2011 Club Regionals Preview: Masters Week 1
USA Ultimate
Posted: September 29, 2011 06:12 PM
2010 Club Champions Surly are the heavy favorite to win the Region. Despite the loss of Ron Kubalanza to the Northwest Region, Surly has added a few new faces and will look to rely on their experience and athleticism to win the region for the 7th straight year.
With the Southwest Region at only 1 bid due to the antiwildcard, the Central Region finds itself with 3 bids this year due receiving a strength bid. With the addition of the third bid, Real Huck and Old Style must be breathing a sigh of relief, as those teams have faced each other in the game to go every year since 2007. Real Huck was one of the surprise teams at the 2010 Championships with their 4th place finish, and 3rd seed Old Style always seems to step up to the challenge at Regionals.
As the 4 seed and a team that didn't even participate in 2010, Chico's Bail Bonds is looking to find its way back to Sarasota for the first time since 2006. Rounding out the field of 7 are the Surly Cynics, Fine Young Callahans, and Rust.
If 2010's results are any indication, the Mid-Atlantic Region may just be a two team show, as the two qualifiers won every game against the rest of the field by 10 points or more.
As last year's Club Championship finalist, conventional wisdom is that Boneyard will be looking to cruise through the Region. Although the loss of Ray Parrish will be felt, their Ring of Fire feeder system and desire to complete some unfinished business down in Sarasota should have them in good shape to qualify for the third straight year.
After a surprise quarterfinals finish at the 2010 Club Championships, Cheapeaked is not a not a team to overlook. With the addition of some talent from 2011 Grand Masters champions Scrapple, Chesapeaked brings some championship momentum and should lead to a closer matchup with Boneyard than last year's 15-6 Regional finals drubbing.
That being said, the Masters Division is often unpredictable, so don't be surprised if one of Ra, Natty Bros, Old N Busted, or Marauders play their way into contention.
Perhaps due to it being a world's qualifying year, a powerhouse roster has been assembled in Bay Area's team, Wheelchair. As a JAM reunion team they were already loaded with young talent, so the addition of familiar names like Andrew Lugsdin, Mike Grant, Kirk Savage, and Keith Monohan make this roster a serious contender for the 2011 Club Championship.
With a respectable 5th place finish at the 2010 Club Championships, FIGJAM brings a mix of Calgary's finest with a few American pickups to the table. The formation of Wheelchair, coupled with the talented squads Georgetown Brewing (Seattle) and chalent (Big Sky) make a return trip to Sarasota for FIGJAM far from a certainty.
All indications are that Northwest Regionals will be a dogfight, and whichever two teams can survive will be strong contenders down in Sarasota.