3 years ago
Friday, December 25, 2009
If you're bored or not bored...
Read this blog...great players/coaches talking about many aspects of the game: The Huddle
Copied from The Huddle- Haze should read this blog
The most common mark you see on the frisbee field is what I would define as a preventative mark. The mark has each arm extended out fully, explicitly placed to take away a specific throw. This is a useful mark as it does prevent the intended throws and it is seen at every level of frisbee (see photo 1). However, though it is useful, it has certain disadvantages. It allows the thrower to know which throws you are trying to take away before they even attempt to throw or fake. This will allow the thrower to find the gaps in the mark and exploit them. Looking over the Japanese mark, you can see that the thrower has yet to initiate a throwing motion, or fake, and the mark already has her arms fully extended. The thrower can now find the gaps and use these for release points in her throw.
What I find helps to apply more pressure to throwers on most levels is what I would call a deceptive mark. Instead of fully extending your arms out in a way that gives the thrower knowledge on what you are trying to prevent, keep your arms closer to your sides, ready to pounce out once the thrower has committed to a throwing motion. As can be seen, Thomas Ward of NC State, and Ring of Fire, has his arms close to his sides and ready to strike once the thrower has committed to an option. Since they are tight to his side while the thrower is not in a throwing motion, this does not allow the thrower to find holes and gaps in the arms to exploit as before. While it does not guarantee that you will prevent the respective throw you are trying to stop every time as the previously mentioned mark will (having your arm constantly up to prevent a high release will certainly stop it, but may give up other throws), it will force the thrower to work harder to get a throw off (they may try to throw a inside break backhand and your hand appears, which makes them work harder by faking multiple times to get the option they want). In general, a foot block is not earned by constantly holding your foot in the air where you think they will release it, but by executing right when they enter into their throwing motion. This same idea can be utilized with your arms, and is useful, to apply more pressure to the thrower.
Other great tips from this Issue on Marking: Defending the Area Around the Thrower, Tricks of the Trade! , and of course Angles.
What I find helps to apply more pressure to throwers on most levels is what I would call a deceptive mark. Instead of fully extending your arms out in a way that gives the thrower knowledge on what you are trying to prevent, keep your arms closer to your sides, ready to pounce out once the thrower has committed to a throwing motion. As can be seen, Thomas Ward of NC State, and Ring of Fire, has his arms close to his sides and ready to strike once the thrower has committed to an option. Since they are tight to his side while the thrower is not in a throwing motion, this does not allow the thrower to find holes and gaps in the arms to exploit as before. While it does not guarantee that you will prevent the respective throw you are trying to stop every time as the previously mentioned mark will (having your arm constantly up to prevent a high release will certainly stop it, but may give up other throws), it will force the thrower to work harder to get a throw off (they may try to throw a inside break backhand and your hand appears, which makes them work harder by faking multiple times to get the option they want). In general, a foot block is not earned by constantly holding your foot in the air where you think they will release it, but by executing right when they enter into their throwing motion. This same idea can be utilized with your arms, and is useful, to apply more pressure to the thrower.
Other great tips from this Issue on Marking: Defending the Area Around the Thrower, Tricks of the Trade! , and of course Angles.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
You're goin to like the way you look...I guarantee it
Still waiting on 5ultimate to get back with modded mock up b/c we didn't account for their patch on the jersey.(black) Shorts will have big jimi on the side.
subject to change
Monday, December 21, 2009
End of Fall Meeting Follow Up
Hey Guys,
First off, it was great meeting the few new guys that came to the meeting yesterday. Of course I'll be talking to Lu and others to learn exactly what happened in the fall and what needs work, but the meeting was a nice way to generally recap how the season went and teach me what we need to focus on in the Spring. For those of you that didn't make it to the meeting, I understand it's finals time and some of you may have already gone home, however something I want to emphasize now is that everyone will be held accountable for their actions this Spring. This includes attendance to meetings/practice/workouts, logging your workouts on the spread sheet, and the effort/dedication/focus you show during practices. I didn't get any emails from people telling me why they couldn't come to the meeting, which is really lame since it's so easy to shoot an email, even if the excuse is weak. We'll let it slide this time, but come spring there shouldn't be any excuses of "I have to study for my exam tomorrow" or "My girlfriend needs help on her homework" Get your work/girlfriend done early and come to practices/workouts ready to work your ass off :P
That aside, I'm PUMPED for this Spring season. You guys won a tournament and had a great performance at Brisk Winds! That's sick and it's a great place to build from. However I heard several things need a lot of work. Our Defense sucks balls, our marks are broken too easily, and therefore we rely way too much on our opponent's turnovers and our O-line to win games. That's bullshit. We're not going to make a dent at sectionals if we're not the ones creating D's. We've had some solid Fall performance yes, but there still are blemishes against two of our biggest sectional rivals: Columbia and Rutgers. My friend at Rutgers told me that he punted the disc as hard as he could after their first score against us and moments like that and those results should fire up each and everyone one of you to work harder this winter break and spring. We can be friends off the field, but teams like those look forward to beating us. They want to embarrass us. Fuck that.
I believe we can beat every team in our section and it's going to start with conditioning and dedication. In the next few days Lu and I will talk and I'll to send out workout groups, which will be headed by one group leader. Every player is responsible for logging his own workouts on the spreadsheet during and after break and the group leader will be responsible for checking up on his group. He will then send a weekly email to the entire listserve reporting on his group, highlighting who was slacking and who was doing well.
It is necessary to be running, lifting, strengthening your core, and doing stairs during break. I'm going to set a goal for everyone to meet right now. You should be running 2-3 miles at a fast pace (8+) on a treadmill every other day during this break (or full sets of stairs). If you can't run that fast, work up to it. We want fast pace running and sprinting, not long marathon runners(lookin at you, Pat). I'm bad at setting up lifting regimes, but if you have access to weights this break, use them. If you need help email Nova within the next week figuring out lifting or running regimes. Lastly, you should be doing sit ups and pushups/planks everyday to help your core. These are easy to do every morning when you wake up and before you shower at night.
So finish up your finals, log your workouts, expect some future emails about jerseys, workout groups, and I'll be sending out certain strategic stuff (basic playbook stuff) that you all should have learned before Spring starts.
~Q
First off, it was great meeting the few new guys that came to the meeting yesterday. Of course I'll be talking to Lu and others to learn exactly what happened in the fall and what needs work, but the meeting was a nice way to generally recap how the season went and teach me what we need to focus on in the Spring. For those of you that didn't make it to the meeting, I understand it's finals time and some of you may have already gone home, however something I want to emphasize now is that everyone will be held accountable for their actions this Spring. This includes attendance to meetings/practice/workouts, logging your workouts on the spread sheet, and the effort/dedication/focus you show during practices. I didn't get any emails from people telling me why they couldn't come to the meeting, which is really lame since it's so easy to shoot an email, even if the excuse is weak. We'll let it slide this time, but come spring there shouldn't be any excuses of "I have to study for my exam tomorrow" or "My girlfriend needs help on her homework" Get your work/girlfriend done early and come to practices/workouts ready to work your ass off :P
That aside, I'm PUMPED for this Spring season. You guys won a tournament and had a great performance at Brisk Winds! That's sick and it's a great place to build from. However I heard several things need a lot of work. Our Defense sucks balls, our marks are broken too easily, and therefore we rely way too much on our opponent's turnovers and our O-line to win games. That's bullshit. We're not going to make a dent at sectionals if we're not the ones creating D's. We've had some solid Fall performance yes, but there still are blemishes against two of our biggest sectional rivals: Columbia and Rutgers. My friend at Rutgers told me that he punted the disc as hard as he could after their first score against us and moments like that and those results should fire up each and everyone one of you to work harder this winter break and spring. We can be friends off the field, but teams like those look forward to beating us. They want to embarrass us. Fuck that.
I believe we can beat every team in our section and it's going to start with conditioning and dedication. In the next few days Lu and I will talk and I'll to send out workout groups, which will be headed by one group leader. Every player is responsible for logging his own workouts on the spreadsheet during and after break and the group leader will be responsible for checking up on his group. He will then send a weekly email to the entire listserve reporting on his group, highlighting who was slacking and who was doing well.
It is necessary to be running, lifting, strengthening your core, and doing stairs during break. I'm going to set a goal for everyone to meet right now. You should be running 2-3 miles at a fast pace (8+) on a treadmill every other day during this break (or full sets of stairs). If you can't run that fast, work up to it. We want fast pace running and sprinting, not long marathon runners(lookin at you, Pat). I'm bad at setting up lifting regimes, but if you have access to weights this break, use them. If you need help email Nova within the next week figuring out lifting or running regimes. Lastly, you should be doing sit ups and pushups/planks everyday to help your core. These are easy to do every morning when you wake up and before you shower at night.
So finish up your finals, log your workouts, expect some future emails about jerseys, workout groups, and I'll be sending out certain strategic stuff (basic playbook stuff) that you all should have learned before Spring starts.
~Q
Monday, December 14, 2009
My Winter Break goal/plan
Seeing as the Metro East is windy as shit in the spring I will be doing 2 things all break: getting in shape and throwing ONLY and I repeat, ONLY flick hucks into the wind. (if i'm just tossing in a small park-I will only throw IO flicks)
What will you do to make this team better this upcoming season?
~Q
What will you do to make this team better this upcoming season?
~Q
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Jerseys
Hope you guys realize how much money I'm fronting for these...and how much time Ryan and I spend thinking about the designs.
Hugs and Kisses
Q
Hugs and Kisses
Q
Thursday, December 3, 2009
FInished my hardest week this semester
And so I relax by watching this great vid of Ring's run at UCC:
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Fall so far...
In case you were under a rock or are a bad Haze fan, here's an update.
The team is 10-0 so far with an undefeated Saturday at Briskwinds and a tournament win (the programs 2nd ever) at Penn State's Fall Phling.
It is still fall, which means these results aren't as important as what we take away from them, wins against not so great teams early on is a good sign. Being able to clean up the garbage teams easily is something our team should get used to doing so we can focus on better teams and harder games.
That said, I am extremely proud of my teammates and can't wait to get back to the USA to play with them. I'm glad they stuck it to TCNJ (only team in our section that we've played) and equally happy to hear about the Penn State win.
I hope the crew work hard for the rest of the fall and are ready to take it to an even higher level in the spring.
~Q
The team is 10-0 so far with an undefeated Saturday at Briskwinds and a tournament win (the programs 2nd ever) at Penn State's Fall Phling.
It is still fall, which means these results aren't as important as what we take away from them, wins against not so great teams early on is a good sign. Being able to clean up the garbage teams easily is something our team should get used to doing so we can focus on better teams and harder games.
That said, I am extremely proud of my teammates and can't wait to get back to the USA to play with them. I'm glad they stuck it to TCNJ (only team in our section that we've played) and equally happy to hear about the Penn State win.
I hope the crew work hard for the rest of the fall and are ready to take it to an even higher level in the spring.
~Q
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Haze Representin' In Cordoba, Argentina
Hola Familia de Haze -
Eli "We Out Here" Wilkins-Malloy, Gabe "Gabi" Schoenberg, and I (Charlie "Chussle" Eisenhood) are currently kickin' it in Buenos Aires. This weekend, we traveled to a tournament in Cordoba, the second largest city in Argentina.
We definitely stepped it up and represented the cherished Haze name.
Ch-check it out:
Eli getting a dirty handblock on me at stall 9.
Gabe skying some folks.
Gabe getting the forehand past Javi.
Me just beating Eli to the disc. (Rookies, position is the most important thing when jumping for a disc, especially if you're shorter/have less hops than your opponent, like me).
Just to note, I did rock the white Haze jersey in a couple games. Looked super fresh in contrast with the dirt "fields."
Eli "We Out Here" Wilkins-Malloy, Gabe "Gabi" Schoenberg, and I (Charlie "Chussle" Eisenhood) are currently kickin' it in Buenos Aires. This weekend, we traveled to a tournament in Cordoba, the second largest city in Argentina.
We definitely stepped it up and represented the cherished Haze name.
Ch-check it out:
Eli getting a dirty handblock on me at stall 9.
Gabe skying some folks.
Gabe getting the forehand past Javi.
Me just beating Eli to the disc. (Rookies, position is the most important thing when jumping for a disc, especially if you're shorter/have less hops than your opponent, like me).Just to note, I did rock the white Haze jersey in a couple games. Looked super fresh in contrast with the dirt "fields."
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Hey Haze
So, I've been racking my brain all day figuring out the best way to introduce myself to the new Haze players and shout out to the returners from across the sea...and I haven't really come up with anything that special. But seeing as the Maryland tourney got canceled this weekend and because of that I was pissed enough to do an extra few sets of stairs tonight, I decided to just suck it up and write whatever came to mind.
For those of you that don't know me, my name's Quinton (Qma, Q, Rampage...the list of nicknames go on) and I'm one of the captains for Haze this year. The reason you haven't met me yet is because I am studying abroad for the fall semester in London. Don't worry I'll be back soon.
For those lucky returners who DO know me...WHAT UP!? I want to hear from you guys. How's the fall treating you? How're practices? Is Nova pushing you guys in the gym? Seriously, email me with as many updates as you can/want.
(if you wanna stop reading here, that's cool. this is where i just update you on my London life and ramble):
Not a day goes by that I'm not thinking about you guys. Seriously, it's kinda sad. Before last season, I had never pushed myself harder physically or mentally as I did with you all at practices and workouts. That is, until now, since I find myself having to run stairs without my teammates leading the way in front of me and urging me on from below. I know you guys have started workouts, and let me tell you, the only joy I take out of running stairs and doing sprints is knowing that you guys are doing the same (if not more). I've been playing decent pickup 2 times a week here in London and plan to try fitting a college team's practices and tournaments into my schedule soon. In terms of workouts, I do 2 stair workouts/week followed by an upper body/ab thing. The stairway here is a little different than Coles, so instead of what you guys are doin, I started with 5x10stories the first 2 weeks, and now am doin 5x12 stories and plan to increase these sets soon. Aside from stairs, I!
'm running on off days to build up my stamina, because when I get back, I plan to earn my spot on the field as much as any of you.
I really hope all of you are training hard and getting your work done on time so you can dedicate your mind and body to the team during practices. I am confident in Lu and Chooch's ability to lead the team this fall and I hope all of you will listen and learn from them as much as possible (as well as listen to Finkel and Schulz since they've got some serious years under their belts too)
To the returners: Every single one of you has an important role on this team. Maybe you're a playmaker who everyone ooh's and ahhs at. Maybe you do so much work on the field that no one even notices you're there. Whoever you are, you have to lead by example when it comes to attendance, effort, willingness to help, and perhaps more importantly a willingness to learn and improve yourself as a player and teammate. What makes a team great is not only the player with the best athletic abilities, but also the player who knows his ability's limits and uses them to help his teammates improve/succeed (without being a dick about it). Furthermore, to me, what makes a great leader is the person who doesn't want to have the power to lead, but the one who steps up when his team needs him. I hope he doesn't mind me speaking on his behalf, but I know Lu didn't want to be captain this year. However, I asked him to b/c I knew he'd be a good captain and he accepted because he knew his team nee!
ded him. So help him do his job by doing yours.
To the new guys: if you're still reading this...(impressive) I hope that you enjoy your first semester playing on this team. I've made my best friends in college though Haze/Femmes and I hope you guys will learn to love the team and this sport as much as I do.
Lastly, the fall is about getting to know each other and throwing ALOT, so go out and throw every chance you get before it starts getting cold and shitty in NYC. Always have a disc in your bag (and if you dont have one, buy one from Lu) b/c just tossing the disc from hand to hand while your bored will help your catching ability on the field. Seriously, I think my freshman year I threw almost every day after class until it got dark and even past that time. It's a great way to learn how to throw/catch plus you'll get to know each other better. Keep your heads up about this weekend, it sucks having a tournament canceled like that, but just train harder so that the next tournament you do go to, you'll kick ass even more. Stupid shit like a cut budget or a thunderstorm canceling a tournament (last year) could happen any time, but it's how you guys make the best with what you have that will ultimately determine this fall and spring's success.
Drop me an email whenever you can.
~Qma
For those of you that don't know me, my name's Quinton (Qma, Q, Rampage...the list of nicknames go on) and I'm one of the captains for Haze this year. The reason you haven't met me yet is because I am studying abroad for the fall semester in London. Don't worry I'll be back soon.
For those lucky returners who DO know me...WHAT UP!? I want to hear from you guys. How's the fall treating you? How're practices? Is Nova pushing you guys in the gym? Seriously, email me with as many updates as you can/want.
(if you wanna stop reading here, that's cool. this is where i just update you on my London life and ramble):
Not a day goes by that I'm not thinking about you guys. Seriously, it's kinda sad. Before last season, I had never pushed myself harder physically or mentally as I did with you all at practices and workouts. That is, until now, since I find myself having to run stairs without my teammates leading the way in front of me and urging me on from below. I know you guys have started workouts, and let me tell you, the only joy I take out of running stairs and doing sprints is knowing that you guys are doing the same (if not more). I've been playing decent pickup 2 times a week here in London and plan to try fitting a college team's practices and tournaments into my schedule soon. In terms of workouts, I do 2 stair workouts/week followed by an upper body/ab thing. The stairway here is a little different than Coles, so instead of what you guys are doin, I started with 5x10stories the first 2 weeks, and now am doin 5x12 stories and plan to increase these sets soon. Aside from stairs, I!
'm running on off days to build up my stamina, because when I get back, I plan to earn my spot on the field as much as any of you.
I really hope all of you are training hard and getting your work done on time so you can dedicate your mind and body to the team during practices. I am confident in Lu and Chooch's ability to lead the team this fall and I hope all of you will listen and learn from them as much as possible (as well as listen to Finkel and Schulz since they've got some serious years under their belts too)
To the returners: Every single one of you has an important role on this team. Maybe you're a playmaker who everyone ooh's and ahhs at. Maybe you do so much work on the field that no one even notices you're there. Whoever you are, you have to lead by example when it comes to attendance, effort, willingness to help, and perhaps more importantly a willingness to learn and improve yourself as a player and teammate. What makes a team great is not only the player with the best athletic abilities, but also the player who knows his ability's limits and uses them to help his teammates improve/succeed (without being a dick about it). Furthermore, to me, what makes a great leader is the person who doesn't want to have the power to lead, but the one who steps up when his team needs him. I hope he doesn't mind me speaking on his behalf, but I know Lu didn't want to be captain this year. However, I asked him to b/c I knew he'd be a good captain and he accepted because he knew his team nee!
ded him. So help him do his job by doing yours.
To the new guys: if you're still reading this...(impressive) I hope that you enjoy your first semester playing on this team. I've made my best friends in college though Haze/Femmes and I hope you guys will learn to love the team and this sport as much as I do.
Lastly, the fall is about getting to know each other and throwing ALOT, so go out and throw every chance you get before it starts getting cold and shitty in NYC. Always have a disc in your bag (and if you dont have one, buy one from Lu) b/c just tossing the disc from hand to hand while your bored will help your catching ability on the field. Seriously, I think my freshman year I threw almost every day after class until it got dark and even past that time. It's a great way to learn how to throw/catch plus you'll get to know each other better. Keep your heads up about this weekend, it sucks having a tournament canceled like that, but just train harder so that the next tournament you do go to, you'll kick ass even more. Stupid shit like a cut budget or a thunderstorm canceling a tournament (last year) could happen any time, but it's how you guys make the best with what you have that will ultimately determine this fall and spring's success.
Drop me an email whenever you can.
~Qma
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Stairs
They pay off so much. My evidence? I skied five guys today. One of the times it was 3 guys at once. Let me repeat: I skied five guys today. Me. Quinton Ma. Standing at a measly 5 foot 8 inches (maybe a lil less?). I've only been doing two stair workouts a week. But after 1.5 weeks, I can definitely feel the difference in my jumps and layouts and all around sprinting. I love it.
My goal is to hit 120 stories a week for the first few weeks, then I'll step it up to 150 and then hopefully be doing 180 a week by the time I am about to fly back to NYC.
Run your stairs hard and you can grow up to big a strong like me.
I hope Nova and Lu and Chooch are running you guys hard.
Q
My goal is to hit 120 stories a week for the first few weeks, then I'll step it up to 150 and then hopefully be doing 180 a week by the time I am about to fly back to NYC.
Run your stairs hard and you can grow up to big a strong like me.
I hope Nova and Lu and Chooch are running you guys hard.
Q
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Live it, Love it, Dream about it.
Stanford Ultimate Highlights 2009 (unfinished) from arieljackson on Vimeo.
Miss you guys. Kick ass this fall. I'll be checking in soon.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Rawr
about Zoji jerseys
and frustrated about certain happenings at the end of my summer. could have made some big strides for our program
but moving forward, I am working out alot here in London, playing some good pick up and training with some good players when I can. I hear Lu is doing a good job with the beginning of this fall season. So I am happy about that. I can't wait to talk with him about how practices go and how the fall shapes up.
Del Potro just beat the greatest player in Tennis history in the US Open final and likewise Haze will meet whatever challenges are put in front of them this year head on. I miss the team every morning I wake up and am thinking about you all when I go to bed.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Chugging along...
and trying to get some stuff sorted out for the fall...we'll see how it goes. Cross your fingers for me (even if you dont know what I'm talking about) if you're interested in what's goin on in my haze world, you can email/chat me at quintonma@gmail.com
Now that it is almost fall, I really hate to leave NYC. I know London will be awesome and when I get back, everyone is going to be in great shape, but I hate to miss out on the fun times that make up the fall season. The fall is all about learning about each other, as players, as friends, and as a team. You guys will learn your limits (physically and skill-wise)and help each other push past them. And sadly, I'll be missing out on all that.
From the little experience I have had teaching ultimate to random people, I discovered I love to teach this game. I think I have a good grasp on the sport's basics (on paper at least, executing them is a different story) and I wont be able to help much until January. My hope is that I'll be able to help Lu and our coach in organizing what we want to teach during the fall, but a lot will be on their shoulders. Anyway, I hope I will be able to catch up with everyone and learn to play with you guys quickly when I get back. Here's to hoping!
Now that it is almost fall, I really hate to leave NYC. I know London will be awesome and when I get back, everyone is going to be in great shape, but I hate to miss out on the fun times that make up the fall season. The fall is all about learning about each other, as players, as friends, and as a team. You guys will learn your limits (physically and skill-wise)and help each other push past them. And sadly, I'll be missing out on all that.
From the little experience I have had teaching ultimate to random people, I discovered I love to teach this game. I think I have a good grasp on the sport's basics (on paper at least, executing them is a different story) and I wont be able to help much until January. My hope is that I'll be able to help Lu and our coach in organizing what we want to teach during the fall, but a lot will be on their shoulders. Anyway, I hope I will be able to catch up with everyone and learn to play with you guys quickly when I get back. Here's to hoping!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
If you ever need fire...
http://vimeo.com/4316390
I was going to embed this video onto the blog, but decided against it b/c I hate this team too much.
There're only a few experiences in Ultimate that I remember as vividly as the highlights against us that TCNJ included in this video.
The first experience I remember is playing a shitty team at Sectionals my freshman year (montclaire). Because I knew we'd beat them handily, during this game, I made a half assed upline cut which got thoroughly D'd. My lazy cut was actually baited by my defender who does this kind of crap to this day (played him at Easterns). Anyway, my defender didn't just D me, he flew by me to knock the disc out of bounds (eugene greenberg). I literally remember the feeling of the wind blowing by my ear as he laid out past me and the embarrassment that followed. I use that vivid memory to push me every time when I make my upline cuts as hard as I physically can. That on mistake/experience is what I think about every time I make that handler cut and I will probably always use it to my advantage. (by the way, I didn't let that short fool D me once during our easterns match up)
The next memory I think of when I reflect (not really to fire myself up perse, quite the opposite actually b/c I use this memory to make sure I'm chillier with the disc) happens at 7:22 in the linked video. Tyler made an unsuccessful upline cut and was sorta camping out int he endzone and I wanted to score so badly that I thought I could squeeze an IO flick to him, which was a retarted move on my part b/c where else would his defender be but right there to D my throw.
I have a few more memories that I think about now and then, but those two really stay clear in my head in terms of personal things I can use to always improve on. Anyway, remembering our loss to TCNJ truly fires me up and I hope if any of you ever need something to replay in your mind in order to push yourself, use that video. When you're trailing your man on D and need something to convince yourself to lay out past him for the disc, use the fire that this memory brings about. I hate that team. I hate that loss. The bad calls they made against us are one thing that gets to me. The fact that one of their players caught a goal, and then came back to place the disc on Charlie's back after he'd laid out to D it is another thing that gets me. Okay it not only gets me, but that is something I, as captain will not allow at all, b/c if that happens ever again I will be the first person to get up in that guys face and make him cry (in the most respectfully captain-y way that I can)...likewise I hope none of you guys ever do something so lowly.
Last random thought, after watching that video, #15 really carried that tcnj squad, and I plan on us shutting him down completely next year.
Night.
Q
I was going to embed this video onto the blog, but decided against it b/c I hate this team too much.
There're only a few experiences in Ultimate that I remember as vividly as the highlights against us that TCNJ included in this video.
The first experience I remember is playing a shitty team at Sectionals my freshman year (montclaire). Because I knew we'd beat them handily, during this game, I made a half assed upline cut which got thoroughly D'd. My lazy cut was actually baited by my defender who does this kind of crap to this day (played him at Easterns). Anyway, my defender didn't just D me, he flew by me to knock the disc out of bounds (eugene greenberg). I literally remember the feeling of the wind blowing by my ear as he laid out past me and the embarrassment that followed. I use that vivid memory to push me every time when I make my upline cuts as hard as I physically can. That on mistake/experience is what I think about every time I make that handler cut and I will probably always use it to my advantage. (by the way, I didn't let that short fool D me once during our easterns match up)
The next memory I think of when I reflect (not really to fire myself up perse, quite the opposite actually b/c I use this memory to make sure I'm chillier with the disc) happens at 7:22 in the linked video. Tyler made an unsuccessful upline cut and was sorta camping out int he endzone and I wanted to score so badly that I thought I could squeeze an IO flick to him, which was a retarted move on my part b/c where else would his defender be but right there to D my throw.
I have a few more memories that I think about now and then, but those two really stay clear in my head in terms of personal things I can use to always improve on. Anyway, remembering our loss to TCNJ truly fires me up and I hope if any of you ever need something to replay in your mind in order to push yourself, use that video. When you're trailing your man on D and need something to convince yourself to lay out past him for the disc, use the fire that this memory brings about. I hate that team. I hate that loss. The bad calls they made against us are one thing that gets to me. The fact that one of their players caught a goal, and then came back to place the disc on Charlie's back after he'd laid out to D it is another thing that gets me. Okay it not only gets me, but that is something I, as captain will not allow at all, b/c if that happens ever again I will be the first person to get up in that guys face and make him cry (in the most respectfully captain-y way that I can)...likewise I hope none of you guys ever do something so lowly.
Last random thought, after watching that video, #15 really carried that tcnj squad, and I plan on us shutting him down completely next year.
Night.
Q
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Jerseys
Not sure if it's an addiction. But I do like jerseys. As you can see Haze jerseys make up the majority of my collection.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Zojirushi Leak
Schulz designed these for the team Zach/Lu/Schulz/Kahyee/I/Pete/Linh/Claire/Jimmy (nyu contingent) play on, I dont expect anything less cool for Haze next year:
edit: here's Cori's steam version:
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Watch and learn
People constantly comment on the way that Lu (and Kahyee) and I throw our flicks and try to imitate the way we position our feet/legs.... All I have to say is, there's nothing weird about how we throw...
We're like mac's, we "just work"... and we look good doing it. So watch your mack daddy work.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
It's about time...
2009 from Brian Li on Vimeo.
How do you feel after watching this video? What does it make you think about?
After finding this video the other day, turning up my speakers, and taking it all in, I couldn't help but think about this Spring and how it ended.
I haven't put down in words many of my thoughts about the close of our Spring season because I don't think I ever recovered after our loss to Vassar. After an entire year of keeping this blog updated with how I feel "ultimate-ly" it wouldn't be right to not try to get some closure on the season. So here we go...
Let's get general thoughts out of the way. I think we were the best/most well conditioned team in our section. The best teams dont always win. We lost to Vassar, Rutgers, TCNJ, all teams we could have crushed any other weekend, but things just didn't fall our way.
Some specifics: Vassar beat us with dinky little undercuts (aka we got beat in to a the disc and they threw swilly high releases to open cutters) then bombed it deep to their one tall receiver. They also beat us when we had already "won" due to soft cap...but that's just a sore point we will all have to live with. Life goes on. Rutgers played well against us. Somehow we didn't address their well known offense as we did on spring break. Had we shut down their ace/front stack dump, we would have won in my opinion. BUT i never even voiced a mere peep about this. TCNJ beat us with shitty foul calls, bad spirit, and a bunch of desperation hucks that fell their way. One or two good players on that team, whom I credit the win to, but otherwise I hated that game almost as much as the Vassar one. I hated the Vassar loss the most because it threw us out of our kill-mode and I hate the TCNJ one because, even if those guys are good people, they didn't show me that during the game. The rest of the teams at sectionals sucked balls.
I think that, with the exception of that weekend, we demonstrated we were the best team in our section. And from my perspective, knowing our physical conditioning and natural ability, we would have given regionals teams much better competition than either of the teams that went from the ME (although Columbia definitely surprised me, good for them).
Regrets: Didn't speak my mind during huddles enough because I wanted to let the captains talk.
Didn't tell people that I was personally offended and pissed when they missed practice after promising alot at the beginning of the season. Or when a few individuals pissed me off with little things they did, all I'll say is, when we run stairs next year, no headphones...
I wanted this season to justify the time, pain, blood and sweat we all sacrificed. After all the shit I went through the in the summer/fall, not being able to play among other things, I wanted the Spring to be my redemption. And after the way it ended, this season left an empty feeling in my gut. However, I dont feel like it was all for nothing (although that is how I felt after sectionals for a week or two). The experiences of this season have taught me to appreciate every moment with Haze, every goal scored, every joke made, every set of stairs done, every layout. This season has taught me that in order to be successful as a player, I cannot drive myself for personal reasons, but I have to pull my inspiration from my teammates and the fun that we have together dominating other teams.
This post didn't really come out the way I wanted. But whatever I say here wasn't really going to change anything that happened this season anyway. I was sad about the way the season ended, sure, but life goes on. There's more Ultimate to be played. More fools to bitch out. I know how good we were and how much we accomplished and that's all I need to remember.
Thinking ahead: I'm going to not just speak my mind on this blog, but in every huddle. Other random thoughts: somehow I plan to get every player on Haze to be able to layout and handle confidently in a zone/ho...basically every player better be able to lay out and throw like Lu when I get back. We're all young still young, so learn to lay out confidently and properly. In college and in levels of club, laying out is essential to making the play/completing a shitty throw and if we not only develop basic throwing skills, which a few haze players lack in my opinion, but also learn to lay out, we will be well on our way to great things.
Be ready to give your all from the sidelines, at the gym, on the field, every set of stairs, every point played, every practice...or be ready to sit out, because by sectionals, I dont' plan on being a team to "look out for." We will be the team that other players see in their bracket and expect to lose. I plan on us being the #1 seed going into Sectionals next spring and I plan on being the #1 seed when we leave Sectionals.
Headshots.
edit: after reading zach's comments, I want to say he was being a good captain by not singling people out in huddles. certain players would continue to individually make mistakes then, so maybe I will try being a different captain b/c i can't make the plays he does, and see what happens if i really buckle down and let players know when I see them messing up and i know they could do better if they just tried something else.i'll definitely try to talk to them individually about stuff, but I plan on being pretty critical in certain aspects like if players are constantly throwing crappy throws and make no effort to change their throwing motions.
How do you feel after watching this video? What does it make you think about?
After finding this video the other day, turning up my speakers, and taking it all in, I couldn't help but think about this Spring and how it ended.
I haven't put down in words many of my thoughts about the close of our Spring season because I don't think I ever recovered after our loss to Vassar. After an entire year of keeping this blog updated with how I feel "ultimate-ly" it wouldn't be right to not try to get some closure on the season. So here we go...
Let's get general thoughts out of the way. I think we were the best/most well conditioned team in our section. The best teams dont always win. We lost to Vassar, Rutgers, TCNJ, all teams we could have crushed any other weekend, but things just didn't fall our way.
Some specifics: Vassar beat us with dinky little undercuts (aka we got beat in to a the disc and they threw swilly high releases to open cutters) then bombed it deep to their one tall receiver. They also beat us when we had already "won" due to soft cap...but that's just a sore point we will all have to live with. Life goes on. Rutgers played well against us. Somehow we didn't address their well known offense as we did on spring break. Had we shut down their ace/front stack dump, we would have won in my opinion. BUT i never even voiced a mere peep about this. TCNJ beat us with shitty foul calls, bad spirit, and a bunch of desperation hucks that fell their way. One or two good players on that team, whom I credit the win to, but otherwise I hated that game almost as much as the Vassar one. I hated the Vassar loss the most because it threw us out of our kill-mode and I hate the TCNJ one because, even if those guys are good people, they didn't show me that during the game. The rest of the teams at sectionals sucked balls.
I think that, with the exception of that weekend, we demonstrated we were the best team in our section. And from my perspective, knowing our physical conditioning and natural ability, we would have given regionals teams much better competition than either of the teams that went from the ME (although Columbia definitely surprised me, good for them).
Regrets: Didn't speak my mind during huddles enough because I wanted to let the captains talk.
Didn't tell people that I was personally offended and pissed when they missed practice after promising alot at the beginning of the season. Or when a few individuals pissed me off with little things they did, all I'll say is, when we run stairs next year, no headphones...
I wanted this season to justify the time, pain, blood and sweat we all sacrificed. After all the shit I went through the in the summer/fall, not being able to play among other things, I wanted the Spring to be my redemption. And after the way it ended, this season left an empty feeling in my gut. However, I dont feel like it was all for nothing (although that is how I felt after sectionals for a week or two). The experiences of this season have taught me to appreciate every moment with Haze, every goal scored, every joke made, every set of stairs done, every layout. This season has taught me that in order to be successful as a player, I cannot drive myself for personal reasons, but I have to pull my inspiration from my teammates and the fun that we have together dominating other teams.
This post didn't really come out the way I wanted. But whatever I say here wasn't really going to change anything that happened this season anyway. I was sad about the way the season ended, sure, but life goes on. There's more Ultimate to be played. More fools to bitch out. I know how good we were and how much we accomplished and that's all I need to remember.
Thinking ahead: I'm going to not just speak my mind on this blog, but in every huddle. Other random thoughts: somehow I plan to get every player on Haze to be able to layout and handle confidently in a zone/ho...basically every player better be able to lay out and throw like Lu when I get back. We're all young still young, so learn to lay out confidently and properly. In college and in levels of club, laying out is essential to making the play/completing a shitty throw and if we not only develop basic throwing skills, which a few haze players lack in my opinion, but also learn to lay out, we will be well on our way to great things.
Be ready to give your all from the sidelines, at the gym, on the field, every set of stairs, every point played, every practice...or be ready to sit out, because by sectionals, I dont' plan on being a team to "look out for." We will be the team that other players see in their bracket and expect to lose. I plan on us being the #1 seed going into Sectionals next spring and I plan on being the #1 seed when we leave Sectionals.
Headshots.
edit: after reading zach's comments, I want to say he was being a good captain by not singling people out in huddles. certain players would continue to individually make mistakes then, so maybe I will try being a different captain b/c i can't make the plays he does, and see what happens if i really buckle down and let players know when I see them messing up and i know they could do better if they just tried something else.i'll definitely try to talk to them individually about stuff, but I plan on being pretty critical in certain aspects like if players are constantly throwing crappy throws and make no effort to change their throwing motions.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Good post about winning/marking
- marking in a straight line, not trying to shuffle around thrower in an arc
- recognizing/adapting to other team's offense
- loving your teammates
Haze on my mind,
Q
PS: pic is not from stanford game (pitt), but still sick
Q
PS: pic is not from stanford game (pitt), but still sick
Friday, June 12, 2009
I need to work out more.
Playing fair share of ultimate this summer, but without working out I feel the aches and injuries are so much easier to get.....Hit the weights/stairs, Qma/Haze
Out.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Heads up
The Metro East Region (both men/women) gets an extra bid (3 total) to Nationals next year.
Get to work on your game Haze.
~Q
Get to work on your game Haze.
~Q
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Summer plans?
Just wondering who's out there reading this blog right now and cares to share their summer plans?
Ultimate plans?
I plan to be playing a bunch of pick up when I can + play on TFKAC (team formally known as crafty) up until I leave for London .... just in time to miss the series....
What are your plans? (anyone viewing can comment of course, just hit up the "comment" button!)
~Q
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Callahan vids
Just for kicks:
Will Neff- Michigan- I like this video. It shows that he's a force to be reckoned with and doesn't seem to have horrible spirit (no spikes when he has huge catches)
Jimmy FOster- Wisco- I hear he and Sarah Klein used to date. hubbahubba
Tom James- Stanford- Looks like a nice guy....stanford cutters make nice deep cuts.
Mac Taylor- Colorado- Pretty neat how he didn't play ultimate before college. Funny site pic too.....but i dont like how he spikes before the other team is gone. I mean god knows i love spiking but not until the opponents are a little farther
Georgia Bosscher- Wisco (women)- kinda redunculous....ultimate crush material? mmm maybe...boner check.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Video- Go out and play.
Although this highligh movie isn't even done yet......watch it.....some amazing plays.
Some of my favorite parts:
4:55 breakside flick to the openside?
+ next catch
6:12 spike- ....followed by opponent turning around, picking up disc and nailing the spiker.....i hope a fight ensued...
Some of my favorite parts:
4:55 breakside flick to the openside?
+ next catch
6:12 spike- ....followed by opponent turning around, picking up disc and nailing the spiker.....i hope a fight ensued...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Captains email
Hey boys,
First off, we just want to say that we are honored to be the captains of this team and that we will do everything in our power to make next year's team as baller as this year. Second, we want to stress this point: next year will not be a "rebuilding year." We are not just going to leave off where we ended but we are going to go even harder. We want each of you to take it upon yourself to push farther than you did this year, because we believe that you can do it. We know that sounds difficult, especially since we worked so hard this year, but honestly, our biggest asset is our intensity and heart and we will keep this tradition.
First off, we just want to say that we are honored to be the captains of this team and that we will do everything in our power to make next year's team as baller as this year. Second, we want to stress this point: next year will not be a "rebuilding year." We are not just going to leave off where we ended but we are going to go even harder. We want each of you to take it upon yourself to push farther than you did this year, because we believe that you can do it. We know that sounds difficult, especially since we worked so hard this year, but honestly, our biggest asset is our intensity and heart and we will keep this tradition.
With that said, go out and play this summer. We cannot emphasize this enough: play ultimate, play ultimate, play ultimate. Summer is a very long time to be away from each other and committing to a summer league/club team will make your summer so much sweeter and will give you a chance to improve as individual players. Some of us who stay in the city may be able to play with each other, but for those of yougoing back home, it's on you to improve your game. If you need help finding a club team/summer league let Qma know, he'll use his googling skills to try to help. For all you new jersey fools, there is a MCUDL and maybe skylandsWherever you go, remember to be active (throw everyday, hit the gym, swim, etc.) Summer should be all about improving your individual Ultimate skills and having fun so that you can come back in the Fall and ball out with your brothers again.
We love this team more than anything and we know you do too. We're both extremely excited for the 2009-10 season and want you to know we will do our best as your captains and teammates to help this team be successful. If you need anything, let us know and we'll be there for you because we know that you'll do the same for us and each other.
we family and we out here.
~q/lu
Friday, May 8, 2009
My Ultimate Career (Part 2)
Took me a little while to get to it, but here is the next exciting installment of "Ryan Schulz: An Ultimate Retrospective." It seems I'm getting increasingly long-winded in this post. Hope you guys can stick with it.
When we last left our young hero, he (me) had just gotten accepted into the prestigious pharmacy program at Rutgers University. Let's tune in an see what happens...
I would like to tell you how Rutgers was, but first, a little diversion back into high school. Right around the time me and my friends started playing ultimate, we also got turned on to volleyball. We started playing intramural volleyball and at one point we won a high-school-wide volleyball tournament. The prize was the school (or whatever club was hosting it) would make tshirts for your team. Being immature teenagers, we had cleverly named ourselves the Coalition Of Cool Kids, which makes just a delightful acronym. Unfortunately, they refused to make our shirts and didn't even offer a different prize. How rude. That's somewhat beside the point though. The real reason for this digression was to convey that by my senior year of high school I was playing just about as much volleyball as ultimate, and I was much better at spiking than I was at hucking. That being said, let's jump forward to Rutgers again.
Arriving at Rutgers, I had already decided that I was going to play ultimate and intramural volleyball. However, once again fate was to intervene in my ultimate career. The practices for ultimate and volleyball were at the same time. In that moment of truth, I remember the decision being remarkably easy. And so ended my volleyball career.
Rutgers Machine Ultimate was a very handler-heavy team. They focused highly on a structured vert-stack offense and good disc movement. With all those handlers around, the offense had a lot of dumps, swings, and dishies. This worked out great for me because I still couldn't throw well and freaked out whenever I had a mark on me. There were a butt-load of competent handlers there to bail me out when I got the disc downfield. If I remember correctly, the team was captained by the great Tim Chang and the infamous Bill Kieffer that year.
The obvious disadvantage of having all those good players was I looked worse in comparison, so when I first joined the team, I did what many rookies do and played extra hard to make sure they noticed me. I sprinted my butt off every point and laid out for everything. I had just learned how to lay out the previous winter when mother nature provided me with 2 feet of snow to practice in. Excited to show off this new talent, I laid out perhaps slightly more than I should have. After one particularly rough lay out at a tournament, I tore a muscle in my lower back. And that is how I got my first major ultimate-related injury.
The problem with those muscles in your lower back--specifically, the problem with tearing them--is that they're the muscles that are responsible for stabilizing your spine. So for about a month I was unable to turn my upper body or bend over. It took about a month and a half before I was able to play again. To this day my back still gives me trouble sometimes. Every once in a while it likes to give me a little twinge of pain to remind me that it could decide to give out whenever it wants to. Thankfully it hasn't done that again...yet.
The good news is my strategy seemed to work. People on Machine started taking notice of me. I had some huge shortcomings as a player still. I didn't really have a good sense of when or where to cut, still had no forehand at all and still freaked out when I had the disc. However, my senior year of high school I had done a program called Air Alert with my ultimate team, which is supposed to increase your vertical by some absurd amount. Coincidentally, it also destroys your knees, but hey, we were young. Who needs knees anyways? I had just gotten the hang of jumping high and after doing Air Alert my vertical was the highest it had ever been, and higher than it ever was again. I was practically flying around. This, combined with my increasing speed, made me a pretty good receiver, and despite my lack of disc skills I started getting in on an inordinate amounts of points for a freshman.
That winter was the first time I had maintained a workout routine in my entire life, so I was getting into alright shape. I was still exceptionally scrawny though. I ran more that winter than I had my entire life before though probably. There was a large parking garage on campus that we would sprint up and down all night. I thought it was a pretty intense workout, at least until this year (we'll get to that later though).
In the end, Machine had a fairly good season. We didn't win any tournaments, and they didn't go to High Tide that year for some reason, but we played pretty well in general. I remember playing NYU at Sectionals that year. I think Rutgers beat NYU like 15-5 or something. We were playing all our freshman and taking it as an easy game. We might have won the Section that year, but regardless, we made it to Regionals. The sports department gave us a giant check for about $200 for qualifying. I got to keep the check.
Regionals wasn't a great experience for me that year. Because of the stiffer competition, Machine played exclusively veterans. I literally did not play a single point the first day. The second day, they let the freshmen in at the end of a game when we were getting crushed. The first point we were in, my best friend on Machine, Greg (Rutgers Quinton), threw an assist to me for a lay out goal. They should have put us in earlier. I think we scored a couple points that game before they took us out. I don't think Machine did too well at Regionals that year.
Around this time, I had really started liking ultimate. I had invested 3 years of my life into it already (and I still couldn't throw a flick! After three years! Seriously?!). I loved playing with Machine, but I didn't care for the university. So it was around Regionals that I started looking to transfer. I applied to all the schools that wouldn't let me in as a freshman, and a few extra schools for good measure. I had pretty much gotten a 4.0 at Rutgers so I figured it would be an easy transfer. Turns out, schools still didn't like me.
I had finished all my transfer applications and was sitting around waiting to hear from colleges when my then-girlfriend, Christine, reminded me about NYU. It had been one of my top choices when I was in high school, but for some reason I had totally forgotten to apply to transfer there. I quickly went online, only to discover that I had already missed the application deadline by 2 weeks. I was a bit sad about that, but Christine insisted that I try to apply anyways. So I threw together an application in a day and sent it in late. A few weeks later, I get a nice fat letter from NYU. Not only had they accepted my application 2 weeks late, but they gave me my decision about 3 weeks early. I think it was the first one I got back.
I didn't feel as strongly about NYU as I had as a senior in high school, so I waited to see where else I would get in before I made my decision. Turns out it was a very easy decision because every other school denied me. Looks like I was NYU-bound. That winter my parents had moved from NJ where I went to high school, out to Arizona. So they flew back out to Jersey to help me move into the city.
Looking back, Rutgers was an alright time. Very different from NYU. I had friends who didn't play ultimate. In fact, most of my friends didn't play ultimate. My roommate sucked though. I promised everyone I would come back and visit soon and I was on my way. Somewhere in my time at Rutgers, I got famous. I don't know how.
Well, it's once again time for me to leave work, so this will end the second installment of this giant post. Stay tuned for the NYU years next.
When we last left our young hero, he (me) had just gotten accepted into the prestigious pharmacy program at Rutgers University. Let's tune in an see what happens...
I would like to tell you how Rutgers was, but first, a little diversion back into high school. Right around the time me and my friends started playing ultimate, we also got turned on to volleyball. We started playing intramural volleyball and at one point we won a high-school-wide volleyball tournament. The prize was the school (or whatever club was hosting it) would make tshirts for your team. Being immature teenagers, we had cleverly named ourselves the Coalition Of Cool Kids, which makes just a delightful acronym. Unfortunately, they refused to make our shirts and didn't even offer a different prize. How rude. That's somewhat beside the point though. The real reason for this digression was to convey that by my senior year of high school I was playing just about as much volleyball as ultimate, and I was much better at spiking than I was at hucking. That being said, let's jump forward to Rutgers again.
Arriving at Rutgers, I had already decided that I was going to play ultimate and intramural volleyball. However, once again fate was to intervene in my ultimate career. The practices for ultimate and volleyball were at the same time. In that moment of truth, I remember the decision being remarkably easy. And so ended my volleyball career.
Rutgers Machine Ultimate was a very handler-heavy team. They focused highly on a structured vert-stack offense and good disc movement. With all those handlers around, the offense had a lot of dumps, swings, and dishies. This worked out great for me because I still couldn't throw well and freaked out whenever I had a mark on me. There were a butt-load of competent handlers there to bail me out when I got the disc downfield. If I remember correctly, the team was captained by the great Tim Chang and the infamous Bill Kieffer that year.
The obvious disadvantage of having all those good players was I looked worse in comparison, so when I first joined the team, I did what many rookies do and played extra hard to make sure they noticed me. I sprinted my butt off every point and laid out for everything. I had just learned how to lay out the previous winter when mother nature provided me with 2 feet of snow to practice in. Excited to show off this new talent, I laid out perhaps slightly more than I should have. After one particularly rough lay out at a tournament, I tore a muscle in my lower back. And that is how I got my first major ultimate-related injury.
The problem with those muscles in your lower back--specifically, the problem with tearing them--is that they're the muscles that are responsible for stabilizing your spine. So for about a month I was unable to turn my upper body or bend over. It took about a month and a half before I was able to play again. To this day my back still gives me trouble sometimes. Every once in a while it likes to give me a little twinge of pain to remind me that it could decide to give out whenever it wants to. Thankfully it hasn't done that again...yet.
The good news is my strategy seemed to work. People on Machine started taking notice of me. I had some huge shortcomings as a player still. I didn't really have a good sense of when or where to cut, still had no forehand at all and still freaked out when I had the disc. However, my senior year of high school I had done a program called Air Alert with my ultimate team, which is supposed to increase your vertical by some absurd amount. Coincidentally, it also destroys your knees, but hey, we were young. Who needs knees anyways? I had just gotten the hang of jumping high and after doing Air Alert my vertical was the highest it had ever been, and higher than it ever was again. I was practically flying around. This, combined with my increasing speed, made me a pretty good receiver, and despite my lack of disc skills I started getting in on an inordinate amounts of points for a freshman.
That winter was the first time I had maintained a workout routine in my entire life, so I was getting into alright shape. I was still exceptionally scrawny though. I ran more that winter than I had my entire life before though probably. There was a large parking garage on campus that we would sprint up and down all night. I thought it was a pretty intense workout, at least until this year (we'll get to that later though).
In the end, Machine had a fairly good season. We didn't win any tournaments, and they didn't go to High Tide that year for some reason, but we played pretty well in general. I remember playing NYU at Sectionals that year. I think Rutgers beat NYU like 15-5 or something. We were playing all our freshman and taking it as an easy game. We might have won the Section that year, but regardless, we made it to Regionals. The sports department gave us a giant check for about $200 for qualifying. I got to keep the check.
Regionals wasn't a great experience for me that year. Because of the stiffer competition, Machine played exclusively veterans. I literally did not play a single point the first day. The second day, they let the freshmen in at the end of a game when we were getting crushed. The first point we were in, my best friend on Machine, Greg (Rutgers Quinton), threw an assist to me for a lay out goal. They should have put us in earlier. I think we scored a couple points that game before they took us out. I don't think Machine did too well at Regionals that year.
Around this time, I had really started liking ultimate. I had invested 3 years of my life into it already (and I still couldn't throw a flick! After three years! Seriously?!). I loved playing with Machine, but I didn't care for the university. So it was around Regionals that I started looking to transfer. I applied to all the schools that wouldn't let me in as a freshman, and a few extra schools for good measure. I had pretty much gotten a 4.0 at Rutgers so I figured it would be an easy transfer. Turns out, schools still didn't like me.
I had finished all my transfer applications and was sitting around waiting to hear from colleges when my then-girlfriend, Christine, reminded me about NYU. It had been one of my top choices when I was in high school, but for some reason I had totally forgotten to apply to transfer there. I quickly went online, only to discover that I had already missed the application deadline by 2 weeks. I was a bit sad about that, but Christine insisted that I try to apply anyways. So I threw together an application in a day and sent it in late. A few weeks later, I get a nice fat letter from NYU. Not only had they accepted my application 2 weeks late, but they gave me my decision about 3 weeks early. I think it was the first one I got back.
I didn't feel as strongly about NYU as I had as a senior in high school, so I waited to see where else I would get in before I made my decision. Turns out it was a very easy decision because every other school denied me. Looks like I was NYU-bound. That winter my parents had moved from NJ where I went to high school, out to Arizona. So they flew back out to Jersey to help me move into the city.
Looking back, Rutgers was an alright time. Very different from NYU. I had friends who didn't play ultimate. In fact, most of my friends didn't play ultimate. My roommate sucked though. I promised everyone I would come back and visit soon and I was on my way. Somewhere in my time at Rutgers, I got famous. I don't know how.
Well, it's once again time for me to leave work, so this will end the second installment of this giant post. Stay tuned for the NYU years next.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
My Ultimate Career (Part 1)
I am terribly bored at work, so I've decided to post on this blog once again.
I was inspired by Quinton's ultimate history post, so if you ever wondered how Ryan became Schulz Schulz the Schultz Schulz, then this post is for you. If you don't like long, rambling autobiographies, then this probably isn't for you.
Before Ultimate
I've told this to some people, but not many know this about me. I used to be short and kinda chubby. I would post a picture, but no one is ever allowed to see me like that anymore. If you visit my house in Arizona my parents would be happy to undermine me and show you pictures though.
Like pretty much everyone else, when I was little, I played soccer. I guess I played for quite a while, starting when I was about 7 until 7th grade, but never that competitively. I used to be a fullback, but when I got a little faster I became a mid-fielder, always on the side though. My middle school required every student to do a sport after school, so during that time of my life I picked up track and wrestling as well. In track I ran hurdles. Keep in mind, this is when I was still short so I sucked at it. I was pretty awesome at middle school wrestling though. I conveniently fell in the top of my weight class, which made things easier. I got a few gold medals out of that.
In the summer before 8th grade, my family moved to New Jersey and I subsequently stopped playing sports. I probably got fatter. Also, I was a nerd. I was a nerd king though. I had a large posse of people who I could assemble at a whim to play Halo. Did this for the first part of high school. Things began to go awry though when one of my friends, Kevin, began hanging out with a few guys in the grade above us, most notable Ben Tong and Chris Oey. These troublemakers liked to spend their free time throwing around frisbees.
I should note that at this point in my life, I despised ultimate. It was just an annoying game we would play occasionally in gym. I had a slightly better backhand than most of the gym-ultimaters because I always used to play frisbee golf with my dad when I lived in Ohio. But I thought the game was stupid and generally avoided it when I had the choice in gym. Unfortunately for me, Kevin started hanging out with Ben and Oey enough to pick up some ultimate stuff. He slowly managed to get other people from my Halo posse to warm up to ultimate. Before I knew it, I was grudgingly tossing with them in the gym before school every day. And so it began.
The Early Years
This all began during my junior year of high school. Perhaps the most important take-away from this era of my ultimate career is that I sucked. Compared to most actual ultimate players my age, my backhand was pretty bad and I had absolutely no flick. I got pretty good at catching though, and I had one important development during this time.
I got bigger!
I got a hearty growth spurt around junior year and by senior year I had shot up to the impressive 6 feet you see today (5'11.75" if you want to be specific). The grand part about this was that I grew almost entirely vertically, and not at all horizontally. I went from short and chubby to tall and lanky, which did wonders for my ultimate career.
With my new long legs, I could run faster and jump higher. It was fantastic. I still couldn't throw, but at least now I could be a decent receiver. I still couldn't really jump that high though, so I wasn't nearly as good as I would have liked. I certainly wasn't skying anyone back then. It didn't help that most of my friends I played with were 6 foot or taller. But thankfully, another miracle was about to occur.
Up to this point in my life, I had never had a cramp. That was about to change. I was sleeping happily in my bed late junior year, when suddenly I was awoken by a sharp pain in my calves. I writhed in pain for a minute or two, trying to stretch out my ever tightening muscles until it eventually passed and I was able to go back to sleep, slightly irritated. I woke up the next morning to sore calves, and they stayed that way for a few days. However, later that week when we were tossing around, I discovered that I could suddenly jump much higher than before. My epic late-night cramps had somehow unlocked a new level of athleticism for me. Just like that, I became a deep threat.
I should remind you again here, I still sucked at throwing, so a deep threat was the only threat I was for a while. It worked out alright in the setting though. We were the founders of the ultimate frisbee team at our high school, so strategy was not a huge part of our game. Ours mainly consisted of running a bunch of ineffective in-cuts until stall 8 then hucking it and hope we're taller than the other team. Thus, I became one of the 4 or so guys on our team who just ran deep and skyed people. Good times.
Nonetheless, it was a little depressing since most of my team had developed at least serviceable flicks and pretty decent backhands, while I still floundered in my own suckitude. That was pretty much how my high school career looked. Eventually it became time to graduate and move on to college. Among many other schools, I applied to NYU. Then, like many other schools, NYU denied me admission. And so began...
The Rutgers Year
It's about lunch time now, am I'm particularly famished after finishing my last final, so I'm going to take a break now. If I have time after lunch I'll continue with the second part of this epic tale.
I was inspired by Quinton's ultimate history post, so if you ever wondered how Ryan became Schulz Schulz the Schultz Schulz, then this post is for you. If you don't like long, rambling autobiographies, then this probably isn't for you.
Before Ultimate
I've told this to some people, but not many know this about me. I used to be short and kinda chubby. I would post a picture, but no one is ever allowed to see me like that anymore. If you visit my house in Arizona my parents would be happy to undermine me and show you pictures though.
Like pretty much everyone else, when I was little, I played soccer. I guess I played for quite a while, starting when I was about 7 until 7th grade, but never that competitively. I used to be a fullback, but when I got a little faster I became a mid-fielder, always on the side though. My middle school required every student to do a sport after school, so during that time of my life I picked up track and wrestling as well. In track I ran hurdles. Keep in mind, this is when I was still short so I sucked at it. I was pretty awesome at middle school wrestling though. I conveniently fell in the top of my weight class, which made things easier. I got a few gold medals out of that.
In the summer before 8th grade, my family moved to New Jersey and I subsequently stopped playing sports. I probably got fatter. Also, I was a nerd. I was a nerd king though. I had a large posse of people who I could assemble at a whim to play Halo. Did this for the first part of high school. Things began to go awry though when one of my friends, Kevin, began hanging out with a few guys in the grade above us, most notable Ben Tong and Chris Oey. These troublemakers liked to spend their free time throwing around frisbees.
I should note that at this point in my life, I despised ultimate. It was just an annoying game we would play occasionally in gym. I had a slightly better backhand than most of the gym-ultimaters because I always used to play frisbee golf with my dad when I lived in Ohio. But I thought the game was stupid and generally avoided it when I had the choice in gym. Unfortunately for me, Kevin started hanging out with Ben and Oey enough to pick up some ultimate stuff. He slowly managed to get other people from my Halo posse to warm up to ultimate. Before I knew it, I was grudgingly tossing with them in the gym before school every day. And so it began.
The Early Years
This all began during my junior year of high school. Perhaps the most important take-away from this era of my ultimate career is that I sucked. Compared to most actual ultimate players my age, my backhand was pretty bad and I had absolutely no flick. I got pretty good at catching though, and I had one important development during this time.
I got bigger!
I got a hearty growth spurt around junior year and by senior year I had shot up to the impressive 6 feet you see today (5'11.75" if you want to be specific). The grand part about this was that I grew almost entirely vertically, and not at all horizontally. I went from short and chubby to tall and lanky, which did wonders for my ultimate career.
With my new long legs, I could run faster and jump higher. It was fantastic. I still couldn't throw, but at least now I could be a decent receiver. I still couldn't really jump that high though, so I wasn't nearly as good as I would have liked. I certainly wasn't skying anyone back then. It didn't help that most of my friends I played with were 6 foot or taller. But thankfully, another miracle was about to occur.
Up to this point in my life, I had never had a cramp. That was about to change. I was sleeping happily in my bed late junior year, when suddenly I was awoken by a sharp pain in my calves. I writhed in pain for a minute or two, trying to stretch out my ever tightening muscles until it eventually passed and I was able to go back to sleep, slightly irritated. I woke up the next morning to sore calves, and they stayed that way for a few days. However, later that week when we were tossing around, I discovered that I could suddenly jump much higher than before. My epic late-night cramps had somehow unlocked a new level of athleticism for me. Just like that, I became a deep threat.
I should remind you again here, I still sucked at throwing, so a deep threat was the only threat I was for a while. It worked out alright in the setting though. We were the founders of the ultimate frisbee team at our high school, so strategy was not a huge part of our game. Ours mainly consisted of running a bunch of ineffective in-cuts until stall 8 then hucking it and hope we're taller than the other team. Thus, I became one of the 4 or so guys on our team who just ran deep and skyed people. Good times.
Nonetheless, it was a little depressing since most of my team had developed at least serviceable flicks and pretty decent backhands, while I still floundered in my own suckitude. That was pretty much how my high school career looked. Eventually it became time to graduate and move on to college. Among many other schools, I applied to NYU. Then, like many other schools, NYU denied me admission. And so began...
The Rutgers Year
It's about lunch time now, am I'm particularly famished after finishing my last final, so I'm going to take a break now. If I have time after lunch I'll continue with the second part of this epic tale.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Last Post before Sectionals 2009- "Think about your teammates"
Things I've done to prepare for this weekend:
Laundry, cut my nails 2 days in advance, drank copious amounts of water all week, ate balanced meals, trained all season with the team, played my hardest at every tournament, fought past many mental barriers in working out with the team, tossed whenever I had free time, set my clothes out for this weekend, watched many many ultimate videos, broke both feet, fought back and decided we were going to win this weekend.
Here's our Roster:
Mr. Altschuler: one of our two main D-line handlers, long, lanky handler who will break you given the chance and isn't afraid to put it deep, has the calm look of an O-line handler but a deep fire within that allows him to play shut down D on the opposing teams handlers.
Mr. Briggs: lazer sharp flicks and quick feet, his bright smile lightens up any dull day.
Mr. Burt: squirrly freshman, will run circles around you until you get dizzy, plays the tip well, i've never really seen this boy be tired.
Mr. Carnegie: honestly one of the fastest ultimate players I've seen to play the game (college AND club players- including top cutter likes Beau and Lokke), runs 20 sets of stairs like it's a warm up, will sky your best player, newly found sense of confidence with the disc, able to D any of your players from any starting point on the field, has the athletic ability to be the best ultimate player I've seen, has the raw physical ability and confidence to win any match up....most likely open anywhere on the field
Mr. Cassarella: mr. football himself, loves to beat you deep and when you least expect it comes under hard, his wide pivots will bring you off balance, having learned the game of Ultimate very quickly this year he has helped our offense greatly by opening up the field all day, has the competitive fire that is necessary for any great athlete....most likely always open deep
Mr. Drumm: big heart, loves to yell at himself, but this is a sign of how he always wants to play his best,
Mr. Eisenhood: chilly D line handler, can bust deep from a handler position at any moment, tenacious handler defense as well as great natural reading ability when his man is thrown deep to, can turn from defense to offensive mindset on a dime, makes good decisions with the disc and moves well without it too.
Mr. Zach: all around great player, threat on D or O, chilly with the disc and possibly the best disc reading ability on the team, with his big ups Finkel has led this team for the past 4 years by example (and getting the D when we need it most), a young veteran of the sport, willing to sacrifice body for the team, great breaks and hucks, sells the best "palladium" and "oak tree" cuts in the history of haze.
Mr. Fong: long reaching Kahyee is a chilly handler, has great fundamentals (a threat off both wings, but has a killer break mark flick), good reads and confident in the sky, i see a lot of potential for Fong.
Mr. Fortune: perhaps the highest vertical on the team?, not afraid of some contact, one of the fittest people on the team, always finds a way to get open.
Mr. Gilchrist: our head strategist, knows what should happen on the field all the time, has great hucks and makes smart decisions, knows the rules better than you, cooks delicious food, has systematically transformed a team with potential into a regionals/nationals contender, strong mark with a huge wingspan, great natural and mathematical line calling ability.
Mr. Larrbear: Not many people want the disc more than Larry, runs town what many would think are uncatchable puts and uses his quick legs to make the impossible possible, solid throws off both wings and good skying ability as well.
Mr. BEN KENIGSBERG: a veteran of the sport although he's only a year older than me, the Stanford machine usually produces pretty solid players and they didn't disappoint when they sent this guy, solid throws off both sides and good hucking ability, coupled with athleticism makes this guy a threat on D and O, explosive speed and layout ability have allowed Ben to come up big for us many times this year and I expect he'll make some great plays this weekend.
Mr. Perrbear: as squirely as squirtles can get Perry is a quick popper who will shred your cup, quick flicks and flat high release backhands are his specialty, usually is seen running with his hands in front of him he's usually so open on his cuts it doesn't matter he doesn't use his arms heh, will always get his flick off...somehow...even if he only throws flick fakes.
Mr. Ma: "crazy fakes", pretty good hucks, usually makes good decisions, will makes calls when he sees them, very angry player, if he doesn't like the person he is guarding he will usually make an effort to piss that guy off, loves to break your mark with IO flicks for the goal, will spike the disc every time he scores and sometimes when he doesn't, gets low, very vocal, comfortable throwing from awkward positions/stances from either wing, doesn't dump.
Mr. Noyes: a physical specimen, can put it deep from a standstill from anywhere on the field, conservative in his decisions, has a big head, fast upline cuts, not afraid of contact and not afraid to give some back, good throws, tries to be fancy with stupid no look throws.
Mr. Pandya, P: the little big Pandya, lanky, fast learner, surprisingly good IO flicks, nova thinks he can be super fast, really good at pacman.
Mr. VP: big VP, has developed into a defensive monster, has excelled on O as well (demonstrated some great cutting and catching ability), will lay out past you if you even slow up on your incut a tiny smidge, tight/aggressive mark, fiery player.
Mr. Rago: fast, jumps super high, has gotten very chilly with the disc this year, has a vertcial higher than he knows, bronze god, great cutter, great layouts and has the hip scars to prove it, 1/3 of the crunk chalice.
Mr. Schoenberg: good field awareness, always seems to come up with a huge D when we least expect it, including the occasional sensational lay out d past his man coming under, vocal, runs his ass off.
Schulz Schulz: I like to think of Schulz as Haze's workhorse, gets big on D, and skies the fuck out of bitches, hard marks and handblocks out the ass, plays most if not every point and never complains, another 1/3 of the crunk chalice, can put it deep when the time is right, has always been a good decision to throw to, faster than you, pretty good at video games.
Mr. Shi: Kevin has solid throws off both sides, as most asians do, learns quickly and takes my criticism well, a bunch of potential in a small package, i'm definitely turning him into a top player in london.
Mr. Schlong: similar to his stuy schoolmate, Richard has solid throws, confident in his throws I've seen him put it deep to high percentage deep looks and has shown in doing so he recognizes opportunities and takes it, lots of potential.
Mr. Smith: jared works out a lot and it shows on the field, he gets open easily with his athletic ability and recently has been able to get open deep for goals, has good field awareness and ability to recognize when the perfect time is to make a continue cut, solid throws and chilly with the disc, hard marks which frequently result in turns for the other team, has a funny dance he does when he gets super jazzed after a foot block.
Mr. Wang: my vote for an All Region cutter, always open on the under, great throws and hucks, plays with a swagger that can only be matched by Eli, seems to float in the air when he skies fools, strong marks which result in many point blocks, impressive lay out ability, natural ultimate player, if a swan were to play ultimate...it's name would be Lu Wang.
Mr. Beast Mode: the name says it all, the final 1/3 of the crunk chalice, tenacious defender, great offensive cutter, plays the tip, NEVER EVER gives up, will sky you, limitless source of energy for our team, new found confidence in a sick flick huck, he's a beast.
We have an awesome group of individual players here and thankfully we all play on the same team. We family. We dont play for NYU. We play for each other. I have faith in every single one of you to do what we need to win Sectionals. Wreck shit, Haze.
We out here.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Pump up videos....continued+ Some words
Didn't want people have to scroll down to the old post. Heh
Double feature: Thursday April 16th: My favorite Nationals 2007 Remix....pump up the volume. Get hyped Haze!--(edit) after watching this video twice after posting it.....I think it may be one of my top 5 short ultimate highlight vids....Let's wreck shit this weekend. + Here's a Revolver vs. Sockeye vid for Ben Kenigsberg
Last Video: Thursday April 17th: Get ready Haze. We're going to war and we're going to crush everyone. BOOOM HEADSHOT
+ Some Words: Tonight was our last practice before sectionals. I just had some random thoughts...All spring the D-line would trounce the O-line during scrimmages (much to my chagrin being an O line handler) but this practice (and in other recent ones) the O line began to play a bit better and I saw some real ultimate being played back and forth at times. I was happy with that. Mistakes were made all around. Shit happens, but we kept running our systems hard. I was happy with that too. I made it a goal to make many upline cuts followed by hucks to open cutters streaking deep. I think I accomplished that and was mostly successful, yay me.
Changing directions...I love this team. The NYU men's team has never made it past sectionals. Our "program" has not been without talent, plenty of our past players are of club national caliber and have demonstrated so (and based on my knowledge of ultimate, I think a handful of players on our current team have potential to excel in the same regard)....so whats been the missing link?
I've been thinking about winning sectionals since I got off crutches last fall and wondering about the weight of winning when no past team has...but tonight I was thinking that the past is history (please excuse the corniness). The 26 man roster(which means we have a 19 man Haze sideline all weekend+family/fans...GET PUMPED) we have going into sectionals is nothing like NYU or our section has ever seen. I believe we're the most well conditioned team going to Rutgers this weekend. I believe we cut harder for each other than any other team going into Rutgers this weekend. And I believe we want to win more than any team this weekend. And if we play the way I know we can, we will win every single game by a comfortable margin.
I hate making predictions. But I will let that one stay on the blog. So what's been the missing link in the past? I think it's the team dynamic that this team has...that fire we exhibit when we break a team, get a huge layout D, or finish a grueling set of stairs. That's going to win us the sectionals title.
Also, you guys have me on the team.
~Rampage
PS: We out here. I'll say it again. I love this team.
From our captains...
[Another way we are going to win sectionals] is with our depth. Although I'm confident that our starting lines will destroy other team's starting lines at Sectionals, I'm even more positive that we will be the deepest team at Sectionals. And I can't express how excited Zach and I are to cheer from our sideline and watch our second and third and fourth lines eating up other teams this weekend. (One of the things I learned from the fall and women's Sectionals last weekend is that I might be better at cheering than playing anyhow, so this could be a big win-win for the team.)
If you haven't been constantly staring at the pools for this weekend and comparing our format to other section's, you should know that the Sectional Coordinator has basically designed the format for us. We have to go 7-0 to win Sectionals, while teams from other sections only have to go 4-0. Why is this such a huge benefit? Because we are the best team in the section, and we are the best because of our depth. As the weekend wears on, all of us are going to be fresh for each game for the entire tournament because we're all so damn good. (Did I mention that we're also well-conditioned? I'll get to that tomorrow.)
The game plan this translates into should be obvious, and won't differ much from what we've been doing all season. We will be seeking to build big leads early in games with fairly tight rotations and, once established, loosening up the rotation and cruising to victory. Throughout the year we're been using a 20-man rotation at tournaments, and this weekend we'll be on a 26-man rotation. The criticality of winning is obviously heightened for the series as well. All this translates into a substantial amount of pressure on the line-calling decisions for the weekend. And we will be making every decision based on the fact that we must win every game. So while there will inevitably be games in which not everyone plays, that certainly does not mean that there will be any game, or any point even, where having everyone there will be anything less than crucial. Whether or not you are one of the seven players on the field for a given point, you can substantially contribute to the team's ability to score that point. You can be involved in the game. You can cheer on your team. You can disperse across the two sidelines and communicate with the seven players on the field. And when you do all these things, perhaps above all else, you will help to reinforce the sense of inevitability that, regardless of how the situation looks at the given time, NYU will win, and we will win decisively. The workouts we've done all year build individual strength, but without the entire team sprinting behind you on those stairs there's no reason to keep going. This weekend, any seven players on our team can score against any opponent, and with the sideline and our whole team behind us we will ensure victory.
The importance of making this strategy work is huge. I know that building leads is something our top lines can do, and I know that I am putting pressure on them in asking them to do that. But I know they're up to it. And I know that asking loosened rotations to sustain and build on those leads is putting pressure on the rest of the lines. But I know they are up to it too. Excel in your role. If you are on the field, whether the score is 0-0 or 12-0, your role is to win the point. The better we are at crushing other teams, the more playing time there will be to go around (that's a total lie -- there will technically be fewer points to go around, but, well, you get the point), and the more rested we will all be for the next game. And the more rested we will be to destroy whatever team has the unfortunate distinction of playing us in the finals -- because there is no chance in hell they are going to score a goal.
So, without further ado, here is the 26-man roster for the weekend. I look forward to seeing everyone at practice at ERP this evening at 7:30. We will be meeting for Sectionals on Friday, once again, at 5:00 in preparation for our 5:15 meeting in the Conference Room.
2009 NYU PURPLE HAZE SECTIONALS ROSTER
Mr. Altschuler
Mr. Briggs
Mr. Burt
Mr. Carnegie
Mr. Cassarella
Mr. Drumm
Mr. Eisenhood
Mr. Zach
Mr. Fong
Mr. Fortune
Mr. Gilchrist
Mr. Larrbear
Mr. BEN KENIGSBERG
Mr. Perrbear
Mr. Ma
Mr. Noyes
Mr. Pandya, P.
Mr. VP
Mr. Rago
Mr. Schoenberg
Schulz Schulz
Mr. Shi
Mr. Schlong
Mr. Smith
Mr. Wang
Mr. Beast Mode
p / z$
If you haven't been constantly staring at the pools for this weekend and comparing our format to other section's, you should know that the Sectional Coordinator has basically designed the format for us. We have to go 7-0 to win Sectionals, while teams from other sections only have to go 4-0. Why is this such a huge benefit? Because we are the best team in the section, and we are the best because of our depth. As the weekend wears on, all of us are going to be fresh for each game for the entire tournament because we're all so damn good. (Did I mention that we're also well-conditioned? I'll get to that tomorrow.)
The game plan this translates into should be obvious, and won't differ much from what we've been doing all season. We will be seeking to build big leads early in games with fairly tight rotations and, once established, loosening up the rotation and cruising to victory. Throughout the year we're been using a 20-man rotation at tournaments, and this weekend we'll be on a 26-man rotation. The criticality of winning is obviously heightened for the series as well. All this translates into a substantial amount of pressure on the line-calling decisions for the weekend. And we will be making every decision based on the fact that we must win every game. So while there will inevitably be games in which not everyone plays, that certainly does not mean that there will be any game, or any point even, where having everyone there will be anything less than crucial. Whether or not you are one of the seven players on the field for a given point, you can substantially contribute to the team's ability to score that point. You can be involved in the game. You can cheer on your team. You can disperse across the two sidelines and communicate with the seven players on the field. And when you do all these things, perhaps above all else, you will help to reinforce the sense of inevitability that, regardless of how the situation looks at the given time, NYU will win, and we will win decisively. The workouts we've done all year build individual strength, but without the entire team sprinting behind you on those stairs there's no reason to keep going. This weekend, any seven players on our team can score against any opponent, and with the sideline and our whole team behind us we will ensure victory.
The importance of making this strategy work is huge. I know that building leads is something our top lines can do, and I know that I am putting pressure on them in asking them to do that. But I know they're up to it. And I know that asking loosened rotations to sustain and build on those leads is putting pressure on the rest of the lines. But I know they are up to it too. Excel in your role. If you are on the field, whether the score is 0-0 or 12-0, your role is to win the point. The better we are at crushing other teams, the more playing time there will be to go around (that's a total lie -- there will technically be fewer points to go around, but, well, you get the point), and the more rested we will all be for the next game. And the more rested we will be to destroy whatever team has the unfortunate distinction of playing us in the finals -- because there is no chance in hell they are going to score a goal.
So, without further ado, here is the 26-man roster for the weekend. I look forward to seeing everyone at practice at ERP this evening at 7:30. We will be meeting for Sectionals on Friday, once again, at 5:00 in preparation for our 5:15 meeting in the Conference Room.
2009 NYU PURPLE HAZE SECTIONALS ROSTER
Mr. Altschuler
Mr. Briggs
Mr. Burt
Mr. Carnegie
Mr. Cassarella
Mr. Drumm
Mr. Eisenhood
Mr. Zach
Mr. Fong
Mr. Fortune
Mr. Gilchrist
Mr. Larrbear
Mr. BEN KENIGSBERG
Mr. Perrbear
Mr. Ma
Mr. Noyes
Mr. Pandya, P.
Mr. VP
Mr. Rago
Mr. Schoenberg
Schulz Schulz
Mr. Shi
Mr. Schlong
Mr. Smith
Mr. Wang
Mr. Beast Mode
p / z$
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Random shpeel.
Hey, so I'm not a usually blogger, but I I've been thinking a lot about Sectionals lately (god knows why...). We always say how Sectionals is the reason we've been working so hard, Sectionals is our goal, Sectionals is why we have extra conditioning practices twice a week, etc.
The more I think about it, I realize Sectionals isn't whats driving me. After not making Regionals last year, I was fuckin pissed, and during the fall I was thinking about Sectionals all the time (probably to an unhealthy degree). But since the spring season started, that hasn't been what's lighting the fire under my ass, pushing me through sprints. Because we're good enough to make Regionals. Everyone on our team and every team in our section knows that we deserve a spot at Regionals. Obviously, that doesn't mean we can slack off; that means we have to go out this weekend, play our game, and show that it's not already our bid to lose; it's our bid to win. We have to prove we're the one seed.
But that's still not what's driving me. Ever since the spring started, I've been thinking about one thing, and one thing only while busting my ass up those stairs; the bus-ride to the fields on sunday morning of Regionals.
I don't know where we'll be in terms of ranking if we make Regionals. I don't know if the first day we'll pull out huge upsets or lose some games we should have won. But I know that where we deserve to be, where this team deserves to be, sunday morning of Regionals, is playing for a bid to Nationals. Even if it means winning every one of our sunday games against higher ranked opponents, some way, some how, Haze deserves to have a shot at Nationals come sunday morning. And that's what keeps me going when I'm tired, keeps me focused at practice, and fucking keeps me up at night.
Let's do it Haze.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Pump up video for sectionals- 3 days left
So I heard the femmes sent out these pretty weak pump up songs and vids...and I thought I'd use my deep Ultimate video knowledge and do something similar but much better (for those of use who love watching Ultimate highlights)
I wont do a post for each day, but I'll just edit this post every day til sectionals and add an extra vid for whoever is reading the blog so check on this post every day.
Video:
Thursday April 9th: Highlights from Oregon at Stanford Invite in 2008...lots of swagger
Saturday April 11th: Watchung Hills High School...I know this is high school, but the plays are sick, the players play all out and the editing is better than most College highlights I've seen.
Monday April 13th: Here are two videos, one if shorter, Another Oregon highlight vid which I chose b/c I like the song and HD. And the second is from LPC, which I chose b/c its a good example of a few things(not really a video for a bunch of huge layouts): hard marks, great continue cuts that make the cutters wide open, and awesome soundtrack I do ab workouts to....
Tuesday April 14th: Everyone loves to hate the Hodags...but you gotta love multiple camera angles!- if you're bored and read the UPA handbook already like Pete said, check out his vegas and centex vids (20+min and 45 min...each)
Tuesday April 14th: Everyone loves to hate the Hodags...but you gotta love multiple camera angles!- if you're bored and read the UPA handbook already like Pete said, check out his vegas and centex vids (20+min and 45 min...each)
PS: you're going to want to turn up your speakers for all of these
PPPS: Congratulations to the Femmes for winning their 4th sectionals in a row!
Bitches-8 days
We had 15 people at practice tonight. By my count, excluding the people with religious excuses, we could have had 22. Honestly, that's pitiful. 7 crucial players (who sure as hell better make both practices/scims tomorrow and saturday) missing....ONE WEEK before sectionals? What the fuck guys? Tonight, tomorrow and saturday are, in my mind, the LAST 3 days we can truly go balls out and reap the benefits for sectionals. And tonight was the last hardcore workout (I think) + it was ONE of the FIVE practices we have before sectionals. We have one week to do everything in our power to be ready for sectionals. Your teammates are making the sacrifices or organizing themselves so they dont need to sacrifice....I dont know. *sigh*
All I'm saying is...I'm disappointed.
~Rampage
PS: Sorry I'm being harsh, but....come on, I want to win sectionals, dont you? If you were going to choose to miss any practices, you should have chosen to miss ANY except the ones a week before sectionals.
PPS (edit): I hate to rag on people who didn't come tonight. I dont want you to think it's a personal attack either, I just think of you guys as very important to the team and our success and my post of disappointment should be seen as me bitching you out + acknowledging how big a part you are to our team. WE FAMILY
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
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