MUDI, Zone Retort

I would love to read the MUDI recap from one of the Rackages. Better yet, I wish I could have been there. I keep starting to comment on others' blogs, then remember I wasn't there. I cannot wait until the VB Boys beat Sub Zero- I hope I am able to watch it. No doubt in my mind it will happen. One of the "points" someone had in Lou's blog comments were that the VB Boys stayed in it on layout grabs. Um, yeah, I've played with these guys and those grabs aren't lucky; they just do it. They make it happen.

Right now I am sore, very sore, & hoping it works itself out before the 9 hour drive to Michigan for Motown. I did plyos before pick up on Tuesday instead of on Monday. I ran my slowest 2 mile in years, I think, on Wednseday morning. BUT I had my first layouts for weeks (I was worried abouy this) at league last night. I also had a lot of miscues- TTOs, a missed D, not cutting well enough against Dunlay to give Grant an easy throw. And I had some very well put hucks/pseudohucks. So, yeah, my normal up and down. Please, Lord, let me turn it over less this tournament.

Big disappointment that VB Boys aren't going. I think Rackages is set up to tromp some teams, so we'd have time to watch (as long as we take care of business, of course). This weekend, like probably every Rackages weekend thus far, will see a change in personnel. We've got some gals that haven't even met, yet. The Ames crew is going to be running through our zones this evening, Shel and the Cities crew went through them earlier this week, but with a change to the 3-2-2 that is small enough that it could be incorporated if the disc is getting moved inside upfield on the traps. I want to try to run both this weekend (3-3-1 & 3-2-2, not just variations of 3-2-2); I'll let you know how it goes.

Here is my retort to the zone comments (awesome, by the way, I love comments): first, G. Cooke, great idea to keep both, that's what we'll try to do. To whomever said something about "non-handlers": I love my mark, and I trust it. This trap has the beauty of leaving plenty of space for other defenders to cover- the trapper has a very focused job. I've got a very adaptive mark, a very aggressive mark, and I WILL shut down all but the best throwers (Solarz, baby, that's you). Not only that, but I play with other women like me! I love this trap because it lulls the offense into thinking it really has something going. The tricky job falls to the strong side wing: allow throws to the force side, but no big gainers. The cup, like many defenses, should be adjusting as it goes across the field, in stages and as a unit. On the break sideline, the mark is flatter and the entire cup is flatter. As it moves across the field, the pushing marker gets more and more perpendicular to the thrower, the cup tightens up into a 'C', and trusts the strong side wing to cut off the gainers. The cup in FM is making comparatively large changes on EVERY throw (the crotch and hatchet). I think both cups are workable, BUT both need to be practiced to face up to teams like us (you know, the good ones). Lana didn't post but said she didn't like 2-2 upfield. Here's the thing: it is meant to be less rigid, especially the back 2, than a 3-3-1. It should work more like a poachy, switching person-to-person. The 2 deeps can decide on a short deep/long deep, rather than strong and weak side (although one needs to be ready to play strong side on a trap). I think in either zone we need to get used to having a sideline "partner"- ONE person that is yelling specifically to you.

Here is another item to chew on: does Rackages need another offense besides vertical stack? Nope, we don't have another, yet. I was worried about this, but thought our offense had more problems with throws than with getting open. We worked on what I perceived as our offensive weakness, getting the disc off the sideline. If we could practice a couple times a week, I'd get the circle offense going- I think it would work well with our speed, but it is confusing and not easy to learn quickly. Any ideas, please share.

More girls than boys

It is just in my nature to be competitive. Small Rackages practice had a much better turnout than The Van Buren Boys, although I don't think we had that many more actual team members present- we just had more extras. Saturday we had 21 & Sunday we had 25. Lana, Jaz, and I made record time: 2 hrs 45 minutes from 13th street, Ames to the practice site in St. Paul. Practice didn't start until 4:30 on Saturday which was nice for 2 reasons: 1, I had time to hang out my laundry that morning, 2, it was really pleasant weather to play. We drilled a lot more this practice on both days than we did last time in Ames. I had drawn up a little more rigid idea of practice- as in, had a printed practice schedule. This helps me a lot because I am spastic and can get focused on my own play and what I want instead of contemplating what the team needs overall. One big thing we worked on was Stanford O, getting the disc off of the sideline. I think it went pretty well, and I did see it used effectively at least once during scrimmage on Sunday. However, I also saw it used inappropriately: during a force middle start from the sideline. It is a SIDELINE BREAK- I can't remember if I mentioned this to everyone or not, I mean the fact that it shouldn't be used in FM b/c there are better ways to start the disc. I am pretty sure there were ZERO layouts on Saturday. I had one that definitely would have been a D- my hand closed on the disc the same time as Gibbs'. I did have a couple Ds and grabs in the air over the weekend that made me happy- I think this is usually my weak point. We had a pull contest at the end of the day on Saturday, and surprisingly, Solarz didn't win either the distance or hang time category- Gibbs got distance, Kara got hang time. Mine were pretty abysmal, which is why I don't pull- not because I am not capable of pulling high and far, but because I can't be counted on to do it consistently. Sunday we started with the cheer contest. Gibbs had the most, and some of the tuniest, Jill was the eventual winner, Katie had some with awesome motions as well as lyrics, and Meghan C. and Swarty had a pretty funny rhyme (with a limmerick feel). I must say, the ex-Bait ladies definitely added to our cheer-power. I am expecting big things from them at Motown. Sunday we did more drilling, then started scrimmaging. It was FAST on Sunday- it looked like everyone was at top speed all the time, but consequently led to some hectic turnovers. The Great Zone Debate between Shel and myself continues: 3-2-2 Trap vs. 3-3-1 Force Middle. Shel, you HAVE to play either crotch or hatchet in the 3-3-1 before you stick with yours- those are the hellish positions that get the most pressure. I think 3-2-2 evens things out a bit- yes, it does allow easy throws. That is the point of the one way force. BUT I would say FM also allows easy throws, right back to the pivot handler, which is where teams usually put their main one, at least at first. The one way force eventually forces the disc to trap a non-handler. Awesome. Also, with the pushing marker playing parallel to the thrower instead of behind as in many traps, the recovery is easier (it is the trapping marker's responsiblity to cut off the dump). The Pushing marker doesn't have to run top speed at all times, either. Rather, she wants to have a SMART approach that denies the return throw (to the break side). The only time the cup needs to truly, truly sprint is when the trap is put on. If the trapping marker waits until the side handler makes ONE MORE THROW, it should be a short sprint. That is actually something I discovered this weekend- don't trap the side handler on the swing unless they are on the line or if it is a short swing from the middle (as in, the middle is playing closer to the trap side)- that long swing makes for a long sprint from the crotch of the cup, who is really covering the most dangerous break at that point. The FM cup relies very heavily on a fast, anticipatory hatchet- I can anticipate, but not get there, as I saw over and over again in Boston. So, next time you play that cup, Shel, YOU play the Hatchet and see what you think. I think teams with strong handlers will break it every time. For people reading & for Shel (who I think already knows it), I love having Shel as a co-captian for exactly this reason: she says what she thinks and has excellent input; we can heatedly argue about points without anything ever turning personal- which hasn't always been the case with other people I've been a leader with. What we need to do is spend a practice on zone. We might do that next time, focusing on one zone, then the other. I think in the 3-2-2, not everyone is yet sure of their job. I also want the next practice (if it occurs) to be Rackages-only. I cannot say how much I appreciate the ISU, Twin Cities, and other extras coming, but the main reason most of them weren't invited to Rackages is because of their inexperience, and it shows when we play. They play hard, but they are facing women with 2, 3, up to probably 8-10 times the experience (really, I've played for 8 years, compared to 1 for some of the gals, and I've had more opportunities to play higher competition). I am itching to coach the Iowa State women again, because I see so much potential, but right now I want to see how things like zone and FM work with entire lines of Racks. There is also the issue of trying to talk to people too much while I am playing- small things are okay, but trying to figure out if they are thinking what I am thinking, if they can get the job done without my help brings down my game. I need to shrug off some of that responsibility, which will happen naturally, if I know I can count on another Rackage. One thing I was disappointed about over the weekend was defense. Not to say it was bad, but it wasn't inspired, there were zero layouts, and not every disc was run down. This includes myself- I can think of 2 specific instances (1 I mentioned, the other I let my player cut in when I could have gotten the layout D) when I didn't give it my all. I did better on Sunday. I said it a couple times, but I want to reiterate that Small Rackages wont' just be A defensive team, they will be THE defensive team. They will have more Ds than other teams, they will have the most stifling team defense, they will be the thorn in every offense's side. On Sunday we also went over some endzone plays and had a 40 yd dash contest. I was not close to winning, never quite breaking 6 seconds. Gibbs won at the end of practice when we finally put the fastest 5 or 6 directly against one another: 5.2, I think. I am hoping at MUDI that the ladies will have a chance to run some endzone plays, maybe some Stanford, and generally get a better understanding of each others' nuances. On one hand, I wish I could be there, but I really love weddings, and as Jon wouldn't let me go to one earlier this summer, it is my first of the "season", a warm-up for the one in August where two of the most amazing peole I know will be united. That's saying something, because I know a lot of people. Lana is a true Warrior Princess, I think of her as The Warrior Princess of God. Kevin has probably had more impact on me than any other male in my life except my father and maybe my brother. My heart swells with gladness that they are in love with each other. And, it will be another Ultimate wedding. The one this coming weekend is also two Ultimate players. Let me know if you'd like me to drink one for you; Rackages, be prepared for a Saturday evening/Sunday morning call (or calls). Oh, we got our artwork in to the printer, so we are waiting to hear back from them with proofs.....there is still an outside chance of having jersies by Motown. Yes, the UPA did approve the name Small Rackages.

July Post

I noticed I had yet to post in July. It has been a busy month already, although the Ultimate is lacking. We moved pick up in Ames back to 6 pm, hoping to get better turnout. There was also the usual summer e-mail sent out about pick-up kind of sucking. It has been somewhat better, but no where near where it should be given the overall quality of Ultimate players we have. Last night, I had a woodworking class instead of going to pick up. I'm making a cutting board.

I went to Freedom Fest this last weekend. On the city: Duluth seemed like an awesome community- very outdoorsy, hippy, and lots of dogs (not just at the tournament, either). On the tournament: Team America, the open team Gibbs, Tai, and I played on placed 3/4. I have to hand it to Gibbs and Tai, they certainly have the legs to run the guys on offense, and stay with them on D- even getting a couple of Ds. I played pretty mediocre defense, even though I was trying pretty hard. I am screwed in women's if my player goes deep (shouldn't be saying this in a public forum!), so in open, it is doubly so. I hate playing behind my guy- it didn't help if they actually cut deep, and while I could be there to mark, had no chance at cutting off any in cuts. I can turn pretty quick, but in a dead sprint, I am not really in the "fast" category. In women's, I think my strength lies in the fact that my speed at the end of Sunday is usually right with my Saturday morning speed, and in each point I can cut and cut and cut (or am getting back to that ability). Normally I could get open and move the disc on offense, so that was bolstering. I think I had one drop and one throwing TO, but probably more throwing turns than that. Yep, I just thought of 2 more that I don't know if they were my throw or receiver error, but could definitely have been better. I had plenty of throws that most likely would have been TOs in women's, but athleticism rescued them. Thanks, Team! To do: fix your damn throws (not probably easy after 8 years of Ultimate). Oh, I had one partial handblock that probably would have been a score if I hadn't deflected it mostly out of bounds (the offense almost made an amazing toe-drag catch). Yea, hard marks! I didn't know Ian was really good. He is; I hope he revives UNI's program and makes it competitive.

Update on my pepper plant: it is back! No blooms, yet, but it is over a foot high. Feel free to send chile rejeno recipes!

I had a conversation with Jake last night about losing weight. I kept coming up with excuses for not jumping on his idea to do 20-40 minutes of excercise in my "target" heart rate (134) three times a week. Then I remembered the actual reason: TIME! I do sprints on M & F, play Ultimate on T,W,R, and the weekend. I am starting to work out twice a day to get a distance run in. I think when it comes to Ultimate, time spent trying to lose weight would be better put to use throwing or running. This is for me, personally. This suggestion is also coming from the guy that thought I was silly for running at 6:45 this morning. Oh, and my heart just totally overpowers my legs. After my bike ride this morning, my heart rate was 98- that is with a hill at the end and my inner quads hollering for me to quit. After my 2 mile run it was 112. What the hell am I going to do hard enough for even 20 minutes?!! I could keep up that 2 mile pace for 20 minutes, maybe push it a little faster (after the first 3/4 mile when my legs quit bitching about being sore from Monday's plyos), and I really don't think I'll top 120. Besides which, I tend to "reward" good workouts with things like cheeseburgers and ice cream. So, if I want to lose weight (yes, Jake, I'm sure a 5 pound lighter Rachel might gain a step in a long point against Fat Rachel on Sunday), I think it will have to come with a change in mindset: ease up on the beer and pizza ridden weekends, stock up on fruit and veggies, learn to say NO! However, if I can fit in three 20 minute sessions of "something" during the week, it needs to be throwing. I played some of the best (and most consistent) D of my life in Boston, and I think it will get even hotter. I also lead the team in turnovers, I'm sure. No stats needed, I threw a lot away- most were good ideas, but craptastic throws. I've said it before, and I'll say it again,"I have the worst throws of any handler I've ever seen." But such good ideas! :)

Women's practice this weekend in The Cities. I've got big plans. I'll let you know what happens.