Georgia Southerns was a very interesting tournament to say the least. Nate was able to get us a bid on Wednesday before the tournament, and we were barely able to pull together a team. With the help of a few last second pick ups, we somehow got 13 players to cancel their spring break plans and represent Reaper in the tournament. We left from Eastern on Friday afternoon and drove 14 straight hours to Statesboro, Georgia. It was 90 degrees and sunny all day, and the fields were the best fields I've ever played on. We got there just in time play our first game of the day against the #1 seed of the entire tournament.
Our first game was against Central Florida. We came in flat and quickly realized our place as Central Florida bent us over and made us their bitch. They had a very soild team and worked us up and down the field very effectively. We could blame our poor play on the lack of sleep, or the the lack of subs, but what it came down to was Central Florida came to play and we didn't. The game ended with Central Florida dominating us 13 to 5. I believe if we got another chance, we could compete with this team. Decision making was our biggest downfall as we chose to throw the disk up for grabs instead of working the unders. Against a good team like Central Florida, we cannot afford stupid turnovers, and we must captilize on our opportunities.
Our next game was against Emory. I don't remember anything about this game... Emory was a boring team... Apparently we tested out our zone on this team and it didn't work too well. James says Emory had an Asian handler that worked us pretty good but apparently not good enough. We ended up winning the game 12 to 8.
Next up was Chicago. Chicago is a conference rival and this was a game we needed to be ready for. Unfortunately, we didn't take Chicago seriously, and we came out flat against them. They were able to build an early lead and held us off for the rest of the game. This is a game we should have won. Again, decision making was a problem for us as we continued to throw the deep 50/50 instead of taking the safe unders. Decision making would continue to be our biggest problem throughout the tournament, and it is something we NEED to fix before playoffs arrive. Chicago wins 13 to 9.
The last game of the day was against George Mason. These guys were loud, obnoxious, and just flat out sucked at life. This team got beat 13-0 earlier in the day so we expected them to suck. And although they did suck, we allowed them to hang around through half time. At half time some guy from their team announced that they were gonna win this game... So we decided to start trying in the second half and finished the game on a 7 to 2 run. Final score was 13 to 8. Suck it George Mason!
Sunday, our first game was against New York. These guys were very beatable and honestly I still don't understand how we lost to them. Again, poor decision making hurt us throughout the game, and we gave up opportunity after opportunity. If we plan on having success later this season, we must have a bigger emphasis on valuing the disk. Turning over the disk is unacceptable! In the end, we ran out of time and the final score was 10 to 9.
Our second game on Sunday was against St. Olaf. These guys were super tall and overly athletic but in the end our good looks were too much for them. Our cup pretty much shut down their offense, and we were able to cruise to the finish line. Reaper wins 12-8.
The last game of the tournament, we played Wake Forest. James had trouble with some trees on the sideline. I'm not sure what he was thinking, but apparently he thought that if he threw the disk hard enough, the disk would just fly through the trees... James was wrong. For those of you keeping score, Trees beat James 3-0. Other than that, our cup was very effective again, and we cruised to a 10 to 7 victory.
Overall, this tournament was a very important learning opportunity for our team. I would say that, with the exception of MAYBE Central Florida, nobody beat us this tournament... We beat ourselves. We have a very talented team this season, but we lack the discipline to play as a team.
In every single game at this tournament, we dug ourselves into a hole and then attempted to climb out of it. We may have been able to recover against some teams, but against the better teams, we didn't stand a chance. I'm SICK of always having to recover from our mistakes. I'm TIRED of having to climb out of the fuckin craters we dig for ourselves. But most of all, I'm NOT SATISFIED because I know how talented we can be. Let's build on our success, and learn from our mistakes. We only got 3 more weeks til conference, its time to man up!
<3 Tim
Eastern Illinois Ultimate Frisbee Club - Team Reaper
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Spring Break
Congrats Reaper on a good showing at Midwest Throwdown. Seeded 11th and finished 4th with a strong comeback against Purdue and a heated game vs Harding. Hopefully High Release and Dele will be able to make a sweet high light vid of the tournament soon! Losing in the Semi's to a very talented Wash U team should be an eye opener. Starters in particular, take away something from this loss and aim to improve on it. Decision making and endurance is something every single starter on this team can improve on.
Iowa State was also an eye-opener. Rookies, overall you played very well on the weekend, our success this year is going to depend on your improvement! D line in particular needs to improve their throws, fundamentals were a major problem for our young D line. Head on a swivel, watch your man but you must also be aware of where the disc is and your positioning so as to contest a pass. Offensively you MUST be comfortable making an upfield continuation pass. We have just two tournaments left before Conference so come to practice but more importantly come and WORK hard!
When we come back and get into the swing of things before Chicago Invite expect to play outside, regardless of how cold or windy it might be. Indoor practices can only help us so much, we need to get out and grind on the field. Make the two hours you set aside for each practice count, that means play like it's a tournament! Challenge your teammates to work harder and improve on the field... BE TENACIOUS ON DEFENSE, COOL MINDED ON OFFENSE!
Lastly... I just wanted to make a quick list of memorable moments/highlights from Midwest Throwdown.
-Joe almost getting a Callahan, immediately followed by Joe getting the most action of his life by a western player.
-Paul getting a D vs Missouri State B in the endzone (13-0 victory kept intact).
-The whole team not freezing to death and playing in that mudpit of a field ALL DAY.
-OC for earning another nickname "Iso... THOR!" in the Purdue game.
-Hinze for getting the best picture of the weekend, then dropping the pass haha.
-Dele for getting a huge 2-handed layout D against Purdue
-Mike destroying a Harding player with possibily the greatest D I have ever seen.
-Classic Steve and Myself for giving Washington probably the best Callahan of their season.
-Zach's breakmark scoober off an endzone play vs Iowa State
Get outside and throw. Have a safe and fun break everyone!
-#2
Some random ultimate videos to keep you interested : )
http://www.vimeo.com/7113554 - NP
http://www.vimeo.com/988257 - NP, my fav HL vid
http://www.vimeo.com/7745563 - ridic highlight vid of the club team Rhino
http://www.vimeo.com/15830371 - short tutorial on throwing
http://www.vimeo.com/14393997 - Iowa college natties 2010
Iowa State was also an eye-opener. Rookies, overall you played very well on the weekend, our success this year is going to depend on your improvement! D line in particular needs to improve their throws, fundamentals were a major problem for our young D line. Head on a swivel, watch your man but you must also be aware of where the disc is and your positioning so as to contest a pass. Offensively you MUST be comfortable making an upfield continuation pass. We have just two tournaments left before Conference so come to practice but more importantly come and WORK hard!
When we come back and get into the swing of things before Chicago Invite expect to play outside, regardless of how cold or windy it might be. Indoor practices can only help us so much, we need to get out and grind on the field. Make the two hours you set aside for each practice count, that means play like it's a tournament! Challenge your teammates to work harder and improve on the field... BE TENACIOUS ON DEFENSE, COOL MINDED ON OFFENSE!
Lastly... I just wanted to make a quick list of memorable moments/highlights from Midwest Throwdown.
-Joe almost getting a Callahan, immediately followed by Joe getting the most action of his life by a western player.
-Paul getting a D vs Missouri State B in the endzone (13-0 victory kept intact).
-The whole team not freezing to death and playing in that mudpit of a field ALL DAY.
-OC for earning another nickname "Iso... THOR!" in the Purdue game.
-Hinze for getting the best picture of the weekend, then dropping the pass haha.
-Dele for getting a huge 2-handed layout D against Purdue
-Mike destroying a Harding player with possibily the greatest D I have ever seen.
-Classic Steve and Myself for giving Washington probably the best Callahan of their season.
-Zach's breakmark scoober off an endzone play vs Iowa State
Get outside and throw. Have a safe and fun break everyone!
-#2
Some random ultimate videos to keep you interested : )
http://www.vimeo.com/7113554 - NP
http://www.vimeo.com/988257 - NP, my fav HL vid
http://www.vimeo.com/7745563 - ridic highlight vid of the club team Rhino
http://www.vimeo.com/15830371 - short tutorial on throwing
http://www.vimeo.com/14393997 - Iowa college natties 2010
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February Update
February is probably the most annoying, stressful, aggravating and yet important month of the year for Reaper. We have already had to cancel one practice that had nearly 30 people at at because of the track team. Eastern Illinois University does not let us reserve the fieldhouse. Any EIU sport has priority over us and can kick us out anytime. Clearly from a scheduling prospective this is a nightmare... but there is nothing we can do about it yet so we have to suck it up and make due with what we can control over this annoying yet extremely important month.
We start our spring tournament season the first week of march, this means that both individually and as a team february is VITAL to our success. I can't stress it enough that if we are to have any success come conference the work has to be put in right now! That means... individually we all need to get in better shape. RUNNING, LIFTING, PLYOS these need to be in your schedule. Tim, Mike, and Myself are all here to help you get in shape! It's much easier to workout with a buddy who can push you to both go and not be lazy when you do get to the gym. IF you have not gone to the rec or fieldhouse yet to lift or go to pylos then I can't stress it enough to AT THE VERY LEAST GO ONCE AND SEE WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT!!! People ask me how to get better... being physically fit is vital to any sport. The next key thing is to come to practice and push yourself! I say push yourself because at this point coming is not enough. If you make a mistake and understand what you did wrong make an effort to improve. Everyone gets beat force side every now, or makes a dumb drop, or throws a stupid throw. All we can do is realize we made an error and then work extra hard to minimize it happening again. As always ask your captains if you have any questions about the game or if you have any specific questions for improvement! We are all on the same team and are here to have fun but push each other to get better!
So... please... pretty please... come to practice, grab a teammmate and go the rec or the fieldhouse or plyos! February is so so so important to our season, don't expect practice to be cancelled but in case it is have a back up plan to work out.
Lastly, ultimate is meant to be fun! Pushing each other in practice is because as a team we are competitive and have a goal... success in the college series. We will get our brand new uniforms soon and I am extremely excited to get to represent this team come tournament play. Work hard... have fun... and let's dominate come March!
~James
We start our spring tournament season the first week of march, this means that both individually and as a team february is VITAL to our success. I can't stress it enough that if we are to have any success come conference the work has to be put in right now! That means... individually we all need to get in better shape. RUNNING, LIFTING, PLYOS these need to be in your schedule. Tim, Mike, and Myself are all here to help you get in shape! It's much easier to workout with a buddy who can push you to both go and not be lazy when you do get to the gym. IF you have not gone to the rec or fieldhouse yet to lift or go to pylos then I can't stress it enough to AT THE VERY LEAST GO ONCE AND SEE WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT!!! People ask me how to get better... being physically fit is vital to any sport. The next key thing is to come to practice and push yourself! I say push yourself because at this point coming is not enough. If you make a mistake and understand what you did wrong make an effort to improve. Everyone gets beat force side every now, or makes a dumb drop, or throws a stupid throw. All we can do is realize we made an error and then work extra hard to minimize it happening again. As always ask your captains if you have any questions about the game or if you have any specific questions for improvement! We are all on the same team and are here to have fun but push each other to get better!
So... please... pretty please... come to practice, grab a teammmate and go the rec or the fieldhouse or plyos! February is so so so important to our season, don't expect practice to be cancelled but in case it is have a back up plan to work out.
Lastly, ultimate is meant to be fun! Pushing each other in practice is because as a team we are competitive and have a goal... success in the college series. We will get our brand new uniforms soon and I am extremely excited to get to represent this team come tournament play. Work hard... have fun... and let's dominate come March!
~James
Thursday, February 3, 2011
We got Swagg
As I look at the program that James, Nate, Evan and a few others started, I am very proud to be part of it. We have to look at the program that has been created and realize just how well off we are. I've only been here for about a month but from what I can tell, the Eastern Illinois Ultimate Frisbee Club is the most successful sport club that we have at this school.
If you compare our team to other club sports here such as Rugby or Lacrosse, it is very evident that our sport is more developed than the others. We sometimes see these others sports practicing in the fieldhouse and from what I've seen, they don't got shit on us. We must take pride and know that our program is superior to the other club teams at our school. We are the top dogs of all the clubs and we need to have a sort of swagger about it.
When I was at Pantherpalooza last week, I tried recruiting some meathead who looked athletic. I told him that he should come out and play frisbee with us but as he was walking away he said that frisbee wasn't a sport and that only contact sports like rugby were real sports. It's fine that that particular guy felt that way, but its also fine that we rock the rugby team in terms of participants and talent. It's fine that we are much more organized and contain the necessary leadership to actually matter come playoff time. It's fine that rugby is a dying sport and we live in America where football trumps rugby 10 out of 10 times. Who the hell plays rugby anyways?? Only brain dead rejects of some high school football team I would imagine.
Lacrosse don't got shit on us either. I see them practicing and they only got 10 guys and 5 girls at every practice. We have double their amounts of guys and girls! When lacrosse practices in the fieldhouse, they only use up half the courts. When we come to practice, every move out cuz we takin up the whole dam building!
Haha but seriously we are still growing as a team every day. There are new players showing up each practice as well as the savy veterans that are the backbone to the team. Each year the team grows bigger and stronger. As some of the older guys leave, we need the new guys to step up and continue the tradition. Ultimate frisbee is the fastest growing sport in the nation and the sport alone will recruit the necessary players to fill a roster. I say we all work on our swag walk so that next time we enter the fieldhouse as a team, the other sports will know their place!
Love, Tim
If you compare our team to other club sports here such as Rugby or Lacrosse, it is very evident that our sport is more developed than the others. We sometimes see these others sports practicing in the fieldhouse and from what I've seen, they don't got shit on us. We must take pride and know that our program is superior to the other club teams at our school. We are the top dogs of all the clubs and we need to have a sort of swagger about it.
When I was at Pantherpalooza last week, I tried recruiting some meathead who looked athletic. I told him that he should come out and play frisbee with us but as he was walking away he said that frisbee wasn't a sport and that only contact sports like rugby were real sports. It's fine that that particular guy felt that way, but its also fine that we rock the rugby team in terms of participants and talent. It's fine that we are much more organized and contain the necessary leadership to actually matter come playoff time. It's fine that rugby is a dying sport and we live in America where football trumps rugby 10 out of 10 times. Who the hell plays rugby anyways?? Only brain dead rejects of some high school football team I would imagine.
Lacrosse don't got shit on us either. I see them practicing and they only got 10 guys and 5 girls at every practice. We have double their amounts of guys and girls! When lacrosse practices in the fieldhouse, they only use up half the courts. When we come to practice, every move out cuz we takin up the whole dam building!
Haha but seriously we are still growing as a team every day. There are new players showing up each practice as well as the savy veterans that are the backbone to the team. Each year the team grows bigger and stronger. As some of the older guys leave, we need the new guys to step up and continue the tradition. Ultimate frisbee is the fastest growing sport in the nation and the sport alone will recruit the necessary players to fill a roster. I say we all work on our swag walk so that next time we enter the fieldhouse as a team, the other sports will know their place!
Love, Tim
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Playing Time Must Be Earned
So me and James are working out on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday nights if anybody wants to join us. We will be lifting weights and getting jacked as hell. By the end of the season we'll have James lookin like Arnold Schwartzeneger. But we would love to have many of you other guys joining us. We will also be practicing our throws afterwards so come regionals we will have perfect throws.
March 5th we have our first tournament in Missouri. As tournament time draws near, we need to know who will be ready to step in and contribute. We need players who can come in, make the upfield pass/make the dump, make good decisions, and never turn the disk over. We need players that will come out, shut their guy down, stop the upfield strike and not get broken. If you are able to do these things consistently you will get playing time.
As we get closer and closer to playoffs, we will be calling tighter lines. Players must earn their playing time by busting their ass at practice. You must prove that you are worthy to step on the field and represent Reaper at tournaments. Who will step up and show that they derserve to play? I know at least three front runners right now.
After James and I worked out today, we go into the fieldhouse to do some throwing. To our surprise we see Manderson, Lovie, and Andrew throwin around and doing some extra conditioning. Everyone on the team should look at these three guys and take notes. It pumps me up SOOO much to see some of our rookies putting in the extra work to improve their game. Keep up the good work boys. I love you.
Love, Tim
March 5th we have our first tournament in Missouri. As tournament time draws near, we need to know who will be ready to step in and contribute. We need players who can come in, make the upfield pass/make the dump, make good decisions, and never turn the disk over. We need players that will come out, shut their guy down, stop the upfield strike and not get broken. If you are able to do these things consistently you will get playing time.
As we get closer and closer to playoffs, we will be calling tighter lines. Players must earn their playing time by busting their ass at practice. You must prove that you are worthy to step on the field and represent Reaper at tournaments. Who will step up and show that they derserve to play? I know at least three front runners right now.
After James and I worked out today, we go into the fieldhouse to do some throwing. To our surprise we see Manderson, Lovie, and Andrew throwin around and doing some extra conditioning. Everyone on the team should look at these three guys and take notes. It pumps me up SOOO much to see some of our rookies putting in the extra work to improve their game. Keep up the good work boys. I love you.
Love, Tim
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Natties Bitches!!!
Last practice we had like 28 people and I was very encouaged about that. Some of us were getting a little bit worried about the lack of commitment that we had on the team. I was talking to High Release Steve about our ambitions of making it nationals this year and he brought up some really good points. He told me that while we do have an awesome team, we don't deserve to make it to nationals. We have what it takes but some of the guys on our team don't want it enough. While teams like Florida or Iowa are able to get numbers everytime they have practice, we have to rely on the girls team to in order to get a scrimmage going. If this continues to be the case, we can kiss our nationals hopes goodbye. We'll settle for mediocrity and never know what could have been.
Hopefully people will start to realize that we have something special in the making and we need everyone at practice in order to make some progress. Every practice from now on will be a learning opportunity. There is so much that we still have to cover and very little time to do it. As of right now we are still having to go over the basics such as not getting beat force side, or not getting broken. And until the whole team understands this concept, we cannot move forward. Our team still has so much to go over such as our handler motion, defensive strategies, offensive strategies, and our sick nasty cup that we will be using. Every practice you miss from now on will not only set you back but also set the whole team back because we have to take time and reexplain everything.
Nationals is definitely not a given! It will take a full team effort to even contend at regionals and that is why it is so important that we work hard now so that four months from now, we will be in a position to achieve our goal. The top players on our team are some of the best players in the region and we need to realize our potential. Please make it out to practice!!!!!
<3 Tim Leung
Hopefully people will start to realize that we have something special in the making and we need everyone at practice in order to make some progress. Every practice from now on will be a learning opportunity. There is so much that we still have to cover and very little time to do it. As of right now we are still having to go over the basics such as not getting beat force side, or not getting broken. And until the whole team understands this concept, we cannot move forward. Our team still has so much to go over such as our handler motion, defensive strategies, offensive strategies, and our sick nasty cup that we will be using. Every practice you miss from now on will not only set you back but also set the whole team back because we have to take time and reexplain everything.
Nationals is definitely not a given! It will take a full team effort to even contend at regionals and that is why it is so important that we work hard now so that four months from now, we will be in a position to achieve our goal. The top players on our team are some of the best players in the region and we need to realize our potential. Please make it out to practice!!!!!
<3 Tim Leung
Monday, November 22, 2010
Reaper Ultimate 2010 past/present/future
Hey everyone... I know it's been quite some time since I have been able to write on the blog, but I found a moment now so bare with me. As always, I would love if someone else is interested in writing anything related to the team or the sport on the blog.
TOURNAMENT RECAPS
The 2010 season so far has been the best we have seen as a team. We won our first tournament (Stanley Cup) with an X/Y team. Team X lost on universe point in the semis to the ISU alums while team Y won in the finals on universe point!
We then traveled to Whitesmoke with only 11 guys, another split team as we were far from a full strength squad. Most of the other teams we played that weekend had twice as many players as we did yet we only lost 1 game to the eventual winners (Illinois Y).
No Wisconsquences was a big step for our team, we got to play a very talented wisconsin X team and a nearly full strength Michigan State team, losing both games by around 4 points. What I think is important to take away from these games though is what our opponents did to beat us, the skill gap was not huge, we were trading points with both of those teams but issues like moving the disc, basic decision making, and weak defense were our downfall. After that because of the format of the tournament we faced mostly weaker teams with the exception of the Purdue game 1 day 2. We had a very tight game were we traded points in the first half but after a huge 7-0 run we showed some killer instinct and took that game soundly. We then went on to win out day 2 and take the 17th place bracket Which is the best we could have finished after going 2-2 day 1.
I wasn't able to go to Glory Days so it would be great if someone that did go would be willing to write a short recap of the tournament from a players perspective! From what I heard though we played really well considering the heavy wind and rookie heavy squad.
REAPER - RIGHT NOW
The biggest challenge Reaper has faced since its creation in 07-08 has been having the depth and commitment of the great teams we face. Right now guys... we have the talent... the potential to meet AND exceed our goal of making regionals in the spring. Now it just comes down to commitment, that involves coming to every single practice or scrimmage you can. We don't have the opportunity to practice everyday in the winter. Homework and studying for tests ARE NOT EXCUSES you can spare 2 hours in a day to attend practice and improve on a wed night and sunday morning, we all have homework, tests, hangovers or whatever other excuses we regularly get for people not attending winter practices/scrimmages. If we want to beat teams like Michigan State, Wisconsin, or Illinois we need to come together and work hard. We need every player that can be there to show up and push themselves.
THE FUTURE - Eyes on the Prize
Right now we are on break and are at this point in our season were need to get in shape, improve throws and field awareness against each other and be prepared for the spring. For all of you new players the spring is when we will be playing A/B squads. With our goal being regionals, and our main conference competition being Illinois, Northwestern, loyola, and Chicago we have to be in the mindset that we can't underestimate ANYONE, we need to want every point more than our opponents, regardless if we are up 3-0 or down 0-3 our success will be built on if we want it more and have the experience from working hard at practice.
Rookies, you are a huge part of this team.
Nearly half of the team is rookies or new players, players that will determine the future of this team in the coming years and the direction we go. While that is important and a few people have talked to me about it, THIS spring is our goal. What we do now determines how we will do come conference. As a team we have done better EVERY SINGLE YEAR since 07-08, lets continue that tradition.
Winter Tournament Schedule
Naperville Indoor Tournament - 1 day... not entirely sure if this is happening yet
Knox Indoor Tournament - Also still up in the air
Spring Tournament Schedule
Terminus (maybe)
Mardi Gras (maybe)
Chicago Invite
Home Tournament (Last Call 2011)
Huck Finn (maybe)
Conference
I will try to find more time to post regularly. I'd love any feedback good or bad from anyone! Have a great break everyone and see you when we return!
~James
TOURNAMENT RECAPS
The 2010 season so far has been the best we have seen as a team. We won our first tournament (Stanley Cup) with an X/Y team. Team X lost on universe point in the semis to the ISU alums while team Y won in the finals on universe point!
We then traveled to Whitesmoke with only 11 guys, another split team as we were far from a full strength squad. Most of the other teams we played that weekend had twice as many players as we did yet we only lost 1 game to the eventual winners (Illinois Y).
No Wisconsquences was a big step for our team, we got to play a very talented wisconsin X team and a nearly full strength Michigan State team, losing both games by around 4 points. What I think is important to take away from these games though is what our opponents did to beat us, the skill gap was not huge, we were trading points with both of those teams but issues like moving the disc, basic decision making, and weak defense were our downfall. After that because of the format of the tournament we faced mostly weaker teams with the exception of the Purdue game 1 day 2. We had a very tight game were we traded points in the first half but after a huge 7-0 run we showed some killer instinct and took that game soundly. We then went on to win out day 2 and take the 17th place bracket Which is the best we could have finished after going 2-2 day 1.
I wasn't able to go to Glory Days so it would be great if someone that did go would be willing to write a short recap of the tournament from a players perspective! From what I heard though we played really well considering the heavy wind and rookie heavy squad.
REAPER - RIGHT NOW
The biggest challenge Reaper has faced since its creation in 07-08 has been having the depth and commitment of the great teams we face. Right now guys... we have the talent... the potential to meet AND exceed our goal of making regionals in the spring. Now it just comes down to commitment, that involves coming to every single practice or scrimmage you can. We don't have the opportunity to practice everyday in the winter. Homework and studying for tests ARE NOT EXCUSES you can spare 2 hours in a day to attend practice and improve on a wed night and sunday morning, we all have homework, tests, hangovers or whatever other excuses we regularly get for people not attending winter practices/scrimmages. If we want to beat teams like Michigan State, Wisconsin, or Illinois we need to come together and work hard. We need every player that can be there to show up and push themselves.
THE FUTURE - Eyes on the Prize
Right now we are on break and are at this point in our season were need to get in shape, improve throws and field awareness against each other and be prepared for the spring. For all of you new players the spring is when we will be playing A/B squads. With our goal being regionals, and our main conference competition being Illinois, Northwestern, loyola, and Chicago we have to be in the mindset that we can't underestimate ANYONE, we need to want every point more than our opponents, regardless if we are up 3-0 or down 0-3 our success will be built on if we want it more and have the experience from working hard at practice.
Rookies, you are a huge part of this team.
Nearly half of the team is rookies or new players, players that will determine the future of this team in the coming years and the direction we go. While that is important and a few people have talked to me about it, THIS spring is our goal. What we do now determines how we will do come conference. As a team we have done better EVERY SINGLE YEAR since 07-08, lets continue that tradition.
Winter Tournament Schedule
Naperville Indoor Tournament - 1 day... not entirely sure if this is happening yet
Knox Indoor Tournament - Also still up in the air
Spring Tournament Schedule
Terminus (maybe)
Mardi Gras (maybe)
Chicago Invite
Home Tournament (Last Call 2011)
Huck Finn (maybe)
Conference
I will try to find more time to post regularly. I'd love any feedback good or bad from anyone! Have a great break everyone and see you when we return!
~James
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Summer 2010 - Looking ahead
Hey guys and gals,
I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. I actually found some down time today so I figured a quick update to the blog would be fun. To those of you that found some ultimate AND time to play this summer... awesome!!! Keep it up, let any close teammates know and do work! If you haven't played yet this summer, throw with a friend as regularly as possible... as Schwenk once said... "Stay active this summer!" This coming fall is going to be a very important season for the team, we have a lot of upperclassmen on the team which is great in many ways. FACT: We are going to be a strong team next year. We have the talent, the depth, and as long as the drive to come to practice and work hard before tournaments is there, we are going to do some pretty amazing things on the field next year.
If anyone else would like to write on the blog about ANYTHING (ultimate/reaper/team-related) please feel free! Just send us a quick msg if you are interseted.
-James
I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. I actually found some down time today so I figured a quick update to the blog would be fun. To those of you that found some ultimate AND time to play this summer... awesome!!! Keep it up, let any close teammates know and do work! If you haven't played yet this summer, throw with a friend as regularly as possible... as Schwenk once said... "Stay active this summer!" This coming fall is going to be a very important season for the team, we have a lot of upperclassmen on the team which is great in many ways. FACT: We are going to be a strong team next year. We have the talent, the depth, and as long as the drive to come to practice and work hard before tournaments is there, we are going to do some pretty amazing things on the field next year.
If anyone else would like to write on the blog about ANYTHING (ultimate/reaper/team-related) please feel free! Just send us a quick msg if you are interseted.
-James
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sectionals 2010
http://scores.upa.org/scores/#college-open/tournament/6568
So this past weekend 14 handsome gentlemen from team Reaper made their way down to the Naperville polo grounds to participate in our first sectionals since our team’s creation in 2007. We came into the tournament seeded 15th overall with the top 7 teams getting bids to regionals. The boys showed up and got a solid warm up going at 8:15 am with games set to start at 9. The day was looking to be upwind-downwind play with approx 20-25 mph wind so we including some zone work in our warm-up.
Game 1 vs. Bradley University
We played Bradley at our tournament the weekend prior so we had a decent idea of what to expect in this game. We came out strong and mostly worked on getting everyone some playing time so as to get used to the wind and working it up. Handlers and poppers did a great job working it up and getting a feel for the weather in this game which I really think helped us in game 2. We broke them up wind multiple times and ended up with an 11-6 victory. Our first win ever at sectionals, not a shabby start! High lights included mike throwing a greatest to Nate which I believe was called back. Low lights include me throwing a Callahan… haha.
Game 2 vs. North Park University
I had the pleasure of practicing with North Park about a week prior to this game so I knew we had some strong competition coming our way. That combined with the fact that North Park has in the past nearly won sectionals and has been to regionals the last 3 years made us quite aware that we had to come out strong if we wanted to compete. North Park came into our game with a loss vs. the 3 seed Loyola which appeared to work in our favor. We won the toss and started with the wind at our backs and the disc in our hands. We converted the first downwind possession and didn’t look back. Our handles did a great job dealing with the NP zone moving the disc off the line often and quickly. Strike cuts to deep puts kept this game in our control the entire time. NP seemed to underestimate our handles ability to huck into the wind, by fronting our cutters, resulting in numerous breaks. We came ready to play and it showed this was easily our biggest win yet as a team taking down the 2 seed in our pool 11-6. High lights included me not throwing a Callahan. But seriously no single play really stood out this game, our entire team played like they wanted this game and it showed on the field. Handlers did a great job dealing with the zone, poppers moved the disc up whenever we could get it over the top or swing and wings did an excellent job exploiting any deep opportunities. Our team has come a long way and it really showed this game.
Game 3 vs. Notre Dame
Steve, Mike, and I had talked about what our game plan was for this game basically as soon as the pool’s for sectionals were announced. Notre Dame is a power house and with only 14 guys we didn’t want to wear ourselves out on game that we couldn’t win especially with Loyola coming up next. Our game plan was to go at them in the first half and if they started to pull away we would attempt to save our legs for the next game. Well then something unexpected happened… we stayed with them point for point. They started with the wind and drew first blood but we stayed on their heels all game. They used an interesting zone with some big fellas in it but our handles once again stepped up and did a great job working it upwind. Poppers in particular really kept this game within reach. Notre Dame would take half by 1 POINT, unbelievable. I believe we were even UP on them a few times in a large part due to mike making a fool out of basically everyone who had the misfortune of marking him. Did I mention he also got punched in the face skying 2 huge Notre Dame Guys? In the end though our defense could not keep up with the speed and efficient offense of ND, every time we would score up wind they would march the disc right back up and answer. In the end we would fall short, at 10-9 going downwind Steve and I had a miscommunication that resulted in a turnover on our end line and ND would convert for the win. Game 9-11 ND victory and our first loss at sectionals; things to take away from this game… we can hang with ANYONE and I mean ANYONE. ND ended up taking Illinois to universe point day 2 and falling short. Despite a key error at the end we nearly took them to universe in pool play, every time ND tried to pull away against us we stuck with them and would respond. Great game against a strong opponent; I can’t help but mention that I guarded a shorter guy on their team who’s job appeared to be to run in massive circles around the field, I must say on his 3rd lap though he did manage to get the disc so perhaps it was a good strategy?
Game 4 vs. Loyola
Loyola is quickly becoming something of a rival to us. All of our games have generally held some key characteristics. Those include, them having twice as many players as us, heated play from both sides, more puzzling fouls/infractions than vs. nearly any other team we play regularly, and us losing every time so far (0-4 I believe between this year and last year). This game was probably the windiest of the day and was clear-cut upwind/downwind play. From what I remember we lost the toss and traded at the start. I believe we broke them first upwind and they answered relatively quickly. We had the slight advantage break wise for most of the game until the very end they just did a great job of working the disc up and beating us on the in cuts regardless of how tight we decided to play it. Our 3man cup became ineffective because of their superb job of making the break throws when they needed and their reliance on gaining yards off handler movement regardless of what we were throwing at them. Some unfortunate and extremely debatable Dark Wing calls upwind including, a swing that basically mowed 2ft of grass on our goal line that they called up and an incorrect call that should have ended up as a turnover (they threw it away on stall 9 that it ended up getting called back because of an away from the disc foul). That resulted in 2 key late-game breaks through us off our game mentally and let this one slip between our fingers. Loyola is a very technical team and in many ways that plays against our style. Our offense got sloppy and couldn’t convert down winders as easily as we should. Dark Wing over Reaper 9 to 11.
Game 5 vs. Western Illinois University
We came into this game exhausted after a tough loss to Loyola. In my opinion western wanted this game more than us and it showed. We won the flip and didn’t hold on to our advantage long in the first half. Eventually we would get it back and basically hold onto a 1 break lead up until 9-9. Western played a very similar game to ours personnel-wise. They had 2 key handlers who weren’t afraid to jack it to a tall and athletic core of cutters. It paid off big at the end when they broke us upwind for the first time in the 2nd half at 9-9 in a game to 11… making it 10-9 with Hysteria going downwind and us not having been able to convert an up winder in a long while. This was the most nerve-racking point of the tournament for me and I think many others felt the same way. If we lost this game there was a decent chance we would get bumped to 5th instead of 3rd in our pool because of point differential and lose any shot at regionals in the process. Then something amazing happened, we worked the disc up a bit past half field and Nate with the disc on the sideline threw a forehand blade to freshman Steve Langyher aka “High Release Steve” who got behind his defender and made the clutch catch 1 step outside the end zone and completed the break to Mike. 10-10 universe point, we had the wind and momentum from the previous play on our side. Mike then threw laser 2 steps away from my defender for the layout score and game, one of my better plays on the day. This was easily one of most clutch games we have ever played Reaper, we made this game difficult on ourselves and it easily could have gotten away from us if we didn’t show that mental toughness in the end and wiliness to not give up and accept defeat even after getting broken and facing an up wind break. Great end to day 1 finishing 3-2 and breaking seed in the pool.
Day 2
We started Day 2 in the 7th place bracket. We would need to win out to get the final spot to regionals.
Game 1 vs. Notre Dame B
We came ready to play. We weren’t going to let the B team in this game after playing Notre Dame A day 1 and losing 9-11. We shredded there zone and took half 8-1 I believe. Even experimented with upwind/downwind lines (we had 14 players). Reaper takes the game 15-3.
Game 2 vs. Rose-Hulman
We have never played RH before so I was looking forward to this game. They had more than few lefties’s and relied heavily on handler movement and strike cuts. We played the first half like the team we were yesterday and it showed, 8-2 Reaper. Then 2 things happened… we slowed down and got complacent and RH got serious. They brought it to within 3 and rattled off a few streaks but the deficit was too great after half. Players stepped up and worked hard to finish it against a RH team that didn’t want to go away and would later end up beating Chicago in the 11th place game 17-16. Reaper holds on and takes the game 15-12.
Game 3 vs. Loyola
A lot of us had our eyes on this game from the start of Day 2. This time there was less emphasize on the rulebook so excuses aside they simply outplayed us. Our D wasn’t a strong enough factor in this game and our O was streaky. Mistakes and poor decisions caught up to us this game, that combined with strong play from Loyola cost us a shot at the 7th place game. We had 20 players signed up on our roster and ended up only having 14 at the tournament, going into next year this is something I hope we can change. Good game Dark Wing 10-15.
Game 4 vs. North Park
At this point we were exhausted and they were coming off a meltdown vs. Wheaton. Steve, Mike, and I walked over and asked if they wanted to play a shorter game but they had no interest in 9th place and gave us the forfeit win.
Recap
We have come a long from going 0-6 at Stanley Cup, our first tournament as a team in 2008. Going 5-3 in our first sectionals EVER and making a great run at regionals. We have the talent and work ethic to make it next year. Losing Dan Niemczyk to the growing alum group will leave some big shoes to fill and require the entire team to step up. I remember when Dan could barely throw a forehand and played his first practice in jeans from what I recall :]. This season Dan stepped up and became a huge part of the team both on and off the field. If anyone needed help with their game Dan was always willing to step up and help make things clear. He worked hard in practice and was often an example for others to follow; he will be sorely missed next year.
Like Mike said at the end of sectionals, stay active this summer. Not all of us have the opportunity to play ultimate on a regular basis but throw occasionally, play sports, get outside, avoid playing call of duty 20 hours a day, and if there is ultimate near you check it out and get ready to dominate come fall.
I have never been so proud to say I am part of this team and wear my jersey. Sectionals was easily the most fun I have ever had playing ultimate and seeing everyone on our team come together and play so well was incredible. We are a small school, we don’t get any support from the university, we are a new team, and we still have done nothing but improve every semester. Even if you weren’t at sectionals you were part of our success and I thank you. If you have ever been to practice and put forth effort you have contributed to the team and helped shape us into what we are. Huge thanks to alums, parents, and everyone that was on the sideline, if your parents/friends came I hope you thanked them because they were great supporters. Be proud of how you played this season. This is our team, it truly is what we make of it… and with that in mind the future is bright Reaper.
-James Roush #2
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Winter Whiteout '10
The Eastern Illinois Ultimate Club made its way to Galesburg, IL this past weekend to play in Knox College's annual winter tournament: Winter Whiteout '10. With only 2 pool games Saturday evening the team was able to make bad decisions and party at the Reaper House Friday night. A blurry and ridiculous Friday evening was not enough to slow down Reaper for our first game at 6pm vs Peoria however!
Game 1 (Peoria Parrots) - From what I remember this game was in our control the entire time. I asked the team to focus on improving our man to man defense for this tournament and let the offense take care of itself and wow paid off. The first game of 2010 set a solid example of how we need to start out in the spring. We got a solid warm up in with some dynamic stretching, followed by a warm up drill played at game speed!
Game 2 (Chi Ass) - Many of us got to watch Chi Ass, an assorted pick up team of Brett Porters making, play a very solid opening game vs Northern Illinois. It was clear this would be a tough game. This game was certainly one of the best this weekend. We ended up coming a bit short in the end but our defense and contributions from every player on the team made this a dogfight. We opened with a break and made Chi Ass realize we came to play! Mike in particular scored easily 6-9 points this game and even helped control the disc with some handles! As a team Reaper I think we bid more in this game than some teams did the entire tournament. Multiple players got some crucial lay out D's many of which leading to quick conversions. Dan/JT/Maggie/Meg I certainly remember hit the floor at crucial points this game. This was my favorite game of the weekend even though we lost, if we come out with intensity like this guys, we are going to surprise any team that takes us lightly.
After our first 2 pool games and a 1-1 start with the understanding that we had Northern Illinois to look forward to at 8am tomorrow morning the team headed for the hotel and then a very mediocre China Buffet who certainly did not expect 10 starving ultimate players to walk in the door at 9:30. After a very strange 5 min wait to be seated in an empty restaurant we got some food in our systems and learned how important and heated the subject of what cookie is in cookies n creme ice cream is (it's definitely Oreo by the way). I also learned that all of those claw stuffed animal vending machine deals are totally rigged. . . and very much miss my purple bear prize. Hot tub was awesome. . . rest of the night was an embarrassing blur for this writer but with the majority of the team making good decisions we were in good shape for game 3 in the morning.
Game 3 (Northern Illinois) - From what I can remember : ) this was a nail biter. They were up most of this game but we kept up and stayed within striking distance. The addition of Nate in the morning was certainly a big boast. Northern's strong duo of Phillip Moe and Chris "OC" O'Connell were easily the best one-two punch at this tournament. Last year we got crushed in this very same game at the very same time. This year I think we caught them off guard at 8am with once again tight "give nothing" man to man defense. The game went to universe and we came out on top.
Game 4 (Knox B) - 13-0 or 13-1, 2 callahans, no summary really required. They had some very new players with potential. 4-5 hour break after this game was brutal.... Ended pool play in 2nd place 3-1.
RIDICULOUSLY LONG BREAK 4-5 HOURS.......
Elimination game 1 (Knox A) - The elimination games... and this game in particular I remember being especially impressed by how much our girls started to pick up there already solid play. Knox A utilized a vertical stack with generally 2 handlers back sometimes with a 3rd dropping back off of the first cut. Our crippling man D forced turns on simple resets and and forced more than a handful of punts. Our deep game was alive and well and we had contributions from nearly every player on the the team.
Elimination game 2 (Illinois State) - Last years runners up... I was told they brought approx 5 of their top guys and the rest were mostly players on the bubble for A team. The game started off relatively even with teams trading points. Once our defense adjusted though they had problems resetting the disc and we started to take advantage of forced turnovers. Our run and gun style of play seemed to catch them a bit off guard and quick give n goes between the handles lead to some great deep looks. Ladies, once they started forcing 4/3 every girl on the team stepped up. Sarah easily averaged MULTIPLE D's in most points she was in. We held on and earned a trip to the finals.
Championship game (Northern Illinois) - Our pool proved to be the tougher of the two in my opinion after a very close semi finals between NIU and Chi Ass, with 3 teams from pool 2 advancing to the semi finals and 2 of them re-matching in the finals (Reaper vs Cornography). NIU managed to fend off Chi Ass in the semi finals on universe point to play us for the second time.
Before I go into the details of this game, I think something that really hurt our play this game was the fact that we have never won a tournament yet. While we came close multiple times in the 2009 fall season and finished quite strongly at basically every tournament we went to, our mindset has to be different when playing offense vs defense. Offensively you need to take a deep breath and realize that controlling the disc and making good decisions is key. While on defense we need to be aggressive, all over your man, constantly trying to keep yourself in position to deny your mark the disc, and adjusting so as to not get beat to the force-side/strike cuts.
The game started off pretty well, they scored first with a break and we responded. Eventually after about 3-3 is when things really fell apart. Our offense just started making silly turns, mostly just drops off our hands, and poor resets. While in contrast Northern was still playing a great game and capitalized on the majority of our errors. Our handlers decision making turned away from the best cuts and focused more on trying to force points. Basically the combination of beating ourselves with mistakes we weren't making all tournament and cornographys smooth offense put this game out of reach. We ended up making a small run in the end but ultimately we lost by 4 or 5. This is a game we need to learn from Reaper. Mistakes are going to happen, everyone drops the disc or makes a dumb decision every now and then. Realize what you did wrong, keep a cool head and get over it. If you turn it, don't just put your head down and curse, HUSTLE and get back on D! Also if a teammate makes a poor decision or turns it, pick'em back up!
Tough loss in the finals but overall I think this was a great tournament. Even without some key players our roster had depth. Everyone on the team contributed and when I asked the team to step up defensively EVERY single player responded. Continue to come to practice and work hard. Understand as a team our goal is to qualify for REGIONALS, which means we need to place top 7 in our approx 30 team section. . . we have the potential.
- #2
p.s - Special thanks to Brock Dunn, after hurting his knee early in the tournament he really stepped up on the sideline and stayed involved!
Game 1 (Peoria Parrots) - From what I remember this game was in our control the entire time. I asked the team to focus on improving our man to man defense for this tournament and let the offense take care of itself and wow paid off. The first game of 2010 set a solid example of how we need to start out in the spring. We got a solid warm up in with some dynamic stretching, followed by a warm up drill played at game speed!
Game 2 (Chi Ass) - Many of us got to watch Chi Ass, an assorted pick up team of Brett Porters making, play a very solid opening game vs Northern Illinois. It was clear this would be a tough game. This game was certainly one of the best this weekend. We ended up coming a bit short in the end but our defense and contributions from every player on the team made this a dogfight. We opened with a break and made Chi Ass realize we came to play! Mike in particular scored easily 6-9 points this game and even helped control the disc with some handles! As a team Reaper I think we bid more in this game than some teams did the entire tournament. Multiple players got some crucial lay out D's many of which leading to quick conversions. Dan/JT/Maggie/Meg I certainly remember hit the floor at crucial points this game. This was my favorite game of the weekend even though we lost, if we come out with intensity like this guys, we are going to surprise any team that takes us lightly.
After our first 2 pool games and a 1-1 start with the understanding that we had Northern Illinois to look forward to at 8am tomorrow morning the team headed for the hotel and then a very mediocre China Buffet who certainly did not expect 10 starving ultimate players to walk in the door at 9:30. After a very strange 5 min wait to be seated in an empty restaurant we got some food in our systems and learned how important and heated the subject of what cookie is in cookies n creme ice cream is (it's definitely Oreo by the way). I also learned that all of those claw stuffed animal vending machine deals are totally rigged. . . and very much miss my purple bear prize. Hot tub was awesome. . . rest of the night was an embarrassing blur for this writer but with the majority of the team making good decisions we were in good shape for game 3 in the morning.
Game 3 (Northern Illinois) - From what I can remember : ) this was a nail biter. They were up most of this game but we kept up and stayed within striking distance. The addition of Nate in the morning was certainly a big boast. Northern's strong duo of Phillip Moe and Chris "OC" O'Connell were easily the best one-two punch at this tournament. Last year we got crushed in this very same game at the very same time. This year I think we caught them off guard at 8am with once again tight "give nothing" man to man defense. The game went to universe and we came out on top.
Game 4 (Knox B) - 13-0 or 13-1, 2 callahans, no summary really required. They had some very new players with potential. 4-5 hour break after this game was brutal.... Ended pool play in 2nd place 3-1.
RIDICULOUSLY LONG BREAK 4-5 HOURS.......
Elimination game 1 (Knox A) - The elimination games... and this game in particular I remember being especially impressed by how much our girls started to pick up there already solid play. Knox A utilized a vertical stack with generally 2 handlers back sometimes with a 3rd dropping back off of the first cut. Our crippling man D forced turns on simple resets and and forced more than a handful of punts. Our deep game was alive and well and we had contributions from nearly every player on the the team.
Elimination game 2 (Illinois State) - Last years runners up... I was told they brought approx 5 of their top guys and the rest were mostly players on the bubble for A team. The game started off relatively even with teams trading points. Once our defense adjusted though they had problems resetting the disc and we started to take advantage of forced turnovers. Our run and gun style of play seemed to catch them a bit off guard and quick give n goes between the handles lead to some great deep looks. Ladies, once they started forcing 4/3 every girl on the team stepped up. Sarah easily averaged MULTIPLE D's in most points she was in. We held on and earned a trip to the finals.
Championship game (Northern Illinois) - Our pool proved to be the tougher of the two in my opinion after a very close semi finals between NIU and Chi Ass, with 3 teams from pool 2 advancing to the semi finals and 2 of them re-matching in the finals (Reaper vs Cornography). NIU managed to fend off Chi Ass in the semi finals on universe point to play us for the second time.
Before I go into the details of this game, I think something that really hurt our play this game was the fact that we have never won a tournament yet. While we came close multiple times in the 2009 fall season and finished quite strongly at basically every tournament we went to, our mindset has to be different when playing offense vs defense. Offensively you need to take a deep breath and realize that controlling the disc and making good decisions is key. While on defense we need to be aggressive, all over your man, constantly trying to keep yourself in position to deny your mark the disc, and adjusting so as to not get beat to the force-side/strike cuts.
The game started off pretty well, they scored first with a break and we responded. Eventually after about 3-3 is when things really fell apart. Our offense just started making silly turns, mostly just drops off our hands, and poor resets. While in contrast Northern was still playing a great game and capitalized on the majority of our errors. Our handlers decision making turned away from the best cuts and focused more on trying to force points. Basically the combination of beating ourselves with mistakes we weren't making all tournament and cornographys smooth offense put this game out of reach. We ended up making a small run in the end but ultimately we lost by 4 or 5. This is a game we need to learn from Reaper. Mistakes are going to happen, everyone drops the disc or makes a dumb decision every now and then. Realize what you did wrong, keep a cool head and get over it. If you turn it, don't just put your head down and curse, HUSTLE and get back on D! Also if a teammate makes a poor decision or turns it, pick'em back up!
Tough loss in the finals but overall I think this was a great tournament. Even without some key players our roster had depth. Everyone on the team contributed and when I asked the team to step up defensively EVERY single player responded. Continue to come to practice and work hard. Understand as a team our goal is to qualify for REGIONALS, which means we need to place top 7 in our approx 30 team section. . . we have the potential.
- #2
p.s - Special thanks to Brock Dunn, after hurting his knee early in the tournament he really stepped up on the sideline and stayed involved!
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