AUDL - my take

Before I read Match's write-up, I wanted to put my thoughts regarding the first AUDL game down on e-paper. The CT Constitution (CTC) took on the RI Rampage at Pierce Stadium in East Providence this past Saturday. Full disclaimer: I date a CTC player.

I rode on the team bus from New Haven to East Providence. The mood was generally relaxed. Your typical fraction of players with headphones on, a glassy look on their faces, getting to that competitive mental space. But there was also your typical pre-game Ultimate shenanigans (not sure who gave Smash a white board, or who designed the bus such that reclining a chair effectively locked a person in the bathroom, or who let Feetch sit in back, near the bathroom, unattended, but thankfully I am good at hangman).

Pierce Stadium does not boast locker rooms, so the CT team used a conference room at a nearby hotel to perform their pre-game activities. I was expecting more of a pump-up speech from Captain/GM/Leading Goal Scorer/New Dad John Korber, but the significance of the game wasn't lost on anyone, so such a speech probably wasn't necessary. (We were also in a hotel conference room, 3 miles from the field, so the vibe was a bit missing.)

The bus dropped the team off at the field, and I stayed in the parking lot to tailgate. The home-team fans were accommodating, and cooler space was exchanged for beer.

I missed most of warm-ups and most of the player introductions (note to Ultimate players: these AUDL games start more or less on time!), but there was apparently some confusion on the CTC's part in what order names were being announced. I am not sure if this was apparent to the casual observer. There was a slight glitch in the national anthem -- an errant button was apparently pushed on the iPod supplying the Whitney Houston vocals. But soon...it was first pull, and the game was underway!

Maybe it's because I play Ultimate, and lately I've been playing offense, but I thought the nervousness was palpable on the first two points. Who (which team, and which player?) was going to be the first to score? (The Constitution, and Andy Bosco to Brent Anderson.) Who was going to be the first to turn it over? (The Rampage, and I didn't catch who turned it.) The Constitution went on a 5-1 run to start the game; the Rampage answered to make it 7-6 CT at the end of the first quarter, before the Constitution took half 14-8 and kept a cushion the rest of the game winning 29-23.

Fan experience: the stadium was a cozy size. Small enough you were close enough to the field to easily heckle players & refs. Large enough you felt like it was Important and were afforded a decent view of the field from a few rows back. Programs would have been nice. While I knew all of the CTC players, I knew less than half the Rampage players, and ID by numbers is easier than ID by face, hat, or cleats. The stadium announcer was unprofessional. His comments were sporadic, unhelpful, and bordered on heckling. Yes, they were amusing, but if I wanted to hear a stream of heckles, I would have sat next to...myself. I did not purchase any concessions, so I cannot comment on that. Bathrooms were clean. The game is still too long -- 4 x 12-min quarters with time stoppage for scores = 2.5-hour long game = 1 hour too long. Either reduce to 10-min quarters, 2 x 22 min halves, or 15-min quarters with running time. I love Ultimate and even I was checking the clock often come the 4th quarter. One aspect of Pierce Stadium I did not appreciate until watching another AUDL game on-line later was the fact that the field was lined for Ultimate (when played on a field lined for Football, it becomes confusing).

Attendance was around 200. Most of the fans seemed to be related to Ultimate in some sense -- they either had a friend or relative playing, or they themselves played Ultimate & wanted to support the venture. There were very few "casual" fans -- the sports fan who heard about the AUDL on the radio, or happened to be wandering by. The success of the league will depend on capturing the devotion of these types of fans, since they outnumber the Ultimate-associated fans.

Reffing was overall good and not as disruptive from a fairness/game outcome standpoint than one might have anticipated/feared. Were there a few bad calls? Yes. Were there calls that displayed a lack of understanding of the rules of Ultimate? Yes. Do I expect this to improve? Yes. The penalty for travelling (once you have established a pivot foot) seems harsh (it's a turnover), but travels really do slow a game down, so hopefully a harsher penalty will deter them (there were fewer travel calls than your typical game of Ultimate, although whether this is due to there actually being fewer travels or to the refs not calling enough of them is up for debate).

Strategy-wise, the increased field width (the field is 53 yards wide in AUDL, 40 in "regular" Ultimate) places increased emphasis on lateral disc movement. CTC swung the disc better than the Rampage, and this led to easier disc movement. The increased field width allows for more hammers, which this fan finds exciting. Even a vertical stack seemed to degenerate into a horizontal offense, given the width of the field. I was surprised at the success CTC had with their zone defense, given the field width. It will be interesting to see how teams continue to exploit and adapt to double-teaming, but it's already apparent that unless you back up a double-team with some other down-field adjustments, it's too easy for an experienced thrower to simply throw around -- or over -- one or both of the marks. (We were watching the Columbus-Indy game on the ride home, and Brodie Smith appeared to throw right past the hip of the outside marker of his double-team.)

Individual-wise, Misha & Mazur took the opportunity to throw lots of hammers with much success. Korber touched the disc more in the endzone than he did outside of it. Will Murphy, CJ, Smash, and Husayn all played good defense (although Hus needs to learn how to get shoulder-high lay-out D's without landing on his shoulder). I was expecting Muffin, Teddy, Miller, and Matt Smith to do more for the Rampage, but perhaps I am not giving enough credit to CTC's defenders or I have really high expectations for them. This is not to say they did nothing -- Teddy scored a lot of goals (but many were "easy" catches, so they weren't memorable, so maybe that's why I'm underestimating his contribution), despite an unfavorable back-hand mark, Muffin still broke his mark at will, and Miller played dynamically, following his throws for dishy's to shred the now out-of-position defense. I also know RI was missing Seth Reinhardt, who certainly adds to their size & talent.

Will I go back to another AUDL game? Yes, but I'd already purchased season tickets. Will I drag others out? Yes, I think it is a fun experience, whether you are Ultimate-associated, such as myself, or not. There was no shortage of exciting plays a casual sports fan would appreciate. Do I think the AUDL will become an institution in American sports? Time will tell...