On To Texas

On the eve of Eauzone's 11th annual spring break trip, we received some spectacular news--we got into DI Centex!

Previously, Eauzone had been scheduled for DIII Centex, but fortunately due to two teams dropping, were moved up to the big leagues.

"It's a pretty exciting time not only this year, but in our teams' history." Senior Captain James Wagner said, holding a perma-grin on his face. "It couldn't have come at a better time."

Eau Claire is looking at a very difficult pool on Saturday. "But we wouldn't expect anything different." Senior-ish captain Nick Pelant stated, Wednesday afternoon. "This is a good tournament. That's why we're here. For the competition." Eau Claire starts their day off against Northwestern and Northeastern. Then they move on to Cal-State Long Beach, a team pushing for nationals again this year. Eauzone ends their Saturday with two more teams pushing at nationals bids--Washington, and Oklahoma, who they previously beat at Missouri Loves Company in the fall. "It should be a heck of a swell time." Junior Captain Cody Mehlhorn stated, while talking with me.

Sunday looks even tougher, no matter how Eauzone does on Saturday. Other big names in the tournament are Texas and Kansas who look to return to nationals this year, perennial rivals Illinois, and British Columbia, who many consider one of the top two teams in the nation. Wisconsin-Steven's Point is also making the trip south, adding some more Lake Superior to the mix.

This could be the most challenging regular season tournament Eauzone has ever attended. Are they up for it? This weekend, they will find out.

Eauzone and Eau2

After much deliberation and wings, the preliminary rosters of Eauzone and Eau2 have been decided. They are as follows:

Eauzone:

Billy Hettler
Joseph Quintana
Nick Gleason
Nick Tompkins
Gavin Sunde
Max Palzewicz
Brian Franson
Cody Mehlhorn**
Jake Bertram
John Kelsey
Reese Mowbray
Scott Schultz
Carl Koepke
Alex Roth
Kevin Skibicki***
James Wagner*
Adam Jolivette
Nick Pelant*
Charlie Randall
Chris McCrory
James Hron*
Eric Wallendall
Duane Mateski

Eau2:

Nick Topper
Jacob Van Driel
Peter Kiefer
Cory Ladwig
Jack Burmeister
Evan Rasmussen
Dan Zirnhelt
Miles Easland
Sam Sirianni
Philip Blum
Mark Harris
Geoffrey Halling
Nathan Burns
Nathan Zeckmeister
Ben Krentz
Steve Czech
Nick Paulson
Mike Weck
Matthew Austinson
Zach Hunter
Tommy McGreal
Joe Heimann
Thomas Helgeson
Andrew Lewandowski
Ben Carlson
Ben Jonas
Jesse Schmidt
Bryan Treichel
Andy Seifert
Adam Sandor
James Hollman
Curtis Stark
Ryan Djonne

* Captains
** Officer
*** Eau2 Coach

Hucktoberfest 2010

A new season began with Hucktoberfest. Hucktoberfest is usually held in Whitewater, where you can expect a lot of wind and most likely terrible weather, but this year it was in Appleton, and we had some of the best weather in the last year over a tournament weekend. We brought 20 guys to the tournament, which would be a perfect amount for one team, however we had previously decided we were bringing two teams and had already paid, so we split the teams down the middle 10 and 10 -- not exactly ideal for some of the guys first tournaments.

Saturday Cody and I were with the X team who started the day out very strong. They won the first game against North Park quite easily, which I think was quite the surprise, even though they played a majority of new players, their returners did not look as polished as they normally do. The second game was against Steven's Point, the team that took us out of the series last year, this was the time for redemption even though it was a split squad fall tournament. Everyone in the pregame huddle seemed to realize that this game was big and we needed to come out victorious, and that is exactly what we did. We came out hot and never looked back. The third game of the day was against Whitewater V, which stood for veterans. This was a game that was going to be tough, but was a game that everyone could learn from. We played a lot better than I think Whitewater thought we would and we had then frustrated a few times, we even had them call lines a few points. We did end up losing, but I think everyone on the field learned a lot from watching a group of veteran players, which I hope will be shown on the field the rest of the season. The fourth game of the day was another rivalry match, this time against Milwaukee. They were also split, but had team sizes of about 20, so substitutes for them were key, especially this late into the day. Even though we were down on players, we came to play and play we did. We took this game as well, which was a good turnaround after a loss. The last game of the day was against MSOE. Since this was the last game of the day, and the Y team had a bye, we decided to see if MSOE was fine with us playing all of our new guys by combining teams. They agreed and the game went very well for a majority of new blood on the field. We ended up losing in a close game. Throughout the day everyone was playing like they had been playing the game for years, even the guys who have never been to a tournament and had just started playing a month before. With an overall record of 3-2 on the day, it was the most successful Hucktoberfest Saturday that I can remember in my last three years. The Y team ended up 2-2, but that meant two Saturday victories for Charlie Randall, which is two more than he had before.

After another scary movie night in the theater, the team woke up and was a little sluggish to play on Sunday. Sunday Cody and I were with the Y team, and the first game of the day was against the same MSOE team that beat the X team the day before. Their team wasn't moving to well either and we decided to play to 13 instead of 15 like we were supposed to, which gave us a little more time for warming up and getting ready to play. This was a really sloppy game. Nothing was going our way and we were getting torn apart by their really loose zone. We were down 7-2 at halftime, which was a halftime to remember. After searching through my bag for a pen, I found a pocket bible that was given to me from a guy on campus the week before, and I decided that I would pan through it and find some verse that would cheer up the team and maybe lift their spirits, and I found just that in Revelation 9:5. For those of you not familiar with the bible, this is how it goes:

Revelation 9:5
And they were not given
authority to kill them,
but to torment them
for five months. Their tor-
ment was like the torment
of a scorpion when it
strikes a man.

Try and tell me that doesn't spark something deep down inside of you -- well it didn't for the team either. They ended up scoring once after half, losing 13-3 (the only game I remember the score to). The second game Y played was against Milwaukee, this game needed to be won or else the tournament was over for them. This was the same team that played the X team previously, however they came out with much more intensity and wanted the win much more than the day before. This game was back and forth for a majority of the time, with half taken at 7-6, however Milwaukee came out in the second half harder than they did before and started to take over the game. Y ended up losing the game and thus ending their tournament. After a talk with the team and a stretch/cool-down, we all went over to watch X play. X was currently playing for 3rd place, against the other Milwaukee team. This was the most intense game of the weekend and was very close. The good guys ended up edging their opponent and took 3rd place, which is the best finish for an Eau Claire team in the history of Hucktoberfest (I think).

After the games the captains talked and picked the MVP for the tournament, we didn't have anything to give to the MVP so Cody graciously donated his pink button-up shirt for that person to wear. It was a unanimous decision, and the MVP was Joey, who was informed he had to wear the shirt every odd day until the next tournament, two weeks later. I am proud to say, he did it.

Overall this was a great first tournament for the team and it shows a lot of promise for the teams future. I am extremely excited to see how the team does this year and how far we can go.

Nick

2010: A Recap

The Eau Claire Ultimate season came to a quick ending in the Lake Superior section this year. After posting solid tournament finishes in March and fielding a team of players who had only improved, Eauzone couldn't pull off enough victories to advance to Regionals, and a magical year seemed to fall short of expectations.

The final tournament may not have ended as well as Eau Claire had hoped, but there was much more to take away from this year than disappointment. Eau Claire posted a 26-10 record, over a season in which many critics considered a "rebuilding year." They finished with a National Rank of 85, which is only the third time in Eau Claire's existence that they have finished with a rank under 100 (99 in 2005 and 62 in 2009). Eau Claire, who is only graduating four players (Paul Stroik, Tim Jacobs, Matt Fenske, and Matt Dassow), is looking to build on their young team for the 2011 season--but not before those seniors are thanked for their experience, leadership and dedication to not only the season, but the Eau Claire Ultimate program in general. So a huge thanks goes out to Paul, Tim, and the Matts, for all their hard work, and all the fun times. The graduating seniors received hard-earned discs at the Frisbee Formal this year, as a simple thanks and reminder of what we all have went through together.

Stay tuned for reminders and updates over the summer for the 2011 season, and remember--there is still time to become the second follower of this blog!

Eauzone: 2-0

There's not much else to say without the alumni getting too mad--Eauzone defeated Oldzone in the highly anticipated Alumni game this weekend in overtime, 17-16. The game was long, got kind of sloppy, and was very intense. Eauzone improves to 2-0 against their own alumni while Oldzone falls to 0-2. Eauzone also leads the point difference battle by 10.

Overall, the weekend was very fun for everyone involved, and there were actually quite a few spectators. A huge thanks for everyone who came to watch, play, or support Eau Claire Ultimate. Next year is sure to be just as fun.

Look for the full Alumni game (all 4 or 5 parts) to be up on Youtube, hopefully in the next two weeks.

2010 Edition: Eauzone vs Eauldzone

If there has been one game that Eauzone has been preparing for, one day that matters most, that day, that game, will be arriving this Saturday. Because this Saturday, is the Alumni game.

The colossus of colossus has been hyped for the last few weeks throughout the media, and everything from bets to insults (stylish and choc-filled with caramel) have been traded. Pat "Worlds in Prague" Noles is confident that the alumni will come out victorious. "Together, the alumni have 15 nationals appearances and a worlds appearance. The current Eau Claire team has none." Without wondering whom that worlds appearance could be, former teammate and current UWEC alumni Jake Hammerson has similar thoughts. "You're gonna loooooose, suuuuuuckaaaaas." Even recent UWEC alumn have gotten into the rag-tag affair of flinging mud, such as Kris "KP" Peterson and Tim MacNeal, having put their two sense out their respective quotes of, "You're going down!" and "There's no way you gonn' win."

While Eauldzone is confident about their play, Eauzone also feels good about the upcoming behemoth among babes. Senior cutter James Hron points out that, "The only number that matters until Saturday is 1-0. Eauzone is 1-0." Junior Cutter James Wagner was also quoted, and says, "We're considering sitting some of our experienced players to take it easy on the old guys." Perhaps this might leak too much of Eau Claire's game plan, but who knows? Not all players are talking though--Junior handle Nick Pelant is calmly preparing to break alumni Josh Rizzo's ankles and mark, while Freshman cutter Max Palcewicz is geared up to face his body double, Alumni Alix Delegard.

This is the second annual Alumni game featuring a current Eauzone team versus Oldzone. Last year, Eauzone reminded Oldzone how to play during a 15-6 spanking. This year, however, the results will be much more dramatic. The logs have been laid...now it is time to see how high the blaze reaches.

Look to catch game updates via twitter at: http://twitter.com/eauzoneultimate

Charleston Review

Eau Claire had an interesting weekend in Charleston. They started off beating Guilford College 13-8, then Appalachian State 13-9. After beating Charleston B 13-3, Eau Claire found themselves against the second seed in their pool, Kennesaw State. Kennesaw State started the game off strong, but Eau Claire rallied taking half, 7-6. After half, Eau Claire came out flat, and Kennesaw rallied. Before they knew it, Eau Claire was facing game point and losing, 8-12. Eau Claire needed something, anything, to rally behind. But like all great comebacks, it begins with a single point. Eau Claire received the disc, and scored behind some solid offense, bringing it to 9-12. After a great D and a quick huck, Eau Claire brought it 10-12. Another solid D and some great handle movement, Eau Claire found themselves closer, at 11-12. The next point proved very interesting. Eau Claire found a quick D, but failed to score, and Kennesaw answered on a quick huck. They attempted to score on a dump to a handle while the handler was trying to jump and land in the endzone, but three veteran Eau Claire players watched closely and called him "not in." What followed was a five minute, extremely heated discussion about best perspective, and whether or not the Kennesaw handler was actually in the endzone when he gained possession of the disc. Fortunately for Eau Claire, the men on the field stuck to their guns and their perspective, and the Kennesaw handler was declared not in the endzone when he gained possession of the disc (this call was later confirmed as correct by video). Eau Claire managed to get the endzone D, and score on a deep huck, tying the game. The game then went to soft cap, and Eau Claire was able to rally to win a very emotional game, 14-12.

Eau Claire started Sunday (after a Tufts C forfeit) playing their gracious host, Charleston (whom hosted Eau Claire. A huge thanks to Adam and Patrick and the rest of the Charleston team). They beat Charleston 15-10. Eau Claire then found themselves in the championship game against Boston's MIT. The game was extremely defensive oriented, and by the time the soft cap sounded, Eau Claire was in position for the win, 9-7. Unfortunately, what goes around comes around, and Eau Claire fell after 3 straight points given up, 9-10. Overall, the weekend was a great one, and although Eau Claire was looking for an undefeated weekend and a first place, they came out of the weekend feeling good, and ready to take on their next big opponent--the Tybee Beach.