Get excited

Things to be excited for in the spring about boomland ultimate

-Boomland
-Mardi Gras
-CiCi's
-City Museum
-Sectionals
-Regionals (Believe it)
-Workouts in Irwin
-And my personal favorite, calling simeone old

We've got a best looking team since I've been here and if we can play up to our potential we can surprise a lot of teams. Keep with it and we'll start dealing folks in no time.

I Say BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Now let me hear you say WayOh!

Thoughts on the Armory

So we’ve all completed our first two weeks in the Armory, and I must say I’m very impressed by the dedication that the rookies have shown giving it all they can and the vets pushing themselves to the next level.

So what does all this mean from this point on? It means we’ve got another 3 months of the beauty that is running in a circle and pushing your body further than it thought it would in order to chase down a piece of plastic.

I guess the point I’m trying to make through all this is that the best thing you can do in order to get better is to keep coming every day and pushing yourself and everyone around you each time. The single most important thing that we’ll all discover in our time in the Armory is that everyone is in this together and I would be willing to bet that those guys who finish the cross fits first are the same guys who are there next to you urging everyone else to finish.

And the most important thing to remember throughout all this is that not finishing first isn’t like loosing. It’s unrealistic to think that we can all keep up with Kurley and McLain at the running or Lamp and Rip when it comes to the beasting portion. The most important thing to take away is that you should improve each week based on your performance previously not how by how you think you measure up to someone else.

In fact, the thing that has help me the most in my 2+ years of playing has been that I’m not the most gifted physically, or at all, out there because it has forced me to work on becoming a fundamentally sound player. Determining what it is that you can contribute from the team based on where you currently are is worth a lot more than where you’d like to be, because everyone wishes they had hollow bones and could fly but Pavan is the only one so far who has mastered that one.

The Armory is about becoming an Ultimate player that has the physical tools necessary to compete at a high level. But I would argue that this is the second most important thing to come out of the Armory. We all gain a bond from the late nights and hatred of Stupca and his crazy workouts later in the season. Without that bond we’re just a set of 7 guys out on a field looking to win a game of Frisbee.

Take our time in the Armory seriously and we’ll become more than a set of vets and rookies, we’ll be a team with a goal. And like any good team, our goal is to improve on our performance from last year, last year we made quarters at Nationals. Now it's our turn to get ourselves in the shape and mind set necessary to make a run at least that far again this year.

See you guys out there

Keenan

Tribute to McLain

Hey boys, this is mark and wego posting for the first time on the boomland blog.  We wanted to start by saluting Brain, the genesis of this blog.  If you don't know Brian we like to compare him to another Mclain:

Brian

VS.

John

John may have singlehandedly foiled a terrorist attack on an entire office building in his bare feet, or crippled a plot to control the entire LA airport in an hour, or raced around New York defusing countless bombs, or taken down a helicopter with a car, but Brain, President of the Fun Squad, has killed a panther with his bare hands, scaled Mount Everest in three hours wearing a speedo, swam to Antarctica, and created a television using nothing but dental floss, coconuts, and spare toaster parts.

Think about it

Yipee-ki-yay, motherfucker!

Since no one is doing anything...

I'm Out

Fellas,

This is my last post as the Boomland Travel’s blogger. I seem to have an increased amount of work due to physical therapy, getting back into shape, and trying to get into law school or something like that. It just seems that I am unable to give you guys the kind of attention you deserve as respected men of the Ultimate community. I may have some random posts throughout the year, but nothing on a consistent basis. No worries though, your media crazed minds will be left in the extremely capable hands of Mark and Wego. I cannot think of a better tandem to take over this huge honor.

McLain

Ultimate: A Cultural Perspective

I. Introduction

We all love playing the game of Ultimate or else we wouldn’t practice, lift, and workout every week. However, our love is not felt by the majority of the world. Keeping these two views of Ultimate in mind, let’s examine the question of whether Ultimate is a mainstream novelty or an accepted athletic endeavor.

What exactly does it mean to be inducted into mainstream culture? What even is the mainstream? The mainstream, as reported by Wikipedia, consists of the common and current views held by the masses. These ordinary and usual beliefs are tied to corporate or commercial entities. Mainstream culture is propagated by the mass media to the popular culture. For an activity to be considered a novelty of mainstream culture it must be dropped from popular consciousness in a fad-like fashion.

On the other hand, how does a sport become accepted by culture? To be accepted, a sport most be respected enough to be played by athletes that will further the game. To have people play a sport does not necessary ensure that sport’s success, they must be organized and passionate.


II. Disc and Ultimate History

1871 – 1958 = The Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, makes pies sold in tins with “Frisbie” imprinted on them.

1920’s = Supposedly Yale students begin tossing the tins as discs.

1948 = Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni invent a plastic version of the Frisbie tin.

1957 = WHAM –O buys the rights to the plastic disc and begins production soon after.

1958 = WHAM–O modifies its plastic disc and trademarks the name "Frisbee.”

1967 = The International Frisbee Association is founded.

1968 = Joe Silver designs a team disc game (the early form of Ultimate) at Columbia High School in New Jersey. The first game is between the Student Council and school newspaper.

(Side Note: There were no limits to the amount of players on the field, you could run with the disc, and it had a series of downs. Soon after running with the disc and the downs were eliminated. Also, defensive rules were made and fouls were defined “as any action sufficient to arouse the ire of your opponent.” Instead of Spirit of the Game, the players used the term “gentlemen’s game.”)

1970 = the first printed version of Ultimate’s rules were printed and sent to surrounding New Jersey high schools.

Nov. 7, 1970 = the first interscholastic game between Columbia high School and Millburn High School was played (43 – 10).

Nov 6, 1972 = the first intercollegiate competition was held between Rutgers and Princeton (29-27).

1974 = World Frisbee Disc Championships held at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA.

1975 = the first organized Ultimate tournament is won by Rutgers.

1978 = Frisbee Disc "Hall of Fame" established in Houghton, MI.

1979 = UPA founded.

1980’s = Joes Cuervo sponsors several Ultimate tournaments throughout the nation.

1985 = First World Flying Disc Congress held in Helsingborg, Sweden with representatives from 19 nations in attendance.

1986 = Cub Scouts introduce activity badge for participation in Ultimate.

1987 = The General Association of International Sports Federation accepts the World Flying Disc Federation as a member.

1993 = The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports accepts flying disc sports as a new category for Presidential Sports Award.

2001 = Flying disc sports become part of the World Games in Akita, Japan.

2003 = CSTV broadcasts the College national Championships.

Information from: http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980218.htm
http://www.whatisultimate.com/history/history_game1_en.html
http://www.frisbeedisc.com/about/history.html
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/04.11.07/ultimate-frisbee-0715.html


III. Reasons Ultimate Players Don’t Want Mainstreaming:

Purists believe that if Ultimate goes “public” much of the game’s tradition will be lost. They contest that the more popular something becomes, the more money will be a controlling factor in how it is seen and thought of. It is difficult to think of the media having a frenzy due to an Ultimate doping scandal or kids rushing out to buy some Air Korbesmeyers on the first day they come out. It recent years, the more well know sports have lost some of their allure due to situations like these. Also, society has gawked at Ultimate for decades, why give them the satisfaction? Many contend that because Ultimate started in a grassroots fashion, it should stay that way to keep its homegrown reputation.


IV. Evidence of the Mainstreaming of Ultimate/Ultimate Related Topics

These videos lend themselves more to the commercialization and mainstreaming of Ultimate than to its athletic acceptance (all of them except the Disney Channel one), but it’s still cool to see.

A. Commercials:
Nike


Michelob Ultra


I Don't Even Know What This is For


Other less impressive commercials:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHqUvgyGY5E = Frosted Flakes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-eq0v9779w&feature=related = Snickers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ovu-sp0Us8&feature=related = O2 (TV network)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZeuvT1L8Jc = Aquarius water
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Z9QIHODso = Jeep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUulvQvbjpY = Country Insurance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG7N1ki4Zy0 = Fruity Pebbles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peV0saGddfs = German food

B. Television:
Cheap Seats on ESPN Classic


Disney Channel


C. Music:
Autopulver - Frisbee


D. Movie:
PCU


E. Video games
http://ultimatefrisbee.sourceforge.net/main.html
http://ds.ign.com/objects/898/898907
html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Games


V. Problems that May Arise in Athletic Acceptance:

First, many people believe that the pace of the game is too slow due to the self refereeing of games. A team sport that is self officiated is considered an oddity as call arguing on the field can hurt the flow of a game. Second, not enough people outside the sport may know about Ultimate, they just think it is a hobby for hippies. Third, a fear of change is an attribute of human nature. The big four sports (baseball, basketball, football, and soccer) are all played with balls, and as many of you know, Ultimate is not. A change in sporting equipment can be quite daunting. Last, many companies are fearful to get involved in Ultimate because of the suspected minimal return on investment. While there are some companies such as Discraft, Innnova, Five, and Gaia that have found their niche in Ultimate marketing, many larger firms remain skeptical.


VI. Conclusion

In the end, I think the UPA has been thinking about this issue and is trying their hardest to find a way to represent Ultimate in the best light. They certainly don’t want Ultimate to be just a fad and I think fact that it has been around for this long is testament to that. As ABC Family as is may sound, we view it as a true sport, but many don’t…so let’s become the best ambassadors we can be.

VI. Insightful Questions to Think About as Ultimate Grows:

Is it considered mainstream to become popular? If something becomes mainstream does that mean that it sold out?

Boomland Bios

By Keenan Hammel

Cozza- The Mike Cozza plays for one thing, and one thing only: the love and affection of the women’s team. He always plays better when members of the opposite sex watch him on the field. Thriving on this attention at parties, he is one man you can always count on him to make a night out fun.

J Ko- The beloved B-Team coach sacrificed his body last year to land himself in coach-hood. This reflects in his huddle talks that inevitably descend into shouting at the huddle. Once he settles down he’s pure gold, our own Jekyl and Hyde.

McLain- The heart of the team, McClain brings his unique ability to pump up the team to the field every tournament. Finding Nemo and Aladdin speech topics manage to inspire confidence and enthusiasm, and if that doesn’t work watching him play with a pinched nerve in his throwing shoulder definitely will.

Jon O- The member with easily the most impressive facial hair, Jon O strikes fear into lesser souls with his manliness. He has nasty throws and poaches that are perfectly scoped in for lay outs. Look for a Merlin beard next year to yield a +2 to his defense.

Talon- One of the best looking guys ever in the world, with the hardcore determination that just makes the women swoon. Once his high socked, backward hatted head steps onto the field, the game has changed. His job on the field is never done as he will shut you down with nasty d and then burn you deep for the huck. Oh, and he is so good in the air.

Keenan- Gangly, gangly, gangly. Keenan is a tall drip of water and also has a very Cozza-like approach to women: Ultimate women all the time. He now has in arsenal the longest stretching forehand leans on the team and is a giant of a man but yet can get cruelly low to the ground.

K Hundo- The first recipient of a Pavan cleat gooning. Kevin is an integral part of the tree cup and plays angry. At 6’3” and a solid 100 pounds he brings a killer instinct and incredulous victims will not believe their pain as this stick figure attacks.

Sidrys- Part 2 of 2 of the tree cup, Joe is super long. He is approximately 2 J Ko’s in wingspan and utilizes this height and length to stupefy whoever he is playing defense against. Have I mentioned yet that he can palm a disc? That’s just silly.

Hatcher- Johnny Wego, sweet cuts. He plays like a man possessed and utilizes his football skills to snatch any disc near his person. He is a man of strong emotions, from the time spent talking to his girlfriend to when he lays out through you to grab that D.

Shane- Shane may be the most adorable Ultimate player you will ever meet. He could date your sister and you couldn’t be happier for her. One time, Shay sacrificed day 2 of sectionals to go to Prom his freshman year. We’re working on his priorities, but there’s hope yet.

Peyton- Actually Ryan Tomchek, he is the benefactor of Joel forgetting names and assigning nicknames. This is due to his sweet throws and pale, gawky build. Luckily for him, he’s a Bears fan.

Sul- Scary. Sul is someone you would be wise to be intimidated by at first site. However, he’s like a giant teddy bear, cute and cuddly on the inside. He’s wicked fast, always comes down with the disc, and doesn’t consider his practice clothes clean until they’ve got a smattering of blood on them. Look for him to do some damage in the next 3 years.

Dave- Due to the confusion of having 2 Daves in the program, a certain Brian McLain took it upon himself to find a suitable substitute for Dave J. Inspiration would strike at Mardi Gras when he decided that puddle jumping was a good idea. Thus “Splash” was born. A layout legend will undoubtedly follow.

Nascar- Jeff Gordon is on our team. No, not the devastatingly attractive millionaire, Nascar is from a far off land. He makes devastating circle cuts and has never been to one of our parties. There is only room for improvement from here.

Mark- Mark spent the majority of his youth in suburban Chicago, but that changed one fateful day when the

family moved to Kansas. He would spend the next 3 years dreaming of Illinois and returning home. A promising handler, he holds a Rip-like hatred for the University of Kansas and plays with that passion. Add to that the ability for speechmaking and he is a force to be reckoned with.

Anthony- This young writer, the next generations Bettsy, had to quit the team to follow the women’s track team his freshmen year to write for the Daily Illini. His future skills will only be supplemented by his ability to get track girls to come to our parties. The ratio will well and truly be destroyed.

McKinley- Since the number of nicknames is directly related to playing ability, Kyle McKinley is a god. The recipient of no less than 3, to my knowledge, never gets called his given name while around the team. He’ll be the guy with the throws and D’s. Back to the name game, his girlfriend is Kyla, shenanigans indeed.

Max- The only man to drop his pants on Bourbon Street, Max Docauer will undoubtedly become an Illinois Ultimate legend. He’s got the squirrelly handler thing down too. Even after playing with him for a year, there are times when we’re left scratching our heads; leading the defense to have no idea what’s going on, just how he likes it.

Tom- He’s our mystery man. He comes to practice and tournaments and has been known to throw on the quad from time to time, but beyond that appears to not exist. Popular theories involve Batman and Transformers.

Michael- Old Man River. Michael Simeone could be some of rookies’ father. He claims to have invented Ultimate, discovered gravity, and thought of the wheel. Popular discussion topics involve UPA 10th Edition and the timing of when a pick is to be called.

For Those Who Gained some Summer Pounds

Since school and practice are o going to once again commence in less than a month it might be time for some people to take a look at themselves in a mirror and evaluate their shape. I know that because of my shoulder surgery recovery I have gained a few pounds, and am looking forward to a time when I am allowed to do more than 5 mile walks. Along these same lines I recently came across an older article related to burning calories. What follows is a summary of some points I found most interesting.

In discussing which activity burns more calories running or walking, many believe that the two burn the same amount. The article’s author, Amy Burfoot, is Runner’s World’s executive editor. She states that running burns more calories than walking at a pace slower than 5 mph (12 minute pace). Running burns more calories because running has a more dynamic motion. The act of basically jumping from one foot to the other uses more energy than walking at say 4 mph (15 minute pace). Burfoot also mentions that during a run you burn more calories because your body is required to take in more oxygen. However, walking at 5 mph (12 minute pace) is said to go against the natural motion of the human body. This awkward movement causes the body to work harder and thus require more energy and burn more calories.

To calculate how many calories you burn during a run Burfoot offers this formula for net calories burned/mile: 0.63 x your weight (lbs.). For walking at a rate slower than 5 mph the net calories burned/mile is equal to 0.30 x your weight (lbs.). Net calories burned/mile is used instead of total calories burned/mile to incorporate the amount of calories that would normally be burned due to the basal metabolic rate. Once again, walking faster that 5 mph would burn more than running.

However, there are some discrepancies with the formulas. The proportion of calories burned could be higher or lower depending on the terrain being ran on, how efficient a runner’s form is, the altitude of the run, etc.

To read the actual article check out http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304-311-8402-0,00.html.

With this new found information get out there and train so you don’t look fat when practice comes around.

New Positions

It has come to my attention that beginning next season the Illinois program will be restructured. As with any reconstruction of an organization, be it a corrupt foreign territory after a coup d’ etat or nationally ranked collegiate athletic club, new faces need to be introduced. So just to keep everyone on the team on the same page, here is what your new Illinois Ultimate administration will look like in the fall.

Captains – Denis & Phelan

These fellas take care of us like mother hens on and off the field. They are inspirations to us all.

Junior Captain – Chuck

He is an "inspiration to us all" in training.

Presidents – Brad & Cozza

These guys do the administrative paperwork that keeps the team running smoothly. Their behind the scenes actions are imperative to keeping us on the field and practicing consistently.

CFO – Rip

Follows strict guidelines set forth through Sarbanes-Oxley and oversees the money fundraised, collected, and used by the program.

Treasurer – McKinley

Makes sure we have the money where and when we need.

Fundraising Chair – Me

I try to get money from sources other than the university and your pockets.

High School Outreach – Austin

I am not exactly sure what Austin will be doing this year, but I do know one thing. Austin loves making young men happy so he will do his best to make this work.

Website Coordinator – Somefield

We will once again have an up and running website to show the world what our program is about. The program's website will be a great addition to our Google Group and two Blogs.

Travel Coordinator – Brad

He will make sure we have places to sleep at tournaments that will hopefully be extremely comfortable and accommodating.

Social Chair – Miles

Probably the most important job out of all of those listed above. Miles is going to make sure we have people to party with and earn a spectacular reputation around campus.

Summer Training Motivation

Staying focused on training during summer can turn out to be quite a task. The season seems like it is months, you may not be around your teammates, and your job may leave you feeling tired and impartial after a rough day at the office. Whether you are running, doing cross-fits, lifting, or tossing, sometimes you need that little extra push to get going. Here are some things to think about while you are determining whether or not you should workout.

- Train with friends – a 10 miler sucks a lot less when you can talk with someone. It is a whole lot harder to give during a hard workout when you are with a buddy. For some, the temptation to give up when solo is too much.

- You know your teammates are training – as good of friends as we are all, we all know that there are a finite number of spots on the field and on the team. Therefore, becoming paranoid and freaking yourself out by internally muttering, “I know Phelan’s training right now, so I need to be too.”

- Its awesome outside – take your shirt off and get a tan. You don’t want to kicking yourself because you fretted away the warmth of summer come cross-fits in the winter.

- Have a reward waiting after your workout – you worked hard, why shouldn’t be rewarded for sweat and determination? A nice glass of lemonade or a beer would be refreshing.

- Set goals for yourself – reach a new max on bench, map out a run on gmap-pedometer.com to try and PR, or anything else that can be measured. Make short and long term goals for the month, season, or year. Just remember that you might not achieve the goals right away, these things take time. Just keep working at it.

GlaxoSmithKline

While searching for Ultimate videos on YouTube my friend came across this little gem. It is a whole lot harder than it looks. The University of Sussex Ultimate Frisbee Club, Mohawk, out of the UK, created this game. All you need is four friends, a soapy table, and a crappy disc (this game tends to bend the plastic a little). Once you get the hang of the spinning it’s a lot of fun to see how long your group can keep the disc going on the table. However, neither the video nor the team’s website explains any actually rules, but after playing a little I have these suggestions:

- Turn the game into two 1 v 1 games

- Those at the heads of the table (slappers) are the only ones who can score.

- A score occurs when the disc gets passed the opposite slapper

- The other two prodders are unbiased and do their jobs

How to Pick the Right Running Shoes

While I disagree with Rip’s tactics in getting me to contribute more to this program’s summer reading, I do concur that more stimulus is needed. I would also like to publicly thank Rip for his encouraging words about my future law aspirations. Before beginning where I left off, I would just like to take this opportunity to apologize for my rudely extended absence from the Boomland blog. While I may not have been showing my love for the team, program, or sport in an online media form, I will assure you that all three were never far from my heart. Now on with the show...

Summer is in full swing which has always meant training time for me. To me, there is no better way to stay in shape than just running. To make sure that look great in short shorts when the indoor workouts start again, I like to get a good base in the summer so my quads really pop under the nylon clothing that pretends to cover them. One thing that can hamper even the most ambitious runner, though, is ill-fitting shoes or improperly determined shoes. Before we get started, let me just mention that I used to work at a running store so I am a credible source for this stuff.

When looking for the proper pair of running shoes my first suggestion is go to an actual running specialty store. At most of these stores they will assess your gait (stride) and foot strike to determine if you need a stability or neutral running shoe. Most specialty stores have higher prices that say a Dick’s or Sports Authority. Because of this I would go the a specialty store to get the name of the correct fitting shoes and then go to Dick’s and buy it cheaper. Better yet, go to Eastbay or Zappos and buy an older model of the same shoe. You will already know what shoe and what size to get from the running store so you basically have nothing to lose.

For those of you who don’t want to look like a rookie when you walk into a running store here are a few things to think about. When the sales person is fitting you for a shoe, forget about the color and style of the shoe (fits matters way more). In addition, don’t focus on specifically one brand because there are a lot of good running shoe brands that fit certain type of feet better than others. If they don’t have the shoe you like in your correct size don’t buy one that is too small or too big. If shoes are too big you will get blisters, if they are too small you will get black toenails.

While being analyzed you will be told if you are either a neutral runner, pronator, or supinator. A neutral runner is one who has even wear on the soles of his current shoes. This means that his foot strikes the ground on a flat plane. A person who pronates rolls his foot to the outside. This roll will cause irregular wear on the outsides of shoes. On the other extreme, a supinator rolls his foot to the inside causing wear on the inside of the sole. Supination is certainly less common than a neutral foot strike or pronating. Lastly, running shoes should be replaced either every 3-5 months or 300-500 miles, depending on the frequency and intensity of the running being done in them.

If you have any other questions about running or running shoes send me an email. I can also give you recommendations on stores near you and shoes for different foot types.

Poll Results

Who would win in a deathmatch:
Supposing that the death match would be set up like the NCAA tourney bracket, Wego would kill Sul (only using his left hand) for the championship bout. Tying for third would be Mark's tenacity and Hundo's ridiculous reach. Everyone else would just be killed.


Who has the most fitting nickname:
Halvsies wins. Somehow Nascar got second with Old Man River coming in third. Rounding out the others is the Prez and Lefty in a tie for fourth.

Who would make the hottest woman:
There was a four way tie for first as the team believes that Talon, Joe, Mark and Denis would all make hot females. In an incredible tie for fifth is J Ko, Joel, Kurley, Jon O, and Pavan (all outstanding choices in my book).

Dear Boomland,

I am honored that you chose me as one of your captains this year. I found this season full of challenges and excitement. I know that I learned so much and hope that all of you can come away from this season with the same feeling. You all poured your hearts out when it counted at Sectionals and I could not have asked for more out of any one of you. There is no reason to be disappointed in the way you played. This year, through the collective effort of the team, more people will respect not only our B-team but B-teams around the nation. We are part of a great program and to expect anything less greatness from even our B-team would be detrimental to the Ultimate program that Illinois players have worked so hard to create and maintain. I am proud to have played with you all and can’t wait to see everyone back out next season.

Boom,

McLain (Boring old Brian)

Sectionals Recap

Boomland knew that sectionals was going to be an uphill battle this year and that their play would need to be stepped up to the next level if they had any chance at making it to Regionals.

With those thoughts in the back of their minds, the men of Boomland faced their first opponent of the day, UIC. Boomland looked passed their #2 pool seed and came out firing from the get-go. Boomland drew first blood as UIC put a loose cup on. With an easy fake from Cozza and a toss Talon the cup was broken. This situation would continue to be seen throughout the day. After breaking the cup a few more times, UIC went to man and Boomland had a little trouble getting through it. With the help of ridiculous defense from Wego, Shaby, and Big Joe; Boomland took the game 13-11 for probably the biggest upset in sporting history.

Coming off the intense upset against UIC, Valpo waited on the next field to be defeated. Boomland once again came out of the gates very strong. However, toward the end of the game emotions seemed to fizzle as Boomland let Valpo get back into the game. With the support of the A-team on the sideline and a cool rain hitting their brows, Boomland once again stood on the field victorious 13-9 and now undefeated in pool play.

Jacked up on pure adrenaline, Boomland looked over to the opposite sideline to see their next opponent: the A-team. Boomland looked upon these giants of the Ultimate community not with fear, but with respect for they were brothers. Not brothers from the same mother, but brothers in the sense of shared blood and sweat. As the lines for each team were called and both teams stood opposite each other on the field it seemed as though the world stopped and focused its gaze upon this one single field on the Naperville Polo grounds for this would be a game to end all games. After tricking the A-team into thinking they were receiving, Boomland received the pull and effortlessly marched up the field for the first score for the game. However, this score would only be one of three for Boomland as the A-team’s A-teamness was too much for younger and better looking Boomland team. The highlight of the game came in the second half as Jon O burned Lefty deep on Beta X for a money shot in the end zone for the score. Although there was a mutual agreement to not hurt anyone on either team, the A-team decided to break that covenant: Pavan air snaked Hundo in the face and Austin decided to test to see how brittle River’s old bones actually were. At the end of the game Boomland lost 4-13, but it was much closer than that on the field.

I wish the A-team game would have been Boomland’s last game of the day because Boomland lost the concentration they had worked so hard on maintaining through the first two games of the day. To make their lives easier, Boomland needed to win their last game against Purdue to get into the Championship Bracket on Sunday. Purdue had a very athletic team and Boomland had trouble containing their longs. Boomland’s hearts and heads just seemed to not be into the game as Boomland sadly lost 13-7. This loss would mean we would be placed in the 6^th place bracket and have to win four games in row on Sunday.

Saturday passed and Sunday came just as winter melts into spring. Sunday was an opportunity for rebirth and a bid to Regionals. Boomland’s first game was against Earlham. With Jesus on their side Earlham took control of the first half and got at least four breaks. Boomland did not give up though and through the exquisite play of Cozza, Talon, Wego, Rivers, Prez and others Boomland was back in the game. However, the breaks given up in the first half were too much to com back from and Earlham prevailed 15-13. (Sidenote: Earlham was one of the nicest teams ever, really great guys)

After the rumors of a Sunday ending on a “one and done” type deal Boomland began preparations to play Loyola. As with the game before, we had trouble getting into the game early on and breaks in the first half would eventually come back to haunt Boomland in a 13-15 loss to Loyola.

The last game of the day for Boomland was against Northern. These guys played a very similar game to what we played and it looked to be a great game. But going along with the theme of the day of having breaks come back to bit us in the butt, Boomland regretfully lost its last game of the season. We fought hard in the second half and brought it back within two points on several occasions, but just could not seal the deal. Boomland ended its season in placing 13^th in Sectionals.

Additionally...

If we make it to regionals then the MVP as voted by his teammates will have the opportunity to shave my head. I am willing to part ways with my lovely locks for this glorious cause.

Sectionals Preview

As it stands right now there are four other teams in our pool: the A-team, UIC, Purdue, and Valpo. However, this may change as Cole thinks Valpo may not be able to make it which would move Notre Dame-B into the five seed in the pool. To be in a position to make it to regionals we will have to break seed and beat one team ranked ahead of us.

Round 1: Since Judson dropped out, we have a first round bye. This means that we can’t come out flat because other teams have had games to work out the kinks. This means that getting a good and focused flow during warm ups is imperative.

Round 2: Our first game is against UIC. We lost 13-3 to these guys at Chicago Invite. This is going to be a tough game, but this will also be the first tourney where we will have our full squad. If we are able to play the type of Ultimate that we have been discussing all season, then there is no reason why this game should be considered an automatic loss. This is one of the three teams ranked higher that we will have to beat to play Ultimate for one more weekend in April.

Round 3: We will play either Valpo or Notre Dame-B depending on Valpo’s situation. At Whitesmoke we lost 13-10 to them, but we did not have our full lineup and from what I heard our play was not at all representative of what our program is about. This game is a must win boys.

Round 4: This game might as well be the showcase game for the entire weekend. We have a tradition of playing our hearts out against the A-team fellas. This game is all about pride. When we played the A-team at club sectionals we showed that we can elevate our game to a new level. I find it rather interesting that the A-team has not asked us to scrimmage them this season (fear?).

Round 5: Cozza and I feel this is the big game on Saturday for us. We need to beat Purdue, UIC, or the A-team for a chance at regionals. I don’t know too much about Purdue and we haven’t played them this season or played many of the same teams they have. Last year we tied Purdue for 11^th. Lets just beat them.

Cozza should be emailing out some notes to everyone today on things to work on. Come to practice so we can work some things out and get our gamed honed for this weekend. Be smart this week with getting your work done, sleep, and eating right. Tourney week, boys. Tourney week.

Boom.

Whitesmoke Summary

I cannot think of a better analogy (http://youtube.com/watch?v=mZ7ZpLgkVxA&feature=related) for the weekend, nor a more appropriate one given our location about how the past tournament weekend went. I think we showed that we had plenty of heart http://youtube.com/watch?v=3JeLcP7Xa5o. There wasn’t a game in which we didn’t win a half, but we went 1-5. There were some lowlights of the weekend http://youtube.com/watch?v=IEpi6ZbM_nE, but there were also some awesome highlights http://youtube.com/watch?v=3MfLrw6NpJM. Lets take a deeper look into the weekend.

Game 1: vs Kalamazoo http://youtube.com/watch?v=fFv_PoZ2iP0

Our first game of the day against a team that was faster, stronger, and just a tad better. http://youtube.com/watch?v=oGECJP3phyY. Their pulls were always in the back of the endzone and we had a hard time jumpstarting the offense from that far back. Zone O and Zone D was good, I don’t remember much else. Lost 13-8 after 7-2 half?

Game 2 vs North Park X. It really was an X caliber team, as we easily took the first half and their players would routinely forget to stall, get broken, and just all the other stuff that goes with being a rookie. Second half, the north park vets started playing and shut us down. I think that’s all there was to it that game

Game 3 vs Valpo. We were up most of the time, at the end line calling was still a bit too loose for the situation. It was 10-10 at one point and then they ended up pulling it out (that’s what she said) http://youtube.com/watch?v=pwyznJ4U-pA. We will be them this weekend.

Game 4: vs St. John’s. What happened? They had 9 guys, one who happened to be 7-0 and muscular, but what does that mean? Nothing. We just didn’t show up.

Sunday

Goshen: The sole win of the weekend came in a 13 14 crossover. We won easily, but didn’t never closed the game completely. Not much to say about this game other than we were flat and should never let a team of this caliber keep with us.

Lewis: Highlight game of the weekend. They are a good athletic team and it was a good fight by both teams. We went down early. They scored 3 or 4 in a row to start and half was 8-3? We turned it on in the second half when Michael started getting pissed at how not explosive we were playing. He got a D and things went rolling from there. Everyone started getting Ds and making plays. Sidrys had a layout D, later Michael got a footblock in the endzone, disk went up in the air, and Kevin Hund was in the endzone and just snagged it out of the air. That second half showed how we can play. We just need to perform that way.

Notes for the future: Everyone learned something. Handler cuts were better, longs started cutting breakside, hucks to Chrysler never got old. It will be exciting to see how Illinois Boomland will perform this weekend in Naperthrill

Huck Finn

Boomland entered in the state of Missouri and big smiles and big dreams. Upon our arrivial in the state of Pat, Denis, and Joel we opted for the non traditional route of making awkward comments and scenes at the Hooters in the parking lot.

Saturday started with the sounds of Anthony throwing up at 5:30AM. Then after a 45 minutes drive to the fields we were ready to play Wisconsin B. Wheaton described this game as “the battle of the best B-Teams.” We tried not to disappoint and played hard up to the closely scored half. But in the end, their four man cup was too much given the wind and our growing incapability to get our offensive moving and we lost 11-5.

Next we played Judson the six seed in our pool. After losing our first game, I was happy to see Boomland did not come out cold. We struck fist and never let up. Boomland took the game 11-1.

After working the kinks out, Wheaton was up. They were the first seed in the pool so we knew we were going to have to play with more gusto than previously. The first two games were played in an up-wind/down-wind fashion, but this field was turned the other way and allowed for actual Ultimate to be played. We started off slow and it looked like we were going to have a another game like Wisconsin B on our hands. That was, until we decided to take five straight points. They decided that we might be a threat and put in Weasel who Chrysler shut down for the most part. In the end we had dug too much of a deficit and lost 11-7, but we fight really hard for that loss.

We came out strong against Missouri-X, but for some reason lost a lot of steam as the game progressed. Their team was good, but in way should we have lost. We moved back to the up-wind/down-wind fields and hucked too much. I miss we could have seen them in the finals, but we needed to beat at least one team seeded ahead of us to make the Championship Bracket. We lost 11-7.

We lost to Beloit in our last game 11-9 and I would really prefer not talking about it. I can speak for everyone in saying we want to see them again, soon.

Sunday began with a nice “not knowing where we were going” drive through St. Louis. Once we figured out that we were using directions to get to the tourney party and not the fields, we fixed the problem. We played Wash U-B first. The fields were amazingly muddy from flooding and rain the night before. Jon O and at least three others were covered in Missouri mud before warm-ups had ended. From the start of the contest we took control of the flow and speed of the game. We started working on different defenses and J Ko called mixed up lines. After it was all over we won 15-2.

We played Judson again for the next match up. We didn’t take this game as seriously as we should have and the score showed it. We ended up only winning 15-10.

To determine the who got the 17^th place crown we had to play ISU. After two rounds the fields we officially screwed and it was one big mud pit. Sharp cuts were out of the question and I cant even imagine what the handlers were doing to deal with it. We started out sloppy and did not expect the aggressiveness and intensity that ISU came out with. At half we were down at least five. We had a lot of work to do in the second half. Lead by inspiring efforts by Jonny Wego, Cooza, and Chrysler Boomland battled back as best it could. With a little time before soft cap went on ISU was up 12-6. Boomland did not want to die like that and decided to friggin’ fight through everything to get that last point. The point was scattered with turnovers from both teams. Soon hard cap went on and the point had not yet finished. After fifteen more minutes of defense and cutting Cozza found McLain for a little ten footer to end the game. We lost 12-6, but am happy at how hard we fought to get that last point.

4x400 Time Trial

Last night was supposed to mark the first of many A Team vs. Boomland competitions, but due to unforeseeable factors that was not that case. The A Team did, however, finish second among the four teams entered in the race. The makeshift half Boomland and half random guy relay got third, but hey we did beat the women’s relay. The first and longest leg of the 4X400m was started by Bonges for the A and my roommate, Jimmy, from last year. Bonges took the field out hard and made sure his presence was known. By the first hand off the runner relay had taken the lead, followed by Jimmy who passed Bonges with about 100m to go. Bonges finished with a 59 split. The runner relay had a 20m and the baton as the baton was passed to me. Miles was only a meter or two behind. Miles and I made up considerable ground on the runner team and put everyone basically even. I handed off first with a 55 and Miles handed off a second later with a 56 split. My team’s third leg had just run the mile and sadly it showed. Kurley passed him not very far into his quarter and began his pursuit of the runner team. Though he did not catch the runners, Kurley still boasted a 57 split. Some time after Kurley had handed off to Phelan for the anchor leg; Sul finally got the baton in his capable hands and went crazy. While Phelan was busy trying to catch the other team who was in range Sul realized the race was kaput and coasted it in. When everything was said and done the runner relay won, followed the A Team anchored by a 58 effort from Phelan, then Boomland with Sul’s 60 split coast, followed by the women’s team. Overall I had a good time and am looking forward to doing it again during the outdoor season.

As a side note Kurley looked ridiculous because he had a headband on.

Chicago Invite Preview

Who wants to play at 8am on a Sunday? I sure as hell don’t, 9:45 is more up my alley. So you may be asking yourself, “How do I avoid playing at 8am on a Sunday Cozza?” The answer is simple my friend, go 4-0 on Saturday. That includes, but is certainly not limited to eradicate Elephantitis, murdering Michigan Flint, nix the Ninjabears, and finish off FUNK. To quote John Madden “The team with the most points will win the game”, that could not be more true for our situation, but I would like to add my own addition, ß yes I know that’s overly redundant. “The team with the fewest turnovers will win the game.” Plain and simple, black and white, clear as day, right as rain. We have been drilling the basics, running through the disc, doing all the defenses, all of the offenses, and handler and long drills. I know it may have seemed boring, but that’s what we need to do.


I want everyone to look at this from last year

1 - Illinois A
2 - Indiana
3 - Notre Dame A
4 - Loyola-Chicago
5 - Northwestern
6 - Chicago
7 - Wheaton
8 - North Park
9/10 - UIC/Ball St.
11/12 - Illinois B/Purdue
13 - Illinois State 1
4 - DePaul
15/16 - S. Indiana/W. Illinois
17-20 - Earlham, Lewis, Hanover, S. Illinois
21 - Indiana St.
22 - Notre Dame B
23 - Northern Illinois
24 - Knox
25 - Illinois C
26 - Rose Hulman
27 - Lake Forest

The coming weeks will prove what we are capable of, Chicago Invite, Huck Finn, and Whitesmoke. It’s been over a month since we have all been outside, so next week get outside and throw in that Champaign wind we all know and love. Next week is a pretty constant high of 47. So get out and throw next week.

A Little Something to Think About...

Part 1



Part 2

Keenan's $.02

Gents, I’m here to give you a talk. No, not that talk.

This is about the team. No, this is about more than the team. This, gentlemen, is about the family we are as Illinois Boomland.

We’ve all endured crossfits and track workouts together. We’ve all spent time on and off the field with each other, and because of that we’ve become closer than teammates. We’ve become a family.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Who’s the daddy bear? And my response, quite simply is we don’t have one dad, we have two. McLain and Cozza. That’s right, we’ve got two dads, and we all love it.

We’re all the kids running around, breaking shit and shitting on shit. But those two head up this ship and we listen to them because they know their shit. We’re in this together my friends and the only way we can get through and accomplish what we’ve set out to do is continue to bring this family closer together.

So I ask you this, next time you are bored on some night, give someone else on the team a call. All our phone numbers are on the Google group, and the odds are good one of us is up to something if it’s a weekend. If you have questions on a homework, hit a vet up, chances are there’s someone on the team older than you in your major or who has taken a class you’re in that can help.

That’s my two cents for now gents, I hope that I’ve made my point. We’re a family, and we’ve got to keep that up and strong from here on out. Let’s kill some folks at Chicago Invite and prove that we’re more than anyone thought we are.

Boom,

Keenan

Poll Results

The best place to eat after a tourney is Cici's. This fine eating establishment completely trumped all other challengers (20 votes). This domination is due to Cici's corporate strategy of making large quantities of pizza at a cheap price. The pizza is not the best tasting, but I would much rather a lot of something thats ok than a little of something that tastes great. Next in line is Arby's 5 for $5.95 deal (9), followed by Wendy's dollar menu (8) and then Olive Garden, Chiili's, and McDonald's.

As for the most hook-upable Boomlander there is a tie. I was not only surprised to see you voted me in the top two, but was also grateful. You guys make me blush. I am proud to share this title with Mr. Don Charles. For those rookies who don't know this man, ask a vet. I am sure that his tale of perseverance will inspire the most unambitious. Coming in next was Austin, but even though he has a full chest of hair, due to recent events he is now disqualified from the competition. Johnny Wego, Halvsies, and Mark are in the next tier. Once again though, Halvsies has to be disqualified despite him retaining the best qualities from his two ethnicities. Rounding out the field are Talon, Joe, Nascarm Gramps, and Somerfield (disqualified). Keeping all disqualifications in mind the final rankings are DCS/Me, Johnny Wego/Mark, and finally Talon/Joe/Gramps/Nascar. All good choices in my book.

Quick reminder that we will be having a meeting after the cross-fit on Thursday. Be there.

Fireside Chats With the Prez (Volume 1)

My fellow Boomlanders; This marks the first of possibly numerous conversations I will have dealing with yet to be determined topics.

This Week's Topic; the search for Scoring celebrations that are hilarious, while not making us look like douche bags, or upsetting the other team too much. This has been an ongoing topic of conversation amongst several Boomlanders with few executions. The shoe shine has made several appearances thus far in practice (and maybe once during a game), but we have yet to have a culminating team-wide score celebration.

With This in mind, I've come up with some preliminary ideas

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rR89YByD9LE

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yRmqZRPgK1w

Check out the dudes in the yellow about 1:50 or so into it.

While These are enticing ideas, They lack the "spirit of the game" that many ultimate folks consider to be an important part of the game. Something slightly more low-key might be in order. With this in mind, incorporating the help of others will be key.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3pL7DiTPKcw

Also, a little something extra; A preview of the Chicago Invite (Hint: Boomland is not the Leopard)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YhtYvQOZO4U

Possible Topics for next week;

- A Theme Song for Boomland

or

-I did it BECAUSE MARK TOLD ME TO!!

Sarver's Searches

Google is probably the most well known search engine out there. And what are search engines for? They are for looking up stupid stuff like biographies of famous artists and the number of atoms in a mole and random stuff like that. But what they are also good for is seeing how cool you are compared to other people with your name. In this flagship edition of Sarver’s Searches, I will attempt to bring you the most ridiculous results Google comes up with when you type in a Boomlander's names.

This week we are honoring the eldest, wisest member of Boomland: Jordan ‘Grandpa’ Miller. Jordan has seen things we only read about in history books. Jordan lived through joyous events such as the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System, Windows 1.0 and the debut of the Mercury Sable and the Ford Taurus. He also had to endure such tragedies as the crashes of Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 and Arrow Air Flight 1285, both in late 1985. He can still remember the terrible shock of seeing the disastrous scene on the news as he told me in this interview, “I can still remember the shock of seeing the disastrous scene on the news, it was terrible.” So, to pay tribute to Jordan before he goes senile, I have chosen to do the first search on him.

Amazingly, when I searched for his name, one of the first searches I found was ‘U.S. Figure Skating Champion’, so naturally I went with that one. Jordan Miller (not to be confused with Jordan Miller) began skating at age 4. Skating was his passion, and he was often teased for wearing his skin tight Lycra unitard to class in high school. He didn’t let that shatter his dreams of ice dancing to the Footloose soundtrack though. In 2003 he became a member of the State Farm/U.S. Figure Skating Scholastic Honors Team. He now judges U.S. Figure Skating competitions nearly every weekend. Jordan Miller’s interests include the television show ‘Lost’, Sprite, golf and cooking. He also has a strong passion for debate. He currently holds the title of ‘Apprentice Debater’ but he hopes to one day make ‘Master Debater’. Jordan lives alone with his 4 cats.

So when you see Jordan at practice, take a minute to appreciate him and remember he’s not just some old dude that plays Frisbee with us, he’s OUR old dude

Chicago Invite

Alright guys, we are less then one month away from the Chicago Invite. There are going to be at least eight teams there from our sectional. This means that we will be getting a great chance to see some of our competition a month before sectionals. Of these eight teams, four out ranked us last year at sectionals with our tie for 11th: Loyola (4), Wheaton (7), North Park (8), and Chicago (tied for 9). Loyola suffered a huge loss as Denis now plays for us and I am not too sure about everyone else. Nevertheless, even if each of these retained all of their players from last year, Boomland has grown by leaps and bounds. We currently have a team full of guys who don't just dick around and play for fun. Don't get me wrong Ultimate is fun, but playing Ultimate and winning is even more fun. We have a solid opportunity this year to take a trip to regionals. We have been putting in the time running, pushupping, situpping, chinupping, and suffering through the process of getting better as a team. Each practice we are strengthening the bond that we have forged not through being born brothers, but through pushing each other harder than we could by ourselves. I hope that all of you out there feel what I feel.

In high school I came from a very tight knit and successful running program. I worked my ass off everyday not because I was told to, but because I knew the guy next to me was not going to give up so why would I? Last year, I didn't really feel that as an Ultimate player. I liked everyone, but that passion was missing. This is year has been completely different. I know that I am willing to sweat and bleed for each one of you and I can see that there are a lot of you who feel the same.

So lets keep working our asses off in the Armory and keep our heads and hearts in it at practice. I know that this team can accomplish great things this season, and I hope that throughout the season all of you will share that same vision. Always keep Chicago in the back of your heads, boys.

Newest Inductees

Last night was a great night as four more Boomlanders, one girlfiend, and one roommate maned up to rip some phone books. Austin rolled through his first, then Jon O answered the call, then I boosted my stats, then our first female finisher (Maggie), then Halvsies felt the need to not be too outdone by his girlfriend. Towards the close of the evening Chrysler joined the ranks of the rippers and James Macatangay, long-time friend and supporter of U of I Ultimate, took a personal vendetta against The Yellow Book Co. and it subsequent entities. At the end of the night it was Jon O with four, Austin and Maggie with three, Halvsies with two, me with two more and Chrysler with one. I put a call in to Yellow Book and left a message asking for some more books, so we'll see what happens.

McLain (7)
Somerfield (5)
Jon O (4)
Austin (3)
Cozza (2)
Halvsies (2)
Chrysler (1)
Team Total (24)











Maggie (3)
Kevin - Jon O's roommate (1)
Friends and Family Total (4)





















































Let's keep up the good work boys.