Category: World Games Previews

World Games Previews: Team Canada

James Burbidge covers Team Canada in the fifth instalment of his World Games Previews.

Team Canada


The Lineup

Candice Chan
Caroline Cadotte
Mira Donaldson
Danielle Fortin
Catherine Hui
Anne Mercier (captain)

Andy Collins (captain)
Cam Harris
Morgan Hibbert
Jeff Lindquist
Mark Lloyd
Nick Menzies
Adrian Yearwood



About the Team

For the first time Team Canada’s male component will be made up more of GOAT players than those from Furious George. Adrian Yearwood, Mark Lloyd, Jeff Lindquist and Cam Harris have all been standout players for the Toronto club team in the last few years. However, Morgan Hibbert from Furious George is probably the biggest name on the team, and is accompanied by teammate Nick Menzies and (ex) Furious player Andy Collins (who appears to have retired from Club). You can see most of these players in action here.

The ladies of the team come from three different teams: captain Anne Mercier and Danielle Fortin come from the Toronto-based Capitals; Candice Chan and Mira Donaldson and Catherine Hui from the Vancouver-based Traffic; whilst Caroline Cadotte is the sole representative of Montreal’s Odyssee.

Standout receivers on this team are Morgan Hibbert, Jeff Lindquist and Catherine Hui. Expect Anne Mercier, Danielle Fortin, Adrian Yearwood and Nick Menzies to anchor things at the back.
 

Jeff Lindquist makes an unconventional break throw.

Coaches and Expected Playing Style

Coached by another familiar name of Canadian ultimate – Jeff Cruikshank – expect this team to bring a fierce competitive spirit to the tournament. Whilst this has occasionally spilt over the top in past competitions, no-one can deny that Team Canada brings a gritty defense more than capable of making comeback runs.

Offensively I’d expect them to use their match-ups in one-on-one situations as much as possible, isolating cutters in as much space as possible. With a tall set of male cutters and a speedy set of female ones, they should have a strong deep game – great if it’s working, tough on a small roster if it’s not.


Expected Finishing Place

So far they’ve played the US team twice, and split the results – the first match can be watched here. Canada has a strong team, comprising players who have been consistently exposed to Ultimate at the highest level. That experience should tell in a competition like this, but I don’t see them overcoming the US.

2nd

World Games starts this Sunday, watch out for viewing links soon and keep supporting our GB teams in Toronto! DP @ tSG.

World Games Preview: Japan

James Burbidge takes a look at Team Japan in the fourth instalment of his World Games series.

Team Japan 

The Lineup

Enzu Eri
Ito Madoka
Namikiri Kaori
Inomata Sanako
Fujikawa Akina
Otsu Keiko

Sameshima Satoru
Matsuno Masahiro
Takahashi Yasuo
Tanaka Mizuho
Kurono Masashi
Shiba Keiichiro
Furuzawa Takanori




About the Team

Matsuno Masahiro is the name that stands out here. Recognized around the world as the best player to have come out of Japan, he was picked 5th in a mock draft in 2009* and invited to play with Furious George for the US club series in 2010. Against North American competition he is usually the defender to draw the toughest match-up (having guarded Beau in the 2009 World Games, will he do the same this year?), and is usually the spark on offense: he is very speedy and has very quick, big, accurate throws. However, he was mysteriously sidelined for much Japan’s campaign at WUGC 2012 – they (and spectators like myself) will be hoping that problem doesn’t occur again.

The other notable name on the men’s side of the team is Kurono Masashi – he is the only player not to come from the dominant Buzz Bullets team, instead playing the last few years with Sack [edit: apparently he has recently moved to Buzz Bullets]. He lead the Japanese Open team in combined stats at WUGC 2012. Standout handlers for that team, Tanaka Mizuho and Takahashi Yasuo also make the team, and it is worth noting that Tanaka is returning for his second World Games, alongside Sameshima Satoru.

On the women’s side of the team players are drawn from a wider pool, including UNO, MUD and Huck. Returners to the World Games team include. Fujikawa Akina lead the combined stats for the gold-medal winning Japanese team at WUGC 2012, closely followed by Enzu Eri  Both dominated in assists, so expect them to step up as handlers for the team. Inomata Sanako was second in goals at WUGC 2012, she and the and equally speedy Ito Madoka are likely to be key receivers for the team, streaking deep and getting free in the endzone.

 

Enzu Eri catches ahead of USA’s Kaela Jorgensen. Picture courtesy of Neil Gardner at nzsnaps.com

Coaches and Expected Playing Style

The distinctive Japanese playing style took the world by storm back in Perth in 2006, and whilst the specifics of it have changed since then, in principal most Japanese teams play the same way. Lead by two Buzz Bullets and a MUD player (part of the 2009 team), I would expect typical Japanese Ultimate from this team.

On offense their small-ball skills are lethal as their handlers break the mark, throw precise lead passes and use give-and-go dumps extremely effectively to get around the defense. Their long game usually relies on putting quite a lot of edge on the throw and being extremely precise – they tend to go around defenders, rather than floating it out for a play to be made. Defensively, this team will probably be one of the few with some extremely well-drilled zones and junky sets in their arsenal. Unlike the cups and walls of yore, these zones will be poachy, floaty and include some man-marking, designed to confuse and frustrate the offense. Traditionally the single-sex Japanses teams have had great success with these zones, but it remains to be seen how effective they will be in an elite Mixed setting.

Expected Finishing Place

Again, a team that could finish anywhere, from 1st to last. However, I expect the direct style of play other teams will be able to bring (i.e. put it high and jump for it), and the small rosters to play against the Japanese.

5th


*other notable names include Beau at 2nd, Dylan Tunnell at 12th and Tom Rogacki at 65th.

WG coverage Update from ulti.tv: WFDF have just completed the contractual details and it is all looking good, no links to where the coverage will be yet but as soon as we get them we will post them everywhere. But here is the schedule for your timezone. Keep supporting our GB athletes in Toronto playing now and on their way to Cali! DP @ tSG.

World Games Preview: Australia

James Burbidge takes a look down under at Team Australia in the third installment of his World Games series.

Before you read this piece please help get the broadcast of these World Games Ultimate games online to view for everyone as they should be, by supporting the ulti.tv indiegogo funding page! This is just one step in making the sport and our community grow, go here now! They need double the amount they already have in less than a day, DO IT! Now you may read on…

Team Australia

The Lineup


Danielle Alexander
Stephanie Malcher
Lisi Moore
Cat Phillips
Michelle Phillips
Sarah Wentworth

Seb Barr
Peter Blakeley
Jonno Holmes
Tim Lavis
Gavin Moore
Joel Pillar
Tom Rogacki
Team Australia.


About the Team

Known as the Crocs, Australia look to be a good balance of experience (two players attended the 2005 World Games), and C4090-451
youth (5 players were at the u23 championships in Florence in 2010). They’ve also got great team spirit, and a winning social media campaign, as evidenced by their website, twitter, facebook and youtube accounts. Plus, they’re getting in the news.

Without a doubt, the biggest name on the list is Tom ‘The Gak’ Rogacki. The most dominant player in Australia for the last 15 years, his name is known around the (Ultimate) world. He brings experience from the 2005 World Games to the team and first represented Australia in 1998. He played in the Masters division at the last WUCC where he lead the division in total stats (goals + assists). A possibly controversial selection, he will undoubtedly make an impact on the field.

Whilst most of the team have a similar wealth of experience representing their country, one player will be putting green and gold on her shoulders for the first time – Danielle Alexander. Making the jump from club to World Games team is a significant step and should indicate a hot new talent.

At the other end of the spectrum is Peter Blakeley who, having come up through the Autralian junior programme, has played for every Australian team possible (without being a woman or a master).  He caught twice as many goals as any other Austalian player in the Open division in Japan, and is a receiver to be reckoned with.

Peter will be reunited with four teammates from that campaign: Joel Pillar, Seb Barr (who threw the highest number of goals on the Australian Open team in Japan), Jonno Holmes (who has played both previous World Games) and Tim Lavis, the Captain of the Crocs. It is unknown how much sleep Jonno and Tim have had since that hammer.

Coming from the extremely successful (silver medal) and well-coached Mixed team in Japan are husband and wife pairing Gavin and Lisi Moore who should bring chemistry to the field as well as a deeper understanding of the mixed game.

Another pairing of note on the team is that of the Phillips sisters. Both won gold with the u23 Women’s team in Florence and both were dominant players in same division at WUGC. Michelle, the older sister, 1Y0-A17 scored the 3rd most goals for the Australian team, and Cat was 4th in total stats in the whole division. She is also still eligible for the u23 tournament taking place in Toronto this year but opted for World Games instead.

Tom Rogacki throws past a Finnish force. Photo courtesy of Paul Hurt.

Coaches and expected playing style

The team is coached by Anna Rogacki, wife of Tom. She coached Cat, Michelle and Steph to a gold medal in the u23 Womens team in 2010 and coached the Club team Honey to a National Championships in 2012. This year she coached the Men’s team Chilly to 3rd place at the Australian National Championships.

Assistant coach Mike Neild was originally a reserve for the team and so presumably brings a close relationship with the players. He has a wealth of playing experience where he dominated the air as a downfield receiver. Having played at World Games in 2009 he knows what’s involved and will be able to share his experience and knowledge with the team.

The Australians have been known for a strong deep game, usually from a vertical stack, and backed up by tenacious man defense. I wouldn’t expect them to move away from what has made them successful in the past, but since they feel like they’ve been knocking on the door for a while, perhaps they’ll look for something new to muscle their way into the final?

Expected finishing place

Australia has been on the 2nd tier of world Ultimate for a long time, and I don’t see this competition being any different. Their strong Mixed results will stand them in good stead over some of the competition, but I don’t see them breaking into the final.

4th.

Remember to donate towards the ulti.tv WG coverage page! Like, share and comment in any way you can. DP @ tSG. 

World Games Preview: USA

James Burbidge takes a look at Team USA in the second installment of his World Games series.

Team USA

The Lineup


Georgia Bosscher
Cara Crouch
Sarah Griffith
Cree Howard
Octavia Payne
Alex Snyder

Ryan Farrell
Ashlin Joye
Beau Kittredge
Mike Natenberg
George Stubbs
Mac Taylor
Dylan Tunnell
Team USA.
About the team

Selectors seem to have opted for wise heads rather than youthful legs here, particularly on the men’s side of the game where only Stubbs is of the NexGeneration. He is team Captain, following a year’s experience in that role at club team Ironside, as well as 3 years in the role at Harvard, during which time he won the Callahan award as the best player in College. He is extremely athletic, has big throws and cool head. Captaining alongside George is Alex Snyder, who captained Fury back in 2008 and was selected by Ultiworld as MVP of their latest Club Championship final. She has plenty of experience at the highest level of the game and knows what it takes to win – two big assets for the team.

Cara Crouch goes up over GB at World Games 2009. Photo courtesy Scobel Wiggins

Whilst neither George nor Alex played on the 2009 team, USA will be bringing 3 returners to Cali: Cara Crouch, Dylan Tunnell and Beau Kittredge. Cara Crouch is an experienced handler with big throws and a Callahan award (2005) under her belt. She plays for Showdown and so will be facing up against teammate GB’s Bex Forth. Dylan Tunnell is one of the most respected players in the US, a stalwart for club team Chain Lightning (Club Champions 2009) and picked by Club Jr to be part of a US All-Star team flown out to Japan’s Dream Cup. You can read an interview with him after the 2009 World Games here. And finally, not much needs to be said about Beau, surely? He’s one of the most dominantathletesinthe game– and that’s not even his game anymore. These days Beau is so feared for his deep ability that people back him by ridiculous amounts – so has evolved into a reset and distribution player, coming under far more than he goes deep. It’s unlikely that anyone else in the world is going to front him so this seems like a plausible position for him to play again. That said, I’m sure we’ll see a few goals and posterisations by the end of the tournament.


Georgia Bosscher lays out for the D
Rounding out the female half of the team are Georgia Bosscher a redoubtable defender (see picture), her former Fury teammate Cree Howard (a 5’8 deep cutter), Seattle Riot’s speedy Sarah Griffith and DC Scandal’s Octavia Payne.

On the male side there are a pair of club captains; captain of reigning National Champions Doublewide – Mike Natenberg and captain of Johnny Bravo Ryan Farrell. Filling out the last spots are Revolver teammates Ashlin Joye (defensivehandler mostly) and Mac Taylor(does everything).

Coach and expected playing style

USA is lead by Coach Alex Ghesquire and Assistand Coach Matty Tsang. Those names alone put them into the top 3 teams at World Games. Alex Ghesquire has coached the club team Revolver to 2 National Championships and 2 World Championships. He will bring established relationships with Beau, Ashlin and Mac from that team. Matty Tsang has arguably an even more formidable pedigree – he has coached Women’s team Fury to 7 National Championships (adding to the two they had won before his arrival) and 2 World Championships. He brings relationships with Alex, Cree and Georgia to the team.

With a limited amount of training time, and some of the best players in the world, it would be surprising if this team worked on anything too tactically complex – expect them instead to focus on their fundamentals and run simple, disciplined offense. Defensively, again I’d expect them to use their legs rather than zone, but they’ll be sure to have some junky sets designed to disrupt pull-plays and change the rhythm of the game.

Expected finishing place

Some of the best players in the world, coached by some of the best coaches in the sport. Every single one of these players has experience of the toughest competition and knows what it takes to win. A team of the highest calibre.

1st

[edit: A documentary is being made about Team USA’s journey to Cali. You can now see the trailer for ‘Bidding for Gold‘]

Sounds like team GB have their work cut out! Like what you read? Remember to share and comment. Keep an eye out for OWT2 Preview coming later this week – JCK @ tSG.

World Games Preview: Great Britain

James Burbidge, brings us the first in his World Games series: Great Britain.

 
Introduction

This series will take an informal look at the teams playing at the World Games in Cali, Colombia from the 28th to the 30th of July 2013.
 
The teams, in (probable) seeding order are:
– Canada
– USA
– Japan
– Australia
– Great Britain
– Colombia (host nation)
 
Teams qualified based on their performance across several divisions at the last WUGC (Japan, 2012) with the exception of the host nation who gets a spot more or less regardless.*
World Games in Cali – an IOC event

 
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The tournament is a round-robin followed by the last day of finals (1v2, 3v4). Teams are limited to just 13 players (to keep costs down for the organisers) with one reserve of each sex (who can’t play once the tournament has started). Obviously playing intense games in heat with a very limited amount of substitutes makes for a tough tournament, but it also makes for some exciting Ultimate.

There were two tiebreaks to decide those seedings (Canada/USA, GB/Australia), which shows the increasing level of parity at this sort of tournament. There’s not one team (with the exception, perhaps of Colombia) on that list who won’t be justifiably disappointed not to make finals.
 
You can watch some matches from the last Games here.
It is unknown yet whether anyone will be live-streaming or filming matches this year.
 
 

Team GB

 
The Lineup
 
Issi Burke
Sophie Edmondson
Bex Forth
Beccie Haigh
Jenna Thompson
Jackie Verralls
 
Tom Abrams (Mum)
Justin Foord
Rich Gale
Ollie Gordon
Rich Harris (Gash)
Matt Parslow
Dave Tyler
Team GB.

 

About the team
 
Whittled down from a training squad of 30, this is a young team nevertheless filled with well-known faces for those familiar with UK Ultimate. A squad of only 13 players means that the selected team has moved away from defined ‘handler/cutter’ and ‘offense/defense’ roles – on this team everyone can do everything. 


The plan from the outset was to train ‘like a club team’ with regular practices in London. That being the case, it’s no surprise to see a strong core of Clapham and Iceni players at the heart of this team.  Justin and Gash are known quantities: big in the air, big throws with the disc in hand; and whilst he might not have quite as much international exposure (neither the US Club Nationals experience of Justin nor a part of the Paganello winning UTI team like Gash), Mum has been a constant on GB and Clapham’s D-lines for a few years now – big pulls and bigger D’s are at the heart of his game (this was an early indicator).


Iceni too contribute 3 players to the team. Team Manager and Iceni Captain Bex Forth has a wealth of international experience with GB and Iceni, as well as US club experience with Showdown (where she won Ultiworld’s MVP). Club teammates Jackie and Becci bring pace and engines to the cutting lanes; neither are the tallest of players but that has never stopped them from dominating their match-ups in the past.

Jenna Thompson (GB Women’s captain at WUGC 2012) is the only returner on the team; her experience at this tournament will surely be of benefit to the team. The 2 remaining women’s spots are rounded out by Sophie Edmonson and Izzy Burke. Izzy has played for the last few years on Open team Devon (top 16 in the UK), seeking higher intensity ultimate; that should stand her in good stead for the pace that top Open players bring to Mixed.


Expect consistency, a cool head and a surprising turn of speed from Rich Gale who should be an anchor on offense. Ex-NexGen-er Ollie Gordon has been a staple of the O-line for GB and Chevy (here’s why) but this highlight reel shows his capabilities on the other side of the disc too. Matt Parslow brings some more inventive throws to the offense, as well as passion on defense. The final spot on the roster is filled out by Mixed superstar Dave Tyler who has a UK University title (Warwick), a UK Open title (Clapham) and 3 UK Mixed titles (Bear Cavalry) under his belt.

 
Coach and expected playing style
 
Coach Sion Scone (Brummie) played on the World Games team in 2009, and coached GB to their highest ever finish (2nd) at Worlds in 2012. Under his tutelage the team has developed a high paced and organic-looking offense – unafraid to take on the mark and put their players into one-on-one match-ups. This aggressive style might be risky, but could pay off big. A conservative style might win against the lower seeded teams, but GB will need to take the game to favourites USA and Canada if they want to cause an upset.
 
Expected finishing place
 
A tough one to call. I’d like to think we’ve got to the stage where the top 13 players in the UK can match-up against the top 13 from anywhere in the world. I think if everything clicks and goes their way, GB can win it all. That said, the pragmatic side of me thinks the consistency of top level competition players get in North America gives them the edge in games like this.
 
– 3rd

N.B. Down on the Open team’s finish at WUGC, but significantly up on the Women’s and Mixed division results (7th and 5th respectively), this predicts GB beating their seed by 2 places.

Support our World Games squad make it to Cali. Watch them play in a ShowGame this weekend too!

 

 
Notes
 
Team GB are looking for some support to help get staff and players over to the tournament. If you can help them out with a few pounds, you should – http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/take-gb-ultimate-frisbee-to-the-world-games
 
Official Website
 

*As long as they had a team in the Mixed division or teams in the Open and Women’s division at WUGC 2012.
 

Let’s go GB! Watch out for a different country next time. Like, share and more. London’s Calling Open preview coming up tomorrow on tSG.