South Regionals Preview
SOUTH (Baton Rouge, LA)
The South Regionals aka The Highlander Classic (“There Can Be Only One”) is going to be a very interesting tourney to keep an eye on for a few simple reasons: 1) there is only one bid, 2) there are eight teams with a realistic shot at getting the bid to Nationals, and 3) the amount of quality ultimate in the region is growing rapidly. I can hear the murmuring in the wind already – ‘If you build it, the South will rise again.’ Or something like that.
I am a fair amount older than the players who will be playing this weekend, so I’m not sure if the 80s cult film ‘The Highlander’ is something that this generation is familiar with. For those unfamiliar with the story, it’s basically about a bunch of immortals who can only be killed by being beheaded. There are only a certain number left walking the Earth, and they are summoned to battle each other until there is only one left.
Just as ‘The Highlander’ was not going to win any Oscars, the South is highly unlikely to produce a National champion (or even a team that reaches the semifinals). Regardless, this year’s tourney has the potential to be the tournament of the year, drawing attention to a historically overlooked region and signifying a turning point in the region’s evolution.
Pool A
In the role of Connor MacLeod is St. Louis SLULU. [No offense to the St. Louis women, but that has to be the second worst name in women’s ultimate. St. Louis St. Louis University Ladies Ultimate? What’s next? The William and Mary Marys? The University of Virginia Virgins? The Illinois Illini… oh, right.] Despite being the overall number one seed, SLULU is the underdog that everyone wants to root for. Led by Kara O’Malley and Tricia Wong, St. Louis showed vulnerability at Frostbite, but otherwise, they have had an impressive season including an upset over Texas at the Texas Throwdown.
[On a side note, if I have a daughter, I’m naming her Frankie O’Malley Jr. Or maybe O’Malley Rho. Or just Rho’Malley. There’s something about that name that equates to being a high caliber player.]
St. Louis will have to contend with last year’s representative at Nationals, Truman State aka Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (played by Sean Connery). Just as we know that Truman is not one of the fifty states, we know that Spaniards don’t have Scottish accents. Though they are 1-2 against St. Louis this season, their last two matchups have been decided by one point. Amanda Carron, Mona Baucom and Noelle Peterson will be their keys to success.
Playing Daniel Larusso is Oklahoma. They are a long shot but they have proven that they can compete with several of the other contenders in the region. What they haven’t proven is that they can consistently beat every single one of them when only one spot is on the line. Jessica Hoppe, Mary Henson and Mr. Miyagi will be crucial to their success. [I know that this is the wrong movie, but don’t tell Oklahoma that. If they just listen to Miyagi and the rockin’ tune ‘You’re the Best’, all the teams will fall like the members of Cobra Kai.]
Pool B
Because I can only remember so much from ‘The Highlander’, I’ll reach into the world of Star Wars and increase the dork factor of this preview by ten.
Texas A&M is Darth Maul. Except for the select few in College Station, nobody could have predicted their Sectionals win over Texas. Very little is known about where they came from, who they are and where they got that cool double-bladed lightsaber. What is known is that they beat Texas and that makes them scary.
Unfortunately for the SkyU ladies, Kansas is Obi-Wan McGregor. Kansas is a hard team to read. They’ve lost decisively to teams like St. Louis, Truman State and Wash U., but they’ve also beaten both St. Louis and Truman State and notched other quality wins against Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Oklahoma. They lack the consistency needed to be a major threat for the top spot. Tasha Parman and Paige Blair lead the way for Betty.
Auburn is an exciting young program but they don’t have the depth to seriously compete this year. Consider them the young Anakin Skywalker (not the annoying adolescent version but the cuddly one from the first crappy movie).
Pool C
In the role of the big, bad Kurgan is Texas Melee. They are the powerhouse, heavily favored to start the season but their stumble at Sectionals has put a major chink in the armor. Coupled with a loss to St. Louis at the Texas Throwdown, they are definitely beatable, but if they can maintain their confidence, those two losses will look like aberrations after this weekend. Look for Michelle Ng, Becca Shelton and Gina Phillips to be a crucial part of their success this weekend.
Vanderbilt enters as Luke Skywalker (the Empire Strikes Back version as opposed to the 2 Live Crew version). They are young and decently battle-tested, but they are still not quite ready to take down the Texas Empire. Despite being seeded second in the pool, I think they are likely to finish third. They keep the bulk of the team intact next year, so look for them to take the step up and return with a green lightsaber and black uniforms that make them look like a cross between Italian Blackshirts and Catholic priests.
Washington WUWU (owners of the third worst name in women’s ultimate) stumbled in pool play at Sectionals, but lost both games by one point. Being seeded ninth belies the fact that they are a legitimate threat to Texas and the top spot overall. There’s no adequate analog for WUWU relating to The Highlander or Star Wars; however, this is Washington we’re talking about. I’ve heard that they’re twelve stories high and made of radiation. They also possess the most disturbing uniforms in all of women’s ultimate. Ninja Turtles to watch include Kate Stambaugh, Abby Stephens and Tracy Horner.
Prediction: Texas. As much as we all want to see an underdog come out on top, we all know that The Kurgan would have kicked Christopher Lambert’s ass in real life. Truman State will upset St. Louis in pool play. Kansas upsets Texas A&M but loses to St. Louis in the quarters. Texas holds seed and beats St. Louis in the semis and Truman State in the finals.
The South Regionals aka The Highlander Classic (“There Can Be Only One”) is going to be a very interesting tourney to keep an eye on for a few simple reasons: 1) there is only one bid, 2) there are eight teams with a realistic shot at getting the bid to Nationals, and 3) the amount of quality ultimate in the region is growing rapidly. I can hear the murmuring in the wind already – ‘If you build it, the South will rise again.’ Or something like that.
I am a fair amount older than the players who will be playing this weekend, so I’m not sure if the 80s cult film ‘The Highlander’ is something that this generation is familiar with. For those unfamiliar with the story, it’s basically about a bunch of immortals who can only be killed by being beheaded. There are only a certain number left walking the Earth, and they are summoned to battle each other until there is only one left.
Just as ‘The Highlander’ was not going to win any Oscars, the South is highly unlikely to produce a National champion (or even a team that reaches the semifinals). Regardless, this year’s tourney has the potential to be the tournament of the year, drawing attention to a historically overlooked region and signifying a turning point in the region’s evolution.
Pool A
In the role of Connor MacLeod is St. Louis SLULU. [No offense to the St. Louis women, but that has to be the second worst name in women’s ultimate. St. Louis St. Louis University Ladies Ultimate? What’s next? The William and Mary Marys? The University of Virginia Virgins? The Illinois Illini… oh, right.] Despite being the overall number one seed, SLULU is the underdog that everyone wants to root for. Led by Kara O’Malley and Tricia Wong, St. Louis showed vulnerability at Frostbite, but otherwise, they have had an impressive season including an upset over Texas at the Texas Throwdown.
[On a side note, if I have a daughter, I’m naming her Frankie O’Malley Jr. Or maybe O’Malley Rho. Or just Rho’Malley. There’s something about that name that equates to being a high caliber player.]
St. Louis will have to contend with last year’s representative at Nationals, Truman State aka Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (played by Sean Connery). Just as we know that Truman is not one of the fifty states, we know that Spaniards don’t have Scottish accents. Though they are 1-2 against St. Louis this season, their last two matchups have been decided by one point. Amanda Carron, Mona Baucom and Noelle Peterson will be their keys to success.
Playing Daniel Larusso is Oklahoma. They are a long shot but they have proven that they can compete with several of the other contenders in the region. What they haven’t proven is that they can consistently beat every single one of them when only one spot is on the line. Jessica Hoppe, Mary Henson and Mr. Miyagi will be crucial to their success. [I know that this is the wrong movie, but don’t tell Oklahoma that. If they just listen to Miyagi and the rockin’ tune ‘You’re the Best’, all the teams will fall like the members of Cobra Kai.]
Pool B
Because I can only remember so much from ‘The Highlander’, I’ll reach into the world of Star Wars and increase the dork factor of this preview by ten.
Texas A&M is Darth Maul. Except for the select few in College Station, nobody could have predicted their Sectionals win over Texas. Very little is known about where they came from, who they are and where they got that cool double-bladed lightsaber. What is known is that they beat Texas and that makes them scary.
Unfortunately for the SkyU ladies, Kansas is Obi-Wan McGregor. Kansas is a hard team to read. They’ve lost decisively to teams like St. Louis, Truman State and Wash U., but they’ve also beaten both St. Louis and Truman State and notched other quality wins against Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Oklahoma. They lack the consistency needed to be a major threat for the top spot. Tasha Parman and Paige Blair lead the way for Betty.
Auburn is an exciting young program but they don’t have the depth to seriously compete this year. Consider them the young Anakin Skywalker (not the annoying adolescent version but the cuddly one from the first crappy movie).
Pool C
In the role of the big, bad Kurgan is Texas Melee. They are the powerhouse, heavily favored to start the season but their stumble at Sectionals has put a major chink in the armor. Coupled with a loss to St. Louis at the Texas Throwdown, they are definitely beatable, but if they can maintain their confidence, those two losses will look like aberrations after this weekend. Look for Michelle Ng, Becca Shelton and Gina Phillips to be a crucial part of their success this weekend.
Vanderbilt enters as Luke Skywalker (the Empire Strikes Back version as opposed to the 2 Live Crew version). They are young and decently battle-tested, but they are still not quite ready to take down the Texas Empire. Despite being seeded second in the pool, I think they are likely to finish third. They keep the bulk of the team intact next year, so look for them to take the step up and return with a green lightsaber and black uniforms that make them look like a cross between Italian Blackshirts and Catholic priests.
Washington WUWU (owners of the third worst name in women’s ultimate) stumbled in pool play at Sectionals, but lost both games by one point. Being seeded ninth belies the fact that they are a legitimate threat to Texas and the top spot overall. There’s no adequate analog for WUWU relating to The Highlander or Star Wars; however, this is Washington we’re talking about. I’ve heard that they’re twelve stories high and made of radiation. They also possess the most disturbing uniforms in all of women’s ultimate. Ninja Turtles to watch include Kate Stambaugh, Abby Stephens and Tracy Horner.
Prediction: Texas. As much as we all want to see an underdog come out on top, we all know that The Kurgan would have kicked Christopher Lambert’s ass in real life. Truman State will upset St. Louis in pool play. Kansas upsets Texas A&M but loses to St. Louis in the quarters. Texas holds seed and beats St. Louis in the semis and Truman State in the finals.
posted by FJR at 12:06 PM
4 Comments:
Texas (specifically Michelle Ng) has done so much for helping organize tournaments and competition for teams in the South, I gotta root for Texas to take the bid to Nationals.
Organizing Elite Eights in the fall helped jump start the season for Truman State and Texas A&M. The Texas Throwdown exposed Truman State, Vanderbilt, St. Louis, WashU, Kansas, and Missouri to some top out-of-region competition. And obviously, Texas has hosted Centex for years before Cultimate was even a glimmer in Skip's eye.
I'm sure that getting those games in addition to the usual (but not as competitive) fare of Mardi Gras, Frostbite, and Huck Finn has been huge for the younger, growing programs in the region.
-Gwen
P.S. I think one of the South Regionals field sites is at "Highland Park." Coincidence? ;-)
Nice preview.
My only comment is to point out that Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery) was actually an Egyptian immortal who had lived in Japan (where he got the sweet sword) for a time and then Spain.
The Scottish accent you think you're hearing is just a strange combination of Egyptian, Japanese and Spanish. He is a cunning linguist.
sweet preview! although i'm reading it after the fact. as a coach out there this weekend, i was really impressed by the athleticism accross the board on the top teams.
though not on one of the top teams, the player that should be on everyone's radar over the next couple years is Tulane sophomore, Alison Douglas. wow! she was mos def playing some of the prettiest ultimate out there this weekend.
congrats to melee on a well deserved trip to nationals!
Congrats on your much-deserved promotion to permanent IC Ultimate blogroller.
Also, I meant to tell you last weekend when I saw you how much I (and all my desert-based partners in ulticrime) appreciate all the work you've done for women's ulty in SoCal. You've been toiling in relative obscurity for years now, and I just wanted to emphasize that your efforts are both noticed, and very appreciated.
-H2AZ (aka Heather, UA Sirens Coach; aka #17 Mucho Gusto)
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