2011 Club Regionals Preview: Mixed Week 2
USA Ultimate
Posted: October 7, 2011 02:45 PM
This one is going to give the NW a run for its money in the ridiculously-competitive-region category.
Like defending champion Polar Bears having to take the game to go to come out of the NW with the third spot, 2010 runners-up District 5 goes into the region seeded fourth in a three-bid tournament. Not an insurmountable task, but clearly a tough road.
Odyssée comes into the regional as the first seed; the 2011 Canadian Nationals runners-up will have an easier road, but nothing is a given here. Newcomers The Ghosts ride their sectionals victory over Slow White to the second seed, while Slow takes the third spot. Other than Odyssée, these teams have beat each other up over the season, with District 5 owning a 2-0 record over The Ghosts, who have beaten Slow White twice, who in turn have defeated District 5 twice. It seems like match-ups have been a serious factor for these three teams, and that may favor the Ghosts, who reside in Slow White's side of the bracket. No matter what, though, one of those teams will have to break out of this pattern to make the field in Sarasota.
The South gets three bids, and it would likely take a miracle for Bucket not to get one of them. As one of the most consistent performers out of the region, the Atlanta side will likely be favored to come out on top. Though the roster has significant turnover, Bucket has re-loaded well with former Ozone players Julia Echterhoff, Shanye Crawford, India Stubbs, Chelsea McGehee and Taylor Horton, and former Chain players Taylor Goforth and Robert White on board. Bucket blows the other South teams out of the water in the experience category, and has a number of playmakers who will be difficult matchups for their opponents.
Other teams to note would include Jacks-on-Jill, the Florida sectional champ, Texas sectional winner Cosa Nostra, Gulf Coast section winner Tune Squad, and Texas runner-up B.O.H.I.C.A. While Bucket looks to be a lock on the top spot, the other two spots are relatively wide open. Jacks-on-Jill has added a number of players from the now-defunct Jukebox, and has also picked up Sam Applegate, a top college women's player in the South Central who has relocated. Cosa Notra has a handful of players from former Texas coed teams like Chewbacca Defense and Dirty Birds, and late pickups like Jay Lane (ex-Doublewide) and Sharon Tsao (initially on Showdown's roster) should give Cosa Notra some extra athleticism going into Sunday. Tune Squad has some of the best players in the Ozarks, and April Johnson and Andrea Ritchie are welcome returns from the women's division. B.O.H.I.C.A features many of the usual suspects from the Dallas scene, with Alyssa Ricker (ex-Showdown) as their own pickup from the elite womens' scene.
The story in the SW is primarily defined by who is not there. Barrio has ceased to be, along with L.A. Metro and 2009 qualifier Brown Chicken, Brown Cow.
Los Angeles' 7 Figures heads the list of the teams that remain, and should be favored coming off a season where they performed fairly well against elite competition. Andy "BOFA" Sammons returns to the team, hoping to lead them to their first regional championship.
Rocky Mountain section winner Mesteno looks set to challenge for the second seed, coming off an undefeated run at sectionals. Still, Mesteno's close victories over Swingline and Love Tractor show that there is other talent in the region, poised to make a move with a solid weekend of opportunistic play. Mesteno's ex-Bravo duo of Keith Borsheim and David Popiel, and former Molly Brown player Beth Goldstone may be enough to hold off the competition, but with rain and wind in the forecast, the other challengers remain hopeful.