OPEN MIXED WOMEN'S MASTERS JUNIORS
OPEN HYPE & REPORTING
REPORTERS: Voodoo, Jeff Sward, Dan Fassina, Pary Bell Aftermath Semifinal: Furious vs Joystik DAY 1 Report
FORECAST
The schedule is somewhat cryptic, but it has been deciphered and once again
the bones have allowed me to accurately predict the winners and the losers at
what promises to be a very entertaining tournament. SATURDAY
16TH Ladies and gentlemen, the
Open finals will shadow every other game played at Nationals 2003! Be there;
bring your friends, families, noise makers and banners. This is going to be
one awe-inspiring event. Pre-Tournament Hype
Well, the bids
are in, tickets bought and sprint training completed. It is now time to look
towards Montreal, towards days of running, towards wins, towards losses and
for a lucky few, towards Finland. Being the first National tournament in three
years that doubles as a qualifier for Worlds, spectators and players alike should
expect hot, hot action. In order of seeding… GOAT: Two seasons
ago, Ottawa and Toronto, rather WaX and YES, decided to join forces and turn
south and bond in the face of tougher American competition. Most would characterize
their first season as ‘progressive,’ however, with the amount of
raw talent and athleticism this team has, it was only a matter of time before
they began to win big tournaments. Seeded first in the tournament, GOAT’s
defence will wreak fear in the hearts of lesser opponents. Offensively, John
Hassel is a threat anywhere on the field. If you make the mistake of taking
your eyes off him, you’ll soon know why. Their Achilles heel is cohesion,
as the squad is evenly split across two cities, thus making it difficult for
full practices. Play tight, play hard and look to derail them with any chance
you get. Furious George:
What can be said about this team? Having posted wins against all the top American
teams, finishing top four at last year’s World’s competition in
Hawaii and winning the UPA championship series in October, these guys are better
than good. Spearheaded by a plethora of all-stars including Lugsdin and MG,
this is one of the deepest teams on the continent. Seeded second, will the monkeys
be dethroned in this tournament? They are without a doubt the team to beat. Mephisto: The Montreal
boys are back at it. This is the only team from the east to have placed top
four in each of their previous 3 national appearances, including a second place
finish in 2002. Their “go to” dude is still Shaggy and for good
reason. Unfortunately he is hurt. Handling and playing defence is the basis
of Mephisto’s strategy. Against stiff competition in Rochester, the team
pulled out a gold and look to continue that momentum as this year’s CUC
2003 open division host team. RWBB: The infamous
Calgary squad with hot skills and attitude to match, these guys will be gunning
for gold if they can pull it together. Look for bright orange jerseys, artefacts
of a now divided club. And watch for the huck to Dan as he’s fast and
has hops. Respect their handlers, they are slippery and may strike deep given
the opportunity. If they do begin to self-destruct, enjoy the fireworks but
remember to cash in on your points. Cooler heads prevail and if these guys can
be cool they just may… Phoenix: The young
Ottawa team has had an impressive second season. The most dangerous opponent
is the one with nothing to lose. Having charged through the season with wins
and loses to match; this team is tough to call. Be prepared to run, as these
guys are young and athletic. Their weakness may lie in their collective lack
of experience. It is no secret that they like the deep game as big scores build
big momentum. When this team is on, watch out! Derek Alexander is a ninja with
the disc. General Strike:
GS likes the pivot offence, a cousin of the horizontal. The variation here is
that only one person gets the disc downfield and in this case it’s a guy
named Dwayne. Adam Melnyk, a co-captain of last year’s gold medal national
junior team, has big throws and likes to use them. Run hard and use big marks
to force difficult throws in any match up against this squad. Important note;
one of the reason these guys are moving up on the scene is that they have one
of the best juniors programs in the country. Joystik: One of
two teams left in the wake of the formation of GOAT, this Toronto squad is composed
of ‘new school’ (younger up and coming players) and ‘old school’
(more seasoned veterans). Captained by Dean Ruhnke, this team is pushing for
good things in 2003. Joystik boasts experience from both schools, so don’t
let them sit back and pick your defence apart. Their offence has enough deep
weapons to cause damage. Making them run early will cut that element out of
their end game. EMU: This is another
young team that likes to run. Scouting report says that their handlers are vulnerable
to tight marks and tough down field coverage. They will certainly be able to
stick it to whoever is in their time slot. Use poaches selectively but don’t
get caught with your pants down because they’ll make you look silly. Pre-schedule Predictions
The much-anticipated
2003 Canadian Nationals is upon us! More than any other tournament in the history
of Canadian Ultimate, there has been an immense amount of controversy and trash
talk being hurled from coast to coast. Whether it is the Sunday finals being
played on Molson Stadium’s new multi-million dollar FieldTurf®, or
the banter about seeding, a lot of people have a lot to say!
As the tension mounts, so do the predictions. While some frantically dial their
local psychic lines, others gaze into their crystal balls in an effort to accurately
predict who will emerge victorious. As Montreal’s very own Haitian voodoo
witch doctor, the information I share with you is what the chicken bones have
told me. Read the bones!
With sixteen registered teams, it will be an action-packed three days leading
up to the grand finale…and regardless of what you may think of the FieldTurf®,
the finals at Molson Stadium’s will be an experience to remember.
Pool play will hold some interesting battles, most of which will involve the
top eight teams. An athletic squad from Edmonton may manage to keep stride a
little longer than Joystik, but both will likely be pushed into the lower ranks
by the other six teams. Despite Phoenix’s
recent Eastern successes, they are going to find they have their hands full
this year. Even with Sully’s consistent backhand huck, Derek Alexander’s
silent yet lethal play and Jeff, a tall and devastating receiver, Phoenix will
suffer upsetting defeats at the hands of the top four teams! Their big match
up, and one that will prove to be a thrilling game to spectate, will be Phoenix
vs. General Strike. After a strong
showing in Vancouver’s Flower Bowl, General Strike has solid leadership
from Adam Melnyk and Kyle Parker, two players to watch closely. With terrifyingly
accurate long throws and lightening quick handling, these two stars will serve
the General well. Winnipeg vs. Ottawa would be a fabulous display of youthful
skill but it will be the veteran experience that allows Phoenix to battle through
to a victory. With the deconstruction
of Invictus, RWBB will be a mysteriously competitive team that will battle with
all of the top seeds. While Calgary beat Furious’ skeleton crew, George,
with an onslaught of forehand hucks by Dustin and the regular skyhook handling
by Eliot Negelev, they received a serious beating from Toronto’s GOAT.
In Montreal, Calgary will show up with a competitive team that will man-handle
Phoenix and General but will feel the wrath of the Monkey, the butt of the GOAT
and the burn of Mephisto. Like a Molotov
cocktail, Mephisto will be turning St-Jean into a blazing inferno. An interesting
selection of summer tournaments has given Montreal mixed emotions. Destroying
any and all teams they faced in Boston, including Phoenix, Montreal could only
see this as a confidence booster since they were permanently stuck in B Pool!
The Montreal Jazz
Tournament was not a fabulous showing as Phoenix bumped the home team out in
the quarters. Although they bowed out of Flower Bowl, a tourney win in Rochester,
and a win over GOAT in Dartmouth earlier in the season has left Mephisto with
belief that this may just be their year. Although they will be suffering from
the loss of talented not-yet-legal in the USA handler Pat Dowler, fast man JF
and team anchorman Shaggy, Montreal has an athletic team that will issue an
overdue beating to Phoenix, snuffing the firebird where it stands. The Beelzebubs
will shutdown General Strike and remind Calgary once again that the close loss
in 2000 has not been forgotten. Montreal’s pool play challenge will be
the team from their east-coast rivals, Toronto. GOAT has been working
hard and they have the stats to prove it. They have won almost every tournament
they have attended over the past several months. Flower Bowl was a huge wake
up call for the Ottawa/Toronto/Montreal conglomerate. After a frightfully close
loss to George, GOAT buttoned down the hatches and lost only one other game
to Seattle, the eventual champions. A one-point loss to Sub Zero at the Boston
Invitation champs sent ripples south of the border. Intense weekend camps and
individual training is setting GOAT up for a very successful tournament. Their
pool play will be full of casual wins with a much lesser battle against Phoenix
than the one they had to face to win No Borders. GOAT’s main
threat in pool play will be Montreal. Going in to the game a little too relaxed,
Montreal will go up on GOAT at the beginning. After a slight scare GOAT, will
lower their heads and charge their way through to a definitive win, sending
them to a Sunday FieldTurf® showdown! Ah, the great apes,
Furious. With an initially slack attendance, Furious has lengthened their bench
and although they will be missing key players, they will touch down in La Belle
Province with animalistic strength. With a clear bill of health, Jeff Cruickshank
will reunite with his wily teammate Kirk Savage, and the two of them will be
throwing over the heads of every team they line up against. The return of the
Venezuelan Vanquisher Mauro Oritz will give spectators a lesson in handler cuts
and chest-piercing throws. Continuing to be led by a healthy Andrew Lugsdin,
the monkeys will be unveiling a mix of old and new weapons. Sean Boyle the
towering, SIXTEEN YEAR OLD Ulti-Jedi will not only be accepted by the Montreal
slack drinking regulations but by the entire Canadian Ultimate community…let
the Boyle era begin! The all too common Oscar-Grant connection will be overpowering
in pool play, allowing the team to enjoy their evenings in Canada’s best
city. However, these relaxed wins will hurt them when they walk through the
cement arches on Sunday. After toiling over cleat selection for months, dissing
and appealing the decision to play the finals on a synthetic surface, Furious
George will put seven on the FieldTurf® line at Molson Stadium. Suddenly
all of the Vancouver Ulti-Form trash talk will be a thing of the past and the
primates will have their long overdue introduction to the ungulates! Powered
by hard-working James Hoover, ex-monkey Ants, and all too consistent handler
Jonathan White, GOAT will open up the scoring and give Furious their first wake
up call of the tournament. Consistent play from Cam Milany and DJ will catch
the Vancouver defense off guard. It will be a game of trading points but a few
breaks will worm their way into the game in favour of Vancouver and allow Furious
George to widen the spread, securing their spot for Finland! When the schedule
is released, the bones will be gathered up, shaken and thrown again…
Aftermath, by Voodoo
Semifinal: Furious vs Joystik
Day 1 Report, Pools C & D
Forecast
Hype
Predictions
By Voodoo
posted 8/21/03
THE BONES? Not wrong, just misread!
With the events that have taken place, I believe it would be a mistake not to look back on the highs and lows of a Canadian Ultimate Championship that will be forever remembered for the elevated level of competition, the wins, the losses (of food and games), and the high-speed rally-racing to be on time for the Open Division’s early morning scheduling!
Throughout pool play, each team fought hard to place themselves above the others. While highlights could be found in every game, there are some battles that still stand out on this Ibuprofen-filled, Monday-after. The rematch between GOAT and PHOENIX was nothing short of unbelievable. The young guns from Ottawa came out strong. Jacked from their Thursday win over Calgary, the firebirds were not going to be snuffed by the favored GOAT. The intense match up between Anthony Maley and Derek Alexander was a quick-footed battle that spent as much time in the air as it did on the ground. Both players had what seemed like an equal number of skies and break-force throws, paralleling the score of this evenly matched game. Whether it was the magic touch of Sully’s well-aged backhand or the towering catches by Jon Hassel, these two teams kept the attention of the multitude of fans by trading points to the bitter end.
After two days of easy wins, Toronto had their hands full. GOAT, however, managed to shake off a few of the errors from earlier in the game and punch in the last point, moving them into a far more relaxed Quarter finals.
Furious had no mercy and by Friday afternoon, the combined scores of all previous games did not even add up to a win against them. Dan Fassina forced Mephisto to dawn their black jerseys after a devastating loss of the flip. Undaunted, Montreal stepped on the field to face the primates. The first point was a quick throw for the score, once again proving to everyone that Vancouver had come east to run the scores up on any and every opponent. The sidelines had now swelled with onlookers to watch Mephisto‘s Nick Kaulbach throw away their first possession with a long huck to an empty endzone!
Montreal seemed unaffected by this error and kept working hard. Well-executed plays and quick lane cuts left Mephisto receivers extremely open targets, unfortunately the throws were not as on the money and the turnovers began to mount. Unlike their wins of past games, Mephisto defense was having trouble getting the disc back and Furious capitalized on each miss-throw or dropped pass.
Sacha Hobeila had his best game of the tournament. Rick Dixon used his speed and ups to keep Montreal on the scoreboard. The samurai handling by Bryan Cho was not rewarded with catches at the other end. Despite the hard work by these players, Vancouver seemed overpowering. Andrew Lugsdin showed his arsenal of weapons, with pinpoint throws and dazzling skyhooks for the score. Al Bob was limbered up and single-handedly provided the Montreal offensive line with a lot of defensive time. His physical mark and layout d blocks simply went unanswered. While Montreal continued to run harder and better than they had all tournament, they could not stop the bleeding. With a sky-scraping catch by Mike Grant, Furious ended the game on a, shall we say "high note" which pleased the crowds and stoked the fires for Saturday’s games.
While both GOAT and Furious monstered through their quarter-final games, it was an extremely different story for PHOENIX. Unable to find the groove, their game seemed to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from how they played earlier in the tournament. To give credit where it is due, Joystik was not only amped to be playing Saturday morning; they were playing well and with a second half rally, battled back into the game. As they ripped the feathers from the wings of their opponents, Phoenix plummeted from their high flying Friday and fell to Joystik.
If this upset wasn’t hard enough to swallow, Calgary served up a severe beating to the home team. Mephisto didn’t have to shake off their loss to Furious; they knew that if they ran equally as hard and made the necessary catches, they could turn the tables from Nationals 2000. Be it a combination of wind, misfires and high stall counts, Calgary scored their first three points without having to move the disc more than fifteen yards upfield. Elliot Negelev’s thundering handblock served Mephisto with the first of many turnovers. Even with the return of Shaggy, their injured captain, and the unmatched efforts of Eric Froese, Montreal could not close the gap. Shaggy pierced the headwind with big throws, while Eric, suffering from a recently fractured ankle, made sure that he lowered the number of team throwaways with endzone layouts and a level of play that made Calgary wish they had not lost such a crucial player. RWBB finished the game to join Furious, Goat and Joystick in the semis.
The GOAT & RWBB game drew most of the fans, who assumed the other semis would be a blow out. While Toronto battled through to their second win over Calgary in the tournament and their third of the summer, word spread that Joystik was trading points with Vancouver. Almost immediately after people it was tied at 5-5, Furious found their head space, and after a few psych-up team sprints, Vancouver ended Joystik’s more than successful tournament (I am confident that I speak on behalf of all open teams when I say Congrats to J-Stik)! The finals were set. The much-anticipated Vancouver vs Toronto was only one MASSIVE party away.
Sunday could not have been further away. Many players stayed for the junior finals and cheered on the Fembot-cup of the Haz-matz. Unfortunately, the hometown tram, despite being up on their prairie opponents, had a few drops and defensive lapses that allowed Winnipeg to turn them into the HAZ-Beens, and carry the trophy back to Manitoba. After an extended cheering and heckling session, people dispersed only to reunite at the pavilion on the summit of Mont Royal, venue for one of the most unique and fun ulti-parties in memory. The near full moon lit up the faces of competitors from every division. While Kobayashi sent out positive jazz/hip-hop vibes, and the contortionist break-dancers proved there is still life without ligaments, players from every corner of the nation double fisted and helped add to the Joie de Vivre of this great Canadian city.
Even some of the finalist represented, Furious George sent party heavyweight Sean Boyle, Captain Party Span-deep, and Choco-Bot to test the beer. With a satisfactory thumbs up they were joined by numerous others. Far from overconfident, most of the open finalists retired at a sane hour, while a multitude of players kept the dream alive, and were spotted all over the city after having been tossed off the mountain. Ruby Cruz was last scene at 4 am inhaling any food at Mama’s. Eric Froese and Greg Mackie trolled the main for more drinks, pizza and new friends. The Dowler twins worked hard at finding new additions for their apartment, and all of BoneSaw proved that a surprising loss in the semis was not going to hinder them from winning the party.
The finals were upon us. The venue was perfect, giving the heckling fans an elevated view of Vancouver and Toronto going head-to-head. Toronto rushed off the line in fast-forward. They were crawling all over their western opponents and did not let the easy throw off. Furious had known not to take GOAT lightly and made sure that their ‘A’ game throws were hitting their targets. While the first few points went Furious’ way, GOAT was right there. A point scored after a four-time contested stall count seemed to send cracks through Toronto’s game.
Uncharacteristically blade-y forehands and turfed passes became the bain of GOAT’s game. Vancouver’s combination of throws, crowd-pleasing catches and impenetrable defense began stretching the score. Jeff Cruickshank stood out on ‘D’ and ‘O’. His second effort catches put as many points on the scoreboard and his layout-mac for the Callaghan to Tobias Marcoux won him the MVP of the Open Division Finals.
Toronto was not without their own flashes of brilliance like John Hassel’s huge bid on The Greatest, GOAT’S ninja footblocks and consistent bids on short passes. It made one wonder how the scoring was so lopsided. But like a freight train through road kill, Furious charged ahead at an unstoppable pace. Once again MG released a throw that would prove to be the coup-de-gras as Daragh Dumbeldor dragged the disc down in the endzone. Furious George had successfully won the final of the Canadian Championship, 17-6. In the face of all the hype, GOAT and Furious showed an unbelievable level of spirit with handshakes, hugs and post-game beers. The respect amongst all the players was admirable as GOAT thanked Furious for what they have done and continue to do for Canadian Ultimate and Furious encouraging the hard work and dedication that has been long overdue back east!
The cup was hoisted high in the stands. Vancouver’s celebrations were carried out through the next two games and made sure to include everyone in attendance. While the singing sensation Elvis Berson bowed out, Mike Grant, Al BOB, Jeff Cruickshank, and Oscar bellowed out a customized version of Nickle-back for Nick Kaulbach. Hitting the top 40’s on the west coast, the melody was welcomed with open arms by the adoring fans. With the final two games of the tournament coming to an end, members of all teams migrated to St. Sulpice and a mixture of Bonesaw, Lucky, Furious, Goat, Mephisto, Prime and many other competitors partied until the wee hours of the morning, "raising the roof" or raising each other on to the roof! It was sad to see everyone disperse moments before the sun shone the rays of reality back into everyone’s lives, but great to know that we will all reunite at the next tournament.
Thanks for attending and reading this long-winded summary.
V O O D O O
The Bone cracker
By Noah Goldstein
posted 8/18/03
Going into semis, Joystik was coming off a huge quarterfinal upset against young, athletic Phoenix from Ottawa. "It was the biggest win of most of our ultimate careers," said one Joystik player. But despite this momentum, the expectation that Furious would walk their way into finals with an easy win had not changed.
Joystik came out on the aggressive, challenging the awesome Furious D with quick passing and ballsy hucks. This tactic led to some impressive endzone scores as Joystik matched Furious point for point until 3-3. Furious then kicked it into higher gear and got an upwind point as the spectators began to write Joystik off. But the fired up underdogs came back with an upwind goal of their own. At 5-5, the audience was a-buzz. Really a-buzz. You could hear the crowd buzzing along the sidelines.
The end.
The rest of the game happened. But only after Furious called a time out. And then scored. And then got the D. A wicked breakforce flick and fist pump by the high-school prodigy brought Furious to 7-5. And then the monkeys kept rolling and Joystik had nowhere to maneuver. Final score: 15-5 Furious. This game was a nice wakeup call for the UPA Champs and provided Joystik with some great memories to take home from CUC 2003.
By Dan Fassina
posted 8/14/03
Pool C:
The day started of with Mephisto matched up against Q and with General Strike taking on Magma. Mephisto pulled out to a quick 8-1 lead and then cruised to a comfortable victory. General Strike took down Magma rather handily. Second round matches saw Magma play Mephisto in a Montreal Derby. Magma come out fired up and wanted to prove their worth to the big boys of Montreal Ultimate. They certainly did that. Mephisto came out flat and couldn’t produce any big leads. Eventually Mephisto’s experience pulled them through as they pulled away to a victory after a very tight first half. General Strike and Q had themselves a battle of a game. They spent much of the game within one point of each other. They were tied up at 9 before Strike stamped their authority on the game and won by 2. The last round of games saw the top two ranked teams of the pool, Mephisto and General Strike, play each other. Strike came out with tons of energy and took the first point. Unfortunately for them Mephisto came out with a bit more energy and took the next 5. Mephisto pulled out to a rather comfortable lead before Strike found some of their energy again. Eventually the game ended with Mephisto winning with a 3 point margin. The big game of the pool was between Q and Magma to see who would be the third team to move up. Unfortunately this guy doesn’t know what the final score of that game was but there was a whole lot of excitement coming from their field. In the end Magma came up with the upset victory over Q. So Pool C ends with Mephisto taking top honours followed by General Strike and Magma, who all move on to the next stage in the tournament, and then Q took the last spot and got relegated to the lower bracket.
Pool D:
Phoenix started the day off against Omen and cruised to a fairly easy victory. RedWingedBlackBirds (RWBB) also had cruise control set to easy as they beat Pong. Phoenix didn’t have to use up much more energy to dispatch of Pong in their second round game. Same goes for RWBB, who cruised to Victory over Omen. Omen played Pong for third place glory in their last game of the day. That glory goes to the local boys, Omen, as they took down Pong. The big game of the day, possibly the biggest in any of the pools, was the much anticipated RRWB vs Pheonix game. The 2 fairly equally-matched teams played a tight game. Phoenix took half and managed to open their lead to a 4 point margin at 12-8. RWBB turned up the heat and Phoenix promptly turned up the suck and let RWBB back in the game. Calgary managed to score a point to close the gap to 14-13 but it was too little to late as the cap was on and the game ended on that note. Phoenix stole RRWB's spot as the number 1 team in the pool. RRWB and Omen are the other 2 teams that move on and Pong joins Q in the Chumpionship bracket.
By Voodoo
posted 8/11/03
Pools A, B, C, and D are well split up, and provide the home team, Mephisto,
with an advantageous seeding situation. On day 1, teams from different regions
will get a chance to be introduced on the field. Thursday’s pool play
will leave GOAT standing as number one and Emu as runner up in the A pool. Furious
George will be swinging casually as B1 with Joystick hanging on to B2. Mephisto
will take Pool C’s top position with General Strike nipping at their heels.
Pool D will feature the best match up, with the two squads fighting for the
top perch. This will be Thursday’s showcase game. RWBB will end up in
poll position with Phoenix screeching just below them.
FRIDAY THE 15TH
On Friday, action will be turned up a notch as the top twelve teams pit their
skills against one another. Leading Pool E into battle will be GOAT while Furious
George holds the reigns in Pool F. Pool E has a relaxed start, forcing Furious
to shake off the jet leg and play General Strike, while Mephisto flattens the
prairie’s Mangina. FG might as well have a next round bye as they steamroll
Q in what might be one of the most devastating wins of the tournament. This
will provide them with an opportunity to rest before their only game against
Mephisto in the entire tournament. To the joy of the spectators, the quick athletic
home team will fight hard but their immature and undisciplined style will fall
to the Apes.
A No Borders replay drags GOAT and Phoenix back on the field. This game will
be a fabulous one, as Phoenix battles to create one of the many possible upsets
in Montreal. However, GOAT's thirst for a second nationals title will give them an edge, and a definitive win. After a GOAT win over Omen (with a score that will rival that of FG vs. Q) they will present the ultimate fans with another fabulous game against RWBB. In order to show the Calgarians that they cannot hide behind the mask of a new name, GOAT will do to RWBB what they
did to Invictus at Flower Bowl; cripple them!
Friday's games will be fought out in St. Jean’s humid setting, serving
up three games that cannot be missed by avid Ultimate fans.
Let the “real” tourney begin! Repositioned after Friday’s
play, the teams now lace up their cleats for what will be the most important
day (for most of them) at Nationals. Three entirely new pools will be created
and the carnage that will result from this day’s battles will give the
hot-air balloon passengers something to gaze down upon.
Mephisto will have to begin their Saturday with the throttle on full. An enraged
Phoenix will confront Montreal, who will eventually win this fiery battle. But
the game leaves Mephisto battered and bruised at an inopportune time; their
face off against GOAT (who will have skated by Joystik without breaking a sweat).
Furious George will ring the necks of Emu and anxiously await RWBB, who will
emerge from a surprisingly close decision against General Strike.
The semis will be a fantastic display of skill on behalf of all four teams.
With nothing to lose, Mephisto will come out of the cage foaming at the mouth.
The Mtl offence will catch the Torontonians off guard and score a few effective
points. But Toronto’s well-honed offense will dominate the Montreal defense
and in the end, this game will be a good warm up for GOAT’s return to
the finals.
Furious George will welcome RWBB to the field for another Vancouver/Alberta
face-off. Furious will unleash a world of hate on Calgary, and beat them in
a very decisive match, all the while keeping an eye their next, true opponent;
GOAT.
The games for final seeding should not be missed. The between General Strike
and Phoenix will be a match of youthful energy that will make for a fabulous
game. Mephisto will play RWBB in a tussle that will uncover feelings that were
only shallowly buried in 2000. While the Phoenix’s game will be a window
into the future of this country’s Ultimate, the Mtl/Calgary game will
be one of unprecedented fury and excitement matched only by Sunday’s Open
Final.
SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!!
With all other positions taken, there will only be two spots left unclaimed:
FIRST and SECOND. Most of the country didn’t need my chicken bones to
figure out the final match-up between GOAT and Furious. This final, set in the
coliseum-like stadium, will provide players and fans alike with a duel between
the tournament’s top athletes. With a relatively easy march to Sunday,
Furious will have enjoyed the Montreal ‘joie de vivre’ the night
before, while GOAT, the defending champions will be resting & visualizing
their biggest game in their two-year history.
Stepping on to the FieldTurf® will have very little effect on this game.
It will be the breathless air that sits stagnant in the protected stadium that
will be more of a change from gusty St. Jean. GOAT will work hard from the get-go
and their skills, pooled together from three different cities, will surprise
the unsuspecting UPA champions.
Furious, however, will not be pushed around. MG, despite a list of injuries,
will be in Montreal to win and show that the West still dominates the sport
of ultimate. Jeff Cruickshank’s display of awe-inspiring throws will be
compared to this summer’s Benson &Hedge’s Fireworks Competition
in Montreal. John Frame will captain the defensive line to stop GOAT’s
fast-paced scoring offense. Furious will win this game, but not without an honest
effort. The intensity will be at a level not seen before in this great country.
The playing surface critics, the seeding big mouths, and all of the false predictions
will go up in smoke as Molson Stadium houses a finals more exciting, more evenly
matched and more talked about than any other in Canadian Ultimate history. As
clearly as I can see it now, I will be in attendance to watch. THIS SHOWDOWN
IS NOT TO BE MISSED!
The plethora of perfect hucks in this windless venue, the quick cuts, the high-percentage
throws and the layout Ds will show Montreal and our nation the upper echelon
of this sport.
Watch out for grinding match ups; Ex- furious player Ants against his old teammates,
Mr. White and Mr. Savage meet again after a testosterone-filled clash at Flowerbowl.
Keep an eye out for the quick-footed Sawada, Oscar, and Edgehill and celebratory
catches by James Hoover and ex-Invictus player Jonas. These two teams have rosters
that are made to meet one another.
by Jeff Sward
posted 8/11/03
There is still a large separation between the east and the west. Many feel that
as city lines have dissolved, new eastern juggernauts have arisen from the amalgamation
and this year’s Canadian Ultimate Championship tournament will be the
most exciting in years. To take home the title is to take home the selection
rights for team Canada, in all divisions.
Those following the open forum discussions across the country will know that
hype and general smack talk have been building steadily for the past two months.
From Vancouver to Saskatoon to Halifax, Ultimate players are passionate about
supporting their home town teams. Since CUC in Vancouver in 2000, offences and
defences have changed, individual player styles, intensities and intellect have
all bettered. CUC 2003 will see observers on hand for the first time on the
Canadian scene. In short, ultimate has evolved.
The western-originated horizontal offense has disseminated across the country.
Look for many of the top teams to use this setup. The horizontal stack favours
the deep game which is always a crowd pleaser. Most teams will have added different
flavours to their man-on-man defensive looks, which may include poaching in
the lanes, poaching the deeps and trap marks. Zone defence may also play a role
at CUC 2003, but the wind better be high and the cup better be tight, as most
top level handlers possess sufficient confidence and skill to drill through
all but the most spectacular zone defenders.
by Voodoo
posted 8/8/03