* Since I'm kinda bumming about my knee I thought I'd think back to my top 5 plays with Sub Zero. Maybe later on I'll try to think of top 5 from college, but that'll be a little bit more difficult. Also, its hard for me to rank them. Maybe any of the two people who read this could help rank them. Here is them in chronological order.
1. Nationals 2001. Sub Zero vs. E-Pig (DC). Placement games after we lost quarters. We trying to finish 5th so we can qualify for Worlds. I finally get some playing time in those last two games. Its really windy and Paco tries to huck up wind to Timmy. It goes about 40 yards and the wind just pushes the disc way up in the air. I was about 20 yards away and get a good running start at it. By the time I get to my spot to jump there is about 4-5 other guys in the area. I jump and grab the thing at the peak of my jump. I come down in this crowd of players and just call timeout. My whole team just mobs me. It was awesome. After the timeout Boardman is isolated in the endzone but I can't get it to him. I dump to Paco who immediately throws the score to Boardman.
Here is a pic of that play, which Phil Bowen found for me a few years later on the internet.
2. Regional Finals, 2002. Sub Zero vs. Madison. We're playing hard handler defense. I'm slightly poaching off my guy who is handling. I get in the lane for the swing pass. I layout and catch it about 10 yards out from there defending endzone. The momentum of my layout makes me smack my face on the ground. I stand and there is no one up field so I look back and dump it to Todd and take off for the endzone. He swings it over to the sideline we DK is standing and unguarded. I see it going to DK and break for the front cone on that sideline. DK throws it a little high and fast. I see its going to get by me at head level so I layout. I grab the trailing edge and slam onto the ground, in bounds, in the endzone for the goal. My teammates mob me when I'm on the ground, I was pumped.
3. 2003 Nationals. Sub Zero vs. Johnny Bravo. After we lost to DOG on day 1 at Nationals we played Johnny Bravo. I sat out for the last 5-6 points in the DOG game recovering from a laser forehand from DK that left my mouth swollen, cut up and bloody. I iced my mouth and got ready for the 2nd game. We started on defense first point of the game and Boardman threw a nice long pull that pinned them in there endzone. They struggled to get out, throwing many swing passes. When they finally tried to throw something up field it was to my guy. He had been trying to make deep cuts looking for the big shot out of the endzone. I stayed close the whole time and it paid off. He tried to beat me under and they threw it to him. As the disc was in the air he seemed to slow down his cut a bit and I sped up. I ran right past him and grab the disc one handed in perfect stride. I knew for sure I was in the endzone for the Callahan. So I spiked the disc but hucking it out to midfield and got high fives from my teammates. You can see this play on "Stacked" UPA Nationals 2003 DVD on both disc 1 and disc 2. Its nice.
4. 2004 Boston Invite. Sub Zero vs. Rage. Some rookie throws an up wind huck. The wind pushes the disc up, similar to Paco's toss in 2001. The disc just hovers over the back endzone corner. One guy from Rage is standing under and and two others are right with me as we sprint to get to a good spot to jump. I think that three of us jump at nearly the same time. I remember seeing other hands near mine as we jumped up for it. I snagged it before they could and we all came crashing down in a heap. I got up first while those chumps were still on the ground and tossed the disc up and got congratulated by my teammates.
5. 2004 Nationals. Sub Zero vs. Furious. It was a heated game against Furious. When the score got into double digits we just kept trading. Todd threw a nice huck to Boardman to make it like 12-12. Furious scored then we got disc back on offense. The handlers worked it down to around midfield and then there was a stoppage. While a call was being discussed I remember a Furious guy from the sideline yelling at the guy guarding me to not let me get to this spot on the sideline. He was pointing at this specific spot and yelling. The disc got tapped in and I still beat that guy to the spot on the sideline. Timmy hit me in stride and the defender laid out but he was too late, the disc was already in my hands. So, I had no mark, saw Boardman going deep and went with an inverted backhand huck. It was a bit windy so that was a good choice of throw for me though its a bit unusual to see in a game. It was a good toss, right to Boardman in stride, he jumped up and skied his defender and landed in the endzone for the score. I was pumping my fists, it was real intense. I think that tied the score at 13-13, unfortunately we went on to lose 17-16. This play is also on Ultivillage's "Disc 1" highlights of UPA Club Nationals 2004.
Good Times.
