Brixton Open at Indoor Nationals, London, 22/23 February 2014

After coming 8th in SE regionals that put us high up in division 2 and meant we started as seeded 14th and top seeds in a pool of 3. Team talks were done by Si and Derek, everything we’d learnt from Regional’s and Winter League were to be put to good use in this tournament. High hands on the break side, don’t get beaten open in the end zone, trust each player to do their job. We were ready to take on the best indoor teams in the country.


Game 1 v Flatball

Just before the game Rich noted that Brixton can start a tournament poorly before regrouping and it was important to come out 100% from the start.... And then we went 2-0 down. However one of the key elements of the weekend then shone through, we kept our heads up, played our game, and then started running away with it. We figured out Flatball’s Iso play and started shutting it down, marking up appropriately and really trying to punish any sloppy discs. From our Offence we kept it chilly, worked the weave/iso/flow when appropriate and played clever ultimate rather than rigid structures.

End result: Brixton 9 – 5 Flatball


Game 2 v Excalibur

A team of slightly shorter but much more experience players awaited us in our second group game. We noted before that they had good low breaks so looked to cut this out. Although I can’t remember too many details of this game, I know it was hard fought and fast paced. Our offence was clinical and when we got the turn, the defence put it in.

End result: Brixton 10 – 8 Excalibur

So we topped our pool, keeping 14th seeds and this placed us into a power pool with 2 Div 1 teams and 1 other Div 2 team.



Game 3 v Pingu Jam

After watching part of a ‘hotly contested’ game between these guys and Fully Charged we worked out their main players again and how to shut them down. This was also the only team in Nationals with girls in their squad (they brought 3), a decent achievement. Despite this being a Div 1 team, from what I remember, we were all over them. They scored a quick break side long through to go 1-0 up but after that I think we punished them for everything. Our offence barely (if ever) turned over and our defence had stepped it up, pressurising them into throws that just wouldn’t connect. We didn’t allow them the break side and this really hurt their game plan. Our first scalp against Div 1.

End result: Brixton 10 – 4 Pingu Jam (ish)



Game 4 v SMOG

These guys were all tall, athletic guys from York, Durham and Newcastle. This was the first of a few games where the smallest thing and one turnover can change an entire result at this level. We started on offence and traded out with these guys throughout the game. Our offence again just wouldn’t be pushed into doing something stupid but unfortunately these guys got too many break side throws out against us and we kept getting punished in the end zone. In the last few minutes, they finally got a turn and the break to start trading up and saw out the rest of the game.

End result: Brixton 9 – 10 SMOG



Game 5 v #ghecko’s

Most importantly, I checked and when they tweet themselves, it is just #ghecko’s, not ##ghecko’s. After telling Sean there’s no point in a time out in indoor games, these guys called a time out after 4 minutes and we’d shot to a 3-0 lead. This is all down to the fact we came out pumping and pressurised them into changing their game plan. A great result. The one thing I remember about this game is how much our awareness shone through. We’ve been talking about not just looking at your man on offence or defence and to know what’s happening on the pitch at all times. In doing this, Jon saved a definite turnover by being alert to grab a disc that was tossed at stall count 7.5 and there were a few other occasions where a small error from one player was saved by another jumping to their rescue. This was a great team performance from every single member of the squad. I think we traded out for the rest of the game to win by around 3.

End result: Brixton 9 – 6 #gheckos


So we finished the Saturday in a 5 -12 crossover which in itself is a huge achievement from the club. Also due to other results going our way, we ended up topping our power pool too and taking 10th seeds to be in the 7-10 game the next day. We could go for a lads noodle night with smiles on our faces as we’d come as high as we could on the first day!

Sunday – Game 6 v TJD

A bit like our crossover game at regionals, this was one of the best performances by a Brixton team that I’ve seen. After 3 turnovers in the first point which we scored to get the break to start with, there were NO turnovers for the rest of the match. Our weave worked to perfection with ‘that blade’ just unblockable by their team. Our defence worked their arses off but their offence was just as clinical and again their breakside throws were getting out too much and when they were a bit swill we just couldn’t bring them down. With 10 seconds to go on the clock, they threw another break in the air which after being confident I was about to bring down was completely skied to bring it level. Sudden death. They set up a poachy defence which ruined our weave a little, but another pin point blade from D to myself broke right through their zone. I turned around to see Sean standing clear on the open side on my favoured backhand throw. Unfortunately with cheers of SPARTA and GLORY in my head, I preceded to throw my backhand into orbit. The game was thrown. Or was it…. Sean had decided that gravity had no place in Dagenham that morning and leapt like a gazelle to not only grab the disc, but also had the mindset to plant his foot inside the zone which if he hadn’t would have been a certain turnover. The game was won.

End result: Brixton 9 – 8 TJD

Top 8 baby.

Game 7: Quarter final v Fully Charged

Having played these guys at regionals and winter league we knew their plans. They were very experienced, physical players who were expecting to do very well at this tournament. We knew if we could get a break and go a couple up then it would give us a real shot. We traded to 5’s and had the chance for a break but unfortunately we couldn’t convert it. Instead they managed to get the break on us and through chasing the game they managed a couple more and ran out eventual winners

End result: Brixton 6 – 9 Fully Charged



Game 8 v Unknown

Like all games at Nationals, we came out and traded to start with, in this game however they got the break and won by around 2. A decent team with a handler who’s lefty hammer we couldn’t seem to shut down.


End result: Brixton 6 – 8 Unknown



Game 9 v DED

In a repeat of our 7 v 8 at SE Regionals we were now in a 7 v 8 at Nationals. We had a bit of final game syndrome and after trading to start with we tried a couple of new things and weren’t really in the game throughout. A little disappointing but this was a good team and ultimately they got the win.

End result: Brixton 6 – 9 DED


So we came to Nationals believing the experience would be invaluable and ready to give it a good shot. Instead we made quarter finals, became the team that no one wanted to play (which we heard from various teams) and really represented Brixton at a high level ending up 8th in the country. What’s more is that we deserved it. At Nationals you don’t get any lucky games, if you cause just one turnover you can win a match and every member of the team helped cause turnovers and ultimately helped us not to cause them.

On behalf of the guys I would also like to say a massive thank you to the girls who came and sidelined/cheered whenever they could. It’s always a confidence booster if you’re playing with a crowd behind you and your support was greatly appreciated.



Great points from the weekend:



1 – Decision making

I can probably count on one hand poor decisions made by the team at the weekend. At regionals I would have needed all hands and feet from each member of the squad. We just didn’t make those stupid decisions to try and force a score or throw something that wasn’t on. If we had, we would have lost every game and is massive at a level like this.


2 – Team ethos

We probably had the most varied squad at Nationals this weekend, from a GB squad member, to guys who have only been playing a year. However every single member of the team played their part, I think everyone scored at least once and everyone caused a turnover. Granted, some played more than others or had more of a role, but everyone knew their job and carried it out brilliantly.


3 – Improvements

Each team talk mentioned how much we’d improved as a team from Regional’s to Nationals. At Regional’s we would constantly be broken, at Nationals, it may have happened but it was a lot less regularly and we at least made them think twice about throwing them which is half the battle. Furthermore we trusted every member of the team and knew that they could handle whatever was thrown at them. This instilled a greater confidence in the team and meant we were happy to play our game the way that we wanted to.


Next steps:

Now we need to think about how we’re going to make a semi final next year and despite improving throughout the weekend, these are the main points as a team we can work on:


Awareness in the endzone

We did get beaten open side occasionally and being more physical can stop this. But most scores were breakside blades/hammers. If you’re in the endzone, don’t stand facing your man, stand side on glancing at the game. You can tell when a throwers about to chuck a break coz they get a glint in their eyes so also glance at them. If the stall count is about 6/7 know that it’s coming your way.

Bring down swill

We had one practice of this a few weeks back, but getting the positioning, knowing when to jump and not giving your opponent any respect will all be important in causing those turnovers. In some games our marks were so good the swill throw was all they had, but they kept bringing them down.

Offence

We had a great offence at the weekend but our main handler, a Mr Derek ‘Still got it’ Wallace has announced his ‘official’ retirement from the game. This is an opportunity for every member of the squad to now pick it up for Nationals next year. From now until Nationals, play in different positions, play the handler role, play the iso, play in the weave, play in the end zone and most importantly play outside of your comfort zone. Yes we’ll turnover more, but it’s only going to be fun tournaments/training. By pushing ourselves to do what we’re not so good at we’ll improve and be able to fill all roles next year.


MVP and MIP

MVP – Derek

Goes without saying that without Derek’s calm head, ‘Best blade at Nationals’, intelligence of the game and with a cheeky layout thrown in for good measure we would not have come as far as we did at this tournament. He definitely still has it and it’s a shame to see him hang up his boots. A well deserved MVP award at your last ‘official’ tournament and pretty unanimous throughout the team.

MIP – Guy, Sean, Bento


A 3 way tie again! Guess it shows the quality of the club coming forwards that everyone really stepped up to the next level. Guy’s defence really stepped up throughout the tournament improving his mark in the endzone throughout the tournament. He took a much more active part in our offensive plays, coming out to help in the weave and producing a great all round display. Sean’s endzone play made him a goal machine and his defence really stepped it up putting other teams under pressure, especially under high discs which as a squad was our weakest point. Bento again was always reliable in the endzone making improving darting cuts and his speed and awareness on defence, especially on the mark showed a rapid improvement from previous tournaments.

Bring on the semi finals next year

Dave

Brixton at London Indoor Winter League, Open Division,

1st Feb 2014


After turning up early to give the Brixton Ladies a sideline as they crushed some souls, our Open team gathered to start off a tourney we knew would be great prep for nationals! We had Si, Sean, Jon H, Guy, Bento, Gill and D, ready to follow in the Ladies lead!


Portsmouth 9- 7 Brixton

As I can’t really remember too much of what happened, just going to give a quick overview of how the games went- our first game was against Portsmouth, they were basically a team of handlers and weren’t too mobile, but had great break-force throws and raced into a lead. We talked about improving our forces, then pulled them back, went 5-4 up but sadly couldn’t hold out for the win- our O was good here though, and our D improved throughout the game, lots to build on! And what more can be said about Coach D’s break-force side arm- it was pure money in this game, leading to their team captain saying in the circle we had ‘an old fox with an awesome sidearm’ :-)


Brixton 8- 7 Bru Steel

Next up was Bru-Steel, an alumni team from Brunel uni - Guy told us afterwards their captain didn’t want to play against Brixton, as he felt intimidated - YEAH BRIXTON!! That’s exactly the kind fear we want to be striking into opponents hearts!! We broke out the weave and after a few initial kinks, it turned out to be the money, and won us this game!


Brixton 7-6 JR

We reunited with our old foes JR next, having drawn with them at Regionals we looked to improve our result here- and did! Though they mounted a strong comeback towards the end, our Weave had done all the damage early on, we held onto our lead to take this game down! Sweet!!


Curve 11-6 Brixton

As Si mentioned in our post game circle, this curve team had been playing together as a unit for years and years, so for us to compete with them is a massive testament to how much we’ve improved and gelled as team. This was our ‘not so good’ game of the day, we made some individual errors and they ran their set plays to capitalise frequently. We stepped it up in the second half of the game so it was much more even, unfortunately the damage had been done and we couldn’t catch up.


Brixton 8-5 Flump

As Dave G pointed out afterwards, without Rich we play well, without D we play awesome! Derek had to leave just before this game started, but we went out and rocked it, hitting the front foot right from the first pull, we played REALLY hard D, forced turns and used the disc well- we raced into a 6-1 lead!! It was inevitable that they would catch up a little, but it wasn’t enough for them to overtake us, as we kept the pressure on and gave nothing easy. This is a team we also drew with at Regionals, to come out in our last game of the day and send them packing the way we did, really pointed out how far we have come since then, as Ham alluded to in the post-game call. What an awesome end to the day!


As for our players…


Si - One of the best tournaments I’ve seen Si play, always in the right place, making good decisions on disc and finding the space. Very sharp on D all game, using all his experience to shutdown other team’s clever moves.


D- that blade. ‘Nuff said.


Dave G - Dave somehow manages to always be free, but also is always standing completely still, waiting for a simple pass… has anyone else noticed this? It’s quite remarkable… True to form, he was always free and giving an option and Dave used all his experience in our games, connecting with other players in the weave and making good decisions throughout.


Bento - Minidave improved throughout the day, his cutting into space and reading of the game is getting better and better, as we learn each others movement more and more, Bento continues to show just how much he has to offer.


Jon H - massively improved and took so much more of an active role compared to previously. Disc skills and thought process and decisions were really good. Plus he would tell me what he wanted occasionally on D which shows a massive improvement in confidence.


Guy - After warming up with RUF, Guy fell headfirst into a tough game against Portsmouth, and went from strength to strength after that! Continued to improve and when brought back to play handler in the weave, his movement was excellent!


My humble self- After some points from Rich previously, I tried to be more aggressive in this tourney, both on O and D. I thought my D improved massively, I didn’t get broken (much :-)) and even got a point-block on an experienced player! On O I threw a few scores and made some more mistakes, overall a step in the right direction but I’m first to admit I’m pretty far from the finished article!


Overall this was an excellent tourney for us, got a few wins, finished second overall and gelled as a team- what better prep for nationals could there possibly be? :-) A testament to how well everyone played, and all contributed, was the 3-way tie for MIP- that’s barely possible given there’s only 7 voters!!


MIP- Jon, Guy, Bento

MVP- Dave G


See you Thursday!

Sean

Brixton at London Indoor Winter League, Women’s Division,

1st Feb 2014


On a calm, sunny Winter’s day, a team of intrepid Brixton ladies adventured to the upper reaches of East London to the Dagenham SportsHouse for London Indoor Winter League 3.

There were 7 teams entered and we would be playing all of them, in a round-robin league type set up. Can’t remember exactly what happened in each game, but here’s a rough summary.

Brixton 1 – 4 Dragon Knights

Our first game and we were psyched after a team talk by coach D, keen to try the new “weave” play we’ve been practicing and so called the line in preparation. Aaaaaand then they came out with a zone! But we adapted really well, finding the gaps easily with some solid handler play and great popping. We must have strung together about 50 passes at a time, tiring out their cup and calmly working the disc up the pitch. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite convert the chances once we got to the endzone, but we got one point on the board against this well drilled and fast team, and we were happy with how we played.

Brixton 1 – 5 Curve1

Probably the less said about this game the better. This team were all tall, athletic and super speedy, and their clinical offence and really tight zone D foiled us. We struggled to work the disc up the pitch as our handlers were effectively marked out of the game, and our heads got lower and lower. Luckily it was over after 16 minutes and we could have a good team talk from coach D to pick ourselves back up and learn from those mistakes.

Brixton 2 – 7 Caber

We came out much more positive in this game, and scored the first point (much girly squealing ensued). I can’t remember much more about this game except that it was another very skilful team (the eventual winners of the tournament), who ran us fast and capitalised on our mistakes. We got 2 on the board, a 100% improvement on our first games, with the hope that eventually we might meet a team playing more at our level!

Brixton 8 – 1 Blades of Glory

This was an awesome game. We put together everything we’d learnt in the previous 3 games and something clicked. Our passes were on target and we started to relax and enjoy the game, which in turn improved our play even more. Everyone had a part to play in this game and our D line scored several brilliant points by working the disc up the pitch through every player. Our first win and we were buzzing!

Brixton 6 – 1 Curve 2

This team had slightly more experience than the previous team, but only 5 players, so we ran them hard and stepped up our D to make chances and convert them. We tried our weave play a few more times, as well as some 3-2 and things seemed to be coming together. Another win on the board and our confidence building with every score!

Brixton 4 – 8 Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome

This was probably our closest game, against a school team coached by one of the GB Women’s players. They were fast, fearless and had an air of confidence about them. But so did we! We came out well and everyone played hard throughout this game, which was for some reason 21 minutes after all other games had been 16 minutes. We had some more great D and some flowing O, putting together what we’d learnt throughout the day. Unfortunately their experience of playing together showed through and they pulled ahead at the end. But it was a good performance from Brixton and a tight-fought game to finish with.

I can’t remember exactly which matches some of the great moments were in, so here’s a list of some super skillz shown throughout the day:

Kate – who knew?! Kate can throw a pin point pitch length hammer for the score with 10 seconds on the clock! Nice one Kate.

Lizi – a solid handler all day, with amazing break force throws and dump cuts.

Jess M – some fantastic ISO grabs under pressure.

Jess U – great popping against the zone and always getting free on cuts from the stack on flow play - well done on joint MIP.

Jacqui – excellent end zone action for some great scores.

Emily – thanks for stepping up as a third handler with dependable throws and catches, catching the aforementioned pitch length hammer, and well done on joint MIP.

Zannah – some amazing run-through D and always being in the right place on O.

Gemma – well what can I say?! I loved my first Brixton tournament and thanks guys for voting me MVP... *blush*

Thanks to D for some great coaching and answering all manner of questions, and Dave, Si, Sean and Jon for supporting and cheering us on!


Brixton at Windoors 2014

4/5 January

Hello! Welcome!


Come on in and take a seat by the fire. Help yourself to biscuits. Welcome to the Windoors tourney report.

The infamous Windoors.


I had been told nothing but good things about this tournament, both in terms of the quality of frisbee and the fun to be had. And I think I speak for everyone who went when I say we were not short changed in the slightest. It was an ‘effin great weekend. And to save myself mentioning it for literally every game: every single match and every single player from every team showed amazing spirit.


This is what ultimate was all about.



It started on a Friday night, with Sean, T, ‘Shaniqua’, Jon and myself breaking bread at a Leamington pizzeria. Despite the fact the girls ordered the most girly and embarrassing drinks available at what was actually a very decent restaurant (with tinsel around the straw and umbrellas included), we managed to have a lovely little meal before heading back to our hotel for a few rounds of ring of fire. Special mention goes to Jacqui for the music she made us listen to, the lyrics of which no white man can EVER repeat. Derek and Clive. And to T for being the most evil and cunning Question Queen. Seriously.



Brixton v Pooh Sticks

Our first match pitted us against a very good team and some very good friends in Dave and Lizi. This was a Warwick alumni team (pretty rare) who were very experienced, well drilled and put simply- really good at ultimate! So good you completely ignore the fact that every single one of them had some sort of poo related name on the back of their shirts.


Things didn’t get off to a great start and we conceded a few points on the bounce. But then one of my highlights of the tournament happened. . .


Just when this looked like it was going to get ugly, some beautiful passing and moving lead to T having the disc nearly half up the pitch where she threw a point perfect hammer to Jacqui in the endzone to score Brixton’s first point of the tournament. It was awesome. And it gave us a bit of momentum to quickly score another point. But then the experience showed and Pooh Sticks took the game out of reach. A brilliant, beautifully spirited match against a great team and a fantastic way to start the day. Bring on the next match. . .

Brixton 2 – 8 Pooh Sticks



Brixton v Phoenix Knights

Having been encouraged by some of the play and bonding from the first match and Sean’s awesome team talks, we were up for this match. Or for the cooler amongst you- ‘pumped’.


We were all on the pitch, we all put our fists together and we all let out an almighty YEH BRIXTON!!!! It was at that point when Si walked through the door and shouted YEH BRIXTON back. (Had I not mentioned that Si hadn’t arrived yet? Well, yeh, Si hadn’t arrived yet, but his entrance more than made up for it.)


It was a moment worthy of a movie and cemented our desire to go out and win.


And win we did. God we played some nice stuff. The highlight of which being Sean’s layout from another T hammer for the score, making sure we took a 2 point lead and that Sean was going to get some luvin’. A nice little aside to this story is that as Sean slid off the pitch from his amazing catch, he slid in to the feet of the guy who first taught him ultimate 2 ½ years ago. A proud moment. Another movie moment. Everything was turning up Brixton.

Brixton 6 – 4 Phoenix Knights



Brixton v Bears 3

We had played some really good, simple and clinical Frisbee in the last game and with another stirring team talk under our belts we went out and played.


By this point we were really gelling as a team, moving the disc around, not turning over, taking our time- it was great to play and great to watch. And special mention goes to Jon. He was always free. Always. It was insane. Every time I looked up there he was, easy pass. Done.


With two minutes left we were two points up and possession was the name of the game. But as so often in pressure situations, the pressure makes little mistakes happen and unfortunately we couldn’t hold on to our lead. Despite the frustration and some irritatingly good grabs from a Bears player in a god damn Manchester United shirt, we could be really pleased with some of our play.


This is also the first time we played our call of the tournament: Sexy Pants. (For those of you who are interested, Guy has some really sexy pants)

Brixton 4 – 4 Bears 3



Our results so far meant we were in the super pool, which led to our toughest game of the tournament.


Brixton v Vice

You know those teams you see at tournaments? The all male team who are quite tall and don’t even look like they’re even really paying attention when they play it’s just so easy for them? Vice were one of them. GB players included.


But they were not expecting what we gave them. Hell no. After 5 minutes it was 2-2 and a few of the Vice players were starting to look a little emasculated by how many times our ladies were getting on the disc. Jacqui even made one of them bleed (the first of 4 players she made leave the pitch with injury through out the tourney!).


A highlight of this game was us totally ripping apart their zone defense for the score. A zone defense leading to a flood defense that took WOOF (the eventual winners of the whole shebang) literally 10 minutes to break down. We did it in 30 seconds. Moving the disc across the back perfectly, making them run and working them hard. Then a hammer across to the other side of the pitch to Kate, a hammer up to just outside the endzone to Sean, and a toss pass over the heads of the Vice players for the score. It was awesome.


Unfortunately, they didn’t take this too well and decided to put on their big boy pants. From then on things took bit of a turn for the worse. Nonetheless we all left really proud of how much of a match we gave them.


And something to be very proud of, we finished the day seeded 9th out of 24.


Not bad.


Not bad at all.

Brixton 2 – 13 Vice



Now it was party time! A quick shower, bite to eat and then we were going to head out. Easy.


Five and a half fucking hours later we arrived.


A very special Brixton moment happened on the way to the hotel by the way. 7 of us in Si’s VW camper, no seatbelts, singing along to T playing on the guitar. It could have been Laurel Canyon and us, children of the universe. It was pretty beautiful.


Full on cheap cocktails and burgers from Spoons we piled in to a pub by the river. Unfortunately the party area smelled liked sewage so we all stayed in the bar with some other teams and drank the night away. Except Kate and I. We cared too much about this tournament and quite simply, are too dedicated to Brixton Ultimate. So we got a taxi back at midnight and fell sound asleep. Until everyone piled in to our room at 3 in the morning totally shitfaced and climbed in to bed with me, posing for a photo and laughing their arses off. I guess I deserved it. Either way – expect revenge!


For more details about the party, please speak to our customer service agents at the next practice.



Brixton v Spider Hog

Sunday morning matches after a party are always tricky. And this one was no different. We were up again against a very good team and a very good friend Gemma in a Warwick Alumni team (very rare).


Spider hog showed themselves to be worthy opponents and unfortunately we couldn’t build on the great bonding and play we had seen on Saturday. A perfect match to see in the second day, full of great spirit, great play, and great big groans from a hung over sideline.


Spider Hog 8 – 2 Brixton



Brixton v Sharkbear

Our next match was against a Warwick Alumni team. I’d heard a lot about these Warwick alumni teams, but to finally get to play one was pretty unique.


Again, they were a well drilled team who knew each others movement really well. But by this point we had woken up and all the positives from Saturday were coming back in to our game. Pass and move. Find the space, make the throw. We were playing really good ultimate, unfortunately our opponents showed their years of experience and edged it in the last 5 minutes.

Brixton 6 – 4 Sharkbear



Brixton v Joke Paws

It’s getting difficult to know what else to say about these matches if I’m honest! There’s only so many times I can write how well we played against a strong Warwick alumni team but their experience won out!


But we really did play well. Bento had arrived and had an immediate impact. His legs are weapons of match destruction normally, but against a day and a half tired set of legs- they’re unstoppable. He even caused one of them to nervously shout at his team mates: THIS ONE IS FUCKING RAPID!


Another really fun match, played in great spirit, with some great play from both sides.

Joke Paws 8 – 5 Brixton



Brixton v Afterburn

By some fault in the cosmos or chaos theory, whichever you chose to believe, we managed to find a team that wasn’t from Warwick. They were however still an alumni.


I’ll be honest, I think we could have won this one. But by this point our bodies and minds were tired and individual errors were creeping in to everyone’s game.


Despite a beautiful daisy cutter backhand break from Bento to Guy for the score we couldn’t end the day on a win. We went 4 points behind. We started to chill out and enjoy ourselves and before we knew it, we pulled it back to sudden death!!!! Unfortunately, the pressure got the best of us again and we stopped the relaxed simple play that had got us back in to the match.


Brixton 8 – 9 Afterburn



And that was that.

We finished 16th. And for a Mixed team that had only ever played one tournament with each other before at an Open event full of very experienced players, I think that’s a great result.


Special mention to our MIP – Jon. You were amazing mate and improved no end. Congrats!


And special mention also to our MVP Sean – laying out, team talks, non stop energy and positivity. A complete performance from one of our main men! Nice one dude!


This weekend was some of the best ultimate I had seen us play, and the bonding and positivity through out the team was a joy to behold.


We all left feeling exhausted and proud, and what more could you ask for? Except an undisturbed nights sleep.

I personally left with a huge feeling of optimism for Brixton Ultimate. The rate this team is gelling and playing, we can expect good things soon!

MASSIVE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME ALONG. I LOVED EVERY SECOND.

Bring on regionals!!!



Brixton, baby.



M

See more pics from Warwick 2014 in the Gallery.......





Brixton at London Indoor Winter League, Mixed Day 2
22 December 2013

On Sunday, Brixton sent out a ridiculously good-looking team (see photo as proof) consisting of Becca, Jacqui, Kate, Tanisha, Jon, Sean, Simon, and Rich. This was the last game we would play in 2013, so we were pumped to show our stuff on the Indoor stage! The day was full of some very exciting highs, wonderful defence moments and spectacular layouts. We meshed together as a team and although we didn’t win games, it was a good day to be had by all.

DED (6) vs. Brixton (5)

This was the number 1 seeded team in the tourney so we all came out wanting to show them what we got! DED were keen to start while we were still huddling and cuddling – a little too keen as they played the first point with only 4 players! Neither team realised til we scored – after that it was a tight tough game that we led on and off. Unfortunately, some rushed throws and a misunderstanding about a point that wasn’t a point allowed DED to get ahead. Despite this, it felt like a well-spirited game with both teams playing hard. Well done to Rich, Simon and Jon who played iron man this game.

Shiny Happy Meeple (9) vs. Brixton (4)

Being familiar with some of the members of SHM, we knew that we were up against some formidable opponents. Although Brixton had some good points, we just could not keep up with Meeple’s structured play and their zone worked to keep Brixton from getting the desired points. Again, this was another well-spirited game with calls being resolved quickly and amicably. Special mention to Rich’s impressive layout D that saw him snatching a disc in mid-air and looking pretty damn cool. :D


JR (7) vs. Brixton (4)

Having had numerous encounters with this enthusiastic and youthful JR team, we knew this would be a tough game. They are athletic, tall and as an alumni team, know each other’s games really well. We matched them early on with some point for point trading, our offence showing well and moving the disc quickly. Unfortunately their spirited D play forced turns, and their handlers could break the force for endzone players to score. We played well here, making them work for everything, and we had lots to build on for our next game against old rivals…

Curve (9) vs. Brixton (6)

After a great post-game talk, we came out against Curve wanting to improve and show our stuff more than ever! There were some amazing connections and the ‘wantage’ was definitely there with Jon and Jacqui definitely upping their game and level of intensity. Brixton were ahead and had some pretty incredible points that saw beautiful throws and great cuts and an improvement from the last game. However a long key point went against us and after that we made a series of errors that Curve capitalised on quickly. A game of two halves if ever there was one!


Dyn-o-mixed (7) vs. Brixton (3)

Dyn-o-mixed, the tournament winners, showed themselves to be tough opponents who got all the basics right. Their women were utilized quite well and the team had great structured play that our mixed ability team could not keep up with. Despite the score, Brixton players saw an improvement in their own personal games and left feeling that given another chance, we could give Dyn-o-mixed a run for their money.



The day was full of highs and lows, and each player had something unique to contribute to the group. Three of the games we were in the lead only to lose it with inconsistency, and that feels tough! But – it is also a great lesson and a great experience for a mixed ability team as we were to hold our own in division 1!

Everyone saw their game improve by the end of the day and given a little bit more time and practice, we could definitely give these teams a bigger challenge the next time we meet.

Si said at the end of day huddle that the future of the club is in the hands of the younger players – today that future looked good!


MIP – Jacqui seemed to be in the right place at the right time and made some incredible cuts, and improved her game throughout the day whilst having some amazing catches in the end-zone

MVP – Rich “the trick is to relax” Harris had spectacular layouts that made it look like he was Superman. Wonderful throws and great tips.







Brixton at Nottingham Damme Slamme, 9/10 November 2013

Brixton Women competed at the Nottingham Damme Slamme last weekend with Jess, Becca, Robyn, Tanya, Zannah, Tanisha & Kate making up the team. It was the first step in a journey towards Nationals in February next year.

We have cemented the strengths of the team with handling extraordinaires of Jess & Robyn, with Zannah, Tanya & Becca brilliant in the endzone (especially Zannah’s continual ability to find space, Tanya’s quick sprints & Becca’s long limbs!), and Tanisha & Kate being able to cover both handling and mid-section duties.

Scotland Swifts v Brixton (9-6)

After an early (6.55am) train journey up to Nottingham, we played Scotland Swifts first up and unfortunately took a little time to gel. As a result, the basics of throwing, catching & defence seemed to escape us at times and we lost a close-fought match. We resolved to come out harder in our second match. Being on-fire the first game of the day is something we need to work on.

Brixton v Mohawks (8-3)

To make up for our terrible start we came out with a vengeance for this match against the Mohawks. Our game improved immensely with completed passes, better set up and opening up space, or as Coach Derek commented – 1000% better than our first game.

Brixton v University of Leeds (5-4)

We played Becca’s old alum, University of Leeds. Thankfully, we won this match, but slipped back into old habits which Derek attempted to rectify throughout. We scraped by with a win, but it reflected our hot-cold playing ability when we haven’t trained as much as we’d hoped as a team.

Jack and the Beanstalks v Brixton (8-5)

We played against a team of giants and one normal-heighted girl, but still did well, seemingly rising to the other side’s playing ability, which was impressive considering we were playing against a team of current and ex – Great Britain players! We turned over the Beanstalks’ first disc and scored. Suddenly the Beanstalks realised they couldn’t just cake-walk through the match. We played tight defence and worked our iso, which was pressured by their zone.

Flyght Club v Brixton (7-4)

Another game where we seemed to gel at times and be even with the other side, only to let it out of our grasp in the last one-third of the match.

Flux v Brixton (7-6)

It’s a tough matchup when you are teamed against a side which contains teenagers (the youngest being 12). Unfortunately as it was the end of the day, tiredness got the best of us and we let this one slip (along with the fact that you don’t want to be too hard on a development team). As a result of this last match we placed 8th out of 16 teams overall at the end of the 1-day tournament.

Coach Derek’s Assessment

Overall, the day was very successful for Brixton and it was a great first step in preparing for nationals and (re) building up a Brixton Women’s Frisbee tradition. All of the women played very, very well and got valuable experience playing multiple positions. As a coach, I knew the day would be filled with ups and downs as we’d had limited time training together and we had a mix of experience and ability that we needed to bring together into a cohesive unit. Cohesion doesn’t happen overnight, yet the steps along the way can be fun and enlightening when the proverbial light bulb turns on – and I knew this would happen eventually that day based on the talent and attitude I saw from the women during out limited training time together. I’d say that as the day went along, the light bulb glared intermittently, but by the end of the day, it finished with a low glare despite losing our last game that we clearly should have won. However, I truly believe the low glare will be built upon throughout the season so that it turns into a blaring, bright light by the time Women’s Nationals arrives.

The impressive take-aways for me were the following:

• Overall good team defense, with several sustained patches of excellent defense. Defense will be the biggest success factor for Brixton (Women’s and Men’s) and it’s nice to see that we should be good at this as the season continues.

• Some really, really nice offense throughout the day. Certain games we played exceptionally well on offense, and those were against the best teams.

• Improving on zone offense throughout the day. We hadn’t practiced zone offense, so were not prepared for it when we first faced it. However, as the day went on, we improved greatly.

• Our ability to adapt, improve and learn – to switch on the light bulb – was showcased throughout the day. It’s promising and something to build on.

• The spirit and togetherness of the team. Even when things weren’t going well, we stayed together and didn’t turn on each other. People seemed to enjoy themselves and that is fun to coach.

• Playing very, very well against the best teams. Our best games weren’t the games we won. They were the games we lost to against the highest level of competition.

Things we need to improve upon:

• Playing to the level of the competition

• Getting beat to the open side much too often

• Resetting offense and maintaining discipline throughout the entire point as opposed to playing well for 75-90% of a point.

• Lapses in forgetting basics – but that’s entirely due to lack of training time and newness of the indoor game and playing together. Still, we need to improve.

There’s more I can say on the good and areas for improvement, but, really, they should be proud of themselves for how they played at Damme Slamme. The Brixton women will improve and turn into a very good team, based on their talent, attitude, and ability to adapt and be flexible. I think they should think about playing in more tournaments to get playing time and experience ahead of Nationals even whilst thinking about how they can improve their own play and enhance the play of the overall team. I think they’re already doing this and I look forward to seeing how the season plays out.

Sunday

Saturday night involved copious amounts of food being consumed in the nearby pub and living to regret the intake of so much food! Thankfully Sunday was hat tournament where everyone in the Brixton team split into other teams. Notable achievers include Robyn Hood whose team competed in the final but unfortunately lost in a sudden death point playoff (obviously the Sheriff of Nottingham was in the other team) and Jess Monson’s team which placed third.

Thanks

Thanks must go to Derek for coaching us on Saturday and his endless patience as the Brixton women learned to gel as a team throughout the day.