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Volume aaa, Number 7 |
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Chaos and Clown create scary team
GRACE CHO & CONOR WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITERS
Take 20 guys, 9 girls, one disc, and a Sunday afternoon and what you'll have is the Bates Ultimate Invitational. As the day progressed, it became clear that the host was overmatched by Bowdoin's Chaos Theory and Stoned Clown co-ed combinations.
Overall, the "A" team left the tournament with a 3-1 record, beating out Bates Alumni Team, University of New England, and Brandeis. Their only blemish came in the championship match against Junk of Pork, a Portland based all-star team. The "B" team also had a strong day, leaving with a 2-2 record and presenting strong challenges to the Bates and University of Maine Farmington's "A" teams.
Despite the overall success of the co-ed teams, the message from the men was clear: the day's victories could not be won without the help of the women.
"The ladies came up big in what might have been an intimidating setting…they were our secret weapon," said senior men's captain Alex "Throat" Rosati '03.
"We couldn't have done it without the ladies. They made great cuts and the games we won were because of them," said "B" team leader Kurt "Cletus" Jendrek '04.
And the women took the men's compliments with predictable grace and returned their appreciation with equal eloquence.
"The women are lucky to have such a great bunch of guys to play with at these co-ed tournaments. Not only are they incredibly talented, but they are also sensitive to the fact that our team is young and, for the most part, novice. More than anything else, the men's patience and encouragement is responsible for the successful launch of the new women's team," said women's team captain Anjali "Trinity" Dotson '04.
One of the day's best plays came from Vanessa "Holster" Lind '06, who laid out for the disc on the sidelines, landing in/on the Stoned Clown ceremonial chair. Tough play also came from Grace Cho '05, who single-handedly engineered the team's first point against UMF. Gritty defensive work from Adam "Heiman" Ringle '04 in the championship match brought the game within five points.
Day-long first-year excellence abounded, showing itself particularly in the play of Henry "Sea-Bass" Van Winkle Work '06, whose handling and deep hucks were the toast of Lewiston. His favorite targets, Mike "Snatch" LoBiondo '06 (seven points in one match!), and Jesse "Sideshow" McCree '06 showed why the team stayed "good enough" all day long. Lydia "IV" Morrison '04 handled and cut with equal skill, earning the praise of many spectators.
No tournament comes without casualties, however, as junior captain Brendan "Bismark" Dickinson's gutsy end zone bid left the star leader with a mild concussion. On the B-side, Conor "Stat" Williams took a tackle to the knee, which all but ended his day. It was later discovered that he was laboring under the influence of infectious mononucleosis as well, which will sideline him through the end of November.
Truly, however, the day's events were a team affair, where both sides made notable progress and did significant damage to their opponents. As the sun faded in the waning Lewiston autumn afternoon, Clown and Theory opponents found their own stars rapidly setting.
Team cheers rocked the blustery air, intimidating even the most capable opposition. The season rolls on with several tournaments in the upcoming month for both Chaos and Clown.