Brief update: went 3-2 in pool play, making us 3rd in the pool. Lost the cross-over game vs Tufts, won the next game against Stonehill, and then lost the game-to-go in a rematch against Brandeis.
Which means that this was likely our last tournament of the year for sMITe. It's obvious that there has been an explosion in college women's ultimate in the past 5 years, with 12 teams in this section alone. When I was RC in 2004, I had trouble even getting 12 teams at Regionals! And so teams like MIT, Wellesley and BU who used to be able to almost guarantee a spot at Regionals now find themselves with a shortened season in a much larger field of competitors. All of this is great for women's ultimate though, and I'm really excited to have so many new players developing in this region.
Thoughts on the past year:
We knew coming in that it would be a very different season from last year. It would be a building year that would lay the groundwork for strong seasons in the following years. We graduated 6 of our most experienced players, then lost a 2nd year player to an ACL injury at fall sectionals, and a couple other 2nd year players to time/work constraints. Ah, MIT.
On the other hand, we now have a fantastic group of 1st year players. I remember being amazed at all the new players that showed up during the first weeks of the year, and who then kept coming back over the next 8 months. And while it was rough having so few returning players to help teach the new players, by the time Sectionals rolled around, I had trouble keeping in mind that these women had only started playing ultimate in September. This past weekend was a frustrating time for me, not because of how sMITe was doing, but because I kept needing to kick myself to remember that they were just first-year players. I am extremely proud of how sMITe played this past weekend, and that we managed to place 6th in a competitive section. I think we could've done better had Sunday been less windy (ie, harder on newer players), but this is the Northeast and you have to expect less-than-ideal conditions.
One of the highlights this weekend was watching Lydia defend Dory (Brandeis) and get a couple D's on dumps back to Dory. It's a shame that she's graduating this year and we've only had her for one year, but we're still trying to talk her into going for a PhD program :) Emily is going to be a great deep in the next years - her reading skills have improved a lot as has her timing. Kelly is like the Energizer bunny, but faster - she can run forever in the cup, and then still go deep and beat her man. Agnes' defense has become SO much better even in the past 2 weeks - she started with sMITe a little late in the season, but she's picked up a lot despite that. Mangpo (aka mango) had numerous run-through D's this weekend and manages to catch everything thrown at her. Becky was injured for a while this spring, but because of that, she started handling during practice, and her disc skills have become so much stronger for that. Heather was such a great pickup this year - she's played a little before, and is a natural deep with these graceful one-handed grabs, but her throws are so solid that we've making her handle a bit too. Sluts is aggressive and rarely drops the disc, and even started bidding for discs this weekend despite an injured back! I think she was inspired by Clare, despite her absence this weekend :( , who is the dirtiest player on the team solely because she lays out for anything and everything. AND, like Smeri, somehow manages to come down with the disc between 2 much taller defenders.
The returners, too, have all developed so much in the past year. Trisha has become a solid reset handler who regularly breaks the mark in zone and manages not to lose composure in the trap. Amy let loose with some beautiful hucks this weekend, and every single one was the correct decision. Karen amazed me by how much energy she still had in our 8th game of the weekend, after playing all but a handful of points. I don't know how she could still accelerate to get as many run-through D's as she did, or how she manages to be as aggressive at getting the disc when it means she's going to be knocked over again, but she does. Veena was a delight to have back - she's been regularly coming to practices this year and it shows - her timing and cuts are impeccable and she has a power backhand that she's still learning when to unleash. Meri is hucking! And if she isn't hucking, she's getting the D and then getting the score. Anne and Ethan are our second year players. Ethan came back from the summer with such improved throws and catching that we made her a handler, while Anne is a natural in the horizontal offense with really spot-on timing.
Next year is going to be awesome. We're returning all but 2 or 3 of our players (hopefully) and I can't wait to see how much everyone develops over the summer. Play summer league! (and let me know if you need a team).
Go sMITe.
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Matt pointed me to your blog.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun watching a little sMITe action on Saturday. Made me feel young again, until I remembered how young even the grad students are.
In any event, I don't know if anyone reads comments, but I had a few thoughts after watching 2 half-games.
1. There are a couple things that the newer players can do to improve that don't take much time. After they get the disc, if they just spend 2 seconds looking for the continuation cut down-field, even if they have no intention (or permission) to throw it, it forces the defense to respect it and makes getting the dump off easier. Also, they can learn how/where to cut when there's a fast break opportunity -- you've got 5 seconds max to keep moving the disc or else the offense has to settle down and the defense gets to catch -- got to make the most of it.
2. You're right, they should play summer league or pick-up or anything else over the summer. Even if they play on crappy teams, the bad habits they'll pick up will be outweighed by the extra time throwing, getting to try out passes and stuff that they wouldn't dare to in a real sMITe game. There used to be pickup every weekend on Briggs organized by the MIT teams -- hopefully they'll start that up again.
oh ... and forgot to add that the sideline should try to get more involved in the game. there were a couple of times that someone on the sideline was directly talking to someone on the field in a zone O and it made a huge difference. a lot of the rest of the time, it seemed like the sideline was pretty quiet.
ReplyDeleteBoo I'm bummed that the season is over already. Thanks Leon for your comments and for coming out to watch us! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Leon! Thanks for coming out to sectionals! It was great to have alums come out and support the team.
ReplyDelete1) Actually, I disagree with you on this point. We had much easier dumps when it happened immediately upon receipt of the disc, rather than the player looking upfield for a second, and then turning back to the dump when the dump's defender is already on her. Especially for newer players, it can be difficult to figure out when the dump is open, so having them dish it right back to the handler without a defender present is more effective for us.
2) I love summer league! And I remember (and cherish) every team that I've played with. Those first few years in WAFC were crucial, too, in my development as a player.
3) Yeah... sideline talk is one of those skills that works only when you actually have a sideline at tournaments :) Welcome to college women's ultimate.
Thanks again for coming out, and good to see you at the Alum game last weekend too!