I went down to Frisco to spectate and root for Nemesis, Machine, and the UPA.
-The grass fields at the field site were immaculate. The fields in Rockford will be far worse, and that's really unfortunate.
- No one likes playing on turf. It's hot and the surface is way harder, leading to quite a few broken bones.
- Texas in early October is great. It's sunny and warm. Calling it now: Rockford will be in the 50s and very windy next year.
- Revolver is operating on another level. This feels obvious now, but the sharpness of their cuts and throws across the roster made them a lot better than the sum of their parts. This was apparent in both pool play and bracket play games I watched. Is anyone playing better than Cassidy right now? That guy was unbelievably dominant this year.
- Warm ups matter.
- Mental game is a huge factor in elimination games, but I think experience isn't the only weapon teams have against it. I think an easy way to assess nerves level is to count how many errors are made on routine plays. Riot was massively more experienced than Brute Squad in finals games, but very clearly was way more nervous.
- The UPA was probably good enough to make semis. Rather than this being a detriment to the level of the mixed division, this should be a compliment to the level of the players (especially women) on that team.
- Coaching matters a ton. Or, having a person who can dedicate their energy to watching your team play and offer strategy matters. The player/captain system puts too much pressure on leadership. I think it's impossible to both play, line call, and see the game clearly enough to react/adjust well at a high level.
- The format is horrible. Players are beginning to feel that Thursday doesn't matter, and it's really hurting the tournament as a whole. It hurts the players because it puts them in an awkward position and forces them to go through the motions. I think the format must be fixed for next year. At a tournament with a national championship on the line, success and failure should be cut and dry. There should be no room for guesswork.
- Machine made semis in storybook fashion, winning over defending champ Bravo and long-time rival Ring of Fire. This was their outcome goal for this year, really the last several years. It feels good to have them perform in big moments and show that success is possible, however a team defines it. I think making semis by going through Ring is a career defining win (so far) for a lot of those guys.
- Lien won a title with Brute Squad in dominant fashion. This puts her in some pretty good company. The list of Northwestern Ultimate alumni who have won club titles is now: Ness (Fury), Kath (Scandal), Lien (Brute). Unsurprisingly, these are all Gung-Ho alumni.
- The big man theory: having a dominant big man who can bail out your offense seemed like a consistent presence across semis level teams. I mean dominant in the sense that if no one is open and your offense has no options, they can just put it up and have it work out. On the Machine dline this was George, Oline it was Goose. (aside, AJ could be this if he wanted to be) Revolver has Beau, Sockeye has Rehder, Riot has Jaclyn, Brute has Kami/Lien. I think it's interesting that with all the offensive strategy on display, the very best teams will go to their athletes once or twice a game in times of offensive need. I think this happens because strong defense forces it, but if it works out it tends to be backbreaking. I also think that 90% of offensive points aren't about that at all.
- Why are Chicago teams so much worse at throwing than everyone else? This continues to mystify me.
- I hate the revolver jerseys. Black print on navy? What were they thinking?!
- I used to think that teams could choose one of two options: try to win or try to develop. Now I think that framing the season like that is a mistake. I think the answer is always try to develop, it's just a matter of how and what to develop with that years version of a team. For example: a team will try to develop a better plan for defensive offense. Trying to win feels like a given, so why even discuss it?
- I like the idea of killmode blacks from Ironside. I didn't love the design though. Aside: Animal is dirty. Was Tyler Chan the best rookie at nationals?
- Nemesis finished 16th, but notched a good win vs Quebec Iris. A lot of youth and good energy there, which should pay dividends down the road if directed well.
- You miss stuff if you just watch the livestreams. Being there in person is very different and worth it if it can be managed. Would highly recommend.
- BMW is retiring and he will be missed. I think he was one of the best leaders and voices in Chicago, not to mention his obvious skills as a player. I am glad he was able to make it to semis prior to his retirement.
- How many more years can Beau keep his spot at the top of the big man food chain? I suspect his retirement will correlate with the beginning of a slow decline for revolver.
-The grass fields at the field site were immaculate. The fields in Rockford will be far worse, and that's really unfortunate.
- No one likes playing on turf. It's hot and the surface is way harder, leading to quite a few broken bones.
- Texas in early October is great. It's sunny and warm. Calling it now: Rockford will be in the 50s and very windy next year.
- Revolver is operating on another level. This feels obvious now, but the sharpness of their cuts and throws across the roster made them a lot better than the sum of their parts. This was apparent in both pool play and bracket play games I watched. Is anyone playing better than Cassidy right now? That guy was unbelievably dominant this year.
- Warm ups matter.
- Mental game is a huge factor in elimination games, but I think experience isn't the only weapon teams have against it. I think an easy way to assess nerves level is to count how many errors are made on routine plays. Riot was massively more experienced than Brute Squad in finals games, but very clearly was way more nervous.
- The UPA was probably good enough to make semis. Rather than this being a detriment to the level of the mixed division, this should be a compliment to the level of the players (especially women) on that team.
- Coaching matters a ton. Or, having a person who can dedicate their energy to watching your team play and offer strategy matters. The player/captain system puts too much pressure on leadership. I think it's impossible to both play, line call, and see the game clearly enough to react/adjust well at a high level.
- The format is horrible. Players are beginning to feel that Thursday doesn't matter, and it's really hurting the tournament as a whole. It hurts the players because it puts them in an awkward position and forces them to go through the motions. I think the format must be fixed for next year. At a tournament with a national championship on the line, success and failure should be cut and dry. There should be no room for guesswork.
- Machine made semis in storybook fashion, winning over defending champ Bravo and long-time rival Ring of Fire. This was their outcome goal for this year, really the last several years. It feels good to have them perform in big moments and show that success is possible, however a team defines it. I think making semis by going through Ring is a career defining win (so far) for a lot of those guys.
- Lien won a title with Brute Squad in dominant fashion. This puts her in some pretty good company. The list of Northwestern Ultimate alumni who have won club titles is now: Ness (Fury), Kath (Scandal), Lien (Brute). Unsurprisingly, these are all Gung-Ho alumni.
- The big man theory: having a dominant big man who can bail out your offense seemed like a consistent presence across semis level teams. I mean dominant in the sense that if no one is open and your offense has no options, they can just put it up and have it work out. On the Machine dline this was George, Oline it was Goose. (aside, AJ could be this if he wanted to be) Revolver has Beau, Sockeye has Rehder, Riot has Jaclyn, Brute has Kami/Lien. I think it's interesting that with all the offensive strategy on display, the very best teams will go to their athletes once or twice a game in times of offensive need. I think this happens because strong defense forces it, but if it works out it tends to be backbreaking. I also think that 90% of offensive points aren't about that at all.
- Why are Chicago teams so much worse at throwing than everyone else? This continues to mystify me.
- I hate the revolver jerseys. Black print on navy? What were they thinking?!
- I used to think that teams could choose one of two options: try to win or try to develop. Now I think that framing the season like that is a mistake. I think the answer is always try to develop, it's just a matter of how and what to develop with that years version of a team. For example: a team will try to develop a better plan for defensive offense. Trying to win feels like a given, so why even discuss it?
- I like the idea of killmode blacks from Ironside. I didn't love the design though. Aside: Animal is dirty. Was Tyler Chan the best rookie at nationals?
- Nemesis finished 16th, but notched a good win vs Quebec Iris. A lot of youth and good energy there, which should pay dividends down the road if directed well.
- You miss stuff if you just watch the livestreams. Being there in person is very different and worth it if it can be managed. Would highly recommend.
- BMW is retiring and he will be missed. I think he was one of the best leaders and voices in Chicago, not to mention his obvious skills as a player. I am glad he was able to make it to semis prior to his retirement.
- How many more years can Beau keep his spot at the top of the big man food chain? I suspect his retirement will correlate with the beginning of a slow decline for revolver.
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