Nationals was especially special (can I say that?) for BENT this year, given last year’s heartbreaker at Regionals, 11 new players on a series roster of 24 for 2015, a first-time head coach, and at least 10 players who’d never been to the Big Show (as branded by B-Lo/USAU/Five/my new stressball). We got a bid, we got a big ranch to stay in, we got ready to show our stuff.
About the (frisbee) games. Oof. I’m not going to sugarcoat it – Natties was tough in a lot of ways. The hard things hurt – losing to Heist on universe in the Pro Flight play-in bracket, breaking to lead in five of our seven games and winning only two of them. At times, I was frustrated by and disappointed with my own and my teammates’ play. I knew that I and we could do better.
I know that because we showed it. At Nationals in particular, we showed our potential. We showed we could score flawless O-points, generate turn after turn, and get breaks against any team in the country. We showed we can make plays against superstars even as we remain a faceless roster of secret ballers. We showed that every person on this team has a crucial impact to make. We showed that when we actually do what B-Lo tells us, things tend to turn out better.
I can’t believe that this is genuine, but when my family and friends asked how the weekend went, my response had little to do with scores or rankings. I remembered first the dope plays (ex A ex B for starters), the comebacks in games we previously would’ve folded in, our final props circle (laughed, cried, laugh cried), Saturday night Taxithumper (like Thumper, but with enactments of taxidermy deer, antelopes, warthogs, and fish mounted on the walls of our ranch estate) and ketchup bottle, string, and 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 ping pong games, throwing B-Lo into the pool and teammates jumping in after him in some weird and lovely inspirational sports movie kinda thing (Sophie, I knew you were going to pull me in, you have a terrible poker face), and Holly’s extraordinary patience with my terrible driving directions (the answer is always Route 121).
So it’s actually a great, great combination. The unfinished business on the field and the supremely happy overall experience make me so excited for what’s next for this program.
BENT 2015 was the best team experience I’ve ever had. To my D-line crew, orange microcommunity, Brooklyn car, Bryant Park lunch squad, and above all, my BENT family – thank you.
-Katherine "K Cole" Cole #05
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