Theodore Seuss Geisel - 2001
October 13, 2001
Fort Niagara State Park
Tournament Recap
Players/Stats
Player Assists Points
Rob Disco Atkins 0 4
Dave Poo Rag Bohnsack 0 2.5*
Jack Chen # 1 1
Chris Cupcake Ferraro 3 7
Bret Ubiquitous Herman 6 6
Brian Kennedy 2 0
Yasu Secret Weapon Masuda 1 1
Matt Morton 0 6
Sean Quinn ! ! !
Dave Dixie Reynolds 0 2.5*
Adam 151 Riccardi 5 1
Tom Clutch Rosch 1 1
Pintu The Mouth Saha 4 1
Hadi Pacman Sattari 4 1
Mark Schulz 2 2
Evan Tibbets 0 1
Erich Vorlop 0 1
Dan Autostick White 9 1
* One point remains disputed between Dixie and PR
# Only played one game
! Injured Reserve, took stats and coordinated tournament details

The day started early with a 6:15 AM meeting time. It was early, but who can sleep the night before a tournament anyway? We met and moved straight up to the park, making it there just after sunrise. Basic tournament preparations happenend pretty quickly, leaving plenty of time for everyone to get warmed up. A short rain shower about 8:30 ensured that the fields were soft, but quickly blew over, leaving room for warm weather and sun the rest of the day.
Game 1: The Gorges (Ithaca Club Team)
This game was a great one from the start. While PR was busy with tournament preparations, Dixie stepped in and got things started for the team, pushing us out to an early lead. Ithaca was filled with solid throwers and respectable speed, but UB came back with reliable defense and rapid flow. UB managed to avoid their typical slow tourney start, apparently catching Ithaca off guard. Half-time came as a welcome surprise, with Buffalo leading 7-5. Thi first half belonged to Disco Rob; he received UB's first two points and the final point of the half.

Ithaca took this opportunity to regroup and came out firing in the second half. UB slipped a little, allowing Ithaca to take advantage of a "swing until you huck it" offense. Ithaca's defense also came out stronger, allowing only four points, two to PR and two to Cupcake. The Gorges finally pulled away at the end, clinching the game at 13-11.

This game showed some fantastic improvements in a number of areas. First, the offense showed a real flow, pushing the disc up the field in quick succession, but still knowing when to slow and wait for things to clear. Defense also came out fighting, showing that Green Eggs and Ham has the intensity needed to win big games. Finally, success this early in the day silenced accusations that UB is a slow starting team. While a victory is always nicer, this game showed that UB can hang in and compete with club teams, nearly pulling off the upset. Everyone should be happy about this game.
Game 2: The Spudheads (RIT)
A rematch against UB's neigbors to the east is always an exciting contest. This game may have been more exciting for the Green team, but it was excting nonetheless. This game showed the same themes that emerged in Game 1: hot D and chilly O. The Buffalo offense varied their attack between midrange flow up the field and a long, well-played deep game. UB led throughout the game, fending off intermittent surges by the Spudheads with consistently hot defense. Bret showed time and time again that no receiver was "all alone" as he made a habit of reading plays and breaking up scoring opportunites. Dixie had a really great layout early in the second half: chasing down a pass that he misread the first time, he dove over the goal line and grabbed the disc just before it hit the ground, scoring in grand fashion.

In the end, UB prevailed (13-7), extending their home winning streak against RIT to two years.
Game 3: Not Lima Lama (Hamilton, ON)
Hamilton bagged without saying anything so we ended up with bye.
Semifinals: Hop on Pop (Rochester Club Team)
Pitted against the number one team in the tournament, UB had their work cut out for them in this game. Rather than roll over and accept their fate quietly, UB pulled together and played hard, smart ultimate. Consistent defense left Rochester unable to score on many drives. Unfortunately, Pop's defense capitalized on any mistakes that were made and quickly converted them into points. At no point in the game did UB show signs of resigning to their fate. Instead, they pulled together and scored four of their five points in the second half of the game, showing that they were determined to give Pop as much trouble as they could manage.

The game ended 5-15, but Green Eggs and Ham played better than the score indicates. Again, this game showed that this team has tenacity and a desire to play hard. It's only a matter of time until that translates into tournament victories.
Consolation Game: Ithaca
In a laid-back game for third place Buffalo played against Ithaca again. They game was marked by few subs, missing shoes, and more hucks than were wise. Matt completed what appeared to be a Greatest to Bret near our goal line; very cool. Ithaca won the game that neither team seemed too focussed. on. The score was a repeat of the first game, rounding out at 13-11. In the end, we finished in 4th place out of 7 teams.
Party:
This part of the weekend showed UB's greatest weakness. A shockingly small number of the GE&H players (4) showed up for the tournament party. This reflects some weak spirit and total disrespect for The Ultimate Way. Those who did go tried their very hardest to make up for the weakness of their teammates. They partied with players from Naw Shus, Snail, The Gorges, and Freezerburn, and possibly a few others whose memory has been lost along with other parts of the evening.

This was the best party turnout Buffalo has seen in years, it's too bad we were so poorly represented. To the enjoyment of dozens (or at least a couple) of spectators Cupcake, Disco, and P.R. answered the call of the disc in fine style, lining up for the only disc race of the evening. Poo walked away with a solid, crowd-pleasing victory but all involved played hard and well.
General:
This tournament showed a number of things that worked well for the team and a few that will take some work. Our work with zone has paid off, allowing our offense to march through it when it was played against us. Our zone D was put to use a few times with some success. Offense flowed well and defense played really hard. A litte more work to clean up our cuts with respect to one another will give us an even more efficient flow and organized offense.

Everyone who came out played real well, helping the team all the way. Don't be mislead by the scoring stats. Many of the most important plays of the game had to be made well before the endzone was a viable possibility. Some of the new players showed just how valuable they will prove to be. Yasu played a great tournament, emerging as a reliable receiver in the midfield with well-timed, fast cuts. Matt also played a great tournament, providing good throws and a knack for being open in the endzone. Evan and Brian were great receivers to help move the disc upfield and into scoring position while Erich's patient experience made him a real assett on the field.

Bret continued to astound both our team and our opponents with his relentless play on both sides of the disc. His savage defense consistently shut down plays that seemed like they should be easy and his good reads and jumps left six foot receivers empty handed. Smart, hard cuts and good passing made Brett the combined scoring leader, with 6 passes and 6 receptions for points.

Dan played the role of the pocket passer to perfection, calmly throwing for 9 points on the day. Cupcake found his way to the endzone pretty often, receiving 7 scoring passes.

Everyone who came out played great and should be happy with the way the tournament went. Everyone who missed this one should be jealous and eager to play so they can get in on some of these wins. This is looking to be a great year for UB ultimate. With a solid veteran core and some fantastic rookies moving through it looks like we have the ingredients for a winning team this year and in years to come. I'm really really excited.

We have sunlight for a while longer, so let's keep practicing as long as we can. I'll see everyone at practice Tuesday.

-- Dave Bohnsack
President & Captain