. The streets are quiet and it's still pretty dark out, but my mind is overactive, rushing through my thoughts and worries like a frenetic slot machine. This is probably the last tournament I'll ever play with NUT. Sixteen teams, two bids, double-elimination bracket.
It's a brisk day in Naperville. A bit damp and with a moderate crosswind. Not strong enough to prevent scoring either way, but strong enough to bolster trapping zones.
We're playing EMU in our first game. Some tension. We are fired up to play them. Some sparks flew in our previous matchup and we're hungry for payback.
My body is feeling good. I hit Ben on an upline to punch in a break. We're playing well and we can run with this team.
Our cup zone is denying them easy stuff and Johnny is punting it all day. James gets way up over me and almost pulls down a punt, but it bounces off his hand. We ride the zone to a 14-12 W in cap.
Michigan next. A tall and athletic team, as soon as the bracket came out we knew we would have to face them in game 2 if we took care of business. This was the game by which we would measure ourselves.
We got steamrolled. It was like I blinked and we were down four breaks.
Our offense couldn't work it in the wind against their increased 1v1 downfield pressure, our defense on a turn couldn't get the disc back, and we had no answers for their cup zone with 3 guys at 6'5+.
We only put up 5 goals in a game we had been prepping for all season. Michigan would go on to win the region, going 4-0 on the weekend and burying MSU 15-8 in the final.
We weren't good enough, not even close. The truth hurt. The realization that our level was so far below what was needed to reach our goal was a tough pill to swallow.
We sleepwalked through our next game against a fired up Purdue team. We had beaten them before and weren't ready to bring it. They took care of business and finished us off 15-12.
We were out of contention. My career with NUT now consisted of two consolation games on Sunday. The best we could hope to finish was 9th.
The drive back to Evanston on Saturday night was long and dreary. I was disappointed in my ability to help the team reach it's goals. I had thought I had done everything in my power to elevate our level, but it was painfully apparent that we weren't even in the discussion. Not even worth a one line mention in a regional recap article.
---
My back flared up on Sunday.
I remember getting to the fields before everyone with Q and just tossing. Luke was there and his dog Lola wore herself out sprinting back and forth between us. It was quiet and calm.
That morning, the team leadership and I weren't able to convey a sense of importance to the team about our consolation games. We were not able to bring honest conviction to our huddle talk, and the team attitude was checked out as a result, ISU came out fired up, looking to beat us for one of the first times in their program history. We were mentally not present and they trounced us 15-4. We sent out goof-off lines like, seniors, rookies, frat boys, etc. This trend continued in the 11th place game vs Magnum reserve. We ended regionals with an 8-9 loss.
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After our game, Me, Champe, and Q walked over to watch the Illinois/MSU game to go. We were sitting on the deck of a little farmhouse which gave us a nice elevated view of the game. In the first half, Kennedy was running over MSU. Me and Champe joked that Illinois was "The Kennedy Show", featuring "Assists by Kennedy", "Hucks by Kennedy", and "Breaks by Kennedy", and every time he did something good we'd freak out. But MSU battled back. Down big mid 2nd half, MSU dug themselves out of a deep hole with some high flying athleticism and huge throws.
Universe point rolls around. Dane gets a huge layout D for Illinois about 10 yards outside the MSU endzone. Wide open, he streaks deep and the game winning pass drops through his clap catching hands. Illinois earns the disc back and MSU is running their zone set. Illinois works it all the way to about 15 yards out. Kennedy rockets a pass through the z for a goal. It's too hot to handle, hits the receiver in the chest and he drops it. Dave picks up for MSU and launches an 80 yard backhand the other way. Goal, MSU wins, 14-13.
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The accuracy of this post is subject to my ability to remember things. This is how I remember Great Lakes Regionals in 2012.
------
I can't really sleep. I'm tense with nervous excitement. When my alarm goes off, I've already been awake for 30 minutes, but it feels like I barely slept at all. My back feels a bit stiff, but manageable.
It's cloudy outside, chilly, might rain. I stuff my rain jacket into the bag I had packed the night before.
Q is already up, ready to go. He no doubt feels the same excitement, even though USAU won't let him cleat up today. This is his team, too.
We pick up Ramu and Tubes and head to Naperville. The streets are quiet and it's still pretty dark out, but my mind is overactive, rushing through my thoughts and worries like a frenetic slot machine. This is probably the last tournament I'll ever play with NUT. Sixteen teams, two bids, double-elimination bracket.
It's a brisk day in Naperville. A bit damp and with a moderate crosswind. Not strong enough to prevent scoring either way, but strong enough to bolster trapping zones.
We're playing EMU in our first game. Some tension. We are fired up to play them. Some sparks flew in our previous matchup and we're hungry for payback.
My body is feeling good. I hit Ben on an upline to punch in a break. We're playing well and we can run with this team.
Our cup zone is denying them easy stuff and Johnny is punting it all day. James gets way up over me and almost pulls down a punt, but it bounces off his hand. We ride the zone to a 14-12 W in cap.
Michigan next. A tall and athletic team, as soon as the bracket came out we knew we would have to face them in game 2 if we took care of business. This was the game by which we would measure ourselves.
We got steamrolled. It was like I blinked and we were down four breaks.
Our offense couldn't work it in the wind against their increased 1v1 downfield pressure, our defense on a turn couldn't get the disc back, and we had no answers for their cup zone with 3 guys at 6'5+.
We only put up 5 goals in a game we had been prepping for all season. Michigan would go on to win the region, going 4-0 on the weekend and burying MSU 15-8 in the final.
We weren't good enough, not even close. The truth hurt. The realization that our level was so far below what was needed to reach our goal was a tough pill to swallow.
We sleepwalked through our next game against a fired up Purdue team. We had beaten them before and weren't ready to bring it. They took care of business and finished us off 15-12.
We were out of contention. My career with NUT now consisted of two consolation games on Sunday. The best we could hope to finish was 9th.
The drive back to Evanston on Saturday night was long and dreary. I was disappointed in my ability to help the team reach it's goals. I had thought I had done everything in my power to elevate our level, but it was painfully apparent that we weren't even in the discussion. Not even worth a one line mention in a regional recap article.
---
My back flared up on Sunday.
I remember getting to the fields before everyone with Q and just tossing. Luke was there and his dog Lola wore herself out sprinting back and forth between us. It was quiet and calm.
That morning, the team leadership and I weren't able to convey a sense of importance to the team about our consolation games. We were not able to bring honest conviction to our huddle talk, and the team attitude was checked out as a result, ISU came out fired up, looking to beat us for one of the first times in their program history. We were mentally not present and they trounced us 15-4. We sent out goof-off lines like, seniors, rookies, frat boys, etc. This trend continued in the 11th place game vs Magnum reserve. We ended regionals with an 8-9 loss.
---
After our game, Me, Champe, and Q walked over to watch the Illinois/MSU game to go. We were sitting on the deck of a little farmhouse which gave us a nice elevated view of the game. In the first half, Kennedy was running over MSU. Me and Champe joked that Illinois was "The Kennedy Show", featuring "Assists by Kennedy", "Hucks by Kennedy", and "Breaks by Kennedy", and every time he did something good we'd freak out. But MSU battled back. Down big mid 2nd half, MSU dug themselves out of a deep hole with some high flying athleticism and huge throws.
Universe point rolls around. Dane gets a huge layout D for Illinois about 10 yards outside the MSU endzone. Wide open, he streaks deep and the game winning pass drops through his clap catching hands. Illinois earns the disc back and MSU is running their zone set. Illinois works it all the way to about 15 yards out. Kennedy rockets a pass through the z for a goal. It's too hot to handle, hits the receiver in the chest and he drops it. Dave picks up for MSU and launches an 80 yard backhand the other way. Goal, MSU wins, 14-13.
-------
The accuracy of this post is subject to my ability to remember things. This is how I remember Great Lakes Regionals in 2012.
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