WUCC - Day Two

We went into the second day knowing we had a chance to improve our seeding by beating Mooncatchers -  a team Irish teams have a mixed history against. We were quietly confident and knew it'd be a close game, what we didn't know was just how close it would be in the end...

From the get-go the two teams were fired up and went hard at each other.  There were a fair few calls and both teams reacted with anger/frustration to them causing quite a feisty atmosphere, one we didn't expect but that calmed as the game went on. We started slowly with some uncharacteristic mistakes on offence. The personal error count grew and the first half looked to be slipping away from us. However, we dug deep and a tight zone began to reap rewards. Suddenly a 4 point deficit was chipped away until we took half 9-8. We had the upper hand and were converting all our breaks. The O line went out and did their job, putting the D line back in to continue the zonal dominance. At 11-8 we had the disc to go 4 points clear but two particularly close calls (both on the scoring pass/play) cost us our concentration and the point. 11-9 became 11-10 and it was game on again. We traded out until 14s (I think) when we went in on D knowing it was winner takes all. We were pulling into the wind and playing man and twice had the disc for the win but it wasn't to be. A very tough loss to take. Final score 14-15.

 

Super goes ho!

 

Dom on the force

MVP - Roger Beatty -  despite being absolutely smitten, Podger proved to be an asset throughout the game popping up with a point block when we were feeling the squeeze. His safe hands, huge D and an irrepressible mark on zone won him the majority of the votes. Attaboy!

 

DU & Mooncatchers

14 Usain Bolts...

WUCC - Day One

We knew from the first time we read the schedule that 15th seeds Phoenix (Ottawa) and 10th seeds Colony (Sydney) was going to be a tough start. We began against the Canadians at 8:30am, and began well - trading through the half and feeling solid. Their D wasn’t bothering our offence too much and we’d turned them in most of the D points. Their approach to the game in general was noticeably more physical, often over stepping the mark with late hits, discussion-free contests and some aggro sideline talk, but it didn’t really bother us. We took half 9-8 and were receiving the pull, confident and ready to take the game to them once more. However, the Phoenix team that turned up in the second half was a different beast entirely to that of the opening half – they were fired up, made some huge bids, rattled our O and shut down our reset entirely. Two quick turns and scores and the game was swinging their way. We made a few errors that proved costly and as our heads dropped their confidence grew. They closed out strongly to win 17-11.

MVP: Niall Harbourne - a few big layout blocks, some huge grabs and an all round star performance saw the cpatin take the honours in the first game.

                                           Derryk 'Jokes' Boyd in action vs. Phoenix

Unfortunately the Colony game was a much different affair. They bullied us around the mark and were strong and clever on defence. Their offence was aggressive and they used fast cuts from shallow to create space deep. We struggled to contain them on D and our O was constantly pressurised. A 4 point lead became a 6 point lead and despite a rally after half-time we never really got going in the game and ended up losing 17-7. It was a frustrating loss, but one dealt out to us rather than served up by us. The Aussies play a hard and fair game and we’ll be cheering them on in the latter stages. Here’s hoping they can cause some upsets and beat their seeding. I for one fancy them as quarter-finalists.

MVP: Dominick Smyth - seldom put a foot worng in a tough game for the O line and a lot of thankless hard work on D. Great perfromance.

 

Dom taking a grab vs. Colony

 

DU & Colony after the game

DU has landed!

So we’re finally here. Months of planning, training, saving and everything else for this week and it’s here. I flew in on Friday and the first thing to hit me was the heat – people had warned me but it still took me by surprise when I stepped off the plane. Us pale skinned Irish lads and girls are going to face a tough battle… We checked into the dorms (think Communist era high rise buildings with 2 people per room and 60 rooms a floor!), ditched our bags and went walking through Prague on Friday evening and the town was buzzing – lots of Ultimate players, tourists and a nice atmosphere. We wound up watching the World Cup game in the town square which was a great start to the week.

                               Prague City Centre                                  World Cup Fan Zone

Saturday was an early start for the WFDF Congress, an annual meeting for WFDF representatives from all across the world. It was a long but interesting day that saw positive discussions take place on many different topics from  the U-23s World Championships to the banning on alcohol at Junior tournaments. It served as a reminderof how much volunteer work keeps our sport running. The WFDF organise all the main international tournaments, develop Ultimate world wide and provide support for teams across the globe. They do all this with only one paid board member! 

                                                        The biggest Captains meeting ever?

From the congress we made our way back to the dorms at Strahov (a pretty area of stadia on a hill, about 20mins bus journey outside the city centre) and met up with the rtest of the team. We registered everyone, checked in and got all the players gear - a free disc, a metal water bottle, notepads and other nice bits and pieces. The captains meeting was held and despite our best efforts they stuck with the original schedule. The whole place was buzzing with excitement as we met old freinds, saw the Germans tear the Argies apart and then went down to the Sockeye Throwing Session. It was a pretty useful hour or so with some tips on how to get throws (and catches) game ready in your warm up. A good feed, a bit of banter back at the dorms and off to bed. Finally it was time to play!

                                                            Sockeye's Ben Wiggins

Motivation...

...if any was needed...

5 things you SHOULD do before the tournament...

1. Sleep well for the week

2. Become culturally aware of the place we're travelling to



3. Make a list, pack well & remember essentials (tickets, passport)

Example: http://www.irishultimate.com/resources/talking_article.php?HuddleID=83
4. Go to the bank and buy the CZ currency! 500 'coronas' = €20 = 17 pints/50 cans (info here!)

5. Stretch and drink loads of water!

'Streching at times other than before exercise may theoretically increase hypertrophy...and is likely to decrease injuries' - Concepts in Stretching.

5 things NOT to do the week before a tournament

1. Go binge drinking




2. Start parkour



3. Eat sh*t food

4. Forget to hydrate

5. Lose your passport/boots/miss your flight etc.

Common sense really!
Marko