Jessy Erickson for Callahan

Jessica Erickson for Callahan

I have had the privilege of playing all of my five years with Jessy, and she has gained my respect and the respect of her teammates through her ultimate skills but also her leadership. Her words have influenced Woman Scorned in almost every situation our team has encountered. The natural skills she has as a captain have facilitated the cohesiveness of this year’s team. She is a very cool, collected, and leveled headed lady who always seems to know what to say on and off the field. Her leadership has kept the team focused and held together during our struggles in the season.

Her cool presence and tactfulness are just a few of many skills she brings as a leader. She may not be the loudest but her presence is definitely felt on the field. In the past, other great player have overshadowed Jessy’s great role as a cutter. Unfortunately, it has only been recently that she has received the recognition that she deserves. This lady has matured into one of the top offensive threats in the country, and this season she has been Woman Scorned’s most consistent player. Jessy can get open against any defender, and throughout her career on Woman Scorned she naturally developed the ability to catch every disc that is thrown her way. Whether it’s a low bullet or a disc thrown 4ft away from her, she makes it her job to catch it. Teams will even see her move the disc by breaking the mark or hucking it deep.

Defensively, Jessy is a wall on the mark and has one of the top counts on Woman Scorned for hand blocks. Her expertise in zone defense ranges from the cup all the way deep. Jessy’s dominance in the air allows her to be a deep threat in any sort of defense.

When it comes to spirit of the game, Jessy plays with class and knows the rules well. Win or lose, Jessy always keeps her composure, and I’ve never seen her blame others or make excuses. She always gives positive reinforcement to her teammates and other players on the field. She is gifted with the ability to calmly discuss a dispute using the rationale of the rules. Like many others, Jessy has been dedicated to this sport since her rookie year, and she has continues the legacy of great leadership on Woman Scorned. Jessy Erickson embodies the perfect candidate for the Callahan Award, and that is why she is Woman Scorned’s nominee for 2011.

-Jasmine Draper #12 on behalf of Woman Scorned

North Central Region Woman Scorned

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 3^rd 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

Midwest Mayhem

Since I have trouble studying as is with Ultimate on my mind constantly, I decided to channel my thoughts positively into writing WS's Regionals Recap.

FRIDAY - With much anticipation on whether or not Regionals was even happening yet, Woman Scorned debated throwing a party Friday night to possibly mimic the same fiasco that went down for Sectionals/Conference/whatever it's called now. With ISU's unique academic calendar, whether or not Regionals happened as planned made a big difference on how much time the kids had to study for the upcoming week of Finals. So basically, everybody was on edge. However, decisions were finally made and Central Regionals had successfully been moved to Middleton, Wisconsin. To Wisconsin Woman Scorned went.

At the amazingly nice Country Inn & Suites the team stayed at...hair was dyed, did and doned. The ladies went to bed with anxious hearts and colored hair, ready for anything that tomorrow had to bring them.

SATURDAY - Upon arriving at the "fields", teams warmed up to what appeared to be the backyards of a residential complex. A bit confused and chilled by the strong wind that swept through, teams got ready for the day. Want to know how strong that wind was on Saturday? Enough to knock a front tooth out of an Eau Claire lady (props Estelle). Oh yeah Midwest weather. Woman Scorned's schedule for the day was Minnesota, Luther and Eau Claire.

Minnesota

The Ninjas were ready to come out and play us especially after the fired up game at Sectionals. With similar weather conditions, the Regionals game could've gone either way. Unlike Sectionals, Regionals' games were heavily dictated by who won the flip since upwind points were both draining and difficult when playing against teams that could punt. Despite their high release backhands from their powerhouses DePalma and Andrea, and fast cutters, WS was able to clamp down on defense (for once) for the win.

13-4 W

Luther

Rumor has it that Freya's been wanting to beat us Woman Scorned ladies for a while now and any bystander could definitely tell that Luther wanted every point from us. The wind had picked up and the points were longer as each team tried to battle each other out for their respective upwind scores. Speed-demon Kristin Schultz and steady handles Courtney Greenley kept their offense flowing but WS kept their throws low and their patience on end for another win of the day.

15-8 W

Eau Claire

We haven't played this team all Spring semester which is odd for being Sister Teams (whatever it's called), we were a bit on edge as to what kind of offense and defense to expect from the made-over team. Many familiar faces graced the team but there were also many new faces, all of them extremely talented. The wind definitely dictated this game with a harsh up and down-wind and since Scorned lost the flip, getting an upwinder was crucial. Also, since WS beat Luther and Luther beat Eau Claire we needed to win to keep our #1 seed in the pool...if not, we would have a 3-way tie and a whole bunch of stuff would've gone down after that. The game started off with immense intensity as WS made it up-wind all the way to the endzone line at least 10 times. No joke, it was a 30 minute point. We didn't win the point despite our patient and carefully calculated passes and multiple upwinder points after that followed suit. Our frustration started to show as point after point we got denied by simple dumb mistakes. But understanding the importance of getting an upwinder hit our team all at the same time and we finally scored an up-winder, giving us the lead (7-6). After that, it was a calm and collected down-winder and with the impending soft/hard cap we were able to seal the deal.

8-7 W

After ending the day with an intense game, Scorned went back to the hotel and passed out. Ice baths were taken accordingly.

Compare and contrast time...there's one (painful) difference between these two pictures...can you tell what it is?

SUNDAY - Since we kept our first seed, we went straight into semis against Carleton the next day. We played at new fields (IM fields) and although the sun was shining the wind was chilly like none other.

Carleton

Yet another team we hadn't seen at all this Spring semester, we've always known that Syzygy is a team that no one should take for granted. Being our first opportunity to qualify for Nationals, WS went into the game with the mindset to win and never lose sight of Boulder. However, Carleton came out strong with their smart handlers Snyder and Reed and their surprisingly tall receivers. WS has always been slow and groggy on Sunday mornings but it was still a hard hit to lose to Carleton.

3-11 L

Eau Claire

I've always felt that Midwest Women's teams have always held grudges, especially when they get the chance to play a team they loss to just the day before. We knew that Eau Claire was going to come out hard but we took the Carleotn loss hard and managed to stay focused. Solid handlers Gartner, Iansa and Jess broke mark after mark to the wide-open cutters on the break-side of their vertical stack. Desperate hucks were also caught by their youngings and road runner Melissa Jordan and although the wind wasn't as strong as Saturday, it was still present enough to impact our game. I personally took the Carleton loss hard especially as a sideline observer so I taped the shit out of my ankle and hopped into the Eau Claire game all fired up. I had sprained my ankle in the MN game the previous day and thought I was done for the weekend but after RICEing as much as I could, I called it good enough to play. We played shut-down defense and were able to wrap up the game for the first win of the day.

9-4 W

Wisconsin

This game meant a lot more to Woman Scorned than people probably knew. This game was our last chance to qualify to Nationals. Woman Scorned has never beaten Bella Donna in WS history. Bella Donna has always (as far back as my college knowledge extends) qualified for Nationals, even getting as close as semis last year. Tempers were flared during this game but that's to be expected especially when you're putting National qualification on the line. That said, some amazing offensive and defensive plays were also made. Handler enthusiast McCain (from what I heard through the grapevine) was nursing a similar ankle sprain to mine although much more recently (the game before against MN...damn those Ninjas, too darn fast) and had sat out the first few points of our game but eventually hopped into the game after WS started the game with a KAPOW! And by KAPOW! I mean, getting an up-winder right off the bat bringing the score to 2-1. Closely followed was an efficient transition from defense to offense and a down-wind score, 3-1. Bella scores a down-wind but we catch them high in the stall-count near their endzone and we convert another point, 4-2. Similar plays follow and Bella takes a time-out, 6-3. WS's feeling good. So good we stayed fired up after the time-out and score again, 7-3. A quick score by Bella forced us into a time-out to make sure to keep our heads in the game, 7-4. Losing our groove, we stumble through the next few points, layout D's coming from both teams, Bella takes half, 7-8. Heads were low at our dumbness to think that the game was in the bag far too early in the game. But then something magical happened. A light switch flicked on. The same thought traveled through all of our minds..."We are going to win this game. We can beat Bella Donna. We, Woman Scorned, are going to Nationals." We came out of half-time down but with our heads up. The next few points were riddled with turnovers, iffy calls and some sick tenacious D. Before we even knew it, it was game.

11-8 W

Personally, it hasn't hit me yet. Maybe it's because all along, before even the first point was played at Regionals, I knew we were going to Nationals. Not saying that our competition was going to be easy (it was anything but) but I knew that WS always had the potential (PE = mgh...got a Physics final later today.) Or maybe it's because of the lack of sleep from Finals week. I really don't know. But I know that the next 3 weeks of training and practicing with my team is going to be just great. Nothing's going to bring me down.

My fellow team mate Britt asked me at a gas station stop (that everybody seemed to have rendezvoused at...WS cars, ISUC, Nebraska, Carleton, even Lana's HS basketball coach), how it felt to catch the winning point both times to the game that qualified us for Nationals. And I honestly responded "Oh, I didn't even think about that." And nobody should think about it that way. It's not about the winning point (whether it be a desperate hammer to the far end of the endzone) or a Callahan (ok that'd be cool) but about the combined team effort. It's about how every one of my ladies was either playing their hearts out on the field or yelling their voice hoarse on the sidelines. To me, every one of my team mates caught that winning point.

Congrats to Saucy, IHUC and LUFDA...see ya'll in Boulder.

Thanks for all the WS alum, ISUCers and other fans that supported us this weekend. And as always, a shout out to our amazing coaches Lana, Kevin and Memo.

Mag #08

The painful difference? A fallen soldier.

In case you missed the word...

Regionals this weekend, nbd. I'm sitting here between taking two finals, and sooooo ready to get in my car and drive to Madison (where it is now moved to due to weather stuff). In case you aren't going to be able to make it, you should def. follow us on twitter (which we are awful at updating) or USAU. For all of those who have supported us this far and all who continue to do so, thank you. We love you so much!

Here are the links:

Saturday we will be playing at Blackhawk park in Madison:

http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/parks/park.cfm?id=1169

Schedule & Scores

http://scores.usaultimate.org/scores/#college-womens/tournament/8680

Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/ISUWomanScorned



It's go time. Feel the Love, Unleash the Fury. Woman Scorned style!

Sister Teams and Spirit of the Game

At the beginning of the college season I had a premonition that teams would come with the mind set of “No Mercy", "The battle for the bids has begun", and "My region against your region”. And part of that, an initial fear was that the tension from competition would be high enough to potentially effect spirit during games. As we all know, intense games can bring out the inner competitor in everyone. It’s not a sign of disrespect, it’s just a competitiveness to win.

From “10 Things You Should Know About Spirit Of The Game” excerpts 4 “SOTG is compatible with championship play “and 8. “Be generous with Praise” are my two favorites but in my eyes are the hardest to practice during the most intense games against strangers. A few shout outs to teams with players that displayed this type of spirit were Colorado College at Midwest Throwdown and Tufts at Centex. Coincidentally, we went to universe point with both teams.

At first glance, there seemed to be little sisterhood interaction early in the season. Woman Scorned is a big proponent of sister teams. Originally, it started with our sister team, Tsunami, and has progressed to sister teams. The pattern of our sister team(s) selection has mostly been teams that provoke competitiveness on the field and partying off the field. We have our favorites such as Iowa Saucy Nancy (who I would say IS our sister team) Wisc-Eau Claire Sol, Nebraska , and Kansas Betty’s. Honorable mentions go to Luther and Minnesota. And I heard after spring break that North Carolina-Wilimington Seaweed had our love at first shot, but we’ve never actually played each other. So, we’ll see… Because of this "sisterhood," WS has made many friendships outside our team. As a consequence, practicing #4 and #8 are a lot easier every time when playing a friend, right?

So in the spirit of the college series, the next time someone does a sick bid, compliment them. This is the one thing I regret not doing enough of, especially in those REALLY intense games (cough…Texas). Let's be honest here, in the end we are all cool by default, we play ultimate.

More Scorned mumbo jumbo headed your way.

Celebrity post- Jasmine Draper #12

The Real Meaning of Victory

Scorned won sectionals this past weekend, upsetting a couple of teams that we were not expected to beat. It was exciting, it helps us a ton for regionals seeding, and in the end it doesn't really matter that much because everything could change in just one tournament-regionals.

Except that it does. We beat Iowa- our rival, our friends, the team we have lost to all spring... but really even that wasn't what made this past weekend so special. Scorned came together as a team and put our bodies, heads, voices, and hearts on the line. We have been growing all season, working to peak at the right time. I don't think we are there yet. I hope the peak is still to come! The coolest thing about sectionals wasn't that we won necessarily or even that we beat Iowa- it could have been anyone. It was the way we played and the passion (or as we call it-fury) that the team put into each game.

I am competitive, but I truly believe that life is about the ride, not the outcome. We make goals in everything in life, and sometimes we accomplish them, sometimes we don't. Often we realize that those goals weren't really what we wanted in the end. In ultimate especially, we set goals and bust our asses to accomplish them. Usually they involve winning a game or a tournament, but really I think that we set those goals and work hard at them just to travel the path. Winning happens when the stars align and luck coincides with hard work.

You may really disagree with me, and I'm not saying hard work doesn't pay off, it does a lot of the time- but not all of the time. Look at Wisconsin last year. The ridiculous amount of talent, years of ultimate experience, depth of that team, and hard work they put in... they should have made finals easy and probably won nationals. I know I thought they were going to... but they didn't. Did it take away from what they had? (maybe, I don't know, I wasn't on the team, but I doubt it) Did they get what they wanted out of the season? They got 3 more weeks of each other than Scorned did. They got the experience of winning and losing together as a team in another tournament. They got to play their hearts out and accomplish something together that they will never forget.

This is what I play ultimate for-the biggest reason anyways. I like to win. I want to win regionals, I am dying to qualify for college nationals, and I think we have put the work in and deserve it, but mostly, I just want 3 more weeks with these ladies. I want to wear the same jersey as each and every one of my teammates at just one more tournament. I want to put everything I have in a game to 15 on the field as many more times as I can. You set goals and bust your ass not only to accomplish those goals, but to create passion, build on teammate relationships, and live your life putting as much of yourself into it as you can.

I will remember 2011 sectionals for quite some time, but not for the win. I will remember it for the time we spent together Friday night trying our best to get some VEISHEA in, every time we rushed the field as a team, all the movies we watched at Lana's house, for Sam falling down the basement stairs and hearing her say ouch with each step, watching Hoistad layout D in the end zone dislocating her shoulder and not letting her injury stop her from being 100% part of that game on the sidelines, for Kristen running around with the janky WS flag all weekend, and for the pride I saw in Kevin, Lana, and Memo's faces when they saw us come together like a true team like that. I don't remember most of the scores from our games anymore, but I remember every laugh and hug I shared with my teammates this past season, like it happened yesterday.

I will be playing with everything I have at regionals, but win or lose, I'm leaving the game on the field. I want that bid to nationals so much right now, because I am not ready to let go of this team. I'll be fighting for our goals, but deeper than that, I will be fighting as a Woman Scorned.



-Gappy
#2
Forever Scorned

Sectionals: VEISHEA Sunday

This season has held a lot of new changes for the sport of ultimate. UPA changed their name to USAU, they got a new website, and Sectionals got renamed to Conferences. Being from Iowa, Scorned isn’t big on change. Last week we made the team decision to scrap the name Conferences and continue referring to the tourney as Sectionals. To be honest, I think most of us still call it UPA and I honestly don’t know what the new website for UPA is called… I just type in upa.org. While these new changes have been impacting on our terminology and created some confusion in emails and huddles, the main basis has remained the same. It is that time of the year to get serious, to peak, and to bring everything you have in each and every game.

The new physical changes in the system created new sectionals boundaries for our region impact all of the teams in this region, regardless of the division. Woman Scorned has found ourselves in arguably the much tougher section of the region with top teams like Iowa, Carleton, and Minnesota. While in the recent past, Scorned has hosted a one day sectionals tournament filled with fun events on the Saturday night, this year was much different.

Let’s start with Friday night…VEISHEA Friday. Scorned was all ready to go when we got the word that Sectionals was postponed possibly to mid-day Saturday, just Sunday, or even the next weekend. We found ourselves in quite the predicament with it being VEISHEA, all of the city of Ames raging around us, and feeling the pressure to join in the riots on Welch. Scorned buckled down (best we could) and settled for an “on the cusp” party which involved lots of dancing, singing, making fun of Jazzy, and holding back best we could until we got the word either way. Towards midnight we got the text that cars were leaving at 10 AM and we all started to prepare mentally and physically.

Games started at 1 PM on Saturday and we had University of Northern Iowa in the first game. Pandamonium (sweetest jerseys ever, btw) played savage with several new girls who had no tournament experience. Scorned came out strong right away in this tournament and took chilly break points into the stringent up/cross wind. Rebecca Weinmeister was seen on a multitude of occasions tearing it up for upwind scores in this game.

Woman Scorned over UNI 11-2

Second game of pool play was against Winona State. This was an interesting game. The girls only had 6, but they played strong and hard. It is impossible to not have respect for this team for the heart and skill they had. They fought hard against us and capitalized and anything and everything we gave them in the wind. Daisy had a great layout grab on an upwind throw in this game to put a point on the board. Both Gapstur and Cami had hand blocks in this game which make the highlight board.

Woman Scorned over Winona State 7-5

The last game of pool play was versus Iowa. The wind was still a huge factor in this game and both teams came out strong. Iowa got 2 breaks upwind early in the game and although Scorned worked it harder upwind in the remainder of the game, we were unable to get it across the end zone line. Scorned scored plenty of easy downwind scores, but being unable to get the disc back up the field, Saucy took the solid win. Highlights in this game included a D from Jessy that involved her nose and a lot of blood everywhere.

Saucy Nancy over Woman Scorned 5-7

The final game of the day was quarters against Nebraska. Gosh we love this team. It was a ton of fun and both teams fought hard. Highlights from this game included Bosco getting two foot blocks and a hand block on one of their dominant handlers (whom by the way have amazing flicks up and down the field & a hammer to destroy).

Woman Scorned over Nebraska 10-6

Saturday night, Scorned VEISHEA’d it up at Lana’s parent’s house. They made us some absolutely delicious chicken noodle soup and chili and Scorned jacked their hot water bill up for the month cleaning up for the day. After dinner, the girls settled down for some studying and to watch “The Land Before Time.” Lana, being the most amazing coach in the whole world, went out and brought us back some Cold Stone ice cream! After singing along to “Mulan”, having Magic Liu dominate against Coach K in a poker tournament, and working out the kinks in the sore muscles from the day, we hit the sack for some R & R. The following morning, we woke up to Hoistad saying “I smell food!!” and the team ate a delicious breakfast baked by Lana’s mom. The whole experience was amazing and it set the mood for the rest of the day. Ultimately, the Meyer's family is the bomb dot com.

First game of the day was versus Minnesota in Semi’s (since they had beat Carleton the day before in pool play on universe). Scorned was pumped up and ready to go. We set our sights on unleashing the fury, and that we did. Scorned came out ready to make an impact and took the first 7 or 8 points of the game uncontested. Cami had a sick layout for the disc and an upwind continue to Becca for the score. Britt took a highlight with a sweet D in the air against her girl striking deep for the score. The Minnesota ladies had some amazing hucks both forehand and backhand but Jazz had multiple D’s in this game that involved her throwing her body insanely high in the air to deny big down-wind hucks and KOB had several great grabs on big hucks. The Flag was the real highlight of this game, making its first appearance since Regionals of last year (where it was made on the way to the tournament).

Woman Scorned over Minnesota 13-4

Finals provided us with a rematch versus Iowa and we had a bye before the game to regroup and prepare mentally and physically. Scorned has seen Iowa more than any team this season and they are no strangers on or off the field (seriously, they've went to every single Spring tournament that we went too and have dominated). This is a true rivalry and it always results in a hard fought game, regardless of the score. We were pumped up and ready to battle right away in this game. Scorned hit the ground running, scoring the first 5 points of this game before Iowa could answer back with a point of their own. The intensity of this game for Iowa State was absolutely substantial, and every single person on our team was 100% in that game. The highlight list was unreal:

-Becca with a ridiculous toe-the-line layout in the back of the end zone for the score & 2 sky Ds
-Jazz with a hand block & a layout D
-Bosco with a few Ds and several scores

-Hoistad with a SICK sky D in the up-wind Iowa end zone

-Mag with a sick layout D in the Iowa end zone on a deep huck
-Weino cheering for Pesch
-Cassie with a big run through D in the Iowa end zone
-Pesch with a D in the Iowa end zone

-Jessy with a amazing skys

-Gapstur with a near full field huck to Jessy in the end zone for the win

Woman Scorned over Saucy Nancy 11-6

Scorned came out of VEISHEA weekend with no hang overs and big smiles on our faces. We fought hard and worked as a team to come out on top and create a huge drive bringing us into Regionals in two weeks. We can’t wait to see what sort of weather North Central Regionals will bring and what each team will come to the table with. Hell Hath No Fury, Like a Woman Scorned.

Huge thanks to Lana’s parents for dinner, and the complete AWESOMENESS that was involved in our amazing Saturday night. Thank you also to Joe Brisbois, Pesch’s parents, and Jessy’s parents for coming to support us. Lastly, thank you to the TDs for a great tournament despite the crappy conditions-you did an amazing job!

Last note:

Cheers from the weekend that were created:

Call: “VEISHEA”
Respond: “Sunday”

Call: “Where did Bosco get her sweat suit?”
Respond: “Gap, Gap, Gap”

-Gapstur, Hoistad, Magon, Cami

Cami Nelson for FOTY

“All-Region Teams are comprised of individual players, as selected by their peers, who exhibit excellence in skill, athleticism, integrity, and leadership during the current college season.” (USAU statement)

From her notable ultimate skills to her profound presence on the team, Cami Nelson is a prime candidate for Freshman Of The Year (FOTY).

On the field, Cami is regularly tearing it up. Easily making the A line in her first season, she is frequently laying out for incredible catches, practicing tenacious defense on her opponents, and denying all others in the sky. Her versatility as a player allows her to perform even in the most intense games as a handler or a cutter.

From the moment Cami stepped on to Woman Scorned, she has put the team first and fully dedicated herself. Her hard work and focus are evident in her game as she puts in 100% effort every time she steps on the field. While her ultimate skills clearly demonstrate her FOTY potential, it is her pure integrity that makes her stand out. Cami is true to Spirit of the Game by upholding the rules, building up her teammates and opponents, and acting as a positive leader to all around her.

On Woman Scorned, Cami emerged as a leader immediately. From the beginning of the season, she has been recruiting others to ultimate, pushing every one of us in practice, building our team bond through any and all situations, acting responsible in group situations, and she even saved the party at the Iowa City Scrimmage in January. I am proud to have Cami as my teammate and friend, and I strongly encourage you to consider her for Central Region FOTY. Cami Nelson fits the definition of FOTY perfectly and provides a true representation of both our team and our sport.