WS 2014: Spunk and Spirit

That time of the year is here, Nationals 2014 has been announced, WS tournament schedule has been set, and plans are in the works to make this the best woman scorned season yet.

I have said it before, and I am sure I will say it again but each year, each team is different. Each team needs to make its own goals, and figure out its own way to achieve those goals. It is not about what we did last year, and it definitely is not about what role you played last year. I have already seen how each player on the WS 2014 team has grown. Our juniors and sophomores worked so hard over the summer, from pickup to summer league to club, they put in the work needed to improve both their skills and confidence. I have no doubt these players will continue working hard and fill the very large roles needed.

If possible I would say this team has more spunk and spirit than any WS team before. All our rookies and new players have the drive and aggressiveness that has already carried through to their play on the field, and their work ethic at practice. I have already been inspired by our rookie class. I can not wait to get to know them better, and to be able to call them my best friends, as I can with all my teammates. Rookies if you thought the fall was fun, wait for the spring.  It is more work, more joy, more time together, more time for the magic of this team to happen.

Lets push each other to make this season the best.

Under WS 2014 Leadership:

Coaches : Kevin Seiler, Magon Liu

Captains: Cami, Janani, Pesch 

You will be able to see us at the following tournaments 

Feb 8-9 Queen City Tune Up (Charlotte NC)

March 1-2 Midwest Throwdown (St. Louis MO)

March 22-23 Woman's College Centex (Austin TX)

TBA  Fools Fest (Lawrence KS)

College Series

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. - African Proverb

-<3 Cami #16

---- fatty numba five

It's about so much more than the game

On November 9^th, it will officially be 4 years since I created this blog. Life was perfect as a college senior with way too much time on my hands to just think and write about frisbee. After over a year hiatus from writing on here, I can’t help myself but to return and post a few thoughts about the things I have learned in life since entering the wonderful alumni world.

Let me begin by saying that I love frisbee. I love everything about it. I have been lucky enough to experience the Pacific ocean at sunset, the Atlantic at sunrise, the view from the top of a mountain, a completely silent street on the first snowfall of the season, but none of these compare to the feeling of walking onto an ultimate field in the morning with dew on the grass and the sun burning off the fog as you prepare to spend the next two days with your best friends playing with all your heart against the people who you will spend that night celebrating life with. That’s ultimate. That is the happiest of my happy places. If you are a rookie, I am so excited for you to fall in love with this lifestyle. If you are a veteran, I am glad you are part of what makes me love this community so much.

 

Due to traveling and the time consumption of 4^th year of veterinary school, I was forced to take this year off from ultimate. For the first time in 5 years, I was going to enter a year of life without a team standing next to me, working together and providing support every day. It was scary, but the hardest part was that all of my best friends, who had been my teammates for the past 5 years, were continuing on without me. Frisbee and my teammates are what have got me through the past 3 extremely challenging years of school, and now I was about to have to finish this last year on my own… or so I thought.

The past 10 weeks I have been traveling around the United States doing veterinary rotations in different locations. I have stayed in San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, and Sanibel Island. The medical opportunities I have experienced through this trip have been unreal but what have taken this trip from “a great experience” to “the trip of a lifetime” is the people I spent time with along the way. In every city I stayed in, I was able to find ultimate friends who shared their lives with me and allowed me to be part of their team for the few days or weeks that I was there. From playing pickup beach ultimate, to getting my butt kicked at a workout in a foggy stadium in the middle of San Francisco, to practicing with elite ultimate teams just weeks before regionals, it turned out I was ANYTHING but without ultimate in my life. 

The point I am trying to make goes far beyond the few experiences I have had on this trip, and it lasts a lifetime if you allow it to. Ultimate is about community, and it doesn’t stay on the field when the game is over. Spirit of the Game isn’t just something that allows us to function without referees in our sport. It is a level of respect that leads to concrete friendships that form between you and that Asian handler you marked up against every time you played Michigan or the guy you played on a team with that one weekend at Poultry Days or the coach of the Wisconsin team who beat you all through college. SOTG is about respect. When you respect your teammates and opponents enough to play with spirit, a community is built that doesn’t let a win or loss keep anyone from caring about each other and building “unforeseen friendships.”

Everything you do in life has consequences. When I was in college, I joked around with my opponents on the field because it was fun. Never in a million years did I think that it would lead to places to stay, friends to hang out with, and opportunities to play ultimate in the middle of a veterinary trip, but I am so happy that it did. I love ultimate, and I am so thankful for all of the ultimate experiences I have been blessed with in my year off. I’ve learned that it is possible to leave the game, but good luck escaping the community. It’s about so much more than the game, it’s a lifestyle.

Lindsey Gapstur

Woman Scorned Alumni

HS Centrals Coming to AMES!!!!

Woman Scorned along with ISUC, the Des Moines ultimate community, and the city of Ames are so excited to be hosting the 2014 High School Centrals tournament.  Thanks to a lot of hard work by many different people we are able to bring hundreds of youth ultimate players and their families to Iowa State to compete for a regional HS title during a weekend in May.

I have some extra excitement to be apart of bringing this tournament to my new home. I know how this tournament inspires young players, mostly because I was inspired by this tournament during my HS ultimate years. Formerly Westerns/Easterns this tournament was my first exposure to a bigger USAU (then UPA) event.  I could go on and on about my first time going (2007) and how we brought 10 players and lost every game. I could also go on about how 2 years later (2009)  my team got third place,  surprising even ourselves . This tournament pushed our players and our program to get better.  I can still put myself on that field before the finals in 2010 feeling like all my hard work over the past 5 years had paid off. 

This tournament IS THE NATIONALS of high school. It doesn’t get any bigger or better than this. You can bet that this tournament is going to be one these young players will never forget, and hopefully the one that inspires young players to be the best they can. 

A lot of buzz about bubble wands in the player packs... 

Iowa State Woman Scorned would like to cordially invite you to...

...The 2nd Annual Ames to Please!  We, Woman Scorned of Iowa State University would love for you to come and participate!  Here's the dealio:

Who: Ya'll

What:  Come play some frisbee.

When:  October 5-6, 2013

Where:  The wonderful city of Ames, Iowa

Why:  Because the competition's good, the people are great, WS infamous player packs,  and there is going to be a mini rookie tournament after games Saturday!

Bid Fee: $175

Please email wscapts@iastate.edu with the following information if are interested in participating:

Team name/school:

2013 college ranking/placement at 2013 College Nationals (if applicable):

If your men's team is interested in participating please forward this email and have them reply to Jmsn.dslv@gmail.com

YOLO

Blogs on Blogs

Hey Scorned Ladies, Alumni, Friends,

Pesch, Mag, Becca and I are extremely excited to leave on our U23 adventure tomorrow. We will be representing Scorned on the under 23 USA Ultimate teams in Toronto Canada July 22-27.

If you are interested in following our journeys we will be updating a tumblr blog with pictures, thoughts, scores, and anything else we find along the way.

You can find this blog here http://theu23quad.tumblr.com/.

You can also follow the U23 twitter accounts, games start on July 22 and the live stream will be available for purchase through nexgen network https://www.ngnultimate.com/events/5

@USAUltimateU23X (Cami & Becca)

@USAUltimateU23W (Mag & Pesch)

Again thank you to everyone for the support. 

-MBCP

Woman Scorned Custom Jerseys Available!

Becca Miller

Becca "B-E-C ATTACK!" Miller should definitley be one of your Top ultimate fantasies pick for 2013 College Championships (along 

with other Woman Scorned ladies). Honestly, she's been my Ultimate WS fantasy (its something the vets used to do) pick since her freshman year. Her rookie year she was WS's silent threat (she was a lady of few words). Her and her compradre, Sarah Pesch, their ultimate autodidacticism helped them master basic throwing before their first tournament rookie year. And like many ultimate players before her time, she has shown what love, hardwork, and dedication can bring to this sport. I am pleased to have played with such a devoted and skillful player. 

Woman Scorned, CLX, and Ultimate Love. HELL. HATH. NO. FURY.

Woman Scorned #12, 

Jazz

Her Heart is as Golden as Her Layouts.

If adorableness were THE definitive characteristic of a Callahan winner, Becca Miller has this thing in the bag.

And just because that is not the test by which we judge the nominees, I hope that anyone considering the qualifications of this prestigious award do not overlook what it's true namesake demands of in your weighted vote in looking beyond skills of the player in just the aspect of the game. 

The memorial award of the Callahan, asks that you weigh the character off the field as strongly, if not more so in my opinion, than the performance they give you on the field.  And if you feel differently, you may not have read or read enough times, the story of the man who was Henry Callahan.  I'll give you a second to follow that link and look it over...
 

...Really good stuff, right? 

We remember the person as his character which had nothing to do with his playing skills but everything to do with his love of the game and his dynamite personality.  Becca Miller is the precise definition of a Callahan winner judged only by her adorable persona yet she is still one hell of a stand-alone player in any tournament against the field of nominees.  The One-Two punch of Becca Miller is why I believe she is the highest qualified female player nominated in 2013 for the Callahan award.

It was not until recently that I had my first season playing with Becca as a teammate, so my first encounter and initial perceptions of Becca were when she was a freshmen and I as her coach in the first week of the Fall 2009 season.  Scorned had just come off it's first season qualifying for College Nationals and I was invested in seeing the program continue in it's success.  Becca has always imbued a lot of confidence in this alumna that passion and hard work will carry on the programs' successes.  In fact, I believe the current teams' success can be contributed to her silent devotion being adopted by each and every one of her teammates.  They respect her and have followed her lead.

In that first week of Fall practice, Becca came early and stayed late to work on throwing and I remember thinking "Are you kidding me!?"  I remember how awesome that was seeing the future of the team flash before my eyes.  Her confidence and ability were ten times of any typical rookie's throws by the first month because of her hard work alone.  It was always obvious from the first moment that Becca brought to the game a great field sense, great hands and stellar athleticism even before she acquired the knowledge of how to play but it is always that vigorous extra effort that remains with me today when I think back to meeting Becca.

When I ruminate further on that freshmen player and think about her attitude and abilities today from a coach's perspective, I believe her greatest strength is that she is VERY coach-able which has continued up to the present day.  She isn't afraid of (in fact, does not think much of) working hard to become better.  If you've ever taught anyone in anything at all, you will understand the importance of a coach-able person.  One who never thinks they have it all figured out and respects the lessons of others and has a steady hunger to become better.  That comes from a very humble and hard working attitude that Becca imbibes and it is one of the highest compliments I feel I could bestow on another.  I do not believe that Becca Miller is done becoming the greatest player she can be because of how coach-able and hardworking she is yet her abilities are already terrifying to the opposition.

As a teammate with Becca on the mixed team out of Ames, IA, The Chad Larson Experience, Becca is one of THE most reliable players.  I consider her relentless cutting to be the standard for everyone else.  Her playing style could be described as the energizer bunny.  Her cutting never ceases in any parts of the moving offense dragging along an exhausted defender.  Leave her vulnerable deep and she'll most obviously score.  When players tend to guard her against those scores, she'll get the disc on huge gains under and (despite her smaller stature) rip it deep to other opportune players.  I consider her the triple threat: she'll deny any player when on the defensive, she'll own you on any of her offensive cuts with speed and intelligence, and she'll be able to make the big mid-field throws.  This obviously hasn't gone unnoticed because Becca will be representing the U23 mixed  team this year.

And while her coach-ability and her skills could be talked about for days, I have still to touch on why I think her character is above all the rest.  And really, anyone would need to spend time with her on or off the field to teach themselves the subtleties of what it means to truly know such an innately good person.  She is never without a smile.  Constant positive energy and giggly jokes (that may or may not have to do with cats).  An aura of happiness and goodwill surrounds her and any encounter with her as teammate or as opposition will leave you with a smile and for the better.  Again, these are truly the characteristics of someone to represent this award.

So I congratulate the current voters of this award in having such a crew of wonderful nominated players who could receive this award.  Do not forget your power in picking the collegiate representative of what our sport stands for and thus, do not forget the namesake, Henry Callahan, each and every time you put in the vote.  Most importantly, I challenge you not to forget the name of Becca Miller when you're watching College Nationals this year in Madison and an adorable smiley player takes her team further than they ever have in the history of their team.  Her heart is as golden as her layouts.

~Melissa Gibbs

WS Alumni 

Becca

Becca is an absolutely incredible player, I think her playing speaks for itself. Most people know that  she is impossible to guard, and she is not someone you want guarding you in a big game. She makes big plays no matter who is guarding her, and she can shut down top offensive players on any team.

The thing that most people don’t know about her is behind the scenes. She is probably the most humble person I have ever met. She does everything and anything that is asked or not asked of her. She does not take credit for anything she does, but just hands the credit right back to her teammates. This season specifically she has stepped up and played any role that has been asked of her on the field.

Becca is a great teacher, and ultimately teaches by example. She plays hard at every practice, on both offense and D, and constantly challenges everyone on the team to get better. She hosts outside of practice gatherings to work on throwing, plays, and anything else that her teammates want work on.  Becca is the first person on the team to come up with quirky team activities, and she never hesitates to take charge of a task that needs to get done.

On the field, I do not think I have ever seen her get in an argument about a call. She is always calm and collected and willing to talk out and explain calls when they are made.

Becca has dedicated herself to her, team, teammates, and to the sport of ultimate over the past 4 years. I am so grateful to her for all the things she has taught me both on the field and off.  She is my roommate, friend, teacher, captain, teammate, and sister. I am so proud of her and all of her accomplishments, and she fits into every aspect of this prestigious award.

-Cami 

WS #16 

Bex

From the first Woman Scorned practice that Becca attended, it was evident that she brought raw athleticism, natural field sense, and superior coordination to the game. Even from those early days, anyone who watched her play would not be surprised by her level of skill as an ultimate player today. What makes Rebecca Miller stand above her peers is that despite her natural superiority, she is still the most driven, humble, and adorable player that I know.

For four years Becca has dominated her competition, but she has never once stopped striving for improvement. Whether it is at practice, sprints, drilling, or game time, no one works harder than Becca and only few have been able to match her level of work ethic. She pushes every single one of her teammates
and without ever being offensive or harsh. She takes advantage of each opportunity to improve and encourages others to do the same. On the field, she can always be counted on to get open, throw the disc to the best option, run down a huck, or get the game changing D- all without ever taking credit for any of it herself.

Becca’s dominance doesn’t end on the ultimate field.  She currently holds the brownie eating record on Woman Scorned with a whopping 17 brownies in one sitting, can hula hoop for an eternity, and not only crushed her chemistry courses without complaining, but got into graduate school for chemistry. She once stayed awake to keep our driver company after a tournament for a total of 47 hours (part of that was because she wanted to reach her jersey number, 47). She finds the positive in everything and creates fun from less than ideal situations.

Becca has come a long way from the quiet rookie she once was. She now leads Woman Scorned with confidence and poise as a co-captain. She is a reliable friend, patient and understanding captain, and the teammate I am so lucky to have had the chance to play with. Her passion is inspiring and humbleness exemplary of spirit of the game. Becca’s defensive and offensive abilities, dedication and leadership in ultimate, notable sportsmanship, and delightful personality make her the ideal Callahan candidate.

-Lindsey Gapstur #2
Scorned 2012