Scorch Ultimate - Blog

Home for the Holidays

12/24/2015

With the fall semester over and everyone home for the holidays, we're very excited to say we've officially made teams for the Spring 2016 season! While we all somehow made it through finals (while studying together) everyone was very excited to head home. Being home, we've all had some time to reflect and think about what we want as a team for this season coming up. We decided to make a google doc in order to keep track of everyones working out over the long break. We did this in order to keep each other accountable for staying in shape, and to keep suggestions for work outs for the whole team available. With jersey orders going in and practice times being announced Scorch couldn't be more pumped for the exciting season we have ahead!

Our first tournament as a team we will be attending will be:
Santa Barbra Invite January 29th-31st at UCSB
Come out and support if you're in the area!

"studying" being done in the Lib

Out with the Old, In with the New

5/22/2015

At the Scorch and Sirens awards banquets, our lovely ladies acknowledged all that has been accomplished this season and announced the new positions for next year.

Congrats to Nancy Freitas and Annie Wilson for completing their 5 years of USAU College eligibility on Scorch and earning their name on the 5th year plaque! The large plaque has the names of every Scorchie who has dedicated their entire college careers to the team and has no doubt left their blood, sweat, and tears on the field. Scorch would not be the same without you.

We are also sad to say goodbye to our seniors, Annie Wilson, Christine Tang, Claire Levenberg, Colleen "Kitten" Nakanishi, Grace Kim, Lyndsey Edmonds, Lauren Meadows, and Nancy Freitas. You have brought your own individual spirit to the team, put in the work, and left the team wiser than when you began. Good luck with what the future holds, and never forget your ultimate roots!

Lastly, Kitten, Grace and Eva were happy to pass the torch to Courtney Collingwood and Kapri Cameli, captains for 2015-2016! These strong characters will take the lead into the next season with smiles, spirit, and fresh ideas. The team is lucky to have an amazing pair to continue on the Scorch love.

The captains would not be able to run the team without the amazing Scorch Board! Here is a sneak preview to who will be working behind the scenes to keep Scorch functioning next season:

President: Lizzie Hannah
Vice President: Courtney Collingwood
Treasurer: Maddie Maller
Secretary: Adrian Meyer
Travel Coordinator: Hannah "The Nav" Dinell
Social Prac/Event Coordinator: Kapri Cameli
Webmaster: Devon Chapman

2014/15 and 2015/16 Captains

Sirens 2015

This will be my last post as webmaster and it's been a blast! Kitten, signing out! Meow.

#Reg2015

5/11/2015

After an intense, all-in, single elimination game at Sectionals against ASU, Scorch found themselves scoring the Universe point. The team came out of sectionals winded and sunburnt, but incredibly excited to have earned a spot at Southwest Regionals for the first time since 2012.

After the long trek out to Roseville, CA, Scorch fought hard for one another in their final tournament of the season. With games against tough competitors and some of the top teams in the region, Scorch proved they belonged at the tournament with a 10-12 win against Cal Poly SLO Motion. Here's a rundown of the weekend with final rankings of the teams.

Arizona (64)

Saturday
7-10 Humboldt State (55)
3-13 UCLA (4)
6-13 Davis (23)
10-12 Santa Barbara (37)

Sunday
7-11 UC Berkeley (24)
12-10 Cal Poly (30)
3-15 Davis (23)

Another great season for Arizona ultimate, who will continue to grow both Sirens and Scorch, working towards stronger women's ultimate in the Southwest!

Photo Credit: Steve Prelsnik

Sectionals HOO HOO HOO HOO HOO

4/9/2015

With only one more practice left before the D1 Desert Conference on Saturday, Scorch is gearing up for a battle. In a single elimination game against Arizona State University, the winner will be taking all and the one bid to Southwest Regionals in Roseville, CA.

UltiWorld recently published an article about why conference championships matter (The American Dream) that brings to light a reality that is often overlooked; for some teams, this is the biggest event of the season. For some teams, after a whole season of hard work, it all comes down to this. This reality fully encompasses the mentality of our women’s Desert section (and it’s perfect that it features a picture from last year!). Each year it is make it or break it for our small section, always on the verge of being dissolved into the larger, more competitive D1 SoCal Conference.

On that note, let us take a minute to reflect on the work that has gone into this fabulous season:

Fall
·        2 practices per week
·        Plan B Tournament
·        K-Fall Memorial Tournament
·        Mud Run Volunteering
·        Pei Wei Fundraiser

Spring
·        3 practices per week
·        1 conditioning
·        Additional conditionings (indoor ultimate, Tucson Ultimate League, gym sessions)
·        Santa Barbara Qualifier
·        Trouble in Vegas
·        Scrimmages against Venom (Tucson/Phoenix Club Women’s team)
·        Scrimmage against Swashbucklers (UA Men’s B Team)
·        Tucson Conquistadores Raffle Ticket Fundraiser

This small list does not do justice to the hard work and support, but here is some recognition for those who invested in making our program possible this year:

·        President: Nancy Freitas
·        Scorch Board: Lizzie Hannah, Courtney Collingwood, Dana Zack, Grace Kim, Eva Wilson, Colleen Nakanishi
·        Coaches: Laura Prelsnik, Simrit Khalsa, Kerry Friedman, Dani Lockwood
·   Erin Gray
·   Jen Pashley
·        Tucson Ultimate
·        Venom
·        UA Campus Recreation
·        Everyone who bought jerseys, hats, raffle tickets, or came to any percentage night

The list could go on for dayz, but the cheesiness ends here. Thank you for your continuing support for the growth of ultimate in Arizona.

Don’t forget to come watch Scorch, Sirens, and Sunburn this weekend!

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2015
Where: Rincon Vista Sports Complex (Tucson, AZ)
Times:

Men's Bracket
Round 1 (9:00-10:30am): ASU v. NAU
Round 2 (10:45am-12:15pm): UA v. NAU
Round 3 (12:30pm-1:45pm): ASU v. UA

Women's Bracket
Round 1 (10:45am-12:15pm): UA v. ASU
Round 2 (12:30pm-1:45pm): ASU v. UA-B

Official Tournament Photographers: Ultiphotos
www.facebook.com/UltiPhotos

#roadtonatties

getting in trouble 2015

3/22/2015

Last month, Scorch and Sirens both competed in the notoriously fun tournament, Trouble in Vegas. Bringing support systems from old Scorchies, some current Sunburn players (UA men's team), as well as from the Swashbucklers (UA men's B team) when they weren't playing their hearts out, we came into the weekend ready to bring the heat. However, no one anticipated the weather conditions to be faced. On the first day, Vegas decided that it would be a wonderful time for all of the teams to practice their zone defense and offense. The wind was a struggle for all, turning the best of throws into laughable blades and eyeballs into dust collectors. By the end of day one, Scorch came out on top with 3 wins with our Sirens babes with losses at the slightest point differentials.

Day two began as clear and beautiful as it could be on the coveted grassy fields. Scorch came out hard with a win against Santa Clara to go to semis with Puget Sound. Both teams fought their hardest, but Scorch began to click and got their flow on the O for a 12-8 win. For the final game with a massive amount of support on the sidelines, Scorch faced the u23 Canadian National team in stormy weather. Even with wet disks flying and players slipping, the Canadians managed to beat Scorch, but not their spirit. Scorch is a team that takes pride in being a good hearted team that loves the spirit of competition and intensity and that is what was brought to the last game.

Overall, this tournament was an amazing learning opportunity for both Scorch and Sirens. Teams bonded, players were strengthened individually, and both adjusted to the changing conditions beautifully.

Lastly, a huge thank you to everyone that came out to support both teams, you are a huge part of what makes our program so wonderful!

Scorch and Sirens on Day 2 of Trouble in Vegas 2015

#blessed

10/28/2014

Photo Credit: Annie Wilson Udall Park: Saturday October 25, 2014

The beautiful sunset pictured above set the scene for the start of the women's games in the Plan B Tournament hosted by Scorch and Sunburn in Tucson, AZ. It was a fiery weekend as our X/Y split Scorch team (the Airheads and the Jelly Bellys) took on women from Arizona State, Northern Arizona, and Brigham Young Universities. Both teams fought hard all weekend, improved exponentially, and earned every single win.

Airheads: This team came out strong from the very beginning, winning their first game against ASU. Even with some horizontal stack complications, they persevered and brought the intensity and focus to every single game they played. Improving immensely from Saturday to Sunday, the Airheads once again proved their dominance in another win against ASU in the last game of day two.
Their MVP rookie was Catherine Krigbaum. This amazing Scorchie was thrown into both cutter and handler roles and showed her dedication to improving throughout the weekend. She worked hard, was chilly as a handler, and began making deep cuts as soon as it was mentioned. Her cuts were quick and definitive upline and in a vertical stack, which made her an asset on offense. On and off the field, she was always encouraging her teammates, smiling and being positive. Way to be Catherine, we love your strength and spirit!

Jelly Bellys: This team worked hard, struggled with the force and some transitional times, but really turned up the heat when it came to defense. Coming back from all losses on Saturday, they won both Sunday games and ended the weekend on a fantastic note, showing how much they had improved.
Their MVP rookie was Hannah Dinell. This spectacular Scorchie was the most consistent player all weekend. Whether she was making cuts, catching, throwing, or playing defense, her team was able to depend on her. While on offense, she made use of the (often confusing) outside cutter role and went deep at the perfect moments, only allowing overthrown passes escape her. Her defense was unstoppable, covering her girl on the open side and making crucial active D's. Along with her playing, she was always ready to listen, learn, and implement any information she was given and showed vast improvements as the games progressed. Awesome job Hannah, we love your intensity and execution!

Overall, this tournament was an eye-opener for Scorch. It brought forward opportunities for us to improve, but showed our fearsome potential for the Spring season. Arizona women are turning up the heat!

#roadtonattys

Turning up our blowtorch in the 85719

10/21/2014

In just five days, Scorch will be waking up in Tucson and heading to the fields for our first tournament of the Fall season! The Plan B Tournament, hosted by yours truly (alongside the Sunburn men), will bring together the women of Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and Brigham Young University. The Scorch ladies have been working hard on and off the field to prepare to take on these teams. In just two short months, rookies have been thrown into an unfamiliar game and introduced to horizontal and vertical stacks, three types of backhands and forehands, as well as some handler movement. This tournament will mainly focus on our rookies' development and understanding each other as players. This opportunity to play against other talented teams will allow us to rely on one another and give us a better understanding of the skills that we have and the skills we need to work on. Plan B will set the tone for the rest of the semester and prepare Scorch to dominate in the Spring. Good luck to all the teams this weekend and watch out, because Scorch is coming in hot!

The Final Countdown

8/27/2014

Happy third day of school to all you Wildcats out there! Getting back on that school grind is tough for everyone, but what better way is there to get the school year started than with some Ultimate?! With Scorch practices officially starting on Thursday, August 28th (tomorrow), returners are tingling with excitement to meet the awesome new girls who decide to come try it out.
Coming out to try a new sport and meeting a ton of new people can be intimidating, but if you are nervous about the first practice, here are three of the most common first practice jitters:

I literally cannot throw a frisbee and I'm not entirely sure what this sport is
It's okay! Remember that flyer that you saw in your dorm or some overly excited girl handed you? It said no experience necessary! And the great thing is, you will not be alone. Nobody steps into a class on the first day expected to know all of the material that will be covered throughout the year. Same goes for Ultimate! You are going to be taught everything you need to know and you will not be judged.
I'm not really in shape
Ultimate frisbee is a sport with a lot of running, but you are not expected to be in the greatest shape of your life when you show up to the first practice. Each practice will give you a great workout and we will all get conditioned together as the year goes on!
What if I don't make the team?
You can just put that out of your mind right now! Tryouts for Scorch are a non-stress ordeal and they don't happen for months. Just focus on this awesome new sport that you've found and seeing how much you are improving every day. Practice makes perfect!

Now go put on that pump up song and get psyched for the first practice! We are so stoked to see you out there!

It's the final countdown........doo doo doo dooooooooo........do do do doo doooooooo!

nerd alert!

8/10/2014

This post is approximately three months overdue, but Scorch's exciting news must be shared for all of the world to see!
Back in May, at the end of the Spring 2014 semester, three veteran Scorchies and their lovely head coach attended the end of the year club sports awards banquet. This banquet, put on by the U of A Recreation Center, honored all club collegiate athletes who have trained hard and helped their teams behind the scenes. After a catered dinner, different awards were given out to students and coaches who have stood out throughout the year. Some of these awards included Spirit Award, Sport Club of the Year Award, and Achievement Award. At this time, Scorch was awarded the Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award! This award was given to us for a stellar collective grade point average, which can be difficult to achieve at times as a student-athlete, but is mandatory to be able to participate in any sport. It looks as if all of those after-practice study sessions and finals week coffee dates really paid off for all of the Scorchies this year. So here's a big thank you to all of the girls on Scorch and Sirens for being such smarty pants!

Albuquerque, Scorch is comin in HOT!

10/25/2013

It's finally that time of the year. Scorch is heading to Albuquerque for our first tournament! Hard to believe that practice started only two months ago and with the amount of passion, determination to master any new skill presented, and dedication that has been seen at practice, there is no doubt that we are ready to bring the heat. Updates about the tournament will be posted after so we can give you the details. Lets go Scorch!