Finals are finally over, and now I get time to digest what happened this past weekend. All week I have been fighting the urge to process regionals, but I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and really let it hit me. I hoping that happens tonight when I get to spend time with my teammates and let it all sink in. There have been a few interesting dreams and short spots when I have allowed regionals to infiltrate the mess of anatomical terms and pathologensises that were packed in my brain, and I want to write about a few of these thoughts.
Mag’s recap of regionals is great for so many reasons. One thing she said that I really agree with, is her mindset going into the tournament. There were times in the weekend that things looked iffy, like we might not make nationals, but really, for the last 2 months I have known in my heart that we were going to make it. Realistically, that is a naive thing to say, looking at our regional competition. This region is outstanding, and no team had an easy path to nationals. Every team that was at regionals had a chance to grab one of those bids, and to say otherwise is naive (in my opinion). I think Midwest conference results are proof of that.
There are two things that truly amazed me about this weekend.
(1) How Scorned managed to come together as a team even stronger than before (not going to cover this. If you saw us play, you should understand. If you didn’t, read Mag’s recap post)
(2) How much support and love exists in this region.
I can honestly say, that after every game this weekend, I had players from the other team come up and not only congratulate us on our wins, but also sincerely wish us luck in our future games. In addition, Scorned had sideline support all season from other teams during games at a variety of tournaments. Although this may be one of the most competitive regions in the nation, there is still a strong sense of unity between teams, and I love that.
Coming from experience, I know what it is like to lose to a team that is pursuing the same goals. When we lost to Carleton in Semis, they knocked our dreams down a notch, in order to accomplish their goal. That is how it works. Last year, we lost to Iowa at regionals and ended our season with that loss. Do you get mad about it? No, you respect your opponents for pushing you and wish them luck in their journey. Last season Bella Donna was the team that ended a lot of dreams for other teams. At Nationals, several of us went to support the teams in our region and watch some good old college ultimate. Bella Donna took 3rd at nationals in a close game against the Skirts in semis. Later that night while talking to some of the Wisco girls, one of them said something to me that really stuck in my head. She apologized to us for losing the semis game and letting us down. Honestly, I thought it was crazy at the time. I was thinking, “You made semis, you guys are awesome!” But after this past weekend, I sort of feel where she was coming from.
Knowing sports, people will probably look at our Wisco game and talk about how it was an upset and how crazy it is that Bella isn’t going to nationals for the first time in I don’t even know how long. It is crazy. They are a great team. I wish our region had one more bid, because I think they deserve to be there too, but that is another conversation. What I take from that game, and what I am going to be thinking about when I walk onto the field in Boulder, is how I am not just wearing a Woman Scorned jersey anymore. I am playing for each of my teammates, just like any other game, but I will also be playing for each of those teams who don’t get to be there.
I can’t say for sure, but I think that is what the Wisconsin player was feeling that night when she apologized to us. Scorned may not have qualified for nationals last year, but Bella (and Carleton) was playing for us. Scorned won the game to go against Bella this year, and it was a huge accomplishment for us, but now it is time to prove that we deserved it. Now we get to play as North Central Region Woman Scorned. We play ultimate, and this sport is about much more than winning and losing. There is a network of family here, and every time I step on the field I gain a new appreciation for how real that support system is. Although it is tough to make “The Show” when you are a team in this region, it makes it so much more worth it when you finally accomplish that goal I can’t wait to make the trip and play some disc in Colorado!
Gapstur #2
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