Tried out for spinners, along with about 40 others (returners and rookies). Played as a handler, threw some saucy throws and got some Ds, but also botched a few plays. I’d be surprised if I get cut now, but I’m definitely not on the team yet.
The veteran’s ultisquash fight club committee decided to honor Diana and me by inviting us to their elite game. In attendance: Wheels, Schmucker, TC, Panna, Dre, Raha, us. We played a dozen or so games, all intense and fast-paced. I really enjoyed playing with Schmucker and Wheels. They don’t come out much and I don’t get to play with them that often. Also covering TC was a lot of fun. What a great way to end the season.
I was rather sore after all that ultisquashing, but decided to go to Spinners practice anyway. The weather was finally nice and it’s good to get my outdoor throws straight as early as possible. We spent a good amount of time on drills and working on some set plays, then scrimmaged a lot. We started our first set of scrimmages with a hunger-drill throw to simulate playing after a huck. I’ve never done that before but I really like it. We also played a bunch of 2-minute make-it-take-it games and worked on double-teaming.
I was really tired by the time we started scrimmaging, and it didn’t help that we had very few subs. I thought I played reasonably well and had some good throws and cuts, though I dropped the disc TWICE during the 4 lines cutting drill (where we were specifically trying not to drop the disc by focusing on catching one point of it) and also turfed an easy throw to DBaer because I didn’t pivot.
Had a long meeting about the upcoming Amp season. We talked about the importance of player retention, changing up the practice structure (midweek practices, more intense weekends, fewer but longer weekends), focusing on cutting and on-field problem solving, tryouts and setting the roster early, and many other things. It was mostly a brainstorming session as well as a feedback-for-the-captains session. There was some disagreement about early-season tournaments and whether going to a beach weekend with a bunch of people you don’t know is a good or bad things for new players. We also talked about holding each other accountable and creating standards of fitness. Dre mentioned that every DI program she’s ever coached or played for has fitness standards, and they are a good way to force people to get in shape, but she would not advocate them for Amp because the primary goal is not to win a championship at any cost.
After the meeting, we went to Spinners practice. We mostly scrimmaged and worked on dump offense and defense. I threw some good throws but also had a few bad turnovers. My D was fairly good allaround. I’d give me a 7 out of 10. Or maybe 6. Need more work.
Lots of utlimate tonight: core winter league at Ampro, then Spinners practice at Tee’s. I got lucky and found rides from/to everything.
We played a great game tonight and pulled off a strong win against a (possibly) better team. We stuck to our goals (don’t get beat to the force-side cone, always have a dump), played great defense and smart offense. We got out to an early lead and held it the whole game, never letting them come within 3 points. Thanasis and Eddie had a great game, coming up with some nice Ds and some big skies. Our ladies also did well on offense, and their defense is improving each game.
To be fair, Jake’s team was missing Jack Kelly and Jake was not at 100% because he’s just coming back from a long hamstring injury recovery. But I still think we played our best game yet and the improvement is very encouraging. I did not expect us to win a single game this season and had switched focus to coaching and working on fundamentals. But maybe that’s the secret?
After our game, Jake and I went to the practice. We did a short warmup, some 3-man handler weaveing, a drill to work on our first step, and then some scrimmaging. We mostly worked on dumps to the open side (and dump defense). We also played 2-minute segments with no subs, alternating 5v5 and 4v4. Finally, we played a few 5-minute quarters with subs.
I felt pretty good throughout the practice. It was really cold at Tee’s and my hands were freezing, so my throws were not as quick or accurate as usual. But the main thing that’s holding me back right now is fitness. I gotta in better shape. Also, better footwork would be great. Ben’s first-step drills should be helpful here.