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$