"We don't need no Knights to save us!"
I had a feeling this tournament would bring me out of my frisbee-blogging flop... And here I am! But this is going to be a little different from my usual post-tournament stories, because it’s more about the way it had an affect on me and my team mates than the games themselves. See, Knights were struggling for numbers in the Women’s division of Sicko, so I offered to pick up for them. We had a mix of experience, from Euros-standard of play, to only done three training sessions, so we needed to do a lot of work on gelling and communication. But we knew one thing: We weren’t gonna need no Knights to save us.
So we got to the venue in Hassocks and saw our first game was against top seed, Gossip Club, so we were naturally cacking ourselves; especially with only one sub. We kept our chins up though, and spent a lot of time explaining things and talking to each other between points. We were bagelled, but it was a game of high spirit and intensity, so it didn’t feel like it counted. After the call (where we picked up a 30-year-old man in a blue wig) we decided to talk about the importance of a decisive first cut. We did a drill to encourage that before going into the next game.
Kings College were another high-seeded team, and rightfully so. It was clear these girls trained together a lot, and they had a handful of movements and throws that they could do to the T. A little physical at times, but an enjoyable game where we scored our first point, and definitely had some stronger movement. Next up, we decided to talk about continuation. Using the line to which we’d cut in order to move the disc more quickly: front of stack cuts under, turns to throw to third in stack on the line, and second cut gets to the end zone for a point. So logical and clean, we were excited give it a go.
Our last game of the day was against Discie Chicks, a team we knew we could match for skill in places, but who had more than a full line of subs... I think if they’d played with 6, we might have beaten them. Even still, there was tangible improvement from the first game of the day to this one, and we got three points on the board. Considerably better use of space, and much more decisive and concise cuts made for prettier frisbee and a very enjoyable game. We left having bonded a lot, and feeling rather proud of ourselves, given the scores.
After showering and getting a train to Brighton, we walked to the host house and decided to recharge for a bit. Caffeinated drinks and naps galore allowed us to perk up in time to meet up with the beginners’ team, and to go get a bunch of food for dinner. Cards against humanity and plenty of gin later, we ventured into the night to get down to the tournament party, where I utterly disgraced myself by dancing, telling stupid jokes, calling unassuming victims in different cities, wiping face paint on someone’s clothes, telling a man he looked like a condom, and crying for no reason... Anyways, I was hanging like an apple from a tree the next morning.
We had a pretty early train, so we took the long walk to the station and got to Burgess Hill with some time to spare. After a lot of water and brioche and holding down puke, we stepped out for our first game. Every step felt like carrying lead shin pads, but it had to be done. Now we were Iron Manning, there were literally Knights to save us!
A wonderful thing occurred at this tournament though: a beautiful group of ladies from Norway came to play at Sicko! We’d watched them the previous day and they were on point, so I was not prepared to take them on. It took a few minutes to get a grip and switch on, but when we did, it was an incredibly intense game. Both teams were fighting very hard, and although they were superior, we kept running and made them work for their points. They were very impressed with how we played and commended us for how persistent we were: apparently no one had been as dedicated to the disc thus far. Wonderful women, and a game I’ll cherish for a while.
Post-call, we patted ourselves on the back for being more brave in our long game, and began understanding we could trust each other to run for discs. Bringing that into our next game against Surrey was bang on time: they have a bit of a contest with Knights because they keep beating each other. Our women’s captain was determined to send them running. Unfortunately, they have the safest hands I’ve ever seen, and a couple of leggy players sent them flying at times. We pressured them very well, and our endzone clamp stopped their points just as much as the previous teams. We got a fair few points on the board using both long shots and ye old safe flow, but they had the edge and won the game: kudos to them.
Playing Discie Chicks again was what really proved our development as a team. What was throwing us the previous day was no longer phasing us in the slightest. They had to agree that our flow was more consistent and effective, and our grabs were far beyond what they’d seen the day before. They weren’t expecting the pressure we put on, and were forced into a couple of fumbles and silly mistakes. Fantastic forcing and tight man-marking kept the disc in place for near-stall outs, and many points needed to be overheads for them. Despite losing, feeling our tangible improvement was the boost we needed for the rest of the day.
Normally at this point on a Sunday, I get a little lethargic and reluctant. I’m hungover and tired and hungry, and all I want is to curl up in a ball and sleep... So it was a good job we had a long break! Everyone had a nap and carb-loaded, and stepped out onto the pitch far more energised than expected. Seriously, we were so not prepared to give up yet. Kent were gonna get it!
They had a pretty flimsy zone on the chase and the mid, so we used a lot of our flow practice to cut throw them and make it down pitch pretty quickly. Silly mistakes or lucky Ds stopped our points, but so did our D. We were as tight as I’d seen us, and we were bringing down the long game with ease, alongside clamping to slow down the flat stuff. In 20 minutes, there were four points, 3 of which were theirs. It was exhausting and full of turnovers, but a lot of fun to play against a zone for the first time over the weekend. Plenty of pressure and a lot of solid discs, it was time for the final game: Panthers.
Now, I’ve found Panthers a little argy-bargy in the past, but playing them at this tournament just proved that the men can bring any vibe to a game without people realising. These girls were incredibly confident and skilled - lots of trusting hands with throws, and some fab pressure. A couple of points I couldn’t even be mad at, because I was pleased they were so gelled. However, they weren’t expecting us to step onto the pitch the way we did. Our long game was getting on fleek, and our pressure in the Kent game only doubled in this one. We forced them into silly throws that turned, and then took advantage of slow turns and stronger legs to sneak points in. Although we were swapping points reasonably evenly at the beginning, they got a big lethargic when we were peaking, and we pulled out three more points before the game ended.
We screamed and hugged and cheered and went to the call on cloud nine. Once left alone, we jumped about like madmen and celebrated; there were almost some tears. I distinctly remember saying it was ‘like a fairytale’. Which it was! Considering the confused and messy Ultimate we were pulling out on Saturday morning, it was unthinkable that we’d meet a well-drilled team like Panthers and beat them. But we did it. The amount of bonding that took place allowed an incredible amount of trust for one another. Everyone was willing to listen and learn from every individual on the team, and we understood we’d only improve if we were all on the same page. We rarely had anyone confused about instruction, and we took the time to explain all aspects of play. I have never seen a group of women so intent on pushing themselves. Every time they came back to the line with a smile on their red faces, breathing heavily and almost falling over, the disc went up, and we were sprinting. No one gave up on a disc, and no one decided there was no point; it was beautiful Ultimate and an incredible experience.
I cannot thank Knights enough for including me in this tournament. I have never been a huge fan of women’s because it’s either two things: catty and violent, or lethargic and lazy. Why would I want to play that? But this weekend... This is what I want to play. I want to be involved in a group of girls who just give a crap! And who are willing to improve, and who respect their team mates. I’ve never been so proud to lose 7/ 8 games, girls. Thank you for the spoon, second place in spirit, a lot of laughs, sore legs, and a new perspective on women’s ultimate. Also... Thanks for inspiring me to write again. I appreciate the balls out of all of you. And you know what?
WE DIDN’T NEED NO KNIGHTS TO SAVE US!
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