[TFDA] Kudzu tourney results - pics - free verse impressions

Christian Schwoerke schwoerkec at yahoo.com
Tue May 26 11:18:25 EDT 2009


Baby Marsupials Bound Over Accommodators to Take Kudzu Laurels

Sunday, May 24, 5:30pm, the NCState alumni-based team Joeys bounded over Triangle club-based Accommodators, 15-8, to win the 12th Annual Carolina Kudzu Coed Classic.  Both teams had entered the A-Division finals with 6-0 records, and neither had given up more than 10 points to an opponent.  Sidelines were thronged with players from many of the remaining 18 teams who had finished their run in the tourney’s three divisions.

In its 12th year, the Carolina Kudzu Coed Classic is a “fun” tourney (ie, not associated with any series), which rules were intentionally designed to better balance the role of both genders in a coed game.  The special rules adopted at that time (and still a mainstay) were 1) a 4/3 offense-dictates gender ratio (now a standard in the mixed series), 2) a 2-point cross-gender huck rule, and 3) an alternating gender pull.   

The tourney began Saturday at 10am, on a nearly cloudless, rapidly warming morning, with 16 teams shaking off stiffness and work-week rust to begin their 6- to 7-game trek through the tourney’s two days of competition.  While 14 of the 20 teams were NC-based, with 10 largely composed of Triangle players, other teams came from Virginia, DC, Maryland, NY, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

Teams, their seeding, and their captains:

1.  Bickett Poker   (Raleigh, NC -- Kris Bass)
2.  Joeys   (Raleigh, NC -- Joey Connelly)
3.  Too Much Mustard   (Triangle, NC -- Baker Pratt)
4.  The Accommodaters   (Raleigh, NC -- Tim Lupo)
5.  TAU   (Triad, NC -- Tammy Moose)
6.  Ramshackle   (Raleigh, NC -- Dwayne Purper)
7.  Scorgasms   (Knoxville, TN -- Richey Ward)
8.  Osos y Amigos   (NC/MD -- Andrew Rickel)
9.  Wildcats   (Durham, NC -- Jeff Faulkner)
10.  Wiggle Room   (NC/SC -- Frances Deschenes)
11.  Clean Plate Club   (Asheville, NC -- Sean Gerin)
12.  Malice in Wonderland   (Greenville, NC -- Jeff Martin)
13.  American Hyperbole   (West Pt, NY -- Matt Radhe)
14.  7 Seconds of Heaven   (Richmond, VA -- William Berry)
15.  Free Agent Frenzy   (Triangle, NC -- Jon Bolding )
16.  Boone!ShakaLaka   (Boone, NC -- Eric Woolridge)
17.  Seabiscuit   (Raleigh, NC -- Anne Burroughs)
18.  Nekkid   (DC -- Dave Epping)
19.  CHUF   (Triangle, NC -- Tom Herndon)
20.  Spirit Team   (NC -- Andrew Baltensperger)

Seeding in this type of non-series tourney is always a shot in the dark, with so many teams sui generis and standing teams using different/new personnel.  Beginning with Bickett Poker, 2008’s Kudzu champ, earning the first spot, the rest of the field was seeded based on rumor and a passing familiarity with the NC ultimate scene.  The four five-team pools based on that seeding follow:

Pool A
1. Bickett Poker
8. Osos y Amigos
12. Malice in Wonderland
13. American Hyperbole
17. Seabiscuit

Pool B
2. Joeys
7. Scorgasms
11. Clean Plate Club
14. 7 Seconds of Heaven
18. Nekkid

Pool C
3. Too Much Mustard
6. Ramshackle
10. Wiggle Room
15. Free Agent Frenzy
19. CHUF

Pool D
4. The Accommodaters
5. TAU
9. Wildcats
16. Boone!ShakaLaka
20. Spirit Team

Pool play went mostly according to seed, though there were a couple of upsets along the way.  Most noticeable was Malice in Wonderland’s victory over Bickett Poker in Pool A.  2008’s champs led the entire game, then the time cap came on and Malice pulled off a 2-pointer to take the victory, 12-11.  In that same pool, Osos y Amigos (with many of the same ECU/Greenville, NC connections as Malice in Wonderland) fought hard against Malice to pull off a 12-10 victory.  What could have been a three-way tie for first fizzled as Osos failed in its next two games to procure a third victory.  Bickett was thus headed to a 10am game on Sunday, while Malice was given liberty to sleep in till their 1pm quarters match.

The other significant upset occurred in Pool C, where under-rated Wiggle Room showed what they could do with just four women, going 4-0 on the day.  Too Much Mustard, on the other hand, faltered and failed to find the right adjustment to accommodate last-minute personnel changes (due to the core of their women’s squad [Pleiades] playing at UPA College Nationals), and they ended the day with a 2-2 record.

All other games somehow played out to seed.  As teams finished their fourth game of the day, they headed to tourney central for their allotment of seven pizzas and beer.  The day ended at dusk, with all the reindeer games expiring and both kegs bobbing.

Pool Play Results

Pool A
Malice in Wonderland 3-1
Bickett Poker 3-1
American Hyperbole 2-2
Osos y Amigos 2-2
Seabiscuit 0-4

Pool B
Joeys 4-0
Clean Plate Club 3-1
7 Seconds of Heaven 2-2
Scorgasms 1-3
Nekkid 0-4

Pool C
Wiggle Room 4-0
Ramshackle 3-1
Too Much Mustard 2-2
Frenzy 1-3
CHUF 0-4

Pool D 
Accommodators 4-0
TAU 3-1
Wildcats 2-2
Boone!ShakaLaka 1-3
Spirit Team 0-4

Sunday’s games began at 10am with A-Division and the B-Division pre-quarters, while the #1 teams from each pool slept in, advancing automatically to the A-Division quarters at 1pm.

There were three upsets in the A-Division pre-quarters, as Too Much Mustard avenged the previous day’s record, and Wildcats and 7 Seconds of Heaven hung tough in close games to eke out spots in the A-Div quarters.

A-Div Pre-Quarters

Wildcats over Bickett Poker 12-11
Too Much Mustard over Clean Plate Club 14-10
TAU over American Hyperbole 15-4
7 Seconds of Heaven over Ramshackle 13-11

B-Div pre-quarters had everyone playing according to script, with the top seeds all advancing to B-Div quarters, where they would play the losers of A-Div pre-quarters.  The four losers in the B-Div pre-quarters dropped to a 4-team C-Division, where they commenced with semis matchups.

B-Div Pre-Quarters

Osos y Amigos over Spirit Team 11-8
Scorgasms over CHUF 14-10
Boone!ShakaLaka over Seabiscuit 11-7
Frenzy over Nekkid 15-8

The C-Division semis had Chapel Hill High School’s squad (CHUF, playing in its 10th Kudzu tourney) upsetting local Raleigh-based pickup players Seabiscuit in a 14-12 barnburner, while in the other matchup Nekkid and Spirit were neck and neck till the final moment when Nekkid went ahead to nail down the victory, 11-9.

C-Division finals pitted the young, high school-based team against the DC-based Nekkid squad (which was playing in its 12th Kudzu tourney).  Nekkid’s older, more experienced players showed their age in this game, and they failed to keep up with the youngsters, as CHUF dominated, winning 13-6.  Kudos to CHUF coach Tom Herndon and standout players Kent Torrel and Shelley Cohen for their leadership on and off the field.

In the C-Div consolation game (“we’re not #20”), Seabiscuit and Spirit Team battled sans time-cap to a 15-7 Seabiscuit victory.  Spirit Team showed its upbeat spirit from the outset, with captain Andrew Baltensperger eschewing a clique-ish, win-at-all cost recruiting strategy in favor of assembling a far-flung crew that was willing to play for play’s sake.  

C-Div Semis
CHUF over Seabiscuit 14-12
Nekkid over Spirit Team 11-9

C-Div Finals
CHUF over Nekkid 13-6

C-Div Consolation
Seabiscuit over Spirit Team 15-7

The B-Division played itself out according to seed, with only a single upset along the way, American Hyperbole never quite finding its mojo as Frenzy sought to make up for lost time, with the result that Frenzy was able to pull off a 12-8 upset.  While not resulting in an upset, the Ramshackle v. Boone!Shakalaka match was a barn-burner, with Ramshackle losing the advantage--allowing Boone!shakalaka to tie at 10s--before earning their final, game-winning point.

Bickett Poker continued to well use its mostly Backhoe women to score, having them march the disc the length of the field, throw for 2-point goals, or receive the 2-point bomb from one of many big-armed men.  This was especially the case in their semis with Frenzy, which didn’t have the depth on the women’s side to match Bickett’s assets, giving them a relatively easy 15-7 victory.  Relatively easy, that is, as opposed to how the thin and weary Ramshackle crew pushed Clean Plate hard, making them savor every one of its points in a long 13-10 victory.

Bickett Poker and Clean Plate Club faced off in the finals, and each continued to use its particular game-winning strategy.  Bickett’s has been alluded to, but Clean Plate simply played a strong man-centric game, with its women getting open underneath for quick resets back to the men, and with D that relied on the men playing tough and doing extra poaching duty.  Bickett’s stronger, more balanced team play proved the difference, and they took the finals 15-10.

B-Div Quarters
Bickett Poker over Scorgasms 14-10
Clean Plate Club over Osos y Amigos 10-5
Frenzy over American Hyperbole 12-8
Ramshackle over Boone!ShakaLaka 11-10

B-Div Semis
Bickett Poker over Frenzy 15-7
Clean Plate Club over Ramshackle 13-10

B-Div Finals
Bickett Poker over Clean Plate Club 15-10

In the A-Div quarters TAU pulled off the only upset, taking out Wiggle Room when no-one had come close the previous day.  In part, this was due to Wiggle Rooms’ late curfew (4am) and the fact that they had only four women, one of whom was moving slowly due to injury.  TAU typically ran four women when playing O, and they did not change their strategy in this game, well using their women to gain the advantage.  The closest of games was the Accommodators v. Too Much Mustard matchup, which ended 12-10 in favor of the Accommodators.  Tim Lupo’s team had the advantage with its women, and the Los and UNC-based Mustard’s stronger male line-up could not adequately nullify that deficit.

TAU had made a strong run to get to the semis, but the Joeys’ men and women were up to the task of neutralizing their gyno-centric offense.  As in all their games, the Joeys relied on solid play, with a good distribution of PT.  Men played strong in one point then sat, seldom playing more than two points in a row.  The Joeys’ women, particularly Backhoe players Sharon Tucker and Sasha Romantseva, were stingy with the disc, keeping their counterparts from getting to the disc and ensuring that every pass they made was complete.  The Joeys pulled off a lopsided 14-7 victory, while with the same sort of game plan, the Accommodators were able to take down Malice in Wonderland, 11-7.  The latter game was fueled by strong testosterone and gritty play by the men on both sides, but the advantage went to Accommodators’ women (notably Amy Morrison, Lauren Gardner, Heather Gardner, and Jenny Rogers), who were better able to work the disc against their
 malicious counterparts.

With both sidelines filled with spectators--everyone primed for a good two hours of cheers and jeers--the two teams stepped on the field at the prescribed 4pm start time, ready to battle, game to 15, win-by-two, hard cap 19.   The Joeys got off to a quick start, pulling, gaining possession, and working the disc in for a score, 1-0.  The next point was a break as well, with the Joeys going up 2-0.  The next point went to the Accommodators, 1-2.  Four more points were two-point trades, with the Joeys continuing to hold the lead, 4-3.  The Joeys’ offense continued to be a solid mix of players, with Ring players Joey Connelly, Tuba Bensonjaja, Brian Lowther, Mike Moore, and Dave Snoke, and on the women’s side Backhoe players Sasha Romantseva and Sharon Tucker, along with mixed players Martha Jolly, Julie Langford, and Debbie Lowther.

Because both teams did a good job of stopping the two-point shot (its success occurring only once, for the Joeys), the single-point scoring edge went to the Joeys’ women who were able to get and control the disc with more authority than their rivals.  After the two-point shot from Dave Snoke to Sasha, the Joeys got another break to close out the half 8-4.  The Accommodators men--former Ring standout Augie Krievenas, current Ring players Motts Mueller, David Berendes, Nick Poore, and Dan Seifer, and club players Grant Gardner, Terry Kramer, and Bobby Veit—could not get an edge over their marsupial counterparts, and the next five points were hard fought, with multiple turnovers and two 2-point runs, giving the young marsupials the 10-7 advantage.  If the Accommodators were going to make their stand, it had to be at this point.  Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way, and the Joeys took the next two (12-7) before the Accommodators could put another
 point on the board (8-12).  

Unforced errors and fatigue worked together to keep the Accommodators from even getting close to their goal, as in each of the last three points the Joeys got possession and worked it patiently forward, reset, swung, advanced, repeating as necessary, each time ending with a goal.  Final count, Joeys over the Accommodators, 15-8.

A-Div Quarters
Joeys over Wildcats 15-9
Malice in Wonderland over 7 Seconds of Heaven 11-7
TAU over Wiggle Room 15-6
Accommodators over Too Much Mustard 12-10

A-Div Semis
Joeys over TAU 14-7
Accommodators over Malice in Wonderland 11-7

A-Div Finals
Joeys over Accommodators 15-8

Horizontal

Joeys________||1..2...3...4......5...*7*..8...9...10......11...12...13...14...15
Accommodators||.....1.......2..3...4........5........6..7.........8

Vertical

Joeys v.
         Accommodators

1 Joey Connelly to Sasha Romantseva
2 Tuba Bensonjaja to Mike Moore
         1  Jeff Smith to Dan Seifer
3 Sion Stone to Dan Snoke 
4 Tuba to Sharon Tucker
         2  Tim Lupo to Nick Poore
         3  Poore to David Berendes
5 Tuba to Dan Snoke
         4  Augie Kreivenas to Terry Kramer
*7* Dave Snoke to Romantseva (2-pointer)
8 Mike Resnick to Jack Galloway
         5  Augie to Berendes
9 Moore to Brian Lowther
10  Romantseva to Nick Crawford
         6  Motts Mueller to Augie
         7  Katie Harris to Jenny Rogers
11 Tuba to Dave Snoke
12  Romantseva to Tucker
         8  Harris to Mueller
13  ?? to Becky ?
14  Stone to Moore
15  Ryan Smith to Tuba


TFDA pix:

Samuel Adams
Saturday: http://tfda.smugmug.com/gallery/8328235_oeTNX#545713710_Vb5PY
Sunday: http://tfda.smugmug.com/gallery/8330143_9Z6YJ#545846980_L6S8j

Jen Weaver
http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.lea.weaver/Kudzu2009#

TFDA free-verse (“moments at kudzu”):

Josh Greene
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfthbrrt_17fc49gfdp




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