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CCC 2010
magnUM travelled a solid 9 hours south to Chattanooga, TN to close up our fall season. Friday morning the vans started cruising out of Ann Arbor, with the last pulling in around 1am Saturday. Before rolling into the illustrious Knights Inn of Chattanooga, the first van dined on some of the finest Italian food we could find.
And then we woke up Saturday morning.
We weren’t warming up and sunrise was imminent. Fumo would be ashamed.
Being hardy gentlemen from a variety of northern climates, we managed just fine. But since Ollie is on our team, we couldn’t get started without a mishap. Apparently there is a difference between field C9, where the women played, and field 9, a quarter mile away, where we played. Who knew? (We love you Ollie).
Auburn
Anyways, we played Auburn in the first game. When one of the guys on the sideline tells you “most of the guys on our team are seeing snow for the third time in their lives,” and you’re from Michigan, you feel you have a compelling climatic advantage. Accordingly magnUM jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Auburn went on a mini-run to make it close near half, but the snow and the talent were on our side. We won 13-6.
Emory
Emory offered Michigan a significant change of pace, and the danger of playing what was in some respects a one-man team. Not ready for the pass-dump, pass-dump, pass-dump, huck offense, we fell down a pair of breaks 2-0. But in ultimate, like most sports, one man can carry the team only for so long. magnUM responded and controlled the rest of the game, including the “get outta here!” bookends from our newest rookie, Zubin Shetty. Final score 13-4.
Delaware
We were a little surprised to be facing a 2-0 Delaware team, fresh off a pair of universe point wins over Georgia Southern and Georgia. But despite the life karma penalty of stealing our football helmets, they showed remarkable grit and stuck around through a game that we seemed to be controlling throughout. Alex Fegert got one of his two “incut layout D so massive he may be actually trying a mac-to-Callahan” plays that keyed a magnUM run. But universe point was in the cards. In the end, Afay flipped a quick smart pass off a dead disc to Seth Collins, and magnUM moved to 3-0.
Georgia Southern
Since this is the place in the entry for playing the sixth seed, this feels like an appropriate place to mention our fans on the weekend, who braved snow, cold and wind to watch nearly all of our games and supply us with mountains of phenomenal snacks. Thanks much to Ollie’s parents!
We beat Georgia Southern 11-8 in something of a lackluster effort.
Jojah
A year removed from the Ben DeLand bookends, magnUM met Jojah in a rematch of our most thrilling game in group play at CCC.
This game represented just how powerful emotion and energy are in college ultimate. Georgia broke us twice to start 2-0, and controlled for some time. And magnUM, returners and rookies, seemed to be content. Then, on a Dan DeTone D (he would get our first two D’s in the game), we went on a stellar run out of the half to turn a 4-8 deficit into a 8-8 tie game. But just as quickly, the even fickle “mo” went back to the other side, and we meekly fell 13-9.
Tired, cold and furious at our play at the end of the day, we retired to the Knights Inn for the night. At Olive Garden we ate the breadsticks faster than their oven could bake them and Jeff Pape ate not one, not two, but three lasagnas. We settled in for the night, and no one fell out of bed in their sleep in a fortuitously timed manner to catch the semi-exciting end to the Big 12 title game. By then of course, we learned we’d open play Sunday against Texas.
Texas
magnUM ended up, unfortunately, in the “B” bracket at CCC because of the 4-point loss to Georgia and the other games between the three-way pool winners were played to universe point. But we were quite pleased to be playing Texas, a friendly rival and a national semifinalist from 2009.
There was no snow left from the day before, but the cold had descended in, turning the muddy quagmire from the day ago into a frozen mushy surface. But for the first 20 minutes of the game, essentially the only time all weekend, we could make full speed cuts. A strong D-line opened the game with a break. Texas would rally on the strength of smart hammers and great break throws, taking half. But the game was very evenly matched. magnUM made a run to take a two-point lead as the D began to figure out the Texas O. The O-line held serve, including a fantastic layout D by Tom Haynes. This is not a typo and merits repeating so that alumni believe this: a fantastic layout D by Tom Haynes.
As cap approached, the game had all the makings of universe point. Smooth O-line play (at this point in the weekend, Beaker, PC and RL Stein were essentially unguardable downfield) saw magnUM hold serve to take a 14-13 lead. The D-line took the field, and one of those seminal moments in a season occurred. After a Texas turn in our own end zone, we took our time and called Golden with DMo out and DD in. Chris Vandervoort, a lefty facing a righty-flick mark, launched an on-the-money 70-yard backhand bomb, which DMo reeled in for the game winner, 15-13.
Tennessee
Following the emotional win over Texas, magnUM advanced to the semifinals against Tennessee. If the Texas field degraded into a muddy quagmire, this field was just a plain mud pit.
Like the Georgia game, a slow start in a big game again bedeviled us. We battled the mud, our own silly turns, mental mistakes and Tennessee, and stumbled badly to a 4-8 halftime deficit. Having played man all half, we decided to mix it up and throw some Z.
Tennessee was flummoxed and then some. magnUM reeled off not 1, not 2, but (count ‘em) 7 straight points to take an 11-8 lead. Among the highlights during this run included the “battle of the Collins’ “ as Pat wrecked Seth’s head… and caught the goal. Another moment featuring Seth and great play by someone else came when Ricky got the D. Seth, playing wing in the zone, listened obediently as Ricky smelled a hammer over the top told him to move. Just in time, Seth got Ricky’s nice layout D.
magnUM would see the lead erode late, but won on universe 16-15.
MSU
Couch, facing a longer drive than we were, wasn’t in the mood to play out the weekend. Our heads were in the mood, but our legs weren’t. The compromise, a game to 7, yielded the painful result of 7-2, putting a very humbling set of bookends on the fall season, losses to your in-state rival.
In the end, we saw the potential and the challenges in this magnUM roster. We could, when we chose to, beat the best. And we could, when we chose to, play very meekly. We need the toughness, and the conditioning. And that’s what January in the Oost is all about. Happy Holidays to all our blog fans, including the blog’s favorite artist, Andy Funn. Until January, see you later.
magnUM Coach and Alumni at UPA Club Nationals
This weekend’s 2009 UPA Club Nationals will feature a strong magnUM presence this year.
Participants include head coach Richard Eikstadt (Machine) and alumni: Matt Wilken (‘02; Machine), Jason Zhang (‘06; Jam), Tyler Kinley (‘07; Sockeye), Ryan Purcell (‘08; Ironside) and Will Neff (‘09 Callahan Winner; Ironside). Ricky and Matt will meet Tyler in pool play on Thursday at 12:15pm EST. In addition to these outstanding players, Colin McIntyre (‘06) will receive the Observer of the Year award.
Be sure to follow the results at http://club2009.upa.org/. Live streaming video of some games will be featured, and hopefully this year won’t see Will get a concussion in the final.
Update! I also learned that Tim Murray is playing with Flycoons in the mixed division and that Paul Callaway (‘99) is on Real Huck, who just upset the #1 seed in the master’s division.
Final roster
After two early fall tournaments, the final Magnum roster has been decided. Graduating 10 veterans will be a challenge, but one that can be overcome. 6 fresh rookies and 5 Reserve returners will help fill the void, along with continued improvement and leadership from veterans. Added spring season help will only make our roster stronger. Look for the roster page to be updated soon, but here it is, Magnum 2009-2010:
Adam van Staveren
Alex Fegert
Ben Lee
Brandon Beeler
Carson Mailler
Chris Li
Chris Vandervoort
Dan Detone
Derek Moen
Derek Towster
Derrick Wolbert
Jason Guan
Jeff Pape
Jesse Brauner
Josh Morrow
Kevin Yien
Mike DeRubies
Ollie Honderd
Pat Collins
Robbie Steinbock
Seth Collins
Spencer Jolly
Tom Haynes
Yoni Rafael
Glory Days 2009
Valparaiso
Three Dodge caravans crept through the local corn maize in Lowell, Indiana to find a tournament. Of course they weren’t the six magnUM and reserve reserved, but we won’t get into that here. Anyways, the cool and breezy weather from Fall Brawl followed us to Lowell, IN as we kicked off Glory Days 2009 against the de facto home squad of Valparaiso.
Valpo felt it best to use the breeze to their advantage, and threw zone on every single point. A new magnUM squad featuring only two-thirds of the team struggled to work through the zone. Not because of the wind, but uncountable silly turnovers. magnUM turns outnumbered fresh leaves on the ground.
We played just enough D and scored just enough quick shots to build a suitable lead. The horn sounded and the game concluded when magnUM conceded their first Callahan of the season. Fortunately, we won 10-5.
Ball State B
“Switching to Ball State men’s tennis,” Ball State B did magnUM a big favor and played man D. The turn count improved, and the D was impregnable as Ball State managed only 1 score. Just for the record, yours truly guarded the guy who caught their only goal.
Loyola-Chicago X
After a nice little lunch break, magnUM resumed afternoon play against Loyola-Chicago’s split squad. Loyola-Chicago, meet Yoni Rafael. Yoni led a magnUM charge with a bookends punctuating 3 goals in 4 points. When Derek Towster found Tom Haynes deep for a non-spiked score, the rout was confirmed as magnUM won 13-2.
Chicago
The Chicago game is best described as follows: Derek Moen threw a disc in the river in warm-ups. Then he went swimming or nearly so to get it.
Fortunately, DMo was just getting the bad throws out of his system (or something like that). He had two goals and a nice assist. magnUM controlled this game throughout, playing far and away its best ultimate of the day. At the end, all rookie line was given the chance to secure the win. FAIL. So the seven present returners, Pape, Ollie, Beaker, PC, DMo, AVS and Dtow showed the n00bs how to do it. Final score, 13-4. A nice 4-0 start for the weekend. We wrapped up the day when PC faked out about six Chicago guys before actually giving away the final spirit disc (a nice feature of Glory Days) to the most deserving Chicago player.
Saturday night some guys got Culverized. I don’t know/understand/care what it is, but they strongly insisted I mention it.
Rookie Report
Now is as good a time as any to mention some of the rookies on magnUM, and how they’ve done the last couple of weeks. You’ve read about Yoni, who’s also annoying, enough said. Carson isn’t nearly as annoying, but again you’ve read about him. Next is Dan “the next Beaker” DeTone. Dan, we really hope you can upgrade from that unfortunate moniker. For now though you’re stuck with it. And then there’s Jason Guan. Typically for rookies, the ultimate compliment is when something is compared to you. This was not the case for Jason. Thanks to the wind and a case of rookie nerves, Jason was the inspiration for coining a new term: the guan. A guan a point with three turns (also note the double-guan: four turns). Now, we love Jason and think he’s going to be a star for magnUM for a long time. But for now he’s a rookie we like to make fun of. If you have a three turnover point, you’ve just had a guan. (In related news, my money is on Afay leading the team in guans this year.)
Illinois-Chicago
magnUM returned from the fields well-rested from the night before, even the guys in the quarantine room. Swine flu is taking its toll. We managed to bring a team, but Indiana’s two squads stayed home due to the pig bug. We opened Sunday against UIC and after conceding two early hucks for scores, controlled throughout. Once again, an all-rookie line was given the chance to finish the game. Under threat of ‘unending grief,’ the rookies did manage to pull out the win, though not without some turns. Building on our Ohio dominance from last weekend, magnUM won 15-2 and finished 3-0 against the city of Chicago this weekend.
Wheaton
Late in the UIC game the great leveler joined us. Wind. A steady breeze out of the south built up and by the time this quarterfinal started, magnUM realized they were facing a long day of upwind/downwind play. Wheaton seemed a little more prepared for the wind, and after an even game for the first 7 points, they took the first break upwind. This turned out to be all the inspiration magnUM needed. The ensuing O-line marched right down the field and answered upwind. Then magnUM took the next two breaks and the game was effectively finished. The 10-8 final was progress, in this case to the semifinals.
Purdue
Returning junior captain Ollie Honderd huddled the team together for the semifinal matchup against 6th seeded undue. In addition to some tactical moves, we inspired to learn that Ollie was honey, Tom was vinegar and PC was salad. I’m confused too. Anyways, we played Purdue in the semis. A most intriguing matchup was the Haynes versus Haynes game within the game. Tom’s little brother, aka Little Beaker, represented Purdue. Now while I was told by some Purdue players that they couldn’t appear more different, we at magnUM couldn’t help but imagine an epic Battle of The Nerds. After all, Tom talked warm-ups and strategy over the weekend in terms of step functions, coefficients of friction, sin curves and binary. Sadly, they either kept the battle to themselves or Little Beaker is actually far cooler than Beaker. We suspect the latter.
But anyway, back to the game. The wind would peak during this game, but a higher level of ultimate saw more upwind breaks. magnUM managed three to undue’s one, and that was the difference in the game. As with any rather windy day, there were quite a few hucks beyond the downwind endzone, and more turns and Ds that we care to admit. But we also managed a few nice plays including Callahans by Chris Li (vs Purdue) and PC (vs Missouri S&T).
Purdue gave us our toughest test to this point, but holding the upwind breaks we again prevailed and held to cap. Final score 10-8.
Missouri S&T
And so magnUM took a young squad of rookies into their first final. Miner threat, featuring neon yellow jerseys, figured to present a solid test, having themselves advanced through the windy day.
Unfortunately, miner threat had two factors working against them that, ahem, made them a minor threat to a magnUM championship. The first was some relief from the wind. The second was miner threat’s decision to play a fair amount of 2-3-2 zone against magnUM in both directions of play. The zone at first appeared to be a challenge, but it was the reverse. The zone forced disciplined short tosses, it was the perfect antidote to fighting the wind. Unlike the previous two games, the breaks came early and often and by halftime the conclusion was predictable, if not already decided. The first and most decisive break was courtesy of the aforementioned Derek ‘in the river’ Moen. DMo showed off his full game, catching and moving the disc several times, then roasting his mark and punctuating the score with a massive windmill spike.
The second half was a different half, but the same story. magnUM controlled throughout. Up 14-7, the rookies were given a third try to close out the game, this time under threat of playing until they actually did do so. Again they had plural turns. But again the disc found itself in the hands of a rookie wearing blue in the proper endzone. And with that magnUM became champions of Glory Days 2009.
Respect is due to the team, as winning a tournament is not an accomplishment to be ignored. But as the top seed this was expected. And anyone present will tell you there’s plenty of work to do. See you in December for the story behind CCC.
Fall Brawl 2009
Bowling Green
magnUM2k10 headed south to kick off its 2009-2010 campaign not far from where the last one ended in Columbus, Ohio. The first of two tournaments in two weeks, Fall Brawl was a chance to test out the 2/3 of the new roster, measure who’s hot and who’s not, and the first tourney for a big crop of new rookies.
Saturday morning saw us open play in near freezing weather against Bowling Green. Apparently mother nature forgot summer in the Midwest in 2009, as players were bundled in layers for most of the day Saturday. Whether from nerves, the cold or just a new roster getting together, it was one of the most low-key 13-9 victories a team can have. We won, and that was that.
Pitt “Y”
Pitt’s split squad teams offered the chance for magnUM returners to test their mettle against a fellow 2009 Nationals quarterfinalist. The game was very evenly matched, occasionally chippy but relatively well played. Rookies also were exposed to their first zone of the season, but that zone quickly went away when it was broken down a couple of times. The game ended when Pitt broke an 8-all tie not long after the hard cap horn sounded.
Cincinnati
Part 2 of a four part tour of Ohio schools saw magnUM match up against Cincinnati. After two games where the ghost of captain no fun seemed to rule the play and the sidelines, magnUM woke up, and by golly there were even a few smiles on the sidelines. Rookies with memorable moments included Yoni “haiku” Rafael going deep and getting one of his already patented ‘screaming skies’ and Carson ‘one of my Amherst buddies is on their team so I better play well’ Mailler.
Ohio State Y
When your highlight of the game is the pregame cheer, you know you didn’t do well. magnUM vs Ohio State Y was not another great installment of the rivalry nor a fitting continuation to last season’s epic Regionals conclusion. That said, most of us greatly enjoyed Derek Moen DEREK MOEN DEREK MOEN! That is of course, except Derek Moen, who two points into the game told OSU Y where their cheer could go while getting a nice layout score off a huck. Unfortunately, the rest of the game was not nearly as interesting. Whether it was the strict 3 line rotation, or the fact that Purdue absolutely owned Tyrell Pryor on the football field, OSU Y seemed content as we cruised to a 13-5 win and a 3-0 start vs Ohio.
Virginia Tech T
Ohio State wasn’t the only school whose concerns split was between the grass of Columbus and a faraway football game. Va Tech T said as much before the game. FACT: worrying about your football game means you will lose and then your football team will lose. Anyways, Alex Fegert had a really nice incut layout D during this game as magnUM closed Saturday play 4-1 in pool play to take second in the pool. The sun finally shone during our cooldown stretch, and the guns game out.
We then proceed back to the hotel for much needed warmth. Dinner at a local pizza establishment proved entertaining as Ohio State waitresses have not yet realized that the invention of pen and paper can greatly reduce the mental strain involved in memorizing orders. That or they don’t know how to read or write yet in Columbus.
SUNY-Buffalo
Sunday morning opened colder, with abundant frost on the grass. Summer 2009, seriously, where were you? But magnUM spirits were up 100%. The pregame warmup feature plenty of laughter, including bursts such as “it’s never sunny in Buffalo.” We were also treated to the list of funny jokes by Tom Haynes and sage advice from Alex Fegert (combined length = 0).
Oh, and the game. SUNY Buffalo was not ready for magnUM, and we cruised to a 13-3 win, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Pitt “X”
We say Pitt “X” rather than Pitt X because a handful of the faces seemed mighty familiar from Saturday. That said, this really isn’t a big deal to us. It’s a fall tourney and we relished the added strength they provided. And certainly they may have been juggling their squads to find the best team for their program. Their Ultimate, or at least their desire was greater. We struggled more than most of the weekend getting the dump off, and had no answer for their deep game. After a tight first half that saw Pitt take half 7-6, they pulled away from us in the second and advanced to the semifinals.
Virginia Tech V
In the 5/6th semifinals, magnUM matched up against the other half of Virginia Tech. The start of the game seemed to be a repeat of Saturday afternoon, as magnUM got a Brandon Beeler Callahan early and stormed out to a three break lead. But with their football loss behind them, Virginia Tech stormed back to play a tight game late. After a huge goalline stand, magnUM won their first universe point of the season when Tom Haynes found Spencer Jolly in the back of the endzone with a hammer.
Miami (OH)
The boogiemen seemed only marginally interested in playing this game. magnUM, seeing a strong need for reps and a short drive home, insisted on playing the full game. It was however, not a very long game. The boogiemen, as if trying to expedite their near interminable drive home, managed only 3 points as magnUM took 5th place overall. With a 4-0 finish over teams from the host state, the following was proven: Michigan > Ohio. See you next week in Merrillville, IN for Glory Days Aught’9.
What's new
Magnum is sending A team and Reserve squads to both Fall Brawl (Columbus, OH) and Glory Days (Naperville, IL). These tournaments will show us what we need to know to make final roster decisions. Then we buckle down and prepare for CCC (Atlanta, Dec. 4-5).
Calendar update
Quick update to our fall calendar:
Rec Sports Expo Sep. 6, 11am to 2pm at Palmer Field
Throwing clinic Sep. 13, 11am to 1pm, Mitchell Field
Festifall Sep. 10 on the Diag
Showcase game Sep. 10, 6pm vs. Michigan State at Palmer Field
Tryouts are Mondays from 7-10, starting September 14th, at Mitchell Field. Bring cleats, light and dark jerseys, and water.
Rule of the day: Disc space
As a thrower, you have rights. You have the right to some space around you – space known as “disc space”. This phrase is thrown around all over the place, both correctly and incorrectly, so you should know what it is. Disc space is neutral space between the marker and the thrower. Both players must respect it, but in my experience the marker violates the thrower’s disc space more often than the other way around. The disc space rule:
XIV.B.3 If a line between any two points on the marker touches the thrower or is less than one disc diameter away from the torso or pivot of the thrower, it is a disc space violation. However, if this situation is caused solely by movement of the thrower, it is not a violation.
So if the line between the marker’s toes goes through a disc placed at the thrower’s pivot foot, or a line between the marker’s fingers goes through a disc placed at the thrower’s torso, or the marker’s chest is within a disc space of the thrower’s chest, the marker is not respecting the thrower’s disc space.
However, if the marker is positioned such that none of the above are true, and the thrower steps forward, pushes out, or does anything else that breaks one of the disc space rules, it is not a disc space violation.
If you have the disc and the marker is violating your space, say “disc space.” Play does not stop; the marker must get out of your space and drop a stall count (“stalling 1, 2, 3 (disc space) … 2, 3”). You may call this as many times as you want, and keep getting your space (and stall count). However, if the marker either doesn’t drop a count or violates your space more than once, you can call a violation (say “violation”), which does stop play. Explain why you’re calling it (“you didn’t drop a count”, “you were still in my space around my pivot foot”). Then the stall count comes in on zero. If there are observers, the marker can talk to them, but otherwise a marking violation cannot be contested.
Also note that as a thrower you can call a foul if there is contact caused by an illegal mark. Use this to your advantage as a thrower. The rule:
XVI.H.3.3 Any contact that occurs due to the marker setting up in an illegal position (XIV.B.3) is a foul on the marker.
If you have questions or disagree with my interpretation of the rules, leave a comment below. Thanks for reading.
College ultimate
Since ultimate isn’t a major sport in most high schools, we find that many incoming freshmen don’t fully understand what playing ultimate at the college level means. Hopefully this post will help explain things and excite you for this year’s season.
Ultimate in college is a real sport. It’s played at big and small schools across the country. Some of the best teams right now are Carleton, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Stanford, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and of course Michigan. We tied for 5th at last year’s national championships. There are inter-school rivalries, like Michigan/Ohio State and Cal/Stanford, and competition within conferences like the Big 10. We travel all around the country (to Texas, Florida, California, Georgia, etc.) to play at tournaments.
As with any competitive sport, strategy plays a major role. For example, possession of the disc is extremely important. A good team should score most of their offensive possessions. Turning over the disc is a costly mistake, and it’s a big deal when a defensive player makes a play and steals the disc or knocks it down. It’s called a break (like in tennis) when a team scores on a defensive point, and some games are decided by as little as one break. Different players have different strengths – some are fast and can’t be guarded, some are tall and big in the air. There are tenacious and aggressive defensive specialists, and there are smart and highly skilled throwers that play offensive points. Good players have a mix of all these traits. Ultimate is a non-contact sport by definition, but there is a certain amount of physicality involved when competing for the disc, making a diving play, or setting a hard mark.
warm up, dynamic stretch
4×200m (sub 35 seconds)
2×400m (sub 75 seconds)
4×200m
6×100m (all out sprint)
cool down lap
static stretch
MagnUM does a lot of strength, agility, speed, and endurance conditioning. We do strength training with assigned lifting partners in the Winter and hit the track weekly all year round. Plyo sets are a staple, both during and outside of practice; outside and in the gym when it’s too snowy. In the spring we form smaller groups (pods) to work out with. We run stairs, suicides, and sprints.
Something like 95% of college ultimate players had never played before coming to college. Some had never even heard of the sport. What brought us all to ultimate is the desire to compete at a high level with other athletes who want to do the same. We urge you to watch some videos, check out some photos, and click around to other ultimate sites. Fill out this form, email us, or leave a comment here if you’re interested in learning more about ultimate at Michigan.
USA ultimate
If you want to watch some good ultimate, check out these videos of Team USA at the World Games. These games are from pool play:
- vs. Japan (part 1, part 2, part 3)
- vs. Great Britian (part 1, part 2, part 3)
- vs. Canada (part 1, part 2)
- vs. Taipei (part 1, part 2)
Update: Here’s the gold medal game:
Here’s part 1 from the Japan pool play game:
Oh and also check out this clip of the finals on SportsCenter (or watch the whole top ten in better quality):
