Day Two - Monday, July 5th

After a night in which we had a thunderstorm that made me think a building nearby had exploded and correspondingly bad sleep, we breakfasted and made our way up the athletic complex for a game against a Zagreb team. Not too much to say since they were bottom of the pool, and we knew we needed to win both games of the day in order to advance into the top 20 and power pools for the rest of the tournament. We came out hard, played crisp offense and hard man D, leading to a 9-1 score at half. We then stayed strong and focused in the second half, although they were able to hit a couple of their deep shots, and finished the game out 17-5.
After ultimate games they do this thing named "The Call", where both teams stand in a big circle, ideally interspersed so no one adjoins a team mate, with arms slung over each others' shoulders. Each team then has one player speak (normally the captain) about the game. It's often gratuitously complimentary, but it helps keep the Spirit alive because you know that after a game you can't walk away from the opposition, but rather will still be engaging with them. Yeah, this is a hippie sport at heart, even though it is athletic and competitive on the field. The Zagreb captain gave the most excited and positive call I've ever witnessed. It was pretty awesome, and it showed through how, although their young team is being destroyed each and every game, for them it is an incredible opportunity to learn and be inspired. Also, the spirit of the game was incredible, everyone so positive and any potentially contentious situation resolved quickly, with lots of smiling, hand shakes and hugs. A really fun game to be part of.
Getting off the field early and putting in some time in the shade while refueling our bodies was appreciated for our showdown with CUSB, the Italian champs out of Bologna. For both teams, it was win and move into the top 24, lose and you've missed out on an amazing opportunity to play some of the world's top teams and grab some bragging rights and glory for your team.
Unfortunately, the showdown ended in a disappointing loss, and we are now in the bottom bracket. We came out extremely anxious and jittery, not looking like our normal selves on offense and taking a long time to adjust to their long game on D. I definitely was one of the main culprits in that respect, being so hungry for a layout D on an under cut that I gave up multiple long cuts that ended in scores to for them. However, these Worlds games are long, the weather hot, and you're never done until the last score is caught. Down 9-4 at half, then 10-5, we fought back to 16-15, disc on their goal line but unable to convert. Final score of 18-16, I think.
I really picked my game up in the second half, denying cuts, dumps and long throws while getting a few Ds, too. It all started when I was fouled going for a catch in the endzone, was fouled in blatant manner, but he then contested the foul (their team is known for poor spirit, but this was far from the worst game I've had against them in that respect). Alex Ong stepped up with some massive layout Ds and Alex Meixner had a HUGE layout score - her first true layout! Congrats Alex. Riley was all over, and was awarded MVP (a big mortadella) in this game. Harry is laying out like a madman, and his body looks the bit, he can no longer yell or laugh because it causes the wounds on his hips to re-tear, which is extremely painful. It hurt to lose this game, because although we are the better team (says Ben Spears, see next paragraph), we were unable to make that count. They came away with the shots they needed and we couldn't take advantage of the fact that they didn't have many quality subs. I think anyone who's played with me in big tournaments knows how much I hate losing, and how personally I take it, and this really hurt. I also threw what became our last pass of the game, where a defender saw what was happening and came off his man to jump in front of Amy Bartlett and got the D. I sometimes worry that I've developed the EVL syndrome, an affliction that a lot of us from GW are affected by - I think that throw from regionals 03 will always be in the back of my mind on those big points. The Rook was saying the same thing.
During the first half of the CUSB game, two of my g-dub (GW) team mates came to watch. Big thank you to Ben Spears and Tom Manowitz (The Rook!) for being an awesome sideline with quality banter and heckling. It's amazing to see that g-dub has sent multiple players from the same generation to this tournament, and apparently Faust turned down an invite to play with Boston's Ironside. Great to come from a program that churns out quality player after quality player and where we stay friends after we leave school and come out to support each other at these events, although Regionals are the ultimate proof of this as alumni come from around the country to see the team play every spring.
On a personal level, I saw myself as the inofficial Mr. Irrelevant of this tournament coming into it: last roster spot on the last team offered a spot. I've since heard a few other teams were given their spots even later, but more importantly, I belong here. The way I'm playing, I no longer I have any doubts about whether I deserve to play at this level. I speak enough languages that I can hear the other teams warning their players when I mark them, and conversely telling defenders that they have to stay on their toes when I'm on O. I was voted MVP of the Iku (Japan) game, and players are looking to trade arm bands with me, which I think is a big sign of respect. I've had three turnovers all tournament. It's inspiring, because I know I'm still ascending, far from peaking after the years I didn't play. I need to start hitting the gym to increase the distance on my flick, adding vertical leap - I want to go back to dunking basketballs - and becoming a lock-down defender whose player never even gets thrown to because there are no openings. I know it's not nice, but I stuck the game disc from the CUSB game into my bag: once it's on the wall of my room, it will be a daily inspiration to work as hard as I can and come back in 4 years as a better, stronger, faster player than I am today.

On a last note, thank you to those of you who have written me emails and/or are following the games and stats on the WUCC website. The stat keeping isn't perfect - they've missed some of my assists, for instance. But it's awesome to know you're "watching" from afar, and I'll continue to do my best to give you something to cheer for.