A Look Ahead - The 2014 Open Season

James Burbidge continues his open coverage looking towards 2014.

2014 – A Look Ahead

In case you weren’t aware, the big deal with 2014 is the World Ultimate Club Championships (or WUCC for short). It’s taking place in Lecco, Italy from the 2nd to the 9th of August (1 week after UK Regionals, 2 weeks before Nationals). The UK will be sending 3 teams: Clapham, Chevron Action Flash and EMO. And as Clapham captain Britney points out "World Club years are different. They are different because they are the only time within the 4 year cycle of international competition that clubs can expect undivided attention and commitment from its players. For top clubs who feed various GB squads, this focus is rare and welcomed." 

With the lessons learned from 2013, and new members currently joining the squads, now seemed like a good time to take a look at the three teams.

Clapham are running closed trials this year, having taken a fairly large contingent of new players on last year. They are on a 2-year plan for the competition, which began with trials immediately after Euros in 2012. Britney notes that "Clapham in 2013 was working through new systems and new ways to play the game. We looked different and played different but [the strict framework of our plan] allowed all of us to push in the same direction. This alignment and synergy was probably our greatest accomplishment out of 2013.... [W]e can spend the remaining months between now and WUCC to perfect our systems instead explaining them. With our existing foundation, we can concentrate on looking forward instead of dissecting the past." 

With confirmed appearances at the US Open (4th July weekend) and Windmill Windup (13-15th June), Clapham will be putting themselves up against the best competition they can to prepare. "Just as it will be during Worlds, we will only have one chance to win every battle. This is our aim. Not to win a tournament, not to win a game, but to win a point, to win an individual battle. If you think is sounds too cliché, I invite you to try it. It’s harder than you think when you come up against the best in the world. The pressure is on and we will push each other up to these standards at every single training."

The Grapevine - 24/01

The Grapevine - a place where winos gossip? Or where we find this weeks links from the Ultimate world!?

Support the whole Ultimate community by voting for the USA World Games team for Team of the Year! Let's show the IOC we can mobilise our players once again!

One of our main contributors Brummie has cemented his place corresponding for us but also now with Ultiworld. Go read his piece on the Swedish national team.

Liam Grant of Ireland Mixed Beach fame has just started a trip around the US and SkyD allowed him to write a little piece. Fun read.

In some exciting news both Clapham and Iceni will be taking their squads to the US Open in July to prepare for WUCC!

Finally back in blighty the UKU are running a Level 1 Coaching course in Edinburgh, in the area? Go sign up and help the UKU get a coach in every club!

Watch this space for James Burbidge's look ahead in the Open division plus much more from the ShowGame!

Early Season Battles

Mark Earley continues An Irish Eye looking an exciting start to the 2014 season . . .

While most teams around Europe are slowly getting back into track work, playing indoors or perhaps holding trials for the long season ahead, three of the four strongest Open Division teams in Ireland are busy preparing for a winner takes all WUCC Qualifier mini-tournament. On the 16th of February Ranelagh (Dublin), Rebel Ultimate (Cork) and Pelt Ultimate (Limerick) are playing each other in Dublin for the chance to go to Lecco. (Jabba opted out despite their 2nd place finish in last year's All-Ireland Championships). The one day event will be a round robin style affair with each team playing two games. (A similar event took place last season for qualification to EUCRs and Ranelagh won, subsequently travelling to Bern for EUCR-SW where they finished 9^th). Speaking of EUC-R, the winner of this tournament will also get the opportunity to represent Ireland at European level next summer, so there are effectively two prizes on offer. Factoring in the costs of a Worlds campaign, it will be interesting to see if the winning club decides to attend both...

Dear C Tour: Why Trialling Might Be Worth A Shot

Harry Mason sends a message to all trialling hopefuls in 2014...

Trials season is approaching. For many hopeful players, they'll be turned away, having gained experience from the trials but that's it for the year. Some players, having worked their way up the tours (or been on the training squad last year) might have their eyes on finally breaking the squad. And, just occasionally, there'll be an amateur who dares to dream big.

Last year, I was one such hopeful. In 2012, I played just one open tour. C tour. We battled well and were proud of how we’d done, and I enjoyed playing with them. I wasn’t the best player, I wasn’t able to single-handedly swing games, and at times I was a liability. Yet still I dreamed.

In C tour, I don't think it's unfair to say that sometimes you have to avoid putting certain team-mates in certain situations, I personally wasn’t trusted with the disc as much for any assists, and in the wind everything went to chaos. At A-Tour and Euros, there isn’t that luxury. You have to trust every team-mate. And I did. I can’t identify anyone whom I would be uncomfortable giving the disc to and in return really didn’t want to be the one player they couldn’t trust. After those games I finally realised I could be trusted. That it wasn't beyond me.

Harry Mason skying for DED Mixed at MT3 in 2013. Photo courtesy of Graham Bailey.

So, swallowing my fears and with a scared lump in my throat I applied for DED open. I remember my heartbreak when injury knocked me out of the second trial. Then elation when, during the 3rd trial, Luke Tobiasiewicz came up, clipboard in hand, and said I was being strongly considered. Taking his advice I gave it my all.

A short while later, I received the email every C tour player would layout into a wall to receive. I had narrowly made the cut. Courtesy of a follow up email from Graham Bailey about how to improve (still flagged in my inbox) it was clear I was being taken on for my potential, not my current skill. This is the first difference I noticed: I was expected to have a much greater understanding of the mechanics of the game, I’d have to work harder, and be able to identify weakness in myself like I hadn't before.

I also trialled for DED mixed, and was told in no uncertain terms that, while they liked me and all that, I hadn't made the team. I was distraught, but looking at the squad I couldn't argue. However, thanks to international duties, they now needed an extra guy. I was brought in, permanently aware I was very much the final choice. That's how I started the season after 2 tough trials - a player taken for potential, and there to prove a point.

I’m not going to go through DED’s season - it was brilliant and painful in equal measure - but there are a few things to highlight. Mainly, everyone at top level is tough. There's no easy match ups. Small things (like being pumped up, or an extra half hour of drills beforehand) give big advantages in these situations. It was a lot more professional, a lot more marginal and there was never a game where I was allowed to come away thinking "they were the better team, there was no way we could have won". I wasn't taught to beat myself up, but in nearly every game I now knew there was always a chance, on a different day, that it could have been ours.

My very first A tour level game was vs Kapow! on a huge 3G indoor astro and I was scared. People at the top may not understand this, but there is still an aura and mythology surrounding A tour and it’s players. They’re supposed to be giants, faster than Grove Farm wind and, if not able to fly, then at least give gliding a dang good shot. A Kapow! player layout D-ing through me on my very first point didn't help. But it wasn't just the layout, it was the fact that it apparently meant nothing. It was expected, rather than anything spectacular, and that blindsided me at least as much as the actual play.

Ka-Pow's trials started last weekend, but who will make it from these young hopefuls? Photo courtesy of KaPow Ultimate. 

Distraught, I went to the experienced players for advice. Then, the impossible occurred. I started to get the disc, and pass it without being blocked. I got free occasionally! This wasn't supposed to happen. Not supposed to happen at all. The game was faster than I was used to - much faster - but it was still the game I knew. It wasn’t much, yet to me it was the world. We lost that game, but it still meant a lot as the biggest jump I have ever, and probably will ever get in Ultimate.

The other huge moment came when playing for DED mixed at tour 3. Our first game was against GB World Games. Always fun. This was at Cheltenham, the same venue and (I’m fairly sure) the same pitch I’d played my first ever game at Tour back in 2010. Now, 3 years later, I was playing the best in the country.

Again, we lost that game. Badly. The margin that those players had over me was, to say the least, humbling. (At most, soul crushing, but let’s ignore that). Yet, even playing against the royalty of Ultimate, you started to realise they were just players. Very, very good ones - clinical and dominant in equal measures - but players nonetheless. I actually managed to score (twice!), though mainly due to the throwing ability of my team mates (and being too insignificant to notice sneaking deep in a zone).

These games probably meant very little to most others involved. They were both games I lost, and very little was at stake for the result, so why should they mean anything to me? This season I played my first ever Club Nationals, and then my first ever Euros with DED Mixed. These tournaments were much more competitive, way more enjoyable and helped my physical skill improve far more than I can possibly measure. But it was those two games that let me break the mental barrier and say to myself that, yes, I had earned my place in high level Ultimate.

So, to all aspiring players let me tell you: it’s possible. I wasn’t the strongest player. I had to work harder than I’ve ever worked. I had to face the fact that, hey, Uni life was fun but, until exam time, it came second. But in one season I made the jump. It requires a lot of trust from the people picking. You'll have to face the fact the odds are against you, that it may not be your year. Well, it may not be, but it might be.

At the very least, like most times in Ultimate, it’s worth a bid.

Good luck to all players trialling over next few weeks!

The Grapevine - 17/01

This week's Grapevine brings the best from ultimate news around the globe

Keep voting for the World Games Team of the Year ... 'Flying Disc' is winning. . . 

This week we launched Discussion, kicking off with a provocative piece by Sophie Edmondson...

Ultiworld Editor Charlie Eisenhood did a Reddit based 'AMA' ...

Understanding Ultimate bring us the conclusion in a 3 part series looking at IO turnovers... 

Ultimate Interviews get to know the European Ultimate Celebrity that is 'Oddi'...

EMO ultimate bring the banter in their individual preseason self-promotion #pickme videos. Check out their Facebook for the links, including our favourite...

We've got plenty in store at TheShowGame in terms of preseason content - as always if you're interested in helping out then get in touch! tSG

A Quick Look in the Rear-view Mirror - Open Tour 2013

James Burbidge looks back at 2013 from the Open division perspective.

Another year another national championship for Clapham, followed up by another European title. With their sights firmly set on Worlds, and a two-year plan in place, Clapham were a dominant force, even by their own standards. Aside from their obvious additions to the trophy shelf, one of the highlights of the year must have been a strong performance at the Chesapeake Invite where they narrowly missed out on a spot in the final, facing up all weekend against some of the toughest US club teams. You can read more about that weekend here.

Clapham take the European title for the second year running. Photo courtesy of Get Horizontal.

Development Versus Winning: The Importance of Pitch Time

Sophie Edmondson starts off the new Discussion section with a look at squad sizing and its implication for player development...

Looking back over last season, something that’s puzzling me is something I’ve not given much thought before now. Perhaps it’s because 2013 was my first time at the helm of a club team. This is the first time I’ve realised just how important squad size is. On the surface the topic of squad size sounds pretty dull but it has lots of layers to it. No doubt there are lots of teams and individuals out there that have different experiences and opinions on what works best.

I write from the viewpoint of the women’s division on the UK domestic tour and at xEUCF 2013. I haven’t done a ton of homework collecting stats from each team about who played when and where, nor have I acted upon the knowledge that Iceni significantly shortened their lines in the final at Europeans last year. I’m sure had I done this a few home truths would be revealed both statistically and anecdotally but that’s still up for discussion.

At the LLLeeds Ladies AGM last year it was clear that 2013 was going to be a fresh start and the drive for new players was a priority. Turns out there’s a lot of female frisbee talent in the north and luckily trials were packed out. In summary: we settled with a squad of 22 which quickly went down to a tour team of 17 through unfortunate injuries and drop-outs.

Leeds Women at London's Calling 2013. Photo courtesy of David Sparks.

Discussion

Co-founder Josh Coxon Kelly introduces the latest addition to The ShowGame - Discussion

If there’s one thing Ultimate players aren’t afraid to do it is to stand still calmly with a hand in the air and command the rest of a fourteen strong whirl of athleticism to freeze all sport in an instant to, well, have a chat. As players of the game we have all had to become accustomed to this emergency stop, and with it occurring at such a frequency and pervading with equal importance a rainy 3 on 3 at the park and the World Championships it is easy for the intervention of ‘a call’ to become so familiar that we forget that it is something that instantly separates our beloved sport from just about any other the world over.

Katey Forth (Texas Showdown) in a call. Photo courtesy of Brandon Wu, UltiPhotos.

Discussion is hard-wired into our sport. We place the burden of fairness on not only those whose sense of impartiality is stressed the most, but also at the exact time that it is most stressed. Championships, trophies, medals, victories, and most importantly a crucial, yet fundamental sense of honesty all rest on our ability to first to play with that sense of sportsmanship, and secondly to use words and dialogue to solve any cases where any player believes the rules to have been breached. All in all, our positions as both officiators and players lead to a sport that we all share the responsibility to co-create each time we play. There is no (outside of the US) external interference or incentive - we between us train for, stage, and compete Ultimate.

On-pitch is not the only site where debate can be found at Ultimate tournaments. Sidelines, tents, hotel rooms, bars, minibus and car journeys home are the site of team bonding but also naturally bubble into forums where we compare and form our various opinions on the many facets of our sport. The hope of this section of TheShowGame is to amplify the viewpoints that these discussions are composed of, no matter how complementary or discordant they may be.

In this section will be posted pieces that tackle issues and debate head-on. Taking Ultimate as our lead, we encourage opposition, expect disagreement and expect and encourage mutual respect at all times. And so with this introduction comes a call to writing. Far from a pulpit, this is an open floor. So please - more than ever - get involved!

JCK @ tSG

The Grapevine - 10/01 tSG Special

The Grapevine this week looks forward to what we have in store and some cool announcements plus some other fun stuff from the week.

To herald in the new year we have a new About page, go see! Note that we still don't have a correspondent for the Mixed division and we want one. Do you play at mixed tour and want to report on the upcoming season? Contact us now! 

We have also recently got rid of the twitter to FB page link less annoying retweet posts and more personalised posts, please follow us on twitter and make sure to like the FB page for more tSG action. 

Next week sees the official announcement and opening of our new 'Discussion' section as mentioned in Ultimatum 2013.

With the season starting soon Charlie Blair looks back at 2013 and ahead to what looks to be a massive 2014. Watch out for James Burbidge's Open division 2013 review and 2014 preview.

Now for some news from the rest of the world:

We love Women's ultimate here at tSG and we really enjoyed this weeks viral piece on Ultiworld. From Brute Squad (Boston, USA) and recent Whitecaps triallist Emily Baecher writes about how we can't measure Women using the same points of reference as Men in ultimate and how Women's Ultimate IS a sport it it's own right! 

To further promote our sport please vote for the Team USA World Games team for World Games team of the 2013. Let's admit, they rocked and we want Ultimate to win this. Vote daily until your computer breaks! 

Post by World Flying Disc Federation.

Super exciting! Keep on commenting, sharing and reading!

DP @ tSG. 

End of Year Review - Women’s Tour 2013

Charlie Blair looks back at the 2013 season and ahead at what's to come in 2014.

With 2014 just around the corner, the Women’s Tour is about to embark on its tenth year. It is only fitting then that this year was one of landmark achievements, with our domestic battles being heightened by the two qualification spots at WUCC up for grabs.  Moreover, this qualification process instigated pioneering changes to the organisation of the divisions this year; ones that appear to be forcing many women’s clubs to reassess their form and direction.  As tSG reflects on some of the triumphs and challenges of the season, what can we expect from the season ahead? 

The UK Women’s Tour proudly concluded this year’s campaign triumphant in Bordeaux, with representation from four British clubs at xEUCF; a reflection of the depth within women’s ultimate in this country that remains unmatched by any other European nation. As such our clubs were arguably responsible for some of the most spectacular games of the tournament, notably those of the final and the ‘game to go’.

For Bristol, the remaining qualification spot boiled down to yet another match up with their British counterparts, SYC. However, with onlookers commenting that it’s the best they’ve seen either play in years, perhaps no other opposition could have brought out such defining performances from both teams. According to Bristol veteran, Jen Hart: 

‘We were playing for everything. We went three or four points behind and then we had a game changing layout from Bridget Brown and that was the turning point- from then on we were ruthless, we had layout blocks and clinical scores.’

The Grapevine - 03/01

Happy New Year from everyone at the Grapevine, 2014 is going to be massive and here's just the start! 

Tomorrow SYC host the first London Women's Session in 2014, get down to Clapham South for that!

Post by SYC Ultimate.

Also Iceni are hosting London Women's Winter League the following weekend, so much Ultimate for you ladies!

Post by Iceni Ultimate.

Nice Bristols have been working hard in their local area including Steph Walker who got a mention in her local paper raising money to get to WUCC.

Enjoy some great photos including the UK contribution from Tom "Mum" Abrams of Clapham Ultimate, on Ultiworld.

Plus our own addition twinned with Get Horizontal, below.

Another ultimate blog has gone live, but this time it comes from one of the biggest writers of 2013; Beaufort Kittredge. We expect big things here! 

Next week will see the official release of our new section, keep your eyes peeled for the announcement. We are excited, it's like Christmas all over again! 

Like, share, comment and contribute!

DP @ tSG.