USA Ultimate

After three days of competition at the Sarasota Polo Club in hot and humid Sarasota, Fla., three national champions were named at the 2014 USA Ultimate Masters Championships. Winners in each of the three divisions – men’s masters, women’s masters and grandmasters – were determined by a single point in the championship finals.

We asked the captains of the winning teams for some insight into their weekends. 

Tejas – Men’s Masters
Hugh Daschbach, Sean McCall & Marcus Gavin
 

1.  How does it feel to have won a national title at the 2014 Masters Championship?

SM: It has been a 20+ year process for many of us who started to play together in 1995 in Houston. It is an overwhelmingly wonderful feeling to have home grown our talent, kept it together across many years and have it come together to result in a championship. This is certainly something we have all dreamed of, and it is especially sweet to have it occur in Sarasota. Like our alumni team Doublewide, we knew we had a shot if the conditions were right – hot and humid in Florida in July was perfect for the conditions in which we train and prepare.

MG: Amazing. It's the perfect culmination of what most of us have been working towards since college. And to have done it with the same guys we've played with for most of that time makes it all the more satisfying. Some of us have won championships with other teams, but this is our team. It's our championship. We worked together to get here, and it feels so good to have done it together.
 

2.  What stuck out as your/your team’s favorite part of the weekend?

HD: Most of us have played together (sometimes with each other, sometimes against each other) for 15-20 years. Winning a championship with these old friends, and with the new friends that joined us, was the most gratifying part of the weekend for me. 

SM: The looks on the faces of our players in our Sunday morning team meeting on Siesta Key. As we set our plan for focus, intensity, selflessness, tactics and execution, the look on our players’ faces is something I hope to never forget. The amount of desire communicated in simple body language was tremendous. That, and Don Tom's huge layout block in the Reckon semi that blew open that game! Plus, playing in our sweet VC Ultimate green jerseys in the final was a great opportunity to highlight our long-term partner and sponsor relationship.

MG: Standing together in a circle arm in arm after the finals, looking each other in the eye knowing what we'd accomplished together.
 

3.  What was the biggest challenge in putting together your national championship run?

SM: We knew we could come out on top if we executed our game plan. We won two preseason open division tournaments and masters regionals, so our confidence was high. At the same time, we were adapting our style of play away from our history and towards a new, more dynamic way. I think our biggest challenge was having the courage to stay with it during the moments where the game momentum went away from us. We were sharp in our semi vs. Reckon and thankfully were able to eventually reduce our unforced errors in the final to come out on top.

MG: Last season was a disappointing one for us. We lost in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row and finished just outside the World's qualifying bids. It was difficult to find the motivation this winter to organize the team, come together and start training again. In the end, I think the spirit of this team and how much fun we have playing together is what motivated us to make a championship run. And once we made the decision to play again, our competitive drive is what pushed us to do what it took to win the title. I credit our rookies for really stepping up our game this year: training harder, adopting a new offensive strategy, believing that this was our year and taking us to the next level.
 

4.  What can we expect next from Tejas? Are other tournaments on the calendar for you this year? Will you be back at the Masters Championships again in 2015 to defend your title?

HD: There are no tournaments on the Tejas calendar at the moment, but once the dust settles, I have no doubt that plans will begin taking shape to defend the Masters Championship title in 2015. 

SM: We will be back in 2015 and expect to be ready for another run, Tejas style.

MG: The national championship marks the end of the 2014 season for Tejas, and what a way to end a year of hard work! As for if we will make another run in 2015, I tihnk that our motto pretty much says it all: "Queremos mas. Somos Tejas."

Loose Cannon – Women’s Masters
Erin Crider

1.  How does it feel to have won a national title at the 2014 Masters Championship?

EC: It's great. We've all been playing for a long time, sometimes with each other and sometimes against. It felt great to all finally come together and to end a big tournament playing in such a close game in finals and being able to come away with the win. We owe a big thanks to everyone who cheered us on along the way too!

2.  What stuck out as your/your team’s favorite part of the weekend?

EC: We had a great weekend and were lucky to play against so many great teams. Winning was obviously a big highlight, but we all had a really fun time just hanging out and getting to play with each other back in Sarasota. The beach party was lots of fun and a really great idea. We liked that it was on Siesta Key and close to the Daiquiri Deck, but early enough that everyone came out.

3.  What was the biggest challenge in putting together your national championship run?

EC: Getting everyone back from the Daiquiri Deck on Saturday night. It was also hard to get us into one region. It's hard that Jersey/Philly and NYC are in different regions since they're so close together.

4.  What can we expect next from Loose Cannon? Will you be back in 2015 to defend your title?

EC: You never know what you can expect from Loose Cannon.

Congratulations to all three teams on their 2014 Masters Championships titles!

 

Photos (UltiPhotos)