What Does Centex Mean To You? (Final Post!)

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII

This post is a little awkward for me to share, but I promised people that I wouldn't censor anything. What I think this post really shows is the generations of Melee leadership who love Women's College Centex and who have dedicated insane amounts of time and energy to making this event what it is. We love Melee, but more than that, we love the women's ultimate community. And we love you all for supporting Centex and what it stands for.  

Eight years ago, when that group of college leaders made a decision to demand more for the college women's division, I knew that I wanted to be a part of making those changes a reality. I didn't want our division to be an afterthought; I knew we deserved more than that. I didn't have a plan, nor did I have the skills to actually do anything to make the changes I wanted to see. I was a grad student getting my Master's in Community and Regional Planning with a focus on Affordable Housing, a person with a normal life. I've been an introvert my entire life and my teammates and closest friends will tell you that I dislike interacting with people. Generally not good characteristics for an event organizer to have. I never intended to end up where I am now, but I guess sometimes I accidentally put my whole heart into things. I know many of you are the same way.

While I know that my remaining time as an organizer in the college women's division is limited, my hope is that I have inspired other players to carry on this torch. The women's division deserves the best. Create the opportunities. Support people you believe in. Give money to projects that align with your values. Stand for something and make your teammates do the same. Recognize that you are a part of something bigger. Sometimes sacrificing what is best for yourself, or even what is best for your team, means that the entire division can take a giant step forward.  Work together. I believe in you all because I've seen what is possible with Centex. And I know that this is just the beginning.

Today's post is from a very special Melee alum. She shares another perspective on last year's Mudtex and the crushing feeling that the organizers experienced in the days leading up to the event. She highlights the love that goes into every aspect of planning Centex and the deep investment we feel in this tournament, and in all of you. We look forward to sharing another weekend in Texas with you, and on behalf of Texas Women's Ultimate, I want to thank you for all of your support. See you on the fields.

I honestly have so many things to share about why Centex is so special and what it means for me as a player, organizer, dancer and Austinite. The list could go on and on, but working with Michelle to organize Centex will always be one of favorite memories. Seeing all the moving pieces that go into an event so large and getting to witness how Michelle methodically tackles every single task enthusiastically (most of the time) is incredible. I'm not trying to embarrass Michelle, but Michelle is what makes Centex special for me. Michelle cares so much and does everything she possibly can to better the competition and growth of women's ultimate through Centex. We poured hours and hours into planning and execution for Centex 2015 and to see it all crumble the week before the tournament because of rain really sucked. Canceling was never even an option though. The only option in both our minds was to re-plan and re-execute everything from scatch the week of the tournament. I don't think either of us were more happy than when final rounds ended on Sunday and we headed over to Trudy's.  When you play Saturday games in a drainage ditch with animal carcasses in it 40 minutes away from campus, it definitely isn't a perfect Centex by any means, but teams need Centex and that's why we do it. No matter what. I love Centex and I love Michelle. Thanks for making Centex possible year after year.

Kelly Lavine

College Teams Attended With: University of Texas Mayhem, University of Texas Melee

Years Attended: Player 2012-2015, Organizer 2015

What Does Centex Mean To You? (Part VII)

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI

Today's post is a bit delayed because apparently, it's possible for everything to fall apart more than once.  :(  Sometimes rain threatens your field site and you find that the backup location you secured previously has undergone unplanned construction and rock dumping sometime in the past two weeks.  Someday I'll write a book...

I'm privileged to share posts from three former Tufts players tonight.  Ewo has been a huge part of Women's College Centex in recent years.  Their epic performance at 2011 only strengthened our commitment to creating opportunities to play up and it helped to propel the team back to the top of the college women's division.  Princess and Juice were the two leaders with a vision and we worked hard to get the team to Centex their senior year.  Qxhna continued this commitment to excellence and has been a huge inspiration to all of us with her project All-Star Ultimate Tour.

Centex 2011 began my senior college ultimate spring and was a glorious launch to an exciting and challenging season. We were initially seeded 22nd out of 54 teams but surprised everyone by winning games against North Carolina, Carleton College, Washington, and Iowa to finish 3rd. The format of the tournament allowed us to rise out of Div II and face new levels of competition, which began a successful season and triumphant return to the Nationals scene later that year. Games aside, other huge highlights of the weekend were: THE DANCE COMPETITION!!!, playing in an all-women tournament, having Michelle Ng as the TD, escaping cold NE climates & meeting competition from across the country, eating delicious Mexican food, and staying with super welcoming Austin ultimate community members. Centex 2011 will always have a special place in my heart!

Anna "Princess" Chute

Most Recent Team: Wild Card 2012-2014

College Team Attended With: Tufts University Ewo 

Year Attended: Player 2011 

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What I loved about centex was that it brought really good competition for women's teams early in the season. Its a long winter in New England, and often or not our first or second serious tournament as the A team was sectionals. Centex not only improved our team through playing together early on against excellent teams from all over the country, but by providing some serious EXCITEMENT/PUMP UP early in the season during indoor practice season. It didn't hurt that the tournament was flawlessly run and put together. Also, trying to come up with a dance for our team was a welcome distraction (even though we definitely should have won) from tedious midterms.

Anna "Juice" Glassman

College Team Attended With: Tufts University Ewo

Year Attended: Player 2011

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There's something about arriving at the Centex field site and just seeing a sea of women's ultimate. Field after field after field of powerful and strong female athletes - for as far as the eye can see! I loved attending Centex when I was in college at Tufts University because I felt a part of the women's ultimate community! 

Qxhna Titcomb

Current Team: Seattle Riot

College Team Attended With: Tufts University Ewo

Years Attended: 2012-2013, 2015

What Does Centex Mean To You? (Part VI)

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V

Most people who attend Women's College Centex have no idea of what happens behind the scenes.  We meticulously plan for six months and try to execute every last detail to run an awesome tournament for our friends.  We order bagels, scrounge for volunteers, borrow / rent / purchase equipment, recruit teams, immerse ourselves in format and seeding discussions, line fields, quadruple check our task list, and then cross our fingers that Mother Nature will cooperate.  Planning Centex is one of the most challenging things I've ever undertaken; part of it is the sheer number of moving pieces, but the more overwhelming part is the number of people I know are relying on us.

No one really takes notice when things run smoothly (and we're thrilled when this happens!), but sometimes, like last year, everything falls apart and you have to re-do six months worth of work in less than a week.  This story is from someone who stepped up in a big way to help us make last year's tournament happen.  From college headache to trusted organizer, Kyra shares what it was like to get thrown into the chaos headfirst.  When we saw the forecast for the week, Kyra offered to come with me to Austin.  We packed my car in North Carolina, drove for two days, and started picking up the pieces...

My first Centex ever was also my first time in Austin. Within the first 5 hours, we managed to get 2 rental cars towed (for $260 total) and pulled over by cops. I still have an outstanding parking ticket from the City of Austin 3 years later. The next day, I forgot my cleats at the fields. I told my teammate about this, and she made me feel guilty and gave me Michelle's number so I could text her about my cleats. I didn't know Michelle at the time, but, as a formerly dumb college player, I thought she had so little responsiblity that she must have randomly found my cleats at the fields in her free time. She responded to my text quickly and was very nice about it (classic) and extremely helpful (classic x2).  Looking back, I know that I am one of the reasons she coined the phrase "college headache."

The most recent time I went to Centex was last year. It will probably be the most memorable tournament I'll ever be part of in my entire life, even though I didn't play in it. I helped Michelle and Melee prepare for the impending mudtex, which included a field site change, several format revamps, a last minute Mass Gathering Permit, a lot of that famous Austin brisket, and a little bit of rain. I thought asking Michelle about my lost cleats 2 years earlier was a bad idea, but I got to see what other nonsense she deals with. Some examples are listed below:

• Team dropped out because of the rain (so we had to rewrite the format)
• Team questioned their seeding and tier placement on Saturday morning (despite the 2 weeks of seedings/format feedback prior to Centex)
• Team requested a first round bye the night before (they were sleepy)
• Team wanted to know when lights were going to be turned on in the morning (the sun)
• Teams asking to switch to less muddy fields (hilariously impossible)
  
  

I must have proofread and edited the format a half dozen times, which is a pretty difficult undertaking for a 44-team tournament (and not to mention having to deal with score reporter). At one point, I had to put my creativity to use and make a fresh field for the finals that maximized the remaining grass. But there were a lot of good things, too. Every single player was caked head-to-toe in mud and, through it all, still ate BBQ and danced their butts off in the headlights of idling cars among the cheers of their opponents on Saturday night. Even though it was wild while it happened and sometimes seemed like a crazy dream, I'm glad I was there.

For those of you lucky enough to play at Centex this weekend, take it all in. And don't forget to thank your Organizer aka that lady with all the free stuff aka Michelle Ng for all the work she's putting in to making your Centex a magical, fun, and once in a lifetime experience.

Kyra Catabay

Current Team: North Carolina Phoenix

College Team Attended With: University of Florida FUEL

Years Attended: Player 2013-2014, Organizer 2015

What Does Centex Mean To You? (Part V)

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV

Today, I'm privileged to share stories from two of my dear friends from college ultimate.  I was privileged to watch Maddy lead UCLA to the finals of College Nationals in the team's third year of existence and to see her win the Callahan Award a year later.  Since that time, Maddy has been a trusted friend and one of the first people I have gone to with any ultimate or leadership related question.  She now coaches the first team I ever played for!  Surge was one of my first supporters and collaborators in bringing about the changes we wanted to see in the college women's division.  When I had the crazy idea of creating Midwest Throwdown 14 hours away from where I lived, I called Surge.  She put Flywheel's support on the line and has supported many of my projects since.  Both Maddy and Surge will represent our country on the Women's National Team this year.  They are amazing players, but more importantly, amazing people.

The best part about Centex was that we'd always get to see teams we had only read about and then get to make friends with them on 6th street Saturday night. The worst part about Centex was getting stuck driving endless loops on those damn frontage roads of Austin.

To be honest, I was so pleasantly surprised when the B team made the decision to attend Centex this year. This shows the growth of the Cal women's ultimate program and our captains' dedication to making sure every woman that wants to play gets an opportunity to do so. In fact, we have more women headed to Centex than we had at any LOCAL tournament last season! Plus, it's an incredibly rare opportunity for both halves of the Cal women's program to travel and compete at the same tournament and get a chance to cheer for and support each other. Let's just hope for no snake mud this year, eh?

Anna "Maddog" Nazarov
Current Team: San Francisco Fury Captain, UC Berkeley Tarts Coach, WUGC Women's Team
College Team Attended With: UCLA

Years Attended: Player 2006-2007

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I have both played and coached at Centex. As a player, I remember the epic travel complications that the Michigan winters dealt us, but loving the opportunity to escape for a weekend of heat, friends, frisbee, and fun. Tournaments like this were often the only opportunities we got to play west coast teams, so it was hugely exciting for us to be there. In fact, competing against my now good friend and Riot teammate Alyssa Weatherford at Centex is the earliest memory that she and I have of each other!

Last year, Michelle allowed the HS girls club team that I was coaching to attend the tournament, and it was the highlight of our season by far. There's just nothing like getting to travel together and compete against great competition. The time we got to spend together and the challenges they faced at the tournament helped them to grow not just as players but as teammates and people. We are so grateful to Michelle for going out of her way to include us.

Sarah "Surge" Griffith
Current Team: Seattle Riot, WUGC Women's Team

Teams Attended With: University of Michigan Flywheel, Seattle Fryz

Years Attended: Player 2006-2008, Coach 2015

What Does Centex Mean To You? (Part IV)

Part I, Part II, Part III

Tonight's post is from a West Coast player I met while helping to organize Pres Day a handful of years ago and whom I have had the privilege of watching grow as a player over the years.  Everyone knows Chip; she's a connector and someone who helped build Centex just by being a part of the tournament.  I'm happy to have her share some Centex memories from over the years.

My freshman year, I played on the B team and didn't go to Centex, but I had heard how much fun Centex was from my teammates on the A-team. We even ended up watching the entire Centex Dance-Off on YouTube, and that was how I first learned about Backpack Girl. I was convinced that if I ever went to Centex, it would become a highlight tournament in my college ultimate career.

2011 came around and there I was, sitting in the back of an airplane with all my teammates, singing "I Believe I Can Fly" as the plane left the tarmac. We just finished finals week, it was the start of spring breeaaak, and we were flying to Austin for the last tournament of the regular season - to say we were excited is an understatement.

One of the best things about Centex is that it's more than just a tournament. Yes, it's competitive and yes, for many teams it's the last tournament to accrue bids for your region. But Centex embodies more than that. After a grueling Saturday of games, where your physical endurance and mental toughness is sure to be tested, everyone grabs Texas BBQ before settling down to watch (or participate in) the Centex Dance-Off. You play against teams from states you've never been to, whose playing styles and strategies are vastly different from yours. You get to spend spring break bonding with your teammates and going to Steak N Shake. And after games on Sunday, you convince all your tournament friends (ultimate players you're friends with because you see each other at tournaments) to go to 6th Street.

There's so many memories I can share from Centex, including the time Iowa brought out fire batons, still the most impressive thing I've seen at Centex. And, full disclosure, there's also memories I can share when your team doesn't go to Centex. Like that one time you go to NW Challenge for "weather purposes" instead, and then you end up playing in rainy and windy conditions, below 40 degrees, and some of your teammates didn't think to bring a rain jacket. The true story of a Southern Californian. Too soon? Needless to say, I love Centex.

Michelle Chip Chang

College Team Attended With: UC San Diego Psychos

Years Attended: Player 2011-2013

Kansas Betty and Backpack Girl at the 2010 Dance-Off

What Does Centex Mean To You? (Part III)

If you need to catch up on this series of posts, you can do so here and here.  This next post is from a current college player who will be making her 4th trip to Women's College Centex this weekend.  I am fortunate to have gotten to know Kristin on a personal level over the past few years, having hosted Florida State at many of my tournaments and running a leadership clinic in Tally a while back.  Kristin has been a loyal and fierce advocate of Women's College Centex and Without Limits, and I'm proud to have her as my friend.

My favorite memory is definitely winning the whole tournament last year. It's really neat because I truly believe this tournament is the reason we have been able to become the program we are today. I remember first attending Centex my sophomore year - in 2013 - and watching the tier 1 teams, thinking "Wow, those teams are really good. Maybe one day we can be at that level." Little did I know that after facing such great competition over the course of the next 2 seasons, not only would we compete at that level, but do it in such a way that we could win a tournament as prestigious as Centex.

This will be my 4th time attending Centex as a player and I honestly wish I could play at this tournament for years to come. It's always been my favorite. FSU has certainly grown as a team and a program from the opportunities presented through the tiered structure of Centex. Plus, every year it's a great way for us to hang out with new and familiar faces in the women's ultimate community while watching some bad ass women do some pretty great dancing. Austin isn't an awful backdrop to have either. I'm really looking forward to the competition we'll be facing. We're in a much different position entering this weekend than we were just a year ago, but I think that makes it much more exciting! I know we're in a great position to have a strong showing and possibly play in a crossover game to jump to tier 1.

It also shouldn't go without mentioning that Michelle Ng and the Texas ladies do a phenomenal job with this tournament every year. We always know that, no matter what, we're going to a top-quality tournament. And while no one can control the weather, the Centex planning team is going to make it the best weekend possible (I may be a little biased about the "best weekend" part because we won Mudtex).

Kristin Lloyd
Current Team: Florida State University Seminole Ladies Captain

College Team Attended With: Florida State University Seminole Ladies

Years Attended: Player 2013-2015

What Does Centex Mean To You? (Part II)

Read the introduction to this series of posts here! This afternoon, we hear from two more leaders in the women's ultimate community. For me personally, seeing these women go from being players at Centex to coaching at the tournament and leading their respective club teams is a huge honor. I'm also lucky enough to have been able to call one of them my teammate.

Centex 2011 was one of the first times our team recognized the importance of the greater ultimate community.  We had a great run through the Sunday bracket and a few teams who were watching finals were actually rooting for us, something we had never experienced before.  The community the tournament builds through the social on Friday, the dance-off and Saturday night BBQ are unmatched in the college division.  It's a great celebration of women's ultimate, I'm excited to return again this weekend as a coach and watch the next generation battle on the field and create lasting relationships off.  

Claire Chastain
Current Team: Colorado Molly Brown Captain, University of Colorado Kali Coach, WUGC Women’s Team

College Teams Attended With: University of North Carolina-Wilmington Seaweed; University of Colorado Kali

Years Attended: Player 2011, 2013; Coach 2015

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Ah, Centex. Torchy's Tacos and BBQ. So much BBQ.

As a player, Centex had always been the tournament I most looked forward to. We always saw a chunk of good teams at Queen City or Midwest Throwdown, but Centex hosted all of them. They told me Centex was pre-Nationals - any of the teams here, you could expect to be at Nationals. I can't really remember the individual games; according to the archives, some games we crushed, some games we got crushed. I can remember, though, that Centex always offered an amazing opportunity to play the best of the best from all over the country.

As a coach, I'm just back for the food.

Carol Li

Current Team: Chicago Nemesis Captain, Northwestern University Gungho Coach

College Teams Attended With: Northwestern University Gungho

Years Attended: Player 2010-2013; Coach 2015

What Does Centex Mean To You? (Part I)

It's Centex week and we are incredibly excited to host all of you in Austin this weekend! Women's College Centex has been a cornerstone of the college season for the past decade, and it has been such a privilege to be a part of this tournament as a player and organizer for the past 12 years. In 2008, a group of 30 captains and leaders of the best college women's teams in the country met in the parking lot of the IM Fields in Austin to talk about the future of college women's ultimate.  Our commitment to building Centex was a small but visible result of that meeting; the values and goals discussed there became the driving force behind the creation of Without Limits.

This week, as we look forward to one of the most exciting, competitive, and community-driven events of the college women's season, some of our friends will be sharing their stories from Centex over the years.  These friends are only some of the many, many people who have made Women's College Centex into such a special event.  Enjoy the upcoming posts, and we look forward to seeing many of you in Austin!

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Sol delivers one of the most impressive dance-off performances in Centex history

When we received our first invitation to Centex 2009, I thought it would be a hard sell to the team - we had never traveled that far for a weekend only tournament, our teammates ranged in commitment level, and we weren't really a nationally renowned program. We brought the idea to practice, and people excitedly expressed interest.

Flash-forward to 2010, we won our Tier 2 pool, won our crossover game against UCLA, and then went on to win the danceoff. SOL 2010 goes down as the winningest team at Centex in one day ever, I think?

Without Centex, our team would have never really believed we belonged with the elite teams. We closed the gap points at a time to qualify for Nationals. Although we never did qualify, making Nationals was a very challenging, but not unrealistic goal because we got the opportunity to play and compete with teams like Oregon, UC-Santa Barbara, and Colorado. Practicing tirelessly for the Danceoff was fun, and probably the most challenging thing I have ever attempted. To be able to watch that video and see that I can do amazing things like that gives me confidence to go out there and try anything.

Centex is an event that brings so many different teams together to celebrate women's ultimate and all that it can be. I love this tournament.

Robyn Wiseman

Current Team: Madison Heist Captain, University of Wisconsin Bella Donna Coach, WUGC Mixed Team

College Teams Attended With: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Sol, University of Iowa Saucy Nancy, University of Wisconsin Bella Donna

Years Attended: Player 2009-2011; Coach 2014-2015

Sol performs at the Dance-Off!

Sol players bask in the sun. Sometimes the weather is nice at Without Limits events!

Sol team picture after winning the Dance-Off in 2010

The Little Things (Part III): Index Cards

It's the little things.

Part I

Part II

I played the 2011 season with Molly Brown.  I was a rookie on a talented, veteran team and my one responsibility (which I shirked) was to bring the med kit to practices and tournaments.  It was incredibly freeing and refreshing for me to focus solely on playing, and to be welcomed with open arms to a new ultimate community.  This group of people was the best part of my one year in Colorado, and I miss them daily.

  

One of our team's focuses that season was our mental toughness.  It had been four years since the Colorado women's team had cracked the Quarterfinals at Nationals, and the team was determined to break that trend.  At one training session, we each wrote down three skills / attributes that we value about ourselves as players (or that we aspire to have) on an index card.  We were encouraged to keep that card in our field bag for the rest of the season.

One of our most veteran players and skilled throwers tore her ACL mid-season, which was both a blow to our team both on and off the field.  Toward the end of the season, she wrote her own index card for each of us.  I have no idea whether any of my teammates kept their card, but for me it was empowering to know what this teammate valued about me.  I had struggled to find my role on a new team with an abundance of offensive handlers, and that card gave me great confidence.

That card stays in my field bag to this day and during my own team's struggles this season, I took a page from my teammate's book and wrote a card for every player on my team.  The exercise was about my teammates and wanting to demonstrate my confidence in them, but it was also a valuable reminder for me about why I value each of them.

I brought this exercise to the University of Rochester girls when I paid them a visit last week.  It was the last session of a long weekend, and for a team experiencing the growing pains of developing into a program, I thought it could help give them some perspective heading into the remainder of their season.  I had each player write a card for themselves, and then I had them pass around a card for each of their teammates to write something on.  I also wrote a card for each of the captains, hoping to give them some encouragement as they navigate the challenges ahead.  I was a little unsure of how the players took to the idea, but encouraged them to keep their cards with them this year.

Today I received a collection of index cards from the EZs telling me what they learned from the clinic and what they valued about me.

Included were a sketch of what appears to be a frog catching a disc with its tongue, a player giving me her Twitter handle, a number of smiley faces, and a lot of incredibly encouraging statements.  I don't want to share too much of what's on these, but here is one of the best summary sentences from one of the rookies on the team:

"Thank you for having us do the compliment cards- reading mine was deeply heartwarming and encouraging.  Thanks to you, our team is better in skill & closer in spirit."

Thanks for the incredible gift, EZs.  There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a group of players take a lesson like this to heart.  Throw lots, work hard, and love each other well.  I am your biggest fan.

University of Rochester Clinic Recap

Signed disc from the EZs

Last Friday, I headed up to New York to do a team clinic with the University of Rochester EZs.  The EZs have been attending my tournaments for the past few seasons, but I have really only gotten a chance to get to know them over the course of the past year.

Last fall, a core of them came to the Northeast Captaining 101 Clinic and at the end of a long weekend, one of them left me a kind note on the windshield of my car.  Two other EZs left another note for me at Commonwealth Cup [this time, I caught them in the act!] and then the first player donated to the "Michelle Fund" when my stuff got stolen in the spring.The captains [Kathy and Michelle] emailed me with some questions in April, and from there, we engaged in extended email dialogue and several Google hangouts over the course of the summer and fall.

Kathy and Michelle's love for their team and for our sport really impressed me, and their commitment to making the EZs better really inspired me during my own challenges as a team leader this season.  One of the things I have really appreciated about my relationship with them is their willingness to be open with me about the challenges they are facing.  We spend time talking about strategy and practice plans, but I think it is the conversations about the "other" challenges that have helped us to develop a deeper relationship.

Last month, Kathy and Michelle asked me if I would consider coming up to Rochester to do a clinic with the team.  I have a hard time saying "no" to things, but the timing was a challenge, as I already had plans to stay in Texas after Nationals, and knew I would be heading west for most of November and December.  However, I knew I was at a point with the EZs leadership where drawing on a whiteboard via Google Hangout was no longer enough, and ultimately, the decision wasn't that hard when I considered everything I saw Kathy and Michelle pouring into their team.  How could I say no to supporting that?

The sessions were productive and fun, and [I hope] that the players and leadership took away a bunch of things that they can use for the rest of the season.  We did a Handler Practice, Vet Practice, and sessions on Man Defense and Horizontal Stack Offense.  A handful of players attended all four sessions, which was approximately 12 hours of instruction over the course of the weekend.  I also got to spend some extended time with the team leadership, which was very rewarding.  I don't get many opportunities to coach- with most of the clinics I run, my role is primarily to organize logistics and provide background support for the coaches.  That made this opportunity all the more special.

The EZs cap off Session 5 with a team game of Air Cupcake!

The EZs, like many teams, are slowly transforming themselves from a team into a program.  They're learning what it takes to be competitive at the next level, and finding the balance between maintaining a fun and lively team culture, and cultivating a competitive team mentality.  There are many challenges associated with this transformation, but the team is navigating them admirably.  They have a lot to be proud of, and a lot to look forward to.  I also learned that Kathy [and others] really like chicken.  And that Nina is really proud of being from the Bay Area.  [I am, too.]

A cool side-happening occurred on Sunday of the clinic.  The EZs invited some other women in Rochester to attend the session I ran with the vets.  I got to meet a Florida State alum who emailed me 3+ years ago for resources to build their program.  That single email paved the way for a friendship with the Florida State girls who I hosted a Captaining 101 Clinic with last spring.  It was awesome to have things come full circle at the EZs clinic!  I got to spend my birthday with this FSU alum, the [in]famous Amanda Davis, and Kathy.  We [surprise!] talked about ultimate for hours.  I also had a cake pop for the first time [thanks Grace!].

The clinic was a fun way to cap off my 2013 events, and a great reminder of how little things are often the start of something awesome.  I'm headed to Calgary on Friday to speak at the Ultimate Canada Conference, and then I'll be in California for an extended period of time to prepare for the spring season.  

Thanks Kathy and Michelle, and the rest of the EZs for a fun time in Rochester!  I'll be rooting for you guys this year, and I look forward to following your journey.

Callahan Thoughts

There are a number of outstanding candidates for the Callahan Award this year, and I have many, many positive things to say about Lien, Reebs, Diddy, Claudia, Annie, Thud, Michela, Bailey, and others.  They are all great players deserving of their nominations and the many votes they are certain to get.  I could write pages and pages about these ladies and all of the amazing things I have seen them do on and off the field-- I am so grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to know each of them over the past few seasons.

I wanted to write some thoughts about three players on this year's list of Callahan nominees whom I have gotten to know in a special capacity-- one as a collaborator and two as teammates.  My intention is not to endorse players because I think there many outstanding candidates, many of whom I simply don't know as well.  Instead, I want to express my gratitude to these three players for the positive impact they have had on my ultimate experience.

Kayla Ramirez (Texas)
I still remember the first time I saw Kayla play in Fall 2010.  I was helping at Texas tryouts and my job was to throw floaty hucks to rookies in a drill.  Kayla had absolutely no idea how to read the disc, but she was so fast and athletic that she could run in circles around the disc (and other players) and somehow still come down with the frisbee.  It was a no brainer to put her on the team and it was pretty evident to all of us that she was going to be a special player.  It has been a privilege to watch Kayla develop as a player and leader over the past three seasons.  One of her Showdown teammates called her the best short deep she has ever played with.  Not many players can be a contributing player on a semifinals level club team after only 2 seasons of college experience.  

Off the field, Kayla's contributions to Centex have encouraged me greatly-- she has a "whatever needs to be done" attitude and leads the team by example with her commitment to running a quality event for the entire college women's ultimate community.  I am sad that I have never had the opportunity to play with Kayla, but grateful for the fact that it feels like we've been teammates.  She has been an outstanding collaborator, and I am thrilled to see her as Melee's Callahan nominee this year.

Amanda Good (Colorado)
Amanda is one of two current college players with whom I have been teammates, and I am thankful for the year I spent playing with Amanda.  Our friendship began when Amanda gifted me a dead bird (she's done so twice), and there is no other college player who keeps me on my toes as much as Amanda does.  When she's not making me freak out about dead animals, Amanda is a great friend.  She took me under her wing in Colorado and went out of her way to make me feel at home with the team.  

Amanda's highlight reel playmaking ability makes her a fun person to play with, but one of the things I appreciate most about Amanda is her enthusiasm for life.  "What a dream!" is Amanda's standard reaction to most things that happen, and that is because of the way she approaches life-- she makes her dreams a reality.  I've spent hours watching ultimate footage with Amanda and discussing strategy with her, and her love for the game far exceeds obsession.  That's what makes her a great player and person.  Her whole heart is in it.

Claire Chastain (UNCW)
Claire is the other current college player with whom I have been teammates, and our trajectory to friendship has been unlikely.  In Fall 2010, Claire reached out to ask me to help with Easterns.  I politely declined, but got talked into Skyping with Claire to hear her out.  The conversation was brutally honest and I told Claire my reservations about working with Wilmington, a team who was not known as a spirited team at the time.  Claire respectfully listened to what I had to say and asked me to give them a chance.

At first, I was discouraged by my relationship with Wilmington-- Claire would "joke" about unspirited behavior and I feared that I was wasting my time with them.  At QCTU that spring, Claire got a layout D on someone and the player called a foul.  (In my opinion, it could have gone either way.)  Claire's first reaction was a look that said "no way."  Then she picked herself up off the ground slowly, looked over to the sideline and looked me in the eye, turned back, and said, "no contest."  My respect for Claire has only increased since that moment.  I persuaded Wilmington to get a team Twitter, implored them to build relationships with other teams, and pushed the team to pay their debts and take care of administrative tasks.  I asked a lot of Claire, and she far exceeded my expectations at every turn.

During the 2011 club season, my team was playing Phoenix at Labor Day and I had the unfortunate task of trying to guard Claire.  That was one of my favorite games that season because as an opponent, Claire is one of those players who makes you play your best game-- there isn't a moment to relax or focus on anything else but the battle at hand.  Six months later, when I was deciding where to move, I chose North Carolina.  Claire was one of several people I knew I wanted to be teammates with.  As a teammate, Claire is beyond impressive.  She was a rock on our O line and her vision of the field and knowledge of the game are far beyond what I have seen from even the best college players.  Getting to play with her last season allowed me to fully appreciate how much she has matured.  I saw top level club players playing physical defense on her and trying to push her buttons.  Not once did I see Claire so much as react to these players.  Claire played fairly and with great spirit, and dominated nearly every single one of her matchups.

Though I am years older than Claire, she is someone I have consulted for ultimate and life advice on numerous occasions.  In many ways, she's the reckless little sister I never had, but when it counts, she's a loyal, smart, and thoughtful teammate, friend, and person.


Best of luck to all of the candidates, and congratulations on being nominated by your teammates for an award that recognizes players "who combine superior athleticism with outstanding sportsmanship, leadership and dedication to the sport of ultimate."  The nomination itself is a huge honor.  Thank you for representing our sport so well.

Season Recap

It feels nearly impossible to recap the whirlwind that has been the past few months, but I think reflection is a huge part of learning and growing, and I want to try to capture some of what I have been reflecting on with all of you.

On many levels, this was a great season.  My partner teams were excellent, the teams attending my events were overall very well behaved and respectful, and the relationships (both old and new) that I built with players this season were extremely rewarding.

This was my 5th (official) year of partnership with Texas (only counting the years after I graduated), my 5th year of partnership with Wash U, and my 3rd year of partnership with UNC.  These teams are all incredibly special to me, and I am grateful for their loyalty, their leadership's vision for their events, and the way that they embrace their responsibility as leaders in the college women's division.  Plain and simple, I love these kids and would do anything for them.  Thank you.

This season was the first where I did not overlap with any current players in college ultimate, and I thought that I would feel very out of touch with teams.  While an age gap is clearly beginning to emerge (What is Snapchat?  What does "ratchet" mean?), I am deeply appreciative of all of the teams who allowed me to be part of their journey this year.  Thank you to all of the players who shared their struggles, worries, dreams, and victories with me.  The hours spent talking strategy, building season plans, working out team issues, and discussing challenging life situations reminded me that organizing events is only a tiny part of what I do, and that the most important and meaningful work is what happens long after games are over for the day.

Real Talk
For the past few weeks, I have been feeling like I am suffering from a stress induced concussion.  It's the result of an entire season of bad weather and bad luck, an introvert being stretched thin for 2.5 months, and perhaps a few too many challenging situations being thrown my way.  The past few seasons have been challenging, but this one in particular took quite a  toll and will necessitate a bit of self-reflection.

And perhaps most importantly, the time spent on the road away from family, friends, and teammates who I love, and who deserve my time and energy, is very difficult.  I want to be my best self-- and that self includes being a daughter, sister, teammate, captain, and friend, not just an organizer.

Season Take-Aways
A few life reminders that I'll be taking away from the season.

Be available.
There is always time to listen, talk, or lend a helping hand.  The times when I (think I) made the biggest difference were during the busiest, most stressful stretches.  Those situations, while not the most convenient, were huge opportunities.

Be kind.
On Saturday of Centex, a tough situation arose after a week of challenges and Brittany, a RecSports Supervisor (who happens to be teammates with one of the Melee girls on the UT Club Soccer team), was a huge blessing to me.  Filling water with her that afternoon and having the opportunity to talk with her reminded me that a little kindness when we are "just doing our job" can make a big difference, even to a stranger.

Be excellent(...)
I can be be amazing at putting out cones and providing ample water, but at the end of the day, being excellent at what I do only matters because it is a means to an end.  I don't want to be excellent just for the sake of being excellent.  Being excellent is my way of showing players and teams my investment in them, and that opens the door for building community, cultivating meaningful relationships, and making a difference in people's lives.  And because of that, I will gladly give my all toward being excellent at putting out cones and providing ample water.

As the season winds down, I have been receiving some amazing emails from college players.  I am so appreciative of these emails as they have come from some of the players I respect most in the division.

This short email encapsulates what I hope every player takes away from my work. (It is being shared with permission):

"I appreciate what you have done for women's ultimate and most importantly the mindset you have modeled and encouraged in leaders and players--that we are here to love and serve our teammates and our community and that our teammates are far more important than any competition goals."

Best of luck to those of you who have advanced to the next stage in the Series.  Work hard, love well, and I hope to see many of you soon.

Surround Yourself With Good People

To give some background for this post, my stuff was stolen from a meeting room at the Layouts fields on Saturday.  I've been compiling a list of what was stolen for the police, so I thought it necessary to balance that by compiling a more positive list to share with you all.

Last week, I wrote a post that has a lot of relevance to life outside of ultimate.  It's been an especially challenging week to be my best self, made easier only by this point in my last post.

Surround yourself with good people.

"I am who I am and I strive to be better because of these people."

- Naomi Trang (Texas) for shouldering a large share of the burden for making Centex happen these past few days.  Please find her and thank her this weekend.

- My teammates, co-workers, and friends for keeping the show going at Layouts while I frantically tried to cancel credit cards and file a police report.  I am not sure I would have made it through the weekend without them.

- My co-workers at VC Ultimate, especially my boss Adriana, for taking on most of my workload this week so that I can focus on everything else.  I am blessed to work for a company who believes in what I am doing.

- My teammates and family for supporting me even when my work takes me away from them for weeks and months on end.  You all deserve more of my time and attention, and that is on my immediate list of priorities.

- Emily McAfee (Swarthmore) for spending hours with me Saturday night trying to help me figure out how to begin recovering my identification documents.

- Lien Hoffman (Northwestern) and Rebecca Enders (Wisconsin) for their messages which reduced me to tears.  I am so grateful to have known both of these outstanding players and people since they were freshmen.  Players like the two of you, and teams like yours, make what I do worthwhile.

- Kate Wilson, Angela Lin, and Katherine Wooten (Ozone) for housing me and helping me try to get a same-day passport in Atlanta.  It is humbling to have your regional rivals respond so resoundingly to an email of desperation.  I am grateful for my friendship with the three of you, and with Ozone.

- Rachel Johnson (Phoenix) for finding me a place to stay in Jackson, MS.  Thanks for being relentlessly positive.

- A group of Pleiades players (and Shellie's mom) for taking shifts at my apartment yesterday to make sure someone was there when my replacement credit cards were delivered.  It is embarrassing to have to ask for this kind of help, but I am so grateful for you.

- Ohio State Fever for all of their help in trying to make next week easier for me.  It has been such a privilege to see y'alls path to the elite level.  Thank you for being a team who does things the right way, on and off the field.

- The many other people who have texted, emailed, and called to check in.  Thank you.

I will be driving the last 10 hours to Austin today.  I am feeling challenged to be better because of all of you.  I can be more kind and more generous because at the end of the day, nothing that was stolen matters more than the good people I have around me.

See you in Texas.