Sub Zero Clinches Bid to Sarasota

By Kate Warrington; SPM KY Editor/Writer
Posted Monday, November 3, 2008

NORTH LAKE, WI – The weekend of October 11th & 12th fifteen teams from around the Midwest competed in the Ultimate Players Association Central Regional Ultimate Frisbee Championships with the hopes of obtaining one of two bids to the UPA Club National Championships.

Sub Zero, a team from Minneapolis and the number one seed, had a relatively easy road to the title game giving up no more than six points per game during pool play on Saturday. Sub Zero faced its first test on Sunday in the title game against Madison Club.

These two teams have a well established rivalry. “It’s a bit of a civil war type thing. We know the players that they are going to rely on. Basically for the entire season we’ve been scheming ways of shutting them down and making them take their second options,” said Hector Valdivia of Sub Zero.

Sub Zero’s scheming paid off. They held a convincing 8-5 lead at the half. Madison rallied in the second half, beginning with two immediate breaks, but the brief momentum shift did not last. Sub Zero cruised through the remainder of the half, defeating Madison 15-9.

The loss to Sub Zero put Madison in the second place game, the “back-door” route to Sarasota, where they faced Machine. Machine, a team from Chicago accustomed to earning bids to Nationals and the second seed team coming into the tournament, had a disappointing Saturday, narrowly defeating the ninth seed Skeetpocalypse of Bloomington, Indiana,14-13 and losing to Madison 15-9.

Machine’s difficulties did not cease on Sunday as they slid by MadCow of Columbus, OH, (12-8) and Prairie Fire, a strong first-year team from Kansas City, (15-11). Despite their difficulties, Machine’s coach, Brady Meisenhelder, remained confident about their ability to secure a bid to Nationals. “I think an advantage we have is a lot of our guys have been here before. We’ve been to Nationals a number of years in a row now. Our guys are hungry for it. They know what it takes, so that’s a big mental edge today.”

The second place game offered Machine the opportunity to avenge Saturday’s loss to Madison. Machine and Madison traded points for most of the game, but Machine’s experience and mental edge, was enough to defeat Madison 11-9.

With their victories at Regionals, Sub Zero and Machine will compete at the UPA Club National Championships in Sarasota, FL on October 30-November 1.