Chicago Invite: Can't Get No Respect, Day 1

Written by Jonesy, Edited (loosely) by the Bello

Each year in March, a special sporting event comes around that captivates and inspires our great nation. Sixty-four teams from across the country are selected to participate in this mother of all tournaments. After seedings are established, the inevitable banter of which teams got the short end of the stick and who is going to win it all ensues. This refers, of course, to none other than the annual Chicago Invite, held in Naperville, IL. Like a redheaded stepchild, Ghetto Force got no love when the seedings were established for this colossal Ultimate tournament. After getting jerked around from being a top seed in a non-power pool to being a four seed in a power pool, Ghetto was finally given a metaphorical slap to the family jewels and positioned as the second seed in a non-power pool. This starting position meant that Ghetto would have to sweep their pool play as well as win their crossover game to even be allowed to compete in the championship bracket. Anything less would relegate the team to a 17^th place finish at best. After letting loose a few choice words describing the character (or lack thereof) of the tournament director who placed Ghetto in such a predicament, the team pinned their collective ears back and prepared to feast on the competition that was laid out on a silver platter before them.

DAYTON 13, LOYOLA-CHICAGO 6

Ghetto’s first opponent of the day was to be the something-or-other’s of Loyola-Chicago. The ground was firm, the air was 30, and Ghetto was ready to show the flatlanders how Ultimate was really played. It became clear early on that Ghetto was a force that Loyola simply could not stop, but rather one they could only hope to contain. A beautifully manufactured up-wind break on the first point of the game set the tone, and Ghetto never looked back. Even with Loyola being one of “those teams” with one of “those coaches” who interferes with calls from the sidelines and wears a hat that is only appropriate for a person about to embark on a safari, Ghetto was clearly the superior team not only athletically, but also tactically. Loyola had no answer for Ghetto’s the zone-D, the cornerstone of which was the scary good marks put on by veteran handlers Zack “shaved his beard a week too early” Kaylor and Alex “my warm up jog is back to the car to get my cleats” Frasz. Despite the wind forcing Ghetto into a point trading scenario in the middle, the game was never in question, and Ghetto would coast to an easy 13 – 6 win to start the day.

DAYTON 9, VALPARAISO 6:

The Force’s second opponent of the day was to be the fighting one-legged lemurs of Valparaiso University. Ghetto’s greatest challenge in this game was not their opponent, but rather the cold-hearted wench known as Mother Nature. The gusts whipping across the Naperville Polo Grounds had picked up substantially, and while Ghetto was clearly the far superior Ultimate team on the field, the wind would prove to be a great equalizer, forcing Ghetto into a close contest. As in the first game, an upwind break gave Ghetto the lead early on. With Valpo’s defense having their hands more than full with Jeff “quack honk” Geise and Butters cutting on the inside, freshman Marky Mark Fedorenko was extremely opportunistic cutting from the outside. M-Fed tore up the Valpo D like the highway tears up an orange dropped from a car at 60-mph. The game was most memorable for a point that may or may not have been the longest point ever played in Ghetto Force’s great history. Eyewitness accounts claim that the point lasted roughly the average gestation period of an African elephant (look it up). The point included obscene amounts of turnovers, sloppy drops by nearly everyone on the field, Jonesy getting punched in the face, and many other bizarre mishaps. It all ended when Valpo finally was able to score a heavily downwind goal, but this would prove to be inconsequential. The length of the point combined with Valpo’s complete and utter helplessness against Ghetto’s zone D led to a 9 – 6 victory for Ghetto in hard cap.

DAYTON 12, St. OLAF 7:

Ghetto’s final pool play game of the day was to be against what appeared to be a crop of die-hard Duke’s of Hazzard fanatics, judging from their Confederate flag adorned uniforms. The top seed in Ghetto’s pool (St. Olaf) looked to be formidable early on, but in the end the south would not rise again. Not intimidated by Shamu tattoos or absurd spiral haircuts, Ghetto Force went to work on yet another upwind break to start the game. Once again Ghetto’s zone-D, like Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Potomac, was a great force to be reckoned with. At one point mid-game, the rebels appeared to have devised an effective strategy of very short, up field dump passes between handlers as a means by which to advance the disc. Upon realization of this meager attempt at offense, Patrick “Peaches” Kaufmann decided to end St.Olaf’s fun. With the power and conviction of a true yankee, Peaches smacked down a would be forward dump pass with such power that several opponents began whimpering in fear. Needless to say, the strategy would not be attempted again. Overall, St. Olaf was forced to endure their own version of Gettysburg at the hands of Ghetto Force, and Ghetto took the battle 12 – 7 in hard cap.

DAYTON 13, MISSOURI St. 4:

The Force had but one more victory to obtain in order to earn their way into the championship bracket. The next item on the menu for Ghetto Force; Missouri St. (Different from Missouri S&T, confusing I know). Ghetto was expecting a formidable opponent, as Missouri St. had come from a “power” pool. However, the cross over would prove to be Ghetto’s easiest challenge of the day. Ghetto rolled in a game highlighted by stifling zone D, the ever present Phil to Scottie huck on for a score on the first throw, and a disgusting layout grab by Butters for the winning score on a huck from Peg (The debate as to whether Peg was even looking up field when he released said huck still rages on). Needless to say, Ghetto rolled to their fourth and final victory of the day easily, taking the cross over 13 – 4.

With a spotless day 1 in the books, Ghetto returned to their respective houses to feast, and (at Dorn’s house anyway) receive 5-star quality professional massages. Ghetto went to bed Saturday night with thoughts of further domination filing their sweet sweet dreams.

Boogie Nights: Winning, Duh!

Written By Jonsey, Edited (loosely) By the Bello

Boogie Nights, a tournament hosted by Miami University is a firm staple in Ghetto Force’s spring schedule each year. The tournament is unique because it offers a cash prize of $200 for 1st place, however the long standing trend has been that the Miami University Alumni always win the tournament and "donate" the money back to the Miami team. Ghetto like a pack of vatican assassins vowed to crush this tradition, stripping the Alumni of their longstanding hold of the title and claim the prize money.

Xavier- Y: 13-9

Ghetto Force’s first challenger of the day was Xavier-Y. Until recently, Xavier Ultimate was most well known for not having a team name (even though virtually every other ultimate team does), and simply being know as “Xavier Ultimate,” an accurate reflection of such a bland university to be sure. Recently Xavier adopted the name “Blob” (or something stupid like that). However, after the events of the weekend a more accurate name would perhaps be “Xavier; tournament ruiners”. Little did Ghetto know it would start Boogie Nights off by exacting a little pre-emptive revenge on Xavier for messing up the second day of the tournament.

Ghetto came out very flat against Xavier Y, and allowed a team that epitomized mediocrity to hang around for the majority of the game. However, even without playing their best, Ghetto’s quality and quantity of talent proved too much for Xavier to handle. Perhaps still experiencing the hangover of their basketball team being upset by Jonesy’s future alma mater Marquette the night before, Xavier had no answer for the phenomenal cutting tandem of Alan “Butters” Smith and Jeff “I love Friday more than Rebecca Black does” Geise. Ghetto took the sloppy game 13 – 9.

John Carrol: 13-7

Ghetto’s next opponent, John Carrol, proved significantly more formidable. However, Ghetto was able to increase their level of play by an even greater factor. John Carrol was a quite gilded opponent; two or three stud players carrying a crew of fairly average ones. Ghetto came out strong early and the game was never truly in question. The most memorable point of the game came when Carrol made the tremendously questionable decision of throwing zone against Ghetto’s pristine handler set, without any significant wind to aid their defense. After a muffed pull that rolled 10 yards behind the handlers, Ghetto went to work on a point that was a thing of ultimate beauty. An initial swing and a throw through the cup started Ghetto’s march down field with perfect flow, rarely allowing their opponents to so much as begin a stall count. Ghetto shredded the would-be zone, and took what was surely less than 30 seconds to grab a score and take half. From there Ghetto would cruise to an easy 13 – 7 win.

Ruckus: 13-9

The third game of the day was Ghetto’s chance to break seed and snatch a first round bye for day 2 of Boogie Nights. Their opponent; the alumni team Ruckus. Alumni teams can be tremendously frustrating even for top caliber college teams to compete against. Despite college teams having a huge edge in terms of athleticism and conditioning, alumni teams usually have throwing ability from top to bottom that is top notch. Ghetto knew it was in for a tough game against a highly veteran team. With Frasz’s and Butters parents watching from the sidelines, Ghetto not only had seed to play for, but some parents that they needed to impress ($$$). They would not disappoint. Despite the high degree of skill and experience that Ruckus boasted, Ghetto’s raw athletic ability proved to be the greater strength. Adam Tardio summoned his inner cookie monster all game long, gobbling up D after D in an impressive showing. Alex Frasz summoned his inner Terrell Owens on a point in the first half, streaking downfield and raising his hand in the air as if to say “Throw me the gosh darn disc!!”. The run and catch was so beautiful that Alex’s father was quoted in a post game interviews as saying (with tears in his eyes) “For the first time in my life, I feel that I can be mildly proud of my son”. The true exclamation point on the game, however, came from none other than El Capitan, Alan “Butters” Smith. With Ghetto holding the lead late in the game, Ruckus put together a run of impressive points and cut Ghetto’s previously comfortable lead down to just 3. After a turntover by Ghetto, Ruckus had the disc just short of the goal line. As can always be expected from alumni teams, a break-side hammer was thrown in an attempt to cut Ghetto’s lead to just two. The throw was well executed, and looked to be floating perfectly to Ruckus’ very tall and very skilled top cutter. However, out of nowhere, Butters decided he wasn’t going to allow any hammer shenanigans to take place on his field. Leaping into the air higher than any Caucasian should be able to, Butters raised his hand in the air and smacked the lame duck hammer down to the ground in a spike that (insert name of famous volleyball player here) would be proud of. Ghetto used this tremendous play to steal the momentum and cruise to another 13 – 9 victory, taking out the #1 seed in their pool.

Youngstown State: 13-2

Ghetto Force’s final game of the day was hardly their most competitive. Before the game commenced, captain Phil Brodrick had a hunch the team Ghetto would be playing was anything but a high-level opponent. This hunch stemmed from the fact that the opponent (Youngstown State) was comprised of just 8 players, the most athletic of which was halfway through a fifth of Southern Comfort, and the most annoying of which was sporting a chef’s hat. Despite playing what was probably their worst game of the weekend, Ghetto took an ugly 13 – 2 victory to end the day.

After conducting the contract mandated press conferences and interviews in the locker room, Ghetto returned to a part of Ohio that actually has AT&T 3G coverage. With a spotless record on Day 1, Ghetto was confident they could contend for the 2011 Boggie Nights championship.

Winning: Day 2

Written & Edited by the Bello

Day two started with Ghetto enjoying a first round bye, which allowed Ghetto to play its first match at the luxurious 10:45 time slot. Ghetto Force competed in Day Two like Kim Jong Il plays a round of golf...winning by a ridiculous margins.

Miami: 15-9

Ghetto's first match of the day would be against rival Miami. As a result of Xavier withdrawing one of its two teams from tournament play on the second day, forcing Miami to split its squad into two teams in order to maintain the tournament schedule. Despite this blow to Miami's team the show must go on , Ghetto set the tone early getting 2 break points thanks to a well timed Ghetto offense. Miami answered back by capitalizing on offense for two points. However despite Miami's efforts Ghetto Force easily took half. During the second half Ghetto lost a little intensity and focus resulting in trading points and allowing Miami to get a couple break points. Luckily Miami picked a fight with a team full of warlocks and Ghetto was able to refocus and reclaim domination of the disc ending the game 15-9.

Xavier Alumni: 15-9

With the Miami team disposed of, Ghetto had its sights on the next opponent...an Alumni team. While facing an Alumni team in the semi's may seem like a blessing, Ghetto knew that this bread of team especially a team composed of recently graduated Xavier all-star Alumni may have the potential to be a serious threat. Alumni teams are known to be wild beasts as they bate throws with a poaching defense and are known to have an arsenal of perfect cross field hammers and pinpoint throws. However Alumni teams lack one thing that Ghetto excels and that is conditioning. Ghetto came out hard and strong against the Xavier Alumni setting the tone that Ghetto would not be an easily fooled team sending the message loud and clear to the Alumni that "you cant process me with a normal brain". The Force was able to get a handful of breaks in the first half and allowed for a point cushion that was more a psychological weapon then a dictation of how the game was going. Ghetto was able to contain the speed

Ohio Northern University: 15-0

The third game was a classic example of simple logic--Ohio Northern University multiplied by the power of nOOb is less than Ghetto Force A or B, Having just played a close but well controlled game against Xavier Alumni, Ghetto was rested and energized for the Championship match that had a free tournament bid next year and $200. However Ohio Northern (Darkside) was coming off a close fought game, that came down to universe point against University of Cincinnati, resulting in an exhausted Darkside. Ghetto allowed ONU to catch its breath, starting the game 15 min later than the tournament schedule. From the first offensive possession, ONU threw its infamous vertical offense but Dayton's defensive play sent the message loud and clear to "park your nonsense". Simply by not allowing the handler break, the ONU stack was powerless against tight marks that were put on by the Ghetto defense. After several early unanswered breaks ONU's play continued to spiral down, Darkside players began bickering and making silly desperation cross field hammers that only an Alumni team might have the chance to pull off. Ghetto had no problem taking half with still ONU not coming close to scoring. The second half was a rookie spotlight game. Players like Troy, Token, Marc, Josh and Peaches each made huge impacts on the game. Strong defensive efforts like Token d-ing a very dangerous endzone throw, ensured that Ghetto stonewalled ONU. Ghetto easily reach 15 points while OU scored a very worthy 0 points.

Ghetto never allowed a team to score more than 9 points throughout the entire weekend. Leaving $200 richer Ghetto dominated Boogie Nights like Charlie Sheen dominates horrible sitcoms, Ghetto now has its sights set on the Chicago Invite. Follow the scores here.

Stay tuned for Recap of the Chicago Invite next week

Music City Tune Up

After giving proper homage to Diskos (pictured left), Ghetto arrived to the music city late Friday night just as the holy book of Ultimate predicted between the hours of 10:30 and Midnight.

GAMEDAY:

Gentlemen!! If you drop the disc, you will run a mile! If you get beat deep, you will run a mile! If you get broken, I will stick my foot up your John Brown hind parts, and then you will run a mile. Perfection gentleman!!! Tell me, what are you!? Team; Mobile! Agile! Hostile! What is pain!? Team; French bread! What is fatigue!? Team; Army clothes! Will you ever quit!? Team: No! We want some mo'! We want some mo'! We want some mo'!

The day started with a cheer by Cheer Master Brian Jones leading the team in a cheer worthy of any sports film by Denzel Washington. With the team all jacked up on some good ol Tennessee mountain spirit, Ghetto was ready to play 4 straight games. Ghetto first opponent was 2nd ranked in pool Kenyon.

Kenyon:

Kenyon came out strong however and proved to be equally as jacked about playing in weather that wasn't below 35 degrees. Throwing a vert-stack Kenyon set up a huck game, (more accurately a pick game that fearless leader Kim Jong Phil would not allow.) Ghetto lagged in the first half, suffering from winter rustiness, the offense could not get into a rhythm. Kenyon capitalized on Ghettos slow start and easily took the half. However in the second half Ghetto finally scrapped enough rust off to start playing competitively. As the offense starting clicking the points started accumulating. But in the end Ghetto took Kenyon to soft cap and dropped the first game 9-13.

Emory

Ghetto came out strong for the second game against Emory. Fired up over the loss against a team Ghetto could have beat, Ghetto played solid defense against Emory's split stack. Everyone who played including the rookies stepped up and shut down the Emory offense. Freshman Mark Federanko caught a disc tipped off a foot block from Bello and scored for a Callahan point. On the offensive side of the disc, Ghetto was able to sub in alot of Rookies who performed excellent both in offense and defense. Ghetto easily won the game 13-3.

Illinois state:

For the third game Ghetto faced Illinois State ranked 3rd in our pool, giving 4th ranked Ghetto a perfect chance to break seed. The game was very competitive as Ghetto and Illinois state traded points for 5 points, however Ghetto took advantage of a break point and took half 7-5. After half, ghetto continued to trade points, but the Ghetto defense got 2 breaks and scored 3 straight points. The key to this match was conditioning, Ghetto was much more in shape than Illinois and this showed. Ghetto ended the game 11-9.

Ghetto 2k11: Reload and Unload

Greetings Ghetto Force fans, hope everyone had a great holiday and partied like it was 1999. Wanted to give everyone an update on some of the GF news.

Coming off a strong Fall semester, Ghetto is now gearing up for the collegiate spring season. Ghetto enjoyed huge numbers this past semester resulting in a team decision to split into A and B squads. Having two squads will allow new players to develop and get consistent playing time. The start of the spring semester also marks a leadership transition as Phil steps down from president, being replaced by Butters. Phil will remain co-captain and continue to provide leadership for the remainder of the semester. Both Ghetto A and B will start reloading as they begin winter conditioning when they return to school in Mid January. Check back for tournament updates and follow Ghetto Force Unloading in February and March!

Also:: Check out the article in Skyd Magazine about Ghetto Force! Kaylor and Heg are pictured and others are mentioned. Anyway the link is here--http://skydmagazine.com/2011/01/2011-preview-university-of-dayton-ghetto-force/

I liked this quote...
"Without giving too much away, what does your team like to do on offense and on defense?

Phil: Score and layout. Much more than that defines giving it away.

Fall Brawl 2k10

Ghetto Warriors
The air was 40 and the ground firm, a heavy fog rested on the fields as Ghetto arrived to the Fall Brawl war. Arriving in a fleet of small and midsize sedans on an early Saturday morning, 24 Ghetto warriors (players) cleated and stepped out onto the fields of glory for the Fall Brawl.

Playing Ohio Northern first, Ghetto held the goal of rotating rookies into the rotation. Ghetto was off to a slow start, suffering from early morning syndrome but still having control of the game, Ghetto was able to rotate the many Rookies like Brian Walsh, Danny Murphy, Jacob Malik, Jay Swedyk, Jesse Grewal, Kevin Wogenstahl, Mark Fedorenko, Patrick Kaufmann, Ragen Frost, Ted Lannert and Troy Weigand into the fold. Ghetto took care of business and ended the game on universe 15-14. After a much needed restful second round by, Ghetto Force played Youngstown State. Ghetto didn’t let the game get close as it did against Youngstown, Ghetto veterans picked up the energy and pwned the field. Enjoying the lead, Ghetto relied on the Rookies to keep the energy up and played strong resulting in a 13-8 win. The third game against Miami was a more competitive game, both teams held the goal of working Rookies into the game. However, the trend of dropped discs and flat cutting hampered the offensive weapons throughout the first half, landing Ghetto in a 4-7 hole going into half. Ghetto came out strong after half, but unable to get the win, ending in 11-13 Ghetto’s first loss. Ghetto final game of the first day was against Pen State.

The Championship and its Sprinklers
Finishing 2-2 the previous day, Ghetto was dead set to improve their performance. Facing 3-1 Toledo in the first round Ghetto stepped up its game. Starting strong Ghetto went on a 4-0 run forcing Toledo to take an early T.O. Soon after irrigation sprinklers interrupted the game twice adding a level of frustration and distraction. But the Vets and the Rooks kept up the energy to take half. After the break, Ghetto broke out the big defensive guns and through a water tight Zone. The zone was able to stop Toledo dead in its Northern Ohio tracks, Ghetto capitalized and took a 4-0 run against Toledo finishing the game 15-9. Following the victory, Ghetto faced Pit X a more competitive opponent than Toledo. This game gave the Rooks a great opportunity to observe high level play. Ghetto played a solid game and was able to play long points against Toledo fast paced transition game. However Pits huck game, enabled them to cash in on many transition opportunities. Ghetto went into half 2-8 and ended the game 4-15. The game against Pit was a great lesson to the young team and highlighted some areas where Ghetto needs to work. After the loss to Pit, Ghetto was battling for 5th against Case. Expecting a close game, Ghetto pulled out the stops and played mostly Vet lines. The Force traded points with Case for awhile but after a streak Ghetto enjoyed a 2 point lead. After half Case came back strong and Ghetto lost the edge enabling Case to capitalize, forcing a hard cap. After 2 more wasted opportunities Case took the game 16-13. Ghetto ended the game with bitter taste, but was excited by the talent that the Rooks showed. The next opponent Teets University left early due to lack of hustle, forfeiting and giving Ghetto 7th place. Ghetto kept seed.

Stay Tuned for the report from Glory Days. Ghetto will bring 2 X-Y squads to this huge tournament.

Day 2

Author: Brian Jones

Returning to the booming metropolis of Versailles, Ohio with a perfect
record to its name, Ghetto Force arrived for the second day of the
East Plains Club Sectionals with its eyes on grabbing D2 gold and thus
eternal ultimate glory. Nothing would stand in their way.

The test for the day was to once again defeat Ram Jam from the College
of Wooster. While Ghetto had narrowly snatched a victory the day
before, the level of difficulty in obtaining another was increased
from the previous day. The guidance of coach Evan Corcoran would not
be available, as he was unable to return for the second day.
Additionally, the extremely valuable cutting abilities of Ragen Frost
(lost to the Black Plague) and Pete Larkin (lost to an epic freestyle
battle Saturday night) would not be present. Ghetto did however add
the skills of the unassailable Ross Gueltzow to its already impressive
handling arsenal. The team prepared for the game by unleashing a
perfectly executed rendition of a cheer from Denzel Washington's
classic "Remember the Titans", and UD Men's Club Ultimate was ready to
roll.

Ghetto overcame a rough start to take an 8 - 6 lead into half time.
With Frost and Larkin gone, new Ghetto Superstars were given the
chance to shine through. Showing off great disc reading abilities for
a newbie in his first tournament, Jesse Grewal added more than just
diversity to the team, nabbing several key grabs in scoring points for
Ghetto. Birthday boy Adam Tardio showed off his speed and experience,
and among other key grabs beat his defender to the force side of the
end zone when given the iso-call, catching a flick from Jones for a
key upwind break.

The game remained a hotly contested battle throughout, with Ram Jam
bringing the score to 9 - 10 just after hard cap was blown. This meant
Ghetto would be receiving a pull and would need to score upwind to
avoid a universe point situation. After a few turns/turnts by each
side, "Marky Mark" Fedorenko unleashed a great upwind huck to fellow
freshman stud Patrick Kaufmann. Kaufmann, who proved to be as talented
as he is lanky, snatched the throw out of mid-air just short of the
end zone line. After being advised to by veterans to take what may or
may not have been a legal time out, Kaufmann and the rest of the
offense set up a plan to punch in the winning score. Both teams set up
in the end zone, and the disc was checked in and immediately dumped to
Marky Mark. Wooster's defensive strategy was very formidable, and Mark
was forced high into the stall count. With the taste of victory
tantalizing his taste buds, Jones darted from his right side handling
position towards the far cone looking for a break-side strike throw.
Halfway through the cut however, Jones realized that the throwing lane
was not there. Utilizing a level of agility and quickness that he
quite simply does not posses, Jones planted hard and cut back
horizontally to the force side. Mark stepped out wide and threw a
beautiful outside-in flick into the end zone. Jones' defender made an
admirable bid for the disc, which flew just inches by his outstretched
hand right to Jones in the end zone. The veteran handler, not used to
being on the catching end of a score, performed a textbook head-spike
in celebration of the dramatic victory and the completion of Ghetto's
quest to become the undisputed 2010 East Plains Section Division 2
Champions.

Thanks to Oberlin College's decision to leave the tournament a day
early, Ghetto Force managed to avoid an annoying and inexplicable
scenario in which they would have had to beat a team that did not
compete in Division 2 in order to win the Division 2 Championship. It
is believed whoever decided this system of play has the IQ of a small
soap dish. In short, Ghetto's dramatic win over Wooster was the
conclusion of a very exciting first tournament.

Ghetto appears to be in great shape entering the young season. After
losing many of its top-tier players to an ever present epidemic know
as "graduation" last season, many around the team expected 2010/2011
to be a rebuilding season for Ghetto. However, a plethora of young
talent combined with the great improvement of its veterans has Ghetto
hopeful of a season even more successful than the last. The dawn looks
increasingly bright for Ghetto Force, and the coming season should be
one for the ages.

(Note to the reader from the blogmaster: Below is a short synopsis, written by Josey. I have highlighted a couple paragraphs for your reading convience so you don't elect not to read it because of how short it is)

Ghetto Force entered the fall's first tournament (or "turntament" as
some may say) with a unique challenge to overcome. Several of the
team's seasoned veterans were unable to play for Ghetto due to a
previous engagement with Dayton's premier Club Ultimate team,
"Enigma". This left the team with only two players (Zach Kaylor and
Brian Jones) with more than a year of college ultimate experience
under their proverbial belts. Nonetheless, Ghetto came into the
weekend with one thing on its collective mind; pure domination.

Ghetto Force began the tournament/turnament taking on the first of
three Division 2 foes; Rocket Oxen of Case Western. A very formidable
wind created a point trading scenario for the first half hour or so of
the game, until Ghetto decided to string together by far the best
three point stretch of the weekend and potentially the entire fall
season. After scoring downwind to take a one point lead, Ghetto pulled
upwind. After a turnover/turntover by Case, Kaylor swung the disc to
Jones on the right side of the field. With coach Evan Corcoran
standing just yards away on the side line, Jones summoned some of the
alumn's handling greatness and released an upwind huck that few would
dare attempt. The throw sliced cleanly through the wind, flattening
out and descending gently in the back corner of the end zone to the
outstretched hand of Blue Chip recruit Patrick Kaufmann. A victory cry
of "Crab Cakes and Football!!" was unleashed, and Ghetto celebrated
it's first upwind break of the day. However, much more exuberant and
fanatical celebrating was soon to follow, and for very good reason.

Not 40 seconds after the Jones/Kaufmann connection, Ghetto pulled
downwind to their now shaken foes. The fear which Ghetto was
instilling quickly became evident, as the first handler swing pass
Case threw sailed over the intended players head and high into the
air. With the look of greatness in his eyes, Zach Kaylor summoned the
Ultimate lineage which flows through his veins and darted towards the
disc as it quickly descended towards the ground in the opponents end
zone. With the disc angling away from him and just inches from the
ground, the son of Ghetto Force's founder threw his body forward in
hopes of completing one of the greatest plays a Ghetto member has made
since his father crafted the team so many years ago. A split second
after Kaylor leaped, time stood still. With his body completely
parallel with the earth, Zach clasped his hand around the lip of the
disc only centimeters above the grass. The clouds above opened, and a
choir of Ultimate angels descended on the field to celebrate the
completion of one of the most phenomenal plays that can be made in a
competitive game of ultimate; a layout Callahan. While the events
described in the previous sentence may be a bit dramatized, the play
was freaking awesome. Many players wait their whole lives for the
chance at any sort of Callahan, let alone a layout in the first game
of the season. Understandably, pandemonium ensued.

After the Callahan celebration subsided, Ghetto prepared for another
attempt at an upwind break. After a very solid pull, Ghetto's other
Blue Chip recruit Mark Fedorenko lived up to his first name by putting
on a phenomenal mark and forcing another handler turnover/turntover by Case.
Marky Mark then picked up the disc and tossed it to the Callahan Man
himself, Zach Kaylor, for Ghetto's third straight point and their
second upwind break of the day. Case called timeout in an attempt to
regroup, but it was too late. The momentum from this greatness-filled
three point stretch carried Ghetto to an impressive 13 - 8 victory to
start the day.

In the next game Ghetto took on a slightly more formidable opponent in
Ram Jam from the College of Wooster. Even so, Ghetto put forth another
impressive performance, with the new recruiting class making quite an
impression. Mark Fedorenko proved to be as skilled on both offense and
defense as any opposing veterans the team saw all weekend. Patrick
Kaufmann was a deep threat that opponents simply could not deal with,
using his freakishly lankly build to great effect. Great performances
were not limited to these experienced freshmen however. Ragen "Iceman"
Frost displayed a tremendous understanding of cutter movement and
defensive positioning, all while dealing with a sickness whose
symptoms lead this commentator to conclude that he has a contracted a
case of the Black Plague. Details to follow. Famous rap artist Pete
Larkin also delivered an outstanding cutting performance, even with
some sever injuries to the back of his hands that reportedly were the
result of walls getting in the way of his moving fist. All of these
stellar efforts along with the veteran leadership of Kaylor and Jones
propelled Ghetto Force to a thrilling 10 - 9 victory over Wooster.

Ghetto was left with one more task for the day: Take down the Athens
Bulldogs of Ohio University. While Ohio's top tier players were
competing in the D1 part of the tournament/turnament, Ghetto was still
ready to face a tough opponent. Ohio University is a perennial
powerhouse in the East Plains section, nearly knocking off the ever
dominant Ohio State at last spring's College Sectionals. Ghetto knew
their opponent would be well coached, an expectation which was well
met. The Ohio game was the first time during the day that Ghetto was
forced to contend with a zone defense. With a group of largely
inexperienced cutters and just 3 experienced handlers, this proved to
be quite a test for the young team. However, Ghetto was well up to the
challenge. Red-shirt freshman Josh Weitz quickly mastered the proper
positioning when cutting in a zone offense. Thanks in part to his
blazing speed, and in part to his heads-up field vision, handlers were
routinely able to find hit Josh through holes in cup and get him the
"ball-ball-ball" quite frequently. Ghetto cruised in its final game of
the day, winning 12 - 6 and completing a perfect 3 - 0 record. It also
must be mentioned that newbie handler Brian Walsh caught what was
clearly the grab of the day (minus Zach Kaylor's Callahan of course),
by securing a disc that thanks to odd winds ended up on his lower
back/buttocks region while he was most of the way through falling over
forwards. He was subsequently given a gold star sticker and a Capri
Sun juice packet for his efforts.

With a very exciting day one in the books, Ghetto returned/returnt home to UD
to relax, and many enjoyed a cinematic adventure entitled "Hard Ticket
to Hawaii," which reportedly won the academy award for Best Movie Ever
Made.

Day 2 recap coming soon.

2010 East Plains Division 2 Club Sectionals Champs!!

News Flash! EXTRA EXTRA.

This just in....Following a 5-o victorious campaign Ghetto Force has just been named the 2010 East Plains Division II Club Sectionals Champions... Stay tuned for updates......

Safety In Numbers

With the date of club sectionals looming in the horizon the first ghetto force practice started with the intensity and emotion that comes with one of sex-panthers vegetarian bowel movements. Banished to the badlands of the University of Dayton property (the “fields” at the corner of Main and Stewart), Ghetto Force still managed to draw 28 to the first practice. As the team cleated up, Captain Phil set the tone for practice, deciding that Handler movement to be the focus for the day. After running through the time-honored partner throwing, the team ran through a series of go-to catching drills showing the freshman the speed and intensity that real ultimate is all about. The outstanding freshman class was able to show off their speed and superior hand to eye coordination. After break, Captain Phil introduced some advanced physic theory, known as the “handler weave” or to some as the “dump-swing”. Proving to be an easy task for the team including the freshman. After conquering the handler weave, the team transitioned into some scrimmaging. Still rusty after coming back from the summer off, Ghetto went through some growing pains. Suffering from frequent drops and an obvious lack of breaks, the sub-par performace reminded the team of how much we need to improve before the College season starts.

Stay tuned for news about ghetto’s sectional performance…..

Soaring Eagle, Cowering Snake, Leaping Frog

Day 1 of Ghetto Force Tryouts

Wednesday, September 1st marked the first event leading to the kickoff of the 2010-2011 Ghetto Force season. Working towards an improvement on last years successful campaign, Ghetto hopes to progress deeper into the Regional tournament. Ghetto has high hopes for the incoming class of new players and is greatly anticipating including new talent into the lineup.

If you were to predict the outcome of the season based on the single performance of first day, the outcome would be bright, blindingly bright. The first day of tryouts was an outstanding showing of effort and positive attitude. The new players showed not only tremendous athletic ability but an understanding and awareness of the game. As the team quickly ran through drills, Coach Papa Cork recorded the performance of new players and kept an eye out for the noob chaff to burned in the fires held deep within the Ultimate Mountains of Noob-dom. After some easy going obligatory agility and catching drills were out of the way, Capitans Phil and ButtRexs ushered the team into the perspiration gauntlet, the thresher for noob chaff, a drill only slightly better known as hills. This exercise is the fastest way to separate an Ultimate player from a bleeding heart, liberal, "Frisbee" tossing hippie, after numerous rounds of hills, the team came out the other side of the punishing drill alive and full of energy. "READY FOR MORE!!!" cried the Veteran, Sex Panther into the faces of a few freshman, as he sprinted down the hill ripping his shirt in half which subsequently set the tone for the rest of the try outs. Picking up on this blood thirsty energy, the team then transitioned into partner throwing and a water break.

Filling the remainder of the time was a short scrimmage. It was during this spectacle that many freshman were able to shine and show off their ultimate skillz and potential. Running vertical stack both teams were able to teach the fundamentals such as forces and stall counts. The scrimmage enabled the new recruits to experience only a sliver of what a real game in a tournament would be like. But overall the level of play was outstanding for the first day.

The final task in Tryouts was perhaps the most important, ladders. This drill showed the new recruits how to band together and overcome the physical demands and struggles that they will experience throughout the season. Even though everyone was tired and thirsty, the team still sprinted with the intensity that is expected out of a Ghetto Force squad.

Stay Tuned for More Updates on Ghetto Force and we'll see you at Day 2......