Tony Leonardo's Collection of Ultimate Frisbee Writing
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2001 Paganello

2001 Pasticiotto

2001 College Nationals Dirt

2001 National Champions Carleton

Beach Ultimate Digs In

2001 Westchester Summer League Top 20 Rumors

2001 Purchase Cup

2001 Hingham

Village Voice Spec Piece

2001 U.S. Club Nationals
Open Preview
Women Preview
Open
Women
Mixed
Photos

2001 Turkey Bowl, CT

Festivus: South Bend, Indiana
Janus: Brooklyn, New York

Interview with Sam O'Brien

2002 Paganello
Final Writeup (Paga)
Final Writeup (UPA)

Interview with Gian Pietro Miscione (Jumpi)

2002 Yale Cup

2002 Boston Invitational/ Club Easterns

2002 Worlds Preview
Women
Open
Mixed
Masters

 

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2001 UPA CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN PREVIEW

Teams Listed in Seed Order

1. Lady Godiva
There can't be any reason to doubt that Godiva is the team to beat and the team with the best road to the finals. The core members that have taken them to 5 National Championships in 6 years are all around - Layzer, Teens, Pooch, Molly Goodwin, Peg Hollinger, and Anne Westcott. Add in Parham's eight or so years at the top of her game, and a host of young but not youthful talent with Callahan winners Dom Fontinette and Johanna Neumann, and always dangerous Vicky Chow and Yusi Wang, and you've got a great team with a great chance to repeat as champions.

It certainly helps that Godiva won't have to battle the cream of the Northwest, as Schwa, Riot and Prime are all in the B and C pools. Instead, they will cross over and likely meet Fury and Ozone after having dispatched of the Lady Condors. They should win both crossover games, or at least one of them, and retain the top seed going into quarters, which means they will play a play-in team. Virtually a lock to make semis, and they will be rested.

Godiva still likes to make the match play on their terms from the get-go. They are very tough competitors on and off the field and are not afraid to play harder than their opponents.

"Problem is they have really good patience. And they never turn it over at the wrong time," says one opponent. "Godiva can get you frustrated - they will foul you on transition., pushing you around and stuff."

Who can take them down? Who will finally front them successfully and force Godiva to huck? Schwa is one team that can. But they might not meet until Finals…again…

THE INSIDE-OUT: All ducks in order, everything is smooth for the Grand Dames. Will Molly Goodwin ever talk to me again?

FANTASY PICK POSITIVE: Teens

FANTASY PICK NEGATIVE: ?

BEST PLAYER TO HECKLE: Peg Hollinger can probably rip your ear off in return. Heckling Dom could be fun. Do people heckle in the women's division?

LOSSES/GAINS/ INJURIES: GLO and Gwyn Tracey have re-retired, Anouk plays for Ambush, Liz Phillips and Jackie Bourgeois are no longer with the team. They have added Dom, Chris Cianfrani, Abby Hoover and Whitney Kakos.

PREDICTED FINISH: Finals



2. Schwa
"They lost half their team and didn't miss a beat," says one NW competitor. "They are the fastest and smoothest team out here and as tweakable as ever to play."

Tracey Satterfield, Dara Bailey and Deana McMurr remain the captains of this intense and dedicated team looking to make a return trip to Finals count in 2001.

They come to Florida with a wide arsenal of weapons offensively and defensively. They like to run a variety of offensive plays and won't always stick to one set of rules to guide them offensively. Tracey calls this mindset "Taoism" and says a lot of ideas have been borrowed from the men's division.

On offense, Rebecca Doyle is a quiet goal scorer, while Jen Scott, Tracey and Dara provide the flashiness. Deana handles the disc.

Other players to step it up include Margo Findley, Rebecca Hotchkiss and Anna Neraas, and old school veteran Rita Haberman anchors the defense.

This team is extremely active in preparing for opponents. In addition to their "there is no I in team" mentality, which helps keep them a tight-knit, hard-to-disrupt group, they employ strategies typically used in more professional sports. "We'll watch videos. We talk about other teams. We have some scouts," confides Satterfield.

THE INSIDE-OUT: Two years ago I reported that Satterfield threw a water bottle at the Philly Peppers Mel Iwaszko. This was true. But as inherent in this profession, people can read things the wrong way, and apparently Tracey's mom reprimanded her for this incident. The fact is, the water bottle toss was a "throw in the direction of" sort of thing, and it was aimed at the ground to bounce towards Mel, which is what it did. There was nothing particularly nasty about it at all. So I'd like to clear the record on that. Now, Mrs. Satterfield….for the REAL nitty gritty….well, I won't go there. But I am sure there's something out there.

FANTASY PICK POSITIVE: Dara Bailey

FANTASY PICK NEGATIVE: Satterfield (dangerous pick - depends on the game)

BEST PLAYER TO HECKLE: Satterfield. A Darryl Strawberry chant of "Tray-C, Tray-C" could work well. For kicks you could also yell "travel" everytime she gets ready to throw.

LOSSES/GAINS/ INJURIES: Lost half their team, including Shar and Jen Faya. Gained 7 new players who haven't been to nationals on a women's team.

PREDICTED FINISH: Finals

 

3. Riot
Rebuilding on Seattle's long tradition of ultimate success, Riot returns the Emerald City to nationals after a one-year absence. They are doing it behind one of the best players in the women's game, Kathy Scott, and a handful of veterans in Vivian Zayez, Leah and Vida Towne, and Sarah G-R.

Winners of several tournaments throughout the Northwest and haven beaten Schwa more than a few times this year, they are accurately seeded at number three. Deb Cussen, a few quality years out of college, has emerged as a capable handler for the team and has recruited some of her Syzygy teammates to Seattle.

"A good bunch of women," credits a NW captain.

But will they have enough experienced players in all positions to make a run to the Finals? To do so they must play a strong Backhoe squad and then crossover to face likely contenders and familiar Northwesterners Prime and Schwa.

THE INSIDE-OUT: The city of Seattle has been in 6 Club Nationals finals without winning.

FANTASY PICK POSITIVE: Kathy Scott

FANTASY PICK NEGATIVE: ?

BEST PLAYER TO HECKLE: Using any Verge heckles may be appropriate and fun if you are so inclined.

LOSSES/GAINS/ INJURIES: ?

PREDICTED FINISH: Semis

 

4. Fury
Jen Donnelly is always having fun looking for en edge in the competitive higher echelon of women's Ultimate. Even after losing a significant number of key players from the 1999 National Champion team in 2000, Fury made semifinals. So why should 2001 be any different?

"Its good this year. We found the love again," says Jen, "we picked up Janet Wong."

Kimber Zabora isn't around and Callahan winners Dom and A.J. are long gone. But that's ok for Fury, who have still kept Sam Salvia, Carey Sager and Stacey, as well as the Stanford troika of Erin Percival, Camille Yu and Martita.

THE INSIDE-OUT: How does Fury do it? I don't know.

FANTASY PICK POSITIVE: Sam

FANTASY PICK NEGATIVE: ?

BEST PLAYER TO HECKLE: Jen Donnelly. For obvious reasons. She always thinks she's got everything under control, under her cap of knowledge. There has to be some way to crack her! A countless barrage of insults is one way to start.

LOSSES/GAINS/ INJURIES: Lost Dom to Boston, AJ to buying a house, Kimber and Jennifer Beck. Picked up Janet Wong from Seattle.

PREDICTED FINISH: Semis


5.
Ozone
I get the feeling that the fate of this team rests squarely on the shoulders of Holly Summers and Mara Lindsey. These two are the catalysts. Everyone I've talked to cites Holly and Mara as the playmakers on the team, the ones who "bring it."

A newfound vigor should be brought to the mix this year with recently crowned College Champions from UGA Angela Lin, Katharine Kidd-Shipley and Jessica and Evelyn Ogburn staying on the team for another shot at Finals.

Call it a hunch, but this could be the year that Ozone makes semis and maybe upsets someone to make finals. I haven't seen teams play this year, so it's only a guess.

THE INSIDE-OUT: I saw Holly Summers at Paganello last year and she's the real deal. She's got verve!

FANTASY PICK POSITIVE: Katharine Kidd-Shipley was something close to plus 15 in College nationals finals.

FANTASY PICK NEGATIVE: ?

BEST PLAYER TO HECKLE: ?

LOSSES/GAINS/ INJURIES: Jamie is out, pregnant.

PREDICTED FINISH: Semis


6.
Backhoe
Another team with as good a chance to make semis as anyone, but the crossover pool seems tougher. Beth Cates is at the helm after also playing on last year's Champion Mixed team Spear. She is joined by UPA Women's Director Mel Ditz and a host of other top players.

The weather in Sarasota can get windy, and it may rain, but that shouldn't deter this Raleigh-Durham based team. "We went to the beach one weekend and scrimmaged Wahine in the wind. And Regionals was very windy too."

I don't know where I am going with this wind theory. Must be leftover from 1998 College nationals.

"We're going to play super hard, pounding defense. We have a fast defense," Says Cates. Cates credits Sarah Boudreau and Becki Cleveland as main factors for their speed and D capability.

For the offense, Amy Seagroves is always hard to stop. Denice Cunningham brings National Champion experience and Berkeley Young provides speed offensively. Callahan winner Val Kelly, Smith superwoman Jessica Witt and Frannie Goodrich round out a solid team.

Continues Cates, "We're looking forward to seeing Riot again. We feel that we've matched up well with them this year." (3 losses - two of them close and the third a larger margin at the Tune-Up finals).

THE INSIDE-OUT: Looking to get over that hump and make semifinals for the first time ever.

FANTASY PICK POSITIVE: Cates Cates Cates!

FANTASY PICK NEGATIVE: ?

BEST PLAYER TO HECKLE: Mel Ditz, just because he's the UPA women's director. Yelling "it was fixed!" after every Backhoe game isn't necessarily creative, but its still good, old-fashioned quality heckling.

LOSSES/GAINS/ INJURIES: See above.

PREDICTED FINISH: Can make semis


7. Prime
Made semis last year, but it had to be disappointing to not make Finals as the number one seed. Two defeats at the hands of Schwa was also tough. But you can't count this team out, even though Leslie Calder is apparently not going to be in Sarasota. They still have plenty of women who have had years of success in Vancouver.

Anja Haman gets a lot of props from captains in the Northwest. Other than tat, I don't know much about what they have going on.

THE INSIDE-OUT: Lars Mussell -- will you marry me?

FANTASY PICK POSITIVE: Anja Haman

FANTASY PICK NEGATIVE: ?

BEST PLAYER TO HECKLE: Call everyone Leslie.

LOSSES/GAINS/ INJURIES: Leslie Calder out?

PREDICTED FINISH: Can make semis.


8. Lady Condors
According to one of my L.A. friends, a former Lady Condors player who won it all with the team back in the early 80's, Katie Mares, has returned to form and is in fighting shape. She is "ripping it up" on the fields and is the main reason the Condors won their region.

Captain Jenny Hanscom and Deganit Schechter are also money players, and veteran WSL Summer league champion Susan Schofer joins the team this year.

THE INSIDE-OUT: Double-dating with the Condors men ought to provide competitive fire and game knowledge.

FANTASY PICK POSITIVE: Katie Mares

FANTASY PICK NEGATIVE: ?

BEST PLAYER TO HECKLE: Susan Schofer

LOSSES/GAINS/ INJURIES: ?

PREDICTED FINISH: Quarters

 

9-16
Haven't had enough time to do full research. Here's some tidbits.

9. Nemesis Shelley Peyton is their rising young talent from Northwestern

10. Safari still looking for that flag. Still have some very capable players and could surprise a top team.

11. Ambush I think Ambush has a very good team this year and are guided by two very capable leaders in Anouk Savineau and Mel Schoen. They are in a tough pool however. Look for them to make the prequarters and have a chance to upset a team.

12. Wahine Rumored to be without superstar Leah Rehill to an injury. Packed with women from successful College UNCW team.

13. Fuse Solid all-east Canada combo team.

14. Buttercup Rumored to have players from Bliss and could provide upset power.

15, 16: Bait, Clutch I don't know much about them.

Women Final Write-Up


I called up a few old friends to write these previews. The whole shebang was written and paid for by Ultimate Life Magazine, www.UltyLife.com
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