Make sure you read this heartwarming re-cap, written by Discord captain Leila Selchaif!
Hey NYC women's ultimate supporters! We'd like to give a BIG thank you to all those who helped the NYC high school women's team, Discord, go to the New York Ultimate Girls' State competition this year.
Make sure you read this heartwarming re-cap, written by Discord captain Leila Selchaif!
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Check out this GREAT, short documentary by Eliza Earle of Skyd Magazine (also the director/editor/producer of the NW Challenge documentary from Skyd that we posted before). The video recaps Ohio State's experience at Nationals, including interviews, highlights, backdrops, music, everything to pull at your heart strings! A wonderful, feel-good watch! Getting over your post-College Nattie's blues? Not to worry! You can stay involved by making a pledge on Facebook to support women's ultimate. The pledges are individual and run the gamete; so don't worry if your pledge is small (ex: I will watch more women's ultimate or I will donate $5 to a women's team), it still helps! For more details and to see the kinds of pledges people are making, click here. And as you're lamenting the end of College Nationals, watch these sick highlights on repeat and start thinking about the great club season around the corner! In honor of College Nationals starting tomorrow, let's throw it back to Jessica Ogburn's layout at 2001 finals and Ashley Young's catch-block D from 2013 finals! List of live streams for college nationalsHELLO, SPORTS FANS!
USAU College Nationals starts TOMORROW (Friday, 5/23), and with that comes a long list of LIVE STREAMMMMMMMMSSSSS!!! Nex Gen Network (NGN) is streaming 8 games for $15 and the semifinals and finals will be streamed on ESPN. Here's the schedule with women's games highlighted in bold. All times are EDT. Friday, May 23 12:30pm: Oregon (2) vs. Stanford (7) (W): NGN 2:30pm: Texas (3) vs. North Carolina (6) (M): NGN 4:30pm: Washington (4) vs. UC-Santa Barbara (5) (W): NGN Saturday, May 24 8:30am: Colorado (1) vs. Wisconsin (12) (M): NGN 12:30pm: Oregon (4) vs. Carleton College (16) (M): NGN 2:30pm: Carleton College (6) vs. British Columbia (10) (W): NGN 5:00pm: Women’s Prequarterfinal Game (Teams TBD): NGN Sunday, May 25 8:30am: Men’s Quarterfinal (Teams TBD): NGN 12:00pm: Women’s Semifinal: ESPN3 2:30pm: Women’s Semifinal: ESPN3 5:30pm: Men’s Semifinal: ESPN3 8:00pm: Men’s Semifinal: ESPN3 Monday, May 26 12:00pm: Women’s Championship: ESPN3 2:30pm: Men’s Championship: ESPN3 Wednesday, May 28 8:00pm: Semis Highlights Show: ESPNU 9:00pm: Men’s Championship: ESPNU 10:00pm: Women’s Championship: ESPNU Good luck to all the competitors!!! YAY NATIONALS! With college nationals around the corner, we're going to take a quick break and talk about something a bit more local. New York High School States!!!! States is happening May 24th and 25, and SHOCKINGLY (and excitingly!!!) it's the first year that States has a girls division -- schools like Stuyvesant and Beacon who have had strong women's programs in the past finally get an opportunity to compete against other girls' teams at States. This year at States, more girls will be playing than ever thanks to the newly added division. One team, Discord, is a group thrown together from different schools over the past couple weeks, bringing together young ladies who just want to play some Ultimate but don't have a team or the resources to do so from their school. We want to make sure that all girls get a chance to participate in this year's State competition! Because the newly-formed, multi-school team doesn't have many resources available to them, Julie Sussman, elite ultimate player and New York youth ultimate advocate, has been spearheading a movement through DiscNY to get the $275 tournament fee paid for. Please go to discny.org to donate -- it's a small, easy, tangible, personal AND tax deductible way to help promote girls' ultimate! www.discny.org // click the DONATE button // select "State Championships for NY HS Girls Team" Also, last week BENT and BBC hosted a women's clinic and mixer in preparation for NY HS States and College Nationals and we had a great turnout; over 60 female players despite some crummy weather! It's clear now, more than ever, that even the small things can make all the difference. You can read the recap on the DiscNY page here.
In case you didn't know, voting for the Callahan is OPEN from May 5 until May 15.
For those of you who might not know, the Callahan is an award given to a player in the college Open division and a player in the college Women's division based on votes from the community. The Callahan Award winner is not just a bad-ass-highlight-reel-generating player, but more importantly, someone who is dedicated to ultimate, shows leadership ability, and demonstrates the highest level of sportsmanship. It's like the Heisman Trophy for Ultimate. For some more info on the nominees, here's a compilation of the videos that we've found for the nominees for women's college teams. It's a cream of the crop bunch as usual! Enjoy!!! Paige Applegate, Colorado State Hell's Belles Shellie Cohen, UNC Chapel Hill Pleiades Sophie Darch, Oregon Fugue Sonya "Sunny" Harris, UCF Sirens Lisi Lohre, Colorado College Lysistrata's Tools Callie Mah, Western Washington Chaos Liza Minor, University of Iowa Saucy Nancy Lisa Pitcaithley, UCSB Burning Skirts Sarah Pesch, Iowa State Woman Scorned Sara Scott, Wisconsin Bella Donna Shira Stern, Washington Element Cassie Swaford, Ohio State Fever A few weeks ago, Idaho (Jamie Arambula) posted a lengthy set of thoughts on Facebook for his friends who were trying out for teams. Idaho’s Ultimate resume and street cred is lengthy and impressive, and something I can’t do justice to; I will leave you to look him up if you want. I’m sharing my thinking here, but based on stealing his thread and putting some of my own thoughts around it. I’ll admit that I have done a little editing of Idaho’s post, the parts in italics, but not much. I hope that there is something in here that those of you trying out for teams this spring find helpful. This is about intangibles, attitude and approach, not about running faster, jumping higher, so you won’t see little things like “score” and “don’t get scored on.” 1) Talk on the line. The captains don't know you, so it is important to speak up. Don't be afraid to say 'I want to handle this point'' or 'I can get open in the middle' ask to be in the play. Ask to be the MAIN PLAYER in the big play if/when you are feeling it. I really like this point about speaking up. I think it's important to know when to speak up and when not to. You want to be remembered for asking/ playing/ working hard, but not for interrupting huddles, making it hard to call lines, etc. Pick the right time to talk with the captains and coaches about what you want to do. 2- Be aggressive on O. Don't let someone else steal your glory because you are not cutting. Cut early, and often. If you don't get it, clear hard, and look to attack again. Take some shots deep. If it's there, don't be afraid to let one fly. If trapped, maybe your hammer is your best option. Showcase your throwing repertoire. As a handler, attack, attack, attack. Most modern offenses are handler driven, and early in the count is when handler defenders play lax. Punish them, and put yourself in a power position to make some aggressive strikes. Idaho’s edit of his own text: Cutting: sometimes it's good to stop, and take a look around/re-gain position, when your defender relaxes, make your move. Handling: if you miss a few early on, reel it in for a few points to re-gather your confidence, and momentum. You make a team by showcasing what you can do, not by hiding in the stack and not making mistakes. There is obviously a balance here, as Idaho gets to in the second part. I would add that, when I evaluate a player, no single turnover or mistake takes someone off the team. It’s important to see aggressive cutting and moving, smart choices about when to showcase the skills, but … those skills must show up. 3- Cover the other team's best players. There is a big difference between getting a D on the other team's best handler/receiver and D'ing some scrub. Putting D PRESSURE on the other team's best players will get you noticed and talked about during discussions. Even if you get owned, sticking with them (with persistence) for a whole game is to your advantage. Make your presence known with smart spacing, and body position. Make the offense work harder than they are used to, and push them out of their comfort zone. There are so many points in here that I want to call out a few of them.
Realistically, you won’t end up on the best player the whole time – hopefully everyone is fighting for that, but it makes a lot of sense. Idaho had a section called “the small things” that is the part that truly motivated me to write this post. I’ve used a bit of his language, but mostly rewritten this section in my own voice.
1) Show that you are eager, interested and motivated. Don’t dawdle. Be the first one to the huddle and always focus. Tryouts for Ultimate teams may feel long, but finding it in yourself to stay focused, energetic and up for 3-4 hours is important and it’s really not that long. 2) Be nice. If someone makes a weak call, or gets mad because of physical play, or spikes it on you. Be nice. Contest, or no contest, apologize, if necessary, or turn the other cheek. Club teams do not want to babysit big egos, or head cases. These people might be your future teammates so don't burn any bridges early on. [Direct quote from Idaho] 3) Talk on the sidelines This was one of my favorite points Idaho made: “Be active throughout the tryouts.” Use the entire time that you have at the tryouts to show what you can do. When you’re not on the field during the scrimmage, you are still getting an opportunity to be a factor. Sidelines are huge in tournaments and they are huge at practice and they are huge at tryouts. Come off the field, get a quick drink and get ready by the time the pull goes up. Know the defense that is being played. 3-4 hours is a short time – USE ALL OF IT. 4) Show some fire Give it all you’ve got throughout the practice. You might get tired. You’re going to get tired in tournaments. Show that you can push through it. Finish everything with as much as you’ve got. Recover and do the next thing. You might only get 2-3 practices/tryouts to show what you’ve got. 5) Don’t pout. You’re going to make a mistake. Don’t pout. Immediately try to fix it – try to get the disc back, ask what you did wrong. Fight through it. Redeem yourself. Your teammates are going to make mistakes – don’t get mad, don’t pout for or at them. Immediately try to help that person redeem. I think it’s fine to get mad sometimes, but this isn’t the time or the place. 6) Listen and learn Being able to learn how to play a defense, how to show improvement is often as important as getting it right the first time. If you blow a D one time because you didn't understand and one of the veterans, captains or coach helps you understand, then the second time and the third time, you get it right - that is huge. Tryouts are the time to learn about a strategy and then put it into action - there will be time to put your own ideas in later after you make the team. 7) Related to the last one: Seek feedback Maybe you know a veteran and can ask. Maybe it's from the captains (at the right times), but ask for input. Getting feedback when it's too late is helpful only for 12 months later the next time around. There are often so many players at tryouts that it's hard for organizers to give structured feedback to everyone throughout. They also won't be able to do it during every drill or scrimmage. But an email will often get some or a question after practice. 8) Be ready! This may sound obvious, but... if you need a little extra time to get your body going, get there early and do it. If you have a specific routine, get there early and do it. The teams will all do their own routines, and you should be prepared to do those routines right along with them. If you need to tape, eat, meditate on the field, get it done before that. It doesn’t hurt to be early and stay after anyway – dedication and effort can be great x-factors. 6) Be confident You know what you can do, go do it. There is no reason or place for fear. 7) Tryouts rock. Remember that - they are fun. You're playing Ultimate with some great players. You are meeting new people, getting to see people that you know – enjoy this time together. Thanks again to Idaho for writing a lot of this for me. I hope that this helps – and good luck to everyone! -Adam Enjoy this women's ultimate throwback! 1998 Women's College Championships Final between Carleton and Stanford, game point! Anyone know where Joy Chen is now?!? What a boss.
...and college bid allocations and supporting young women's ultimate in nycCheck out this super video from Skyd of the Northwest Challenge! Great highlights and reflections from the players.
Speaking of the Northwest, an interesting conversation developed in the Ultimate Blogosphere about the fact that the Northwest has 6 of the 20 bids for College Nationals. Read more: From Lindsey Hack, Coach of UNC and Nemesis team member From Keith Raynor, Senior Editor for Ultiworld and Coach of Emory and Tabby Rosa From Ultiworld, general posts compiled from Facebook It's true that 6 bids is a lot for one region, and it's true that traveling affects poor college students financially, emotionally, and academically, but 6 bids is also an indication of general inequality in the women's college and youth divisions. One way we can help battle this inequality, especially for the Metro East, is supporting our young ladies here at home! You can help support college and youth ultimate, especially women's!, in New York by coaching women's, recruiting and retaining women to Ultimate, donating money to teams and leagues, and volunteering your time! There are many ways to get involved and we could use a little lovin'. If you have questions on how to get involved, feel free to contact us at [email protected] or contact DiscNY at [email protected]. Check out this article from Lou Burruss on promoting spirit in the college level. Some good food for thought with Oregon, Washington, and UBC committing to the practice of spirit circles for the rest of the season. Perhaps we'll be seeing more spirit circles during the club season this year?! :)
http://skydmagazine.com/2014/04/building-spirit/ Overview article on the new G.U.M.!Ultiworld just published an overview article about the new Girls Ultimate Movement! Click to read more about this awesome program!
Watch games from the 2014 northwest challenge fo' freeAttention all sports fans!!!!
Ultiworld will be streaming 9 games from the 2014 Northwest Challenge starting this Friday. These games will be live...and more importantly...FREE!!!! So you have no reason not to tune in to watch and support some of the top college women's teams! Get your popcorn and scouting cards for fantasy ready... Here's the schedule (note all times have been adjusted for our New York/East Coast followers) FRIDAY – March 28 10:45 PM – Oregon v. Washington (Showcase) SATURDAY – March 29 11:30 AM – Ohio State vs. Tufts (Alt: UBC vs. Whitman) 1:30 PM – Western Washington vs. Washington (Alt: Carleton vs. Victoria) 3:30 PM – Carleton vs. Colorado (Alt: Tufts vs. Whitman) 5:30 PM – Oregon vs. Stanford (Alt: Washington vs. Ohio State) 8:30 PM – Stanford vs. Ohio State (Alt: Western Washington vs. UCLA) SUNDAY – March 30 11:30 AM – Tufts vs. British Columbia (Alt: Victoria vs. Colorado) 1:30 PM – Oregon vs. Ohio State (Alt: Stanford vs. UBC) 3:30 PM – Stanford vs. Western Washington (Alt: Tufts vs. Washington) So excited we might pee in our pants. iNTRODUCING...We are excited to welcome you to the brand spanking new BENT BLOG!
BENT is committed to the promotion of Ultimate, especially the promotion of the women's division, and we are happy to use this page to help give you news, ideas, and information of the happenings around the Ultimate world that we come across. When we find good articles or announcements about Ultimate, we don't want to just keep them to ourselves, but rather share them with our friends, families, and fans in hopes that the content will interest you too. So explore and enjoy! |
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In which we share thoughts, articles, and news about women's ultimate! Archives
April 2016
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