Pranksters 'Sky' and 'Layout' in Name of Tournament Glory

Author: Andrew Zimmermann

With Georgia on its mind this Spring Break, the Middlebury ultimate frisbee team did more than just soak up the Southern sun. In most impressive fashion, the Pranksters took part in three tournaments, winning one and placing as the runner up in the other two. Among the highlights of these epic early season battles were wins against rival Williams College and behemouth schools Oregon and Ohio State Universities.

The first tournament took place at Georgia Southern University where the frisbee team was to match its athleticism against the skill of teams like Williams and other powerhouse teams. In just its fourth match of the young trip, Middlebury ran into Williams, a hated opponent of the Pranksters. With nearly 20 players at its disposal, the team ran more and played harder than the Ephs, showing a greater desire to win. The result was a 13-8 victory. It was the first time the Pranksters had ousted Williams in four long years and was especially sweet for the seniors on the team. Co-captain Alden Woodrow '02 said the timely win happened because "after 3 or 4 matches we had gotten all the early kinks out and our flow of play was good." As the first weekend drew to a close, Middlebury found itself in the Georgia Southern title game against the very team it had beat just a day earlier. This time the Ephs were not to be denied and stepped up their play to beat the Pranksters in the final game of the tournament.

With that behind them the team moved on to the High Tide Tournament, which was played in a round robin format. Again the end result for the team was a second place, yet it took some big wins to get to the title game. One of those wins was against the University of Oregon, which is ranked number three nationally. Again Woodrow attributed the success to Middlebury's athleticism. One of the standouts in the hotly contested match was Evan Twelker '04 who was a big contributor in the sophomore's first Spring Break experience. Twelker had a catch in the end zone against the Ducks that left both teammates and competitors with mouths agape.

The final tournament was held at Clemson University. The fruits of the team's labor were finally realized in an 11-10 abbreviated championship game win. It was a perfect end to a successful trip that showed the Pranksters to be an extremely close, organized team. "This year we have more seniors and leaders on the team than usual," Woodrow remarked. It has indeed helped in the cohesive, strong play that the squad has demonstrated over break.

The defense has been particularly strong. Patrick Duffy '02 and Raiden Tsuboi '03 combined to give the Pranksters an athletic presence in keeping opponents from scoring. Said Tsuboi of his counterpart Duffy, "He had some disgusting layout defenses." The key of course being that disgusting refers to unbelievable extraordinary play. Tsuboi and Woodrow also mentioned Colin Davis '03 and Drew Bennett '02 as stepping up particularly in the key wins against teams like Dartmouth, Williams, Oregon and Ohio State. "Colin definitely 'skied' some dudes," Tsuboi said in admiration of Davis's leaping ability.

Next the team will travel to the University of Massachusetts for a tournament that promises more tough competition. Woodrow and team leaders see the only aspect lacking in the Prankster's game to be technical skill, which it will look to improve in practice this week and in the future. Down the stretch, the skill of Ben "Monkey Boy" Dow will be missed as the talented junior remains lost somewhere in the Asian continent. Until his return, the team looks to continue its progress towards positive results and national recognition. If Spring Break was any indication, the Pranksters are well on their way.