The Huddle Goes Green - Poopy Green

Ok, not everyone will agree with what The Huddle posts on. In fact, there have been a lot of solid objections to the opinions and suggestions that have been provided. Nonetheless, it's hard to deny that The Huddle is providing a service currently not available in the Ultimate community - so like it or not, you've gotta respect it. Sorta like the new Buttco nickname - upgrade or downgrade, the ladies are sure digging it! Also, look at that picture - he's definitely not deriving his ups from his legs, look at that strategic body placement, this nickname is totally sticking.

On to more pertinent things. If you weren't at the first roughly legit outdoor practice today, you missed a wealth of new info on some new defensive formations and team-d strategies.

With Captain Evander Corkyfield marker-boarding like he was having some sort of Ultimate artistic seizure, the team took to the field for run-throughs of the defensive schemes.

For those in attendance, it was readily apparent that speed and experience were heavily influencing the capabilities of the 7 guys running downfield for D. However, the biggest trick to it all? Communicating and working for the d in every spot, in every role, in every position. Doing the role to assist the other 6 on the field is the real trick.

Like clockwork, Goose comes through with a sick layout swing pass wall D - justifying the need for team D. Jeff was in the right position, read the offense, and pounced once the defense had cut off all reasonable opportunities, forcing the O to make a throw they didn't want to have to make. The individual might get the momentary glory (did you get that D on film there Phyllis?) but the truth is, those d's are created via a full team effort - so get on board.

Thinking about this, there was a lot of writing about Team D on The Huddle a few months back. Although not all of the articles are pertinent or worth the time, this one by chica Chow encapsulates a lot of areas Ghetto should be considering every time the D has to set up.

For those tired of reading, here are a few worthwhile points:

• "One way to think about it, is to have players answer the questions "where and how is the team going to get a turn?" This team defense philosophy shifts the onus from the individual player creating and getting a block to the team generating opportunities for everyone to get turnovers and, in theory, increasing the chances of any player on the field to earn a D."

• "As a final note, team D is firmly ensconced in the concept of deny and contain D. First deny the disc to the O-player but if the disc goes up and the D isn't 150% sure about getting the block, then he switches immediately to containment mode. This means the D-player no longer goes for the block but now works hard to get into position to ensure the designated force is put on the early on the imminent thrower. How many times have we seen a team break the force and the disc move quickly up the broken side for an uncontested score?"

Ok, so those snippets could be shorter, but, ahem, that last line......that only happened like 24 times (minor exaggeration) at today's practice - but yea, think about it - if you were there, you can probably think of at least 5 serious whoopsies that were just like that.

Click that Huddle picture and give some of those articles a look.

Don't let school interfere with your Ultimate education.

Five Ultimate - What the Sponsorship Brings

Yep - you've probably heard via a pumped young player, maybe a friend, or maybe you saw the news on the new Force website or on RSD - Ghetto Force has been selected as one of the 10 Open teams to be sponsored by Five Ultimate for the 2009 Spring Season.

In the case that maybe you haven't seen the mock-ups of the new threads, they've been posted all around for you visual enjoyment.

If you're one of the cats that'll be popping tags on the new gear, please remember, Captain Corc will be ransoming your gear until you get that sharp little insurance card copy and emergency contact information page into him. Honestly, don't be the foolio that forgets it, otherwise you'll be remembered for a serious Epic Fail.

In the meantime, grab a towel, wipe the drool from your face, and get excited to get your hands on the new gear.

Also, the Five Ultimate website is "in process" - whatever that means. Essentially it means that their set up is going to be ridiculously tight, but probably not for another month and a half because they're likely swamped with fresh March team orders, asking to get stuff done by their mid-March tournament - good one.

Tournament Sexy Time! - Ghetto Working Way to GA and NC

For those out there out of the loop, Ghetto Force will be attending two high caliber tournaments this March. As a moderate sized upgrade from Arctic Vogue, Ghetto will be off to Atlanta for College Terminus on March 14th-15th, followed by Easterns in Wilmington on March 28th-29th.

Pools have been put up for Terminus, and as you could guess, it's a blood bath of teams ready to beat each other silly with their Ultimate ugly sticks. Did we mention that Wisconsin took their Harry Potter Cloak of Invincibility off? Yep! Terminus is more up for grabs then ever. (As long as a tsunami doesn't wipe things out) With Notre Dame, Pitt, and Georgia (among other blazing hot teams) attending, battles are guaranteed to get ugly - like Kurt Huelsman free-throw-shooting ugly. Either way, as the pools have it, Ghetto will currently be matching against perenial Metro Least champion Pitt - who's played with solid success against some of the top programs. Also featured in the pool is a Georgia Tech team, who, just for kicks, happens to have logged 25 games by the time you're reading this - also while reading this, Dayton is in the process of dethawing.

Easterns, which will be celebrating its platinum anniversary, will be toasting to a roster of top notch teams. With the likes of Virgina and Middlebury being added late (for those noobs not up on their game, they had pretty hot Vegas weekends), the roster of squads is rounded out by teams like Georgia, Florida, Duke, and Dartmouth. Not to mention Dayton.

Leave that WSJ on your front porch and get your daily reading at the spiffy Easterns website. More updates are sure to roll in here soon as we get closer to hitting the North Carolina pitch.

Bottom line is anything outside will soon be high priority for Ghetto Force as these tournaments aren't just for show. These two are arguably the top two east coast tournaments of the season, featuring a crop of holy grail power, melt your face off competition.

Dayton is in go mode.

Ghetto Gets a Face Lift

After years of talking about it - relative Ghetto newcomer Eric Reynolds is making it happen!

The Ghetto Force Official team website has been in dire need of some repair and an updated style and presentation. Using his vast design skills and proficient knowledge of code writing, Eric is in the opening stages of introducing the team, fans, alumni, and onlookers to the new Ghetto Force website.

Although the site is only in its preliminary stages, the initial updates and revisions are already looking to be tremendous. Eric is also receiving assistance from Junior Mike Hart, with graphic and photography elements, to again up the level of presentation for the overall site.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments - however, put money that by the time the new year has come, this site is going to be absolutely banging!

http://campus.udayton.edu/~ultimate/index.shtml

2008 Regional Championships Clip

For those of you that were there, and those that missed it, this is an outstanding little clip of the opening game at this year's 2008 Great Lakes Regional Championships. Although it includes some opening NPU dialogue, the game itself is done with some awesome editing and showcases the game really well. Hope you dig it!


04.26/27.2008 - Regionals (Part 1) - Lost Boys from luke johnson on Vimeo.

Cultimate/Conference1 - Stay in the Know

Gents of Ghetto Force and all of our other readers. Although I withhold my opinion for the time being, there's quite a buzz in the world of College Ultimate (at least in the Men's area).

For those of you that haven't heard yet, Cultimate, foremost host to the nation's top Ultimate tournaments, has issued a statement (albeit fairly vague for the time being) regarding an Elite level college Ultimate conference.

Although players, coaches, alum, and everyone else in tune with the Ultimate world has been chiming in over the last 24 hours - no matter your initial take, it's awesome to see this sort of dialogue. All I am saying is, it's important to know what's going on in the Ultimate world. Whether you think this is a step forward or a step towards a schism in Ultimate, do some reading and figure out what you think.

For the time being, most would concede that updates and forums from Cultimate and UPA will likely come soon to address questions and concerns. However, for Ghetto Forcers heading North to Milwaukee this weekend, were somehow (if by nothing more than timing and coincidence) heading directly into the firestorm by attending Cultimate's No Wisconsiquences this Saturday and Sunday. Click the pictures to get some direct links to sources that are abuzz on everything going on!!

Also, if you have thoughts (current players, alumni, etc.) please feel free to throw your input into the comments section!

NASCAR - COMING SOON!

No, there won't be any official NASCAR updates coming to this blog in the near future (although every team Ghetto Force played this weekend in Edinboro got a healthy dosage of the term). However, in the immediate future, when midterms and schoolwork slows down for a couple days, look for updates on these topics:

Pittsburgh's Forge @ Regionals
Dayton's Enigma @ Sectionals
Ghetto Force @ Sectionals
Ghetto Force @ Wright State
Ghetto Force @ Edinboro's Skylander VIII

Parent's Weekend Festivities

In the mean time - enjoy this candid photo of the 'Hardest Working Man in Showbiz'.

FRIZBAY!

Yes, it mocks the game.
Yes, Ken Dobyns' uniform for the first 4 minutes is a Stormtroopers of Death cutoff t-shirt.
Yes, the cones marking the field should probably be used on I-75 construction.
Yes, they claim the sport matters to only those playing.

However, they are looking at footage that's from 1989 - so enjoy the humor, because when it's all said in done it's a good time. Not to mention, it's worthwhile to gain just a quick glimpse into where the sport started, and how far the sport has come.

I mean think about, we're not simply naming teams after tragedies, so that's a good start. Secondly, most of us (at least at UD) have our priorities a little more in line then Kennie Poo. So, in short, the game's going places.

Enjoy the random 3 minute commercial break in the middle.
Enjoy the "Frisbee, FRIZbee, FRISBEE, FRISBAY, HEY FRISBEE, Hey FRIZBAY, don't touch me there" section.
Enjoy the FCU-ICU chant accompanied by Scuba Helmet jerseys.
Enjoy the best line in the clip - from the overdubbed kid lazily spinning the yellow disc - classic.

It's a random clip, poking complete fun at Ultimate, but it's enjoyable, so laugh and then smile, when you think about how awesome Ultimate is, and how great it is to be playing it with Ghetto Force.

IT'S FCU - ICU!


Frizbay! from bigrig on Vimeo.

The Great Blackout of 2008

For those of you reading this, it's likely your computer is either plugged into a working wall outlet, or your laptop battery has the uber charge and you're surfing away without a care in the world. If you're not reading this right now, you're probably a current member of Ghetto Force or any other citizen in the state of Ohio.

Yes, ladies and gents, the impenetrable fortress that is the University of Dayton is apparently readily susceptible to problems when it comes to wind - but then again, at 78 mph, what isn't? If you haven't heard, our little friend Ike made a pseudo-surprise visit to Dayton (and the rest of Ohio). Needless to say, life is continuing at UD, with things just being a tad bit darker than normal.

Ghetto's first weekday practice took place this past Monday evening, with roughly 30 in attendance, including both the elderly (aka Josh Foor, freshly 22 and AARP certified) and the fresher faces of The Force. Ghetto's next practice, which will be held with the assistance of SGA/Res Ed supplied flash lights, will be this Thursday, 5:30 at the NCR Fields.

Keep those cells charged and enjoy the free emergency meals Ghetto!

East Plains' Mastro Reps On the World Scene

For those of you new to Ultimate....welcome to the excitement. For those of you not so new, this will provide an update on one of the best players in the Great Lakes Region, at least in recent years.

Matt Mastrantuono (Mastro) is a recent graduate of Miami U, and the former captain and big gun for the Miami Boogiemen, a top caliber program. Revolving around the dedication and effort of Mastro, the Boogiemen followed this All-Region player to multiple outstanding finishes in the GL Region.

Well ladies and gents, this former rival (and good friend of many a Ghetto Forcer) has taken some risks and managed to reach an all new level. Mastro, graduating in May '08, packed up his bags and on a prayer and a whim, moved out West in search of new beginnings, and a shot at the best Ultimate in the world.

For those of you still a bit naive, the North West region of the US is made up of many of the world's strongest Club Ultimate teams, including reigning champion Seattle Sockeye, followed closely by perennial powers Jam (San Francisco), Voodoo (Seattle), Revolver (Bay Area), psuedo World Champions Furious George (Vancouver), Invictus (Alberta), and 2007 National Champion qualifier, Rhino, out of Portland, Oregon.

So, lets get to the point here. Mastro graduates, wraps up Regionals with a great run in the GL with the Boogiemen, and with basically nothing but determination, packs up and moves to Portland. Without a place to stay and no job lined up, Matt works his magic and begins moving and shaking....and along the way, tries out and makes Rhino, a premier, elite Ultimate squad - nothing shy of outstanding!

Well ladies and gents, it didn't take this young'n too long to settle in. Within his first tournaments he was nearly flawless from the handler position, and was utilizing his enhanced conditioning routine (trust me, it's jaw dropping) to elevate his play on both sides of the disc.

So, where is this going? Well, the little Miami captain that could has gone from ripping flicks against Ohio schools at Fall Brawl, to ripping flicks against, and eventually hugging, the German National Team (not to mention every other premier team in the U.S.)! It's a pretty awesome story!

Also, if you haven't seen this footage yet, you need to check it out. Also, if you're a young gun, unfamiliar with Mastro, check the footage out as well, as it showcases some utterly outstanding play! Enjoy!

PS. Mastro isn't rocking the leggings that allow him to wick to the 5th dimension....but you can spot him in the #2 gear. Also, he's the first person to take the score down against Furious George in the Sockeye Invite vid, and in the Disco Calientes tape, check the 3:25 point where Matt rocks an "amateur" backhand high release fake, and it's totally eaten up by the marker......like poetry in motion baby!

SockeyeInvite 2008 - Rhino from luke johnson on Vimeo.


Disco Calientes 2008 - Rhino from luke johnson on Vimeo.

Do Work Son - Ghetto Force is Back

As usual, summer seems to find ever-creative ways to fly by. For Ghetto Forcers, summers were spent doing service overseas, working for Fortune 500 companies, playing Ultimate, and getting prepped to rejoin the squad at turn of August.

With the heat still rising at the start of September, the Ghetto Fraternity has quickly come back together to begin the uphill climb.

With Ghetto Force's returners spread out over the map this summer, it's amazing to see what people have been up to. For starters, we've got kids getting into some serious Ultimate. First, there were six Ghetto returners that stuck close to Dayton this summer and played with the area's new club team, Enigma. Beyond that, you have El Capitan, Evan Corcoran, leading Forge, the Elite-level club team from Pittsburgh that's currently Top 30 in the nation. Of course, summer wouldn't be complete without some Ghetto patrons indulging in some beach Ultimate, and as always, Ghetto Forcers made memories. Beyond these fun Ultimate endeavors, you've got Ghetto vets Mark Latta and Eric Krissek committing to service abroad in Ecuador and Zambia, respectively. In more ways than one, it sort of makes Ultimate look like small potatoes. Very cool and both repped Ghetto in all the finest ways - way to go fellas!

No matter how you cut it, though, Ghetto kept busy this summer, and it shows.

Ghetto made quick work of the school year, leading into the semester by hosting a series of open pick up games. Although not necessarily always beautiful, each session opened the sport up to new players and vets alike. Providing time to see improvement in those coming back to Ghetto, as well as a chance to see the future of the program come out and begin to show off their stuff.

And when it comes to the future - Ghetto players, alumni, family - get excited! Ask any veteran of the program what they think about the last few weeks, and consensus is really clear - Ghetto is continuing to grow and harvest new talent. The program is truly on the rise.

With three slated tryout sessions, the first starting on the evening of Labor Day, Ghetto Force began to really work in the new and old players, pushing everyone to accelerate and elevate their level of play.

Tryouts wrapped this past Saturday, culminating in an outstanding Light and Dark scrimmage. With the teams evenly split, the new and not so new were all on display. With everyone making an effort to leave it all on the field before the end of tryouts, the game came to a classic conclusion. With the sides tied at 8, Universe Point brought on an Eric Kaiser 40 yard flick bomb to the heavily bearded Pat Bello, capping a come from behind victory for the Light squad. It was an outstanding showcase on all fronts.

Saturday evening brought on the congratulatory cookout out for all those in attendance at tryouts. Hosted by the returning players, everyone at tryouts was invited over to THE 912 Alberta residences for hot dogs, cornhole, the occasional pool cannonball, and some quality bonding. It was a great break for everyone to get to chill, hang out, and for the new players to get to know the returners (and vice versa) away from the intensity of hill sprints, ladder circuits, and in-cut battles. A good time was had by all.

As was the case last year, this blog will gain a lot more steam as Ghetto Force picks up the pace entering the Fall Club and Spring College seasons. To whet your palates, take note that Dayton players are not only going to be attending the East Plains Open Sectional Championships, but this year, they'll be doing it on three teams. Enigma, coupled with players on a duo of Ghetto split squads will all be hitting the pitch on September 27th - 28th in Versailles, OH.

As the days get closer we'll take a close look at this year's Ghetto line-up, perhaps a brief moment to focus on some UD's fresh faces, and a look at some of the awesome things to come.

It's going to be an exciting year!