For the week of November 5 - 11, 2003

The Ultimate test,
in Sarasota

Frisbee Masters are third nationally

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By MICHAEL AMES
Express Staff Writer

The KAVU—Big Sky Masters traveled to Sarasota, Fla. this past weekend with the goal of being crowned National Ultimate Champions.

In only their second appearance at the national tournament, the Ketchum-based team finished third in their division.

The team brought 20 male players over the age of 33 to qualify for the Master tournament. Despite going 5-1 in six games on Thursday and Friday, the Big Sky Masters came up short of their lofty goal.

Team organizer Tom Kennedy called it a "disappointing third place."

But the mood shouldn’t be too dark for this team. "We set ourselves a three-year goal for winning the national title," says Kennedy. In their first two showings, they have brought home a top three finish twice.

After winning four of five round-robin matches on Thursday and Friday, the team went on to beat regional rival Seattle KWA 15-9 in the quarterfinals. Seattle, two-time national champ and one-time world champion, is a formidable rival and so far winless against The Big Sky Masters.

In the semi-final match on Saturday, Big Sky’s single-elimination loss by a 13-9 score came against the Miami Refugees, the eventual champions.

"We could have won that game," regrets Kennedy.

A few dropped Frisbees and a less-than-dominant offense was mostly to blame. The Miami Refugees beat out Old And In the Way of Boulder, Colo. in the finals.

The weekend weather was perfect: 85 and sunny everyday on Florida’s gulf coast, with a strong 15-20 mph wind.

The wind actually helps The Big Sky Masters in that it makes Ultimate matches far more defensive oriented. According to Kennedy, it was "our zone defense that pretty much shut everyone down."

Kennedy and the rest of the team are already getting geared up for a return to Sarasota for nationals in 2004.

"We can beat every team there and we showed it. Next year, no one has a chance," he said.

 

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