- Pawel Janas
Note: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the WUL.
Besides close games, nothing upsets me more than fair-weather fans.
You can see them coming from a mile away. But it’s the smell of comfort and privilege that hits you first, followed by a whiff of wishy-washy fandom that you wish you could vacuum seal and store by the nosebleed section. Away with you! You know those glass cubicle smoke lounges in European airports? Oui, something like that, but for people who only support teams when it’s CONVENIENT for them.
I’m saying this because the San Diego fanbase stank this past weekend. To be sure, they packed Mira Mesa for the Super Bloom games. They were loud and a little too respectful for my taste - a special shout-out to what looked like a UC Santa Barbara/UC San Diego contingent for getting rowdayyyy in a crowd of innocent parents. The stands had a club semifinal feel to them, and the Super Bloom reciprocated by playing well.
But for the other games? Poop. You could hear my beer drop. And then you could hear the second and third ones drop. And then the fourth…never mind. What I’m trying to say is that there was complete silence as the fair-weather fans decided to go to brunch instead. Let’s just hope the Utah supporters can show the rest of the league what REAL fans look like at the Wild Wild Weekend in three weeks.
Until then, I urge you to sniff yourself and ask: what kind of fan am I?
(Editor’s note: I promise that we will be discussing the Northwest conference next week as Colorado takes on Oregon and Seattle. For now, please enjoy this Southwest-only content.)
Recap
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to inform you that it’s over. It’s all over. Cancel games, refund tickets, and rebook travel plans - San Diego is running away with the Southwest, and nobody can stop them. No need to waste time and resources on future lopsided games. When a team goes +18 in one weekend, it’s time to call it quits, especially during the year of the p-word. (Editor’s note: I’m talking about parity, you perverts.) Sidewinders had their moment, the Falcons have consistently overperformed, and Astra got their one win - everyone has something to be happy about as we head into the 2024 off-season. Right?
Question for March 30th, 2023:
Alright, let's break down the Beach Bowl. As expected, parity in the Southwest conference died this weekend, as San Diego took care of business handily - are you surprised by their +18-point differential? Is the Super Bloom coasting from here on out? On the other hand, Arizona was on the wrong end of two heart-breaking losses. Their next two games are against San Diego. Is now the time to hop off the Arizona bandwagon, or will they rebound? And finally, what impressed you more: Astra grinding out their first victory of the season or the Falcons quietly showing that they are a legitimate contender for Championship Weekend?
San Diego blooms
Ange: Obviously, I am not surprised by Super Bloom dominating the Beach Bowl on our home turf. What I am pleased about is using the entire depth of our incredibly talented season roster to do it...and that we are getting better every single game. That should scare the rest of y'all. (Editor’s note: I am shaking in my boots.) We know there is a (bigger?) target on our back now, and that the Sidewinders have something to prove when we return to Arizona in less than two weeks. They are amazing athletes who leave everything on the field - that is a recipe that can beat anyone on any given day. Fortunately, Super Bloom is already cooking, and we're not planning to drop another game this season.
Ben: Honestly, I was more surprised that it took this long for San Diego’s offense to kick into high gear. They played great this weekend, and I expect them to continue rolling. In addition to the star power, the biggest reason for their offensive success is the trust they have in their offensive systems. They are all comfortable slowing the game down, running the reset system, and hitting break throws, and it's hard for defenses to force a team like that into many mistakes. Compare their huck rate and huck completion % from opening weekend to their past three games:
- Huck rate: 6.7% over the first two games, 3.9% over the past three games
- Huck completion %: 40.5% over the first two games, 73.5% over the past three games
They're playing within their system and taking shots when it's smart - that's a recipe for success.
(Editor’s note: finally, a smart comment in this blog.)
Helen: First, I’d like to challenge that parity died this weekend because the games between both San Francisco and Los Angeles against Arizona were within 1-2. Am I surprised that San Diego took care of business this weekend? No. I am the firmest of believers that home-field advantage is massive in this league. Super Bloom clearly hit their stride this weekend, cleaning up a lot of early-season mistakes and dialing in the chemistry of key connections. I think a lot of that could happen this weekend, given the familiar conditions, lack of travel, and full team behind them. (Editor’s note: excuses, excuses.)
Nicole: Okay, listen, I am surprised by San Diego's +18-point differential. They're a strong team, for sure, I just still don't really understand what happened. (Editor’s note: rizz) I was rooting for an LA win. I don't know if I've just repressed it, but I can't really remember feeling like SD was playing all that much better than LA. It sort of just... escalated very quickly after halftime. So, no, I don't think SD is coasting from here. I think they're a strong team that will continue to win games, but those games will continue to be close ones. Believe it or not, parity is still alive and well in the WUL (I hope.)
Kenny: Super Bloom is already more than halfway through the season, sitting atop the league with a massive point differential. They can't quite coast yet, as they may need another couple of wins before locking that top spot, but it's looking to be a three-way race for second in the Southwest.
Pawel: I would love nothing more than San Diego losing all their games in April, but, sadly, I don’t see that happening.
Arizona bandwagon
Ben: Arizona seems to be full steam ahead on the CHAOS train, and I’m here for it. They’ll give the disc to you but then take it right back – I’m excited to see their intense person defense try to slow down the Super Bloom offense. Let’s be realistic, however: the Southwest is a battle for second place at this point. If Arizona has cleaned up their offense by the time they play Los Angeles in week six, they’ll take that second bid to championship weekend. If not… they’ll at least be entertaining to watch until the very end!
Helen: Speaking of home-field advantage, don’t count Arizona out yet. Enter bias. Arizona struggles on the road, but it’s not like our performance this weekend was a dumpster fire. The Sidewinder’s defense continues to stifle other teams’ offenses. Key players like San Francisco’s Schumacher and Los Angeles’s Childress were less of an impact against Arizona than in their other games on the weekend. Teams are lucky to put up a few clean holds against the Sidewinders. Some specifics: Oregon with 7, Seattle with 4, LA with 3, and San Francisco with 1. If Arizona can clean up a few things on offense, they are a championship-contending team (see all of our break chances :/). We see our hardest matchups at home, and you can expect the Sidewinders to bring everything to our next game against Super Bloom, including snakes from our favorite partner, the Phoenix Herpetological Society. (Editor’s note: you may have a shot if you release the snakes in the SD locker room.) Our schedule gets harder from here on out, but expect the Sidewinders to rise to the challenge.
Nicole: Here's the thing about AZ. None of their fans are bandwagon fans. AZ has done an amazing job of building a fan base as far as New York, not only because they're cool as hell and have an amazing brand, but because they make sick plays, they are entertaining to watch on the field, and they just simply play great ultimate. Many of their fans loved them before they beat Seattle in Week 1, and many of their fans will continue to love them even if they lose for the rest of their season. My opinion on their upcoming games is that their recent losses will only make them stronger. They'll prepare however they need to, and if they don't win at least one game against SD (they will), those will be two very close games.
Pawel: Hop off everyone, the next four stops are at the L station for this bandwagon.
Impressed with the rest
Ange: There were too many total turnovers (more than 60 by each team) and too few total points (25 or fewer for each team) for me to be impressed by Astra or the Falcons this weekend. Yes, it was kind of windy in San Diego. Yes, there were some super impressive plays. And yes, we will continue to accept turnovers and convert them into break points to grow Super Bloom's point differential this season.
Ben: LA and San Francisco both discovered the secret formula to beating Arizona - weather the storm, play within your systems, take smart timeouts in the middle of long points, and remind yourself you’re in an ultimate game, not a track meet. I was impressed by both of them, but if I had to give a nod, I’d give it to the Falcons. Coach Daryani has taken a roster with huge turnover and had them playing patient, team offense, and smart but intense defense in their very first game against Astra, and that hasn’t changed since. They're generating blocks at a high clip and are middle of the pack in most efficiency stats despite playing two games against San Diego. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them at championship weekend by the end of the season.
Helen: I’m more impressed by Astra grinding out their first season victory. Speaking from very personal experience, LA showed up on Saturday and played a hell of a game. I have to highlight two of our Sidewinders alumni, Cam Helm (#15) and Merideth Byl (#30). Helm scored the first break of the game with an impressive bid in the endzone, and Byl can only be described as a nuisance to our offense, racking up so many blocks throughout the game. It’s hard not to be proud of our snakes, even if they’re the opponents now. Astra’s only mistake was not trying to score on their last possession. That point differential could be the difference again this season. San Francisco learned and eked out one more point against the Sidewinders on Sunday in the same scenario.
Nicole: I'm impressed by both Astra and Falcons. But the Falcons are continuing to prove that they're in this for the long haul, and Champs weekend may look very different than it did last year. A lot of people were wondering why they're so silent on social media. They didn't make a huge deal out of their roster announcements, and they were simply unbothered that we all slept on them. And now we know why. They've been too busy to care. Busy grinding, working hard, and making sure they show out at each game they play. I'm impressed. Falcons are killing it.
Kenny: It's hard to make sense of LA edging out a win over a swelling Arizona team only to fall apart against San Diego. But at this point, anything can happen in the South. The Falcons are living their best life, LA is hit or miss, and Arizona isn't about to hand other teams any wins easily. I'm not surprised LA got a win--it's about time, in my opinion--but the Falcons proved my pre-season view of them wrong on week one, and they just keep doing well, so I'll award them with my ribbon for "Most Impressive" so far.
Pawel: LA until I die. Astra is perfect, don’t tell me otherwise.
This Week’s Contributors:
Kenny Baldwin (he/him) is a contributing writer for the WUL and a broadcast commentator for the AUDL's Salt Lake Shred. Catch him on Twitter at @FlatballKenny.
Helen Eifert (she/her) is a player and captain of the Arizona Sidewinders. She is a perpetual travel player in the USAU club division and has played for many teams across this country and internationally since 2016. Find her on Instagram (@heleneifert) and Twitter (@HelenEifert46).
Nicole Garnes (she/her) has played Ultimate frisbee since 2016, playing Club in both the Women's and Mixed Divisions in Arizona, and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Follow Nicole on Twitter @bring_snaaacks.
Pawel Janas (he/him) is the curator of West Perspective, so send your complaints his way. He plays for the Los Angeles Aviators in the AUDL and Chicago Machine in the USAU Men's Club Division. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @secondarypotato.
Ben Sadis (he/him) is a data collector and statistician for the WUL. He plays for Washington DC Rally in the USAU Mixed Club Division. He can be reached on Twitter at @ben_sadis.
Angela Wells (she/her) is the head coach of San Diego Super Bloom and San Diego Wildfire. For nearly two decades, she has coached and played for women's teams in San Diego. She is unapologetically loud and bossy, and endlessly supportive of providing opportunities for female, trans, and non-binary athletes of all ages to play sports together in her community.