Like many other tournaments around the nation this spring, Chicago was cold, rainy, and windy. But it was also snowy. The weather was less than ideal, but 64 College Open teams showed up anyway, ready to face their opponents (and the weather) in the third annual Chicago Invite.
Warming up against a strong downwind, Eau Claire was set to see the Canadian team, Queen's-Kingston, first. Eau Claire lost the flip, and was looking for a break early on. But it was Queen's-Kingston that achieved the first upwind point. Fortunately, Eau Claire was able to rally, and responded with an upwind break of their own. The rest of the game, however, ended up with both teams trading until hard cap, and Eau Claire lost, 8-9.
Up next, was Eau Claire's only loss from Frostbite, Wheaton Illinois. Wheaton, just finishing a strong win against the one seed overall Ball State, had seen Eau Claire's zone before, and was ready for it. Eau Claire won the flip this game, and started with some great offense. Wheaton responded with some patient offense of their own, and eventually scored the first break of the game. Eau Claire responded in the same fashion as before, answering with a break of their own, to retake the lead. Eau Claire finished this game off by the hard cap and won, 9-8.
The final pool play game of the day was against number 1 seed overall, Ball State. Eau Claire lost the flip, and started the game on defense. With the wind not letting up, Eau Claire knew they would need a break to get the victory they were looking for. And several times, they almost got it. Eau Claire had the chilly offense they needed to get that elusive upwind point, but bad throws, and several other mishaps kept that point just out of reach. Ball State was able to win the game at hard cap, 9-10.
Eau Claire ended pool play at 1-2, and their seeding came down to point differential. Fortunately, Eau Claire was able to snag the third seed in the pool, which lead them against Sectional Rival Wisconsin B. Eau Claire won the flip, and started the game off strong by scoring the first point within seconds. The rest of the game, however, began to slow down. Points dragged on between 15 and 20 minutes in length, and it was soon almost time for hard cap. Eau Claire managed to get an upwind break, but Wisconsin B answered with a strong break of their own, just before hard cap. The game ended in an Eau Claire victory, 6 to 5.
Eau Claire headed back to the hotel cold, hungry, and wet. Unfortunately, the fields (most notably, the parking area) were losing grass fast, and the tournament director, Luke Johnson, felt obligated to call the tournament before any Sunday games were able to begin. Eau Claire finished the weekend at 2-2, in possibly the worst Ultimate weather Eau Claire has ever seen. It was a good weekend in that Eau Claire was able to test their resolve, but next weekend (Charleston Last Call) will hopefully be warmer.
