2012 US Open -- Mixed Division Preview
Maya Ziv
Posted: July 3, 2012 07:52 PM
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Mixed Division Schedule (SRT)
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Eight Mixed teams will converge in Colorado Springs over the next few days and face off on the fields at the inaugural U.S. Open Ultimate Championships.
In the mix are the 2010 USA Ultimate Club Champions, a Canadian rival who lost in the game to go to Nationals last year, and a Colombian team who travelled miles to face the best, not to mention the five other teams who all played at the top level of competition in recent years.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Mixed division is the amount of change to each team year after year – while that makes it difficult to preview matchups this early in the season, there are a few points to note for the ones we shall see this week.
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Eight Mixed teams will converge in Colorado Springs over the next few days and face off on the fields at the inaugural US Open. In the mix are the 2010 USA Ultimate Club Champions, a Canadian rival who lost in the game to go to Nationals last year, and a Colombian team who travelled miles to face the best, not to mention the five other teams who all played at the top level of competition in recent years. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Mixed division is the amount of change to each team year after year – while that makes it difficult to preview matchups this early in the season, there are a few points to note for the ones we shall see this week.
Coming on top is the 2010 Champs Polar Bears. This year’s souped up roster is ready to dominate. They lost at Cal States to Blackbird, the 2011 Champions, but have since set their roster. Polar Bears excel with their women, but their men work equally hard to create opportunities time after time for some of the most consistent play in the Mixed game. Boston’s Slow White is next, , captained by Dave Truesdale and Meriden D'Arcy; the latter recently coached Tufts Ewo to the semis at the 2012 College Championships. Chad Larson Experience comes in third after a rocky end to their otherwise dominant 2011 season. They came in seeded fourth at Nationals, but after winning close game after close game in pool play, the team was knocked out in quarters. Expect them to be back with a vengeance this season – if they can keep a low number of unforced turnovers this team could be one to reckon with. Hailing from Minneapolis, Drag’n Thrust has consistently been one of the top teams in the US. They have started the 2012 season off with a tournament victory having won the Wisconsin Swiss tournament with an 8-0 record just weeks ago. Overhaul comes in seeded fifth having finished 11th at Nationals last year. Golden Spike is a strong team from Utah that has had a hard time fighting against the dominant NorCal teams to get to Nationals, but will be exciting to watch match up against a variety of teams they haven’t seen over the years.
Euforia and Odyssee represent the international community at the US Open, crossing borders to come battle it out against some of the top teams the US has to offer. Not many teams have had the chance to play against these two, though Odyssee recently defeated Slow White at Boston Invite. Both of these teams have athletic players with solid disc skills ready to make big plays and expect them to prove they deserve to be at this tournament.
Dark Horse
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Odyssee: It was an early season win but having already beaten one of the top seeded teams at the tournament (Slow White) means this team has got what it takes and knows what to do. They’ll have a long road to go but it’s quite possible we’ll see the Canadians in the semis, especially since just last year they lost to Slow White in the game to go at NE Regionals. |
Games to watch
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Polar Bears vs. Chad Larson Experience (Thursday 10:30-11:45): Kicking off the tournament with what could be one of the best games of the weekend – Polar Bears have some great matchups for CLX to work around, but CLX has consistently been one of the most inventive of the Mixed teams. It’ll be interesting to see what strategies the Iowans employ against the top seed. |
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Slow White vs. Odyssee (Thursday 3:00-4:15): This game is one of the few at the event that features a rematch from the current season. Can Slow White avenge their close loss (13-14) to the Canadians at Boston Invite just a few weeks ago? |
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Euforia Ultimate Club vs. Odyssee (Friday 6:00-7:15): This rare chance to see two top foreign teams battle it out on US soil is a must-see for the weekend. |
Upsets
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Drag’n Thrust over Chad Larson Experience: CLX has been hurt by some roster turnover, though they retain some of their top tier women who historically have played key roles on offense. If Drag’n Thrust can figure out a way to capitalize on their matchups with tough man defense, they could go up early and make it hard for CLX to fight back. |
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Euforia over Overhaul: In the last round of play on Friday, Overhaul needs to rack up points early against a team that not only has had more time to rest between games but is also relatively unknown and difficult to strategize against. The key for any team that faces the international squads will be to think quickly and be comfortable with changing strategies on the fly. |