2013 National Championships - A Canadian Showdown in Texas
Greg Gipson
Posted: October 18, 2013 10:31 AM
The first day of the 2013 USA Ultimate National Championships came and went in quite the blur of varying degrees of energy and emotion. As expected, high-quality play was immediately apparent and widespread throughout the FC Dallas Complex; precisely the competition and captivating plays one would expect to witness at the National Championships. Yet even as all three divisions took the field, the fact remained that tightly combative second-half gameplay was somewhat scarce across the board during day one.
When greatness competes against greatness on every field, there’s no telling when and where that first true major grind of the day will take place; the sort of drama we crave from all beloved sports. It just so happened that I arrived at the distant Field 15 just in time to catch the escalating events between Pool D women’s teams Vancouver Traffic (seeded second) and Austin Showdown (seeded third). The 9am games had left me still hungry for a signature game to truly kick off Championship weekend, and these ladies had quite the treat in store for this humble writer.
Heading into the second round of play, the dynamic Austin ladies were riding high after avenging their Pro Fight Finale loss to Chicago Nemesis, with a 13-9 victory in Thursday’s first feature game. Seeded first in Pool D going into the day, Nemesis was never quite completely out of contention in their first game, but the second-half momentum clearly belonged to Showdown. (Despite many break opportunities, Nemesis simply could not capitalize when it mattered most, including two crucial end zone drops in the first half). But the true test for Showdown was just around the corner. Traffic was just getting warmed up as well, after handily defeating Nova of Montreal (seeded fourth in Pool D) 15-3. But there would be no such comfort for either squad this time around.
After taking a 13-11 lead late in the second half, Traffic seemed poised to take the W. But a resilient Showdown continued to stay just within reach, eventually scrapping their way to a 14-13 tilt in their favor. The increasing anxiety of the moment became evident as the end drew near.
At 15-15, Showdown immediately lost possession on a flick huck attempt that never made its way in bounds. With just half the field to cover, Traffic let the most critical of break chances slip away with an errant huck of their own, this one in the direction of two Showdown defenders waiting to break up the play.
Back on offense and deep in Vancouver territory, Showdown managed to advance the disc by completing what seemed to be a bailout backhand huck to no one in particular. Quick to react, captain Katey Forth moved toward the receiver with aggressive strides, seeking the quick dump pass. The dump secured and in a power position, Forth placed a backhand in the end zone with just enough float so that only her 5’10" receiver, Christina Conteras, could bring the disc down with ease.
Down 15-16, Traffic demonstrated a patient red-zone offense, working the disc amongst handlers until Mira Donaldson managed to find one of Canada’s finest, Catherine Hui, on an inside break flick for the score. It was the sort of "grind it out" and "take what’s given to you" mentality teams sorely need in crunch time situations.
With universe point in their hands, Showdown took care of business in one possession this time. But not without playing it a little dangerous. Austin’s offense hugged the sideline as they worked the disc up-field, concluding the game with a textbook up-line backhand for the final goal. A travel call would serve only to delay Showdown’s victory, as Katey Forth received a second up-line throw from twin sister Bex, finally putting the 33-point thriller to rest.
Vancouver’s flair for the dramatic would carry over into the next round of play when they eked out a one-point victory over Nemesis in another high-scoring affair. Meanwhile, Showdown capped off an undefeated day with a 15-9 win over Nova, solidifying their claim to the top spot in Pool D in the process. Pool of Death indeed…
When we eventually look back on the totality of this Championship weekend, this particular game may very well go by the wayside when considering other match ups deeper into the tournament and of greater consequence. But this Thursday-morning battle was an instant classic. Considering the relative youth of these two programs (Traffic founded in 2007, Showdown in 2006), there is still much history to be made. This game will carry on through the lore of these programs for some time to come.
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