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Cork Open 2008 |
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Team roster: |
Under "Meryl's Administration" Ultimate deLux took 4th position. By individual voting the team gave the Ultimate deLux MVP recognition to Lord Surly (Brian) for his extraordinary contribution. Pickup players made a great job, they fit into the game of UdL excellently and from the first couple of games played shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the team.
[edit]Comments
"you all should be proud of the way you played- both as individuals and as a team. keeping in mind the varying skill and experience levels of the members of our team, as well as the fact that we don't all play together on a regular basis i am quite impressed that we finished 4th. we showed flashes of potential (some moments of flawless flow on offense) that indicate how well we could play if everyone "knew" each other on the field. remember that some of the teams we played against have the opportunity to play together several times a week, and have been for quite some time. this goes to show you the time it takes for teams to evolve and adapt and coalesce- you can easily tell which teams have played together for a long time from those who haven't- it shows in the ease with which they run their offense- the cutter that is already open, mid-sprint and ready to receive as the thrower looks up to make a continue pass- and the discipline with which they play defense- the defender who fights to stay in front of their person on the 'in' cut, the teammates who can effectively 'switch' by just pointing or nodding their head. lack of experience is not an excuse, however, for sloppy play and poor decisions. we certainly committed our fair share of these mistakes last weekend but by no means did they taint our game for long- there was always a voice of optimism or an encouraging cheer (mischa!) from the sidelines to lift our heads up. and if you can manage to pick up or inspire your teammate(s) when they're down you've made a huge contribution to the team. and this is something exceptional about playing together- there are some things that can only be accomplished when a group of people work towards a common goal. when the individuals of a team give everything they have and still have a little something extra left at the bottom of the tank for when it counts, it motivates others to sacrifice accordingly. and when you are working towards a goal that is beyond your personal realm of accomplishment you often surpass your own preconceptions of your capabilities as an individual player and play in a way you didn't know was possible, all because you were inspired to do so for the betterment of the team. and it is this spirit, energy and enthusiasm that makes playing ultimate an addictive kind of fun. add to this on-the-field adrenaline all of the hilarity and hijinks that occur between games, at dinner, at the party, etc, and you've got another world you can enter into for two days, removed from normal conceptions of reality, where you can bask in the authentic and totally engrossing fun that is an ultimate frisbee tournament. so thanks to you all for your contributions this past weekend. i too can't wait for cork 2009! (but hopefully we'll play together again much sooner than that :)" -- says Meryl, the UdL captain
"On behalf of UCC and Skulltimate, thank you all for visiting our fair city and humble little tournament, we're delighted that you all enjoyed yourself and hope ye will come back next year for more of the same. This was the 6th year of running Cork Open and it's going from strength to strength, I believe that this is especially due to the contribution from teams from outside Ireland such as Deluxe. We're hoping to have even more foreign teams next year so if ye can help promote Cork Open 2009 in any way we would be very grateful. Now, my own little reflection of last weekend. I went into the tournament believing/hoping to attain 3rd seed, although this is what I'd aspired for, I wasnt disappointed with settling with 4th. I don't think any of us can argue that we didnt lose to the better team(s). The seeds above us were all heavily experienced players and all male (no offense to the ladies). I can't speak for Fuf, but in both Chimpo and Brocoli everyone of their players have at least 2 (if not 3) years experience along with an abundance of international involvement. So, when you match our team against theirs on paper, we should all be proud of how well we did against them. Non of these teams expected us to even challenge them but we proved our worth, especially at the start of the Chimpo and Broc games where they got huge shocks. As I see it, the most significant difference between us and the teams above was the amount of unforced turnovers we made. This was our achilles heal and to me was the sole reason for Brocs and Fuf running away those matches. So, next year, harder cuts, more accurate throwing and I promise not to get angry or to give up (ahhhhhhhh if only we lived in an ideal world) As for Kierans sentiments on playing with you again in Toms Tourney or Windmill I certainly hope I can too. But if not, I look forward to next year. Thanks everyone." -- says Brian (aka Lord Surly aka Full Flavour Surly), UdL MVP and pickup player
"I had a great time and was thrilled to see and play with all of you again, even Lady Chunk. I was impressed that so many of you had improved since I last saw you play in May or June. To finish 4th was very reflective of our skills as a team, and I think our only loss that could have been winnable was against FÜF (and it would have been a big upset to beat them). This is something we can all be proud of. Of course, Lord Surly was disappointed, but a Satisfied Surly is one of the harbingers of the Apocalypse, so we dodged a bullet there. I'll post some photos whenever I get around to it :) I hope to see you all again soon, either on the field or off it!" -- says Ultimate Jesus (aka JT)
"...the great time I had between the two travels, in and around a cool town with nice people and a well-organised and fun tournament (Although at one point it did look like they were starting to build a house by the roof). Even though I didnt get to play much, due to my almost famous streak of aches and pains around tournament time, I at least stayed consistent in my inability to call injury properly (because "I don't usually get injured"). Brendan, thanks for the vitamins, they did make me see the matrix, just for a while, but it blurred my vision long enough to make me miss your pass which could have concluded the UCC game and been my moment of greatness. Otherwise, hindsight suggests that I should have played dressed up as an inmate and told people about an invisible ball and chain to justify my dynamics and on the field. Anyway, after the first three games served as an orientation, including a very promising start against johnny chimpo, we kept very well focussed on the crucial 4th match against BUG - what with time being called at the wrong time, a situation that could have easily gone badly wrong, but where we kept our heads clear and made sure we won "both" caps by a good margin. Sunday we were able to keep up that momentum and take home another important victory against UCC, thus already assuring that at least we would beat our seed. After that, well, I had to leave fairly unceremoniously and hastily, but I'm sure you guys put up a good fight against Johnny Chimpo, landing a better result than before. As for FüF, I never saw them play. In games with medium sized score differences it is often a lucky grab or (un)fortunate turnover that can tip the result either way, that's just the way it is - but that also means we are not very far off from beating the winners of the tournament, and will have another chance next year. All in all, I'm glad I came, which is what counts, and I'm in for Cork Open 2009!" -- says Michael, UdL player
"Hey guys, Just a quick email to say thanks to all of you for a great weekend. Thanks for having me play with ye for the weekend. Its been a while since my last tournament and the last time ive actually played proper ultimate, and i loved every minute of it. You're a great group of people and a great team to play with. Im definitely going to try to get over for toms tourney or windmill or any other tournaments in the new year, if you'll have me again. I promise that next time ill be better ..." -- says Trixie (aka Kieran Giller), pickup player
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