UK Nationals 2024 - Explained (with previews)

Editor/Writer: Hazard 

Additional proofreading: Nick, Hurley

With UK Club Nationals coming up, it felt like a good time to write a small explainer to help everyone follow along with the results.

Nationals has undergone a few changes previously. 

Most significantly, it now consists only of 8 UK teams in each division! 

There's no Irish teams for the first time since 2016 (not including 2021), and each division now comprises only 8 teams. 

Also, there is now a Division 2 in Leicester for Mixed and Open. I'll cover that briefly too. 

Alright, let's go over the basics.

***

What - UKU Club Nationals (Mixed, Women's, Open divisions)

When - 6/7 July 2024

Where - Highfields Sports Complex, University of Nottingham, UK, NG7 2PS

Schedule? - Here (Pitch 1 are the streamed games)

Streaming? - For free on YouTube through ulti.tv (click on the "live" tab)

Saturday Streamed games:
9am - SMASH'D vs Alba (Open)
10:50 - Lemmings vs Reading (Mixed)
12:40 - SYC vs SMOG (Women's)
14:30 - Bristol vs SMOG (Open)
16:20 - HECK vs BN1 (Mixed)

Sunday Streamed Games:
9am: - Women's Semi-Final
10:40 - Mixed Semi-Final
12:20 - Women's Final
14:00 - Open Final
15:40 - Mixed Final

Who is there, and how did they qualify?

Open and Mixed teams qualified through two regional tournaments (North and South). 

The following teams will be at Nationals (North/South qualifiers shown as N/S, along with last year's results and the approximate team geographic base). I'll also include teams which have been present at multiple previous consecutive Nationals that aren't attending this year.

Mixed

1. Deep Space (1st, S, London)
2. Lemmings (2nd, N, Leamington)
3. Heck (New, N, Edinburgh)
4. Reading (4th, S, Reading)
5. GUX (5th, N, Glasgow)
6. BN1 (6th, S, Brighton)
7. Thundering Herd (8th, S, London)
8. Newcastle Brown (New, N, Newcastle)

Notable absentees - SMOG (3rd last year, Northern team focussing on Open/Women's this year), Oxford (9th last year, Division 2 this year)

Women's

1. Iceni (1st, London)
2. Bristol (2nd, Bristol)
3. LMU (3rd, LMU - London Masters Ultimate)
4. SYC (6th, London)
5. SMOG (New, Durham/Manchester)
6. Spice (4th, Midlands)
7. Horizon (9th, Yorkshire)
8. Chameleons (10th, Non-geo)

Notable absentees - SCRAM (7th last year, Scottish team which appears to have disbanded)

Open

1. Chevron Action Flash (1st, N, Nuneaton-ish)
2. Clapham (2nd, S, London)
3. Bristol (6th, S, Bristol)
4. Alba (3rd, N, Scotland)
5. SMASH'D (4th, S, London)
6. SMOG (New, N, Durham/Manchester)
7. LLLeeds (New, N, Leeds)
8. Ka-Pow! (10th, S, London)

Notable absentees - Reading (12th last year, Division 2 this year)

Previous UKU Nationals results (I actually had to dig a bit for these, I was also settling an argument)

2023
2022
2021
2020 (did not occur due to reasons mostly outside of UKU control)
2019
2018
2017
2016 (Mixed/Women's/Open)
2015 (Mixed/Women's/Open)
2014 (Mixed/Women's/Open)
2013 (Mixed/Women's/Open/Masters)
2010 (Women's/Open)

Standings only 2001-2017

Tournament Structure

Each division has the same format.

2x pools of 4 team
Semi finals (1-4 and 5-8)
Finals

Each team will only play 5 games in total, and must finish top two in their group for a chance at progressing

European qualification is no longer decided directly at Nationals, and so there will be no additional cross-games.

Interesting stories

Overall, the absence of the Irish team has to be the most notable change since previous years. There have been several strong Irish women's teams Gravity/FLAME/Rebel), with Gravity winning the division in 2019! Ranelagh, PELT, and XVI have been mainstays of the open division, however 3rd was the highest any team managed (Ranelagh in 2019, PELT in 2017). There have been Irish mixed teams, with Rebel achieving 2nd in 2018 the only notable finish I could find (I think it's fair to say the focus was more on Open/Women's). While they weren't there in 2021, this will be the first time since the 2015-16 season to have a full season with a UK-only Nationals.

The shrinking of the divisions to 8 teams is also a new change. Again, in 2021 each division only had 8 teams. However, this was expanded for both 2022 and 2023 (12 in open/mixed, 10 in women's). Last year also saw the first ever Division 2 Nationals (open-only), which has been expanded to included mixed this year, and seems to signal a permanent change in Nationals going forward.

Moving onto the more specific stories in each division. I will include predictions, but being honest, I am very out of the loop with how teams are looking this year (particularly in the Women's division) so please do not view it as an informed opinion - I just know the article is more fun if I include them. Plus, with only 8 teams in a division, how wrong can I really be?

Mixed

Last time: SMOG had been mixed champion for three Nationals in a row (2019, 2021, 2022). They had also won their regional final fairly comfortably against Lemmings (11-6). In the southern region, Reading had overcome Deep Space (14-11). The 2022 final was also Reading vs SMOG, and everyone kind of expected it would be again. As a result, both the semi-finals being the exact opposite results of the regional finals (Lemmings 15-9 SMOG, Deep Space 12-8 Reading) was not the kind of upset anyone had on the cards. Deep Space then won the final 12-7, and proved it wasn't a fluke by winning EUCF as well.

SMOG have been part of the mixed division since 2016, so their absence (and SMOG 2's absence) sees a chance for a non-Reading/Deep Space/Lemmings team to make top 4, something that hasn't happened since 2018!

Heck beat fellow Scottish team GUX in the only notable regional upset. This makes them by far the highest debutant team at Nationals, and in a great position to make semi-finals (considering the format), although BN1 might prove an interesting challenge. 

The big teams in the division though are definitely Lemmings, Reading, and Deep Space. All previous finalists, with Reading and Deep Space both previous winners. Deep Space have the easier group, but Lemmings/Reading can both earn an easier semi-final if they top their pool.

Thundering Herd also continue to uphold their reputation as one of the most historic clubs in the division. They've attended almost every Nationals in the modern format (except 2017/2019), including a top-2 finish in the first year (2012). Interesting, that was also the year that Newcastle Brown last made an appearance mixed Nationals (although they did represent in the open division last year).

Prediction

1. Deep Space
2. Reading
3. Lemmings
4. BN1
5. GUX
6. Heck
7. Newcastle Brown
8. Thundering Herd

Women's

Last time: After only finishing 5th in 2022, Iceni returned to their former selves by going undefeated and beating Bristol 13-10 in the final. It was actually a pool rematch, in fact with all three top teams coming from the same pool (the other team being 2022 winners LMU). 

It is probably worth noting that the only teams in three years to get any Ws against Iceni/LMU/Bristol are Gravity and SYC (both vs Bristol, 2022). Iceni/LMU/Bristol have also won the last three championships, and come into this tournament as top 3 seeds again. It feels like we have a top 3 in UK women's Ultimate right now. However, the new SMOG women's team will prove a new challenge for them this year, as it contains many former mixed National champions. 

Spice/SYC have been on the heels of the others for many years now (at least, as far as UK Nationals are concerned - they finished as the highest UK Women's teams at WUCC 2022). Both teams have been consistent Nationals contenders since their founding. Neither team has ever finished below 6th, although neither team has claimed the title either - although SYC did make the final in 2017 and 2014.

Horizon and Chameleons wrap up the list. Horizon has attended the last two Nationals and had close games against the teams just above them while comfortably beating the team below. They've not quite been able to break into that tier yet, but will certainly be looking to keep it competitive across the bracket. Chameleons also entered last year, although they serve more as an accessible open-to-all team and so will be looking to pick up their first win this year.

Prediction

1. Iceni
2. LMU
3. SMOG
4. Bristol
5. SYC
6. Spice
7. Horizon
8. Chameleons

Open

Last time: There's only one real story that can headline. Chevron Action Flash won the final 12-11, upsetting a decades-long Clapham reign. As far back as the rankings go, you can find Clapham's name at the top, and also Chevron's name in second place most of the time (with occasional appearances of Alba, Fire, and Leeds). Chevron have been fighting for the championship for the longest time and, last year, they finally achieved it. It is worth noting that Clapham then won EUCF last year, but regardless, the UK Nationals streak was broken.

So, this time, Clapham are likely out to get it back. They'll have to see off Alba (who made the 2022 final), SMASH'D (who've finished top 5 for three years running), and Leeds (who make their first Nationals since 2018). 

Chevron have Bristol (who managed to upset Ranelagh in the pool stages last year), the new SMOG open team (again, containing many mixed National champions), and Ka-Pow! (who peaked at 4th in 2016). 

The fight for top 4 of SMASH'D vs Alba and SMOG vs Bristol are likely to be the highlights of the Saturday, although there's always a chance for a Leeds/Ka-Pow! upset (ed's note - I am playing for Leeds and previously played for Ka-Pow!).

The hot money is on a Chevron vs Clapham rematch this year, especially considering Chevron beat Alba 15-6 in their regional final. Don't count out the other teams but, if it happens again, expect both teams to be going for it with everything.

Prediction

1. Clapham
2. Chevron
3. Alba
4. Bristol
5. SMASH'D
6. SMOG
7. Ka-Pow!
8. Leeds

Division 2

Tournament Info? - Here

Location: University of Leicester Sports Ground, Leicester, UK, LE2 4DS

Schedule? - Here

2023 Results? - Here

After its debut last year with just an open division, the Division 2 championship returns with a mixed division as well! 

Mixed

1. Flyght (11th Div 1, N, Nottingham)
2. Sheffield Steal (New, N, Sheffield)
3. Oxford (9th Div 1, S, Oxford)
4. GUXYZ (New, N, Glasgow - GUX 2nd team)
5. Thundering Herd 2 (New, S, London)
6. Contested (New, N, non-geo)

Interestingly, 4 of the eligible Northern mixed teams took up the call but only 2 of the eligible southern ones, with Solent and Zoo (who finished above Oxford and TH2) not attending. However, it is the first year of the division and all teams here finished ahead of at least three other teams in their region.

Flyght and Oxford suffer from the shrinking of Division 1 to find themselves in Division 2 this year - with Oxford part of the upper division since 2021 (finishing 6th/5th/9th). However, Flyght were the team with better results at regionals, only narrowly missing out 10-7 vs GUX on a place in Division 1. Steal also only lost 11-8 vs Newcastle Brown. Flyght then handily dispatched Steal 15-5, emphatically earning their top seed here.

TH2 and GUXYZ both form second-teams to help expand out the division - potentially giving value to the tournament as a space to allow clubs to grow bigger. Contested are more of a "friend-team", but fill out the tournament after a decent regional performance. It is worth noting that Brum-ish (a Birmingham/Some team mix) finished below Contested and GUXYZ, but did play both teams twice and won/lost against both teams, just in the wrong order for final placement.

The tournament will be a single 6-team pool, followed by a final 1 vs 2 game. I will be accused of bias if I predict Oxford first, so please appreciate the restraint I'm showing here.

Predictions

1. Flyght
2. Oxford
3. Sheffield Steal
4. Thundering Herd 2
5. GUXYZ
6. Contested

Open

1. Solent (7th Div 2, S, Southampton)
2. Manchester (4th Div 2, N, Manchester)
3. Lemmings (2nd Div 2, N, Leamington)
4. Fire of London (3rd Div 2, S, London)
5. Devon (1st Div 2, S, Devon)
6. Cambridge (8th Div 2, N, Cambridge)
7. EDI (5th Div 2, N, Edinburgh) 
8. Reading (12th Div 1, S, Reading)
9. Bristol 2 (New, S, Bristol)
10. Sheffield Steal (6th Div 2, N, Sheffield)

Interestingly, only one team drops down into Div 2 from last year (Reading), and only one brand new team joins the crew (Bristol 2). The division stays at 10-teams strong, with a lot of repetition from last year. Surprisingly, no team from last year made the jump to Div 1 either, although that might be more due to the "Leeds" team last year (Yorkshire Ultimate) declining a spot in Division 2. Additionally, only one team from each region declined a spot this year (Newcastle and Brighton), indicating teams are now factoring in Division 2 as part of their yearly plans.

Solent and Fire were both sudden-death losses away from making Div 1 this year (11-12 vs SMASH'D and 10-11 vs Ka-Pow! respectively), meaning both teams have to be favourites in Division 2 - especially Solent who later beat Fire 14-9 in the final seeding game. Additionally, Devon only lost 10-11 to SMASH'D in the group stages. In contrast in the north, Manchester lost 11-15 to Leeds and 7-10 to SMOG, with no other team coming noticeably close to the Div 1 counterparts (a surprise 7-10 result by EDI vs Leeds not withstanding).

It should be noted that there are a lot of second teams here (or open teams with a mixed-team counterpart). This makes predictions hard, as Lemmings, Reading, Steal, and Bristol all have a separate player pool influencing their team selection, which makes regionals/nationals roster lists more variable. Solent, Manchester, Fire, and Devon have all shown they can match up with Div 1 teams though, while many of the others show solid results either this year or last.

The tournament is two 5-team pools, followed by 3vs6/7vs10 crossovers, then semis and finals.

Predictions

1. Solent
2. Manchester
3. Devon
4. Fire
5. Reading
6. Cambridge
7. Lemmings
8. EDI
9. Bristol 2
10. Sheffield Steal

Interview with UMON Div 1 Winning Captain: Andrew Warnock

Interviewer/Editor: Nic
Additional Editing: hazard

Now University Ultimate is over for another season, we spoke to Strathclyde’s Men’s Captain: Andrew Warnock, about their victory at Division 1 University Outdoor Men’s Nationals. They took the majority of the titles and made history for Strathclyde Ultimate! Their Women also took Bronze at Division 1, everything they have achieved has been incredible and not something to be overlooked. #Strathclydedominance

Photo credit - Jack Hughes

Introduce yourself and your team, tell us about you guys

I'm Andrew Warnock, the men's captain for Strathclyde. We've had an incredibly successful year winning 4 of the 6 national championships as a club!

How does it feel to lift that trophy and truly be the best University Men’s team in the UK?

Clichéd as ever, but it's been a long time coming. After finishing 4th in Division 2 in my first year the club has been on a meteoric rise, and from the start of this year we set a goal of winning this tournament and tried to train as the best team in the country every week. Relief and elation are the overriding emotions at the moment though.

After your bronze medal last year, how has your team developed over the last 12 months to take the trophy this time?

It's quite easy for a team to improve when 4 of its players play World's, and a lot of the others played throughout the summer when they could. 

But this year we also had Shaun Webb come on board as coach. He committed himself to the season 100%, brought a level of professionalism to the trainings that very few uni's must have, and made sure that every single player on the team had a role and performed it to the best of their ability.

What were your trainings like? How frequent were they?

We had Men’s Outdoor BUCS training once a week. Again, we always had in our minds at these trainings that no other team in the country would be training harder or better than us but, there was also a real team spirit that made it easy to enjoy. 

On top of this, there was also another whole club outdoor session, and two other indoor sessions each week. Priority for attending them did differ throughout the year but the men's trainings stayed very consistent.

That is a huge commitment from your men that a lot of university teams struggle to maintain, what is the secret to such strong commitment from the team?

It's difficult to pinpoint, but the depth of Strathclyde as a club is ridiculous - highlighted by things like sending 4 teams to University Men’s and Women’s Indoor Nationals.  So at the majority of trainings numbers weren't an issue. However, this does create some competition for spots on the team. So I think each person knew that if they weren't going to commit fully they might not be a part of the team that ends up winning Nationals!

Considering the depth and commitment of your squad, do you think you are going to be able to hold on to your title next year? How different is Strathclyde going to look?

There will be a few players leaving the team that played a huge role in the win. But the 'so called' less experienced lads on the team at the weekend stepped up more than I could ever of hoped so I have no doubt the club will continue to thrive. As a club we also really emphasize growing and teaching the new players so we certainly won't be a one and done kinda club. In my first ever proper tournament I remember watching Strathclyde firsts winning Men’s Indoor Regionals which was a pretty big deal at the time. It inspired me to want to win with them as well so I'm hoping our success this weekend can do the same for some of the fresher’s.

Are you leaving?...
Are there any players that deserve a particular special mention?

I am leaving (although there is a small chance of a panic masters...).

Gio Cabrera was my handling partner the whole weekend and just came up huge in every important part of the weekend, Ben Cornelius played as good as I've ever seen him play and was probably the most relaxed player on the pitch at each moment. Most uni teams have one big dude that'll be pretty unstoppable going downfield but we had two in Cameron Mackie and Ian Tait - probably the only people capable of stopping the other one. I feel like I could just say something about every one of my teammates but that might take a while.

Saturday didn’t seem as comfortable for you - although you didn’t play bad it certainly wasn’t your strongest performance. What made the difference between Saturday and Sunday?

Losing to Birmingham in the pools was a bit of a wakeup call for us. As you said we didn't play badly but little things didn't quite go our way and Birmingham I think just wanted it more than we did. However on the Sunday there was a clear mental shift and everybody seemed to work much harder for each other and we realised that if we gave everything and played to our best ability no team was good enough to stop us.

As mentioned in previous interviews with yourself, I didn’t hear Wonderwall once over the weekend (and I watched a fair few of your games). What prepared you for the games? Any pre-match rituals/new songs? Something that would increase your mentality going into the game?

Wonderwall usually features (with no exception this weekend) on the bus ride in, so fear not we didn't stray from the norm. But we did change up the warm ups on a couple of occasions so we didn't get bored, for instance we played goalty before our quarter vs Edinburgh. Also there are a few squad members who are Liverpool fans (myself included) so most (all) of our songs/chants for during games are stolen from them.

What was your personal highlight of the weekend?

There were so many big plays/throws/bids especially on the Sunday, but Ben Cornelius' roly poly grab in the final has got to top it!

Ah, we put a name to the face! That did look rather cool. Any particular game/s that stood out?

Definitely the final. Birmingham are such an athletic, well spirited, enjoyable team to play against and we have matched up with them in the later stages of just about every Nationals this year. At University Mixed Indoor Nationals we played hacky sack with them before we played each other in the semi. Since then there has been a real mutual respect that has followed onto the pitch!

Any shock surprises you found over the weekend? 

The top 4 was exactly as I expected, and the only real surprise was seeing Glasgow outside the top 8, but with a tricky pool and no crossovers it's a shame we couldn't get a few more Scottish teams finishing nearer the top. In the Women's Division, I was very surprised to see Edinburgh in the final! Repping Scotland well and a huge result for them to get a silver.

As you mentioned the lack of crossovers between the top and bottom eight in Men’s Division 1, it did upset a few teams.
What were your thoughts on the tournament in general?

It was nice for us not to have to play a crossover despite coming 2nd in the pool so I can't say it really affected us negatively in anyway. The teams that deserved medals all ended up with them. But as always the general running of the tournament was excellent. Literally nothing went wrong from our perspective which when you consider the scale of the tournament with the number of divisions being held is quite remarkable. So big kudos to UKU and all its staff for that!

So, Spirit. First, did you complete your spirit scores (some teams hadn’t filled out any), and what are your thoughts on completing spirit nowadays? And how did you find your weekend overall?

I did do the spirit scores! I have seen a lot of chat recently about spirit at university level, and about if teams should have spirit captains. Although, we didn't have a spirit captain it was pretty much my role as captain but it fairly easy to do because every game we played was well spirited. I'm not sure how you solve the problem of teams simply not filling out scores, apart from punishing them somehow. But it does just seem like the idea of spirit at university level has never been something that has been particularly important, and winning a spirit prize is just seen as a small added bonus instead of something to actually be celebrated. For this to change there would have to be a pretty significant shift in the mind-set of most teams. However saying this, small changes like being able to see comments made from submissions can help if there is something that certain teams need to work on. Maybe more small changes like this could make a big difference.

Any parting goodbyes (if you’re actually leaving) and well wishes to your past/present/future Strathclyde teammates?

Just a huge thank you to all the guys and gals at Strathclyde that have made my uni life an incredible experience! But to those staying around for next year, hopefully I've taught them that their degree should always come second to Frisbee!


Congrats and well done Strathclyde for a hugely successful year! Good luck and party hard.

Interview with UMIN Div 1 winning captain: Andrew Warnock

Writer/Editor: Hazard

Full Results

Spirit
Preview

Excerpt from Strathclyde’s post-UXIN win interview

Interviewer

Was Mixed Nationals your main hope for trophies for the year? Or do you think Strathclyde can do the triple with Men's and Women's Indoors as well?

Andrew

I see no reason every Nationals trophy shouldn't have Strathclyde on it by the end of the season.

Pictured: A lot of gold medals for Strathclyde
Photo Credit: Iain Chalmers

Hazard

Let's start with a quick introduction. Who are you, and why do you refuse to let anyone else win titles?

Andrew

I'm Andrew Warnock the Strath captain. We got tired of being the nearly team so took our fingers out our asses and used them to throw lots of scoobas instead. Apparently that wins indoors

Hazard

What is the big difference with the Strathclyde team this year?

Andrew

Everyone in the team is one year better and has played together one year longer. It helps we had minimal graduates but having 4 guys and 2 of the girls playing at worlds makes players just a little better. Getting over the hurdle and winning the first Nats title at UXIN helped show ourselves we were pretty sick as well

Hazard

Do you think that playing good Mixed Ultimate helps you play good Men's Ultimate as well?

Andrew

The Strath brand of indoors is played pretty similarly across all divisions so it just means more time playing the systems we run together. But at mixed we let the girls do most of the heavy lifting as there is no team that compares to them at the moment (hence the actual domination at women's nationals). Our guys didn't make things as easy having 3 universe point games on the Sunday. Not that us winning was ever in doubt of course...

Hazard

One small note on that before I move on to your team - how much of a difference does it make not having Women's and Men's in the same venue? Did it give the tournament a different atmosphere to previous years?

Andrew

I think it's pretty obvious the best venues available are in Scotland not even because it's not hard court but also for the fact that you can have multiple divisions in one place. If UMWON is always in Nottingham would it be so bad to always have UMWIN in Glasgow? I could rant for ages how terrible I think hard court is and how having a brick wall surrounding the pitch is stupid but I won't...
Despite being in a different venue to the women, our women's team still drove over in one of their breaks to watch our quarter final, and then we made it to them to watch their actual final. That team mentality is a big reason for Strath dominance right now.

Hazard

#strathclydedominance

So, three sudden death wins - in the quarters, semis and final. (8-7 vs Bath, 10-9 vs Birmingham, 8-7 vs UCL). Could you give a quick rundown of each game, and how you kept grinding out wins against such good teams?

Andrew

We were a little slow to the Bath game and probably underestimated them because they didn't look great on Saturday, but I think in the first 6 points there might not have been any turns. But they got the first break and we really struggled to turn them for the whole game. We grinded till 7-7 and after the buzzer they had possession and we were ready to drive back to Scotland. But they must have felt the vibrations of universe more than us because we forced a throwaway which we converted and we absolutely scraped through that by the skin of our teeth.

Andrew

Birmingham were awesome at the start of our game and eventually went 8-5 up, but we then had a 4 point roll before just about seeing the game out. One of the spicier games I've been apart of but another game we just found a way to win somehow.

Andrew

The final was great fun to be a part of especially as the crowd watching saw UCL as the villains and us as the sort of peoples champions (I heard other people say it so I'm allowed to say that). But again we had a bit of a lull and found ourselves 7-5 down this time, basically because Axel and CJ from UCL are tall boys that can jump. We started to make a comeback then Giorgio Cabrera got a huge D on our endzone which we put in speedily to take it to universe. And after forcing another throwaway from them Mackie sent a blade up to the gods which William Watt plucked out for the win. Maybe not the choice I'd have wanted him to take but it doesn't matter how you win. It's worth saying as well the spirit was really good in that game despite their reputation!

Hazard

Clearly they thought so too - they called it a positive atmosphere despite the stakes in their spirit feedback. Any thoughts on the fact you can now see which team said what for spirit? Or any spirit comments in general?

Andrew

Don't really know why you couldn't see it before. For there to be be anonymity in spirit results completely contradicts the whole point in scoring teams so it seems a logical step. Also means that if there are genuine things that a team needs to address it can be easier to do so. Yey spirit

Hazard

We've mentioned some of your team as we've gone, but is there anyone in particular you think really stepped up on your team this weekend?

Andrew

Everyone on the team did exactly the role they needed to which is why we were successful. I'll shout out my JTM Laurens Kok though as a 2nd year for being thrown in the deep end and just seamlessly fitting into the team (If you ever see him, please help convince him to ditch Basketball)

Hazard

I know when I asked you after UXIN, you said you saw no reason every Nationals trophy shouldn't have Strathclyde on it by the end of the season.

I'm guessing you still feel that way, but mind if I ask you ranking UWON, UMON and UWON in terms of how confident you feel of taking them home?

Andrew

Builders have already been called to extend the trophy cabinet

Hazard

Nice. Any final thoughts or things to say?

Andrew

3 down, 3 to go

Oh and also it turns out Wonderwall IS the best pre-game song!!

Hazard

It's certainly nice to go into universe point on defence, knowing that today is gonna be the day when they're going to throw it back to you.

Andrew

mic drop

What Went Down at: UXIN Div 1 2018

Chair/Editor: Alun P

Contributors: Rush (Scotland), hazard (Oxford), Slender (Sheffield), Axel (UCL, ex-Glasgow), geegee (Birmingham)

Alun P

For the final time this autumn, welcome back to another TCLF tournament review. This time, we look over the best tournament of the year, in What Went Down at UXIN Div 1.

Schedule

Interview with UXIN winners Strathclyde

Strathclyde kept the UXIN title in the same city for a third year running
Photo - University of Strathclyde Ultimate: Dark Horses

First up, congratulations are in order for new champions Strathclyde. Glasgow's two year streak is over, but the title has stayed in Scotland for another year. Who got a good look at Strath this weekend?

Rush

They just seemed to have an answer for everything and anything that people throw at them... throw the high ones, they poach, play short and they’ll play under, throw a zone and they’ll decimate it... a very well rounded team

hazard

Strathclyde looked fairly similar to last year, and I mean nothing but positive things by that. They picked up Zsófi Marozsák from Glasgow, and Andrew Warnock and Cameron Mackie had the same solid connections they always do.

Slender

The biggest compliment I can pay them is I barely watched them until the final as whenever I looked over they were winning convincingly.

hazard

Quite nice team-based play as well. Mackie was always going to be a main focus, but every player seemed fairly well used to some extent.

I’ll also agree with Slender that Strath looked good throughout. Honestly, from the first couple games you could tell a UCL vs Strath final was on the cards, if the schedule permitted.

Rush

That final though... we saw some great stuff from Strath, they really adapted to UCL’s style of play and handled their USA players very well

Slender

Yeah those two teams were clearly the standout teams there

hazard

Especially once we saw some of the other big names either hadn’t brought a full strength squad or didn’t seem to quite be clicking.

Alun P

On that topic, while Strathclyde were strong, the other usually dominant Scottish teams disappeared, with all four ending in the bottom bracket. What went on with that?

hazard

They all chumped hard. Ultimate is now dead in Scotland.

Long live the new regime

Rush

Exams... glorious exams... unfortunately our best players from Scotland are towards their final years or deep in PhDs so they have to focus on that. The drive down to Essex was not worth the time that could have been wasted put into work. Unfortunately we all came to university to get a degree not play frisbee... if only we could get a first in frisbee...

Glasgow brought their second team from regionals, st Andrews brought a fresher team, Edinburgh are not the same force that they once were.. it’s just not the same at the moment

hazard

I’m actually going to pull you up on that one Rush. Edinburgh still had some very good players this weekend - Hannah Rogers and Lochlan Fisher being joined by Gabe Schechter. It felt to me they just had a bad tournament, rather than any big loss in inherent quality.

Some loss, don’t get me wrong. But not reflecting the drop they took.

Rush

I would suggest that Edinburgh are not quite as good as they used to be - they have good split gender teams. We just can’t make them glue together for mixed

hazard

Rounding off Scotland - Aberdeen were only really missing Ellie Taylor. It took them one game to glue, and unfortunately that made the difference. They had a hot match against Loughborough - including someone getting a wind-up point-block on a hammer.

Slender
Unfortunately, this also now validates any southern team not travelling to UXON in March.

Rush

Slender if you want to play Div 2 be my guest, the hot talent will all be playing in St. Andrews for UXON

hazard

Other teams were hurt too though - GB trials were this weekend. Manchester missed Steve Dixon, we (Oxford) missed Joyce Kwok.

Slender

We'll see Rush....

Axel

I think Rush is being polite. Glasgow decided that hardcourt and the drive down to play half of your games against chumps isn’t worth it. St. Andrews I’m not sure about. Edinburgh did just genuinely chump it by the looks of it. And Aberdeen were always likely to have overperformed at regionals but will probably be disappointed with their finishing position.

I don’t think that performance validates English teams not going up. When did they last win a mixed tournament and have grounds to stand on. Also the surface argument doesn’t carry well. If it was 3G I’m sure the teams would’ve come down.

Rush

^^^this is what I meant but I need Axel to be brutal about it

Alun P

Moving swiftly on with the appearance of Axel… Runners up, after failing to make Div 1 last year, UCL blew through the field fairly comfortably. What changed?

Axel

We had a few pick ups... We had a wild (and unmentioned by TSG) Russell Howd who famously played for Truck Stop and the DC Breeze in some little league across the pond. CJ Colicchio came to us after we messaged his youtube site for info about a pro deal. We had a very strong team otherwise as well. Alicia Tan and myself from the U24 cycle just gone and a few people who should make the squads this time round.

The only caveat is that we had only played iso for 3 weeks...

Alun P

Other youtube channels are available

Axel

Overall though we made less unforced errors than other teams and played some (maybe too?) physical defence for this division.

Alun P

This year saw a real mix of regions in the top bracket, with the first five finishers all representing different regions. Are things evening up across the country?

Rush

Not a chance... Scotland could still dominate England in a 5v5 of your best vs our best

But then we do need to stop thinking of this as us vs you... you do have Axel now which might even things up.

Slender

Also by my count half the teams in the top 8 this year were in the top 8 last year.

hazard

Bath, Birmingham and Loughborough have been consistently high year on year. Bath in particular have been the stand out team for their region for the past few years.

Slender

Luff have been carrying the York and East region at nationals in a similar vein to Bath as well.

hazard

For the other southern teams, it’s mostly been the Men letting the side down in mixed. UCL getting two really good men finally solved that - their women have been good for years.

Kings, Bangor and Newcastle are the top 8 teams that stand out to me. While they all have some good players, they seemed to play together very well as a unit, without necessarily having lots of top club players. They are a story worth highlighting, for me.

Axel

Bath do come from an insanely weak region though^^^

Bangor and Kings were both lucky with the draw in that Glasgow defaulted the pool. If they had been there KCL would’ve played luff in a pre-quarter and lost. Bangor wouldn’t have gone as far. They looked like a sloppy team from the start and then got tired which made them worse. Both lucky to be in the top 8.

Luff have a nice vert tbh, everyone else’s vert is dodgy af

Slender

Having played them both, I can say if Glasgow sent a full strength team they beat them both comfortably.

....but they didn't so....

Alun P

Loughborough's vert/built in iso combo is one of my favourite plays

hazard

Loughborough’s vert was very nice actually, a good point. Their connections on pitch were very good too - which is what made that formation work.

Axel

Newcastle I agree with Harry on. They played well together without having stand out stars.

Slender

Luff don't seem able to adapt when it doesn't work though, from what I saw against UCL.

Axel

Agreed on the Glasgow comment. KCL and Bangor could only play what’s in front of them and did so well

Luffs iso wasn’t bad, UCL’s personnel was just strong enough to take them down.

Luff were a top 4 team based on how they played. Just got the wrong draw

Slender

It might just be me watching from the stands but they just kept throwing the same throw that wasn't working.

Axel

Might look like that but maybe credit the defence to Force a dodgy break on stall 7 ;)

Slender

Now you're definitely overplaying how forced some of the stuff was

Axel

Hehe maybe. They also had to chase the game of course...

hazard

Loughborough might be one of the highest teams without really having any eternal postgrads. Them and Bath do very good at building up players from scratch

Slender

(For the record I'm not trying to crap on luff, I agree they're around the level of a top 4 team, that's just maybe what’s stopping them being a top 2 team).

Axel

Slender, was it you guys (Sheffield) who played lots of split and send. #noice

Slender

Yeah, a 3-2 that's either side or split

hazard

With Helen Thompson on whichever side you actually want the disc

Slender

didn't do as much of the sending as we'd like though

Alun P

Spirit across the weekend has been noted as feeling good during games, even if this wasn't reflected in all scores. Anyone have any standout good or bad experiences?

Axel

I wouldn't call them standout but I would say that we had a game against Oxford that went really well in terms of discussions, time limits and fairness. Strath final was also awesome for a final where things could go south fast. Similar with Luff, we had a few calls at the start that went on a bit, but were resolved fairly, and then everyone adjusted and it was great. I'm sure people will give us some feedback (or I hope so) but we had mainly really good experiences, with the only downside being some individual's rules knowledge but that’s bound to happen at uni I guess?

I also really enjoyed some friends on pitch and the gantries in general giving some banter. I always thought it's been missing and even though it is sometimes misconstrued I love it. Though that may not be everyone's opinion.

hazard

We gave Exeter a 4 for positive attitude. We did it by going through the spirit category recommendation by WFDF, and voting as a team. Thoroughly deserved.

I will also say I think teams tended to play fairly spirited regardless of if they were up or down. As Alun hinted, all the games certainly felt enjoyable this weekend.

Axel

`I really agree with that point actually

Alun P

Scores did not necessarily match those good feelings though. I know many contributors have strong opinions on spirit scoring at uni level, care to air them?

hazard

I would actually really like to film a mock spirit-marking in a team. It’s one of the few things that teams don’t do publicly (for obvious reasons), and so unless you move between teams you don’t really have any sense of how teams do it.

Because of that, it’s very understandable that different teams seem to produce different results.

Axel

I don't think it’s very consistent and people may place too much emphasis on how they feel. I would wager that you tend to see lower marks awarded after a loss, and higher ones after a win.

hazard

One thing we tend to do as a team is mark ourselves on each spirit category at the end of each day as well. I think it’s a good way to be self-reflective of how you are perceived.

Axel

I also think it's funny how at regionals second teams will win spirit. Even though their rules knowledge is almost guaranteed to be worse than most experienced first teams etc...

hazard

Final thing - don’t have an ego when doing spirit. Don’t hold too strongly to one perspective if the rest of the team has a different one. And don’t be afraid to re-check the wording for the spirit categories. At Worlds, there were still times in close decisions where we had to re-read the difference between scores in order to make our choice, and all of us had been playing for a number of years. It’s ok to take your time - teams will take the opinion you give seriously.

Axel

My main thing is always not to hold one call or event in mind, especially if it is just one person who did something. Spirit should reflect the whole team and not what one person did. Obviously if it is outrageous then fair enough, but even for the 1s and 3s I think it says that there should be a few instances of a good or bad thing occurring.

ALSO LEARN THE RULES

wait wut

hazard

I try to keep it as a rule to leave a comment explaining each 1/3. This might be a bit much for some, but I don’t think it’s too much effort to give people positive/negative feedback to really help them.

Alun P

There was also some specific highlighting of issues with blade pulls in the spirit comments, which is always at divisive issue. Do we have any thoughts on them?

andrew

Blade pulls are an interesting one. They aren’t against the rules but we used to throw them at training and had to stop due to the high number of discs that were getting warped or otherwise damaged. I think anything with a high chance of damaging the equipment is probably against the spirit of the rules, even if there’s nothing specific about it, like spiking a disc on its side. Reasonable minds can disagree, though!

geegee

Yeah with blade pulls, it’s a tricky thing to discuss sometimes, because it has been seen in the past that some teams will tactically bullet a blade pull either as a scare tactic or even horribly enough at particular individuals. I’ve had some blade pulls fly inches from my head before and it’s frightening even as an experienced player, so I can imagine someone who has not come across them before or is of a more frightened disposition then blade pulls can be a problem. That being said, if a team has an issue with blade pulls it should be discussed during and/or after a game. If they’re carried out properly (within bounds, not in an aggressive manner, and agreeing with Andrew stopped if the other team raises an issue) then there’s no reason why a team should be deducted in spirit scores for using blade pulls.

hazard

I think one of the main things that needs to be improved at Uni level is the communication. If a team is acting in a way which you think isn’t upholding spirit, you need to let them know. Otherwise I don’t think it’s fair to knock down other teams.

For instance, I personally don’t like blade pulls - for the reason Andrew says, that they can damage the disc (and geegee’s point is good too). However, I wouldn’t mark someone down for spirit for using them, especially without raising the issue with them. They are considered standard indoors (particularly in Men’s), and so without feedback I don’t think there’s any way to know that you’re behaving in a way that makes the other team uncomfortable.

I would raise it if either the disc seemed very likely to be damaged, or one of my players felt unsafe, I think.

Alun P

I’ve previously raised this with a team on those equipment damaging grounds, mainly as after warping the pitch disc and all the discs they had brought, I saw their puller picking my disc up from the sideline a signalling readiness. I guess all’s fair until it’s about to cost me a tenner.

Axel

The reason blade pulls got called out was for “intentional harming of players” which would hopefully never be the case. It wasn’t in ours.

I mean I disagree with the end bit about it being unspirited. Should I let the other team score cos they want to? Just cos they don’t want to receive the pull doesn’t make it my duty to make the game easier for them? However they did only tell us after the game and I told them that if we played them again we wouldn’t blade pull and I wouldn’t have thrown them to aggravate people. Cos that’s just douchey and doesn’t help the game.

Alun P

Partly in light of the absence of the top Scots (potentially due to some clashes with exams), our own hazard has posed the question whether UXIN's placement in the calendar is damaging it as an event, and whether it would be better off moved later. Hazard, the floor is yours to make the case

hazard

So, I want to start off by saying I am very grateful for all the volunteers at UKU and the work they do.

I do appreciate that working out how to fit in a giant schedule of Uni Ultimate is difficult. I also do see that there have been a couple of open forums and an AGM where people can raise their opinions and voices.

However, it was only this weekend that it really struck me how much mixed has been struck down indoors, as well as outdoors.

I don’t think my uni is unusual in focusing on Women’s the week before Women’s, and Men’s the week before Men’s.

This gave only a week before Nationals that we could really focus on being a Mixed team. Given how early it is in the year, we didn’t even have much time before Mixed Regionals either (what with wanting to give time to beginners).

Having Mixed Nationals as a mid-late January tournament and Men’s/Women’s as mid February means you could have a two/three week gap, and still allow teams to train for both.

As someone who prefers Mixed, it really sucks how little priority it gets at uni level. I know it isn’t BUCS. I don’t care. I personally find it a more enjoyable version of the sport, and we’re going to see fewer top uni athletes giving it a go at club level if their only experience at uni level is a couple really early indoor tournaments and a single swiss draw outdoor tournament.

Alun P

While I agree that mixed frisbee is best frisbee, I'll try and counter-argue. Surely relocating UXIN to January would create more issues with exam timings, as January exams would interfere with training for it, or even clash with the tournament. Also, the late January spot is currently COIR, which might take players away from some clubs.

hazard

I’ll admit to not being as aware about January exams (yes, my uni does everything weird), but I still feel there’s enough time later in the year to do it. Even if it leaves a two week gap - you’ve still had more time to train together before hand, and it means the overall standard might be higher (and produce more chemistry than just relying on strong individuals). For Regionals, we also focus a lot on training up new people. For Nationals, you need time to practice more advanced tactics too.

Alun P

As one of the very very few players who've been around long enough to play a UXIN back in 2013/14 when it was in early February, is the difference noticeable?

I also admit to being spoiled by the sheer number of indoor sessions Leeds had last year making that a non-issue: 2 beginner, one experienced mixed and one experienced men's per week (plus presumably some experienced women's), but not everyone can blag that much hall time

hazard

I think so yeah. It certainly seemed like a bigger deal overall. Maybe it was because this year my uni finally had a fair bit of turnover that it really struck home for me, but for a lot of unis that is every year.

Axel

I think the timing is a non issue as the calendar is already packed. If you move it you sacrifice other things. Mixed is legit but BUCS has to take priority for logical reasons atm. Make mixed BUCS and then maybe they can alternate what takes precedent between the three divisions. I don’t think having the tournament early has a knock on effect at club level considering everyone still trains and scrimmages mixed, it’s not like nationals is the only exposure available.

The timing at the start of the year is unfortunate but where are you gonna move it without interfering with something else? Do we have too many events (playing devil’s advocate but...)?

hazard

Ultimate has been generally improving at uni level overall though, so it can be tough to say. There’s a lot of factors to consider, but I will say this - if it keeps being early, then Scottish Unis starting in early September are going to keep having an advantage, as long as they send a team. And there’s your motivation to do something right there.

Alun P

Finally, we come to our traditional closer: name a power squad of eight from the tournament. Thanks to everyone who contributed, and we'll see you in the new year for UMWIN.

Rush

Axel Ahmala (UCL), Cameron Mackie, Gio Cabrera (both strath), Ben Jenkins (Edinburgh)

Hayley Dalmon (strath), Kirsten Black (Edinburgh), Zsofi Marozsàk (strath), Ellie Taylor (Aberdeen - even if she wasn’t there)

Haley Dalmon was also apparently absent - Ed.

Axel

Alvaro Iturmendi (Loughborough), Andrew Warnock (Strath), Mackie (Strath), CJ Colicchio (UCL)

Alicia Tan (UCL), Karina Aitken (Strath), Zsofi Marozsak (Strath), Natalie Knight (Bangor).