New UQ Ultimate website

(This blog still comes up in search results, so this message is for anyone who stops in here...)

If you're looking for the University of Queensland Ultimate club, the UQ Ultimate Lovers, our current website can be found at www.uqultimate.com.au

If you're looking for something else, we probably can't help much.

AUG '06

The Lovers have gotten back from the '06 Uni Games in Adelaide. The afda had some articles reviewing the week, linked below:
Day 1-2:
http://www.afda.com/trashtalk/showarticle.php?articleid=383
Day 3-4:
http://www.afda.com/trashtalk/showarticle.php?articleid=384

The lovers put on a great display of ultimate, spirit, and party mojo. We went through the tournament undefeated making the final against Macquarie Uni. The final was hard fought by both sides with UQ having the lead 10-7. With some unlucky play and some nice Matt Dowle hucks, Mac took the lead 13 - 12 and we traded to lose 13 - 15. All in all, we set out with a goal and surpassed it. The Lovers put on a great show and should all be proud! I am proud of all of you and congratulate you on the Silver Medal. Also, The Lovers had 3 representatitives on the Green and Gold team, so congrats on this great achievement.

Also, on a side note, some of the inaugeral lovers are back in the US playing Mixed together in the Southwest region. Rahim Buckman, Anne Schott and a close friend, Becky Abe are all on the southwest mixed team, Pleasuretown, from San Diego as the number 1 seed in their region. They seem to have a great chance of making UPA National Championships and we would like to send them the best of luck from back here in Brissy where all Lovers originate from, UQ. Good luck guys and always remember, you are Lovers in our eyes!
http://www2.upa.org/scores/scores.cgi?div=68&page=3&team=5143

Great week Lovers of Aus, and Lovers from around the World! Keep going hard and spreading the Love!

Lovers - AUG champs 06/07?

Sass and I were discussing the UQ team the other night, and came to the conclusion that we should win AUG. Just look at the list (hopefully I won't forget anyone).

Teegs
Genevieve
Jill
Kirstin
Sass (if she starts Med in '07)
Rena (possible, among many options)

John
Brett
Al
Piers
Chris

I think that's everyone. That's our core of "proven" players, I guess you could say, and then we've got the talent coming through Mon and Wed nights.
Hopefully most/all of these people will still be UQ in '07 when I'm around for AUG, and we can just go and win the thing.

John

Latest BPL

I have not posted here before, but I figured it was appropriate to state that UQ Ultimate Lovers have started this recent Bribane Primier League undefeated, until last night, but are still at the top of the table (4-1). We are playing the best ultimate the team has ever achieved over its short lived existence of 3 years. I know we can still get better and thought everyone should know of our success and hopeful continued improvement. Also, below is a picture of the Ultimate Lovers at Mixed Nats after an amazing performance, finished 7th.

Good Luck Lovers!!!

Match report 9 Feb

Matty was a really nice guy tonight, as well as being effective.

Oh, and we lost...

The end.

John

Semi report and season wrap-up

Rubes mentioned his disappointment at the lack of post about our semi-final loss. I hate to see that man disappointed, so here's my brief report.

We went up 2-0 (they had 6 players for these two points).
They went up 7-2.
We took half 9-8.
We traded out of half until 12-10 us.
They scored 3 straight to win the game, 13-12.

The 3rd to the 9th point were terrible. We played awful, awful Ultimate.
Somehow, we hit a switch, and about the next dozen points were some of the best offensive points we played all league. Maybe because I decided to start concentrating on catching, rather than just sticking out a hand...
Let's not talk too much about the last few points though...

D for the game was not great, although had some good (and bad) individual efforts. Personally misread a throw to Matt E by a mile that resulted in him scoring an uncontested goal.
As a team, we continually allowed them to flow down the sidelines. Our old friend, the cut up the line from behind the disc, was once again in full force for the opposition as they caught us napping all night. They also scored 2 goals with it. Fortunately, I paid back one of those when Lee went to sleep.

After we pulled our fingers out at 2-7, we played a pretty good game in some damp conditions.
I think fitness and inexperience hurt us late in the game: at 12-10, 12-11 and 12-all, each time we dropped discs that would normally have been caught 95% of the time (two to the chests of almost stationary receivers). To make it worse, all were within 20m of our endzone...

So a mostly good game to finish the season, except for a terrible 7 points early, and some pretty average D all game.

Season report:

Again, we're showing potential, but not really turning it into performance. Need to learn better fundamentals as a team, on both O and D. Could become the strongest team at MAL, but not without some work.

Had a good season, and most players improved a fair bit.
Matty B is learning more about coaching/captaining every time.
Dave had a top season, becoming a dangerous marker on D (several point blocks), a useful popper, and a handy cutter.
Rubes has found a backhand, and has decided to start using his throws, so that you can't just back him anymore.
Brett's uncle gave him a backhand huck, which I had the pleasure of receiving several times in different games.
Mike had a great first league - from being the rookie a couple of months ago to throwing a break forehand for goal in the semi.
Chris is playing some great Ulti, with some hot D in the semi as well as some great grabs. Hard to believe that this last pair have both been playing only since March...
Erhart has become a much more dangerous thrower. One memory sticks with me - can't remember the opponent, but a cross-field break forehand to win the game was hot.
Steve has become a good cutter, getting open underneath and scoring goals long, and is also starting to use his throws to become dangerous with the disc.
Did we have anyone else? Including me, that's 9 people... surely we didn't have anymore than that...

I'm done. Catch you all in 2007, when I'm back at uni.

Last round of MAL

Well, the last round is over. I managed to play the whole game, and the knee felt good. I'm still out of shape from taking some time off though.

I think this game was quite typical of both teams.
Big City had Tony creating things as a thrower, Mike as an offensive focal point, a junk D most of the time, and Mat being both effective and an arsehole. Quite usual.
UQ have the ability to rip up any team in the league, and it showed, but as usual our lack of fundamentals let us down.

We don't stack straight
We don't stack short
We have either no cuts or multiple cuts to the same place
Our endzone O is crap
We keep getting broken
A couple of skills errors didn't help
And I get frustrated rather easily and throw a lot of turnovers...
Same old story for UQ as well...

It really frustrates me that a team with this much potential has not yet bridged the gap to performance...

Anway, semis next week, finals the week after. If we click, we can win both weeks going away. If we play poorly, we'll lose both weeks by half a dozen.

P.S. Rubes, you played great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I particularly liked that one where I got the intercept on their goal shot and then hucked it to you for the goal.

Time for a new post

Well, we've all been a little bit quiet lately...

Last round of MAL tonight before the semis next week. I've returned to playing this week, and promptly managed to injure my knee last night, so I'm not too happy. It's not particularly bad, so I'm gonna try warming up tonight to see if I can play. I don't intend to push it though, as I'm playing the Melbourne Hat this weekend.

Likely movements in the UQ Lovers team for next year:

GAINS
Alistair Don - Al heard a couple of weeks ago that he'd been accepted into Medicine, starting next year. That's a BIG pickup - another genuine thrower for at least the next 4 years.
Piers Truter (likely) - Piers is from down south, currently in Canberra, and is a multiple Australian representative. He tried to get into Physio last year but was just short of the marks. This year, he got the highest possible mark in all of his subjects, so he's fairly confident. This would be another MASSIVE pickup for 4 years.
Rena Kuwahata (likely) - don't know whether she's certain yet, but is thinking about coming back to do a grad certificate in Economics. Only a one year deal, but she'd be very handy for next year.

LOSSES
Rueben Berg - after some ridiculously long time, I believe he's finally finished his degree. Rubes, what were your plans - you're in Qld in '06, aren't you? But not at uni?
John McNaughton - I'm sick of study, and have a lot of frisbee next year, so I'm deferring the year. Will get a job during the day and play/train outside of this. Back to uni in '07.

I'm looking forward to '07, when I'll be back playing with Piers and Al. But for now, I'm gonna go and stretch for a bit so I can hopefully play tonight.