San Diego State kicked our asses at Stanford Open because we just didn't expect such a high level of physicality from them. But how do you teach a team of girls to want to fight for the disc more? That I am still unsure of. Unfortunately people tend to misconstrue Midas as a team for girls who don't care as much about the sport, and such a mentality becomes increasingly polarizing i.e. the people who care get upset that others don't, and the people who don't feel bolstered by the fact that others share in their mentality. So we'll see. But if short little me can run through D a girl on that team, anyone can.
We lost by one to Pomona at Sectionals. I remember this game was so incredibly frustrating because this was our last game of Saturday, meaning everyone was tired. In short, I recall blaming our loss on our lack of maintaining what is, in my opinion, one of the most important skills on the field, holding the mark. As a whole, Midas loves to throw our zone defense. We're pretty damn good at it when we have the energy, but as soon as our cup starts to get broken, we tend to get very worn out both mentally and physically. Not to say Pomona didn't deserve it, they've got a killer in Mich! But at the same time, they did do worse against other teams than we did, and they had about half the players we did so were probably much more tired than we were. So how will we beat them? Track workouts and better subbing! While it's okay to be tired after a few hard games, it sucks when your top players have been playing so much that they can't hold out to win one more point. I say throw the game against Santa Barbara, and Long Beach, once you see you're going to lose really badly, and save up for the games you should win.
Which brings me to Long Beach. I think these girls will be our biggest challenge. They have become such a dominant team in the past few years. Igloo is pretty much unstoppable, and the other girls have grown to become an amazing support system to let her rip through defenses. I remember when it was enough just to shut her down, and play tough D to force the others to make mistakes. Except now they don't make mistakes. They pretty much dominated our one-day tournament in the fall, and that was without Igloo. I also think those girls are some of the sweetest, most dedicated ones in college ultimate out there; in the end, I think it will be an intense game, but however it ends, the two teams will be hanging out and laughing after. I am still incredibly unsure about how to beat them. I think it'll just depend on how the day goes and what strengths Midas can rely on at the moment. Or maybe we'll get lucky and not have to play them at all.
SLO Motion is also attending this tournament. Having stated my previous feelings about this team, I think Midas' biggest challenge will be to not let them get in our heads. To play out of respect for their skills by shutting them down at every turn. To not get frustrated when they break through our defense, but instead adjust so it doesn't happen again. I'm not sure how many girls still burn after that game at sectionals last year, but I know I do, and hopefully that will help with our desire to win. On that note, I also haven't really seen them play this year so I have no idea what girls are still left on that team or who they picked up. I just really hope we get a chance to play them, but at the same time, I sort of hope we don't have to. I'm not sure Midas is ready to see Angry Ozone so early in the season.
Claremont will probably also be a challenge. Those girls have been incredibly dominant in the past, but simply cursed by the fact that they are in one of the most talented regions in the country. Midas has never really beaten the Greenshirts, but we have definitely had some close games. I am not sure what girls still play on that team though, so don't know what to expect. That means scouting! Actually it means I hope we get to play them early in the season (ideally at SB Invite, but I'm not sure who is going to that), and can use a game like that to figure out how to beat them later.
The last team I think will be a close game will be Humboldt. They came out incredibly fired up this year. They beat BLU split/mixed at Sean Ryan in the fall, so I'm not sure how Midas can hold up. To our credit, they have a small team, so if we play them, I hope it's towards the end of the day, preferably after they lose a really close game (is that bad spirited to say?). I think this will come down to the level of mental fortitude - if we are determined to beat them, we probably have a chance. Otherwise... This is just another game I hope we don't have to actually play.
So how do we get all of these things accomplished? Thank goodness I have friends determined to help me through this season. One of them sent me a blog post of one coach's plan for a semester. Considering Midas really has no coach, Maddox and I are sort of learning as we go. For a team that dreams of dominance, there is no room for mistakes, even early on. So getting any advice from more experienced coaches is always helpful. This entry was amazing, if only because it coincides with what I believe is a good strategy for teaching new topics. Each week introduces a new concept, with emphasis on throwing (for us it will be outside of practice) and scrimmaging frequently. I believe that there is no learning like playing a simulated game. The challenge with scrimmaging is to get people to practice as they would play a real game, but hopefully we'll get there.
You might also notice that I did not discuss any B teams in this post, because I still have full faith that Midas is the best B team in the country and we should destroy any B team that comes across our path. I do want to note, though, that those games can sometimes be the most fun, and I look forward to each and every match, if only for the great halftime games.
Have any advice on practice plans? Know some secrets about these teams that you want to share to help Midas dominate? Here's one of those posts where feedback would be awesome. Help this little girl realize her dreams!
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