What did we learn about the top ranked teams at the Pro Championships?
September 14, 2023 by Zack Davis in News with 0 comments
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The Good Land1 gave us a great tournament. Some hair-raising results and fantastic face-offs left us with more questions than answers about how the postseason will shake out. It was chaotic and exciting in the best way possible, culminating in a Phoenix win over the top seeded Scandal. But that top billing final result isn’t the only thing to take away from the action over Labor Day Weekend.
The Players’ Code – Phoenix Play Fair and Rise to the Top
My favorite cheer at Pro Champs came from the #1 Raleigh Phoenix. They had a call and response of the Laser Quest rules, often led by handler and Ultiworld D-1 College POTY Alex Barnett. They did not sit, kneel, or lie down, they did not cover aaaaannnnyyyy sensors, and they certainly played fair, played smart, and gave it their all. If they’ve been playing laser tag in the interim as cross training or as a team building exercise, it’s certainly worked out for them.
Phoenix really put the league on notice with this win and proved they have what it takes to win it all in October. The team has a lot of depth to work with and a lot of trust in all of their players. There’s not a player on the roster that doesn’t have the ability to affect positive change for the team. Barnett, who has really stepped into a leadership position for the team was really happy with the win. “Pro champs is obviously one of the hardest tournaments to win, you’ve got ten of the best teams in the country, but the real thing everyone’s fighting for is the national championship,” she said.
Barnett is also happy with the statement her team has made. “I’m glad that people are scared now because they should be scared, but I think for us this just means that we can move onto the next thing.” In her words the thing that makes Phoenix such a force is that having such a wealth of contributors and lack of weak links. “We can put every person on our roster out on the field and it is scary, it is scary. People are not gonna know how to match up against us when we are 27-people deep and we have fresh legs,” she said.
Deep Run, Deeper Roster – Scandal Overcomes Adversity to Make Final
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