Since the 1st tournament in Novemeber 2007, i’ve been on the losing side – with the nov 2007 tournament hurting the most ( we lost from 4-1 up/leading , in the finals ).
The other tournaments that Chennai team played , were mostly ‘individual’ driven – 2/3 players stood out and dominated the team. Ultimate being a team game, Chennai ended up losing, despite playing some brilliant points.
When i started practising for the 2009 tournament, i noticed a distinct difference – many players were playing confidently / playing smart games. The pace of the game had improved and yet, most of the advances were solid – throwing to the free man, swinging around , waiting for the right cuts and cutters responding to the handler. All the practise games were tight ones and each of the teams looked like winners. All of the team members seemed to know what the handler was expecting instinctively.
It was after one of the practise days, i was thinking to myself about the possibility of the ‘first strike’ - Striking off #3 in this list. Seemed realistic .
In the tournament, Chakraa was playing as a team – everyone was having fun. Everyone was doing their bit – no spectacular plays, yet thrashing the opponents. The ‘hardest’ game was a 9-5 win. Chakraa won all the games comfortably. Final win wasn’t a surprise :) . Am sure, there was very little pressure on the individuals - 'Team' play carried us through :)
Interest in Ultimate is growing in Chennai – Thanks to CUF and some active players like Manu , Abhinav , Ajay , Mama , Bharani , Mondams , Subbu among others. They nurtured Stall 7, which is the team to watch out for in the coming tournaments.
Ultimate time ahead for the ultimate fans / players in India !
