What happens when two rising teams face off
October 4, 2024 by Laura Osterlund in Profile with 0 comments
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2024 club ultimate season is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
Two teams, one goal, one obstacle: this was the story of Seattle BFG and Ann Arbor Hybrid last season. Both made it well into the bracket at last year’s National Championships. The only thing that stopped both teams from the title? Fort Collins shame. This year, their shared Colorado foe may have taken a step back, as shame. have lost both more games than they did in 2023 and the South Central crown to Austin Disco Club. In their place, BFG and Hybrid have become teams to beat, and both are powerhouses heading into this year’s Nationals.
A New-Old Team Develops
Of all the teams in the Northwest, it’s safe to say BFG won the recruitment battle. Adding Sadie Jezierski, Christian Foster, and (re-adding) Mario O’Brien to their roster bolstered their on-field performance. Not only did BFG work to fit these new faces into the team, they also reassigned some roles amongst returners. Their regular season has consisted of improving team depth by developing their players, discovering what roles they’re best suited for, and working on their systems.
“We built a really talented team for BFG 2024 and have been enjoying the process of fitting folks together, finding natural chemistry, and unlocking our team’s full potential,” said BFG’s leadership. “We believe that by Nationals, we will be unbeatable.”
This year for BFG has been all about development. While they worked to juggle injuries and semi-pro commitments, it made extra space for the team’s stable of playmakers to stand out in new and unique ways. BFG developed a newfound team identity and came out of their shell more than ever before.
No strangers to the biggest stages, BFG know what it takes to achieve success. They won a National Championship in 2021 and have gone deep in the majority of their tournaments since.1 This season has been no different: they won Pro-Elite Challenge West and Fruitbowl, and their only loss of the season came in the US Open final.
“Throughout the tournament, we tried folks in new and different roles as we explored ways to unlock the most potential as a team,” explained BFG. “We identified room for growth in our individual skill sets and in our team cohesion, and have brought those learnings to our next practices and tournaments.”
The Face-Off(s)
This year’s US Open saw not one, but two matchups between BFG and Hybrid. When the two teams first faced each other in a crossover game to determine bracket seeding, BFG came out on top.
“We were really excited about the high level of competition at US Open because it would give us early-season opportunities to refine our individual skills and systems as a team,” said BFG leadership. “We had very specific goals for how to approach each game, and while everyone always likes to win, that was not an explicit goal for every one of our games.”
To some of their players’ dismay, the final brought a rematch between the two. Despite the obvious difference in the game’s stakes, the clearest contrast was the weather. As those who have attended any events at the Aurora Sports Complex will know, days with unpredictable and suboptimal conditions are common, and the winds can change on a dime. This is exactly what happened the day of the final: warmups went swimmingly and the sun was shining, but as soon as players stepped back on the field for the game, things got gusty.
Even when BFG’s goals prioritize refining their systems and unlocking the potential of their team over winning, they can usually beat any team with their athleticism, throws, and clean, systematic offense. But if the team from Ann Arbor is good at one thing, it’s the Midwestern game: winning battles in the wind and excelling in pure and total chaos. The systems BFG implemented of swinging the disc did not hold up in the wind, providing Hybrid with short-field scoring opportunities. Hybrid, on the other hand, had no problems with taking the risky shots, knowing they would likely get it back.
“We were better at playing in that Midwest weather, because we’re okay with throwing a turn. And if that’s deep, then that’s just what needs to happen,” said captain Mark Whitton.
“The wind was definitely helpful for our defensive schemes,” added coach Bailey Besser. “We had a lot of focus on defensive pressure in the handler space to try to make it as difficult as possible for them. They have some of the best throwers in the country, so if we can disrupt that space, that was the goal.”
A New Champ Flourishes
For years, many have counted out Hybrid, or at least underestimated their ceiling. To be fair, it was for good reason: when they qualified for WUCC following their first Nationals appearance, they felt pressure to play up to expectations and underperformed. Last season, they didn’t put that pressure on themselves, and in turn had a successful run to the final at Nationals. This year, they’ve played well not because they think they have to, but because they want to.
“We say, ‘don’t run from the grind.’ So everyone’s putting in the work because the work is fun. Nationals is only four days, but the amount of time you spend doing the practices and all that hanging out, that’s what we like to do. We do it because it’s fun,” said Whitton.
One of the newfound keys to success for Hybrid is the buy-in from their players. “As far as ownership is concerned, Hybrid really prides itself in allowing the team and the players to own it, to have little places of the team to call their own. It’s player-driven, and that can be sustainable in that way,” Besser said.
When not practicing, they’ve encouraged individual workouts, gotten additional touches with their teammates, and put in the extra work to help them perform well against their opponents. “It seems like this group is just hungrier and more bought in than years past,” Besser added. “It’s intangible. It’s just more like the group of people that’s combined just really wants it and wants to play together as well.”
Much like their counterparts, Hybrid also gained some big additions to their roster who helped elevate their team to the next level. Jonathan and Rachel Mast, Aaron Bartlett, and Theresa Zettner made their presence known off the bat at both Pro-Elite Challenge East and US Open. Whether making impacts in stats like Bartlett or taking the toughest matchups and shutting them down like Zettner, the added strength is already helping Hybrid’s success.
Not to mention the fact that old guards such as Nathan Champoux and Tracey Lo continue to step up and make big plays when the team needs it most. In the US Open final, both Champoux’s callahan off a swing and Lo’s handblock2 on an inside pass attempt fueled Hybrid to their win.
“It’s been a very similar core these last four years and the new people we add in have bought into what we’re about pretty quick,” added Whitton. “We’ll have people who have joined last year or this year that feel like I’ve been playing with them for four years. It’s really easy, some of it’s because some of those players are really good. It’s very easy to play with Rachel Mast. But at the same time, we’ve got rookies who have seen what Hybrid’s been about.”
With eyes set on San Diego, both Hybrid and BFG have their work cut out for them. For BFG, it’s a chance for all of their players to finally be able to focus on the team and use their winning momentum to drive them forward instead of fizzling out. Hybrid already ran into challenges at Pro Champs, ending the weekend with a 2-4 record, but they worked on improving their depth without two of their key players (Rachel Mast and Nathan Champoux) to WUC; now they will look to upset their pool’s one seed and relative unknown, Disc Club, for a coveted bye to quarters. Only time will tell if their efforts will pay off in the postseason, but it is safe to say that we’ll be seeing more of both these teams in the near future. Hybrid and BFG have both tasted success, and are ready to fight for their place at the top.
