Nationals Photos are up

Jimmy with a ridiculous D bid


Sam being Big



The dreamiest of all dreams




Bil Elsinger's photos:

www.pbase.com/elsinger

Frost on the Sideline

That's right, that's how cold it is. Yet we still had the best practice of the season. After warm ups, we headed into split box drill. After trying for 10 completions and immediately getting 35, we combined for a huge box drill where we learned what it means to be 'the 8th man.' We'll practice it again, 'till we keep our sidelines so hot they'll be hot springs, not frost.



ROOKIES!

We spent the majority of the arctic practice doing a whistle scrimmage. Just a normal scrimmage only a vetran would blow Marisa's ear-splitting safety whistle, and explain the situation that she wanted to correct. We went over: cuts off a dead disc, picks, fouls, fast breaks....



Vetrans!

Heather Ann had a beautiful, unlikely layout grab. Her 2nd best ever.
Marisa was an outstanding mid, all over the field cutting at will. And Debbie began to throw connections under pressure.

Vetrans, look for the write up of today's meeting in your inbox soon.

Thanks everyone for a sweet practice!! Log on and write your own write up! If you noticed anything that fired you up, put it up right here.

Featured Element #1: Heather Underwood

Heather was chosen to be the first featured element of the 2006-2007 season because of the dedication she has shown to the team during these first few weeks. She's been at practice, throwing clinic, power hours and more, through math midterms, near freezing temperatures, and flues. She had already mastered propper layout form and is ready to break out the D's in the upcoming tournaments. With her exponential learning curve and willingness to work diligently on the little things that makes a player great, we cannot wait to see what kind of player she will be by the spring series.

Miss Underwood turned to ultimate after an already very long and industrious career in sports all over the map. For nine years she was a gymnast, and retired after placing first in the state of Washington on the uneven bars. (This helps explain the aptitute for long throws). Afterwards, she broadened her range of sports to become a triathlete, cross country runner, backpacker, soccer player, and a crazy snowboarder who became significantly less crazy after multiple knee surgeries. She rowed for the University of Washington as a freshman.

Miss Underwood was led to ultimate by her highschool classmate, Niki Lesniak, who will surely be featured up here soon as well as rewarded with cupcake royale for converting such a seasoned athlete. Heather is a sophmore majoring in math and computer science and is contemplating a minor in chemistry. (In layman's terms: she's whicked smaaaaht'). Instead of letting her intense schedule bring her down, she states: "With this kind of class load, it has been such a
great relief to find a sport that can help me focus my energies in a physical
and productive way."

Thus far she has enjoyed her time as an element, "from the bruises to the cupcakes." She is looking forward to kicking some a** at the tournaments this fall and traveling to compete in the spring. She can't wait to improve her skills and strategy and learn more about all "the amazing people on this team."

She adds, "I love that sports offer an opportunity to be part of a team
and the chance to have a great time and be outdoors. I am so psyched for this
season and to learn more about this great sport!"

Follow her progress, and the whole Element team through the 2006-2007 college season at www.elementultimate.blogspot.com, and www.students.washington.edu.

To nominate a player to be featured, email blugrass AT u DOT washington DOT edu

E girls Online

E girls Online

I don't know how excited this made everyone else but I'm stoked. We're now going to have a full team and coaches! This is pretty much going to be sweet.

Lina thanks for getting us all super excited!

7/8

Hey, in response to the below post (lisa, did you write that?) here is some more NW ultimate news:

This is nuts!! SEVEN out of EIGHT of the finalists at club nationals this year were from the Northwest Region!! All of open, women, masters were from the NW, and Mischeif, the mixed team that won, is from the NW! (Slow white, the one non-NW finalist, was from new england! woot woot!)

Geuss it's time for us to make sure that the NW represents during college season, too!

Go Seattle!

Check out the results at score o matic if you havent yet! our riot girls finished an awesome second, and sockeye took first at natties! way to go Seattle we are so proud!

Anyone else totally fired up for practice after thinking about our friends and teammates, past and present, kicking butt down in florida? yea!

bring it tonight ladies!

Riot&Sockeye are in FINALS!

Claire, sundodger alum Ray, Shannon, sundodger alum Ray, Element alum and former coach Carla, Element alum and coach Mir, Element alum Krisann, coach Jenn. They was taught by UW ultimate! (Or they're teaching us...or both...)
Both teams are playing in the finals of club nationals tomorrow morning against their nemsis': bay area women's team Fury and Vancouver's Furious George.

Follow the action at www.scoreomatic.com (ultimate, upa 2006 club championships) for point by point, and www.ultivillage.com for videos.

Good luck RIOT&SOCKEYE!

Halloween Practice

If you missed today's practice, you missed.....the afformentioned cupcakes, abbs, pushups, singing total eclipse of the heart while enduring timed armed...um..things. things that hurt. I don't know what to call them. Also a lot of throwing, gradual throwing with a mark, and a SWEET cutting and defense drill. Those are the things to work on if you missed out.

Here is a quick run down of the very effective cutting defensive drill:

we set up cones in the shape of pattern running, as if we were one player on the field starting in the stack, making an out an in cut, running for a huck, coming in for a huck, then clearing back to the stack. We marked every place where we chopped/cut in with cones. We first sprinted through it, concentrating on chopping, getting low, exploding, and sprinting 100%.

Next we added field awareness, with Heather (who was sick and still came out!) standing with the disc giving us fakes. We worked on running hard while giving quick looks behind to see where the disc was.

Then we added defense, jogging slowly through it to work on body position.

Then we upped the speed, and added a thrower.

Lastly, we did a mega-quick tutorial on getting a clean, safe lay out D.

Then we scrimmaged, 6 on 6. Everyone played hard. Sabba and Debbie remarked that it was easier to cut, and they understood cutting more, when there were less people on the field.
Marisa had some beautiful break throws, and Niki broke out some incredible forehands. Rita was the MVP of the game, in a couple of points she was every other throw, threw an effortless high release backhand for a score, and showed well developing defense. Amy d'd every huck Lina put up, and Lisa got 4 handblocks, on the same person, who may or may not be writing this.

Further Enticement

Duing my routine google image search of 'cupcakes' I ran across this gem. This may or may not embody my personal feelings on playing superfly.

A Little Enticement

For 10-28-06 practice : Come and yee shall receive throwingrunninghuckingcatchinglayingoutscoring insight. Oh and maybe:

Spoon

E girls Online I can't wait for the spooning action!

Throwing Clinic #2

Rita and Maddy came out to clinic last night for some one on one throwing techniques. There were throws with a mark, persuasive fakes, throwing to a cutter, and beautiful long throws.

We learned how much harder it is to get off a decent throw when there is a mark on you, or even near you. It's 98% mental and can be overcome by practice.



This drill worked wonders: have a less experienced player emulate a player with strong throws. Strong throwing player (let's call her Lisa) will partner throw with less experienced player. Lisa will throw forehands, backhands, high releases, stepping out, stepping back, getting low, etc. Her partner watches and returns the throw in the exact way that lisa threw it. Exactly the same, from footwork to what Lisa does with her arm that's not throwing. There's no talking or asking questions; really there isn't much thinking involved. Just let your body copy exactly what the strong thrower is doing. This drill had R&M looking like very experienced players with a wide range of solid throws.

sweet!!

Element Online

Welcome to the Virtual Ultimate field. Post, read, reply, psych up your teammates.